HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Services Board - Minutes - 6/22/2023BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING
EOC & Virtual
June 22, 2023
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Board Members Present: Jeremy Oswald, James Crandall, Patrick Irvine, Lona Schmidt, Stephanie
Defoe-Haskins*, Mary Dougherty, Madelaine Rekemeyer*, Sue Rosa*
(*attended virtually)
Not Present: Marty Milanowski
Others Present: Elizabeth Skulan, Carrie Linder, Tom Croteau, Mary Anich, Jeanine Spuhler,
Stephanie Eder, Heather Gilbertson, Ellie Webb – Dementia Care Specialist
Call to Order and Introductions
Crandall called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Introductions were made.
Opportunity for Public Comment (Limit 3 minutes please.)
No Public Comment
Discussion and Possible Action – Review and approval of the May 25, 2023, meeting minutes.
Motion by Schmidt, seconded by Oswald to approve the May 25, 2023, meeting minutes. Motion passed.
Program Presentation – Dementia Live Presentation, Ellie Webb, Dementia Care Specialist
• Webb is the Dementia Care Specialist for Ashland and Bayfield Counties, who works through the
Aging and Disabilities Resource Center of the North.
• Webb gave a brief overview of what dementia is, the symptoms of dementia, the percentage of
residents in Bayfield County who have dementia and ideas on how to make the community a safe
place to live for residents with dementia.
• A ten-minute interactive presentation was provided that simulated dementia. Most participants
agreed that they felt frustrated, confused, and irritated from the simulation.
• Some takeaways from the presentation: make eye contact with the individual when speaking;
keep conversations short and simple; and never argue with the individual.
Discussion and Possible Action –Open the Floor for Public Hearing for Public Comment, Input on the
2024 DHS Budget, and/or Bayfield County’s Policies and Procedures for Equal Opportunity in
Employment, Service Deliver, and Language Access.
Motion by Schmidt, seconded by Dougherty to open the floor for Public Hearing for Public Comment, Input
on the 2024 DHS Budget, and/or Bayfield County’s Policies and Procedures for Equal Opportunity in
Employment, Service Deliver, and Language Access. Motion passed.
FINAL:
Approved at the
8/17/23 BCDHS
meeting
BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING
EOC & Virtual
June 22, 2023
K:\Agendas and Minutes\DHS Board\Minutes\2023 DHS Board Minutes\2023-06-22_BCDHS_Board_meeting_minutes -final.docx 2
Opportunity for Public Comment, Comments on the 2024 Budget, and/or Comments Regarding
Bayfield County’s Policies and Procedures for Equal Opportunity in Employment, Service Deliver and
Language access. (Limit 3 minutes please.)
No Public Comment
Review any Written Comments
• Skulan read a letter from a kinship provider thanking the County for financial help she received raising
her grandson.
Monthly Section Reports
Economic Support Services – Jeanine Spuhler
• State issued funds were sent out for the summer fill program which is available to customers who
heat with fuel oil or propane. As of mid-June, $121,000 was issued to 235 households.
• There has been a 14% increase in call volume to the Northern IM Consortium call center since
April.
• The Northern IM Consortium is offering overtime to employees due to the increased workload
due to the unwinding process.
• Maggie Morrison has accepted an offer for employment. Maggie begins her work as an Economic
Support Specialist on July 24, 2023.
• Economic Support appreciation week is July 10, 2023.
Family Services – Mary Anich
• Anich praised her team, in her words, “a great bunch of ladies who work well together and are
hard workers”.
• Anich participated in a permanency plan with Ashland County. Plans are done every six months
children placed out of the home. The plan lists goals for families who hope to be reunited with
their child. The plans are fluid and change as needed.
• Anich attended a statewide permanency planning meeting focusing on the Putting Families First
initiative.
• Bayfield County has five children placed out of home. The Red Cliff Tribe, for whom Bayfield
County DHS is the Fiscal Agents for, has 41 children placed out of home. Permanency Plans are
not required for Tribal children.
Support Staff – Stephanie Eder
• Support Staff currently has a vacant Clerk Receptionist position.
• Eder has begun working on the 2022 Wisconsin Medicaid Cost Reporting (WIMCR).
• Kathy Wolfram-Moran and Eder have begun pulling together documents for the auditors to
review during the 2022 audit.
• Information for the 2022 DHS Annual Report is being compiled and organized into the first draft.
BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING
EOC & Virtual
June 22, 2023
K:\Agendas and Minutes\DHS Board\Minutes\2023 DHS Board Minutes\2023-06-22_BCDHS_Board_meeting_minutes -final.docx 3
Behavioral Health & Community Programs – Tom Croteau
• CCS
o Echo is the new electronic health record program used for the program. The system is
very new, and staff are still learning the program.
o Service Facilitators are diligently entering information into the Echo system so that
providers can start entering their notes to avoid any delays in payments issued for
services rendered.
o Croteau stated that there have been several discharges in the last week and seven to
eight new referrals.
• BH
o Staff are providing case management for individuals who were emergently detained.
o One placement may need to be extended.
o Funds for Mental Health Institutional stays have already exceeded 171% for the year.
However, supplemental funds, private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare are anticipated
to offset some of these expenses.
o Essentia Health has allowed Bayfield County DHS to access their grant funding for the cost
of room and board for residential placements. Essential is also willing to provide funding
for some of the treatment provided .
Aging & Disability (A&D) Services – Carrie Linder
• Service Coordination in the Birth to Three program is contracted from Ashland County.
• Children’s Long-Term Care(CLTS) staff are busy completing the unwinding requirements.
o Seven functional screens, four annual reviews, and three new referrals were completed in
the last month.
• Adult protection staff recently processed twelve new referrals and established three new
guardianships for individuals who were hospitalized.
• The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) events were well received. There were many
positive comments on the surveys from the event.
• Elder Benefit Specialist Marianne Johnson and Disability Benefit Specialist Jamie Mackin were
recognized for Benefit Specialist Recognition week.
• Linder hosted a Transportation Coordination Committee (TCC) meeting this week. Most of the
meeting was used to discuss Door2Door program. A recommendation was made to increase the
hours transportation is available each week from 50 to 60 hours. The most use has been in the
Cable and Mason areas. The most common destination has been Ashland.
• Linder will be hosting the first Seniors’ Social Connection meeting next week; the focus of the
workgroup will be how to address loneliness and social isolation.
Monthly Reports
Monthly Financial and Training reports were reviewed and placed on file.
2024 Budget Guidance – Preparation Memo to Department Heads from County Administrator Mark
Abeles-Allison, May 31, 2023
• The 2024 Budget focuses on two key factors: housing, youth and senior services.
BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING
EOC & Virtual
June 22, 2023
K:\Agendas and Minutes\DHS Board\Minutes\2023 DHS Board Minutes\2023-06-22_BCDHS_Board_meeting_minutes -final.docx 4
2024 DHS Budget Priorities
• DHS is advocating for a Mental Health Professional/Service Facilitator and a Children with
Disabilities Services Manager/Youth Services Coordinator position which both address issues
related to the Aging and Disability Services Section Manager’s workload and the growing
caseloads in the CCS and CLTS programs.
• Unused space in the County is being considered to address the additional office space needed to
house additional staff.
High-Cost Pool Fund for Tribal Placements Award
• Skulan received an award letter for the High-Cost Pool Fund for Tribal Court Placements. Bayfield
County was awarded 4.96% of the funds, a total of $31,872.87.
Discussion and Possible Action –Close the Floor for Public Hearing for Public Comment, Input on the
2024 DHS Budget, and/or Bayfield County’s Policies and Procedures for Equal Opportunity in
Employment, Service Deliver, and Language Access.
Motion by Schmidt, seconded by Oswald to Close the floor for Public Hearing for Public Comment, Input
on the 2024 DHS Budget, and/or Bayfield County’s Policies and Procedures for Equal Opportunity in
Employment, Service Deliver, and Language Access. Motion passed.
Other (Informational Items)
• Irving stated that as a citizen of Bayfield County, he feels Bayfield County could improve
promoting itself and providing information regarding new projects, programs, and partnerships.
• Oswald noted Bayfield County is the first fully carbon neutral county in Wisconsin.
• It was pointed out that Bayfield County is proactively researching options for increasing housing
in our communities.
• Crandall stated that Bayfield County is one of the most progressive counties in the state.
Future Meeting Dates
• July/August Combined Meeting, Thursday, August 17, 2023
• September 28, 2023
• October 26, 2023
Crandall Adjourned the meeting at 5:33 p.m.
Submitted by Heather Gilbertson, Clerk III