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Richland County HHS director flags Medicaid cuts, APS increase and mental-health wait times
Summary
Health and Human Services Director Tracy told the Richland County committee the Aging & Disability Resource Center counted 18 people in the point-in-time census and that staff secured permanency for five children in 2024.
Health and Human Services Director Tracy delivered an administrative report to the Richland County Health & Human Services Committee about services, staffing and federal funding risks.
Tracy said the county’s Aging & Disability Resource Center participated in the national point-in-time count and recorded 18 people on the count date. She said the ADRC is focusing this year on helping residents complete power-of-attorney-for-health-care forms to avoid emergency guardianship processes.
The report highlighted child and youth services work: staff completed permanency for five children during 2024, with three returning home and two achieving permanency through guardianship or termination of parental rights and adoption. Tracy credited staff efforts for resolving cases that had been “left in limbo for a long time.”
Behavioral-health services remain in high demand, she said, with long waits for psychiatric and psychologist appointments; a psychiatric nurse reported psychologist bookings running through May. The department’s after-hours crisis vendor, identified in the report as Northwest connections, logged 43 crisis notes in December, roughly 11 percent of the year’s calls for that month, Tracy said.
Tracy also reported adult protective services (APS) received 222 reports in 2024 compared with 118 in 2023, an increase she described as “almost double.” Committee members asked whether the jump reflected better reporting or a true trend; Tracy said staff are monitoring 2025 data and suggested staffing adjustments could be needed if the increase persists.
On technology and operations, Tracy said the agency is implementing a Tyler system rollout with a first go-live date on the 17th of the month; she warned next month’s reports may look different or be omitted while staff learn the new system.
At the federal level, Tracy expressed concern about proposed Medicaid cuts and a short freeze of federal grant funding that briefly threatened programs the department uses for behavioral health, children’s services and economic supports. She said the department is monitoring developments, preparing advocacy materials and may bring a resolution to the full county board supporting current Medicaid funding levels.
Committee members asked whether residents placed under protective placement could be sent to Pine Valley; Tracy said Pine Valley can be one of several placement options depending on need, including adult family homes or other licensed facilities. Committee discussion also covered visibility of homelessness in the county: Tracy said summer counts commonly find higher numbers and described incidents of people living in dilapidated campers or using regional shelters; she described ongoing casework to find family connections in La Crosse when appropriate.
The committee did not take action on any of these items during the administrative-report portion of the meeting; the report was followed by questions and the agenda moved on to the expenditures report.
Ending: The committee will continue monitoring APS caseloads, Medicaid developments and the Tyler system rollout; Tracy said staff can provide talking points and may ask the committee to consider a resolution to advocate against Medicaid cuts.
