Clay County commissioners hear adult mental health LAC report; approve membership list

Clay County commissioners on Tuesday received the annual report from the county’s Adult Mental Health Local Advisory Council and unanimously approved the council’s membership list.

The report summarized ongoing barriers to care in Clay County and recommended several county- and state-level responses, including improving access to local crisis beds, issuing a request for proposals for protected nonemergency transport, and advocating that the state change how counties are charged when a hospitalized resident no longer meets inpatient medical criteria.

The council told commissioners that the nearest crisis stabilization units are in Detroit Lakes (Willow Tree) and Fergus Falls (CBHH), and that Gull Harbor in Moorhead has licensed crisis beds but those beds are being used for more intensive residential treatment. "Transportation to these units can be very costly and time consuming," Bria Krause said. The council recommended streamlining admission processes and improving coordination so available local crisis beds could be used more predictably.

The advisory council also recommended issuing an RFP for protected nonemergency medical transportation, a state-administered level of service that requires a provider certified by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The council said using certified protected transport could reduce ambulance expenses for nonemergency psychiatric transports and leave ambulances available for true emergencies.

The council presented county cost figures when a hospitalized resident no longer meets medical criteria for inpatient psychiatric care: "Costs can be upwards $2,000 a day for an individual," the report said, and noted that one individual’s two-month stay in 2024 cost the county more than $147,000; for 2024 the total such cost to the county was about $390,000. The LAC urged the county to advocate to the state that more of those funds be reinvested in mental-health capacity in Greater Minnesota rather than routed to the state general fund.

Housing and workforce problems were central themes. The LAC proposed a statewide platform for background and credit checks to streamline renter screening and shorten delays that prevent placements from moving forward during short shelter stays. On workforce, the council recommended increasing reimbursement rates for services it said are in highest demand — adult rehabilitative mental health services and Rule 79 case management — so community providers can offer competitive wages and reduce wait lists. The report said many clients now face waits of six months or more for services.

Kirsten (LAC co-chair) and other council members emphasized that the group includes both consumers and providers, which they said produces different perspectives than a provider-only forum. Krain (county staff) and others suggested the council coordinate advocacy with the Association of Minnesota Counties and local legislators to pursue state-level reimbursement and policy changes.

The board moved to approve the council’s membership roster as presented. The motion to approve the list was made by Commissioner Moshe (mover) and seconded by Commissioner Ebinger; the board voted in favor and the motion carried.

The council’s written materials, submitted in advance, include a list of membership and community partners, recommendations for improving crisis access and transport, suggested state advocacy points on county fiscal obligations, and a proposed pilot for a shared tenant-background-check platform.

The commissioners asked staff to follow up on how the council’s state-level recommendations could be elevated through AMC and state legislative channels, and to return with options for local vs. statewide implementation where feasible.