Jan 12, 2022

Barton Co. Health Dept. overwhelmed with COVID responsibilities

Posted Jan 12, 2022 7:08 PM
The Barton County Board of Health heard from county health director Karen Winkelman on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022.
The Barton County Board of Health heard from county health director Karen Winkelman on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022.

By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post

It has almost been two years since Barton County had their first reported positive case of COVID-19. The Barton County Health Department has been through a lot with scheduling drive-through vaccination clinics, contact tracing, issuing isolation and quarantine orders and doing so while still managing their other services.

In a study session Wednesday morning, Health Director Karen Winkelman told the Barton County Board of Health, also known as the commissioners, that the process of keeping up with contacting residents with positive COVID tests is becoming too much and her staff is worn out.

"This is coming from my heart...we have staff burn out and fatigue," said Winkelman. "We have two key staff that will probably quit if we continue as is."

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is providing the 105 counties in the state different options on how they want to handle COVID cases in the future.

Winkelman supported the idea of all positive cases automatically routed to KDHE to conduct investigations and contact trace. Barton County would still have viewing access to the cases in the database. Commission Chair Shawn Hutchinson was in favor of the county still handling the notification of positive cases, but all contact tracing would be left to the individual.

"We would issue isolation orders to COVID positives and we stop contract tracing altogether," said Hutchinson. "We recommend to anyone that we contact that they then contact anyone they have come in contact with to monitor their symptoms."

Under Hutchinson’s suggestion, the board discussed the possibility of hiring two new clerical staff members to handle all the calls and follow-up questions to COVID-positive patients.

The board was also in consensus to alter their isolation orders to mirror KDHE for those that test positive. The county currently follows a 10-day isolation order for positive cases. The KDHE recommendation for the general public is to stay home for five days and then to wear a well-fitted mask indoors and outdoors when around others for an additional five days.

Formal changes or action is expected at an upcoming commission meeting.