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Winona County approves contract with Hiawatha Valley to restore post‑incarceration care coordination
Summary
The Winona County Board approved a contract with Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center to fund care coordination for people leaving custody who have substance use disorders. The monthly flat fee covers services Medicaid does not reimburse and will run through the remainder of 2025; the county also plans to pursue a state grant for ongoing funding.
Winona County commissioners voted to approve a contract with Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center to support post‑incarceration care coordination services for people with substance use disorders.
The board approved the contract after a motion by Commissioner Meyer and a second by Commissioner Olsen; the measure carried by voice vote.
County officials and service providers described the contract as a stop‑gap to restore immediate post‑release outreach that ended when a federal Wrap Plus grant expired. Gwen Herbert, identified herself as “the executive director of the bridal justice coordinating council and the program manager for the wrap plus program,” and told commissioners the federal grant ended Sept. 30, 2024, and that a funding gap had produced a delay of six to eight weeks before newly released people could be connected to case managers. “That period right after release is sensitive and important,” Herbert said, arguing the county contract would let case managers begin contact before a comprehensive evaluation was completed.
Eric Sievers of Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center said the contract pays a flat monthly fee to sustain two positions that perform pre‑eval and care‑coordination tasks Medicaid does not cover. “The funding helps these unique two individuals — it's two positions — and it's just the part that MA doesn't cover,” Sievers said. He explained the center shifted staff to be Medicaid‑reimbursable where possible but that some pre‑release and coordination work is not billable to Medical Assistance.
The contract described during the meeting carries a flat fee of $5,285.50 per month for the remaining months of 2025, according to staff remarks. Commissioners discussed the risks that changes to federal Medicaid eligibility could pose to the model and asked whether private insurance (MNsure) would cover the services; presenters said private coverage had not been a reliable funding source for similar county programs and that their plan relies on Medicaid billing plus one‑time grant funds.
Herbert said the contract will be paid in part through a community crime intervention and prevention grant administered by the Minnesota Office of Justice Programs and with remaining Wrap Plus funds already appropriated. She also said the county is applying for additional state grant funding to sustain the positions beyond 2025.
During discussion commissioners pressed staff for definitions and scope: how substance abuse is classified under the contract and whether the funding is limited to certain diagnoses. Staff said the contract language for the grant required general care coordination and was not limited to one substance category. Commissioners and providers also discussed a Minnesota 1115 Medicaid waiver pilot that would permit re‑establishing coverage up to 90 days before release; speakers said that pilot, if expanded, could reduce the county’s need to bridge the pre‑eval gap.
The board approved the contract; the motion was made by Commissioner Meyer and seconded by Commissioner Olsen. No roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript; the approval was by voice vote.
The contract covers the remainder of 2025 and does not guarantee ongoing funding. County staff and presenters said they would seek a Minnesota Office of Justice Programs community crime intervention and prevention grant to sustain services beyond the current contract.
