By Jennifer Bogdan Journal State House Bureau
PROVIDENCE — Trista D. Piccola, Gov. Gina Raimondo’s pick to head the Department of Children, Youth and Families, received unanimous consent from the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday night after saying she’s considering whether the agency needs more front-line workers.
Piccola, a former deputy director of the Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services department in Cleveland, Ohio, has been in Rhode Island for a little over a week observing the agency. She stressed the importance of building a strong front-line workforce in a field that often has difficulty retaining employees.
Asked about things she would change, Piccola said she was surprised to learn the agency doesn’t have a standardized assessment practice for new cases — something she would look into quickly.
T h e 4 8 - y e a r - o l d , who began her career as a child protective services case worker in Elyria, Ohio, still awaits a full vote of the Senate to officially take on the director post. If approved, it will mark the first time in some two years that the child welfare department has had a permanent director.
The DCYF is one of several departments overseen by the larger Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which saw its own shakeup this week as Secretary Elizabeth Roberts resigned prior to a new report on the failures of the state’s public benefits computer system. In Roberts’ place as acting secretary is Anya Rader Wallack, the state’s former Medicaid director.
Rader Wallack named f i n d i n g p e r m a n e n t directors for the many health-related agencies that fall under her purview among her priorities.
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f H u m a n S e r v i c e s ; t h e Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals; and Medicaid are all without permanent directors.
Asked if the governor is concerned about the lack of permanent leadership in place, Department of Administration spokeswoman Brenna McCabe said no, stressing that “high-quality care and services” will be delivered.
“One of Acting Secretary Rader Wallack’s priorities in her new role is to fill leadership positions with permanent employees throughout EOHHS. In the meantime, we have highly-qualified leadership in place across the OHHS agencies,” McCabe said.
—With reports from
Journal State House reporter Alisha A. Pina.