Richland County HHS and Veterans Committee forwards recruitment plan, contract amendments and pay changes to administrators and county board

The Richland County Health and Human Services and Veterans Committee voted on several staffing, contracting and funding actions at its May meeting, forwarding a recommended recruitment and retention package to the county administrator, approving amendments to two behavioral‑health contracts, approving an increase in child‑welfare on‑call compensatory pay and requesting use of American Rescue Plan Act funds to hire a consultant for the county community health needs assessment.

The committee voted to forward a set of recruitment and retention options prepared by Health and Human Services Director Tracy Thorson to County Administrator Clint Langrick. Thorson had highlighted options that included a one‑time CPI‑style increase this year, targeted reclassification for hard‑to‑fill positions (child and youth case manager, APS crisis and master's‑level therapists), possible sign‑on or referral bonuses and changes to employer contributions toward employee health insurance deductibles. The finance committee had asked the administrator to consider countywide solutions; the HHS committee recommended that the administrator incorporate the board's highlighted items when drafting a countywide plan.

The committee approved two contract amendments affecting community behavioral‑health services and agreed to forward the larger amendment to county board because it exceeds the administrative threshold. The board approved an increase to the contract with Shay Rehabilitation and Psychological Services (used for Comprehensive Community Services, or CCS) to permit total spending up to $300,000; the committee also approved an increase to Jessica Lineberger Counseling to $49,050. The managers noted that CCS services are primarily reimbursed through Medicaid and that providers' invoicing lags by about two months, which is why utilization can appear low in month‑to‑month tracking.

On a separate personnel compensation motion, the committee approved an amendment to the HHS addendum to increase child and youth services "on‑call" compensatory pay to $2.00 per hour (regular on‑call) and $2.50 per hour (holiday on‑call). Child and youth services manager Jessica Tisdale described the unit's 24/7 intake responsibility for child protection and said the change was intended as a targeted recruitment and retention step.

Finally, the committee voted to recommend using a portion of public‑health ARPA funds to hire a consultant (a not‑to‑exceed amount of roughly $41,000 was cited) to lead Richland County's five‑year community health needs assessment and the companion community health improvement plan. Public health officials said the work is statutorily required every five years, is time‑intensive, and that current nursing staff remain heavily occupied with communicable disease response and pandemic recovery work.

Votes at a glance - Recommend countywide recruitment/retention plan to county administrator (motion approved by voice vote). - Amend Jessica Lineberger Counseling contract to $49,050 (motion approved; under administrative threshold). - Amend Shay Rehabilitation and Psychological Services contract, authorizing up to $300,000 total (motion approved; forwarded to county board for action because it exceeds administrative limits). - Increase child and youth services on‑call compensatory pay to $2.00/hr ($2.50/hr holidays) and forward for finance/county approval (motion approved). - Approve use of ARPA public‑health set‑aside (up to ~$41,000) to hire a consultant for the community health needs assessment and improvement plan (motion approved and forwarded).

The committee framed the contract increases as responses to higher demand for CCS services and emphasized that Medicaid reimbursement covers much of the direct CCS service cost, while the county must maintain adequate contract authorization. Committee members asked for continued monitoring of utilization and invoicing schedules.

The motions were passed by voice vote; committee members asked that the county administrator present a consolidated, countywide recruitment and retention proposal at a future finance and personnel meeting.

Ending: The committee placed the recruitment package and the Shay Rehabilitation amendment on the administrator's and county board's desks, and directed staff to continue contract monitoring and to return with updated utilization reports if spending accelerates.