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Washington County weighs Riverbend youth center’s future after high deferral rate and low occupancy
Summary
At the June 25 HHS meeting the county reviewed a Riverbend implementation report showing a 63–68% deferral (denial) rate for referrals, low residential occupancy and budgetary concerns; staff said they may recommend a shelter-only model or other contract changes after further data in August.
Julie, a Washington County HHS staff member, presented a Riverbend implementation update on June 25 that showed a high percentage of referrals were being deferred and that occupancy remains below the facility’s targeted level.
Julie said the report shows about a 63–68 percent deferral rate across referrals; the two largest deferral reasons were “no appropriate match” (milieu or clinical fit) and “no response” from the referring county. She said the facility had five youth present at the time of the report: three in short-term shelter beds and two in residential placements.
Riverbend’s licensed capacity is 14–16 beds; the county has discussed targeting about 12 occupied beds for regular operations. Julie told the committee that, if beds were filled primarily with out-of-county placements that pay higher rates, revenue from those placements could offset the county’s added cost, but the current mix and deferral rate make that outcome uncertain.
Committee members asked whether the deferral rates reflect overly selective admission criteria or routine referral changes; Julie said Riverbend makes clinical decisions about fit and staff are discussing the deferral patterns with the provider. She added some “no response” referrals likely reflect cases where referring counties later placed a child elsewhere and did not update Riverbend.
Julie said the county is considering program options during budget discussions, including a shelter-only model that could be implemented more quickly and might meet immediate crisis needs. She said contracts include a 60-day termination clause and the county expects to continue evaluating data through July and provide a more formal framework in August.
Supervisors on the committee said the historical pattern of low occupancy has been a concern and that budget pressure increases the urgency of a recommendation. No formal vote or contract termination was taken at the June 25 meeting.
Ending: Staff will return with more data and a proposed framework in August; the county continues budget deliberations and may recommend a shelter-only approach depending on referral trends and fiscal modeling.
