RIO GRANDE COUNTY- Over the past week, Rio Grande County has been working to evaluate the Public Health Department needs.  Working closely with the current Public Health Department team, Rio Grande County Commissioners are beginning to gain a perspective of the needs of the department and its employees.

According to an updated report from Rio Grande County Attorney Ryan Dunn, during a meeting that was held Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment began their state audit Monday, Sept. 14. Dunn stated that the audit was a combined effort between himself and state auditors and he hoped that it would be completed before the end of the month.

Dunn stated that auditors were focusing on the department’s grant division, grant reporting procedures, funding that was issued incorrectly and an overall look at the financial situation of the department. The Rio Grande Commissioners decided to delegate specific board members to tasks to help with the audit as much as possible.

In addition to the state audit, commissioners are taking time to speak with employees, determine daily tasks by employee and is gaining a better understanding on how the department’s grant management works, as well as, how to better use time management within the departments many areas of expertise.
“The Public Health team is working diligently to make sure the department is running as smooth as possible until a new director can be found. We have three very strong, highly qualified applicants that will be interviewed in upcoming days to fill the Public Health Director position. We have obligations to meet in the meantime and everyone is doing their part,” said Commissioner Chairman John Noffsker.

In the process of auditing the department, commissioners were able to recover 1,500 masks that had been stored in a storage trailer. “We have access to these masks now and are going to be distributing them to law enforcement and other agencies who are short of PPE equipment,” stated Noffsker.
The department is getting ready to gear up for the upcoming flu season in the midst of dealing with the COVID-19 situation and have announced that flu shot locations will be set up throughout the Valley by October.

The county reported another week of zero cases of COVID-19 and continues to monitor daily updates from local medical professionals. “The most important thing we want to share with the community is that we are moving forward and fixing things as we go.”