The Warren County Commissioners hired Jonie Smitley at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic as an infectious disease consultant.

They’re keeping her on through the end of 2022.

Commissioner Ben Kafferlin said the initial agreement with her was approved under the county’s emergency declaration related to the pandemic. With the declaration no more, a new agreement was approved Wednesday.

Public Safety Director Ken McCorrison said Smitley has been a “real asset to the Department of Public Safety.”

“COVID really exposed some of the weaknesses of the system,” he said. This new agreement will cover pandemic-related responsibilities but allow enlist her to “help with coordination of training and certification of training” for the county’s EMS responders.

Kafferlin said Smitley is “uniquely placed for that scope of work” in that she has “the relationships and obviously the skill set.”

He said CARES Act funding covered the agreement for the last year and that Rescue Plan funds will be used moving forward.

One of the recommendations of the county’s EMS Task Force was an EMS coordinator that would take on some of the responsibilities Smitley will have. While officials questioned whether there was enough work to create an actual position for that role, Kafferlin said this contract could be viewed as a pilot program to that end.

It’s fair to call the position part-time as Kafferlin estimated 10-20 hours of work per week under this new contract. The commissioners also signed off on a block grant application from the Department of Human Services.

Ronna Tipton, human services administrator, outlined several of the priorities detailed in the plan.

One that carries over will be case management services for adults. Tipton said the effort allowed the agency to step in and serve people that had been on wait lists at other places for case management, which helps with referrals to services individuals may need, among other things.

Another area of focus will be a coordination team that will attempt to “head off” individuals to be at high risk for psychiatric or crisis-related issues. That will bring together entities such as probation/parole and CYS, among others.

Tipton said they also hope to establish a mobile crisis service with the goal of decreasing inpatient admissions to Warren State Hospital. Transportation for people that need it will also be a priority, she said.