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Happy birthday to Sarah Elizabeth Antall!

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Happy birthday to Brenna Morgan Wehrenberg!

<p>Luzerne County Children and Youth Services Director Krista McIlhaney has resigned effective Dec. 31 because she has obtained a position overseeing mental health services outside the area, her boss said.</p><p>McIlhaney is leaving as the agency is struggling to address a temporary financial crisis stemming from the state budget impasse and the agency&#8217;s license downgrade to provisional status last month.</p><p>County Human Services Division Head David Schwille said he will oversee the office until the position is filled. He started the process to advertise the position.</p><p>McIlhaney informed the staff of her departure Friday morning, he said. She said the new position will offer career advancement.</p><p>&#8220;While it was a tough decision, a bigger opportunity was presented so that I can further challenge myself, both personally and professionally.&#8221; Additional perks such as commuting distance and financial rewards were also a large consideration, McIlhaney said.</p><p>The state recently downgraded Children and Youth&#8217;s license to provisional status, citing &#8220;serious concerns&#8221; and &#8220;regulatory violations&#8221; discovered through inspections sparked by a child&#8217;s death. The county and state largely blamed staffing shortages and enacted a corrective plan that includes intensified recruiting of caseworkers and possible raises to fill numerous vacancies.</p><p>A license downgrade forces the agency to undergo and pass more frequent inspections to restore its compliant status.</p><p>McIlhaney had been on the job a little over a year. She was hired for the $78,000 position in September 2014. Her predecessor, Frank Castano, had resigned in October 2013 to accept a local school district position.</p><p>McIlhaney&#8217;s resignation was not disclosed during Wednesday&#8217;s meeting of the Children and Youth Advisory Board, said board member Lorine Ogurkis.</p><p>Ogurkis sits on a committee the board formed last month to examine problems that led to the license downgrade, including the high rate of turnover among caseworkers.</p><p>The board voted Wednesday to accept the committee&#8217;s recommendation to conduct an anonymous employee satisfaction survey of all current caseworkers and other agency employees and exit surveys when employees resign, she said.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a start,&#8221; Ogurkis said. &#8220;We want to figure out what the problems are and what&#8217;s not working so we can stop this exodus.&#8221;</p><p>Two other human service branches &#8212; the Area Agency on Aging and Mental Health and Developmental Services &#8212; also are without directors.</p><p>Representatives of the Agency on Aging&#8217;s citizen advisory board recently told the county council that delays filling an executive director position and other employee vacancies are hurting the agency.</p><p>The agency has been without an executive director since mid-January, when Teresa Osborne left the position in January for a promotion to secretary of the state Department of Aging.</p><p>Schwille said Friday interviews of aging agency director finalists have been scheduled for Dec. 1.</p><p>Mental Health Administrator James Davis retired April 30.</p><p>Schwille said he expects to announce the selection of a mental health deputy director early next week but is still reviewing options for the director position.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Children and Youth Services Director Krista McIlhaney, photographed answering questions at a meeting about the agency&#8217;s license downgrade last month, has submitted her resignation and obtained employment outside the county. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL101515childrenandyouth3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County Children and Youth Services Director Krista McIlhaney, photographed answering questions at a meeting about the agency&#8217;s license downgrade last month, has submitted her resignation and obtained employment outside the county. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_krista1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">McIlhaney </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_krista1.jpg</photo1><caption1>McIlhaney </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Updated: Luzerne County Children and Youth Director resigns