Greene County separates CYS from Human Services Department
The Greene County commissioners have separated Children and Youth Services (CYS) from the Human Services Department.
Commissioners made the move to improve the operations of the departments, Blair Zimmerman, chairman of the board of commissioners, said Tuesday.
The move makes Stacey Courtwright, who had been the administrator of CYS in the Human Services Department, the acting director of CYS, Zimmerman said.
The commissioners have been discussing the move for a few weeks, he said.
Courtwright now reports to the commissioners instead of Karen Bennett, Human Services Department administrator, Zimmerman said.
Drug and Alcohol, Mental Health, Housing and Family Resources, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Transportation, Early Intervention and Child Care Services are the departments remaining under Human Services.
Those departments, especially Drug and Alcohol and Mental Health, required Bennett to frequently travel to Harrisburg while CYS is subject to an increasing number of mandates from the state, Zimmerman said.
“With so many mandates from the state with CYS, we need someone to focus on that. Karen did a good job, but she was pulled in many directions. A lot of her work involves going to Harrisburg. We need a full-time commitment to CYS.
“We’ve had some talk about it recently. It became obvious to us that we had to separate the two so each can focus on each department,” Zimmerman said.
He said no other personnel changes were made in either department.
Courtwright will be evaluated over the next few months, and her new position will be presented to the salary board next week, Zimmerman said. Courtwright could not be reached for comment before press time.
CYS had been a part of the county’s human services program since the county split from a Washington-Greene Behavioral Health Services joinder agreement with Washington County in July 2000. Bennett was hired in May 2000 to serve as administrator for the humans services program.
County commissioners voted in early 2000 to dissolve the 30-year-old joinder after expressing concerns that Greene County was not receiving its fair share of the joinder’s benefits.