Photos by Deb Gau Lisa DeBoer and Southwest Health and Human Services Director Beth Wilms give update on financial and other issues facing the agency to the Lyon County Board earlier this week.

MARSHALL — Staffing shortages haven’t only affected businesses in southwest Minnesota — it’s also an issue for regional public health and social services.

“We are struggling with the workforce. I don’t think that’s probably news to any of you,” Southwest Health and Human Services Director Beth Wilms said, during an update to Lyon County Commissioners this week.

“In general, we’re seeing an average of 12 positions open,” said SWHHS director of business management Lisa DeBoer. “At times we find we’re short on public health nurses, it’s really hard to fill those positions. We also find our Child Protection social workers often being replaced, and there’s a turnover there.”

On Tuesday, Wilms and DeBoer gave commissioners an overview of SWHHS’s finances, and issues facing the agency. SWHHS serves a total of six counties, including Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone, Redwood, and Rock Counties. The agency has offices in each of the six counties, and employs more than 200 people.

Wilms and DeBoer said SWHHS had some positive things to report. The agency has been working to build reserves become more financially healthy over the past few years, they said.

“We are constantly scanning the environment to look at ways to be more effective, more efficient, and ensuring that all of our billing is being done by our staff,” Wilms said.

DeBoer went over some of SWHHS’ year-end financial information with commissioners.

“Our overall cash and investment balance as of the end of December was $11,454,719, which is up about $1.5 million from the year before,” DeBoer said.

Public health had a fund balance of about $3.95 million, and ended the year with revenues exceeding expenditures by about $897,000. Human services had a fund balance of about $6.55 million, and ended the year with revenues exceeding expenditures by about $857,000, DeBoer said.

“We did OK in our audit. We’re finding that public health has a nine-plus month reserve in our audit,” DeBoer said. “For human services, we’re slowly gaining ground again, we’re at a three-and-a-half month reserve, where auditors would usually like to see us at five or six months.”

DeBoer said county funding for SWHHS is calculated based on population, net tax capacity, and a three-year average of social services expenditures.

“It’s equally weighted, like a three-legged stool, amongst those parts,” she said.

DeBoer and Wilms also talked about issues affecting SWHHS, like staff turnover.

“We are really looking at retention and recruitment, what do we need to do? But it’s hard right now,” Wilms said.

She said SWHHS has a hard time competing with other health care providers to hire public health nurses. There was also a turnover among Child Protection workers.

“It’s hard work, working with families that are in crisis, that are in chaos, and so we do see a big turnover there,” Wilms said.

She said this year SWHHS would be looking at strategic planning. They would also be watching some of the bills being brought to the Minnesota Legislature this spring, that could have consequences for the agency.

Wilms said they would be watching a proposed paid family and medical leave bill “very closely,” as well as a proposal to legalize cannabis use by people age 21 and older.

“In particular, we’re looking at the adult cannabis bill and what legalized weed will look like in terms of potential unintended consequences with child protection, child welfare and mental health,” Wilms said.