Why Doesn’t County Health Department Use Drug Store Clinics?

My article on Advocate’s taking over Walgreens’ health clinics struck a cord with former McHenry County Board member Ersel Schuster.  She offered the following way County Government could save money by utilizing private enterprise’s health clinics, rather than operating them in county facilities.

“Elected Officials Just Do Not Get It”

RESPONSE to your article of 5-19-16:

Ersel Schuster

Ersel Schuster

It would appear it is once again time to expose those running our local McHenry County government for the utter contempt they have for you and I as the tax paying public.

Last September, I handed off a document outlining 7 examples where county could reduce and/or eliminate programs and/or services.  Two examples remain to be printed in the McHenry County Blog.

The document was the culmination of input from dozens of citizens who shared their experiences and expertise.

This morning we see an article showing how “Advocate Health Systems” is opening “health clinics” in local drug stores.

This concept has been out there for a while and many other private businesses are either doing, or in the process of doing the same thing.

Ironically, the issue of private health clinics was Installment IV, in the document handed off to the county board on 9/15/15;http://electschuster.com/reducing-taxes/

While our schools tax us to fund “in-house” nursing staff and even clinics, the private sector has been, and is in the process of, expanding these same services…

When leaving this Crystal Lake Walgreens, one sees a sign for the Advocate Clinic.

When leaving this Crystal Lake Walgreens, one sees a sign for the Advocate Clinic.

Any thinking taxpayer should ask their county board members why they continue to expand and tax us to run competition with the private sector?

To date, our county board has completely ignored this document and all the suggestions.  Not so much as giving them the “sniff” test.  They have however done a great deal of grandstanding on the concept by nibbling around the edges of minor issues.

In the big picture, while frustrating, the issue of dropping board members’ retirement benefits is being beaten to death.  Too little, too late… and unfortunately, they continue making total fools of themselves in the process.

See Reducing Taxes, Installment II, at:  http://www.electschuster.com/reducing-taxes/

While I recently served on this board, any time reducing programs or services was mentioned, members, staff, and employees

  • circled the wagons and
  • went silent or
  • berserk!

Three years into my term they started to catch on and actually went along with the concept of “not taking the allowed annual tax increases!”

Since that first effort, and, four years later, they make a big deal out of having “reduced” the budget by $23,000,000!  What they’ve not acknowledged was the shell game played to be able to make this assertion.

There was never a reduction in the budget, they simply moved capital projects off line!

We were barely through the 2016 primary election process and they popped a “capital improvements” plan on us!  These

“Improvements” just happened to cost $25,000,000.

Surprise, surprise, they need the $23,000,000 in so-called savings, plus another $2,000,000, just to catch up on maintenance, building and other capital costs they slipped off the radar screen to be able to claim they were “reducing” the budget.

These big spenders… have lied to us!

They take us for fools!

Just when will you join in making them extremely uncomfortable when they claim to be our friends?


Comments

Why Doesn’t County Health Department Use Drug Store Clinics? — 14 Comments

  1. Re: “They take us for fools!”

    The “fools” voted for McCann and Kearns instead of the tax ‘fighter’ Schuster.

    Ersel issued a blue print for tax reductions and the current Board simply ignored it.

    The voters did rid us of Draffkorn, Miller, Schofield and Hill, so they are not all ‘fools’ but many are.

  2. “To date, our county board has completely ignored this document and all the suggestions.

    Not so much as giving them the “sniff” test.”

    Ersel, there are only so many hours in the day.

    If they took time out of their schedule to entertain the ramblings of everyone who thought they could do the board’s job better than the board members, they wouldn’t have time to do much else.

    That isn’t to say you’re wrong.

    Busted clocks, after all, are correct twice every day.

    But that is to say that you lack the credibility for them to take your ramblings seriously.

    Compounding your credibility problems is the fact that you used to have this job and lost it.

    If I beat you in an election, I wouldn’t give your sour grapes bellyaching the time of day, either.

    Call me cynical, but this is nothing more than a ploy to weaken the people who beat you and set up the next leg of your never-ending campaign.

    The voters had a chance to taste your ideas and turned up their nose at them.

    Why would a winner adopt the strategies of the loser?

  3. It was more entertaining when she was on the board.

    Good pain in the …. are hard to come by. 🙂

  4. They SHOULD look into and consider cost saving strategies no matter who proposes them.

    That would be the ‘actions’ of winners.

  5. “Elected Officals Just Don’t Get It” – How true that statement is.

    This is a motivating reason why people are fleeing Illinois by the thousands each and every year.

    How’s your property taxes looking this year ?

  6. Ersel and her old stale tricks.

    Thank the stars we were not foolish to send her back to the board.

    I’m shocked gas bag didn’t propose this.

    You have all of these hot air talkers like conservative voter and gas bag and they couldn’t get Ersel elected.

    Quit complaining Ersel no one wants to hear your rant.

  7. The fools still vote for McCann.

    Need more Ersels on every board.

  8. If ignorance is bliss, Ersel and her supporters have found utopia.

  9. I did something crazy and Googled “2015 Annual Report” McHenry Department of Health and here’s what I found.

    Last year the health department eliminated 18 positions and reduced 5 more.

    This in addition to greatly reducing their budget, of which 67% comes from Grants, Fees, and Reimbursements from public aid, medicare etc. (See page 3).

    Yet after all that my taxes went up another $400.

    It is painfully obvious that Ersel has either a personal grudge against the health department or sees it as a whipping boy for her ignorant followers who have no idea what they do for the community.

    Again, can anyone say “Flint water quality”

    How about digging down and taking on real waste instead of cheap shot politics?

  10. Sayers: For years, the county board was lied to regarding the employees you reference.

    A clause of employment in each grant received by county government states that when the grant goes away, the job/position is terminated.

    Staff repeatedly claimed to have been upholding this rule.

    Just possibly you would like to take the next step and tell the taxpayers how much was spent while the department was grossly over staffed with these people.

    Public Health Admin.

    Hill must be commended for his efforts in finally admitting the problem and cleaning it up!

    Your kickback is expected and is the very reason public official and department heads ignore any suggested corrective measures that would benefit the taxpayer.

    But then, I believe you already knew all of that… didn’t you?

    Since blogging nay-sayers hide behind cute names rather than proudly standing up in support of your claims… credibility is lacking.

    It makes you, and others, appear to have a vested interest in the status-quo.

    It is unfortunate that personal attacks and misinformation are more fun and help the more liberal among us keep their collective heads in the sand.

    I must say… just in case you’ve not noticed, the mood of the county is no longer in your protectionist corner!

  11. Again, one only needs to reference the 2015 Annual Report.

    If that doesn’t have credibility in your eyes, then there are no facts that you are willing to accept.

    As if this state is not bad enough, I wonder how many companies and their employees will like to move to a county with no health department to conduct restaurant inspections, water quality inspections, provide vaccinations, no animal control officers, etc., etc.

    But hey, it’s an easy political target for a politician like yourself to demonize.

    Meanwhile, 65 to 70 % of our taxes are due to school funding.

    But why take on the hard issues.

  12. Spoken like a tried & true liberal bureaucrat… and still hiding.

    Come on out of the shadows and lets have serious discussion.

    Since you apparently choose to ignore what is happening all across the country I doubt there is little hope that you understand why “government” is in such great shape!

  13. I’m wondering who is doing all those things you listed now, sayers!

    I haven’t seen anyone doing ANY of those jobs, at all.

    The first two I have never seen.

    Have you ever tried to contact animal control?

    Ain’t nobody there.

    Vaccinations?

    Seriously?

    You shave to be joking if you you think anyone needs to be injected with more toxins.

    You are certainly not aware of the real world, as Ersel said.

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