Board approves expanded Aloha Psychiatry agreement after staff report on provider loss

Supervisor Plummer pulled consent item C5 for separate discussion and requested more detail on a significant contract increase for Aloha Psychiatry. Cindy Lane, branch director for Behavioral Health and Social Services, told the board the department initially under‑estimated the contract and then lost a prescribing provider; that required short‑term locum coverage and drove projected expenditures higher.

Lane said the two providers previously averaged about 3,500 hours and that, depending on recruitment success for a nurse practitioner and a chief of psychiatry, the county may need a third contracted provider to avoid interruptions in medication access. She described current fiscal projections as "trending to be $1,100,000" for the fiscal year on locum/contract costs and noted staff are pursuing hires to reduce reliance on contractors.

Supervisor Plummer said he wanted more detail before finalizing the change; after Lane’s explanation he moved approval. The motion to accept the contract/budget authority passed 5–0. The discussion referenced a projected jump in the funding request (Plummer cited an increase "from $2,000,000 to $4.3M" in trending needs) and staff noted a midyear budget process is underway to reconcile line items and offsetting amounts.

What the board approved: the county accepted staff’s recommendation to secure contracted psychiatric coverage to ensure continuity of care for clients while internal recruitment continues. Staff said if recruitment succeeds the county’s dependence on contracted providers will be reduced.

Reported here from the Feb. 10 board meeting: the pulled consent item C5 was discussed and approved on the regular calendar by a 5–0 vote.