Dunn County DHS Director Paula Winter outlined Comprehensive Community Services (CCS), a Medicaid-eligible, person-centered program for mental health and substance-use recovery delivered through a nine-county Recovery and Wellness Consortium led by Chippewa County.

Winter described CCS as team-based, emphasizing consumer-driven planning, natural supports and a mix of traditional (counseling, medication management) and nontraditional services (peer support, employment skills, equine therapy). "CCS stands for comprehensive community services," she said, adding the program typically lasts one to two years and requires both Medicaid financial eligibility and a functional assessment for clinical eligibility.

On finances Winter reported a projected 2026 expense and revenue figure of $2,135,000 and explained the state backfills the county share when counties participate in a consortium. She summarized the billing process: local providers and the county bill the consortium lead (Chippewa County), which bills Medicaid and manages contracts and centralized operations, and the county receives reimbursement through the provider portion of CCS. Winter also described WINCR reporting that captures non-billable service time to secure funding in the subsequent year.

Why it matters: CCS provides locally delivered, Medicaid-funded supports for people with behavioral-health needs. The consortium model reduces the county's immediate financial burden but requires careful administration (contracts, audits by the Department of Quality Assurance) and ongoing attention to eligibility, service authorization and staff capacity to collect evaluative data.

Winter said the county's clinic provides CCS services and that roles within CCS include local service facilitation, clinical consultation, local management and provider staff (nurse practitioner, nurse, therapists, education and employment specialists). She noted that audit requirements include state reviews of functional screens and case picks for compliance.

Next steps: CJCC members heard the presentation and asked no substantive follow-up questions in the meeting; DHS will continue operating CCS under the consortium arrangement and include CCS finance and utilization metrics in future reports.