The Lake County Health Department will seek approval Tuesday from the Lake County Council to adjust employee salaries, within budget, as the department undergoes a reorganization.
Lake County Health Officer Dr. Chandana Vavilala said the health department has been considered “the bottom of the totem pole” by the Indiana Department of Health.
“My goal is to bring it up. I want every county, including Indianapolis Health Department, to be able to look at Lake County and say, ‘This is what we can do.’ However, I need your help to support our staff.”
The department has requested that the council approve an adjustment of salary and benefits for staff, which would total about $131,000, Vavilala said. The employees deserve the salary increase because many employees are doing additional work beyond the scope of their position, she said.
Through the reorganization, the department has been able to save $130,000 while securing a sustainable revenue growth of about $700,000, Vavilala said.
The department was able to save about $131,000 by utilizing cost-effective vendors, applying for grants, redistributing workloads, and eliminating full- and part-time positions, according to a one-sheet informational page about the reorganization from the department.
Further, the department was able to create sustainable revenue growth by expanding insurance billing for medical services, updating the fee ordinance and grants, according to the department.
The department plans to limit the number of positions by cross-training staff and expand the scope of work, do more with fewer resources while maintaining quality service levels, and attract and maintain a workforce that meets community needs, according to the department.
No employees will be let go at this time, said Health Department Administrator Sheila Paul.
“Is this going to be sustainable? Yes. We can make it happen. We’re making it happen already,” Vavilala said.
Councilman David Hamm, D-1st, said he supports the reorganization because of the way the department officials have communicated the plan with the councilmembers.
The reorganization of employees occurs amid the county seeing a $9 million decrease in Health First Indiana funding between 2025 — when the county received approximately $11.6 million from the state — and 2026 — when the county will receive approximately $2.5 million from the state.
Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-7th, said the reorganization aims to sustain programming with an anticipated $2.5 million in Health First Indiana funding – which will likely be higher than that – while budgeting with cash balance, revenue streams and tax levy funds.
“Obviously, if we get more in HFI, you can invest more in some programs. If we’re just at that baseline of $2.5 million a year plus a little bit of growth internally, you have a really good model for the next 10 years that will help achieve those departmental goals,” Niemeyer said.
akukulka@post-trib.com
