County staff, providers and supervisors discuss relocation and funding changes for behavioral‑health services ahead of July 1 ASO transition
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Summary
Des Moines County officials and service providers discussed logistics for moving patient‑advocate staff, phone and vehicle accounts, lease agreements and hard‑drive destruction as the region shifts behavioral‑health funding and oversight to an Administrative Services Organization (ASO) with a target date of July 1.
County officials and behavioral‑health providers discussed office relocations, vehicle and phone accounts, lease agreements and service funding at the May 22 Des Moines County Supervisors meeting as an Administrative Services Organization (ASO) prepares to assume regional funding responsibilities on July 1.
Patty (county behavioral‑health staff) briefed the board on operational steps needed if the Cottonwood Crisis Center or related services are closed or restructured. “They will be shut off till the thirtieth. We need to get those switched over,” she said about Verizon phones and iPads used by patient advocates, and she asked that advocates keep their phone numbers if possible to avoid service disruption. She also noted vehicles assigned to advocates have been transferred on the county’s fixed‑asset records and that the county will need to determine who will pay for upkeep, fuel and insurance after July 1.
Patty said the ASO is expected to assume responsibility for existing providers but that some services may not continue; she urged the board to clarify which contracts and programs will be funded. “It's to my understanding that the ASO is gonna take over existing providers. Is that your understanding?” a supervisor asked; Patty replied that some services “I don't think will continue to be funded,” and that specifics remain uncertain.
County staff and supervisors discussed moving the veterans' office and patient‑advocate staff into courthouse space if needed. Maintenance staff offered to show available offices in the juvenile area that might be reconfigured with a dividing wall and separate access. County budget and legal staff said they will review lease agreements with current providers — including Hope Haven, OptiMe and Rivercross — and prepare memoranda of understanding with neighboring counties if Des Moines County will provide space or services on their behalf and bill the ASO for reimbursement.
Patty raised data‑security and equipment shutdown tasks that must be completed before vacating offices, including destroying hard drives and clearing voicemail greetings. “I have a whole checklist of what I have to do before I vacate,” she said; county maintenance staff offered to physically destroy hard drives and recycle them through the county’s electronics vendor.
Supervisors and staff directed next steps: county staff will contact Hope Haven and OptiMe about lease and service continuity, give Ted (county staff) notice and determine where advocates and the veterans' representative will be housed, and explore moving one or more advocates into available juvenile offices that have a separate exterior entrance. Legal staff was asked to prepare memoranda of understanding for inter‑county arrangements and to coordinate with the ASO and state contacts on continuity of care and contract transitions.
No formal policy decision was made at the meeting; staff were asked to report back with options and contact information.
