Budget cuts said reason to layoff county nurse

Shannon Hatley of Pullman has been a public health nurse for Whitman County for 25 years.

But not for much longer.

Even when county commissioners said they were maintaining staff with the current budget, Hatley was informed by Public Health Director Troy Henderson that she will be laid off Dec. 31.

Hatley said she supervises a staff of five in the public health office in Pullman.

Hatley received her official notice Oct. 16. However, in August, Hatley said that Henderson hinted about issues with the county budget, but at the same time hired a new nurse.

“If there were budget issues, why hire a new nurse?” Hatley asked.

Hatley said that there was a nursing position left open by former health department Director Fran Martin. She said Henderson was adamant that he needed that position for the county jail and the Women’s Infants and Children’s nutrition program.

“In my opinion, it’s not a necessary position to fill,” Hatley said.

She explained that Henderson said he was cutting her position because of budget issues.

“I kind of stared at him,” she said. “He didn’t answer any questions.”

The conversation lasted between 15 to 20 minutes, and she wasn’t given any options, Hatley said.

She also met with Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack who said her position was being cut because of the budget.

Hatley said according to Henderson, the public health nurses are being moved to Colfax and the environmental health staff will move to the Pullman office.

“I worry about where the programs are going to go,” Hatley said.

“It’s hard to be some place 25 years and then it’s not there,” she said.

As far as her options, Hatley said she’s keeping her eyes open for another job.

“I love my job,” she said. “It’s a big loss of the people I work with and the clients.”

“I would like some answers as to why my position is being cut,” she said.

Swannack said all county departments were requested to cut budgets and Henderson offered to reorganize the health department to make it run more efficiently.

“We don’t like to make those cuts, but he said he could do it,” Swannack said. “I have full faith in Troy about how to operate a health department.”

Henderson told the Gazette he was asked to reduce the department’s budget and be more efficient. He said he hired a new nurse because one of the nurses in the Pullman office was going to another job. However, the nurse didn’t leave and the new nurse is training to do backup in different departments, he said.

Henderson said this is the third supervisor position cut within the health department since he became director a year and a half ago. He said the cuts allow the department to run more efficiently.

“It’s a difficult decision, but we are supposed to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money,” he said.

Hatley disagreed.

She said when Henderson became director, there was an assistant director. That person was moved to be the Director of Environmental Health. The second cut was from a nursing supervisor to a public health nurse. Hatley’s position is the first layoff within the department since Henderson became director, she said.