[{"_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",6534848,"mediaKeyId","3465694-80e7dba3cf675c9beb29a479af13390b","parentId",3465694,"title","Caregiver urges timely funding for Benjamin's Hope; Holland Momentum Center says it has relocated","audioSeconds",247,"startMs",1199000,"endMs",1446000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3465694-80e7dba3cf675c9beb29a479af13390b&start=1199&end=1446","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3465694-80e7dba3cf675c9beb29a479af13390b/thumbnail_1199000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6534848/Ottawa-County/Michigan/Caregiver-urges-timely-funding-for-Benjamins-Hope-Holland-Momentum-Center-says-it-has-relocated","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534848-11bfd8cd39f323c50084c4114948ef9f/orig.mp4?Expires=1777185880&Signature=KPx73NsmD-VG4a3rOZnvs67e8Iz0zvQeE4o0HHF-B14~KF9CRhQpFTzNa4wDY-NIzb9Jufb5Bw8DwlIyqQNCdpAEGq8QuIbPHDjCZrgeXCE-fS319u3XVmkSHo-HvtuI4sVsKaG4LmVFqpdd0dJSn0ezscEHXSV8xRSB7ZZJlUsW4c2ORdzAvKerjBsNPcOCSLduMkaG-JwZW7PItLiid00dFE3q6kEK-BLWMyR3rm0m5XEkLswBe~WQlsrDKWX2WW363q1SvY31YRA-iBUXSffN6l0ajsxdwaCfVbyPaPLLo2UkKOT9ZBi~H-ix2SoAYgbueDj~6Z9mOFdNnrZGJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","miOttawa","date","2025-05-23T12:45:13Z","article","Public comment at the Ottawa County Community Mental Health meeting included a caregiver’s plea for timely funding for an adult program opening and an announcement about the Holland Momentum Center’s relocation.

Marshall Head, a Park Township resident, said he has been the primary caregiver for his adult son, Mark, for more than 51 years and that his son needs round‑the‑clock support. Head told the board he had learned from his son’s support coordinator that Mark was eligible for Benjamin’s Hope and that an opening at the program was available in June. He asked the board to approve funding so that Benjamin’s Hope could serve Mark on schedule.

“When I learned from Mark’s support coordinator that he was eligible for Benjamin’s Hope and that Benjamin’s Hope was willing to serve Mark, I felt my prayers for him had been answered,” Head said. He identified himself as Marshall Head and said he will be 91 in July.

Barbara Lee Van Horsten, representing the City of Grand Haven and the Momentum Center, told the board the Holland Momentum Center had relocated after the previous site — owned by Community Action House — was sold. The new site is at Central Park Church on Myrtle Avenue. Van Horsten said the new space includes a large kitchen and gymnasium and is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, but that visitors should check the calendar because staff sometimes go on outings.

“We currently have 30 members of the Holland Momentum Center alone, as of yesterday. So please come out, visit,” Van Horsten said.

Both public comments were entered during the board’s designated public comment period; neither produced a formal board motion during the meeting.

The board moved on to the consent agenda after public comment and later took up its regular agenda items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","May 23, 2025 CMHOC Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","A Rockford Township caregiver asked the board to approve funding so his adult son can attend Benjamin's Hope; Momentum Center staff announced a move to Central Park Church in Holland and invited visits.","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},6534853,"Ottawa County CMH warns of rising costs and funding shortfalls; board approves consultant to review CCBHC and Medicaid finances",2556,2351000,4907000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3465694-80e7dba3cf675c9beb29a479af13390b&start=2351&end=4907","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3465694-80e7dba3cf675c9beb29a479af13390b/thumbnail_2351000.jpg","/articles/6534853/Ottawa-County/Michigan/Ottawa-County-CMH-warns-of-rising-costs-and-funding-shortfalls-board-approves-consultant-to-review-CCBHC-and-Medicaid-finances","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534853-81cf641e74d09f627bf32ecb9078d6de/orig.mp4?Expires=1777185880&Signature=eaJ0Q9bMKfXJe9j3qETc2hP8VHjqW2GzGGmsTDQJUV6-A9aFomX21Y5ijCaiRawdwB8vgxM~~laB~bETGkbl-WXgC7qvGPp8jkMUPQ~s88sZ~Y~K9bKtb2Z30YIiKXLH8oeAcHf0Zoj0PTdTpjFTYlWj2a4QH15vwOX4kMFJ9pM7o418yrBO2G7IdY0w8JJdaAH1g6kujn4xqMY9zRWSvUtMD4ASw3mEI-vLnw995MIKYN3JxGtnYoF3Jhuo3EgrFQJAs8oKoG5ZbgMkQvBAKMTAx4wFQ6c37tpSq6i-WaeQSq3z43~YmQUrZqUkI5BGbMUtDQ2y0-sJ1fM0XpWq5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ottawa County Community Mental Health officials told board members at a public meeting that rising provider costs, a shortfall in state Medicaid funding and uncertainty about the county’s participation in the federal CCBHC demonstration have pushed the agency toward a projected deficit, and the board voted to hire an outside fiscal consultant to review options.

The agency’s director, Michael Brashear, told the board that Ottawa CMH recorded 99 crisis contacts in April and that 73 percent of those contacts did not result in an inpatient hospitalization, while 27 resulted in inpatient stays — higher than the program’s 25 percent hospitalization benchmark. Brashear said the system’s crisis and residential capacity is limited: the Robert Brown Center has six crisis‑residential beds and the county’s crisis residential contracts total fewer than 30 beds.

Those operational pressures come as the agency continues to reconcile last fiscal year’s finances and work through a pending budget adjustment. Amy (fiscal manager) reported a year‑to‑date deficit position; a summary filed during the meeting showed a projected net deficit of approximately $1.99 million through May 15, 2025. Brashear said Ottawa CMH served about 4,500 individuals in 2024, with roughly 1,800 adults with mental illness and 917 children with serious emotional disturbance included in those totals.

Brashear stressed the interaction of several factors: growing residential and staff costs across the provider network, state rate‑setting that uses lagging data, withheld state Medicaid payments and new CCBHC fiscal rules that could expose the county to additional financial risk. He said the agency had proposed a fiscal strategy that depended in part on maximizing CCBHC reimbursement but that further technical review was needed before the board or county would accept the exposure.

“To be clear,” Brashear said, “we need to validate our assumptions with the state and a third party before moving forward. That’s why we brought in The Raymond Group.”

The board then voted to approve a consulting contract with The Raymond Group to evaluate the county’s CCBHC costing, Medicaid reporting and related financial assumptions. The motion’s exact contract amount and some implementation details were not specified in the meeting packet; the motion was moved and seconded and subsequently approved by roll call (motion carried).

Other operational updates discussed at length included:
- Crisis services: Brashear said the agency is tracking step‑down placements (for example, inpatient → crisis residential → partial hospitalization) and emphasized partnerships with Holland Hospital for partial hospitalization. He said some populations — adults with developmental disabilities — are especially difficult to place in hospitals and that additional levels of care will be needed.
- Eligibility and access: In April the agency completed 47 formal eligibility assessments, and 79 percent of those assessed were found eligible for CMH services. Brashear said the agency is still compiling whether the counts reported are unique individuals or contacts and will refine reporting once a new electronic medical record (EMR) goes live in June.
- Programs that extend beyond Medicaid: Brashear reviewed Pathways (transportation, primary care linkage and social‑determinant interventions), the Community Navigator program (which conducts prescreens and in‑person navigation) and Clubhouse services (psychosocial rehabilitation). He reported program figures: Pathways reported 579 open interventions and 681 total referrals since 2018; Navigator interventions totaled 1,794 interventions with 569 crisis follow‑ups and 893 prescreens; Lakeshore Clubhouse reported 49 members and roughly 17,000 hours of skill‑building activities last year.
- ACT and residential services: ACT (assertive community treatment) teams are limited to about 60 people by fidelity standards; Brashear said 10 ACT participants transitioned to a lower level of care in 2024 and that housing placements remain difficult to secure. He warned that several major residential providers had informed county leaders they could exhaust reserves in coming months without an immediate stabilization plan.
- EMR migration: The agency plans to move to the PCE (state‑aligned) EMR in June to improve reporting and fiscal integration.

What the board decided and next steps
The board approved the Raymond Group contract to provide targeted fiscal consultation and CCBHC costing review; the motion was moved and seconded and passed by roll call (mover and seconder not specified in the transcript). Brashear said the county will not proceed with any plan that increases the county’s financial exposure without explicit, county‑level agreement. He said he will meet with county administration, legal counsel, the Lakeshore Regional Entity (LRE) and MDHHS to clarify risk exposure and report back to the finance committee and the full board.

Brashear also indicated the agency will increase reporting detail to the Program Quality Improvement (PQI) and finance committees on: crisis disposition trends, eligibility funnel metrics (screening → assessment → authorization), service authorization types, contract vs. directly operated service splits, and a clearer linkage between millage, grants, CCBHC and Medicaid funding. He said the agency will propose a possible joint work session with the County Commission to review CCBHC exposure and fiscal options.

The board scheduled committee work; finance and PQI committees will meet ahead of future full board meetings so members can review detailed analyses before votes on budgets or major program changes.","Board director Michael Brashear told the Ottawa County Community Mental Health board that escalating residential and provider costs, withheld state Medicaid payments and shifting CCBHC rules have produced a projected deficit; the board approved a contract for The Raymond Group to analyze fiscal options and CCBHC exposure.","actionData","errors"]

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Caregiver urges timely funding for Benjamin's Hope; Holland Momentum Center says it has relocated

Ottawa County CMH warns of rising costs and funding shortfalls; board approves consultant to review CCBHC and Medicaid finances