HomeMy WebLinkAboutComprehensive Community Service Committee - Minutes - 7/9/2024
Ashland and Bayfield County Regional
Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) Coordination Committee Meeting
Ashland County Oredocker Room & via Zoom
July 9, 2024
Members Present: Ashland County – Terry Barningham, Pam Stanny, Jan Kupczyk, Jess Bigboy*, Erica Toman*,
Members Present: Bayfield County – Tom Croteau*, Sandra Notzke, Jamie Vernon
Members Excused: Thomas Mittelstaedt
Others Present: Andrea Yrjanainen, Julie Winter, Aimee Granger and Tom Jensen Tamarack Health, Teri Ovaska
*Denotes attendance via Zoom
Call to Order and Introductions:
Meeting was called to order by Jan Kupczyk at 12:30pm
Discussion and Possible Action: Review of the April 2024 minutes. Jan asked for a motion to be made to accept
the minutes of the April 2024 meeting. Teri O made the motion to accept with a second from Tom C. Minutes
were accepted and motion is passed.
Presentation from Tamarack Health:
Aimee Granger and Tom Jensen were present today to bring updates on the process for patients from the ER to
BHU at Tamarack Health. They spoke on the current renovation process to the current building which was built
in the 1980’s to serve both the inpatient and outpatient community. Phase 1 is almost to completion with
upgrades to HVAC, siding, windows, a new group room and nurses station and should be scheduled to wrap up
mid- August. The current detox inpatients have been able to be moved to the med/surg floor for the time of
their stay, however the inpatient BH patients must remain in the current space which is at 3 beds at this time
due to construction. Once Phase 2 starts they will be back up to 7 beds for BH and cannot go past 10 due to
licensing limitations. Patients can present to the ER and will be triaged as such and if there is no availability can
be transferred to another facility from there. Aimee and Tom were pleased to report that there has been no
staff reduction during the renovation and notes that a float position has been created in the nursing staff. High
attention has been paid to patients on assessment to past hospitalizations, the state in which they present, and
the level of noise which can be an issue due to the construction. All of these factors have been managed well
during the completion of Phase 1. Pam asked with Sacred Heart in Eau Claire now closed, what are the options
for transferring patients? Aimee stated that this is a challenge, but facilities are pulling together to
accommodate and Duluth has been an option as well. Pam also asked if the Crisis Bed has been in use for
children and adults and with adults has had high utilization rates and unfortunately there is no longer a
children’s crisis bed in the area. For those children that are sent to children’s units around the state of WI. Tom
noted that detox can be anywhere from 10 to 90 percent of the population and that is what fluctuates the most
for them. It can be a struggle with aftercare and placement as bed space can be few and far between but they
Finalized during
October 8, 2024,
Coordination
Committee Meeting
will care for the patient for as long as possible and care for the community first and foremost. Also noted was
the strong relationships between the ED doctors and the psychiatrists and their care for patients that present.
Dr. Singh and Dr. Hess work strongly together to assist the psychiatric needs and care of the community. In
conclusion of the presentation, Tom and Aimee were very proud of the fact that there was no staff loss during
Covid and that they have a very stable and cohesive team.
Review of Program Report:
Teri O. presented the program report and was happy to say that our vendors have increased by 20 percent with
various therapies and more alternatives for our participants.
With regards to the State Satisfaction Surveys, we were able to increase our goal outcomes for both Ashland and
Bayfield counties. We met our goals for 2023 and are setting goals for 2024.
In reference to the Outcome Evaluation Plan, they are working on updating and working side by side with law
enforcement for the use of Catch Plans and Safety Plans for our participants.
We have been working with Christian Servants and Vista Care to provide therapies to our participants and they
are also looking to add skill development personnel at this time to accommodate the need.
Julie has been working with the Great Lakes visitor center to provide programs with outdoor activities for all
seasons for our participants.
Children’s Services:
There are no new updates for Children’s Services at this time.
New Business:
No new business at this time.
Public Comment:
No public comment at this time
Informational Items:
Julie presented to the committee the new brochure and flyer that was developed for the CCS program along
with a new on line abbreviated referral. With the new brochure it has been updated with new language and QR
codes that people can scan for more information and the QR codes are also on the new flyer as well. Julie
explained with the online referral form it is a quick way to get basic information for a potential participant
without getting in to personal information. It is a quick summary that when completed is sent to the referral
intake person and they then contact the individual and complete the referral from there. Jan made the
suggestion that the brochure needs some language changes to simplify it a bit. Teri O thanked Jan for the
feedback and we will make sure that our services will be easier to understand. Tom C. suggested to Jan that
maybe she write down some thoughts on how to simplify the brochure.
Jan called for a motion to adjourn the meeting, Sandra made the motion, Pam second and the meeting was
adjourned at 1:20pm.
The next meeting date for 2024:
October 10th – Washburn
Respectfully submitted, Andrea Yrjanainen Ashland County CCS Program Administrative Assistant