Bannock County approves juvenile treatment pass-through funds and joins crisis intervention collaborative

Matt Olsen, director of Bannock County Juvenile Justice, told the Board of County Commissioners on July 1 that the county will sign a pass-through agreement with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections to receive two funding streams to close treatment gaps for youth.

Olsen said one pot, called Substance Abuse Delivery Services (SUDS), covers substance-abuse treatment for young people who lack Medicaid or other insurance and for services that cannot be billed to Medicaid. "Last year, we received $122,654. This year's allocation will be a little less than that. It's $121,158," Olsen said. He said most of the SUDS money will be spent on residential treatment and that recent Medicaid guidance allowing braided funding means Medicaid can cover the treatment portion while the pass-through funds pay residential expenses; he said residential beds can cost "about $400 per night." The commissioners…