Interim DHHR Secretary Dr. Sherri Young gives a presentation, on Dec. 12, 2023, to members of the Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources Accountability.
Interim DHHR Secretary Dr. Sherri Young gives a presentation, on Dec. 12, 2023, to members of the Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources Accountability.
The looming breakup into three agencies of the Department of Health and Human Resources prompted questions this week about whether the current strategy for the agency’s division is disproportionately weighted at the top.
Earlier this year, the Legislature mandated splitting the DHHR into three separate agencies — the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health Facilities — after concerns over problems ranging from transparency and financial management to longstanding issues within the state’s child welfare system.
The DHHR, the state’s largest agency with a $7.5 billion budget and close to 5,000 full-time employees, has struggled for years to address the state’s health and social disparities.
The Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources Accountability on Monday heard a status update on the agency’s division from interim DHHR Secretary Dr. Sherri Young. After the Jan. 1 split, Young will lead the Department of Health.
The plan to divide the DHHR includes creating the Office of Shared Administration to work with all three of the new departments. The office will include the Office of Finance, the Office of Human Resources Management, the Office of Constituents, the Office of Communications, the Office of Operations, the Office of Information Services, and a Liaison to Boards and Commissions, each branching into the three new agencies in various ways.
The DHHR’s administration could not be decentralized without putting each of the new departments at a disadvantage, Young said.
“As far as having the shared administration, that allows us to kind of function within our departments and all be able to utilize that expertise at the top level,†Young said.
Top-heavy DHHR organizational charts?
The plan to have an overarching office within the three new departments drew some concern from lawmakers.
“So is it any different from what we currently do or is it exactly the same?†Delegate Amy Summers, R-Taylor, asked.
“It’s very similar,†Young said.
Delegate Heather Tully, R-Nicholas, also spoke up after reviewing the organizational charts.
“I would be less than honest if I didn’t say that it seems like there is a lot of duplication of services,†Tully said.
The top-heavy structure could also have a negative affect on the already strained DHHR workforce, Tully said.
“I think nothing is more frustrating for those workers in the field than to see an organizational chart that looks like this when they’re actually out there being the legs on the ground and putting forth the work,†she said.
Tully also pointed out the potential for errors in the top-oriented structure, citing risks like losing documents subject to litigation holds — a recent source of criticism for the state.
“I think when you have a bloated bureaucracy like this seems, it increases your likelihood of errors,†Tully said. “We’ve certainly seen things slip through the cracks.â€
The DHHR recently faced backlash for failing to retain emails relevant to an extensive class-action lawsuit concerning the treatment of children in foster care. Attorneys who filed the suit allege the emails were deliberately deleted, but state officials blamed an internal policy error.
The DHHR will host a roundtable discussion with directors Friday to go into more detail on how the Office of Shared Administration will operate. Tully said she planned to attend.
“I do have very grave concerns about this,†she said.
Roger Adkins covers politics. He can be reached at 304-348-4814 or email radkins@hdmediallc.com. Follow @RadkinsWV on Twitter.
