Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pathways CEO asks Delta County to back rural-definition language and warns against state bill changes to mental-health governance
Summary
Matt Maskard, CEO of Pathways Community Mental Health, delivered an annual update and asked the board to send a letter supporting boilerplate 'rural' language for state budget consideration; he also raised concerns about a proposal from Senator McBroom that he said would shift community mental health toward institutional structures and change county liability.
Matt Maskard, chief executive officer of Pathways Community Mental Health, presented the authority’s annual update at the Delta County Board of Commissioners meeting on May 5 and asked the board to support a standard definition of "rural" being proposed for state budget language.
Maskard described Pathways’ mission and services for people with severe mental illness, severe emotional disturbance and developmental disabilities across several Upper Peninsula counties and noted that Medicaid comprises more than 90% of Pathways’ funding. He highlighted staffing challenges, a psychiatric residency partnership intended to attract clinicians to the Upper Peninsula, and a recent culture award the organization received.
Maskard asked the board to send a letter of support for boilerplate rural-definition language that his group is pursuing in Lansing; he said the definition would consider both population density and distance to urban centers and asked the commission to sign a letter or adopt a formal resolution. Commissioners discussed whether to approve a simple letter of support immediately or draft and adopt a formal resolution; the board voted to send a letter of support now and consider adopting a resolution at a subsequent meeting.
Maskard also warned about a bill being developed by Senator McBroom that, as written, would move community mental health toward a more institutional model, change board composition and potentially uncap county liability. "We appreciate Senator McBroom’s interest in improving behavioral health," Maskard said, "but the current proposal contains provisions that are incongruent with the Michigan Mental Health Code and would uncouple local control and liability in ways that concern us." He asked commissioners not to support the bill as drafted and said he would accept a resolution of disapproval if the commission desired one.
Commissioners thanked Maskard for the update and agreed to send a letter of support for the rural-definition boilerplate; staff and Maskard said they would provide a formal resolution template to bring back to the board for possible adoption at a future meeting.
