Medina County officials warn surging treatment rates are straining child-care budget

Debbie Kylie, director of Medina County Job and Family Services, told the Medina County Board of Commissioners on May 27 that sharply rising daily rates at residential treatment facilities are driving significant new costs for the county’s child-protection system.

Kylie said facility rates paid by county agencies have increased in some cases “nearly 30%” compared with last year and that counties have little choice but to pay those rates when courts, law enforcement or other authorities place children in treatment settings. “We can't do anything other than pay those rates, so we're forced to pay those rates,” Kylie said.

The issue matters because the county is paying for both room-and-board and specialized services for children placed in treatment settings, and staff must travel monthly to visit children who are housed out of county. Kylie described travel to facilities in Toledo and Cincinnati and said Medina County has only two agency…