Ethics committee: 32 audits completed; board flags longer wait times for detox and IDD services

The McHenry County mental health board’s ethics and compliance committee reported it had completed 32 audits and identified increasing wait times for several services, prompting members to ask whether network performance targets reflect local realities.

“As of the October, the ethics and compliance committee have completed 32 audits,” Amy reported. She said one report remained pending and noted a recoupment during that period. Amy flagged rising psychiatric wait times across the network, with a particularly concerning increase in detox wait times and increases for IDD services.

Board members pressed staff on whether some network target benchmarks are unrealistic for McHenry County. One member said the county’s housing availability is low, calling into question housing-related network targets and suggesting the board examine locally appropriate baselines rather than defaulting to national averages. “The housing availability in McHenry County is so low that that's never gonna be a realistic target for us,” a board member said.

Members also discussed how the board’s reports can lag current events because they cover specific fiscal quarters; Bridget noted that the board’s report reflects June–August data and may not capture more recent overdoses and deaths described during the meeting. Another participant explained differences in suicide counts can arise from coroner determinations, police classifications and pending toxicology results.

What’s next: Amy asked for a follow-up discussion at the next meeting to refine performance targets and involve providers in shaping measures for the coming year.