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Arrowhead West tells Pratt County commissioners demand for services rising as Medicaid funding uncertainty grows
Summary
Arrowhead West updated Pratt County commissioners on client counts, a new 24-hour residential conversion and state licensing milestones while seeking an unspecified budget increase amid uncertainty about Medicaid funding.
Andrea Polf, vice president of client services for Arrowhead West, told the Pratt County Commission that the provider continues to expand services in Pratt amid rising costs and uncertainty about state Medicaid support.
Polf said Arrowhead West supported 19 adults in its day and residential programs last year and provided targeted case management to an additional 11 adults. She said about 50 children received early-intervention services such as speech therapy through the “birth-to-3” program.
"Well, things are pretty much the same as they were last year," Polf said. She told commissioners Arrowhead had converted one residential house to 24-hour care to meet rising needs for dementia and Alzheimer's support and that the agency employs about 35 staff in Pratt. "We had to go to 24 hour care for the first time since we built Eastland, 02/2004," she said.
Polf said Arrowhead has completed new state certification for home-and-community-based services and that all Pratt properties are HCBS compliant. She also said Arrowhead was selected to be featured in a short national documentary.
Polf described agency finances as heavily dependent on Medicaid HCBS payments. When asked about the group's budget request, she said, "I believe it was a 2% yeah. 22% increase," a comment that reflected uncertainty about the specific percentage requested.
Commissioners asked about potential state funding changes; Polf said staff and clients have been advocating to avoid cuts and that the Medicaid outlook remained "an unknown for a lot of us." She identified Medicaid HCBS as Arrowhead's primary revenue source for day, residential and targeted case-management services.
Polf also told commissioners Arrowhead is recruiting locally for additional early-intervention providers and that some residential units and apartments operated by the agency are currently full while two spots opened after clients moved to nursing homes.
The presentation was part of the meeting's public-service reports; no formal county action on Arrowhead's budget request was recorded at the meeting.
