Riley County Health Department Director Brenda Nickel presented three contract agreements to county commissioners Thursday morning with local healthcare partners.
The agreements are continuations of previous ones, and are with the Konza Prairie Community Health Center, Positive Connections — a community based HIV/AIDS service organization out of Topeka — and finally with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for a Geary, Pottawatomie and Riley Counties Regional Public Health Preparedness Grant.
The new agreement with Konza Prairie Community Health Center will put more cash in the county’s pocket, too.
The agreement reflects an increase in annual rent for space at the health department in the amount of $11,796. Konza’s license agreement has been revised to reflect the increase in space utilization through
their expansion of primary medical services offered through the RCHD location.
Rent for Konza will increase from $1,925 per month to $2,908 on Aug. 1.
Commissioner Ben Wilson asked Nickel why Konza pays rent while that’s not a requirement for the space Positive Connections uses.
Nickel said it has to do with the revenue structures of both entities.
“Konza actually generates revenue through insurance, self-pay and private and public insurance,” she responded. “They have that built into their budget to be able to pay for space.
“Positive Connections is grant-funded and not a revenue generator. So, we choose just to have those services available. They provide benefits to clients who are HIV positive. It just makes sense to have Konza pay the rent verses those others. It’s a great question.”
In other items, Riley County IT/GIS Director Kevin Howser told commissioners additional cameras are being placed inside the courthouse.
“We did complete, or almost complete the process of adding the additional cameras at the courthouse requested by some of the judicial folks over there,” he said. “There were some dead areas that couldn’t be viewed, so we’ve almost completed the remedy of that issue.”
