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IS HERE.AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING WAS POSTED ACCURATELY.
UH, WE WILL STAND FOR A MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER AND THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE, ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION BY GOD IN WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE.
UH, ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THE MINUTES AT ALL? OTHER THAN I'LL ABSTAIN SINCE I YOU ABSTAIN? OH, WE DON'T, WE VOTE NO SEEING, NO, UM, MODIFICATIONS.
SEEING NO MODIFICATIONS, WE'LL CONSIDER THEM APPROVED.
SO OUR FIRST AGENDA ITEM IS THE CHILDREN'S LONG-TERM SUPPORT CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN.
AND JULIE WILL HELP US WITH THAT.
SO, UM, IF YOU RECALL, UM, BACK IN JANUARY, UM, WE PRESENTED, UM, TO THIS COMMITTEE, UM, THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN AND THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE CONTRACTING WITH AN EXTERNAL PROVIDER, SERONA RECOVERY, TO ADD CASE MANAGEMENT POSITIONS, UM, TO THE TEAM SO THAT WE COULD, UM, ATTEMPT TO ENROLL MORE CHILDREN AND, AND ELIMINATE THIS WAIT LIST.
UM, WE DID RECEIVE, UM, THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES, AND WE DID SUBMIT, UM, OUR PLAN TO THEM, UM, WITHIN THE TIMELINE THAT THEY REQUESTED.
AND WE HAVE A MEETING WITH THEM ON MAY 8TH, UM, TO REVIEW OUR PLAN AND FOR THEM TO PROVIDE US A FINAL APPROVAL OF THAT.
THIS IS OUR PLAN AND, AND THIS IS WHAT WE'LL BE GOING OFF OF.
UM, BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT, UM, TO BRING, UH, FORTH TO THIS COMMITTEE QUARTERLY, UM, WHERE WE STAND WITH OUR ENROLLMENT.
UM, BECAUSE, UM, IF THERE WERE SOME REASON THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO BE, UH, TO MEET THE OUTCOMES OF THE PLAN THAT IS AGREED UPON, THERE WILL BE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS, UM, FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.
SO I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU WHERE WE STAND.
UM, WHEN WE MET IN JANUARY, UH, WE HAD AUTHORIZED AND CONTRACTED WITH SERONA RECOVERY TO HIRE TWO CASE MANAGERS.
UM, THEY'VE HIRED ONE, SHE STARTED, UM, UH, EARLIER THIS MONTH.
WE FILLED OUR OWN VACANCY ON MARCH 10TH.
UM, THEY HAVE MADE ANOTHER OFFER TO A CASE MANAGER TO START AT THE END OF MAY, AND THEN WE AUTHORIZED THEM TO HIRE A THIRD POSITION, UM, JUST BASED ON WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THE DATA.
UM, I ACTUALLY DID FIND OUT YESTERDAY THAT THEY'VE MADE THAT OFFER.
SO, UM, CURRENTLY ALL THE POSITIONS THAT WE ARE PLANNING ON AT THIS POINT OF, OF BRINGING ON BOARD, UM, HAVE AN OFFER AND HAVE A START DATE IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY STARTED, UM, SINCE JANUARY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA, YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE, UM, ENROLLED, UM, 21 CHILDREN, UM, IF I'M DOING MY MENTAL MATH CORRECTLY.
UM, AND SO, BUT OUR WAIT LIST ONLY WENT DOWN BY FIVE.
SO IT, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN TO US.
AND WE DID WRITE THIS IN OUR CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN REPORT TO THE STATE THAT WE CAN'T SEEM TO FIND, UM, THE, THE RIGHT NUMBER, UH, BECAUSE AS WE ENROLL KIDS, THEY SEEM TO COME ON TO OUR WAIT LIST FASTER THAN, OR JUST AS FAST AS, AS WE'RE ENROLLING.
UM, SO, BUT WE DO FEEL AT THIS POINT WHEN WE HAVE, UM, ALL OF OUR STAFF, UM, STARTED AND ENROLLING CHILDREN, WE'LL HAVE 14 FTES.
UM, AND AT 35, UM, CHILDREN PER CASELOAD, UM, WE FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THIS AS LONG AS, UM, THE NUMBERS JUST DO, DON'T KEEP GROWING ON THE WAIT LIST.
SO, UM, I PLAN TO, UM, COME BACK, UM, TO THE COMMITTEE IN JULY, UM, AFTER WE'VE HAD OUR SECOND QUARTER, UM, TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THE, UM, DATA OF WHERE WE'RE AT WITH ENROLLMENT AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
SO WITH THE SITUATION WHERE, AS WE SERVICE PEOPLE MORE, THE WAIT LIST SEEMS TO GROW JUST AS FAST WHEN YOU MEET WITH THE STATE, ARE YOU GONNA PUSH FOR SOME CAVEATS IN THIS PLAN SO THAT IF THAT TREND WERE TO CONTINUE, WE'RE NOT PENALIZED FOR THAT? YES, AND I HAVE A PAPER TRAIL.
UM, WHEN THEY FIRST SENT US, UM, THE NOTIFICATION THAT WE WERE T GOING TO BE DOING A CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN, WE HAD AN ABILITY TO RESPOND TO THAT.
AND SO I DID SEND THEM A MEMO THAT INDICATED SORT OF ALL THE EFFORTS WE'VE MADE, UM, IN THE LAST SEVERAL
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YEARS AND GAVE THEM THE DATA THAT WE'RE SEEING AROUND NO CHANGE IN THIS WAIT LIST DESPITE, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT.UM, WE ALSO PUT THAT INTO OUR CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN.
AND THEN, UM, I WILL BE AT THAT MEETING ON MAY 8TH AND PLAN TO ADDRESS THAT WITH THEM AND SEE WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THAT.
I'M CURIOUS AS WELL, IF, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE AN OUTLIER COUNTY OR IF OTHER COUNTIES HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING.
I MEAN, I'VE LOOKED AT THE DATA OF OTHER COUNTIES, UM, AND THEY'VE ALL GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE NUMBERS THAT THEY'RE SERVING, AND MANY COUNTIES DON'T HAVE A WAIT LIST.
UM, BUT I AM, I'M JUST CURIOUS AT WHAT THEY'RE SEEING.
UM, BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU SEE, UM, FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH WE HAD 11 CHILDREN THAT WERE DETERMINED TO BE ELIGIBLE AND IN FEBRUARY 10, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER, I THINK, FOR OUR COUNTY.
SO I AM CURIOUS AND, AND I THINK THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, IS A A POINT WELL TAKEN, UM, THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY MAKING THE EFFORTS.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE BE PENALIZED FOR SOMETHING THAT WE ALMOST HAVE NO CONTROL OVER? MM-HMM
THANK YOU SUPERVISOR GALLES, CONTINUING THAT A LITTLE BIT.
SO, UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE NOT UNIQUE COMPARED TO OTHER, UH, COUNTIES, BUT DO WE EVER HANDLE WHAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THOSE INCREASE IN CASES OR REQUESTS ARE? RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU LOOK TO PLAN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS, INSTEAD OF ALWAYS BEING BEHIND, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S DRIVING THAT? MM-HMM
SO THERE IS A, UM, SORT OF A MATH EQUATION THAT THEY'VE GIVEN US AROUND THE NUMBER OF, UM, THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN OUR COUNTY WHO COULD BE ELIGIBLE.
UM, AND SO, UM, THAT IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION I WANNA HAVE WITH THEM IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE POTENTIAL THAT WE COULD PROJECT FOR, UM, ANECDOTALLY, UM, WE JUST HEAR A NUMBER OF THINGS.
I HEAR A NUMBER OF THINGS FROM OUR STAFF AROUND, UM, FIRST OF ALL, OBVIOUSLY AS, UM, THIS, THERE'S AWARENESS THAT THIS SERVICE IS AVAILABLE.
UM, THERE ARE DEFINITELY, UM, FAMILIES THAT ARE MOVING TO WASHINGTON COUNTY.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S FOR THE SERVICES OR THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
UM, BUT IT'S NOT AN UNCOMMON THING THAT, UM, IF YOU HAVE A CHILD WITH A SPECIAL NEED, UM, AND YOU WANT THEM IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT'S SUPPORTIVE OF THAT CHILD, UM, THAT PARENTS WILL MOVE, UM, TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT CHILD.
SO THAT IS ONE DATA POINT THAT THE STAFF HAVE GIVEN ME.
UM, AND AGAIN, I THINK IT'S JUST GENERAL AWARENESS THAT THIS, UM, SERVICE IS AVAILABLE.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK PRIOR TO, UM, YOU KNOW, EITHER PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW OR THEY JUST THOUGHT THAT THEY, THEY WOULD NOT GET OFF THE WAIT LIST.
AND SO, AND, AND I MEAN, WE, WE THINK WE PROVIDE A REALLY GREAT SERVICE.
AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY IN, UM, IN THE AREA OF DIS CHILDREN WITH DISABILITY, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT TENDS TO SOMETIMES BE A TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY AND, AND PARENTS TALK WITH ONE ANOTHER.
SO THEN KNOWING THAT THAT PATTERN IS CONTINUING, AND THEN HOW DO WE GET IN FRONT OF IT? SO ARE WE GONNA, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE NEXT BIANNUAL, UH, ADD ADDITIONAL FT ON EITHER CONTRACT OR, UH, EMPLOYEE SIDE, YOU KNOW, KNOWING THAT WE MAY AT LEAST PUT IN A BUDGET AND IF WE NEED TO ACT UPON IT, WE WE HAVE THAT, OR ARE WE GONNA COME BACK, YOU KNOW, TO THE BOARD ON A AS NEEDED BASIS LIKE WE HAVE BEEN MM-HMM
UM, SO OUR PLAN IS TO ADD THESE THREE POSITIONS CURRENTLY THAT WE'RE CONTRACTING, UM, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA CREATE A COUNTY AND NON COUNTY TEAM.
UM, AND SO, UM, THOSE THREE POSITIONS WILL BE REQUESTED IN THE BUDGET.
UM, THAT IS A STRATEGY QUESTION I WILL HAVE FOR THE BPA OFFICE WHEN WE HAVE OUR PRELIMINARY BUDGET MEETING ON WHETHER OR NOT WE PUT IN A POSITION OR TWO.
UM, BECAUSE WHEN YOU PUT IT IN THE BUDGET, YOU PUT IT IN AS AN EXPENSE, AND THEN THE REVENUE A HUNDRED PERCENT OFFSETS IT BECAUSE IT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT OF A BILLABLE POSITION.
AND SO WHETHER THE RIGHT STRATEGY IS TO GET THE AUTHORIZATION, SO TO SPEAK, FOR POSITIONS WITH THE UNDERSTANDING, WE WOULDN'T FILL THEM UNLESS WE NEEDED TO.
UM, SO THAT IS A, A CONVERSATION I PLAN ON HAVING WITH THE, UM, WITH BPA AS WELL AS OUR CONTRACTOR PROVIDER, THE, THE BENEFIT OF WORKING WITH SOMEONE LIKE SERONA IS THEY CAN JUST, YOU KNOW, WE GIVE THEM THE CONTRACT AND THE AUTHORIZATION AND THEY CAN JUST HIRE, IT STILL TAKES THEM TIME JUST LIKE IT TAKES US, RIGHT? WE GAVE THEM AUTHORIZATION IN JANUARY AND IT'S APRIL AND WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE THREE ACCEPTED, OR ONE PERSON STARTED AND TWO ACCEPTED OFFERS.
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YOUR NEXT, UH, ITEM IS THE OPIOID, UH, SETTLEMENT WHITE PAPER.UM, SO I THINK I JUST WANTED TO, UM, PUT THIS, UM, COMMITTEE REPORT TOGETHER TO START THE CONVERSATION AT THE COMMITTEE LEVEL.
UM, NOW THAT WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY OPENED OUR SOBER LIVING FACILITY, UM, AND BEEN ABLE TO EXPEND THOSE FUNDS OR SET UP A CONTRACT FOR THOSE FUNDS, WHICH WERE ALLOCATED, ORIGINALLY ALLOCATED FROM THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT DOLLARS.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE USED, UM, SOME OF THE FUNDING FOR, UM, AN ASSISTANT COUNTY ATTORNEY SO THAT WE COULD START OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING COUNCIL.
AND THEN WE HAVE DECIDED, UM, TO THIS COMMITTEE'S SUGGESTION, UM, LAST MONTH, UM, TO FUND OUR ELECTRONIC HEALTH GRADE UP HEALTH RECORD UPGRADE, UM, WITH OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS AS WELL.
SO, BUT THAT'S STILL PUTS US AT A, UM, RIGHT NOW HAVING RECEDED, UM, NEARLY $2 MILLION IN SETTLEMENT FUNDS.
AND AS YOU LOOK AT THE REPORT THAT'S ATTACHED TO THIS, YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S PROJECTED FOR US TO BE RECEIVING, UM, THROUGH 2038.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, OUR NEXT STEPS THEN ARE, ARE TO PUT TOGETHER, UM, SOME PROPOSALS ON HOW WE MIGHT USE THIS FUNDING AND THEN BRING IT TO THIS COMMITTEE.
UM, THERE'S SOME POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED INTERNALLY IN THE LAST WEEK.
THERE ALSO WAS, UM, A NOTIFICATION THAT WENT OUT FROM AN ORGANIZATION CALLED VITAL STRATEGIES THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO, THAT WE COULD, UM, WRITE A GRANT WHERE THEY WOULD MATCH UP TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OF OPIOID SETTLEMENT, DO MONEY, UM, IF WE USE IT ON SOME VERY SPECIFIC THINGS.
AND SO WE HAVE AN INTERNAL MEETING, UM, WITH MY TEAM IN THE NEXT WEEK TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE STRATEGIES AND IF THEY'RE VIABLE FOR OUR COUNTY, UM, AND IF THERE'S A NEED.
UM, AND SO THESE ARE SOME IDEAS CERTAINLY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING FOR OTHER IDEAS ON HOW WE MIGHT UTILIZE THIS MONEY.
UM, WE'RE ALSO ALWAYS BALANCING THE ABILITY TO, UM, MEET A NEED IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, BUT ALSO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE FUNDING IS ONLY, WELL, I SHOULDN'T SAY ONLY THROUGH 2038 'CAUSE THAT SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME, BUT IN 2038, THE MONEY WILL BE GONE.
UM, SO ANYTHING THAT WE, UM, DO, YOU KNOW, NEEDS TO HAVE AT SOME POINT BECOME SELF-SUSTAINABLE, THAT'S ALWAYS THE CHALLENGE.
AND I MIGHT NOT BE HERE IN 2038, SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S ISSUE TO DEAL WITH.
QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS? I THINK THE ONE POINT I WOULD MAKE IS THINGS DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO BECOME SELF-SUSTAINABLE.
THEY CAN BE THINGS THAT WE END 2038 IF TO NEED US THERE LONGER.
I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE BEEN HAVING SOME STRATEGY DISCUSSIONS INTERNALLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SIGNED ON TO THE, THE SETTLEMENT DOLLARS, UM, IN 2017, UM, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SERVICES BEING PROVIDED TO IMPACT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC.
AND SINCE THAT TIME, UM, WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED AND RECEIVED OTHER GRANT FUNDING FOR A NUMBER OF, UM, SERVICES THAT MEET THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS.
AND SO, UM, WHERE WE WERE EIGHT YEARS AGO IS A DIFFERENT PLACE THAN WE ARE NOW.
UM, AND SO I MEAN, THAT'S A VERY A POINT WELL TAKEN.
ARE ARE YOU IMPLYING THOSE, UH, GRANTS, STATE OR FEDERAL, WHATEVER, THAT THEY'RE LIKELY TO CONTINUE? UM, SO SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE WORK, SO DRUG TREATMENT COURT AND OUR DIVERSION PROGRAMS AS AN EXAMPLE, RIGHT? THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO START UP WITH OTHER DOLLARS.
UM, DRUG TREATMENT COURT IS ONE, ONE OF MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITIES IN THINKING ABOUT HOW TO CONTINUE THE FUNDING OF THAT.
AND, AND AS INDICATED IN THE REPORT, THAT DOES END SEPTEMBER OF 2027, AND WE'RE UNLIKELY, UM, GONNA BE COMPETITIVE FOR A THIRD ROUND OF FUNDING.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR EYE ON.
UM, SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS, UM, SOME FUND, LIKE WE HAVE OUR MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT PROGRAM, UM, OUT OF THE JAIL WHERE PEOPLE GET, UM, THEY GET, UM, MEDICATION PRIOR TO RELEASE FROM JAIL SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE, UH, THOSE CRAVINGS TO GO USE.
UM, AND THAT IS FUNDING WE RECEIVE FROM THE STATE, BUT IT'S, UM, GENERAL PURPOSE REVENUE FUNDING.
SO IT'S, IT'S IN THE HIGHEST LIKELIHOOD TO CONTINUE, UM, VERSUS OTHER GRANT DOLLARS.
UM, AND THEN WE DO RECEIVE SOME STATE OPIOID RESPONSE FUNDING THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS.
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FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AND IT, IT WAS REDUCED THIS YEAR.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE SERVICES ARE ALSO SOMETHING THAT, UM, IF SOMETHING CHANGED WITH OUR GRANT FUNDING, WE WOULD WANT TO CONTINUE IN SOME FORM OR FASHION.
SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE KIND OF, UM, DOING THE BALANCING ACT BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO SUPPORT AND MEET OTHER NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY WITH THIS MONEY WE HAVE, BUT ALSO KNOW THAT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW HAS BEEN VERY IMPACTFUL AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT.
I, UM, SAW SOMETHING JUST THE OTHER DAY THAT WALGREENS SETTLED, UM, FOR MORE MONEY.
I, YOU KNOW, INTO THE MILLIONS I MM-HMM
CAN'T QUOTE THE AMOUNT, BUT SHOULD WE BE EXPECTING MORE FROM THEM THEN AS WELL? UM, I'M NOT A, I I'M NOT REALLY IN TUNED INTO ALL THE DIFFERENT
EVERY TIME THERE IS A SETTLEMENT LIKE THAT, BECAUSE WE'RE SIGNED ON, WE'RE VERY LIKELY TO GET SOMETHING.
UM, SO, SO THAT IS CORRECT IN THAT WE COULD GET MORE MONEY IN THE FUTURE OR THIS COULD THE, THE DOLLAR AMOUNT COULD GROW.
UM, I, I BELIEVE THAT THE 2038 IS STILL SORT OF THE, THE DATE THAT'S BEEN PUT OUT THERE.
UM, BUT I SUPPOSE IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT LITIGATION IS HAPPENING AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
WE, WE ESSENTIALLY JUST GET USUALLY A NOTIFICATION THAT THERE'S A NEW, YOU KNOW, A NEW SETTLEMENT AND HERE'S WASHINGTON COUNTY'S ALLOCATION.
SO DO YOU DON'T, DO YOU MIND, UH, GOING TO THE COUNTY PAYMENTS 2022? SO WE HAVE ROUGHLY, WHAT, THROUGH 2025 HERE, WE'LL HAVE HALF A MILLION DOLLARS, A LITTLE BIT MORE, 2.6, 2.7.
UM, WE HAVE RECEIVED OVER $3 MILLION AND WE'VE EXPENDED ABOUT 1.1 MILLION.
SO, UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE SITTING AT ABOUT 1.9 MILLION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, AND THAT'S ALREADY BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR.
SO THE UNACCOUNTED IS ONE POINT SOMETHING.
SO THEN, YEAH, SO THE 1.1 HAS BEEN SPENT, AND WE HAVE ABOUT 1.9, BUT THEN IF YOU LOOK AT, SO AS AN EXAMPLE, WHAT'S EXPECTED FOR, WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED A PAYMENT FOR 20, UM, 25.
SO WE'RE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE A PAYMENT OF 4 39, AND THEN IN 2026, UM, WE'RE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE A PAYMENT OF FIVE 32,832.
SOMETIMES WHAT HAS HAPPENED, UM, IS THAT THEY HAVE ALSO PREPAID.
SO YOU'LL SEE SOMETIMES IN WHERE THE ZEROS ARE, LIKE SOMETIMES PEOPLE PREPAYS, I DON'T, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S ALL ABOUT, BUT WE JUST RECEIVE THE FUNDING.
AND SO THIS INTERACTIVE TOOL THAT, UM, WCA AND FORWARD ANALYTICS HAS PUT TOGETHER HAS BEEN SOMETHING, UM, FOR COUNTIES TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO PLAN FOR.
BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN A, A BIT OF A MOVING TARGET.
SO I GUESS I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IF, IF WE HAVE 1.9 ON UNALLOCATED, CORRECT MM-HMM
AND EACH YEAR WE'RE GONNA BE GETTING FROM FOUR TO FIVE SIX, AND THEN IT TAPERS DOWN TO LESS AND LESS, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN A THIRD OF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS OR SO.
WHAT IS THE, IS THERE A, A CONSTRAINTS ON WHEN THAT, SO IF THAT 1.9 SITS FOR A YEAR AND WE DON'T SPEND IT, IS THERE, IS THAT AN ISSUE OF CONCERN? UM, AND THEN MORE, I THINK MORE IMPORTANTLY WOULD BE IS HOW DO WE SPEND IT, RIGHT? MM-HMM
IF IT'S AVAILABLE TO US, HOW DO WE HELP THE COMMUNITY? AND, YOU KNOW, SO ARE WE HOLDING OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE THAT LOOK THAT 1.9 WE NEED TO ALLOCATE BY X PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, THERE HAS NOT BEEN, UM, ANY GUIDANCE THAT HAS SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO ALLOCATE IT BY A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, IT DOESN'T PRECLUDE OUR COUNTY FROM DETERMINING THAT, SETTING THAT, THAT PARAMETER, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO PARAMETERS.
WE DO HAVE TO REPORT, UM, ON WHAT WE'VE SPENT EVERY QUARTER, UM, AND THEN WHAT WE'VE SPENT IT ON.
UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, BASED ON A RECENT REPORT I RECEIVED, I THINK MANY COUNTIES ARE IN THE SAME BOAT THAT WE ARE IN, IS THAT THEY, THEY'VE SPENT SOME, BUT THEY HAVEN'T EITHER ALLOCATED ALL OF IT OR THEY HAVEN'T SPENT, UM, WHAT THEY'VE RECEIVED SO FAR.
UM, AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, I THINK IT'S ALWAYS THE BALANCING OF, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE MONEY IS SPENT IN THE BEST WAY IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, BUT WE ALSO DON'T WANNA LET IT BURN A HOLE IN OUR POCKET.
UM, WHICH IS WHY, YOU KNOW, THIS CONVERSATION AT THIS COMMITTEE I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
UM, AND AS, AND THEN AS IF WE BRING IDEAS FORWARD
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FOR, TO THIS COMMITTEE, UM, AROUND HOW WE THINK THAT WE SHOULD SPEND THAT MONEY, UM, BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE APPROVED TO THE COMMITTEE AND THE COUNTY BOARD ON, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT ITERATION OF ALLOCATION.UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I FEEL LIKE I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION.
SO THE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES IN HERE, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE EACH OF THOSE FIVE OR SIX ITEMS, YOU KNOW, BE EMBEDDED? WHAT IT WOULD MEAN, YOU KNOW, TO YOUR POINT IS WE DON'T WANT TO NECESSARILY, ALTHOUGH I DO, I DO AGREE WITH, UH, SUPERVISOR BOSER, JUST BECAUSE WE DO SOMETHING TODAY DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO CONTINUE FUNDING IT.
HOWEVER, IF IT'S, UH, AN EMPLOYEE AND IT'S PROVIDING SERVICE, WELL THEN, THEN WE'RE KIND OF LOCKED INTO THAT.
BUT IF, IF IT'S ENHANCING A PROGRAM OR, OR MAYBE GETTING A, A STARTUP, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, BUILD OUT A, YOU KNOW, MILLION DOLLAR BUILDING OR WHATEVER, AND IT'S IN PLAY NOW, NOW, NOW YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.
YOU GUYS FIND OUT HOW TO CONTINUE FUNDING IT.
SO ARE THESE, YOU KNOW, SIX OR SO ITEMS, YOU KNOW, BEING EMBEDDED FOR LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS, WHAT THE COST WOULD BE? YES.
SO, I MEAN, THESE ARE SOME POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE HAVING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT AND, AND PUTTING TOGETHER, UM, SOME PLANS AND DETERMINING, RIGHT, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE FEASIBILITY, UM, WHAT CAN WE DO WITH IT? UM, YOU KNOW, I HEAR ALL OF THE TIME AROUND VARIOUS THINGS FROM MY STAFF ABOUT NEED, BUT SOMETIMES WE CAN'T ALWAYS PUT THE WHAT TO IT.
UM, THERE'S DEFINITELY A NEED IN CHILD WELFARE.
UM, I HAVE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH OUR INITIAL ASSESSMENT SUPERVISOR.
SHE'S REAL EXCITED ABOUT SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT SHE HAS IDEAS AROUND.
UM, OUR OUTPATIENT CLINIC, UH, SERVICES SUPERVISOR HAS SOME IDEAS AROUND, UM, MORE INTENSIVE, UM, SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, UM, TREATMENT THAT'S BEING, THAT COULD BE PROVIDED OUT OF OUR BUILDING.
UM, SO THERE'S IDEAS THAT ARE HAPPENING THAT WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT.
AND SO I GUESS THIS REPORT OR THIS, UM, COMMITTEE REPORT IS JUST ESSENTIALLY THE BEGINNING INTRODUCTORY TO THIS COMMITTEE AROUND WE WILL BE COMING, UM, WITH IDEAS AND THOUGHTS AND WANT YOU TO SORT OF START THINKING ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
AND ONE LAST, UH, THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR ONGOING SHARED SERVICES, UH, THAT THE COUNTY IS DOING, SO FROM A WASHINGTON COUNTY, UH, HEALTH SERVICES AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, ARE THERE ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHARED SERVICES THAT THOSE DOLLARS COULD AUGMENT OR, OR HELP BUILD UP A PROGRAM, UH, EVEN KNOW THAT IT'S LIMITED FUNDING? MM-HMM
UM, I WILL SAY THAT WE'RE STILL, UM, IN THE CYCLE OF THE ARPA FUNDING THAT WE PUT OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, UM, WHERE THEY'RE DOING PROVIDING, UM, INCREASED MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES.
UM, AND SO THAT GOES THROUGH 2026.
AND SO, UM, ANOTHER THOUGHT IS IF WE HAVE HAD A PROGRAM THAT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL, YOU KNOW, DO WE WANNA, WOULD WE WANNA CONTINUE THAT? UM, AND SO I, YOU KNOW, TO, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIMITLESS IN SOME WAYS.
UM, AND SO WE HAVE TO SORT OF REALLY, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY, BUT I THINK WE ALL KNOW IT GOES PRETTY FAST,
SO, TO, TO BUILD ON THE CONVERSATION, JULIE, DO, UH, TWO PART, UH, QUESTION.
SO, UM, THE ACCOUNTABILITY THAT YOU HAVE IN REPORTING, I DON'T THINK YOU SAID QUARTERLY MM-HMM
UM, TO THEM HOW MUCH WE'VE SPENT AND WHERE WE'VE SPENT IT.
ARE THERE OUTCOMES, UM, IS IT AN OUTCOMES BASED, UM, ACCOUNTABILITY IN THERE FROM THE STATE LEVEL OR FROM WHEREVER THIS IS BEING MANAGED? NO, AND FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, REALLY THE TRACKING IS JUST TO HAVE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY THAT THESE FUNDS ARE ACTUALLY BEING SPENT ON MITIGATION, UM, SUPPORT VERSUS, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, PUTTING NEW CARPETING IN OUR BUILDING OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT, IT'S NOT LIKE A GRANT BECAUSE IT'S REALLY OUR MONEY.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE SIGNED ONTO THE LAWSUIT AND SO, UM, IT'S NOT LIKE A GRANT WHERE WE HAVE TO SAY, PROVE, YOU KNOW, THAT WHAT WE DID HAD SOME, YOU KNOW, MEASURABLE IMPACT, BUT WE HAVE TO JUST INDICATE WHAT WE, HOW MUCH MONEY WE SPENT AND WHAT CATEGORIES.
THERE'S LIKE A NUMBER OF CATEGORIES THAT ARE AUTHORIZED TO BE SPENT ON, AND SOME OF THEM ARE, ARE VAGUE, RIGHT? UM, AND PROBABLY INTENTIONALLY SO, BUT THEN TO SAY, TO SAY, WELL, WHERE DOES THIS FIT IN? RIGHT? SO AS AN EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, WE DID MAKE THE DECISION TO DO, UM, TO USE SOME OF THE MONEY FOR THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, ELECTRONIC HEALTH HEALTH RECORD UPGRADE.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND YOU, YOU MAKE THE CONNECTION TO THAT AROUND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROVIDING
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SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES OUT OF OUR, UM, DIVISION, UM, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OUT OF OUR DIVISION.AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO TRACK THAT AND BUILD THAT.
AND, AND SO THAT'S A, A GOOD CONNECTION.
UM, VERSUS I'D, I'D HAVE A HARD TIME, YOU KNOW, MAKING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NEW CARPETING, SO SURE.
EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, IT STILL SUPPORTS OUR OFFICE
ALRIGHT, WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I, I WAS JUST CURIOUS AND THAT EXPLAINS IT VERY WELL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS ABOUT THE OPIOID? MOVING ON TO OUR LAST ITEM, THE RIVERBEND PRESENTATION.
SO I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU, JULIE.
I WASN'T EVEN AWARE OF RIVERBEND UNTIL I GOT THE REPORT.
AND IN TALKING WITH JULIE, UH, ABOUT THE AGENDA AND STUFF, IT, IT WAS LIKE, OKAY, TIME TO FIGURE THIS OUT AND FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS AND WHAT IT IS AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.
UM, SO THIS AGAIN TODAY IS, IS, UH, TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THIS SERVICE, UM, AND TO TALK WITH YOU GUYS ABOUT, UM, THE CHALLENGES WE'RE HAVING WITH THIS SERVICE.
UM, AND, UM, AND TO SORT OF START THE CONVERSATION THAT I THINK WILL BE THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THIS YEAR AROUND WHAT, WHAT DO WE DO? THIS WAS ONE OF THE, UM, STRATEGIC PRIORITIES THAT WAS SORT OF DISCUSSED AT YOUR RETREAT, BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS, I DON'T THINK IT WAS PULLED APART IN ANY DEPTH THAT WAS KIND OF LIKE, DO WE WANNA PAY ATTENTION TO THIS? UM, WHETHER IT MADE IT ON THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, I'M NOT SURE, BUT WE DO HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA HAVE CORAL, UM, WALK YOU THROUGH THE REPORT, UM, JUST SO YOU HA SO YOU CAN HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT AND WHAT THE NUMBERS MEAN.
AND THEN, UM, WE'RE GONNA THEN TALK ABOUT SORT OF WHAT THE ISSUE AT HAND IS, AND THEN I'LL ASK CORAL TOO TO JUST SORT OF GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF, OF WHAT RIVERBEND PLACE IS AND WHO IT SERVES.
I, UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, UM, RIVER BEND PLACE, ALSO FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE WASHINGTON COUNTY YOUTH TREATMENT CENTER, OR YTC, UM, SUPERVISOR BOER.
YOU MAY REMEMBER THIS FROM, FROM SOME TIME, UH, AGO.
IT HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1996.
UM, IT WAS CREATED TO TAKE THE PLACE OF TWO, UM, JUVENILE GROUP HOMES THAT WERE IN WEST BEND FOR KIDS WHO LIVED, NEEDED TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE HOME, UH, AND NEEDED, UH, COMMUNITY-BASED TREATMENT.
RIVERBEND, OR, WELL, I'LL CALL, I'M GONNA REFER TO IT AS, AS RIVERBEND AS THAT'S HOW WE KNOW IT NOW.
RIVERBEND PROVIDES, UM, TWO SERVICES.
IT PROVIDES, UH, RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT.
SO IN, UM, I, I SAY INPATIENT BECAUSE THE, THE KIDS DO LIVE THERE AND THEY RECEIVE CLINICAL SERVICES THERE.
BUT THE UNIQUE PART ABOUT, UM, RIVERBEND THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN THE RESIDENTIALS THAT PRESENTED ON A COUPLE MONTHS AGO IS THAT THESE KIDS CONTINUE TO GO TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS.
SO, UM, IF THE, IF THE CHILD IS ENROLLED IN HARTFORD, THEY WILL, THEY WILL LIVE AT RIVER BEND, THEY WILL DO THEIR PROGRAMMING THERE, AND THEN THEY WILL BE BUSED TO HARTFORD EVERY DAY, DO THEIR PRO SCHOOL PROGRAMMING AS, AS, YOU KNOW, AS KIDS DO AND COME BACK.
UM, THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A UNIQUE, UM, PIECE OF THIS PROGRAM.
AND SOMETHING, UM, SINCE THE BEGINNING, SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE SEVEN YEARS AGO, AND WHEN WE WENT THROUGH, UM, WHICH I'M SURE WE'LL TALK ABOUT LATER, WE WENT THROUGH OUR RFP IN 2019, THAT THAT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS PROGRAM.
THE OTHER, UM, PROGRAM THAT RIVER BEND PROVIDES IS, UH, SHELTER.
SO THAT IS A TEMPORARY PLACEMENT FOR KIDS WHO NEED TO BE PLACED OUTSIDE THE HOME, UM, VIA COURT ORDER, UH, AS WELL.
UM, THAT COULD BE KIDS WHO ARE ORDERED BY A JUDGE TO BE PLACED OUT THE OUTSIDE THE HOME TEMPORARILY, OR, UH, KIDS WHO ARE AWAITING PERHAPS A LONGER TERM PLACEMENT.
SHELTER IS A STATUTORILY, UH, NO LONGER THAN 60 DAYS.
SO YOU, YOU GET 30 DAYS UP FRONT AND YOU CAN GET ANOTHER 30 DAY EXTENSION.
AND, UM, OUR RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM THERE IS MEANT TO BE SIX TO NINE MONTHS, PREFERABLY CLOSER TO SIX MONTHS, AND WE'LL GO THROUGH THE REPORT.
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN, UM, A PRETTY GOOD INDICATOR FOR US.
UM, YOU WANT ME TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PIECE? JUST GO RIGHT THROUGH THE REPORT? YEAH.
I WILL JUMP INTO THE REPORT, UM, AND TRY TO JUST PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT FOR THE NUMBERS.
I'M, OF COURSE, HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS.
I WON'T READ THROUGH EVERYTHING, BUT, UH, AT LEAST ENOUGH SO YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
AND SO WE CAN HAVE A REALLY ROBUST CONVERSATION EITHER TONIGHT OR, UH, AS JULIE MENTIONED, AS THE YEAR GOES ON.
SO, JUST TO PUT SOME CONTEXT, RIVERBEND PLACE OPERATES, UH, AT, UM, 10 BEDS.
UM, THAT IS WHAT THEY WOULD CONSIDER FULL.
THEY CAN HAVE, UM, UP TO 12 BEDS.
THERE'S TECHNICALLY UP TO 14, BUT, UH, 12 BEDS IS SORT OF LIKE THE MAX THERE.
AND ONE OF THE ROOMS NO LONGER MEETS LICENSING REQUIREMENTS.
SO IT RUNS FULL AT, AT 10 BEDS.
[00:30:01]
ANY GIVEN TIME, IT CAN HAVE KIDS THAT ARE IN THE RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM AND KIDS THAT ARE IN THE SHELTER PROGRAM.SO THOSE TWO PROGRAMS RUN, UM, SIMULTANEOUSLY.
UM, SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE FIRST GRAPH HERE, THIS IS GROUP CARE AVERAGE, CENSUS BY YEAR, BROKEN UP INTO, UH, SO WASHINGTON COUNTY RESIDENTIAL.
SO THE RED THERE, THOSE WOULD BE THE KIDS SPECIFICALLY FROM, FROM OUR COUNTY.
UM, KIDS THAT COME THROUGH, COME THROUGH MY DIVISION.
UM, THE GREEN BEING OUT OF COUNT, OR SORRY, THE BLUE BEING OUT OF COUNTY RESIDENTIAL.
UM, ONE OF THE, UM, ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO US AS WE REDID THIS PROGRAM WAS HAVING OUTTA COUNTY KIDS, UM, AVAILABLE TO HELP WITH OUR, WITH OUR BUDGET AND WITH OUR MAINTAINING THIS PROGRAM.
UM, I'VE SAID A COUPLE OF TIMES SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, WASHINGTON COUNTY IS A BIG COUNTY.
UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF NEED FOR SERVICES, BUT THERE'S TIMES WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT THAT BIG AND WE CANNOT KEEP KIDS IN A, IN A ENOUGH KIDS TO KEEP A PROGRAM ALWAYS GOING, RIGHT? SO MARKETING TO OTHER OUT OF COUNTY KIDS, THERE'S A HUGE NEED FOR OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENTS IN WISCONSIN, WHICH WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
SO THAT HELPS TO OFFSET COSTS.
AND THEN GREEN IS, UM, THE SHELTER CARE.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DID NOT MEET OUR, OUR, OUR TWO COUNTY BEDS.
THAT'S WHAT WE HAD ASKED NORRIS FOR, WAS TO BE IN, TO HAVE TWO KIDS AT ANY GIVEN TIME FROM OUTTA COUNTY IN THE BED.
UM, AND ALSO OUR ANNUAL CENSUS WAS WAY BELOW, UH, SIX BEDS.
SO THAT WOULD BE, UM, AGAIN, THE RED COLUMN.
UM, UM, ADMISSIONS, UH, BY YEAR, I WANNA EXPLAIN ADMISSIONS BECAUSE ADMISSIONS FOR RESIDENTIAL AND ADMISSIONS FOR SHELTER ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
SO, UM, ADMISSIONS FOR RESIDENTIAL ARE REALLY TOTAL KIDS SERVED.
SO THIS IS GROUP CARE ADMISSIONS BY YEAR, RE SHELTER CARE SERVICES ARE SHELTER EPISODES.
LIKE I SAID, THAT PROGRAM IS 30 TO, SORRY, 30 TO 60 DAYS, BUT THERE ARE KIDS THAT GO IN AND OUT OF THAT PROGRAM REGULARLY.
SO WHILE, UM, ADMISSIONS ARE, ARE TOTAL KIDS SERVED, UM, THE, THE SHELTER CARE ADMISSIONS IN THE GREEN COLUMN, THERE ARE NUMBER OF LIKE PLACEMENT CALL 'EM, LIKE PLACEMENT EPISODES.
SO, BUT ONE KID MIGHT HAVE THREE PLACEMENT EPISODES, BUT THAT'S HOW MANY ADMISSIONS FOR THE YEAR.
UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR NEED FOR SHELTER, UM, CONTINUES TO RISE.
AND OUR, UM, RESIDENTIAL BEDS HAVE GONE DOWN.
UM, MOVING ON TO PAGE TWO, UM, MEDIA MONTHS, MEDIAN MONTHS IN CARE, THE FIRST, UM, THE FIRST GRAPH THERE, LIKE I SAID, RESIDENTIAL IS MEANT TO BE ABOUT SIX TO NINE MONTHS, ALTHOUGH SIX, SIX AND A HALF, WHERE WE ARE KIND OF IN THIS PROGRAM, UM, IS, IS A REALLY GREAT PLACE TO BE.
WE DON'T WANT KIDS TO LINGER IN RESIDENTIAL CARE.
UM, I'VE ALWAYS ATTRIBUTED TO THIS FOR THE COMMUNITY BASED PIECES OF THIS PROGRAM.
SO LIKE I SAID, KIDS STAY CONNECTED TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES.
UM, THEY'RE ABLE TO COME TO THE, TO THE FACILITY FOR VISITS OR FAMILY THERAPY, OR KIDS CAN GO HOME ON THE WEEKENDS AND COME BACK VERY EASILY.
WORK ON THOSE SKILLS THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON IN THERAPY AND REALLY KEEP THOSE CONNECTIONS.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT KIDS UP, YOU KNOW, UP NORTH AND, UM, IN LACROSSE OR, UM, ASHLAND, PLACES LIKE THAT, IT'S MUCH HARDER, OF COURSE TO FACILITATE THOSE FAMILY CONNECTIONS.
UM, SO THAT IS ONE THING THAT HAS REALLY BEEN GREAT ABOUT HAVING A PROGRAM RIGHT HERE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, IS TO KEEP THOSE FAMILIES, UH, CONNECTED, UM, AS WELL AS THE MEDIAN DAYS HERE IN CARE.
THE SECOND GRAPH ON PAGE TWO, UM, IS FOR SHELTER.
YOU SAY WE'RE, SEE WE'RE ABOUT 30 DAYS, BUT YOU CAN ALSO SEE THAT THAT IS INCREASED OVER TIME FROM ABOUT HALF THAT FROM ABOUT 15 DAYS.
UM, AND I WOULD REALLY ATTRIBUTE TO THAT KIDS WAITING FOR OTHER PLACEMENTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE KIND OF LIKE STUCK AT SHELTER WHILE WE WAIT FOR A PLACEMENT WHERE THEY CAN GO IF THEY CAN'T GO HOME, OR IF THE COURT HAS ORDERED THEM TO SHELTER FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, THAT WOULD ALSO ATTRIBUTE TO THAT.
BUT MOSTLY I WOULD SAY THE, THOSE COMPLEX KIDS, THE HIGHER NEEDS KIDS, THEY JUST SIT AND WAIT AT SHELTER FOR A RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT THAT, UM, CAN MEET THEIR, CAN MEET THEIR NEEDS, WHICH ISN'T ALWAYS, UM, STAYING AT RIVERBEND.
UM, IF YOU GO ON TO PAGE THREE, THE TOP OF PAGE THREE IS SHELTER YOUTH PREVIOUSLY SERVED.
SO, UM, I MEAN, THAT'S JUST AROUND KIDS WHO, UM, YOU KNOW, COME IN AND OUT OF THE PROGRAM.
UH, I THOUGHT THIS WAS VERY INTERESTING THAT 22% OF THOSE YOUTH HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY SERVED BY SHELTER, RESIDENTIAL SERVICES.
UM, WE DON'T, UM, WE DON'T, UH, WE DON'T REALLY CONTRACT WITH ANY OTHER SHELTER PROGRAMS. UM, SO OUR KIDS,
[00:35:01]
IF THEY'RE, IF THEY NEED TO COME INTO CARE OR NEED A TEMPORARY PLACEMENT FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY, THEY GET ARRESTED OR THEY ARE UNABLE, UNABLE TO FIND A PLACEMENT FOR THEM, THIS IS WHERE, UM, THEY GO.UM, THE LAST GRAPH HERE ON PAGE THREE REALLY TALKS AROUND JUST, UM, DISCHARGES TO RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT.
THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE, UH, IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES KIDS START AT OUR SHELTER AND THEN WE'LL TRANSITION, UM, WE'LL TRANSITION TO RESIDENTIAL, UM, SERVICES IF SOMETHING ELSE IS NOT AVAILABLE TO THEM.
UM, PAGE FOUR, UM, DISCHARGES, OF COURSE, THE LAST TWO GRAPHS.
THERE ARE, UM, DATA THAT IS REQUIRED BY RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES TO REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
UM, IT USED TO BE ON A PUBLIC DASHBOARD, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT NO LONGER IS, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE, ON THE BOTTOM THERE, THE DEFINITIONS FOR, YOU KNOW, OPTIMAL, FAVORABLE, VERY FAVORABLE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
UM, THAT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE, UM, ANY KIND OF IMPACT ON WHAT WE DO.
UM, WHAT WE DID LIKE ABOUT THE PUBLIC DASHBOARD IS YOU COULD KIND OF SEE WHAT THE RATINGS WERE FOR THE VARIOUS, UH, PROGRAMS ACROSS THE STATE.
IT'S JUST SORT OF NICE ANECDOTAL INFORMATION FOR US.
AND THEN I THINK, UH, SIX IS VERY INTERESTING.
SO PAGE SIX, ANNUAL INCIDENTS REQUIRING LAW ENFORCEMENT.
UM, ONE OF NORRIS'S PROGRAM VALUES IS REALLY NOT ENGAGING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT UNLESS THEY ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY TRAIN STAFF TO BE ABLE TO DO VERBAL DEESCALATION WITH KIDS WHEN THEY ARE IN A CRISIS.
UM, THEY DO HAVE, UH, ALSO TRAINING TO DO HANDS-ON HOLDS.
UH, WE DON'T CALL THEM RESTRAINTS, WE CALL THEM HOLDS IF KIDS ARE REALLY ESCALATED AND THEY'RE A DANGER TO THEMSELF OR OTHERS.
UM, BUT THERE ARE UNFORTUNATELY TIMES THAT REQUIRE, UH, WEST BEND PD TO, TO RESPOND.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE SEEING HERE.
UH, I DO KNOW THERE'S THIS OUTLIER, RIGHT IN 2022.
I DO KNOW THAT 2022, UM, WE HAD QUITE AMELIA OF KIDS THERE THAT JUST DID NOT GEL WITH EACH OTHER.
SO THERE WERE A LOT, THERE WAS A LOT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTACT.
UM, I THINK ALSO ANOTHER THING THAT, HONESTLY, ANOTHER THING THAT I, I THINK, UM, SHOWS OR, OR CONTRIBUTES TO INCREASE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTACT IS NEWER STAFF, RIGHT? EVEN THOUGH STAFF ARE TRAINED, WE'VE GOT KIDS WHO HAVE A LOT OF MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, HIGH NEEDS, BEHAVIORAL NEEDS, AND, YOU KNOW, SOME STAFF ARE BETTER SKILLED TO, TO HANDLE KIDS IN A CRISIS, UM, AND WILL TRY TO HANDLE IT ON THEIR OWN OR, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO STICK WITH IT.
AND OTHERS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES CALL THE POLICE, UM, MAYBE A LITTLE SOONER THAN THEY SHOULD.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT EXPLAINS THOSE NUMBERS.
UM, IN TERMS OF INCREASES, INCREASES IN CONTACT CORAL.
EXCUSE ME, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
UM, NOW THAT WE HAVE THE CO RIDES WITH THE SOCIAL WORKERS AND THE POLICE OFFICERS, THE SHERIFF, THE DEPUTIES, UM, UM, DO YOU THINK THIS WOULD, WOULD THIS BE A PROPER PLACE FOR THEM TO GO AND RESPOND TO THE POLICE NEEDED KIND OF CONTACT OR, UM, IS THAT NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THEM TO GO TO, UH, ANSWER? YEAH.
UM, I THINK IT GETS, IT, IT GETS COMPLICATED AND I, I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ENGAGED, UM, WITH THE CREW TEAM, BUT BECAUSE, UM, WEST BEND HAS TO BE THE RESPONDING, UM, DEPARTMENT OH, OKAY.
UM, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO CALL IN THE COPO TEAM TO THAT SITUATION.
UM, I KNOW ALSO THAT, UM, RIVER BEND HAS A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR CRISIS SERVICES, SO THEY DO TRY TO ENGAGE THEM FIRST AS WELL.
UM, BECAUSE IDEALLY WE DON'T WANT LAW ENFORCEMENT CALLED OUT, UM, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
UM, BUT ALSO, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THEN THESE, MANY OF THESE KIDS, UM, WHO ARE ALREADY, UM, SOMETIMES IN, IN A BIT OF TROUBLE, UM, AND INVOLVED IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, ARE THEN GETTING ANOTHER TICKET ON TOP OF IT, RIGHT? WHICH, UM, IS NOT WHAT WE WANT, IT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, BUT THAT IS THEN AT THE, IT'S AT THE DISCRETION OF THE OFFICER ON, ON HOW TO HANDLE THE DISPOSITION OF THAT CASE.
AND THEN GOOD SEGUE THAT SECOND, UM, THAT SECOND GRAPH ON THAT PAGE IS AROUND, UM, LAW ENFORCEMENT FOLLOW UP IS REALLY THE DISPOSITION OF WHAT THOSE, UM, INCIDENTS, UM, BECOME.
AND, UM, EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T REALLY EQUAL UP TO THE AMOUNT OF, UM, CONTACTS, BUT AT LEAST IT GIVES IT KIND OF AN OVERVIEW.
I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY, UH, WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH WEST BEND PD AND, YOU KNOW, THEY REALLY TRY TO WORK WITH US, WITH OUR KIDS.
SO, UM, I'D SAY MOST TIMES IT'S EITHER A TICKET OR A RETURN TO RIVERBEND.
[00:40:01]
INCIDENT REPORTS.I JUST KIND OF WANNA TALK ABOUT WHAT SOME SERIOUS INCIDENT REPORTS ARE.
UM, SERIOUS INCIDENT REPORTS ARE REQUIRED ARE IN INCIDENTS OR EVENTS THAT ARE REQUIRED, UM, BY STATUTE FOR THE RESIDENTIAL FACILITY AND SHELTER FACILITY TO REPORT BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
UM, THEY CAN BE ANYTHING FROM, UM, IF A, A YOUTH, UM, DISCLOSES CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT IN A THERAPY SESSION, THEY HAVE TO MAKE A REPORT.
IF THERE'S A CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT ALLEGATION ON A STAFF OF THE FACILITY, THEY HAVE TO MAKE A REPORT.
NOT ONLY ARE THEY REPORTING TO, YOU KNOW, OUR ACCESS LINE, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE TO REPORT THAT TO THE STATE.
ANY, UM, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, ANY INCIDENTS THAT REQUIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, ANY SERIOUS INJURIES, UH, OF KIDS, UM, MEDICATION ERRORS BY THE AGENCY, THINGS LIKE THAT.
THOSE ARE REQUIRED BA TO BE REPORTED BACK TO, UM, BACK TO DCF.
UM, AND THIS LAST ONE HERE, UM, TOTAL INCIDENT REVOL INVOLVING RESTRAINT.
RESTRAINT IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
UM, WISCONSIN, AT LEAST THESE PARTICULAR TYPES OF RESIDENTIALS DO NOT USE WORD.
UM, SO THESE ARE TWO PERSON HOLDS RESTRAINTS, NOT LIKE A PHYSICAL RESTRAINT.
SO THIS ISN'T LIKE A STRAIGHT JACKET OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, OR MAYBE SORT OF THE APRON THAT THEY'LL PUT ON YOU IN JAIL.
THAT'S NOT THIS, WE CANNOT DO THAT IN WISCONSIN.
IT IS A, IT IS A TWO PERSON, FOR THE MOST PART TWO PERSON HOLD, UM, FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CHILD.
SO THAT'S WHAT RESTRAINT MEANS HERE.
UM, AND HOW, OR HOW IT'S DEFINED HERE, UM, FOR RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT FACILITIES.
SO YOU'RE PROBABLY ASKING WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN, RIGHT? SO THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE THAT WE'RE HAVING IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, HISTORICALLY, AT LEAST IN THE, IN THE TENURE OF, OF CORAL IN MY TIME HERE, PRIOR TO US PUTTING THIS OUT FOR RFP, UM, THE FACILITY HAD LOW ADMISSIONS.
UM, AND, AND IF YOU CAN IMAGINE WE'RE PAYING FOR THIS FACILITY NO MATTER WHAT, BUT THEN WE'RE STILL SENDING KIDS OUT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SO IF THEY CAN'T GO TO THIS FACILITY, THEN THEY'RE GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE.
WE'RE ESSENTIALLY PAYING FOR THEM TWICE.
SO WE PUT THIS OUT TO RFP BECAUSE WE, UM, YOU KNOW, WANTED TO HAVE DIFFERENT OUTCOMES AND HAVE AN IMPROVED SERVICE, BUT STILL HAD A DESIRE TO SEE IF WE COULD MAINTAIN A RESIDENTIAL SERVICE IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE KIDS COULD STILL BE CONNECTED TO THEIR COMMUNITY, TO THEIR SCHOOL, HAVE EASIER ACCESS TO THEIR PARENTS.
UM, WE ISSUED THIS RFP IN 2019.
IT WAS AWARDED TO NORRIS, UM, IN 2020.
UM, OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW IT HAPPENED IN 2020, SO IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A ROUGH PATCH GETTING THAT UP OFF THE GROUND.
BUT THEY DID A GREAT JOB, UM, EVEN WITH ALL OF THE IMPACTS OF, UM, THE REQUIREMENTS AROUND THE PANDEMIC.
UM, AND I WOULD SAY SINCE THAT TIME IT'S BEEN A BIT OF A ROLLERCOASTER AROUND STAFFING AND THEIR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN STAFF, WHICH IMPACTS THEIR ABILITY TO TAKE ADMISSIONS.
UM, EV THEY'VE HAD A NUMBER OF LEADERSHIP TURN, UH, POSITIONS TURN OVER.
UM, SOME OF THAT RIGHT IS, I MEAN, WE ALL SAW IT IN 2022, UM, WHERE EVERYBODY WAS WHAT THEY CALL THE, THE GREAT RESIGNATION WHEN EVERYBODY WAS LEAVING THEIR JOBS AND GETTING PAID TO ALL SORTS OF MONEY TO DO A LOT OF THINGS.
SO WE ALL SAW THAT, AND WE DID, WE DID ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND UNDERSTAND THAT FOR THEM.
HOWEVER, THIS IS A UNIQUE FACILITY IN THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TWO SERVICES IN THE BUILDING.
AND SO BECAUSE WE'RE PRO TRYING TO PROVIDE RESIDENTIAL, THAT COMES WITH A LEVEL OF THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION THAT REQUIRES MORE STAFF AND HIGHER LEVEL OF, UM, UM, EDUCATION OR CERTIFICATION.
AND SO THE COST OF THE, THE FACILITY IS REALLY DESIGNED AROUND A RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT FACILITY, WHEREAS SHELTER HAS A DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS AND WOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT COST IF IT WAS JUST A SHELTER.
AND SO IF YOU SEE HERE ON ANY GIVEN YEAR, WE'RE SERVING ON AVERAGE FIVE OR SIX KIDS ALL YEAR IN RESIDENTIAL.
UM, AND THE NEED IS VERY GREAT IN GROWING FOR SHELTER.
AND SO THIS QUESTION RIGHT AROUND IS, ARE WE GETTING AN A GOOD ROI CORAL REFERENCED THAT WE HAVE A CAPABILITY TO HAVE 10 KIDS OR 10 BEDS ON ANY GIVEN DAY.
THERE'S TWO TO THREE KIDS, SOMETIMES ONE.
UM, AND SO, BUT YET YOU STILL HAVE TO STAFF FOR AS IF THERE MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR SIX OR SEVEN KIDS.
SO IN THE FALL OF 2023 AND OCTOBER, UM, AFTER NORRIS HAD APPROACHED US AROUND THE WAY THAT WE CONTRACT WITH THEM, UM, WE HAD A DISCUSSION.
SO WE PREVIOUSLY CONTRACTED WITH THEM WITH A FLAT AMOUNT.
[00:45:01]
IS THE AMOUNT THAT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU.UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW, WHAT YOUR COSTS ARE AND HOW YOU CAN MEET THOSE COSTS.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S WHERE THE OUT COUNTY COMES, BEDS COME INTO PLAY.
UM, AND WHEN THEY SUBMITTED THEIR ORIGINAL PROPOSAL TO US, IT INCLUDED THOSE OUT COUNTY BEDS TO MEET THEIR TOTAL COST.
NOW THEY'VE HAD A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP, UM, AND THEIR BOARD IS, AND THEY'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ALSO ALSO HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONSISTENTLY FILL THE OUTOF COUNTY BEDS, THEIR BOARD, UM, YOU KNOW, AS I'M SURE YOU GUYS WOULD SAY TO US, IF WE WEREN'T GETTING PAID WHAT WE SHOULD FOR SOMETHING, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY PRESSURED THEM TO REQUEST THAT THE COUNTY PAY FOR THE FULL COST OF CARE, UM, AND THEN OFFSET IT WITH, UM, OUTTA COUNTY BEDS INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
AND THEN, UM, IN 2025, THIS CONTINUED, UM, THAT WAS PART OF OUR CARRYOVER REQUEST BECAUSE THE INCREASES IS ALMOST NEARLY HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FROM WHERE WE STARTED IN 2020.
SO THE QUESTION RIGHT, IS ARE WE GETTING THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT THAT WE NEED IN OUR MEETING WITH NORRIS, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT THE LOW ADMISSIONS AND THE HIGH COST, AND THEY PROPOSE, UH, A CONCEPT AND AN INNOVATION TO US AROUND A 90 DAY ASSESSMENT CENTER, UM, THAT WE THOUGHT WAS VERY, UM, VERY MUCH INNOVATIVE, UM, VERY MUCH MET A NEED IN THE STATE THAT DOES NOT EXIST.
UM, AND TO NOT GO INTO GREAT DETAIL.
AND 90 DAY DAY ASSESSMENT CENTER IS ESSENTIALLY PROVIDES US THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO GET FULL ASSESSMENTS OF KIDS AND TO PROVIDE SOME THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION SO WE HAVE A REALLY TRUE GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY NEED, AND THEN WE VERY LIKELY COULD WRAP COMMUNITY SUPPORTS AROUND THEM RATHER THAN SENDING THEM TO A FACILITY OR, UH, OR A RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT.
UM, SO WE, WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT IDEA AND WANTED TO GIVE IT IT, GIVE IT A SHOT.
UM, THEY, WE'VE SPENT ALL OF 2024 DOING THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION, AND THEY WERE TO GO LIVE WITH US ON JANUARY ONE.
UM, THEY'VE HAD STAFF TURNOVER, UM, THEY'VE HAD DIFFICULTY FILLING CERTAIN POSITIONS AND THEY REQUESTED TO DELAY UNTIL APRIL ONE.
UM, AND THEN WE GOT THE REQUEST TO, UH, TO START ON MAY 1ST, WHICH AS WE ALL KNOW IS LIKE A WEEK FROM NOW, RIGHT? A WEEK AND A HALF.
UM, SO AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE A BELIEF THAT THEY'RE READY TO GO MAY 1ST.
UM, BUT IT ALSO ALL IS, WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE CAN FILL ALL OF THOSE BEDS FOR A 90 DAY ASSESSMENT CENTER.
IT'S REALLY ALSO STILL HINGED ON OTHER COUNTIES UTILIZING THIS SERVICE.
WE STILL, NO MATTER WHAT, WE DO HAVE A NEED FOR SHELTER.
AND SO THE QUESTION FOR US IS, IF THEY'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL, RIGHT? WE WERE IN A CONTRACT WITH THEM, WE WANT TO GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO DO, UM, WITH THE START DATE OF MAY 1ST.
BUT IF WE'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL, YOU KNOW, IS THE NEXT STEPS FOR US TO LOOK AT ISSUING AN RFP JUST FOR SHELTER AND NOT DOING RESIDENTIAL.
BUT THEN IF WE DO THAT, WE DON'T NEED A 14 BED FACILITY NEXT THAT'S NEXT TO THE SAMARITAN.
SO THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THEN NEEDING TO INVEST MONEY INTO SOMEBODY HAVING PURCHASING A HOME OR RENTING A HOME OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SORT OF THINK GROUP CARE, GROUP HOME TYPE OF, UM, PLACEMENT.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE STAND TODAY AROUND TRYING TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS.
BUT CERTAINLY, UM, DON'T WANT TO, DON'T WANNA MAKE THE DECISIONS WITHOUT THIS COMMITTEE'S INPUT.
AND ALSO KNOWING THAT, UM, IF WE GO DOWN THE ROAD AND WANNA MAKE A BIG ASK, YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO THAT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION AND I WILL STOP THERE AND IT WON'T, AND YOU KNOW, IT WON'T BE THE LAST TIME WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, ANY THOUGHTS AT FIRST BEFORE, WELL, SO THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, FRAMING UP THE, THE SITUATION AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PART OF MY BRAIN THAT LOOKS AT IT QUANTITATIVELY AND THEN QUALITATIVELY FRAMED UP.
THE QUANTITATIVE PART IS, LOOK, ARE WE GETTING THE MONEY'S WORTH OUT OF IT? IT'S AN UNDERUTILIZED FACILITY.
WE HAVE STAFF STANDING AROUND ALLEGEDLY DOING NOTHING BECAUSE THERE'S NOT BED FILLED OR SOME, SOME LEVEL OR DEGREE OF THAT.
SO AS THE MILLION PLUS DOLLARS BE BEST UTILIZED, COULD SOME OF THOSE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS THAT WE'VE HAD TO PUT INTO, AND THIS IS MY WORDS, YOU KNOW, LIFT UP NORRIS, INC.
RIGHT? UM, COULD THOSE HAVE BEEN USED ELSEWHERE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT? YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S THE OTHER PART THAT I'M THINKING
[00:50:01]
ABOUT IS, SO WHAT HAS BEEN THE TAKEAWAY, RIGHT? IF WE, WE DIVERTED FUNDS FROM SOME OTHER AREA WITH THE FINITE BUDGET TO, TO THIS, AND IT'S NOT MATERIALIZING, HOW LONG DO WE DO THAT? SO I THINK THAT YOU'RE ASKING, OR MAYBE YOU'RE NOT ASKING THIS, BUT TO TALK ABOUT IT, HOW LONG DO WE GO DOWN THIS PATH? YOU KNOW, THEIR DEADLINES HAVE COME AND GONE WITH THIS 90 DAY CENTER.HOW LIKELY IS IT TO OPEN ON MAY ONE? IT SOUNDS LIKE LITTLE
UH, AND THEN EVEN IF IT DOES, IS IT GOING TO, UH, INCUR ISSUES? SO THE OTHER, THE QUALITATIVE PART OF IT I, I'M THINKING ABOUT IS WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF COMMUNITY? AND I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY THAT A SHELTER IS MUCH GREATER NEED THAN RESIDENTIAL BECAUSE THERE ARE OPTIONS TO PLACE RESIDENTIAL, BUT TO DO A SHELTER IN SHORT TERM AND PUT 'EM WAY FAR AWAY IS DETRIMENTAL TO ALL PARTIES.
SO HOW THEN DO YOU FOCUS ON THE SHELTERING PART AND MAYBE SIDESTEP THE RESIDENTIAL AND SEE IF, IF THERE'S A MARKET FOR THAT IN THE FUTURE BETTER? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK YOU'VE HIT EXACTLY THE, THE CONVERSATIONS AND THE STRUGGLE THAT, THAT WE ARE AT, RIGHT? UM, HOW, HOW LONG, RIGHT? AND WE'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
UM, CORAL WILL ATTEST TO THIS EVERY TIME WE TALK.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU SAY, YOU KNOW, FIRST IT WAS YOUTH TREATMENT, CER CENTER WASN'T OPERATING AND MEETING OUR NEEDS THE WAY THAT WE WANTED, SO WE DID SOMETHING DIFFERENT, RIGHT? WE ISSUED AN RFP AND WENT WITH A NEW VENDOR, AND THEN IT WAS THE PANDEMIC.
GAVE HIM A PASS ON THAT, THEN IT WAS A HIRING ISSUE.
OKAY, WE'LL GIVE YOU A PASS ON THAT.
UM, AND, AND IT IS, IT STARTS TO FEEL, UM, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, SEMI RIDICULOUS ON OUR PART, RIGHT? BECAUSE NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FIVE YEARS OR SIX GOING ON SIX YEARS OF, IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT PROVIDING A GREAT SERVICE TO THE KIDS THAT ARE THERE.
IT'S THAT THE, THE EITHER THE NEED IS NOT THE, UM, OR THEY CAN'T MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR KIDS BECAUSE THE KIDS, THERE ARE KIDS THAT CAN'T GO THERE, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEIR COM THE COMPLEXITY OF THEIR NEED IS SO GREAT THAT THEY CAN'T, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT EQUIPPED TO PROVIDE THAT TYPE OF SERVICE.
AND ONE OF THE OTHER DATA METRICS THAT WE ALSO DO LOOK AT IS, BECAUSE PRIOR TO GOING WITH, TO THE, UM, OPENING WITH NORRIS, WE WERE SEEING A LOT OF KIDS GO TO OUR IN COUNTY RESIDENTIAL AND THEN HAVING TO GO TO ANOTHER RESIDENTIAL, RIGHT? SO THEY WEREN'T, THEY WEREN'T GETTING THE, THE INTERVENTION THAT THEY NEEDED TO GO BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
THEY WERE HAVING TO GO TO ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, INSTITUTIONAL FACILITY.
AND SO, UM, I THINK WE'VE SEEN SOME IMPROVEMENT ON THAT, BUT IT CERTAINLY STILL DOES HAPPEN, RIGHT? UM, THAT WE'VE HAD TO THEN SEND A KID TO ANOTHER LOCATION LESS SO, YEAH, LESS SO THAN PRIOR TO THIS, THIS NEW PROVIDER.
BUT, SO I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY LIKE THAT IS, THAT IS THE A HUNDRED PERCENT THE STRUGGLE AND THE PLACE THAT WE'RE AT AS WELL.
UM, AND, AND DO WE, DO WE MAKE THAT TOUGH DECISION AND INVEST INTO JUST SHELTER? BECAUSE I THINK IF WE WENT TO THE POINT OF JUST SHELTER, THERE WOULD NEED TO BE AN INVESTMENT UPFRONT TO DO THAT.
BUT THEN I THINK THAT WE WOULD, UM, WE WOULD SEE, UM, AN IMPACT, YOU KNOW, LATER ON.
JULIE, A QUESTION ON, YOU ALSO SAID THAT THE, SINCE 2020, THE COSTS WENT UP, UH, $500,000, SO HALF A MILL, IS THAT BROKEN DOWN SOMEWHERE? IS THAT GONNA CONTINUE TO GO UP? UM, I'M, YOU KNOW,
UM, THAT IS, UM, SO, AND RIGHT NOW THE CONTRACT THEY HAVE IS BASED ON THIS 90 DAY ASSESSMENT CENTER, RIGHT? OKAY.
UM, AND SO RIGHT NOW THEY ARE TRENDING TO BE A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS UNDERSPENT BECAUSE, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T OPENED YET.
UM, BUT IT'S STILL THREE OR $400,000 OR, YOU KNOW, $350,000 MORE THAN, UM, WHAT WE HAD CONTRACTED WITH THEM BEFORE.
SO I'VE SEEN IT WITH EVERY CONTRACT THAT WE'VE HAD, RIGHT? THEY USUALLY TYPICALLY WANNA HAVE A TWO TO 4% INCREASE EVERY YEAR.
UM, AND SO, UM, SO IT'S VERY LIKELY IT COULD GO UP, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND TO HELP US UNDERSTAND, WE GET THE IDEA, I THINK IN GENERAL OF RESIDENTIAL WHERE THEY'RE THERE, YOU'VE DESCRIBED THAT BEFORE AND A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, UM, THE 90 DAY ASSESSMENT CENTER BEING MORE OF THE, UM, SHORT TERM AND, AND, BUT JUST FOR OUR HELP, THEY WOULD STILL STAY THERE FOR THE 90 DAYS, THEY WOULD BE RESIDENTIAL FOR THAT 90 DAYS, BE INVOLVED IN
[00:55:01]
THEIR OWN SCHOOLS? NO, NO.THAT, THAT WILL BE A BIG CHANGE FOR THIS PROGRAM COMPARATIVELY TO THE OTHER PROGRAMS FOR, UM, THE 90 DAY PROGRAM.
UM, NOR YOU MAY KNOW THAT THERE'S NORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT, IT'S THE SMALLEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE, SO THEY RUN, IT'S, IT'S SEPARATE FROM NORRIS INC.
NORRIS ALSO HAS A SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND THEY ALSO, THE, THEY HAVE A SECOND CAMPUS DOWN IN WANGO, AND NORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT RUNS THE SCHOOLING FOR THE BOYS WHO STAY THERE.
SO WHAT PART OF THIS PROGRAM IS, IS THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A, A TEACHER, AN EDUCATOR UP HERE OR SOMEONE IN THAT PARA ROLE AT THE VERY LEAST, TO BE ABLE TO HELP THE KIDS THAT ARE IN OUR PROGRAM, UM, STAY UP WITH THEIR SCHOOL, BE ENROLLED MORE THAN LIKELY IN THE NORRIS VIRTUAL SCHOOL.
AND THAT PERSON WILL ALSO COORDINATE WITH THE HOME SCHOOLS, BECAUSE IT'S 90 DAYS, IT'S A, IT'S A PRETTY LONG TIME, BUT NOT REALLY LONG ENOUGH.
AND A PIECE OF THIS PROGRAM IS JUST, UM, CONTINUED CLINICAL INTERVENTION THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
SO THESE KIDS ARE GONNA BE, UM, JUST PRACTICING THESE SKILLS AND, AND GETTING THESE INTERVENTIONS AND GOING TO GROUPS AND LIKE, THIS IS HAPPENING ALL DAY LONG, AND WE THOUGHT TAKING THEM OUT OF THE SCHOOL AND MISSING THAT, OR OUT OF THE BUILDING TO GO TO SCHOOL, TO, THEY'RE GONNA MISS A HUGE CHUNK OF TIME.
UM, AND WE WANT TO SORT OF, I DON'T WANNA USE THE WORD ISOLATE, BUT WE WANNA KEEP THESE KIDS INSULATED TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THOSE CLINICAL SERVICES BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE 90 DAYS, THEY'RE GETTING ASSESSMENTS AND, AND TESTING DONE AS WELL AS, UM, UM, SOME INTRODUCTION, UH, FOR DIFFERENT THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS.
AND WE REALLY THOUGHT TO MAXIMIZE OUR TIME THAT WE REALLY NEED TO KEEP THEM AT THE BUILDING.
I MEAN, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO OUTINGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IN TERMS OF THE SCHOOL PIECE, IT'LL BE IN, IT'LL BE IN THE BUILDING.
JULIE, YOU HAD MENTIONED THERE WOULD BE A RAMP UP COST TO FOCUS ON SHELTERING, AND IS, IS THAT TO CREATE THE ORAL APPLIED MORE BEDS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD? NO, I'M, SO IT WOULD BE FROM THE, FROM OUR STANDPOINT IN THE CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD INTERNALLY IS IF WE WENT TO JUST A SHELTER FACILITY, WE DON'T NEED A 14 BED FACILITY THERE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE COULD CLOSE THAT FACILITY DOWN BRICKS AND MORTAR, RIGHT? WE COULD CLOSE THAT FACILITY DOWN, SELL IT, UM, AND, AND, BUT THEN WE WOULD NEED SOME LEVEL OF INVESTMENT FOR, TO HELP A PROVIDER EITHER PURCHASE A BUILDING, RENT A BUILDING, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT IT'S, IT'S ALL ALSO, UH, PREDICATED ON ISSUING AN RFP AND FINDING A PROVIDER WHO WANTS TO DO THAT TYPE OF SERVICE AS WELL.
I MEAN, CAN I JUST ADD SOMETHING? YEAH, FOR SURE.
UM, JUST SORT OF PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, UM, AS WE, AS A, JUST A PIECE OF INFORMATION WHILE WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, A LOT OF COUNTIES DON'T, THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR OWN SHELTER.
UM, AND THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE ON THE TABLE, BUT THOSE KIDS ARE THEN PLACED.
SO, UH, LIKE, SAY WIN WINNEBAGO COUNTY, UH, HAS A SHELTER, SO THAT'S OSHKOSH, RIGHT? MM-HMM
SO EVERY TIME THAT CHILD HAS TO GO TO COURT, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, OR SOMEONE'S GONNA HAVE TO GO UP THERE AND BRING THEM DOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THEIR SCHOOLS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
THERE'S A LOT OF ADDITIONAL COSTS WITH TRANSPORTATION AND GETTING KIDS BACK DOWN HERE FOR WHATEVER THEY NEED TO BE DOING, UM, DISPLACING THEM OUT OF THEIR SCHOOL, UM, HAVING, UM, JUST DISRUPTION TO THEIR TREATMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, SO IT'S ACTUALLY A, IT'S A HUGE BENEFIT FOR OUR KIDS TO HAVE A PLACE HERE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY THAT, THAT WE CAN USE TEMPORARILY FOR THEM.
OTHERWISE, WE ARE JUST TAKING THEM WHEN WE'RE PLACING THEM FAR AWAY, EITHER DOWN IN MILWAUKEE OR OSHKOSH.
I DON'T REMEMBER IF FOND DULAC HAS ONE, SHEBOYGAN HAS ONE, UM, THINGS LIKE THAT.
THEY'LL JUST BE, THEY'LL JUST BE SCATTERED EVERYWHERE.
SO AS WE JUST THINK ABOUT COSTS, UM, WE WOULD HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THEM BACK FOR THEIR REGULAR COURT APPEARANCES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SORRY, I'M JUST TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD.
I, I FULLY GET THE RESIDENTIAL AND EVENT PART, BUT, SO IN 2023, UM, SHELTER, CARE SERVICE, 2023, THERE'S 30 THROUGHOUT, THROUGHOUT TILL, WHAT DID THAT, WHAT IS THAT ACTUALLY THOSE, THE TH 30 KIDS, 30 KIDS THAT SPEND SOME TIME IN SHELTERING CAPACITY.
WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY MEAN? THOSE, THAT, THAT'S 30 AND THAT GREEN COLUMN, THOSE ARE THE KIDS THAT CAME IN THROUGH THE SHELTER ONLY PROGRAM.
THEY WERE ADMITTED BECAUSE THEY WERE REMOVED FOR EITHER THEY GOT ARRESTED AND COULDN'T GO HOME, OR WERE ORDERED BY THE COURT TO LEAVE THE HOME.
[01:00:01]
UM, YOUTH THAT CAME IN ON A CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT SITUATION.UM, THEY, IT'S 12 OR OLDER IN SHELTER.
AND WE DON'T HAVE FOSTER HOMES FOR KIDS UNDER 12.
SO THAT 12, 12-YEAR-OLD THAT CAME TO US, THEY SLEPT IN A BED WHEN IT, HIS OPEN BED.
SO IF WE'D STILL NEED EITHER OUR, OUR OWN FACILITY OR RENTER OR WHATEVER OTHER FACILITY THAT HAD SLEEPING QUARTERS AND BATHROOMS, WHETHER IT BE SHELTERING OR WHETHER IT BE RESIDENTIAL.
BUT SHELTERING IS FOR SHORTER PERIOD OF CONFIDENTIAL IS FOR CORRECT.
AND RESIDENTIAL COMES WITH THE OTHER PIECES AROUND CLINICAL PROGRAMMING WHERE SHELTER ACTUALLY YOU CAN OFFER GROUPS AND PROGRAMMING, BUT IT IS NOT REQUIRED.
SO THE LICENSING PIECES ARE VERY DIFFERENT, WHICH IS WHY EVERY BED AT RIVER BEND IS ACTUALLY LICENSED AS A RESIDENTIAL BED.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR, UH, MODELING AROUND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT, UM, 23 AND 24, 30 TO 25 DIFFERENT ADMISSIONS, AND ON AVERAGE THEY STAY AROUND 30 DAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE THINK WE PROBABLY NEED FOUR TO SIX BEDS, UM, AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN FOR SHELTER.
UM, THAT WOULD PROBABLY, WHICH IS, WHICH IS HALF RIGHT.
LESS, MORE THAN HALF OF WHAT RIVER BEND CURRENTLY HAS.
AND DO WE OWN RIVERBEND RIGHT NOW? SO WE OWN RIVERBEND, YES.
AND WE PROVIDE, UM, THE MAINTENANCE AND THE UPKEEP TO THAT BUILDING.
OTHER QUESTIONS OR IDEAS, THOUGHTS AS WE PROCESS? UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GETTING US UP TO SPEED.
AND, UM, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS NEXT STEPS? SO YEAH, OUR NEXT STEPS, I MEAN, WE'RE IN, WE'RE COMMITTED TO, UM, WE'RE IN A CONTRACT WITH NORRIS.
WE'RE COMMITTED TO TRY TO SEE WHERE THIS 90 DAY ASSESSMENT CENTER GOES.
AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE, WE'RE STARTING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DELAYED NOW BY FIVE MONTHS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I WANNA SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, REPORT BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE LIVE ON HOPE AGAINST HOPE, RIGHT? ON PAPER.
THIS IS, LOOKS LIKE A REALLY GREAT IDEA.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'D LOVE TO COME BACK AND TELL YOU IT'S A SMASHING SUCCESS.
AND, UM, AND JUST KIDDING, WE DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. UM, BUT, BUT SO FAR, I MEAN, I'LL BE HONEST, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T FELT THAT WAY, UM, FOR, UH, THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF WE COME BACK IN THE NEXT QUARTER AND REPORT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN, YOU KNOW, A SMASHING SUCCESS, THEN I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE A FURTHER CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT THIS MEANS AND, AND WHAT WE SHOULD DO.
BECAUSE ANYTHING THAT WE DO DIFFERENTLY IS A PROCESS, RIGHT? UM, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO ISSUE AN RFP, YOU HAVE TO AWARD AN RFP, YOU HAVE TO FIND A, A LOCATION.
YOU HAVE TO LICENSE THAT LOCATION.
UM, AND I KNOW WHEN WE SHUT DOWN FOR SIX MONTHS IN BETWEEN RELICENSING FROM THE OLD PROVIDER TO THE NEW PROVIDER, YOU KNOW, OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS AND SOME OTHER PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY WERE VERY NERVOUS.
UM, BECAUSE SPECIFICALLY THE SHELTER BEDS, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE A GREAT RESOURCE FOR THEM, YOU KNOW, AND FOR OUR CRISIS TEAM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WHEN YOU HAVE A KID WHO NEEDS A PLACEMENT AND EVERYONE ELSE IS SLEEPING, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT RESOURCE.
SO, UM, IT, YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S THAT CHANGE IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL, UM, WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
SO I THINK THERE'S LOTS TO TALK ABOUT.
UM, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS SHELTER AND FOSTER CARE? THIS, SO THIS SHELTER IS A 24 7 365 FACILITY WHERE WE USE FOSTER CARE WAY.
I USUALLY USE IT AS RANK FAMILY BASED, LIKE IN A, IN SOMEONE'S HOUSE.
SO TECHNICALLY IT'S ALL FOSTER CARE, BUT WHEN WE THINK OF FOSTER CARE, WE THINK OF LIKE LIVING IN A FAMILY SETTING.
AND THIS IS LIKE A FACILITY SETTING.
IT'S LIKE A DORMITORY SETTING IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
SO ARE THERE NOT IN A FAMILIES, WE ALWAYS, WE ALWAYS TRY TO, UM, SO IF A SAY SOME KIND OF INCIDENT HAPPENS, RIGHT? AND THEN A CHILD CAN'T STAY IN THERE AT THEIR HOUSE, WE ALWAYS TRY TO LOOK FOR FAMILY OR FAMILY FRIENDS FIRST.
ESPECIALLY IF IT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST SOME PEOPLE JUST NEED TIME TO COOL OFF.
WE A LITTLE SEPARATION, BUT SOMETIMES THOSE FOLKS DON'T EXIST OR THOSE FAMILIES HAVE BURNED BRIDGES WITH THEIR EXTENDED FAMILY OR FRIENDS OR NEIGHBORS.
SO THOSE KIDS NEED A PLACE TO SLEEP AND THAT'S WHERE THEY HAVE TO GO.
[01:05:01]
BUT WE ALWAYS, WE ALWAYS TRY TO KEEP KIDS WITH FAMILY, UM, OR IN A FAMILY SETTING BEFORE MOVING TO A FACILITY.AND THAT, THAT GOES FOR ANY, THAT GOES FOR ANY OF OUR PROGRAMS. BUT IN SOME CASES, THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY UNDER A CHIPS ORDER, RIGHT.
WHERE THEY NEED A FOSTER PLACEMENT.
UM, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? LIKE, YEAH, SO SOME KIDS, THEY'RE UNDER LIKE THE DELINQUENCY MM-HMM
THE MOST OF THESE KIDS ARE, WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO SHELTER, IT'S, THEY'VE, AN INCIDENT HAS JUST OCCURRED, RIGHT? THEY'VE JUST GOTTEN ARRESTED, THEY'VE GOTTEN CHARGES.
UM, SO REALLY THOSE KIDS AREN'T UNDER ANY KIND OF COURT ORDER AND A JUST A FOSTER HOME DOES NOT LIKE, SORT OF, DOES NOT FIT THEIR CURRENT SITUATION, LET'S SAY TO JULIE'S POINT.
SO JULIE, YOU MADE SOME INTIMATIONS, BUT I'M CURIOUS, UH, HAS, WHAT DOES NORRIS INK, I MEAN, HOW COMMITTED ARE THEY TO THIS CONTRACT AND AGREEMENT? AND, UH, I, SO I MEAN, VERBALLY THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE SAID THEY'RE VERY COMMITTED.
UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE HAD A VERY FRANK CONVERSATION WITH THEIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AROUND THIS ISSUE.
UM, AND UM, YOU KNOW, CORAL HAS ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR PROGRAM MANAGER, AND SO THEY HAVE BEEN COMMITTED, UM, VERBALLY AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING SOME WORK AND SOME EFFORTS.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT IS BEHIND, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO HIRE THE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE INTO THE POSITIONS AND THAT TAKES TIME.
UM, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT DRIVING IT AS HARD AS I WOULD LIKE TO BE HONEST.
UM, BUT THEY, THEY ARE COMMITTED.
I MEAN, THEY'RE VERY, I MEAN, WHEN THEY PRESENTED US WITH THIS PROJECT, I MEAN, THEY'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
THIS COULD BE REALLY, REALLY GREAT.
RIGHT? UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY HAS TO, AND IT'S, IT, THIS IS NOT OUR AREA OF EXPERTISE.
OR MAYBE WE'D BE SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU ASKING IF WE COULD RUN IT, UM,
SO AS WE SIT HERE, YOU COULD GET A CALL FROM THEM NEXT WEEK AND THEY COULD SAY THEY'RE NOT READY YET ON ME.
FOR, FOR ME FIRST, WE CERTAINLY COULD, BUT ALL OF THE, UH, INFORMATION ON OUR NEW PROGRAM HAS GONE OUT STATEWIDE.
UH, THEIR FORMER, UM, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND I WENT TO ALL OF THE REGIONAL SUPERVISED CHILD WELFARE SUPERVISORS MEETINGS BETWEEN QUARTER FOUR OF LAST YEAR AND QUARTER ONE OF THIS YEAR.
SO LIKE, THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG, OKAY.
WE'VE BEEN OUT THERE, PING THE PAVEMENT, TALKING ABOUT IT, ANSWERING QUESTIONS, HYPING IT UP, IF YOU WILL.
UM, AND THAT, THAT STUFF HAS GONE, UH, THE, THE MATERIALS HAVE GONE OUT.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD SIGN THEN.
I THINK DIFFERENT FROM WHEN THEY YEP.
COULDN'T OPEN BEFORE THAT YOU DIDN'T GET THAT FAR, APPARENTLY.
BUT ALL THAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE AND YEAH, AND I MEAN, I COULD THINK OF MY COUNTERPARTS AND COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE STATE IF THIS CAME ACROSS MY DESK OR INTO INTO MY EMAIL BOX, I WOULD WANNA KNOW INSTANTLY.
UM, ESPECIALLY, UH, THIS PROGRAM IS SIMILAR TO WHAT I TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE MONTHS AGO CALLED NORTHWEST PASSAGE.
IT'S AN, IT'S A ASSESSMENT, UM, PROGRAM.
I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT'S LIKE AS FAR AS ASHLAND, BUT IT'S FIVE HOURS FROM HERE.
AND WE SEND A GOOD NUMBER OF KIDS THROUGH THERE.
IT'S LIKE $900 A DAY, UH, SHORT TERM ASSESSMENT KIND OF THING.
BUT THOSE KIDS ARE SO FAR AWAY AND IT'S SO HARD TO GET PARENTS UP THERE AND KEEPING THOSE CONNECTIONS THAT HAVING SOMETHING FOR SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN IS ACTUALLY AWESOME.
UM, AND I, I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT, UM, IF THIS WORKS.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHY WE HOLD, LIKE JULIE SAYS, WE HOLD ON HOPE BECAUSE I'D REALLY LIKE OUR KIDS TO BE ABLE TO BE SERVED HERE AND THEN TO BE ABLE TO BE DISCHARGED INTO COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. ALL THE ONES WE TALK ABOUT, THE CLTS, THE CCS, THE FCT, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE ALPHABET ABOUT THE STUFF THAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING.
LIKE THOSE KIDS AND THOSE FAMILIES NEED TO GO INTO OUR PROGRAMS HERE, UM, AND NOT BE SENT AWAY.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE REALLY CROSSING OUR FINGERS AND TOES THAT THIS, THIS GOES WELL.
SO ARE YOU PAYING THEM NOW FOR THIS CONTRACT? YES.
WE PAY, I MEAN, THEY, WE HAVE KIDS THERE NOW.
THEY'RE GONNA START A NEW GO ROUND.
YEAH, THEY'LL STILL DO SHELTER, HOWEVER, SO THE PROGRAM IS UNDER THEIR CURRENT, IT'S UNDER THEIR CURRENT LICENSE.
SO IT'S REALLY JUST SORT OF LIKE MOVING THEIR CLINICAL FOLKS AROUND AND KIND OF LIKE RE RESTRUCTURING THEIR DAY AND WHAT THE KIDS LIKE, WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
IT ISN'T A HUGE CHANGE FROM WHAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY DOING.
AND PRESUMABLY THAT WILL BRING IN MORE OUT OF COUNTY AND, AND MORE SELF-SUSTAINING DOLLARS FOR
[01:10:01]
LACK OF BETTER WORD.YEAH, SO I MEAN, WHEN I'VE DONE THE, THE WAY THAT I'VE, UM, SET UP THE MODELING FOR THEIR CONTRACT, UM, OR FOR THE FUNDING OF THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A CERTAIN NUMBER OF OUTTA COUNTY FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF DAYS THAT COVERS THAT EXTRA HALF A MILLION, RIGHT.
SO, SO IT DOES, IT, IT WOULD COVER IT.
AND THIS WOULDN'T BE THIS ISSUE OF, UH, HALF A MILLION INCREASE FOR A PROGRAM FOR FIVE OF OUR KIDS.
UM, BUT THE, IT ALL IS PREDICATED ON THEM MARKETING THIS PROGRAM AND THEN HAVING OTHER COUNTIES SEND THEIR KIDS HERE.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY HAVING THE OUTCOMES THAT WE HOPE, UM, TO SEE, YOU KNOW, THEN IT'S UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE THE SAME THING AS ANY GOOD RESTAURANT, RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, AND THEN PEOPLE HEAR ABOUT IT AND THE GOOD OUTCOMES AND THEN, THEN THEY, THEY UTILIZE IT.
UM, AND SO, BUT WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO START AND WE HAVE TO SEE WHERE THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, COUPLE OF MONTHS GO TO EVEN SEE WHAT THE INTEREST IS FROM, FROM OTHER COUNTIES.
AND DOES IS A CONTRACT ON THE CALENDAR YEAR OR FISCAL MM-HMM
SO IT'LL, THE CONTRACT WOULD END AT THE END OF 2025? YEAH.
AND WE USUALLY TYPICALLY START DOING, WELL THIS YEAR IT'LL BE, AS SOON AS THE BUDGET'S APPROVED, WE START DOING CONTRACTING, BUT WE TYPICALLY HAVE START DOING CONTRACTING IN THE FALL JUST BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF WORK AND I WANNA GET THAT DONE.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL ALSO START DOING BUDGET CONVERSATIONS MM-HMM
UM, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT THAT AS WELL, I I, I DON'T THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT WITH OUR BUDGET IN THIS NEXT BIENNIUM.
UM, BECAUSE ANY BIG DECISION THAT HA WILL HAVE TO BE MADE WILL BE PROBABLY HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUDGET.
UM, THE ONLY OTHER LAST QUESTION THAT I WOULD HAVE IF ANYONE ELSE HAS ANY ON THIS TOPIC WOULD BE, IS IT WORTHY OF ANY KIND OF BRIEF AD HOC COMMITTEE OR TASK FORCE TO JUST KIND OF LOOK AT, YOU HAD MENTIONED WHAT OTHER COUNTIES, THE IDEA OF THE MARKETING OF IT IS, IS IT, IS IT WORTHY OF THAT OR IS THAT TOO BIG OF AN ISSUE OR A BIG OF A SOLUTION TO? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN ANSWER THAT.
I, I WOULDN'T SAY, I WOULD SAY I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY MERIT IN IT AND THEN THERE'S PROBABLY DOWN THE DOWNSIDE OF IT AS WELL.
UM, I THINK THE QUESTION MAYBE IS, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS COMMITTEE TO HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION, YOU KNOW, WHAT IF WE COME FOR WITH YOU WITH, OKAY, THIS CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM, WE HAVE TO MAKE A BIG DECISION.
WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THAT DECISION? AND SO THEN IS THAT THERE WHERE, YOU KNOW, A GROUP COULD, UM, A SPECIFIC GROUP COULD COME AND BRING, YOU KNOW, PUT THAT STUFF TOGETHER FOR YOU? AND CERTAINLY IT COULD JUST BE AN INTERNAL COMMITTEE, UM, YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE CHAIRED BY SOMEBODY, UM, EXTERNALLY, BUT, UM, BUT I THINK, UM, I'D LIKE TO MAYBE SEE IF WE CAN COME BACK IN 90 DAYS AND, AND, AND SEE WHERE WE'RE AT, RIGHT? SURE.
AND WE'RE, I MEAN, WE ARE DOING SOME CONCURRENT PLANNING INTERNALLY AS WELL, JUST IN CASE PUTTING SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS TO PAPER AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, IS, IS IT POSSIBLE TO, I KNOW YOU WILL DISCUSS IT IN 90 DAYS.
COULD YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE IN OUR MAY MEETING JUST TO SEE IF THEY ACTUALLY SURE.
WE'LL GIVE YOU, I'LL GIVE YOU A BRIEF UPDATE
ASSUMING GOOD INTENT AND HOPING THIS MATERIALIZES SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A NEED FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
SO HOPEFULLY IT DOES SOFT SOFTEN.
MAYBE IT'S SLOW TO START WITH, BUT LET'S ASSUME FAST FORWARD 12 MONTHS STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS UNDER UTILIZATION.
WHAT IS THAT POTENTIAL EXIT STRATEGY, EVEN IF THAT'S TEMPORARY? 'CAUSE YOU, YOU SAID THAT RFP PROCESS IS LONGER AND CUMBERSOME, SO DO YOU EXIT, CLOSE THE FACILITY, GO THROUGH AN RFP AND THEN THAT'S A SIX MONTH PROCESS AND THEN REOPEN A FACILITY, ET CETERA.
I'M ASSUMING YOU HAVE SOME THOUGHTS OF WHAT A TIMELINE MIGHT BE IF A RECOMMENDATION OR THIS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED TO OR D AND WHAT WE PAUSE OR SUSPEND THE SHELTER AND RESIDENTIAL SERVICES FOR X PERIOD OF TIME.
YEAH, I MEAN I THINK, UM, IF WE WENT DOWN THE ROAD OF NOT TRYING TO HAVE AN OVERLAP, RIGHT? UM, WHICH I THINK WHERE OUR BRAINS HAVE BEEN AROUND TRYING TO, IF WE WOULD TRY TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE SOMETHING OPEN AND CLOSING, YOU KNOW, RIVER BEND AT THE SAME TIME.
UM, BUT IF WE SAID NO, WE JUST HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN ANOTHER 12 MONTHS AND WE HAVE TO CUT OUR LOSSES AND THEN GO DOWN THIS OTHER PATH, UM, WE WOULD JUST NEED TO DO SOME REALLY, UH, INTENSE INTERNAL PLANNING AROUND AND COMMUNICATION
[01:15:01]
WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AROUND WHERE WE'RE GONNA SEND THESE KIDS AND FOR HOW LONG, UM, WHICH IS WHAT WE DID WHEN WE HAD TO CLOSE DOWN, UM, IN BETWEEN OPENING ONE, ONE LICENSE AND ANOTHER AND ANOTHER OR CLOSING LICENSE AND OPENING ANOTHER LICENSE.AND I THINK THAT WAS ABOUT SIX MONTHS.
WE HAD THAT EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS GOOD.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? ALRIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT GREAT INFORMATION.
OUR NEXT MEETING DATE WILL BE MAY 28TH, AND THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED SOMEWHERE ALONG THE
LIKELY EXCUSE