HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Services Board - Minutes - 4/24/2014BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING
Bayfield County EOC
April 24, 2014
Board Members Present: Rusty Williams, Pat Carver, Bill Bussey, Fred Strand, Jim Crandall,
John Bennett
Board Members Absent: Lona Schmidt, Deb Pyne,
Others Present: Elizabeth Skulan, Nikki Revak, Carrie Linder, Anita Haukaas,
Jeanine Spuhler, Vel Levno, Julie Zolondek
Call to Order and Introductions
Williams called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m.
Review of the February 27, 2014 Minutes
Motion by Bussey, second by Crandall, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion passed
unanimously.
Nominations/Elections for DHS Chair
Skulan entertained nominations for Chair.
Bussey motioned to nominate Williams as Chair, second by Crandall. Carver motioned that a
unanimous ballot be cast, second by Bussey. Motion carried.
Nominations/Elections for Vice Chair
Williams entertained nominations for Vice Chair.
Bussey motioned to nominate Crandall as Vice Chair, second by Carver. Strand motioned that a
unanimous ballot be cast, second by Bussey. Motion carried.
Opportunity for Public Comment
None
Program Presentation – Comprehensive Community Support, Val Levno, New Horizons, Inc.
Levno reported that with this program, Bayfield and Ashland Counties, will have the
opportunity to assist people of any age with mental health and substance abuse issues. CCS
services are reimbursed via Medicaid with little or no cost to the county. Individuals receiving
these services must be MA eligible.
Bayfield and Ashland Counties will each have their own CCS programs but Bayfield County will
act as the fiscal agent. The services to be provided are individualized and focused at
rehabilitation and habilitation as identified through a comprehensive assessment.
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Monthly Section Reports
Family Services – Anita Haukaas
Thirty-one participants are currently served in the Community Support Program (CSP). Two
individuals were recently successfully discharged from the program.
Emergency detentions have declined compared to historical data. An implementation date for
the Family Treatment Court program is tentatively scheduled for July. Staff recently attended
training in LaCrosse to prepare for this new program.
Juvenile justice referrals are currently at 18 from January to the end of April. The majority of
these cases were for disorderly conduct.
May 2 is Law Day and teen court participants will conduct a mock hearing. Family Services staff
will assist with the mock trial.
Child Protective Services staff is currently investigating time intensive cases.
Economic Support Services – Jeanine Spuhler
The heating moratorium ended April 16th and utility companies began disconnecting customers
for nonpayment of utility bills. Staff has been busy the last few weeks with calls from concerned
utility customers facing a disconnection. On May 15th the current Wisconsin Home Energy
Assistance Program season will end. The 2014 – 2015 WHEAP season will begin October 1,
2014.
The Northern Income Maintenance Consortium (NIMC) hired twelve additional staff to address
increased work volume due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The quantity of applications
transferred from the Federal Marketplace continues to decrease at this time. An additional
transfer of applications may take place in the near future, but the detail of this potential
workload is uncertain. Wait times on the call center has decreased dramatically. Within the
next couple of weeks, NIMC supervisors will meet with the state to customize the call center
phone service structure. The Child Care program will be restructured so that Child Care can be
regionalized and process by the NIMC in the near future.
Aging & Disability Services – Carrie Linder
The editorial regarding the Blue Goose from the April 24th Daily Press was discussed. Riders are
not asked for their social security numbers.
New funding will be available for additional clients who qualify for the Children’s Long Term
Service program (CLTS). This funding will only be available through 2015. Staff is working on
the capacity and feasibility of serving additional clients with the new funding.
Linder was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a national conference called Aging
America. Linder said it was insightful to see what approaches to aging are taking place across
the nation in both the public and private sectors.
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A meeting was held with Community Care of Central Wisconsin (CCCW) staff regarding
challenging cases; what has worked well during the transition; and barriers that still exist.
Support Services – Nikki Revak
Year-end reports have been completed and sent to the state. State staff are reviewing and
have been calling with questions or for clarification.
One staff member just returned from a three week family medical leave. Another staff member
has two concurrent family medical leaves and has been out intermittently.
With the National Tornado Week this week, Skulan and I reviewed and updated the emergency
inclement weather policy.
The Northern Regional Mental Health Crisis request for proposal was completed and submitted
to the state. The new proposal focuses on youth in mental health crisis.
Monthly Reports
The monthly reports were reviewed and placed on file.
The final year end reports are complete and have been submitted to the State. It does not
appear that DHS will need to access the Risk Reserve to balance the 2013 budget. Reconciliation
should be complete by the state the end of June.
Letter of Appreciation to Clarence Henkel for Services to Bayfield County
Skulan reviewed appreciation letters to Clarence Henkel, Dee Kittleson and Harold Maki
thanking them for their years of service on the DHS Board. Letters were signed by Chair
Williams.
Wisconsin Counties Human Services Associations (WCHSA) Proposed Changes
Skulan reviewed the proposed structural changes to the WCHSA . A vote will be taken at the
May meeting during the spring conference to determine if an Executive Director position
should be created and the dues structure that will support the position. Skulan asked the board
for their recommendation.
Motion Bussey, second by Carver, to support the hiring of an Executive Director with option
three (3) for funding the position. Motion carried unanimously.
Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) – Report on Progress for Implementation
Skulan reported that advertisements for Advisory CCS Committee Members are currently being
sought. The committee requires one-third of its members be consumers with mental health
and/or substance abuse issues; and one-third family members, advocates, citizens and
providers. An equal number of members will be from Bayfield and Ashland counties.
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Committee members will need to participate in 40 hours of mandated training before reviewing
the program plan and policies/procedures.
Community Care of Central Wisconsin (CCCW) – Proposed Meeting with CCCW Staff
Linder, Haukaas, JoAnn Paraventi and Skulan met with representatives with Community Care of
Central Wisconsin (CCCW) to discuss the successes and challenges that have been experienced
and how to partner better to serve individuals with complex mental health or behavioral issues.
Monthly meetings will be held to continue with this dialog to better serve this population.
2015 Budget Process
Skulan reviewed the process for the gathering input for the 2014 budget. She asked board for
suggestions for improving or changing the process. The board would like the same process
followed for 2015. The public hearing is scheduled for June 26th, 2014.
DHS Board Meeting Date and Time
Skulan asked the board if the date and time of the DHS Board Meeting should change or remain
the same. Meeting time and date will remain the same.
Cable Citizen Member Participation
Board Member Pyne will need to leave the area for six months but would still like to remain on
the board and participate remotely. The DHS Board members are receptive to Pyne remaining
on the board.
Other (Informational Items)
A. Memos, etc. regarding staff and programs (5)
B. Wisconsin Counties Human Services Association (WCHSA Spring Conference)
C. Special Enrollment Periods for Health Insurance
Future Meetings
A. May 22, 2014 – Jim Crandall might not be here
B. June 26, 2014 (Includes Public Hearing on 2015 Budget)
C. July 24, 2014
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 5:33 p.m.
Submitted by Nikki Revak, Financial Manager