As their final act, board members unanimously voted 6-0 Thursday to end the Tri-County Health Department’s seven decades of service with a thank you.
The resolution reads, in part, that “the members of the Board of Health for the Tri-County Health Department express our gratitude to the dedicated staff who have met and gone above and beyond the public health needs of the residents of our region for almost seventy-five years.”
Tri-County will dissolve on Saturday, just as Douglas, Arapahoe and Adams counties are poised to begin new chapters with individual health departments.
“I feel like it’s the end of an era,” said Julie Millica, board vice president and Adams County representative.
The dissolution was prompted 15 months ago when Douglas County commissioners sought to end their relationship with Tri-County because of a dispute over COVID-19 public health mandates.
Begun in 1948, Tri-County is among the oldest and largest in the state. Originally the health district served Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties.
Jefferson County formed its own health department in 1958.
Douglas County joined Tri-County in 1966.
Colorado has five health districts, including Tri-County. The health district’s dissolution marks a first in state history.
But it won’t be the last.
The San Juan Basin Public Health District is set to disband at the end of next year. Its dissolution is also over health measures to curb the pandemic. San Juan has served Archuleta and La Plata counties since 1948.
‘They’re going to learn a lot from us’
State law requires counties to either operate a health department or participate in a health district to provide core services.
These core public services include environmental health; vital records; restaurant inspections; disease surveillance as well as maternal, child and family health, among others.
Representatives from the new health departments in Arapahoe and Adams counties provided the board with status updates. Douglas County was not invited to provide an update, Mindy Tappan, a district spokesperson, said in a text message to the Denver Gazette.
Board members were particularly concerned about the future employment of the 390 Tri-County staff members.
In an interview with the Denver Gazette before Thursday’s board meeting, Tri-County’s Executive Director Dr. John Douglas said the “vast majority” of staff had secured positions Arapahoe and Adams health departments.
“The people who know public health in our three counties best are the people who have been working for us,” Douglas said. “The new health departments were very happy to get them.”
“There’s no way that they can be as effective as when they were all under one department,” he said, adding: “I think they’re going to learn a lot from us.”
Jennifer Ludwig, Arapahoe County Health Department’s public health director, agreed.
“It’s been a huge undertaking, but we are ready,” Ludwig told board members Thursday.
Of the fledging’s agency’s 173 employees, Ludwig estimated 150 are former Tri-County staff.
“With so many people coming from Tri-County, we are going to continue to be able to serve at the same caliber as Tri-County,” Ludwig said.
While the newly minted health departments may experience some hiccups in the weeks and months to come, Douglas said the ability to work closely with other parts of county government may in the long run be an advantage.
Wendy Manitta Holmes, a Douglas County spokesperson, agreed in a separate interview.
With 95% of Douglas County residents covered by health insurance and health inspections accounting for the majority of their needs, the county doesn’t need to replicate all that Tri-County did, Holmes said.
“Our philosophy is to provide information to our communities so that they can make informed decisions about their life for themselves and their family,” Holmes said.
‘Winding up of its affairs’
While the lights went out on Tri-County Friday, closing out the books is not expected to happen until May, Bellann Raile, Tri-County’s receiver, told the board Thursday.
In August, a district court judge in Arapahoe County approved Tri-County’s request for a receiver to “preserve its assets and to manage the winding up of its affairs at this time and continuing after it is dissolved,” the order reads in part.
Part of the order includes a final audit, finalizing the bills and a Jan. 9 auction to sell off the remaining office supplies.
The district will also have to settle an outstanding lawsuit with the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA).
As previously reported by the Denver Gazette, PERA filed a suit against three metro-area counties and the Tri-County. With dissolution of the health district, the retirement association alleges they are owed millions of dollars to pay for continued benefits for employees and retirees.
PERA members include a range of public employees such as public-school teachers, university and college employees, judges and state troopers, among others.
Tri-County owes an estimated $50 million.
The health district’s 2022 budget was about $67.8 million.
“We’re not actually disputing that we need to pay it,” Douglas told the Denver Gazette.
Douglas said Tri-County doesn’t have the funds to pay PERA.
According to court documents, Tri-County had roughly $22.6 million in banking and investing accounts.
The virtual public meeting ended with very little fanfare after more than an hour Thursday to break into an executive session with the board’s attorney.
“It’s sad to see it go,” said Millica, board’s vice president, “but goodbye.”
