Monroe County assessor Judy Sharp. (May 28, 2024)

Monroe County’s employee health clinic is located in the county’s health services building at 7th Street and College Avenue. (May 28, 2024)

Monroe County council from top: Marty Hawk, Cheryl Munson, Geoff McKim, Trent Deckard, Jennifer Crossley, Kate Wiltz, and Peter Iversen. (May 28, 2024)

A transition to a different vendor for Monroe County’s employee health clinic, which was established in 2010,  appears on the agenda for the regular meeting of the board of county commissioners on Wednesday morning.

Under the terms of the contract, Monroe County will start working to transition to ProActiveMD as the new health care vendor for the county’s employee health clinic.

[Updated at 11:59 a.m. on May 29, 2024: At Wednesday’s meeting of the commissioners, county personnel administrator Elizabeth Sensenstein presented additional details about the timeline, dollar figures for the different proposals, and past performance of the incumbent vendor, which were weighed in making the recommendation to change vendors. Seven people, including four county elected officials, spoke from the public mic against the change or in support of current providers. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the agreement with ProActiveMD.]

The plan has drawn opposition from several employees, including some elected officials who are department heads in the county.

Among the department heads opposing the change in the health clinic health vendor are county treasurer Cathy Smith and county assessor Judy Sharp.

On Tuesday night, the two raised their concerns at the Monroe County council’s regular meeting. Sharp said that other county departments are also opposed to the change and in support of the letter—mentioning the auditor’s office, the airport, the clerk’s office, the sheriff’s office, and the probation department.

Smith and Sharp addressed the county council, the county government’s fiscal body, because one of the reasons that’s been given for changing health care vendors is increased costs from the current vendor—Everside Health, which is merging with Marathon Health.

But it’s the county’s three-member board of commissioners that makes the decision on the choice of health care vendor for the employee health clinic.

A letter to county commissioners signed by several employees, concludes with an appeal: “We respectfully request that the Commissioners reconsider these anticipated changes and take employee preferences into account when making decisions that directly impact the health and safety of employees and their families.” Continue reading “Backlash on Monroe County’s pending decision to change vendor for employee health clinic” →