The Four County ADAMhs Board approved a number of relatively small contracts for the fiscal year that starts July 1 at its meeting Thursday (June 13).
Contracts were approved with three regional healthcare providers for inpatient psychiatric services. The contracts and amounts include: Mercy Health System, up to $125,000 for services at St. Charles Hospital; ProMedica, up to $150,000 for services at The Coping Center in Defiance, Toledo Hospital and Flower Hospital in Sylvania; and University of Toledo Medical Center, up to $250,000 for services at The Kobacker Center.
Generally, the full amount of those contracts is not used. Locally, the board approved $50,000 to support the Williams and Henry County juvenile courts specialty docket. The shared funding can be used by the juvenile court judges in either county to support treatment interventions instead of traditional detention or incarceration for qualifying offenders.
The common pleas courts in Williams and Fulton counties both operate drug courts for qualifying offenders. The board approved $35,000 to each county’s drug court to support treatment interventions for offenders instead of incarceration.
Other local allocations include: NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Four County, $7,000 to support public awareness and education concerning mental health issues; and Sufficient Grace Ministries, $10,000 for bereavement support, resources and training for families who have lost a child prior to, during or soon after birth.
The board accepted the terms for both unspent carryover of Addiction Treatment Program funds as well as an expected additional grant of ATP funds for the new fiscal year. Together, the carryover and additional funds total some $225,000.
The state funds can only be used for the treatment of persons who have been diagnosed with an opiate or other substance use disorder.
A $6,000 contract with Ascend Innovations was approved to gather and organize all types of behavioral health data from four county organizations that have interactions with individuals who experience mental health or addiction issues.
Non-client specific data is to be gathered from organizations as diverse as law enforcement, health departments, hospitals and more – particularly agencies that are not funded by the ADAMhs Board – to see if any documented behavioral health issues are occurring in the area that the board is not aware of.
Board CEO Tonie Long explained that if reliable data can be collected, then it could be used to help board staff identify and address unmet behavioral health needs.
Unfortunately, the largest healthcare systems and funding sources have not yet agreed to share non-client specific data. Without that data, it’s impossible to create a complete picture, she said.
Other contracts or agreements for the new fiscal year that were approved by the board include: Montgomery County ADAMhs Board, an amount not to exceed $50,000 for claims processing and consultation services related to the enrollment of clients and billing for services funded by the Four County ADAMhs Board.
OhioGuidestone and Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio, $187,684 (funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development) for recovery housing subsidies for low- and moderate-income persons.
Also, $25,000 in Access to Wellness funds from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to be distributed to agencies to help individuals who are served by both the mental health and another system successfully transition into the community.
Ohio Guidestone, Maumee Valley Guidance Center and Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio, sharing $35,598 to help clients with mental health issues who are transitioning from the corrections system to the community.
Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, $150,000 to administer the Criminal Justice Behavioral Linkage grant.
Two agreements were also approved for periods of time other than the fiscal year starting July 1. Those include: Triangular Processing, Inc., a contract amendment of $30,000 for the six-month period of July 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024 to coordinate transportation needs of ADAMhs Board funded clients; Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio, $97,170 for the period September 30, 2023 through September 29, 2024 for unspent carryover funds from an opioid grant.
Finally, the board approved an office budget for the new fiscal year that is $110,500 less than the current office budget. The new office budget is $648,600.
In her report to the board, CEO Tonie Long explained that while no regular board meetings are expected in July or August, board members will likely be asked to attend a planning meeting with a consultant who will help the board develop a new five-year strategic plan.
She noted that the current plan goes through the end of 2024, so a new plan for 2025 through 2029 will be needed.
She also explained that Ohio Revised Code now allows ADAMhs Boards to have either 9, 12, 14, 15, or 18 board members.
The four-county board has always had 18 board positions; however, she noted some of the state-appointed positions that require specific behavioral health licensure or experience can be difficult to fill.
Long asked board members if they had an opinion either way for keeping the number at 18 positions or reducing it to 15.
The board members requested additional time to consider the options. The issue will be included on the September meeting agenda.
Some good news has been received from Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio concerning Serenity Springs, the new women’s recovery housing facility just south of Wauseon. The project is complete, and the first applicants have been approved and will move in soon.
Also, additional state funding has been confirmed for the Upton II capital project with New Home Development. This project will add 10 apartments in Defiance for individuals living with mental illness.
Consequently, Long told the board that the additional $250,000 that has been received from the state means that ADAMhs Board funding for the project will be reduced by the same amount.
Long also discussed what has recently become an issue between Ohio’s ADAMhs boards and the Ohio Department of Medicaid: the sharing of Medicaid eligibility data with boards. The issue is under review by the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
The Ohio Department of Medicaid recently denied ADAMhs boards access to important eligibility data that allows boards to correctly process and pay claims. The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities is currently negotiating with Medicaid to maintain the boards’ access to this claims data.
The next regular monthly meeting of the Four County ADAMhs Board will be held Thursday, September 12; however, a working session for strategic planning will be held sometime before then.