* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. BOER, HE [00:00:01] IS EXCUSED. UH, THE AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING WAS POSTED ACCURATELY. UM, WILL RISE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE PLAY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. OKAY. UM, THE MINUTES, ARE THERE ANY CHANGES OR CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? OKAY. SEEING NONE, WILL, THEY'LL BE CONSIDERED APPROVED. UM, TODAY OUR MEETING IS, IS FULL OF, UH, WONDERFUL QUARTERLY REPORTS. SO, BUT BEFORE WE START INTO THOSE, UM, JULIE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE US KIND OF AN UPDATE AND, UH, AN, UH, EXPLANATION OF WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING GOING FORWARD RELATED. YES. THANK YOU. UM, SO, UM, TODAY, THE QUARTERLY REPORTS THAT YOU'VE BEEN HEARING OVER THE LAST YEAR, MAYBE EVEN TWO YEARS, UM, WILL BE PRESENTED, UM, BECAUSE WE ARE COMBINING TWO MONTHS. SO WE'RE, WE'RE DOING A LITTLE BIT OF CATCH UP ON QUARTERLY REPORTS, UM, BUT MANY OF THE REPORTS ARE GOING TO BE MOVING INTO AN ONGOING MAINTENANCE PHASE, MEANING SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK IS, HAS BEEN COMPLETED, AND IT'S JUST GONNA BE CONTINUING THE WORK FOR THE PROCESS IMPROVEMENT OR THE PROGRAM THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED. AND STARTING IN 2025, WE ARE MOVING OUR QUARTERLY REPORTS TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, UM, THAT THE COUNTY BOARD SET, UM, AT THE ONES THAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. AND THEN ANY ADDITIONAL QUARTERLY REPORTS WILL BE, UM, NEW INITIATIVES OR, UM, RESEARCH, UM, THAT WE'RE DOING. FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE QUARTERLY REPORT THAT I DISCUSSED LAST, UM, TIME AROUND, UM, SO SORRY, THE MENTAL HEALTH HOUSING NEEDS FOR OUR CLIENTS. UM, SO WE'LL DO SOME SPECIALTY, UM, QUARTERLY REPORTS, UM, BASED ON NEEDS THAT WE IDENTIFY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. UM, BUT PRIMARILY WE'LL BE JUST FOCUSED ON, UM, THOSE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES THAT ARE CONNECTED TO THE COUNTY BOARD STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. SO WITH THAT, WE'LL START WITH OUR FIRST, UH, QUARTERLY REPORT FROM THE VETERAN SERVICES, UH, KURT, WE'LL WALK US THROUGH THAT. WELL, HELLO EVERYONE. HELLO. GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN. UH, I'M KURT. I'M THE VETERAN SERVICE OFFICER. UH, SO, UM, AS JULIE SAID, WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH EOS REPORTS FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY ONE ITEM, UM, THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH, UH, A, A FORMAL PROCESS ON, UM, BECAUSE [a. Veteran Services Quarterly Report] MY EOS, UM, UH, PROJECT HAD ENDED OR COMPLETED FOR THE MOST PART ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THREE, FOUR MONTHS AGO. UM, I'M GIVING YOU A REPORT ON ALL OF THE SECONDARY INITIATIVES THAT MY OFFICE IS DOING, UH, AND THEN, UH, HOPEFULLY I'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE RELATED TO THEM. UM, SO I'M JUST GONNA KIND OF BRIEFLY TOUCH ON EACH OF THESE. I WON'T GO THROUGH THEM AND READ THEM TO YOU. UM, BUT, UH, IF YOU DO HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D, I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ON THAT. OKAY. UM, SO, UH, UH, STARTING OFF, UM, I, I GUESS BEFORE, BEFORE I BEGIN GOING THROUGH EACH OF THEM, I JUST WANNA STATE THAT, UH, THE BEST WAY THAT MY OFFICE ADVERTISES TO THE VETERAN POPULATION IS BY DOING THINGS WELL. SO, UH, WORD OF MOUTH, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE AN ARROGANT GUY UP HERE, BUT, UH, WORD OF MOUTH, UH, ON WHO'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR CLAIM PROCESS, WHO'S GOTTEN THE BENEFITS THAT THEY, THEY'VE EARNED, UH, FOR THEIR SERVICE. UM, THAT TYPE OF, UM, ADVERTISING AMONGST VETERANS IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD. IT'S BETTER THAN THE RADIO THAT I USED TO DO. IT'S BETTER THAN FLYERS THAT WE PUT OUT. UM, SO IN, IN THAT VEIN, UM, ALL OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE DO, AND WE TRY TO GET PUBLICITY ON, FOR INSTANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MONUMENTS THAT WE DO, THE VETERAN APPLICATION, ALL OF THOSE HAVE A SECONDARY PURPOSE, WHICH IS ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY WITH MY OFFICE AND LETTING 'EM KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE, WE'RE DOING IMPORTANT THINGS, AND THAT THEY SHOULD COME AND SEE US. UM, SO PLEASE CONSIDER THAT AS I KIND OF GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS. SO THE CIVIL WAR MONUMENT COMMITTEE EXISTED, UH, BEFORE I STARTED HERE. UM, WE RECENTLY JUST PLACED OUR 19TH MONUMENT, WHICH IT SAYS IN THE, IN THE SUMMARY, UH, AT ZION, UH, METHODIST CHURCH. UM, EACH OF THOSE MONUMENTS IS BETWEEN 1700 AND $4,000. ALL OF THAT MONEY IS PRIVATELY RAISED, ABSOLUTELY NONE OF IT IS TAX DOLLARS. UH, BUT THE IDEA BEHIND THAT, UM, THAT COMMITTEE IS FIRST OFF IDENTIFYING TO ENSURE THAT WE, WE KNOW WHICH, UM, CIVIL WAR VETERANS ARE BURIED WHERE WITHIN OUR COUNTY. SO WE HAVE STRONG HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THAT. UH, WASHINGTON COUNTY HAS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF CIVIL WAR, UH, SOLDIERS THAT ARE BURIED HERE. UH, AND THEN, UM, THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS WHEN, UH, THOSE SOLDIERS WERE INTERRED, UH, THOSE, UH, MONUMENTS THAT THEY PUT UP WERE OFTEN METAL. UH, AND THEY'VE DETERIORATED OVER TIME. UH, IT ONLY [00:05:01] TAKES MAYBE 15, 20 YEARS AFTER THEY'VE DETERIORATED AND GONE FOR EVERYONE TO FORGET WHERE THEY WERE. UH, SO, UH, THAT TIME HAS PASSED. WE HAVE CEMETERIES WHERE WE KNOW VETERANS ARE BURIED. WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE. UH, SO, UH, THE, THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS WE GO OUT, WE SURVEY THE CEMETERIES. IF WE FIND THAT WE CANNOT LOCATE EACH VETERAN WITHIN THAT CEMETERY, WE PLACE A MONUMENT WITH ALL OF THE CIVIL WAR VETS ON IT. SO THAT FOREVER, FROM THAT POINT FORWARD FOREVER, WE HAVE A, UH, A RECOGNITION AND A MARKER THAT THEY ARE BURIED THERE, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T KNOW THE EXACT, UH, LOCATION OF THEIR, OF THEIR BURIAL. SO THAT'S KIND OF THE CRUX OF THAT. UM, THAT PROGRAM, UM, THE VETERAN MEMORIAL APPLICATION, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT OVER THE YEAR, UH, THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. UM, THAT IS AN ONGOING, UH, UH, PROGRAM. WE'RE STILL UPDATING THAT WE WILL FOR FOREVER. UM, THE BIG, UH, PUSH ON THAT NOW IS JUST ENGAGING OTHER COUNTIES TO ALSO DO IT, UH, BECAUSE, UH, THEIR VETERANS ARE SEEING THAT WE HAVE THIS PROGRAM AND THEY LIKE IT AND THEY'D LIKE TO INCLUDE IT, IT IN THEIR, THEIR OWN COUNTIES. AND, UH, WE'VE HAD SOME MOVEMENT ON THAT. WE'VE GOT A, A COUPLE OF COUNTIES SURROUNDING US THAT ARE ACTIVELY WORKING ON IT. SO I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT. UM, GUITARS FOR VETS, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, UH, WE HAD OUR FIRST GRADUATION ON OCTOBER 10TH, UH, AT, UH, THE AMERICAN LEGION POST, EXCUSE ME, UH, POST 36 HERE IN WEST BEND. IT WAS A WONDERFUL NIGHT. UH, WE HEARD SOME AMAZING RENDITIONS OF, UH, UH, FREEBIRD AND, UH, MARY JANE'S LAST DANCE. IT WAS, IT WAS A GOOD TIME. UH, AND, UM, UH, WE HAD TWO GRADUATES THERE, AND THEY WERE VERY HONORED AND VERY HUMBLED BY THE EXPERIENCE, AND IT WAS REALLY A HEARTWARMING AND WONDERFUL, UH, WONDERFUL MOMENT FOR US. UM, WE'RE GONNA DO, UH, A GUITARS FOR VETS PRESENTATION ON FRIDAY AT THE WEST BEND LIBRARY FOR VETERANS DAY. UM, NOT ONLY TO, UM, UH, SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF TALENT FROM, UH, JAY TAMEZ, WHO, UH, IS PART OWNER OF THE WEST BEND MUSIC ACADEMY HERE IN TOWN, AND THE CHAIRMAN OF GUITARS FOR VETS. BUT ALSO, UH, TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROGRAM, TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY IN WHAT WE'RE DOING, UH, OVER THERE. UM, WE'RE WORKING ON A VOLUNTEER POSITION WITHIN OUR OFFICE TO MANAGE, UH, BURIAL AND DEATH RECORDS. UM, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE USED TO HAVE A STAFF MEMBER DO. WE'VE TRIED TO PICK UP THAT EXTRA WORKLOAD. UH, IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT, UH, BECAUSE THERE IS NO FORMAL REPOSITORY OF VETERANS WHO LIVE IN AN AREA AND THEN DECEASED IN AN AREA. UM, OFTENTIMES THE ONLY WAY WE KNOW IS IF THEY FILE AN APPLICATION FOR A BURIAL BENEFIT, OR IF WE SEE THEIR OBITUARY AND READING OBITUARIES TAKES A LOT OF TIME, UH, FOR AN ENTIRE COUNTY. SO, UH, WE ARE ENGAGING OTHERS, UH, TO SEE IF THEY WANT TO DO THAT ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS. AND WE'VE HAD SOME INTEREST. UM, SO I'LL, I'LL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THAT AS IT AS IT CONTINUES, UH, EVOLVING. UM, AND THEN STATE ADVOCACY, ONE ITEM THAT WE WANNA FOCUS ON IS, UH, ENGAGING THE STATE TO, UH, SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO INCENTIVIZE SOME OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS WE'VE DONE HERE. UM, THE, UH, VETERAN MEMORIAL APPLICATION, UH, AND ALSO THE, UM, ENDOWMENT THAT WE CREATED ARE, THEY WERE, THEY WERE ORIGINAL, UH, EFFORTS THAT WE'VE DONE IN THIS COUNTY, AND I THINK THEY WOULD REALLY BENEFIT A LOT OF OTHER COUNTIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE. UH, AND I WANNA SEE IF THERE'S, UH, YOU KNOW, A DISCUSSION THAT CAN BE HAD AT THE STATE LEVEL TO KIND OF PUSH THAT FORWARD AND, AND PROMOTE IT. AND, UH, SO THAT HAS NOT FORMALLY STARTED YET. WE'RE JUST BEGINNING KIND OF STRATEGIES ABOUT THAT. UM, BUT, UH, BUT HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY THAT'LL HAVE SOME LEGS AND THEN QUESTIONS, ANYTHING THAT I CAN ANSWER FOR YOU? QUESTIONS? UM, LOOKS LIKE NO QUESTIONS. I JUST HAVE A COMMENT ON THE, UH, GUITARS FOR, UH, VETERANS. UM, I HAD REFERRED MIKE RODRIGUEZ. I SEE HIS NAME ON YOUR REPORT TO, TO YOU. UM, HE, HE'S VERY, UM, EXCITED ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND, AND THINKS IT'S REALLY A VERY WORTHWHILE CAUSE. SO, UM, THAT'S WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. YEAH. I JUST SAW MIKE ABOUT 20 MINUTES AGO. OKAY. HE'S GOT, HE'S GOT TWO LESSONS THIS AFTERNOON. OKAY. YEAH. SO HE'S REALLY ENJOYING IT. SO JUST WONDERFUL. SOME POSITIVE FEEDBACK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, KURT. AND I WANTED TO MAKE ONE COMMENT TOO, ABOUT THE, UM, CIVIL WAR MONUMENTS. UM, WE JUST APPROVED, UM, ONE IN, UM, FOR IT TO BE PUT IN A, A CEMETERY IN SCU. YEAH. AND WE'RE REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. IS THAT THE VEN VICTIM? YEAH. YEAH. WONDERFUL. YEAH. UM, YES, THAT, AND THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A, AN EFFORT BY A GROUP OF LADIES THAT HAVE NOW JOINED OUR COMMITTEE. AND, UH, THEY'RE OUT HELPING US, UM, TO, UH, DO SOME OF THE HISTORICAL RESEARCH, AND THEY'VE BEEN A WONDERFUL ADDITION. YEAH. I HAVE A BUNCH OF RECORDS IN MY OFFICE, SO WE'VE BEEN DIGGING THROUGH THEM. FANTASTIC. YEAH. THANK YOU. FANTASTIC. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR LEADING THE WAY ALSO WITH THE OTHER COUNTIES. IT'S GREAT FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY TO LEAD THE WAY. ALWAYS. SO, APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU, KIRK. UM, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I, I AM REMISS IN INTRODUCING OUR NEW LEGISLATIVE CLERK. UM, KAYLA IS HERE WITH US, SO I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT THAT'S WHO'S SITTING HERE. AND, UM, SHE MAY KNOW YOU FROM SHE'S CURRENT. DO YOU WANNA SAY A COUPLE THINGS ABOUT WHERE YOU WERE PREVIOUSLY FROM? SURE. OKAY. UM, YEAH, [00:10:01] I'VE WORKED FOR THE COUNTY FOR ALMOST 12 YEARS. UM, I STARTED IN THE CLERK OF COURT'S OFFICE, AND THEN I MOVED OVER TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. SO I'VE WORKED WITH ATTORNEY STERN QUITE A WHILE. AND YOU JUST STARTED, YES, OCTOBER 31ST. SO BRAND NEW. WELCOME. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, ALL RIGHT. SO OUR NEXT, UH, QUARTERLY REPORT IS, UH, TAMMY WITH THE A DRC. HI, TAMMY. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. UM, AS JULIE SAID, WE'RE GOING TO BE KIND OF PHASING OUT, UM, WITH A TRANSITION IN OUR DEPARTMENT TO A NEW NUTRITION AND WELLNESS SUPERVISOR. UM, WE'RE, [b. ADRC Quarterly Report] WE'RE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER BEHIND THAN WE WANTED TO BE, BUT STILL MOVING FORWARD WITH A RESTAURANT SITE FOR OUR CONGREGATE, UM, DINING PROGRAM IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. UM, SO WE'RE HAVING A HARDER TIME THAN WE THOUGHT. GAUGING INTEREST FROM RESTAURANTS THAT WANT TO PARTICIPATE. MM-HMM. . UM, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO FORGE AHEAD AND I'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS THINGS MOVE ALONG. OKAY. SO THAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE 2023 DEADLINE. AND YOU'RE, YOU SAY YOU'RE STILL ON TRACK, BUT IT'S JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT COMING TOGETHER WITH YEAH. RESTAURANT COOPERATION. YES. HAVING A HARDER TIME ENGAGING RESTAURANTS THAN WE THOUGHT WE WOULD. AND IT WILL LOOK DIFFERENT IN THE NEW FORMAT, SO CORRECT. BUT IT'LL CARRY FORWARD. YES. ALRIGHT. YEP. IS THAT THE ENGAGEMENT, IS THAT PROVIDING A REGULAR FACILITY TO HOST, OR IS IT FOOD DONATION, OR IS IT ALL THE ABOVE? IT WOULD BE A RESTAURANT PROVIDING THE FOOD TO SENIORS, UM, WITHIN THE DIETARY GUIDELINES THAT WERE OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE, DO AN INSTITUTIONAL COOKING. I'M SORRY, THEY'RE THEY'RE COOKING. YES. YEAH. YES. UM, AND WE WOULD PAY THEM A CONTRACTED RATE. THAT RATE IS LIKELY A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN MOST RESTAURANTS WANT TO ACCEPT, WHICH I BELIEVE IS A LARGE PART OF THE PROBLEM IN ENGAGING A RESTAURANT. I KNOW THERE'S SOME SMALLER PRIVATE FACILITIES. UM, THERE'S ONE IN RICHFIELD THAT DOES SCHOOL LUNCHES. THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN, IN EXPANDING AND DOING LUNCH. THE, THE MEALS FOR THE ELDERLY, IT'S, SO IT'S, IT'S JUST OCCURRED TO ME. OKAY. DO YOU WANNA SHARE THE NAME? I, WE CAN CONNECT WITH YOU LATER. THAT'S PERFECT. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR TAMMY? COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND OUR NEXT, UH, QUARTERLY REPORT IS WITH, UH, WE HAVE THE TWO PART SHOW HERE WITH LEE AND ANITA LEE, IF YOU WANNA COME UP FIRST ON THE, ON THE ADMIN PART OF THE QUARTERLY REPORT. [c. HSD Administration Quarterly Report] OH, ANITA. WE'LL DO ANITA. OH, OKAY. I MEAN, WE CAN GO FIRST IF YOU'D LIKE. NO WORRIES. SO I'M IN ORDER WITH, UH, THE BILLING DEPARTMENT, AND THIS YEAR I WORKED ON, UM, UH, FOCUSING ON IMPROVING FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND REDUCING COSTS WITHIN OUR UNIT. UM, AND LIKE JULIE SAID, WE'RE CLOSING IT OUT, BUT IT DOESN'T DIMINISH LIKE THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE. AND MOVING FORWARD, WE'RE GONNA FOCUS, UM, CONTINUE TO FOCUS AND WORK ON, UM, ENSURING THAT OUR BILLING'S ACCURATE AND TIMELY, AND THAT WE'RE COLLECTING ALL REVENUE POSSIBLE FOR THE CLINIC TO ENSURE, YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL SUCCESS FOR HUMAN SERVICES. SO, COOL. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? THANKS. THANKS ANITA. AND LEE, WHAT'S AN ANITA AND LEE SHOW TODAY? YEAH. YES, I LIKE THAT. WELL, I'M LEE SANDERSON. I'M THE OFFICE MANAGER OF HUMAN SERVICES, AND I'VE BEEN REPORTING TO YOU OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS ABOUT, UM, ONE OF MY, I, I COMPLETED ONE INITIATIVE, BUT THE ONE I HAVE REMAINING IS TO IMPROVE PROCESS FOR REPORTING OUR WISCONSIN MEDICAID COST REPORT THAT WE FILE ANNUALLY WITH THE STATE. AND THAT WHAT, WHAT WE CALL IT WIM KER. AND WHAT THAT IS, IS WE BILL SERVICES MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT ARE PERFORMED BY INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PROVIDERS, UM, TO MEDICAID. AND WE HAVE TO RECONCILE THAT PRO THOSE HOURS AND DOLLARS THAT WE'VE REPORTED TO MEDICAID OR BILL TO MEDICAID. AND WHEN WE PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION IN THIS REPORT, IT DOES GENERATE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY BACK TO OUR DEPARTMENT. UM, SO MY INITIATIVE WAS AROUND IMPROVING THE COLLECTION OF THE DATA THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE AS PART OF THAT REPORT. IT'S VERY MANUAL DRIVEN AND WE DON'T REALLY HAVE AN AUTOMATED PROCESS. SO, SO MY [00:15:01] INITIATIVE WAS TO AUTOMATE THAT MORE. AND WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT. AS JULIE MENTIONED, WE'RE STILL PRESSING AHEAD WORKING WITH AN EXTERNAL VENDOR THAT'S, UH, HELPING US UNDERSTAND HOW TO MAXIMIZE OUR ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD TO EXTRACT THAT INFORMATION. AND WE'RE STILL DOING THAT. AND WE'RE, WE HAVE MEETINGS, A MEETING COMING UP THAT I'M GONNA, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT THAT SOME MORE AND WE'RE GONNA SEE IF WE CAN KEEP MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT. BUT IT IS ONGOING AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO IMPROVE THAT PROCESS SO THAT IT'S AS EFFICIENT AND ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE. SO ANY QUESTIONS OR JULIE? UM, SO I JUST WANNA COMMENT, UM, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THE LAST TIME WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN DEPTH, MAYBE THIS FULL COMMITTEE WASN'T THE SAME. UM, AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND, UM, SEVEN YEARS AGO, UM, WHEN I CAME HERE, WE HADN'T FILED THIS REPORT IN TWO YEARS. UM, AND SO, AND BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE BACKUP DOCUMENTATION, WE ACTUALLY HAD TO PAY BACK A, A SMALL SUM OF MONEY, BUT WE HAD TO PAY BACK MONEY. UM, AND SO LEE AND HER TEAM HAVE TAKEN THIS PROCESS AND EVERY YEAR, UM, WORK TO IMPROVE IT BECAUSE IT IS, REQUIRES SO MUCH, UM, UH, BACKUP DOCUMENTATION TO SHOW OUR WORK. UM, AND TRACKING OF HOURS NOT SPENT THAT ARE, THAT ARE DIRECT BUILD. UM, BUT WE HAVE SEEN THE REVENUE IN WIM KER INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR. UM, AND IT'S A SIGNIFICANT, UM, PART OF OUR BUDGET. UM, LAST YEAR IT WAS ABOUT $1.8 MILLION. SO IT IS A, UM, HUGE IMPORTANT TO OUR BUDGET, UM, AND TO OFFSET OUR WORK BECAUSE THE WORK THAT WE DO SPECIFICALLY IN THESE AREAS IS SUPPOSED TO PAY FOR ITSELF. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW HOW, HOW THAT ACTUALLY WORKS. AND SO, UM, I THINK THE WORK THAT LEE AND HER TEAM HAVE DONE AND THEN SPECIFICALLY PUTTING THIS INTO A STRATEGIC, UM, INITIATIVE TO REALLY TRACK THEIR IMPROVEMENTS HAS BEEN AS HAS HELPED US TO BE SO SUCCESSFUL IN MAKING THIS PROCESS EFFICIENT. AND, YOU KNOW, NOT TO BE SORT OF TONGUE IN CHEEK, BUT THERE WERE NO TEARS THIS YEAR WHEN WE SUBMITTED OUR REPORT. SO WE FIND THAT AS A WIN . YES, IT WAS. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. YEAH. UH, IT IS A LOT OF WORK AND, AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST GONNA KEEP MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT. SO, SO YOU COMMENT ON, ON TRYING TO MAXIMIZE THE EHR? YES. MM-HMM. REPORTING. AND ARE, DO YOU USE EPIC? IS THAT NO, WE USE, UH, AVATAR. MY AVATAR. OKAY. SO WE JUST WENT THROUGH THE RE-IMPLEMENTATION, WHICH IS WHY MY INITIATIVE GOT PUSHED BACK A LITTLE BIT JUST 'CAUSE WE WERE WORKING THROUGH THOSE, UM, THOSE PROCESSES WITH THE RE-IMPLEMENTATION. AND NOW THAT THAT'S DONE, NOW WE'VE REFOCUSED ON IT AND WE'RE STILL MOVING FORWARD WITH IT. AND, AND I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN GET A LOT OF THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO REPORT OUTTA THAT SYSTEM. I WOULD THINK SO. BUT WE NEED HELP DOING THAT. SO, AND, AND WE STILL HAVE THAT ABILITY TO WORK WITH, UH, THE JSEL GROUP TO DO THAT, SO. OH, EXCELLENT. YEAH, I WOULD THINK PUT, PULLING OUT THE DATA AND RE REPORT FORMATS WOULD, WOULD BE A GREAT HELP. RIGHT? YEAH. RATHER THAN THE MANUAL LOOKING FOR THINGS. I DON'T LIKE DUPLICATION AND I DON'T LIKE MANUAL PROCESSES. SO, SO THAT'S JUST MY FOCUS RIGHT NOW, SO. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT QUARTERLY REPORT IS WITH DOUG ON THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH REPORT. HI, DOUG. HI, I'M DOUG PRIME. I'M THE DIVISION MANAGER FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. I'M REPORT ON THREE. THE FIRST ONE ON MY, IN MY STACK HERE IS IMPROVING, UH, QUALITY OF SERVICES [d. HSD Behavioral Health Quarterly Report] AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. AND IT'S, THIS ONE IS BASICALLY DONE. WHAT WE DID IS WENT THROUGH AND MADE SURE THE SUPERVISORS ALL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY OR A PROCESS RATHER TO AUDIT CHARTS TO MAKE SURE THAT TREATMENT PLANS ARE DONE, THAT THE THINGS THAT MAKE UP THE TREATMENT PLANS ARE GETTING DONE ON TIME. UM, OBVIOUSLY THAT RELATES TO BILLING, WHICH RELATES DIRECTLY TO ANITA'S TEAM. SO THAT'S IN PROCESS. THE FINAL STEP IN HERE IS TO, FOR ME TO DEVELOP A, A POLICY THAT ENCOMPASSES ALL OF THEIRS. SO THAT THAT CONTINUES TO BE THE CASE, THAT EACH TEAM HAS THEIR OWN CHART AUDITING PROCESS. MM-HMM. . THE NEXT ONE IS TO MAXIMIZE REVENUE. AND ANITA TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. UM, I REPORTED ON THIS LAST TIME I WAS HERE TOO, THAT BETWEEN 21 AND 22, WE SHOWED AN INCREASE IN, LIKE TOTAL RECEIPT OF DOLLARS SHOWED AN INCREASE FROM 22 TO 23, AND IT'S TOO SOON. OBVIOUSLY, I COULDN'T EVEN REALLY EXTRAPOLATE BASED ON WHERE WE ARE THROUGH OCTOBER. 'CAUSE NOT EVERYTHING IS RECEDED THAT WOULD NEED TO BE FOR ME TO EXTRAPOLATE A NUMBER FOR THE END OF THE YEAR. SO, BUT WE'RE ON TRACK AND WE CONTINUE TO SEE THOSE INCREASES EVERY YEAR. SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, KUDOS TO ANITA'S TEAM FOR HELPING US MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BILLING CORRECTLY, BILLING EVERYTHING WE SHOULD AND STAYING ON TOP [00:20:01] OF THAT. THE LAST ONE IS THE SOBER LIVING, UM, THAT IS ON TRACK. YOU CAN SEE THE DETAILS TO THAT, THAT THE, UM, RFPS ARE ACTUALLY DUE NEXT WEEK. UM, WE HAVE TIME SET ASIDE IN OUR CALENDARS ALREADY TO REVIEW AND SCORE THEM. UM, SO, SO FAR WE'RE ON TRACK WITH THAT. AND THEN IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS AND AN AWARD TARGET, UM, IS SCHEDULED OUT TO EARLY NEXT YEAR. WE DO KNOW THAT, UH, WHAT NINE OR 11 NINE, UM, ENTITIES HAVE PULLED DOWN THE RFP FROM THE WEBSITE. OKAY. AND THERE HAVE BEEN FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS. SO WE DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE ENTITIES WORKING ON THE RFP. WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S AT LEAST NINE THAT HAVE PULLED IT DOWN WITH SOME INTEREST. HAVE THEY STATED A NUMBER THAT THEY'RE GONNA SELECT? OR IS IT JUST BASED, OR DO THEY HAVE SEVERAL TO, TO GIVE OUT? LIKE EACH ENTITY WILL SUBMIT A PROPOSAL. OKAY. SO THEY'VE PULLED DOWN THE PAPERWORK NEEDED TO SUBMIT THEIR PROPOSAL, LIKE ALL THE GUIDELINES THAT WE NEED. OKAY. AND ALL THE BENCHMARKS THEY HAVE TO HIT FOR US TO EVEN CONSIDER THEIR PROPOSAL UHHUH. SO NINE DIFFERENT ENTITIES IN THE, I'M ASSUMING IN IN THE AREA RIGHT. HAVE PULLED DOWN THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RFP SO THAT THEY CAN BUILD THEIR DRAFT BASED ON WHAT WE'VE PUT OUT THERE AND ASKED FOR. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR YEAH, I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT THE COMPETITIVENESS OF IT, HOW LIKELY YOU WERE TO GET THE RFP, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'D BE SELECTED FOR IT. UM, AND I, I WASN'T FOLLOWING, BUT NOW I DO. SO YEAH, THANKS. SO WE'RE, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF WORK. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO THROUGH THEM. THEY'RE GONNA BE SEVERAL PAGES TO GLEAN THROUGH AND MAKE SURE PEOPLE HIT THE, ALL THE BENCHMARKS. AND, YOU KNOW, I'M TYPICALLY IN THIS PROCESS, YOU, YOU END UP ELIMINATING SOME RIGHT OUT OF THE, YOU KNOW, OR AT THE START BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE MISSING MAJOR PIECES OF IT. MM-HMM. . BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS WHITTLE IT DOWN AND THEN WE'LL WHITTLE IT DOWN TO A, I'M ASSUMING NOT ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT SUBMIT AN RFP, AND THEN WE'LL DO FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEWS WITH THOSE PEOPLE TO GET MORE DETAILS AND TO LOOK AT THEIR, WHAT ELSE THEY DO. HAVE THEY DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE? UM, AND JUST TALK THROUGH THE PROCESS, ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS. SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD PROCESS. MM-HMM. . YEP. ALRIGHT, JULIE. UM, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE A NOTE THAT THIS SPECIFIC, UM, STRATEGIC PRIORITY WILL, IS PART OF, UM, OR THIS SPECIFIC QUARTERLY REPORT IS A STRATEGIC PRIORITY. AND SO THIS WILL CONTINUE TO REPORT ON THIS AS WE SELECT THE VENDOR AND AS WE GIVE THAT AWARD, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS THEM ACTUALLY OPENING UP THIS FACILITY. OKAY. GREAT. WELL, GLAD THERE'S SO MUCH INTEREST. SEEMS TO BE, YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANKS, DOUG. OUR NEXT, UH, QUARTERLY REPORT IS, UH, CHILDREN AND FAMILY, AND THAT IS CORAL AND KELLY OR, OH, JUST CORAL TODAY. JUST CORAL. GOOD AFTERNOON. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, THANK YOU. UM, I'M CORAL KLEIN AND I'M THE DIVISION MANAGER MANAGER FOR THE CHILDREN FAMILIES DIVISION. UM, I'VE BEEN REPORTING, [e. HSD Children and Families Quarterly Report] UH, ON TWO, UM, TWO INITIATIVES THIS YEAR. UH, THE FIRST ONE IS THE, AN ANALYZING THE STRUCTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY OF FAMILY COURT SERVICES. UM, WE HAVE REVIEWED, UH, THE STRUCTURES OF SIX, I WOULD SAY LIKE, UH, SIZED AND STRUCTURED COUNTIES, DULAC, WAUKESHA, DODGE, OZAKI, SHEBOYGAN, AND JEFFERSON. AND WE'VE LARGELY FOUND THAT, UM, THE STRUCTURE IS DECOUPLED FROM HUMAN SERVICES. RIGHT NOW. YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT I HAVE, UM, TWO, I HAVE, I HAVE TWO SOCIAL WORKERS, UM, WHO WORK IN MY DIVISION WHO DO THIS ROLE, UH, HALFTIME ESSENTIALLY. UM, SO THEY CARRY HALF A JUVENILE CASELOAD AND HALF A FAMILY COURT CASELOAD. UM, NEXT STEPS FOR THIS, UM, FOR THIS PARTICULAR INITIATIVE IS TO BE MEETING WITH OUR FAMILY COURT COMMISSIONER AND PRESIDING JUDGE, DISCUSS OUR FINDINGS AND DISCUSS WHAT THE NEEDS OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE PROGRAM IS FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE. UM, AND PLANNING TO DO THAT IN DECEMBER IN ORDER TO PREPARE FOR, UH, ADDITIONAL WORK IN 2025. UM, SO I MEAN, I ANTICIPATE BRINGING THIS BACK, UM, TO THE COMMITTEE, UM, BECAUSE BEFORE, UH, I BELIEVE BEFORE WE AS A DEPARTMENT REALLY NEED TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION. WE NEED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COVERING, UH, THE FULL NEEDS OF THE PROGRAM FROM BOTH THE DEPARTMENT'S PERSPECTIVE AND, UM, THE COURT'S PERSPECTIVE SO WE CAN, UM, FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS WILL BE MOVING FORWARD. GREAT. OKAY. THE SECOND ONE, UM, IS IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY OF ACCESS TO COMMUNITY SERVICES. UM, MYSELF, SO MY CHILD WELFARE TEAM AND DOUG AND HIS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAM ARE ACTUALLY JOINTLY, UM, PARTICIPATING IN THIS GUIDED PROCESS THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. AND THIS IS, UM, BASICALLY TRYING TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION AND SERVICE PROVISION TO DUALLY [00:25:01] ENROLLED, UM, FAMILIES AND CLIENTS. SO SINCE I LAST REPORTED, UM, THE TEAM HAS COME TOGETHER AND ANALYZED SOME DATA THAT WAS PROVIDED BY DCF AND ALSO CONDUCTED, UM, CUSTOMER SURVEYS. UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IMPLEMENTING, UH, AND DESIGN, WELL DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING, UH, AN INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS FOR THESE DUAL DUALLY ENROLLED FAMILIES. UH, WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR FIRST TEST CYCLE. SO WE HAD A, A JOINT, UH, AS A JOINT PROFESSIONALS THINK OF IT AS LIKE A CLINICAL STAFFING BETWEEN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE AND ALL OF THE PROGRAMS THAT, UH, THAT FAMILY MAY TOUCH. UM, AND WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE SCHEDULED FOR THE 21ST OF THIS MONTH. UM, AT EACH OF THESE MEETINGS, WE COLLECT FEEDBACK FROM ALL THE PROFESSIONALS THAT ATTEND, AND WE'RE GONNA BE AGGREGATING THAT, UM, WITH THE DATA THAT WE RECEIVE FROM DCF AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS. UM, AND THEN WE FORMALLY REVIEW SORT OF HOW THIS HAS GONE, UH, THE EFFECTIVENESS IF WE FEEL LIKE, UH, OUR PROCESS IS HITTING THE MARK. UM, AND WE'LL BE REVIEWING THAT, UM, IN OUR NEXT IN-PERSON, UM, GUIDED TRAINING SESSION ON, UM, DECEMBER 5TH. SO THIS ACTUALLY, THIS, THIS GUIDED PROCESS CONTINUES THROUGH QUARTER ONE OF 2025. IT GOES THROUGH LIKE FEBRUARY. UM, AND THEN OF COURSE WE AS A GROUP NEED TO MAKE A DISPOSITION ON IF WE BELIEVE IT, IF IT WORKED, IF IT'S, IF IT'S MEETING OUR NEED, IF IT'S SOMETHING WE WANNA CONTINUE, HOW WE WANNA CONTINUE, ANY ADJUSTMENTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. BUT, UM, SO FAR MAYBE DOUG WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY, BUT I THINK WE HAD A REALLY GREAT MEETING YESTERDAY AND I THINK IT'S, UM, GONNA TURN OUT TO BE A REALLY USEFUL PROCESS FOR US JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WHO'S INVOLVED, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE FAMILIES THAT ARE IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AT THE SAME TIME. SO THAT COULD BE, UM, CHILD WELFARE, UM, BIRTH TO THREE, UM, C-L-T-S-C-C-S, I MEAN, ALL OF THOSE TYPES OF PROGRAMS. AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PROVIDERS ARE WORKING TOGETHER IN A WAY THAT WE'RE STREAMLINING AND WE KNOW EACH OTHER'S DUELING, DOING NOT DUPLICATING SERVICES, THAT SORT OF THING. SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT THIS PROCESS IS SETTING OUT TO DO. THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE. ANYTHING ELSE? THAT'S GOOD. I TH I JUST HAVE A COMMENT THAT, YEP. I, I THINK, UM, THAT'S WONDERFUL THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT BECAUSE DUPLICATION OF SERVICES IN SOCIAL SERVICES I THINK IS VERY COMMON AND EASY TO HAPPEN. JUST FROM MY BACK EXPERIENCE YEARS AGO. UM, IT, SO, UH, KUDOS TO, TO LOOKING THROUGH THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE AREN'T THE DUPLICATION OF SERVICES. SO THANK YOU. WE HAVE A LOT OF SHARED GOALS WITH OUR FAMILIES, AND IF WE CAN MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS THEY NEED TO, UM, IN A STREAMLINED MANNER, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO, YEAH. GOOD. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU, JULIE. AND IF I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT, I MEAN, CORAL SORT OF ALLUDED TO THIS AT THE END, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF THIS RIGHT, IS IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN, MANY TIMES WHEN THEY'RE IN THESE MULTIPLE PROGRAMS AND WE'RE FORCING THEM TO EITHER REPEAT A STORY OR TALK TO MULTIPLE PROVIDERS, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ACTUALLY GETTING A DISSERVICE SOMETIMES. AND SO, AND SOMETIMES YOU THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WELL, WE SHOULD ALL JUST GET TOGETHER AND HAVE A MEETING, RIGHT? UM, AND SO YOU WOULDN'T THINK YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT, BUT IT IS A VERY COMPLEX SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM. UM, AND SO I THINK THIS JUST CREATES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TEAM TO, TO, TO SEE THEMSELVES HOW BENEFICIAL THIS IS, AND THEN TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CODIFY THIS INTO OUR ONGOING WORK. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE ON THE AGENDA. UM, OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE JANUARY 22ND. UM, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.