FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2019
Gunnison County, Colo – Today, the Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners recognized the Gunnison County Department of Health and Human Services for impressive CY 2018 performance achievements and the receipt of Distinguished Performance awards from the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). Gunnison County received the C-Stat Distinguished Performance award for performance in 10 Economic Security and seven Safety and Well-Being services areas. Hinsdale County, which is serviced by the Gunnison County Department of Health and Human Services, received the C-Stat Distinguished Performance award for six Economic Security and one Safety and Well-Being service areas. “I'm so grateful to our HHS team staff for their exceptional work to meet the many and varied needs of our community members,” said Gunnison County Health and Human Services Director Joni Reynolds.
CY 2018 C-Stat Distinguished Performance Awards
Gunnison County
Economic Security
- Timeliness of New Adult Financial Applications
- Timeliness of New Colorado Works Applications
- Timeliness of Redetermination (RRR) Colorado Works Applications
- Colorado Works Entered Employment, Cumulative
- Timeliness of New Food Assistance Applications
- Timeliness of Expedited Food Assistance Applications
- Timeliness of Redetermination (RRR) Food Assistance Applications
- Food Assistance Payment Error Rate (PER)
- Food Assistance Claim Rate
- Percent of Current Child Support Collected
Safety and Well-Being
- Timeliness of Initial Response to New Reports
- Timeliness of Initial Assessments
- Timeliness of Investigations
- Timeliness of Monthly Contacts
- Timeliness of Initial Response to Abuse Neglect Assessments
- Recurrence of Maltreatment
- Children Who Re-Enter Care within 12 Months
Hinsdale County
Economic Security
- Timeliness of New Adult Financial Applications
- Timeliness of New Food Assistance Applications
- Timeliness of Expedited Food Assistance Applications
- Timeliness of Redetermination (RRR) Food Assistance Applications
- Food Assistance Claim Rate
- Percent of Current Child Support Collected
Safety and Well-Being
- Recurrence of Maltreatment
The Gunnison County HHS Team:
Brad Wheaton is the manager who provides the leadership for the Economic Security team and the Child Support Services team. Brad is a consistent leader who provides hands on support for his team and sets the goals to assure the team is meeting/exceeding the State goals and ultimately meeting the needs of the people in our community. Brad and his team members are the face of the County and meet with individuals who are often in very difficult financial situations and in desperate need of food, medical or financial assistance. Brad and his team work diligently to assure the team consistently follows the many program requirements/guidelines while providing timely service to families in a caring manner.
Betsy Holena is the manager who provides the leadership for the Adult Protection Services (APS) team. Betsy and her team work to ensure seniors in our community are safe and not experiencing abuse, neglect or financial exploitation. The APS team receives reports from community members on possible cases, and it completes investigations swiftly to assess for safety. The team also works with families and other community professionals to develop plans to maintain at-risk adults in safe and appropriate settings. This work is challenging as it involves vulnerable adults/seniors and families, and it can often be complicated involving medical, social or mental health issues. Betsy and her team members are steadfast in assuring their clients are safe, and they provide the best care and support for all the individuals involved.
Marilyn Cheever, provides the leadership for the Child Welfare team. Marilyn and her team work to assure children are safe in the community and not experiencing abuse or neglect. They also receive reports from community members on possible cases, and they work to quickly complete investigations and assess for safety and home situations. The Child Welfare team works with families, law enforcement and other community professionals to develop plans to maintain affected children in safe and appropriate homes. This work is challenging as it involves children and families and can often be complicated with social and mental health issues.
The HHS leadership team including Brad, Betsy and Marilyn and their teams have daily challenges, but all have consistently excelled during the past year, earning them the State C-STAT Distinguished Service Award for their exemplary performance!
About C-Stat:
The State Department of Human Services (CDHS) implemented the C-Stat system several years ago. Measures from Economic Security Programs (Food and Medical Assistance), Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF), Child Support Services, Senior/Adult Protection Services and Child Welfare Services are tracked. CDHS reports the data to counties monthly and provides a ‘snap shot’ of how each county is performing compared to State-established timeframes and standards. The reports also provide a comparison for each county over the previous 12 months. At times, the data tracked for Gunnison and Hinsdale counties is a very small number (i.e., there are only a couple of cases processed in a month) and the standards are typically >95%. So the goals are set high and, with the small numbers in the counties, achieving the 95% goal can be very difficult. (Example: If we only have two cases and one meets the standard but the other doesn’t, we cannot meet the 95% goal. In comparison, large metro counties have a much higher number of cases and are able to miss the goal with some cases and still meet the overall 95% goal.)
For more information, please contact Gunnison County Health & Human Services at (970) 641-3244.
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Pictured (left to right): Gunnison County Commissioner Roland Mason, Wellness/Enforcement Services Manager Betsy Holena, Child & Family Services Manager Marilyn Cheever, and Economic Security Services Manager Brad Wheaton pose with the CY 2018 C-STAT Distinguished Performance award plaque received from the State of Colorado.