Board approves human services contracts for youth crisis stabilization, adult clinic funding and SNAP employment support; staff outline rising caseloads

Blue Earth County Human Services staff presented three action items on Oct. 21 and the board approved all three by voice vote.

Phil (Human Services staff) described the first action as a contract with Woodland Centers for a crisis stabilization unit serving youth ages 9through 17. Phil said post-contract per-diem rates "went up very significantly": he reported in-catchment home-base rates rising roughly from $345 to $890, a partner-county figure that increases from about $700 to $1,800 per day, and an out-of-contract rate of $2,300 per day. Phil said the county will use the service only when necessary and that out-of-state placement is the alternative when regional capacity is full.

The second action was approval of a psych-formula allocation for the county mental health center that allows the county to draw up to $500,000 for eligible clinic expenses during the contract period. Phil said the contract term is Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026.

The third action was a financial-assistance contract tied to SNAP employment services; Phil said federal funding cuts have driven a 63% reduction in the contract amount, leaving an initial payment of $2,700 and the expectation of a later "settle-up" amount during the fiscal year.

Commissioners moved, seconded and voted to approve the three items in a single motion. No individual roll-call vote totals were recorded; the chair announced the motions carried.

Phil and other staff then presented informational slides on public-health case management for residents 65 and older and on disability services and waivers. Staff discussed high case complexity, the workload of care coordinators (seven care coordinators averaging 94 cases each in one program area), growth in waiver services and a reported increase in caseloads over recent years. Staff said they have requested a $10 per member per month increase from Blue Cross for managed-care programs but have not yet received a response. Staff also reported an unsuccessful request-for-proposals to establish a regional Woodland Centers-style facility; the county twice issued an RFP with no respondents.

Context: The contract approvals respond to immediate service needs while informational items highlight staffing pressures, measures of caseload growth and efforts to secure additional managed-care funding and regional crisis-capacity options.