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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Services Board - Minutes - 10/25/2018BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC October 25, 2018 Board Members Present: Larry Fickbohm, Kent Seldal, Jim Crandall, Jeremy Oswald, Susan Rosa, Tom Gordon Board Members Excused: George Newago, Lona Schmidt Others Present: Elizabeth Skulan, Nikki Revak, Heather Gilbertson Call to Order and Introductions Crandall called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. Discussion and Possible Action – Review of the September 27, 2018 Meeting Minutes Motion by Gordon, seconded by Rosa, to approve the September 27th minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously. Program Presentation – County Perspectives & Recommendations to Address Wisconsin’s Child Welfare Crisis Power Point Presentation, Elizabeth Skulan Skulan reviewed: the Wisconsin County Human Services Associations (WCHSA) Child Protective Services (CPS) Caseload Study Committee’s County Perspectives & Recommendations to Address Wisconsin’s Child Welfare Crisis Power Point Presentation; the Children and Family Aids Allocation Increase whitepaper produced by the Wisconsin Counites Association(WCS); the Caseload Standards for Child Protective Services issued by WCHSA; and the 2012 to 2017 Bayfield County Placements. Monthly Section Reports Support Services – Nikki Revak Revak helped Skulan compile the data for the Bayfield County Placement Comparatives. Bayfield County is the Fiscal agent for the ADRC and Revak worked on the year-end report that was due. Revak is working on prior year CCS reconciliations, but it not going as fast as she had hoped. One support staff is on vacation this week and it’s been very busy at front desk. Economic Support Services – Elizabeth Skulan for Jeanine Spuhler Energy Assistance has been busy. So far this heating season, 246 applications have been initiated. Heather Gilbertson and Jessica Soulier completed intake training and are now able to process applications. This program requires DHS to respond to no-heat situation even outside of regular business hours. Spuhler received a call early Saturday morning from dispatch about a call due to a no-heat situation. Spuhler resolved the issue. The Northern Income Maintenance Consortium (NIMC) received 16 suspected fraudulent applications for FoodShare last week through the on-line application system. All applicants were single in their late 50’s to early 60’s reporting no income. The residence addresses were all homes recently listed for sale on realtor.com, many of them vacant. To date Bayfield County Subject to change at the December meeting BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC October 25, 2018 2 has three applications. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) was notified and found 68 similar applications statewide. OIG has tracked the applications to a single IP address. Open enrollment for health care coverage through the Federal Marketplace begins November 1st and ends December 15th. If approved coverage may begin January 1st, 2019. Family Services – Elizabeth Skulan for Cheryl Hanson Hanson is in Wausau at her final required CPS supervisor’s training. Hanson is grateful that these foundation trainings are completed. Hanson will continue to attend supervisor trainings as well as attending other trainings that pertain to her position. Social Worker Kelly Fitzgerald started as the Mental Health Social Worker on Monday October 22, 2018. Susan Miller transitioned into her new position as the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) Coordinator Social Worker on Monday as well. Skulan, Crandall, Mark Abeles-Allison and Hanson met with Senator Janet Bewley along with Ashland County counterparts to discuss the need for additional funding for Child Welfare services. Family Services had a partial day retreat on Wednesday October 17th at the Pub and Grub. The time was used to determine what is done well and opportunities for improvement. Hanson enjoyed the honest feedback and hopes to use the information to improve services. Staff was asked to complete a goal worksheet for the next year. Hanson was very grateful that Karen Bodin in the Aging & Disability (A & D) Services section covered the phones for Family Services during the retreat. Aging & Disability Services – Elizabeth Skulan for Carrie Linder A&D is currently partnering with the Sheriff’s Office in their “Drug Take Back” by having deputies at senior congregate nutrition locations. This is a part of the “Dose of Reality” project as means to prevent prescription painkiller abuse in WI. Linder has begun working with the Center of WI Strategy and others to host a transportation summit early next year. The overarching goal is to bring together individuals from the region to generate ideas about how transportation options can be improved in our region. The request to increase the annual Children’s Long-Term Services (CLTS) allocation by $57,000 was approved. Youth Services Specialist, Kristin Opperman is working to remove five additional children from waiting list. Two public hearings were held to obtain feedback on the 2019-2021 Aging Plan and 2019 Transportation Plan. There was focus on developing transportation to Superior from Iron River and strategies to address the isolation of older people, particularly widowers, in the Benoit area. A Dementia Crisis meeting was held on October 10th at Memorial Medical Center (MMC) in Ashland. Thirty people attended. The meeting was productive although no single solution as to how to address these situations was identified. The meeting promoted a shared understanding of the complexity of these cases and a general sense of working together to ensure safety, dignity and respect for those we serve. Open enrollment for Medicare Part C has begun and is open through December 7th. Individuals are encouraged to compare plans for 2019 at www.medicare.gov or set up an appointment with Sheila Mack. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC October 25, 2018 3 Monthly Reports Monthly reports reviewed and placed on file. Children and Family Aids Allocation Increase – See Program Presentation above. Bayfield County Out of Home Placement 2012 to 2017 and Current Caseload Review See Program Presentation above. Discussion and Possible Action – DHS Resolution No. 2018-04 Requesting Increased Funding and Oversight Reforms for Wisconsin’s Child Protective Services System Motion by Gordon, second by Rosa, to approve DHS Resolution No. 2018-04. Motion approved unanimously. Discussion and Possible Action – DHS Resolution No. 2018-05 Budget Adjustments and Authority to Access Risk Reserves Motion by Gordon, second by Seldal, to approve DHS Resolution No. 2018-05. Motion approved unanimously. Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) Program Update Douglas County is still waiting for approval of their CCS Program Plan. CCS regional expansion to Douglas County is dependent upon this approval. A meeting is scheduled with the director of New Horizons North (NHN) on November 8th to discuss CCS. NHN is having a challenging time retaining staff, particularly nights and weekends. CCS is not a M-F, 8-4 program and workers must be available during non-business hours to provide service. DHS has not received the 2017 audit from NHN. Other (Informational Items) A. None B. Other Future Meetings A. November/December Meeting – December 4, 2018, the meeting will begin at 3:30 with a Holiday Potluck B. January 24, 2019 C. February 28, 2019 Adjournment at 4:58 p.m. Submitted by Heather Gilbertson