CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A $20,000 party for Mecklenburg County Health Department workers has been canceled amid multiple investigations into wrongdoings, Channel 9 learned.
Some Mecklenburg County commissioners are upset the public health department had even planned to spend taxpayer money on an annual employee appreciation party.
"There should be no celebration of anything until after we have completed this information to the public and cleared up all the problems," said Commissioner Vilma Leake at Tuesday night’s meeting.
After Leake brought up the concerns, the county manager confirmed the party for the department's 800 employees, planned for April 28, was canceled.
"We've got to regain the public's trust and we should not look like we're happy about anything until that happens," said Jim Puckett, vice chair of the County commission.
Channel 9 has covered issues surrounding the county health department since February when the county health director announced the health department failed to notify 185 women of abnormal Pap smear results.
Then, the department mistakenly sent private information regarding more than 2,000 patients to the media after Channel 9 requested documents related to the failure to notify women of Pap smear results and did not publish any of the patient information.
The county could face millions of dollars in federal fines for accidentally sending the private information.
"We are going to take a very serious look at this," Puckett said.
Channel 9 obtained a copy of emails sent internally to health department employees Wednesday morning.
The emails discuss policy changes regarding patient information.
One email reads in part, “call or go see people (i know... what a concept!) instead of emailing."
County leaders hired consultants to review processes within the health department in the last several years.
They have also overseen several policy changes made in the last several weeks.