Cayuga County health and human services officials reported a confirmed measles case, falling emergency housing numbers and continued staffing shortages Wednesday as lawmakers advanced nearly $430,000 for youth employment and several other health and social services measures.
The Sept. 9 Health and Human Services Committee meeting also included updates on school-based mental health programs, foster care placements, lead safety work and an approaching deadline for the county’s senior meal contract.
Health officials urge measles vaccination
Public Health Director Kathleen Cuddy told lawmakers that Cayuga County has measles in the community and that staff are spending significant time trying to prevent further transmission.
Cuddy said the county does not have a vaccination record for the person who tested positive, but cautioned that a missing record does not establish whether someone was vaccinated.
She said older adults in particular may not have childhood immunization documentation readily available.
Cuddy urged residents who do not know their measles vaccination status to contact a primary care provider. Options can include checking immunity through a blood test or receiving another measles vaccination when medically appropriate.
She told lawmakers one dose provides about 93% protection and two doses provide more than 97% protection.
Public Health is conducting outreach to health care providers, first responders and vulnerable populations.
The department is also advising anyone who believes they were exposed or develops symptoms to call a health care provider or the Health Department before arriving in person so precautions can be taken to limit additional exposure.
Cuddy said children too young to have received their routine first dose are among the most vulnerable groups.
Lead prevention funding moves forward
The committee advanced a five-year state grant for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
The Health Department has been awarded $326,500 annually from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2031. The program is fully state funded.
The money supports efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning and county case management for children with elevated blood lead levels.
Lawmakers also supported refilling an Environmental Health Technician position tied to the state Lead Rental Registry program.
The position is fully grant funded and performs inspections and field work associated with the program.
In Cayuga County, the 13021 ZIP code is considered a state-designated “community of concern” because of housing age and elevated blood lead levels among children.
The Lead Rental Registry applies to certain residential buildings with two or more units built before 1980 in designated communities and requires periodic lead safety inspections.
The committee also advanced $38,740 in state funding for bicycle, pedestrian and wheelsport safety programs.
Emergency housing continues downward trend
Social Services Commissioner Christine Bianco reported another improvement in the number of people being placed in emergency housing.
At the beginning of April, the Department of Social Services was housing 29 families and 147 single individuals.
By Aug. 28, that had fallen to 17 families and 77 singles.
Bianco said that by Sept. 4, the number of single adults had dropped again to 70, while the family total increased slightly to 18.
She said the county has continued maximizing use of the state Rental Supplement Program and Shelter Arrears Eviction Forestallment funding while staff work directly with landlords to identify housing opportunities.
Bianco said those relationships appear to be helping more people move from emergency placements into other housing.
She cautioned that warmer weather may also be a factor and said officials will continue watching the numbers as the colder months approach.
Seven caseworker vacancies continue to strain DSS
Even as emergency housing numbers improve, DSS continues to face a severe staffing problem.
Seven of the department’s 24 budgeted caseworker positions are vacant, representing 29% of the total.
Four have already received legislative authorization to be filled. Three additional vacancies had not yet been brought forward for authorization when the committee packet was prepared.
The shortages are affecting Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services and foster care and preventive services.
A state Office of Children and Family Services report issued in August listed Cayuga County as having the highest percentage of caseworkers carrying more than 15 CPS cases among New York counties.
To provide some relief, the committee supported replacing an existing Transportation Aide position with a Case Work Aide.
The new role would still allow transportation duties but could also help families with paperwork, referrals, supervised foster care visits and other support functions that the Transportation Aide cannot perform.
It would not replace caseworkers for safety and risk assessments or other mandated responsibilities requiring a caseworker.
The Case Work Aide salary would be $43,338, compared with $42,252 budgeted for the Transportation Aide, a difference of $1,086. At least 62% of the position is reimbursable.
Bianco said the change would allow an existing employee who qualifies for the broader role to provide more help to families and reduce some pressure on caseworkers.
The committee also approved a request to fill a Social Services Attorney position being vacated through a resignation effective Sept. 11.
Once that attorney leaves, Bianco said the department would otherwise be left with one supervising Social Services attorney and a contracted part-time attorney handling child support work.
Youth employment program receives $429,826
Cayuga County is also in line to receive $429,826 through New York’s Youth Employment Program.
The program is tied to the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative and provides employment opportunities for young people considered at risk of involvement in gun violence or the criminal justice system.
Bianco said 60 youth were served through the program last year.
The new funding covers Sept. 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, and is expected to again be passed through to the county’s employment and training operation.
Bianco also reported progress reducing the number of youth in high-cost residential placements.
The number of children in qualified residential treatment programs has fallen from six to four.
One youth moved into a therapeutic foster home and another into a Cayuga County-certified foster home.
Three of the four remaining QRTP placements qualify for reimbursement. The county cannot receive reimbursement for one youth whom the assessment process determined does not require that level of placement, although DSS has not yet been able to find a lower level of care.
Another youth remains in a residential setting certified through the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities and Department of Health because of a particularly high level of need.
Mental health services expand in schools
Mental Health Director Lauren Walsh said the county has formally applied to the state Office of Mental Health for approval of a satellite clinic in the Port Byron school district.
The county is also working toward a similar application for Cato, pending additional information from the school district.
Existing school-based therapists have returned for the new academic year, including services in Moravia and Union Springs.
The county is also entering the third year of a federally funded dialectical behavior therapy initiative in schools.
The program includes universal instruction in DBT skills for students along with smaller groups and individual therapy.
Walsh said Auburn schools have expressed interest in using the program as well, and the county is planning another in-person training session for educators and counselors.
Because the federal grant is limited in duration, officials are also beginning to consider how parts of the program can continue after the funding ends.
The committee separately authorized a $40,711 transfer within the Mental Health Department to pay for court-ordered forensic psychiatric care.
The expense involves a person placed for competency restoration for an initial 90-day period.
County officials said those costs are highly variable and difficult to budget because they depend on individual court cases. In this instance, the county is responsible for the full cost.
Senior meal contract deadline approaches
Office for the Aging Director Brenda Wiemann told lawmakers the county needs to move quickly on a new senior meal contract because the current agreement with Trio Community Meals expires Dec. 31.
The program serves roughly 350 people with help from about 80 volunteers, making a rushed change in vendors difficult.
Wiemann said the county needs a request for proposals issued soon enough to evaluate responses and get a contract in place before January.
She plans to bring lawmakers a resolution in October that could allow the county to both conduct the procurement and award the contract to the vendor providing the best value without waiting through another full legislative cycle.
Wiemann said the county has previously found itself finalizing meal contracts during the Christmas period and does not want to repeat that process.
She also confirmed that the Office for the Aging will not hold its senior fair this year because staff do not have enough capacity.
The office has 11 full-time employees while serving a growing senior population.
Wiemann estimated about 23,000 Cayuga County residents are now age 60 or older, representing roughly one-third of the county’s population.
She said demand has continued increasing while staffing and resources remain constrained.
The health and human services measures will continue through the county’s legislative process before final action by the Cayuga County Legislature.
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