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Johnson County Mental Health Center Seeks 3 FTEs to Bring Youth Respite Care In‑House at YFS Facility
Summary
County mental health staff proposed hiring three behavioral health specialists to run in‑house respite services for children and adolescents at the Youth and Family Services (YFS) facility, aiming to replace a $265,000 contract with an outside provider and to fund the service with Medicaid waiver reimbursements rather than county tax support.
Johnson County mental health officials on Aug. 21 asked commissioners to consider approving three full‑time behavioral health specialists to operate respite‑care services for children and adolescents inside the county’s Youth and Family Services (YFS) facility, a move staff said would reduce contract costs and rely on Medicaid waiver reimbursements rather than additional county tax support.
Tanner Fortney, who presented the item for the Johnson County Mental Health Center, said the county has contracted with outside providers, including Kids TLC and DECA, to supply respite care for families whose children have severe emotional disturbances. "Respite care is essentially a service that allows parents ... to have a reprieve where the child can home, so that there's a caregiver that's able to basically give the parents a break," Fortney said.
Fortney…
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