By: Gary J. Groman, a.k.a. The Ole Seagull
The proposed merger of the city of Branson’s Health Department and the Taney County Health Department (TCHD) took a big step closer to becoming a reality on Jan. 7. A Service Integration Task Force was formed in 2007, by the Branson Board of Aldermen and the TCHD Board of Trustees, to study the concept of forming one public health organization capable of providing a full range of comprehensive public environmental and health services for all the jurisdictions in Taney County.
At its Jan. 7 meeting, the Task Force passed a resolution recommending that both the Branson Board of Aldermen and the TCHD Board of Trustees approve an intergovernmental agreement that will, for all practical purposes, merge the city of Branson’s Health Department (BHD) and the Taney County Health Department into one surviving entity, the Taney County Health Department (TCHD). The agreement serves as a transitional tool by which the personnel, assets, and duties of the current BHD are transferred over to the TCHD and runs for a period of five years.
The resolution states that both the TCHD and BHD are organizations authorized under separate statutes under Missouri Law. It also acknowledges that they are each responsible for enforcing the rules and regulations of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of the people within their respective jurisdictions.
It points out that both the BHD and TCHD have worked together, by contract, for over 11 years to provide comprehensive coordinated health services to citizens and visitors alike without a duplication of services. Basically the BHD provided the environmental health services for the city of Branson as well as the other jurisdictions within Taney County and the TCHD provided the general public health service for both the other jurisdictions of Taney County and the city of Branson.
The resolution states that the Task Force has reviewed the proposed intergovernmental agreement and approves it as the key step in strengthening the public health infrastructure for both the city of Branson and Taney County. It goes on to state that the merger of the BHD and TCHD would be in the best interest of the public health safety, and welfare of the citizens of the city of Branson and Taney County and visiting tourists.
It is anticipated that the resolution and intergovernmental agreement will be considered by the city of Branson’s Board of Aldermen and their January meetings and that, if approved by both entities will become effective on Feb. 1.
Furnished courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent.
