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Public health staff seeks county approval to host regional navigator and clarifies local mental-health assistance roles
Summary
Winnebago County public health staff discussed splitting general assistance duties and hosting a regional navigator for mental-health/behavioral services; the board supported staff pursuing an application and arranging a presentation from regional officials.
Winnebago County public health staff on July 29 proposed a local approach to handling mental-health–related walk‑ins and to host a regional navigator who would connect residents to behavioral health services.
Why it matters: Regional restructuring of behavioral health and public-health alignments is underway; the county is positioning local public-health capacity to receive navigator support and maintain one-stop assistance for residents seeking benefit and service referrals.
What staff proposed The staff speaker said they do not want to absorb the full scope of mental‑health casework alone but proposed dividing responsibilities: the county’s general assistance unit would continue to handle utilities, rent, cremation assistance and claims processing while mental-health–specific tasks (court‑appointed cases, SNAP/Title XIX assistance and more complex behavioral health referrals) would be handled by a specialist (Ruth) and the regional navigator.
Hosting a navigator Staff reported contact with regional staff (Melissa and Russell) and identified Jessica Proctor as the likely assigned navigator for the area; the speaker asked for the board’s permission to submit an application to host the navigator and to arrange a joint presentation by regional staff so county staff and local advisory boards can better understand navigator duties. The board expressed no objection to pursuing the hosting arrangement and staff said an application deadline requires action before Aug. 5.
Coordination and continuity Staff emphasized a desire to keep the county a possible host site for navigator services to avoid gaps for residents, particularly during the upcoming dissolution of Care Connections (a resolution the board adopted earlier in the meeting). The speaker said county staff could provide “one-stop” walk-in assistance and forward more complex mental-health referrals to the navigator or to Ruth when appropriate.
Ending: Supervisors asked staff to set up a presentation with regional officials and to proceed with the hosting application; staff will post meeting dates and coordinate with the board if public attendance appears likely.
