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Kandiyohi County approves Woodland Centers, Prairie Lakes contract changes; youth crisis day rate rises
Summary
The board approved Woodland Centers’ 2026 purchase‑of‑service contract and Prairie Lakes youth program per diem and nursing service contracts; Woodland Centers plans a steep rise in youth crisis day rates to keep the service operating.
KANDIYOHI COUNTY, Minn. — Kandiyohi County commissioners on Dec. 2 approved several health and human services contracts, including a purchase‑of‑service agreement with Woodland Centers and two Prairie Lakes youth program contracts covering per diem increases and nursing services.
Dr. Trost of Woodland Centers told the board that the organization shifted funds out of community outreach and education and into direct clinical services to meet mental‑health authority standards and to ensure sustainability. He said Woodland’s youth crisis center has absorbed annual deficits between roughly $400,000 and $500,000 and, to avoid closure, the proposed day rate in the 2026 contract will rise from $345 to $890 per day. Trost characterized the higher rate as necessary to break even and argued that it remains cheaper than an emergency‑room stay for comparable care.
Caroline (health and human services director, first referenced by the director’s introduction at the meeting) recommended the Woodland Centers contract for board approval; commissioners approved the purchase‑of‑service contract by voice vote.
The board also approved changes to Prairie Lakes youth program contracts. County staff presented a per diem adjustment for 2026: the non‑member per diem rising to $550 and member per diem to $510. Commissioners discussed the financial pressures on providers and the program’s value in preventing longer transports to distant facilities; the board approved the per diem adjustments and separately approved a renewal aligning Prairie Lakes’ nursing services contract with public health fee updates.
What happens next: the county will implement the 2026 purchase‑of‑service contract with Woodland Centers and the Prairie Lakes contract adjustments; Woodland Centers and county social service directors agreed to ongoing monitoring of admissions and capacity and to share utilization data with the county.
