[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6577377,"mediaKeyId","3150570-9093b03eee93ab1a70bfcb7cc8dd9c2f","parentId",3150570,"title","Families, providers urge action at Ottawa County CMH meeting after deaths and placement strains; board approves new lease with community recovery center and rat","audioSeconds",3167,"startMs",1303000,"endMs",4470000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3150570-9093b03eee93ab1a70bfcb7cc8dd9c2f&start=1303&end=4470","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3150570-9093b03eee93ab1a70bfcb7cc8dd9c2f/thumbnail_1303000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6577377/Ottawa-County/Michigan/Families-providers-urge-action-at-Ottawa-County-CMH-meeting-after-deaths-and-placement-strains-board-approves-new-lease-with-community-recovery-center-and-rat","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577377-2a378d01639252fd47debd76c099fdb8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169497&Signature=lQ2Ce09Lp4tII4evYri9aH7VnylVc1ceqxV~I5nsOyaNNi52T~-P51106DGsbse3yZXTnIaUj357M~N7U7MUxf3QNeJpy-7jPvrmO8T94oYkEKa3b2Nch5lQVnWMrMPjzF-pL6zgy3C33dmBz4y5jRb1DrW6hS8drVc9VGon0Z7tNCbG0VEzc4bt2PKgVJjXUlaQpYrHbVxNBtKEz1YgmwqFE8Wx1aX6q-1ej-o7UzSjg0fYMgG-fDy1ipzBZXtQfOsZXjKkwHa6MKEeLLFORyzWeGmB7GsMmI0gbYuqfPlJhAK75etB-AxC1MpeWI2cEeP25-DEI8QA6xtcmHuzKg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","miOttawa","date","2025-04-25T20:06:33.777Z","article","Family members and local residential providers pressed the Ottawa County Community Mental Health board on Friday for faster action to expand affordable, accessible housing and bolster specialized residential care after recent deaths and staffing shortages.

During public comment, parents described the weight of caregiving and the difficulty of finding local placements for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “Griffin is 29 years old…he lives with Down syndrome, a seizure disorder and many other medical conditions,” said Leanne Sotak of Park Township, describing the anxiety parents feel about future care needs. “Our county has a responsibility to ensure that every resident, regardless of ability, has access to a safe and supportive place to live.”

Denise Newhouse, whose daughter Mikaela died shortly before the meeting, delivered an emotional appeal asking the board to do more on activity, oversight and staffing in group homes. “There has to be more helping our residents,” Newhouse said. Several other speakers, including providers and leaders of community programs, described long wait lists, difficulty accessing supports such as gym memberships or recreation programming, and challenges recruiting and retaining direct care workers.

Board members and staff said they share the concerns. Dr. Michael Brashears outlined the agency’s obligations after an unexpected death: CMH conducts a root‑cause analysis, involves the medical director and provider, and considers changes that may be required to improve safety and care. He said the agency will report more routinely on unexpected deaths and how they are investigated, protecting personal health information as required.

The board approved a new service contract and lease that staff said would colocate CMH substance‑use services with Solbar Community Recovery Center in a former church building at approximately 3347 Hoover Blvd. Joel Ebers, director of substance‑use services, described the planned space: Solbar will use the former sanctuary for peer and mutual‑aid meetings; CMH will occupy a north wing with roughly 1,400 square feet for clinical staff and 1,800 square feet for DDR/CIT teams. The center already reports roughly 900–1,000 monthly “check‑ins,” Ebers said, and offers childcare during meetings and a methamphetamine‑specific meeting.

Ebers said the move is intended to “meet people where they are” and to provide immediate linkage from community recovery resources to CMH clinical help. The board approved the contract and lease by roll call.

On provider finances, the board approved three contract amendments to raise rates for specific residential placements and increased the hourly rate for a wraparound case‑management service from $85 to $91 per unit in one contract. Those amendments were presented as case‑by‑case adjustments tied to individual residents’ levels of need; board members asked for clearer guidance on when staff should bring case‑level rate changes to the full board versus handling them through administrative authority.

Several board members urged caution about broad rate increases while statewide Medicaid funding is uncertain, worried that raising local rates without sustained revenue could create larger deficits. Dr. Brashears said staff are working to align rates across providers over time and that limited use of local millage to stabilize residential providers had already been used earlier in the fiscal year. He said staff will present more detailed, phased rate proposals for next fiscal year.

Providers and advocates also asked the board to support nonclinical measures — recreation, transportation, and local partnerships — that can improve health outcomes and reduce risk. Several speakers offered to collaborate with the agency on housing and employment solutions.

The board voted to approve the new lease and service contract with the recovery center and the contract amendments during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","April 25, 2025 CMHOC Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Parents, providers and community recovery programs told the Ottawa County Community Mental Health board Friday they are facing a housing and staffing crisis for adults with developmental disabilities and mental‑health needs; the board approved a new lease to colocate substance‑use services with a community recovery center and targeted contract amendments to keep residential placements operational.","taxTitle","Ottawa County, Michigan","taxId",3875,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6577381,"Ottawa County CMH board asks county commissioners to press state on Medicaid shortfall; approves mid‑year budget adjustments",3386,3275000,6661000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3150570-9093b03eee93ab1a70bfcb7cc8dd9c2f&start=3275&end=6661","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3150570-9093b03eee93ab1a70bfcb7cc8dd9c2f/thumbnail_3275000.jpg","/articles/6577381/Ottawa-County/Michigan/Ottawa-County-CMH-board-asks-county-commissioners-to-press-state-on-Medicaid-shortfall-approves-midyear-budget-adjustments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577381-d6e768183c8d4c098e5731a692ccb5af/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169497&Signature=L-5UwNBjKKf4d2~cn6Wi8rzHw2yaINf10DTDVZtuE1KwLO13Pwa-RVv7ARrrDq~OCamIUMse7p1m3Tzum4PoRskCl9yOt2b8gaAwwZcUuPOopgCw5~7BZRML5Q0WNuAgiC6m0-735hr6jLt8JxRPHAdJ8CY1djOFbHFtq8GkZA2WgmGbT67hRpdeFUg7sLayfj2JdTgGALeZRDIdA~GpImLxMF0LlxxpKsTOrZHUh-rpW1iCUQFSJH5veOXRw84ooS5P2xWwX5pTNI9jOfmj1uhJhH6aE9jieAOaxxqx98xIWUUeDIIBdgf~MWtCiZqZrPX5PPsAy1Kkr8AJa99eJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ottawa County Community Mental Health Board voted unanimously Friday to forward a resolution to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners asking the county to press state leaders to address a statewide Medicaid funding shortfall that board members and staff say is destabilizing local behavioral‑health services.

The action followed a detailed briefing by CMH CEO Dr. Michael Brashears, who described rising inpatient psychiatric costs, changes from Medicaid redeterminations after the COVID public‑health emergency and uncertainty about planned changes to Michigan’s regional Medicaid management structure. The board also approved a mid‑year Medicaid revenue adjustment and a separate substance‑use disorder (SUD) budget adjustment.

Why it matters: Board leaders said the resolution is intended to consolidate local support and send a unified message to Lansing and state agencies that inadequate Medicaid payments and rising residential care costs are threatening local service capacity. The adjustments the board approved this month increase the authority to recognize higher Medicaid and CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) supplemental revenue the regional entity projects, and to add federal and local SUD grant funds now available to the agency.

Dr. Brashears told the board the board association materials he circulated — including a position paper titled “Protect People Over Profit” and a separate document about Michigan’s Medicaid system — were intended to educate the public and board members about competing views on how the state should restructure regional Medicaid management. “This is more than just a health plan,” Brashears said. “These services are the safety net and lifebread of our community.”

Board members discussed the timing and potential tradeoffs of increasing local provider rates while the state’s funding picture remains unsettled. Several members urged caution but agreed that raising rates for specific, high‑need residential placements was necessary to avoid immediate provider closures and loss of placements for residents. The board approved three contract amendments to raise rates in targeted residential cases and accepted new revenue projections from the Lakeshore regional entity that increased CMH’s projected Medicaid revenue by roughly $8.5 million for the year, primarily tied to CCBHC supplemental payments and other adjustments.

The board voted to forward a proposed resolution to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners asking county leadership to transmit the county’s concerns about the funding shortfall to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and legislative leadership. Board members said the resolution is both an educational step and a request that county officials consider county‑level advocacy to protect the regional CMH system.

In separate votes the board:
- Approved a mid‑year Medicaid budget adjustment that recognizes $8.5 million in projected additional Medicaid/CCBHC revenues the region provided; board members said associated expenditures will be tracked and reported in later statements.
- Approved a SUD budget amendment adding roughly $797,000 in block grant SUD funding and $505,000 in local PA 2 (liquor tax) dollars for substance‑use services.
- Approved the annual procedural request to set the millage tax rate that funds the local mental‑health millage for fiscal year 2026 (this vote authorizes the agency to request collection of the maximum allowable mills under the existing voter‑approved millage).

Board members pressed staff for detail on how the region’s internal service fund (ISF) and the state’s “risk corridor” work, and Dr. Brashears said he will present a diagram for the board explaining where regional and state protections apply when Medicaid expenditures exceed projections. Brashears also told the board he intends to continue negotiating residential rate changes with providers and the regional entity in the coming months and will present more detailed proposals for next fiscal year.

The board’s motions carried on roll call and were recorded as approved by the full membership present.","After a sustained CEO briefing on Medicaid funding risks and rising residential costs, the Ottawa County Community Mental Health (CMH) Board voted to forward a resolution to county commissioners asking state leaders to address a regional Medicaid funding shortfall and approved mid‑year Medicaid and substance‑use budget adjustments.","actionData","errors"]

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Families, providers urge action at Ottawa County CMH meeting after deaths and placement strains; board approves new lease with community recovery center and rat

Ottawa County CMH board asks county commissioners to press state on Medicaid shortfall; approves mid‑year budget adjustments