Ottawa County approves three Community Mental Health staffing changes tied to grant programs

The Ottawa County Finance and Administration Committee on an unanimous roll call approved three staffing changes requested by Community Mental Health intended to expand coordinated services for at-risk youth and to establish a dedicated crisis-services structure.

Committee members voted to (1) add one 1.0 full-time-equivalent mental health clinician funded by a four-year System of Care grant, (2) upgrade an existing community health worker to a community navigator (pay grade 7) paid from the same grant, and (3) upgrade one mental health supervisor (pay grade 13) to a director of crisis services (pay grade 15) tied to the county—s participation in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration program.

County and Community Mental Health officials said the clinician position will support youth from birth to 21 who are low-income, experiencing or at risk of serious emotional disturbance, or are underserved by existing services. The clinician and the navigator role are funded through the System of Care grant; Community Mental Health said grant rules require the positions to be sunsetted if the grant is not renewed. The director of crisis services position is proposed under the CCBHC demonstration funded through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and is intended to lead a planned 24/7 mobile crisis team required by the demonstration.

During discussion, officials said the System of Care grant is a four-year award currently in year two, and that the grant requires a local match funded from the county—s mental health millage; no county general fund dollars will be used for the clinician position this year. Commissioners asked for clarity about what happens if the grant lapses; staff confirmed grant-funded positions typically sunset at the end of the grant unless reapproved in a later budget or re-funded by new grants.

On the CCBHC-related director position, Community Mental Health staff explained the county is on a corrective action plan with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and needs a director to plan and stand up a full mobile crisis team beyond existing partial coverage (children—s mobile crisis and daytime crisis intervention team co-response with the sheriff—s office). County HR staff and administration said the vendor-led wage study under way could change pay-grade recommendations; any resulting pay changes for grant-funded positions would be addressed through future grant adjustments or other funding mechanisms.

The committee approved each request by roll call vote.