An hour into the San Juan Basin Public Health Board of Health work session, we had not heard a definite promise from the three Archuleta Count commissioners to support SJBPH by contributing part of Archuelta County’s CARES Act grant. We had learned that La Plata County, the other partner in the two-county public health district, had already pledged $600,000. We had learned that COVID services provided to the two counties are totaling about $150,000 a month.
So… what would happen to the COVID-related health service currently provided to Archuleta County, if the Archuleta BOCC decides not to contribute a fair share?
This is La Plata Commissioner Julie Westendorff, asking a question of SJBPH Executive Director Liane Jollon.
“So how do we know — if La Plata gives $600,000 and Archuleta County doesn’t [kick in] — how do we know that our [La Plata] taxpayers’ money is not going to serve Archuleta County?”
Ms. Jollon:
“I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, with what the challenges are. If we do not have a commensurate, proportional commitment from Archuleta County, we are burdening staff with a very different approach to this response, which is a different level of response in each county, tracking the accounting differently than we currently do. And also, returning $150,000 to the state, for the ‘Protect Our Neighbor’ infrastructure grant to the state of Colorado. Those are the things that happen if we cannot maintain the proportional funding between the two counties.”
As mentioned previously, we ended the first portion of the work session with no clear commitment expressed by any of the three Archuleta County commissioners — Ronnie Maez, Alvin Schaaf and Steve Wadley.
So we moved on to the second item on the Board of Health agenda: The future of Archuleta County’s participation in the health district.
An uncertain future?
Here is SJBPH Board president Ann Bruzzese, explaining that the “pooled resources” that fund SJBPH have “greatly benefited” the residents of both counties.
“And right now, we’re in a pandemic that’s unprecedented, and the effort to contain the pandemic is necessary, for both the health of the public and for our local economies.” Ms. Bruzzese had high praise for the district’s executive director, Liane Jollon.
“There’s a huge benefit in the district continuing, and I want to put that out there as a position, wearing my hat as the current chair of Public Health, and as an administrator at Pagosa Springs Medical Center. We at the Medical Center have found the district to have played a critical role for us during this pandemic…
“… But I think it’s important, first and foremost, that the County Commissioners from Archuleta County speak to what it is that they’re looking for in the future of public health.”
Presently, we heard from Archuleta County Commissioner Alvin Schaaf, a person not known for speaking in public.
“I think the biggest deal is — nothing personal against San Juan Basin Health — is, can we do better for our citizens, with more services locally. And I know budgets are tight; they always are. But can we get more services locally, where our services don’t have to travel to La Plata county to get some services. Just more consistent.
One of the SJBPH board members who represents Archuleta County, Karen Daniels, asked Commissioner Schaaf which specific services he was talking about.
Commissioner Schaaf:
“Well, just all the services that… we don’t have the local… I understand it’s a budget thing, and there’s more people in La Plata County. They’re going to put more services there. I can understand that. But that’s all we were wanting… can we do better for our county, that’s local. Rather than putting the burden on our citizens to travel…
“Not any specific service…”
To put Commissioner Schaaf’s comments in some perspective, San Juan Basin Public Health has an annual budget of over $6 million, and is charged with serving 56,000 people in La Plata County and 14,000 people in Archuleta County — basically an 80:20 split. Reflecting that 80:20 split, the two counties have been contributing towards the district operations. Archuelta County contributed about $130,000 last year, and La Plata County contributed about $520,000. The vast majority of the staff maintain their offices in Durango, but SJBPH also has an office in downtown Pagosa Springs, on South 8th Street.
Very few of the services offered by SJBPH require Pagosa citizens to travel to Durango. Any necessary travel is typically performed, instead, by SJBPH staff.
Assuming SJBPH expends 20% of its budget in Archuleta County, as they are bound to do, that means that the citizens of Archuleta County are receiving about $1.5 million in public health services, in exchange for an annual County contribution of $130,000. According to my pocket calculator, Archuleta County apparently receives 10 times more services than it actually pays for.
But I suspect this move by Commissioner Schaaf to investigate the creation of a Pagosa-only public health operation, has very little to do with creating “more services locally.” I suspect it has to do, in fact, with the cost of septic system installations. Over the past several years, due to new Colorado laws and decisions made by SJBPH, the cost of engineering and installing a septic system in the more remote parts of Pagosa Springs has greatly increased — thus making even “affordable” homes less affordable. These increased costs are contributing, in at least a small way, to the gentrification of Archuleta County… creating a place where only well-to-do retirees and second-home owners can afford to live.
Commissioner Schaaf himself said as much during Tuesday’s meeting.
On the other hand, it appears unlikely that Archuleta County — currently watching its budget reserves falling, and its taxpayer debt payments increasing — could easily afford to provide $1.5 million in public health services to its citizens.
It also appears unlikely, based on the conversation we heard on Tuesday morning, that Commissioner Schaaf and Commissioner Maez will set aside their (rather ridiculous?) plan to investigate the creation of an independent public health office here in Pagosa. But maybe, with any luck, the investigation will take five years, and we’ll have new Commissioners by the time it’s finished?