Strive CCS committee reports steady enrollment, $1.6 million in Medicaid services and supervision changes

Strive CCS advisory committee members heard March 4 that the county program is serving about 66 people across Vernon and Crawford counties and that staff paid out roughly $1.6 million in Medicaid-funded services through February.

The update came as administrators described recent admissions and discharges, a supervision restructuring to manage a higher caseload, and plans to share an organizational chart and client contact materials with outside vendors and families.

Program administrators said the current census includes 27 adults and seven children in Vernon County and 24 adults and eight children in Crawford County, a combined total of 51 adults and 15 children. Between December and the March meeting staff reported roughly three adult admissions in Crawford County, two adult admissions in Vernon County, one child admission in each county, and several discharges. A staff member reported, “as of February, we actually paid out $1,600,000 worth of services in our program. ... I think we budgeted for about 800,000, for expenses. So we doubled that,” and noted those payments were Medicaid funds, not county levy dollars.

Discussion focused on operational steps to handle the growth. Tony Kickapoo, a program staff member, said the program currently has about 12 service facilitators and described a new supervision model that places facilitators under three leads, with monthly meetings including higher‑level clinical staffing by Dr. Karlstad. Kickapoo said the new structure has been in place since early this year and that the team is “ahead of the game” in keeping up with clients so far.

Committee members raised questions about how that supervisory structure will be communicated to independent vendors and to families. Kelsey, who identified herself as an independent vendor, asked whether uplines and escalation points would be shared; staff said they plan to finalize an org chart with leadership and distribute it to outside providers and county offices. Administrators also agreed to include crisis contact information — Northwest Connections was named as the crisis line contractor for both counties — in intake packets and client crisis plans.

The committee discussed residential services and the possibility of contracting with adult family homes or group homes in the future. Staff noted that Medicaid reimburses for daily living services rather than placement costs, that not all CCS programs bill for residential services, and that pursuing contracted placements is a longer‑term goal dependent on how Medicaid funding and program priorities evolve.

Personnel changes were also reported. Jocelyn McCormick joined the CCS office as a part‑time administrative assistant on Feb. 3, and Brianna, a longtime committee member, announced March 4 that she will step down from the committee because of health and personal reasons. The committee confirmed its next meeting date as June 3 at 10 a.m.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the December meeting minutes (motion to accept made and seconded; chair called for ayes and none were opposed) and later approved a motion to adjourn.

The committee spent roughly 40 minutes on the meeting’s substantive items, concentrating on operations and communications rather than policy changes. Staff said they will return to the group with finalized 2024 financials and more detailed materials for vendors and clients at a future meeting.