Should you have any questions regarding this report, they should be directed to Terri Reda, UW System Environmental Affairs Officer. Terri may be reached at 263-4410.
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
Madison
September 5, 2003
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
As required by s.
250.03 (3)(b) of the Wisconsin Statutes, I am pleased to submit to you the first biennial report on the preparedness of the Wisconsin public health system to address public health emergencies. The Department of Health and Family Services' Division of Public Health manages two major federal grants for public health and hospital preparedness and response to bioterrorism, outbreaks of infectious disease, and other public health threats and emergencies. The Division of Public Health approach to implementing preparedness initiatives has been that of multi-agency cooperation, regionalization, and the dual-use enhancement of state and local public health infrastructure.
If you have any questions about this report, please contact Steven Marshall, Public Health Preparedness Program Director in the Division of Public Health at (608) 266-9783 or
marshs@dhfs.state.wi.us.
Sincerely,
Helene Nelson
Secretary
Referred to committee on Public Health.
State of Wisconsin
Investment Board
Madison
September 5, 2003
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Pursuant to s.
1.11 (2)(j) of the Statutes, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board is pleased to report that during fiscal year 2003, it did not consider any proposals for major actions in Wisconsin that could significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the agency was not required to prepare any environmental assessments or impact statements under s.
1.11.
Please contact Sandy Drew at 261-0182 if you have any questions concerning this report.
Sincerely,
Patricia Lipton
Executive Director
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
__________________
Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
September 3, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed financial audits of the Mendota and Winnebago Mental Health Institutes for the period July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002. The audits were requested by the Department of Health and Family Services to comply with requirements of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. We are able to express an unqualified opinion on each Institute's financial statements.
The financial position of both Institutes improved significantly during fiscal year 2001-02: Mendota reported a net increase in assets of $2.5 million, and Winnebago reported a net increase of $1.0 million. In addition, the Institutes have significantly reduced the negative cash balances in their appropriations, which are reported as loans from the State of Wisconsin because the State's pool of cash covers the deficits. Higher billing rates and improved billing and collection procedures have contributed to the Institutes' improved financial positions.
For several years, the Department experienced technical problems in implementing its new billing and accounting system for the Institutes, which resulted in significant billing and collection delays and accounting problems. The Department is taking reasonable steps to address implementation problems and to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of its billing and collection efforts. The Department also continues to improve its process for estimating patient revenues and receivables for financial reporting.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Department of Health and Family Services staff during our audit.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
