County manager describes a second, 'more serious' investigation into the health and social services departments
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August 4, 2008 - 6:07PM
Robert Boyer / Times-News

http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/county ... ments.html

Two Alamance County Health Department employees apparently won't face criminal charges resulting from an initial SBI investigation, but remain the focus of a second investigation.
The employees, medical director Dr. Kathleen Shapley-Quinn and nurse practitioner Karen Saxer, were suspended with pay on June 18, pending the outcome of a State Bureau of Investigation inquiry into possible fraud stemming from the writing of aliases on work excuse notes for Hispanic clients.
The two remain on paid leave.
The second SBI criminal investigation, County Manager David Smith said on Monday, is "tied into the old investigation, but it's totally different."
Unlike the initial probe, which Smith said focused on possible Medicaid fraud, Smith said the second is "tied into services to illegal immigrants" at the departments of health and social services.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's a lot more serious than the first investigation," Smith added.
Sheriff Terry Johnson has said that, although investigators did examine some county Department of Social Services files as part of the first Health Department investigation, the DSS was not part of that inquiry.
On Monday, Smith said the DSS is part of both SBI investigations.
The revelations about the new investigation came during Monday's county commissioners' meeting, when Smith and board Vice-Chairman Dan Ingle said the first SBI probe wouldn't lead to charges.
Given that, Ingle asked Smith why Shapley-Quinn and Saxer hadn't been reinstated.
"Some additional problems have arisen and a new investigation is under way," Smith said.
"Sheriff, do we have another criminal investigation going on?" Ingle asked Sheriff Terry Johnson.
"Let's say there's some issues that we are dealing with right now and I would rather not say of a criminal nature, not targeted at anybody within the health department but things pertaining to the health department."
Ingle then asked the sheriff and Smith why the employees can't return to work. The sheriff said he preferred to speak about the issue during the July 18 commissioners' meeting, "when everything is complete."
"But, in the meantime, we've got two employees that are being paid and they're not working," Ingle said.
"That is not my call," Johnson said.
Smith referred Ingle's questions to Health Director Barry Bass and Ingle posed his question again, citing a recent Times-News story in which Bass said the temporary loss of Shapley-Quinn and Saxer has left his department short-handed. After the meeting, Bass estimated the suspensions had lowered his department's productivity by 10 to 15 percent.
"So you need them back then, would that be a fair statement?" Ingle asked.
"That would be a fair statement if there are no problems," Bass said.
Commissioner and health board member Bill Lashley said "we'd like to wait until the end of the investigation before we do anything or let those people back to work."
Smith said he is scheduled to hear a report on the SBI initial investigation on Tuesday morning. "As I understand it, there are no prosecutable offenses" in the initial investigation.
Bass, who has hiring and firing authority over his employees, said he will wait until the investigations are complete and consult with Smith before reaching a decision on Shapley-Quinn's and Saxer's future with the department.