Mitchell County approves MOU to host Iowa Primary Care Association system navigator part time

Mitchell County supervisors voted Jan. 2 to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Iowa Primary Care Association (PCA) to station a system navigator on-site at the county Public Health building on a part‑time schedule. The board approved the agreement and authorized the chair to sign.

The MOU, described to the board by a supervisor who had consulted with Laura in the Public Health Department, provides that PCA staff will be present one to two days per week to assist residents with Medicaid and SNAP applications and to connect people to substance‑abuse and mental‑health resources. The PCA will pay the county $150 per month for the space through June 30, 2026; the agreement states the annual space payment “will not exceed $1,200” and in later years “not exceed $1,800,” as summarized during the meeting.

Board members clarified operational details. The system navigator will share an office with an existing CICS staffer but not be on-site the same days, which the board said will allow coverage across multiple weekdays. County staff indicated Mitchell County would complete administrative routing for the agreement and accept PCA payments to the county treasury; staff also confirmed the county will be responsible for filling the MOU form fields as the facility owner.

Supporters said the navigator will restore services similar to what the county’s former social services department provided. One supervisor called the arrangement “really an awesome thing” for local residents, citing help with applications and resource connections. Another supervisor asked procedural questions about who completes the MOU paperwork and noted that the arrangement appears limited to office space and scheduling rather than an expanded program obligation by the county.

The board made and seconded a motion to accept the PCA MOU and, after brief discussion, approved it by roll call.