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09_FBHSAC_Meeting notes.docx
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BAYFIELD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
FAMILY & BEHARIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE (FBHSAC)
MEETING NOTES
Courthouse Conference Room A & Remote
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 10 am
Committee Members Present: Lona Schmidt, Darlene Neff and Bev Lindell.
Others Present: Tom Croteau (Behavioral Health and Community Services Manager), Mary
Anich (Family Services Section Manager) and Nina Bucher (Support Staff).
Call to order: Schmidt called the meeting to order at 10:05 am and determined there was
not a quorum, so tabled the minute approval.
Public Comment: none.
Section Updates:
Family Services-Anich announced her retirement scheduled for January 3rd, 2025 and
that Jo Beth Gonzalez has been hired for her position. Gonzalez brings extensive experience
with child services and will overlap with Anich for 1.5 months. There currently are two
openings in Family Services: a case manager and a family specialist.
Anich reported that cases are becoming numerous and expensive, and that resources are
drying up leaving state-run facilities as the only placement option. These trends are occurring
statewide and not just in Bayfield County.
Behavioral Health-Croteau relayed that Behavioral Health case managers, Allen and
Bebeau, are extremely busy with difficult mandated cases. With limited resource options,
cases are resolving not exactly as hoped, but the best possible with what is available. More
positive outcomes come from working with voluntary referrals when helping individuals
establish a healthy path through issues. They are networking to develop connections with
schools and other organizations to find voluntary referrals in hopes of averting crisis situations.
Law enforcement will have a new virtual crisis assessment tool available soon when the
County contracts with Avel eCare Telemedicine. Avel can provide live professional mental
health assessments in crisis situations to help officers make plan of action decisions to keep
people safe. Croteau is applying for three separate grants to help cover the cost of Avel and
other preventative services.
Program Reports: Anich stated that Child Welfare/Youth Justice cases are becoming more
serious in child behavior.
Committee Term Lenths: In order to stagger term ending dates, Nancy & Dale Johnson
and Darlene Neff’s terms will expire in 2025.
Due to lack of a quorum,
these are notes from the
meeting, not minutes
K:\Agendas and Minutes\Family & Behavioral Health Services Advisory Committee\FBHSAC Minutes\2024 FBHSAC minutes\2024-10-
09_FBHSAC_Meeting notes.docx
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2025 Meeting dates: January 8, April 9, July 9, and October 8.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 10:50 am.
notes respectfully submitted by,
Nina Bucher
Nina Bucher