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Benton County staff outline progress on health services reorganization and behavioral-health expansion
Summary
County staff reported progress on a multi-part health services reorganization, including plans for a health business operations division, behavioral-health leadership and crisis-program staffing changes, a coordinated homeless-response office with rehousing progress, and a Q1 2025 follow-up including a crisis-center update and AFSCME reopener planning.
County staff delivered a status report on a multi-year effort to realign health services, describing five focus areas: creation of a health business operations division, re-evaluation of the behavioral-health division, assessment of duplicate programs and service areas, and review of span-of-control and position structure.
Rick (staff), April Holland and Lacey Mollell summarized that the health business office will house revenue-cycle and compliance functions while budget management remains in finance; the county is drafting a director-level position and analyst roles to support revenue and compliance. For behavioral health, staff described plans to increase leadership and reclassify crisis-program jobs (a director-level D61 position, a clinical manager and an administrative manager) and to clarify service agreements between the health department and Community Health Centers (CHC).
Staff also reported on homelessness-response coordination: the Coordinated Homeless Response Office will gain oversight capacity and staff said 29 households (about 35 adults and 33 children, 68 people total) have been rehoused toward a goal of 51 households. The team discussed span-of-control issues (managers supervising large staffs) and said they aim for cost-neutral solutions where possible but may seek additional revenue sources and budget adjustments; staff expect to return with further recommendations in Q1 2025 and offered to provide a crisis-center-specific update earlier in the new year.
Commissioners asked about the AFSCME contract reopener for behavioral-health positions and how bargaining outcomes may affect staffing and costs; staff said preparations are underway and that human-resources colleagues are examining shift differentials and comparable county examples to inform negotiations.
What happens next: staff will return with a Q1 2025 report with additional structural details, a dedicated crisis-center update early in the year, and proposed budget/staffing steps as they finalize position descriptions and cost estimates.
