Weld County approves human services agreements for internships, school-based Medicaid specialist and health-partner data sharing

The Weld County Board of Commissioners approved four Human Services agreements to expand internship opportunities, place a Medicaid intake specialist in a school district family center and permit HIPAA-compliant data sharing with a health partner. Deputy Director Tammy Grant told the board the academic affiliation agreement with Western New Mexico University’s School of Social Work will allow the county to host a social work intern and help create a recruitment pipeline for child-welfare workers. The board approved Contract ID 9759; Commissioner Peppler moved approval and Commissioner Ross seconded. The board also approved a memorandum of understanding with Weld County School District 6 to place a Medicaid intake specialist part-time at the district’s family center at 924 Eleventh Street in Greeley. Grant said the district will reimburse Weld County $38,637 for the position for the period beginning Aug. 1 through May 31, 2026. Commissioner Ross moved approval of Contract ID 9797; Commissioner Maxey seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Two additional memoranda and business-associate agreements were approved with Northeast Health Partners LLC. One agreement (Contract ID 9808) covers data sharing between the county’s case management agency (CMA) and Northeast Health Partners for clients served by both entities; the other (Contract ID 9809) is specific to child welfare and authorizes disclosure of protected health information (PHI) for treatment, care coordination, analytics and compliance. Grant said the documents have been reviewed by county legal counsel and include HIPAA protections. Commissioner Maxey moved approval of Contract ID 9808 (seconded by Commissioner Peppler); Commissioner Ross moved approval of Contract ID 9809 (seconded by Commissioner Peppler). Both motions passed unanimously. Each action recorded on the transcript was an approval vote; no amendments or referrals were recorded. The agreements authorize the chair to sign and assign responsibilities to the Department of Human Services for implementation.