DHHS Secretary Meets With Harnett County Social Services Employees Visit Part of Trip That Included Tour of Campbell University Medical School

By Brian Haney Harnett County Public Information Officer

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Aldona Wos was in Harnett County Thursday during a trip that included a stop at Harnett County Social Services and a tour of the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Buies Creek, which opened to its first class of medical students in 2013 and is the first new medical school established in in 35 years.

Harnett County Social Services Director Paul Polinski and Harnett County Manager Tommy Burns welcomed Dr. Wos to the Harnett County Governmental Complex where she met with members of the Social Services staff.

During her hour‐long visit, Dr. Wos heard about the work being done at Harnett County Social Services along with some of the challenges employees face as they provide much needed services to the county’s residents. Topics included Protective Services and Guardianship, and Child Support Services, which serves 4,800 cases and more than 14,000 people on a monthly basis through its satellite office in Erwin.

Dr. Wos also heard about a number of success stories in Harnett County Social Services, including Foster Care Services’ 98 percent placement stability with foster families.

“We are working to keep children in Harnett County,” said Virginia Rouse, program manager for Foster Care and Adoption.

Dr. Wos asked about the county’s experience with North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology (NCFAST), a program that aims to improve the way NC DHHS and county departments of social services do business by introducing new technological tools and business processes.

Staff shared that the program had a rough start in the county, which eventually evened out, but now that additional programs have been added, things have gotten rough again as staff attempt to bring all of the programs together under a single system.

Dr. Wos said one goal of her visit is to learn what issues counties are having with NCFAST so they can be corrected. She said once the program, which began in its current form in 2008, is completed in 2017, counties will operate “in a whole different universe” of collaboration with other departments including Revenue and Public Safety.

She also asked for Social Services employees’ help as the “front line of behavioral health” in getting residents the help they need.

Clerical Supervisor Marilyn Hardee said Social Services staff are here to serve the public and connect them to the services they need. As the county’s population has increased over the last several years, she said more and more people are relying on Social Services.

“We have desperate needs here in the county,” she said. “Harnett County seems to be bursting at the seams.”

Dr. Wos said she understood Harnett County was feeling the impact of dramatic population growth and she wants to help the county figure out how to get extra resources.

“If you’re having problems getting people what they need, please let us know,” she said.

Dr. Wos also made a number of suggestions she said would help provide a positive learning environment for children who come into Harnett County Social Services, including playing educational programming for children on the televisions in the Social Services lobby and holding book drives to allow children who come into the department for services to take books with them, which will help them learn to read.

Social Services staff said they already accept donated books and stuffed animals, which children may take with them when they visit Social Services.

Polinski said he was pleased Dr. Wos chose to visit Harnett County Social Services.

“We are glad to have the secretary here and are honored that she would take the time to come and talk to the people who are actually providing services to the citizens,” he said. “We wanted her to hear how things are done in Harnett County.”

Burns said he too appreciated the secretary’s visit.

“We wanted her to hear our success stories as well as our challenges,” he said.

Dr. Wos was appointed to serve as Secretary of DHHS effective Jan. 5, 2013. She was born in , , and earned her medical degree from Warsaw Medical Academy. She was nominated by former President George W. Bush in 2004 to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia and served until Dec. 17, 2006.

Photo/Brian Haney

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Aldona Wos meets with Harnett County Department of Social Services employees Thursday during a visit to the county that also included a stop at the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine. From left are Dr. Wos, County Manager Tommy Burns, Adult Services Supervisor Kelly Kelly, Clerical Supervisor Marilyn Hardee and Social Services Director Paul Polinski.