Agenda Item No. 20

Introduced by the Human Services, Administrative Services/Personnel and Finance Committees of the:

INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

WHEREAS, the Health Department uses part-time, temporary employees, mostly college students, to deliver important health education services to adolescents through the Peer Education Program and the Teen Parenting Network; and

WHEREAS, the County attempts to maintain approximately 30 Peer Educators trained and employed to serve these two programs, with each Peer Educator working an average of 12 hours per week; and

WHEREAS, Peer Educators receive training by Health Department staff and others on protocols for a set of public health issues, including communicable disease control, HIV and pregnancy prevention; and

WHEREAS, Peer Educators are mostly recruited from the M.S.U. student population; and

WHEREAS, the Health Department is having difficulty recruiting and retaining Peer Educators, at least in part because of the rate of pay; and

WHEREAS, Peer Educators have been paid $6.15 per hour since September, 1, 1997; and

WHEREAS, the Health Officer has advised that these Peer Educators are highly effective and represent a low cost approach to educating youth about decision making related to communicable diseases and their spread and pregnancy prevention; and

WHEREAS, the Health Officer has recommended that the hourly rate for Peer Educators be set at $8.00 effective September 2, 2000.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners authorizes the wage for part-time, temporary Peer Educator employees to be adjusted to $8.00 per hour effective September 2, 2000.

HUMAN SERVICES: Yeas: Czarnecki, Smiley, Grebner, Schmit and Severino

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES/PERSONNEL: Yeas: McDonald, Lynch, Pratt, Severino

Nays: None Absent: Minter Approved 8/15/00

FINANCE: Yeas: Bernero, Grebner, Czarnecki, McDonald, Schafer, Juall

Nays: None Absent: Minter Approved 8/16/00