Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Silver Thorn seeks county support for adult medical daycare; commissioners approve late non‑county special filing for transportation aid
Summary
Silver Thorn presented a full‑year funding request for adult medical daycare services and asked for help covering participant transportation. Commissioners agreed to let the provider submit a late application for non‑county special funding and pledged staff assistance to prepare the submission.
Silver Thorn requested county help on April 2, 2026, to sustain adult medical daycare services and ease transportation barriers for a small group of Rockingham County residents.
Jessica, the Silver Thorn presenter, told the board she prepared an updated proposal and spreadsheet showing higher driver wages and benefit costs and said this was "my first time being able to do like a full year round of asks and get a better idea of how proposals and all that works for you." She said the program served about 15 Rockingham County participants and recorded roughly 333 rides in March.
Commissioners and staff questioned whether the county should pay for drivers directly or continue the long‑standing practice of supplementing individual participant ride costs. The county’s current supplement model was described as $25 per participant while the program’s other funding sources typically cover $75; commissioners noted the county line for the program is roughly $100,000 annually and that transportation could quickly consume that allocation.
The board discussed routing a transportation request through the delegation’s non‑county special process so the program could seek quarterly payments from the state subcommittee rather than relying on the county’s operating line. Staff explained the non‑county special subcommittee typically hears presentations and, if approved, forwards funding to the delegation’s proposed budget.
After discussion the commissioners voted to permit Silver Thorn to file a late non‑county special application and to work with county staff to prepare the submission. A commissioner who serves on the delegation’s subcommittee said they would support the request when it is heard there.
Next steps: Silver Thorn will work with county staff (Chuck) to complete the non‑county special application and, if accepted by the subcommittee, would receive quarterly payments subject to delegation approval. The board did not commit county operating funds for transportation at this meeting; it approved allowing the late state/legislative filing so Silver Thorn could seek those external dollars.
