Manpower shortage causes reduced hours for Monett health dept. office
October 16, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
Last week, the Barry County Health Department announced that they would be drastically reducing the hours of their Monett location.
Whereas previously, the satellite facility offered services on a variety of days throughout the month, they have now reduced the hours of operation to 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first two full weeks of every month. The facility will also be open on Wednesdays of the third full week of each month and Tuesdays on the fourth full week of the month.
Roger Brock, administrator for the Barry County Health Department, says that this change was made due to events following a critical loss of manpower at the Monett office.
“We lost one of our nurses and both of our clerks in three or four weeks,’ said Brock. “We’ve been short-staffed trying to get people back and forth to work at both places. That makes us short staffed here in Cassville as well.”
Brock explained that after multiple discussions with other administrators in the office, limiting the hours of the Monett office was the best way for the organization to move forward as a whole.
He continued, explaining that all remaining medical staff, as well as all the medical services offered at the Monett office, will be brought to Cassville and consolidated to the main office, effectively growing the staff and increasing the efficiency of the main office.
“All of our other services like nursing, immunization and those kinds of things will be brought back to Cassville. We’ll consolidate them back to the main office.”
The Monett office will still offer WIC counseling and full medical services on the days that it’s in operation, according to Brock.
These services include but are not limited to: vital records, such as birth and death certificates; immunizations, both child and adult, including tetanus, flu shots, and others; family planning supplies, like birth control pills, depo shots and other forms of contraceptives; sexually transmitted disease testing; health education; environmental services; and emergency preparedness planning.
For more information, contact the Barry County Health Department at (417) 847-2114.
Vinnie Roberts
Last week, the Barry County Health Department announced that they would be drastically reducing the hours of their Monett location.
Whereas previously, the satellite facility offered services on a variety of days throughout the month, they have now reduced the hours of operation to 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first two full weeks of every month. The facility will also be open on Wednesdays of the third full week of each month and Tuesdays on the fourth full week of the month.
Roger Brock, administrator for the Barry County Health Department, says that this change was made due to events following a critical loss of manpower at the Monett office.
“We lost one of our nurses and both of our clerks in three or four weeks,’ said Brock. “We’ve been short-staffed trying to get people back and forth to work at both places. That makes us short staffed here in Cassville as well.”
Brock explained that after multiple discussions with other administrators in the office, limiting the hours of the Monett office was the best way for the organization to move forward as a whole.
He continued, explaining that all remaining medical staff, as well as all the medical services offered at the Monett office, will be brought to Cassville and consolidated to the main office, effectively growing the staff and increasing the efficiency of the main office.
“All of our other services like nursing, immunization and those kinds of things will be brought back to Cassville. We’ll consolidate them back to the main office.”
The Monett office will still offer WIC counseling and full medical services on the days that it’s in operation, according to Brock.
These services include but are not limited to: vital records, such as birth and death certificates; immunizations, both child and adult, including tetanus, flu shots, and others; family planning supplies, like birth control pills, depo shots and other forms of contraceptives; sexually transmitted disease testing; health education; environmental services; and emergency preparedness planning.
For more information, contact the Barry County Health Department at (417) 847-2114.
