Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutComprehensive Community Service Committee - Minutes - 4/8/2025 Bayfield County Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) Coordination Committee Meeting Bayfield County Conference Room A Hybrid Meeting April 8, 2025 BCCS Members Present: Thomas Mittelstaedt, Sandra Notzke, Shannon Esala*, Tom Croteau, Teri Ovaska*, Jon Michels Others Present: Jan Kupczyk, Richard Reed, Andy Austin, Pam Stanny, Terry Barningham*, Sarah Traaholt, Julie Winter *Attended virtually Call to order and Introductions: Mittelstaedt called the meeting to order at 12:37 p.m. Roll Call and Introductions to New Members: Winter conducted roll call. Quorum present. Jon Michels was welcomed as a new BCCS and regional committee member. Discussion and Possible Action: Review and Approval of the January 14, 2025, meeting minutes. Presentations No presentation at this meeting to focus on the CCS plan changes. Reports and Program Updates – CCS Administrator, Teri Ovaska a. CCS Program Report  Ovaska noted that the enrollment information for the entire year of 2024, as well as for January and February of 2025, was included in the meeting packet.  The main focus related to the CCS provider network is on Ashland and Bayfield County's Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) work to gather the necessary documentation for the State’s recertification visit, which is scheduled for April 22, 2025.  Ashland County is trying to develop group home contracts that may be utilized in both counties.  Ovaska mentioned that although some providers have exited the program, new providers are joining, which has helped maintain a stable overall number of providers.  Several outreach events for local schools and the Bad River community have already taken place.  The online referral form for Ashland and Bayfield Counties has reached a total of twenty-two submissions, indicating that the website is being used and preference for digital accessibility is on the rise. Finalized during the July 8, 2025, Coordination Committee Meeting Motion by Notzke, second by Michels, to approve Bayfield County CCS January 14, 2025, meeting minutes. Motion passed.  Croteau inquired about the status of SPARK (Student Pathways to Adventure, Resilience & Knowledge). Barningham responded that there has been a delay in releasing the Request for Proposals (RFP), which has resulted in an extension for all parties interested. The program will continue as long as funding is available. b. Children’s services  Ovaska states there are no updates for now. Everything is going smoothly. Working on additional staff training that addresses multiple diagnoses in youth, as well as how to support these individuals with available programs outside of CCS. Discussion and Action Items – CCS Administrator and CCS Quality Assurance & Improvement Coordinator a. Overview of updates for Regional CCS Plan Winter reviewed the updates and changes to the CCS plan for Ashland County and noted the majority of these changes are applicable to the Bayfield County CCS plan as well, which will be implemented and brought to the Coordination Committee once completed. As required by DHS 36 Statute, the CCS plan must include policies and procedures that demonstrate the program's implementation and alignment with statute requirements. Winter noted that the plan was 127 pages long, so only two printed copies were made. Digital copies were included in the committee packet. Printed copies can be provided upon request. Plan changes include:  All incorrect, outdated, and duplicated information was updated. The CCS plan was reduced from 187 pages to 127 pages.  Revised the format to display the relevant statute language at the top, followed by supporting policies and documents underneath.  Duplicate policies have been consolidated.  Divided and linked all sections individually so they could be digitally referenced more easily.  All new policies and procedures have been added to the plan since the last update.  New updates to the plan include revisions to billing, a crisis policy, and requirements for ongoing supervision, training, and a travel policy.  The updated plan will be posted on the Ashland County website once it is finalized and based on any feedback provided during the recertification process. Printed copies of the plan will also be available in each of the lobbies to ensure the document is more accessible to providers and participants.  Croteau emphasized the significant changes and growth that have taken place in Bayfield and Ashland Counties since the program was established in 2015.  Kupczyk inquired if there is a required timeframe for updating the policy manual. Ovaska responded that the plan is updated annually, however, this edit took a significant amount of time due to the complete overhaul. Croteau mentioned that after the changes are made, the revised document is sent to the State. Winter noted that DHS 36 statute does not dictate a specific timeframe for updates to the plan, but Ashland and Bayfield CCS Program policy stipulates it is done annually and reviewed with the Coordination Committee.  Croteau noted that Bayfield County’s edits will be similar, with a few changes, and will be presented to the committee for review and approval once the edits are completed. Further Discussion  Croteau added that many pandemic grants and funding are being pulled immediately, including one behavioral health grant Bayfield County has for substance abuse treatment. Croteau also noted that this will likely impact the number of participants that can be served. Croteau will continue searching for other funding opportunities.  Kupczyk thought it would be helpful to meet or see who all the staff members are for the CCS programs. Winter pointed out that on the Ashland County CCS website, there are internal staff photos and bios. Croteau noted that they could arrange for Ashland Staff to attend the July meeting and Bayfield Staff to attend the October meeting so the committee can meet everyone. Public Comment - BCCS Chairperson (3 minutes per speaker/30-minute limit for all public comments) None Future Meeting Dates: Tuesday, July 8th, 2025 Tuesday, October 14th, 2025 Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 Meeting adjourned at 1:17 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sarah Traaholt, Bayfield County Clerk III Ashland and Bayfield County Regional Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) Coordination Committee Meeting Bayfield County Conference Room A Hybrid Meeting April 8, 2025 Regional CCS Committee Members: Richard Reed (ACCS), Terry Barningham (ACCS)*, Teri Ovaska (ACCS Member at Large)*, Pam Stanny (ACCS), Andy Austin (ACCS), Jan Kupczyk (ACCS), Sandy Notzke (BCCS), Shannon Esala (BCCS)*, Tom Croteau (BCCS), Jon Michels (BCCS), Thomas Mittelstaedt (BCCS Member at Large) Others Present: Sarah Traaholt, Julie Winter *Attended virtually Call to order and Introductions: Mittelstaedt called the meeting to order at 12:37 p.m. Roll Call and Introductions to New Members: Winter conducted roll call. Quorum present. Jon Michels was welcomed as a new BCCS and regional committee member. Discussion and Possible Action: Review and Approval of the January 14, 2025, meeting minutes. Presentations No presentation at this meeting to focus on the CCS plan changes. Reports and Program Updates – CCS Administrator, Teri Ovaska a. CCS Program Report  Ovaska noted that the enrollment information for the entire year of 2024, as well as for January and February of 2025, was included in the meeting packet.  The main focus related to the CCS provider network is on Ashland and Bayfield County's Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) work to gather the necessary documentation for the State’s recertification visit, which is scheduled for April 22, 2025.  Ashland County is trying to develop group home contracts that may be utilized in both counties.  Ovaska mentioned that although some providers have exited the program, new providers are joining, which has helped maintain a stable overall number of providers.  Several outreach events for local schools and the Bad River community have already taken place. Finalized during the July 8, 2025, Coordination Committee Meeting Motion by Notzke, second by Michels, to approve Bayfield County CCS January 14, 2025, meeting minutes. All in favor. Motion passed.  The online referral form for Ashland and Bayfield Counties has reached a total of twenty-two submissions, indicating that the website is being used and preference for digital accessibility is on the rise.  Croteau inquired about the status of SPARK (Student Pathways to Adventure, Resilience & Knowledge). Barningham responded that there has been a delay in releasing the Request for Proposals (RFP), which has resulted in an extension for all parties interested. The program will continue as long as funding is available. b. Children’s services  Ovaska states there are no updates for now. Everything is going smoothly. Working on additional staff training that addresses multiple diagnoses in youth, as well as how to support these individuals with available programs outside of CCS. Discussion and action items – CCS Administrator and CCS Quality Assurance & Improvement Coordinator a. Overview of updates for Regional CCS Plan Winter reviewed the updates and changes to the CCS plan for Ashland County and noted the majority of these changes are applicable to the Bayfield County CCS plan as well, which will be implemented and brought to the Coordination Committee once completed. As required by DHS 36 Statute, the CCS plan must include policies and procedures that demonstrate the program's implementation and alignment with statute requirements. Winter noted that the plan was 127 pages long, so only two printed copies were made. Digital copies were included in the committee packet. Printed copies can be provided upon request. Plan changes include:  All incorrect, outdated, and duplicated information was updated. The CCS plan was reduced from 187 pages to 127 pages.  Revised the format to display the relevant statute language at the top, followed by supporting policies and documents underneath.  Duplicate policies have been consolidated.  Divided and linked all sections individually so they could be digitally referenced more easily.  All new policies and procedures have been added to the plan since the last update.  New updates to the plan include revisions to billing, a crisis policy, and requirements for ongoing supervision, training, and a travel policy.  The updated plan will be posted on the Ashland County website once it is finalized and based on any feedback provided during the recertification process. Printed copies of the plan will also be available in each of the lobbies to ensure the document is more accessible to providers and participants.  Croteau emphasized the significant changes and growth that have taken place in Bayfield and Ashland Counties since the program was established in 2015.  Kupczyk inquired if there is a required timeframe for updating the policy manual. Ovaska responded that the plan is updated annually, however, this edit took a significant amount of time due to the complete overhaul. Croteau mentioned that after the changes are made, the revised document is sent to the State. Winter noted that DHS 36 statute does not dictate a specific timeframe for updates to the plan, but Ashland and Bayfield CCS Program policy stipulates it is done annually and reviewed with the Coordination Committee.  Croteau noted that the edits for Bayfield County will be similar, with a few changes, and will be presented to the committee for review and approval once the edits are completed. Further Discussion  Kupczyk asked about how federal cuts will affect programming. Barningham has some speculations but is waiting to see how it pans out. At this point, there is a lot of back-and-forth, and no one really knows. It is a lot of wait and see.  Croteau added that many pandemic grants and funding are being pulled immediately, including one behavioral health grant Bayfield County has for substance abuse treatment. Croteau also noted that this will likely impact the number of participants that can be served. Croteau will continue searching for other funding opportunities.  Kupczyk thought it would be helpful to meet or see who all the staff members are for the CCS programs. Winter pointed out that on the Ashland County CCS website, there are internal staff photos and bios. Croteau noted that they could arrange for Ashland Staff to attend the July meeting and Bayfield Staff to attend the October meeting so the committee can meet everyone. Public Comment - BCCS Chairperson (3 minutes per speaker/30-minute limit for all public comments) None Future Meeting Dates: Tuesday, July 8th, 2025 Tuesday, October 14th, 2025 Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 Meeting adjourned at 1:17 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sarah Traaholt, Bayfield County Clerk III