All 30 seats on the La Crosse County Board were up for election yesterday. View the results on the County Clerk's website by clicking here.

Thank an Election Worker

Thank you to County Clerk Ginny Dankmeyer and Deputy County Clerks Jody Wickler and Terri Foley and Administrative Clerk Anne Isham (not pictured), plus all the municipal clerks and poll workers who made sure every vote was accurately counted last night.

Blood Drive Wednesday and Thursday

Please sign up for our county blood drive today (Wednesday, April 3), and this Thursday, April 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the La Crosse County Health and Human Services Building. Donations support our local hospitals. You can sign up for an appointment on April 3 here, or April 4, here. The drive is open to the public and walk-ins are welcome.

Employee Spotlight: Brianna Washington

"I love working here," says Brianna Washington, a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) at Lakeview Health Center and Assisted Living. "The support you get from your coworkers as well as your supervisors is amazing." Brianna started working at Lakeview last December as a Household Assistant. She enrolled in the WisCaregiver program, which offers participants free CNA training with a quick turnaround. Brianna recently graduated from the program and started working third shift as a CNA at Lakeview. "The residents really make you want to come back every day," she says. "Knowing that you can make their day better and seeing how they just light up, being able to talk about their lives and their stories. It's just an amazing feeling."

The Aging and Disability Resource Center of La Crosse County (ADRC) has won first place in the "Senior Services" category of WKBT News 8's Best of La Crosse County for the third consecutive year. The award, which is based on votes from the public, is a testament to the great services provided by the ADRC to our community. Join us in congratulating the team at the ADRC!

CPS's Kiley Honored

Kiley Kuss, a social worker for La Crosse County Child Protective Services, will receive the 2024 Ken Kolb Great Kids Start with You Award. Kiley (pictured with a plant she was given when she was told about the award) will be presented with the award at the La Crosse Child Maltreatment Conference next month. Kiley was nominated by a family she worked with and the children she served helped write the nomination. The award has been presented to individuals working to protect children and improve families' lives annually since 2003. Well done Kiley!

West Salem Bike/Pedestrian Bridge

Construction on the proposed bike/pedestrian bridge that will extend the HWY 16 Bike Trail is scheduled to begin this week, according to the La Crosse County Highway Department. The bridge will go over the La Crosse River near Veterans' Memorial Park in West Salem. Read more in News 8's story here.

Hillview and Maomoua in the News

• The Hmong breastfeeding promotion videos created by the Health Department's Maomoua Vue that we mentioned in our last issue were featured in the Wisconsin Independent recently. Read that story here.
• Our plan to renovate Hillview Health Care Campus, was also the subject of a story in the Wisconsin Independent. The project recently received $1 million in federal funding, which was secured by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. “No one knows better what their community needs than those working everyday to make it better,” Sen. Baldwin, said. “As La Crosse County works to confront challenges like affordable housing and access to child care, I was proud to deliver for them resources to help put a roof over people’s heads, expand affordable child care, and support our veterans — benefiting the community for years to come.”

Strong Employee Survey Results

Last month, 565 La Crosse County employees participated in our Strategic Plan Readiness Survey. The survey created a snapshot of how employees feel about working at La Crosse County and the areas they think should be focused on over the next five years. Overall, the results were positive, with employees broadly agreeing with statements such as:

• I am cared about as a person at work (67% strongly agreed or agreed)
• I have had chances to learn and grow over the past twelve months (69% strongly agreed or agreed)
• My opinions at work seem to count (59% strongly agreed or agreed)

The areas with the most mentions in terms of what should be prioritized over the next three years included:

• County employee benefits and incentives (41%)
• County employee staffing and engagement (41%)
• Professional development for county employees (22%)
• Community services for vulnerable populations (15%)

The results are currently being analyzed by our consultants at Stratalysts and will be a key part of developing a strategic plan for our county board. We will continue to share updates as the process moves forward. 

Health Dept Distributes $15k of Goods

The La Crosse County Health Department's Community Liaison Program is partnering with Amazon to distribute a number of items to local individuals and families in need. This collaboration began in fall of 2023. Since that time, Amazon has provided over $15,000 worth of items for redistribution. Items vary greatly with each donation, but have included cleaning supplies, kitchen tools/equipment, household supplies, clothing, personal care items, and books/games/toys. This partnership is greatly appreciated and has provided new resource options to individuals and families in need in our community.  

County Collaboration Praised

Lee Donahue, a Town of Campbell Supervisor, recently wrote a letter published in the La Crosse Tribune highlighting the county's collaborative work with her town.

Lee wrote: "The Town of Campbell has a great collaborative relationship with La Crosse County. My colleagues across the state often decry a less collaborative experience. I want to thank all who routinely collaborate with me, including La Crosse County Emergency Management Coordinator Tracy Hameau, who was critical in our flood response last spring. The La Crosse County Sheriff's Department has been a keen partner in emergency response efforts, training and National Night Out. Carol Drury and her staff at the La Crosse County health department coordinating with the Town of Campbell to pass well permitting restrictions to protect the Mt. Simon aquifer as a potential long term alternate water source. La Crosse County Supervisor Margaret Larson, along with Jadd Stilwell and Jackie Davis of the La Crosse County Solid Waste Department who worked tirelessly to create the only collection program in Wisconsin to prevent spent PFAS filters from being incinerated at the Xcel facilities or being locally landfilled ... Together we can accomplish amazing things."

Thank you Lee! You can read the full letter in the La Crosse Tribune here.

The ADRC of La Crosse County is introducing a new program called Mind Over Matter: Healthy Bowels, Healthy Bladder. Mind Over Matter (MOM) is a workshop designed to give women, age 60 and older, the tools they need to take control of their bladder and bowel symptoms. The workshop provides information, group activities, and simple exercises and dietary changes to practice at home. MOM consists of three, two-hour sessions and registration for the first workshop, beginning April 17, is open. The sessions will be held virtually from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on April 17, May 1, and May 15, with a short intro session on April 10. To learn more or to register, contact the ADRC at 608-785-5700 or email adrc@lacrossecounty.org.

Finance Receives PAFR Award

The La Crosse County Finance Department recently received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting. The award is for the county's Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for 2022. The annual PAFR provides a summary of our finances in an easy-to-read format. The award comes from the Government Finance Officers Association. Earlier this year, Finance also received an award for producing the county's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. The awards show the quality of our Finance Department's work. You can view the county's financial reports here.