County board moves to contract out behavior health supervision amidst PHHS vacancies
At a special meeting on Sept. 3, the Cook County Board of Commissioners moved to contract with David Lee to provide supervision and support to behavioral health workers within Public Health and Human Services.
Administrator Kristen Trebil-Halbersma said during the meeting that Lee is a former HHS director from Carlton County, in addition to being a licensed behavioral health clinician. Lee has over 40 years of experience and is a member of the Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health.
At the meeting, Trebil-Halbersma said that contracting with Lee was an opportunity to rebuild the behavior health team, which has several vacancies, including one supervisory role. The administrator said that at this time, the county is not listing that position for applications. The contract position does not replace any of the existing roles within PHHS, and is only a temporary position. The agreement includes up to 12 hours of work each week for up to six months.
The county has not made any announcements about the possible reorganization of PHHS and the currently vacant positions.
Trebil-Halbersma told WTIP, “I believe he has the background and expertise to assist our team as we determine the appropriate staffing model and assist with client care at this time.” She added, “Everyone I spoke with spoke extremely highly of him. Therefore, I reached out based on his background, credentials, and solid reputation.”
Previously, Trebil-Halbersma told WTIP that the county was aiming to fill the PHHS Director role soon, and that the other open positions were being evaluated as part of a potential reorganization of the department.
Commissioner Dave Mills told the board at the special meeting that he’s previously worked alongside Lee. During the meeting Mills described Lee as, “extremely intelligent, extremely patient, and compassionate and professional.”
The board voted unanimously to approve contracting with Lee.
Kirsten Wisniewski September 4, 2025
