Feasibility Analysis for the Merger for the Department of Health and the Department of Mental Hygiene in Dutchess County, NY
CGR conducted a feasibility study of merging the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene within Dutchess County. Our review included a detailed examination of the baseline of current services (operated by both government and non-profit agencies), and an overview of the changing landscape of the healthcare delivery systems. We evaluated various options, from maintaining the status quo, to combining administrative functions, to adopting a single commissioner model overseeing both Departments, to a full merger of the two Departments. We concluded that merging the two Departments was not only feasible but in the long-term best interests of the County and preferable to the other options, based on the potential not only for cost-saving and additional efficiencies, but also the opportunities for improving service delivery. As part of a follow-up project, CGR also assisted with the implementation of the consolidation. This project was one in a series of studies of local government and non-profit agencies conducted by CGR in Dutchess County over the past decade, focusing on improving the delivery and efficiency of human services throughout the county.
Report Date: Feb 2014
Author(s): Scott Sittig
, Donald Pryor
, Erika Rosenberg
Subject(s): Health
, Human Services
, Shared Services/Consolidation
Location: Dutchess, New York