Running Head: AGENCY PRESENTATION
Agency Presentation:
Gloucester County Department of Health and Human Services
Kristen Wilson
Wilmington University
AHS: 8100 Linda Payne
AGENCY PRESENTATION
Agency Presentation: Gloucester County Department of Health and Human Services
For my internship site, I selected the Gloucester County Department of Health and
Human Services (the Department). I chose this site because I wanted a more in-depth
understanding at how the administration of human services works in my community. Because of
my employment and other internships that I have held, I already have a strong understanding of
how individual agencies work. This department recently underwent some restructuring to now
include the Department of Health. I had an existing relationship with the Director of the
Department of Human Services and was pleased to be her first ever intern. I have also been
intrigued and excited at having an inside look at how politics affect the distribution and
execution of human services in communities.
There is no mission statement per say for the Department of Health and Human Services.
They are a government entity and each county in New Jersey will have their own Department of
Human Services. The Gloucester County Department of Human Services is responsible for
coordination of planning activities and administration of the commissions and boards which
serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Chosen Freeholders (Gloucester County New
Jersey 2015). This generality makes it more complicated for an outsider to understand, but once
I was able to sit with my supervisor and see how all of the pieces fit together, it made more sense
to me. There are many missions that the Department upholds simply just by its existence. All
agencies funded by the Department have their own respective missions which are then in turn
supported by the Department.
The Department of Health and Human Services does not have a specific target
population. Any and all county residents have the benefit of being supported by the Department
whether they realize it or not. Data collected for a 2010 needs assessment listed 282,000
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residents in Gloucester County. There is a non-discrimination statement listed on the county
website as well:
The County of Gloucester complies with all state and federal rules and regulations and
does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, sexual
orientation, age, marital status or disability in admission to, access to, or operations of its
programs, services, or activities. In addition, Gloucester County encourages the
participation of people with disabilities in its programs and activities and offers special
services to all County residents 60 years of age and older (Gloucester County New
Jersey 2015).
The most recent Gloucester County Assessment of the Needs of At-Risk Children & Families
was conducted by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and the Human Services
Planning Committee in 2010 and can be found on the county website. Highlights of this
assessment are the Top 5 ranked needs: 5- Mental Health Services for Adults or Youths
(Outpatient); 4- Mental Health Services for Youth (Inpatient); 3- Housing Services for
Transitioning Older Youth; 2- Transportation; 1- Housing. All of these fall under the
responsibility of the Department. Based off of these findings, the county would determine what
areas need to be enhanced and focused on by the agencies they (choose to) fund based on
available grants (Gloucester County Needs Assessment 2010).
The Human Resource Manual is very lengthy and comprehensive. It discusses
everything from internet use in the office to political activity. There is also formal procedure for
revisions that must be approved by the Board of Chosen Freeholders. This is the standard for
any policy or procedure within the Department of Health and Human Services. Staff serve at the
pleasure of the Freeholders and must abide by their decisions.
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The structure of the Department of Health and Human Services starts with the Board of
Chosen Freeholders. Each of the seven Freeholders oversees one component of the county
government the Liaison over the Department of Health and Human Services is Jim Jefferson.
Below him is the County Administrator Chad Bruner. My main site supervisor is the Director of
the Department of Health and Human Services, Tammy Jones, who serves under the County
Administrator; I work day to day with Lisa Cerny, the Director of Human and Disability
Services. Within the Department, there are several committees and boards: Health (which
encompasses Disability Services, Senior Services, and the Medical Examiner), Social Services,
Mental Health Board, Commission for Women, Disabled Persons Advisory Council (DPAC),
Human Services, Human Services Advisory Council (HSAC which encompasses Management
Assistance Resource Team, Appeals, Nominating, Work First NJ, and Committee On Missing &
Abused), Human Relations Commission, Transportation Advisory Council, and Youth Services
Commission.
Governance is made by the Board of Chosen Freeholders. Residents of Gloucester
County, New Jersey vote for the Freeholders in local elections. Freeholders will then choose and
elect the Directors under each Department. Any policy, procedure, or request in any County
Department must be approved by the Freeholders.
The Gloucester County Department of Health and Human Services is funded on the
County, State, and Federal level. Private foundations typically do not like to fund government
entities. One specific workaround that has happened in the Department is from the Pascal Sykes
Foundation. Instead of directly funding the Department, the foundation funds The United Way
who then provides funding to the Department. The Department of Health and Human Services
also serves as a source of funding human service agencies throughout the community.
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In addition to serving as a source of funding for other agencies, the Department of Health
and Human Services functions as a referral and resource center for both agencies and residents.
Direct services are not provided. Human service agencies are able to reach out to the
Department if they need technical assistance or support for their clients. County residents will
also call the Director if they are experiencing barriers to accessing services. Since the
Department does not provide direct services, they will act as a navigator for the resident,
ensuring that they obtain what they need.
The main strength of the Department of Health and Human Services is that they have
access to both the Freeholders and the direct service agencies in the county. They have the
advantage of hearing directly from the agency about the needs of county residents as well as how
the Freeholders will best respond to those needs. A major weakness is politics. If the Board of
Chosen Freeholders has political core values that were not beneficial for residents, the
Department of Health and Human Services would be directly impacted. Luckily, the Department
has a good relationship with their Freeholder Liaison and there are no major barriers at this time.
However, it is difficult to navigate the politics and it often takes a long time for policies to be
passed. A trend that I have observed in the Department is the inter-agency collaboration.
Committee and board leaders are responsible for ensuring that their members represent
consumers and agencies. The more representation in the committees and boards, the better the
collaboration and service delivery.
My role has been very diverse and intense. My site supervisor is a very busy lady and is
involved in many different committees and boards. She has sought approval for me to attend
with her and I have interacted with many important people in our county. My primary job has
been assisting her with any duties as needed. A new Mental Health Administrator started this
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month and I have been preparing to help her boost the Mental Health Board membership. One of
the more in depth projects I have had is reviewing several editions of the Drivers Manual and the
Union Agreement to prepare to update them. Once the updates have been drafted, they need to
be submitted to the Board of Chosen Freeholders for approval. Even though my role is not
clearly defined, I have been very grateful for my crash course learning experiences.
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7
References
Gloucester County Needs Assessment (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.gloucestercountynj.gov/depts/h/hserv/faq.asp
Gloucester County New Jersey (2015). Department of Human Services. Retrieved from
http://www.gloucestercountynj.gov/depts/h/hserv/default.asp
Gloucester County New Jersey (2015). Homepage. Retrieved from
http://www.gloucestercountynj.gov/default.asp
Gloucester County New Jersey (2015). Human Resources Manual. Retrieved from
http://www.gloucestercountynj.gov/depts/h/hr/resourcemanual/default.asp
