2017-03-28 Public Health UpdatePublic Health & Social Services Update Meeting
Regarding Nurse Family Partnership Program
March 28, 2017
Start time 3:30 pm
Present: Commissioner Fund, Commissioner Jackson, Danette York
Public Health & Social Services department continues to have a difficult time recruiting
and retaining nurses for the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) program. Danette met with
the State NFP Coordinator and the Thurston County NFP lead to discuss the possibility
of developing a joint NFP team. How it would work is the NFP nurses would be
employed by Thurston County Public Health and Social Services agency but be
assigned/designated to perform the NFP program in Lewis County. The assumption is
that, through contract negotiations, the NFP program in Thurston County would hire the
two nurses currently employed by Lewis County and designate them to perform the
program in Lewis County. Those nurses could then start their day from their homes
each morning and perform the in-home visitations with clients. Lewis County Public
Health & Social Services would provide desk space for the two nurses so they could
come to our department as needed to do paperwork, data entry, etc. Thurston County
would be responsible for the supervision of the program and all administrative
requirements of the program. Both Commissioners agreed to move forward with
negotiations on a contract, with a final decision to be made once we learn how much
Thurston County would charge Lewis County for such a contract.
The Commissioners adjourned for the day at the end of this meeting, which was at 4:12
pm