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Marquette County human services board hears staffing updates and loss of local detox provider
Summary
Board staff reported clinical demand and capacity issues, including waiting lists for counseling and CCS, termination of a regional CCS contractor and that Tellurian will no longer provide detox services — county plans to route detox to Fond du Lac Healthcare Center, which requires medical clearance and extended deputy accompaniment.
The Marquette County Department of Human Services board received several service-delivery updates on Jan. 5 that highlight capacity strains in clinical and specialized services.
Dawn Woodard, reporting for the Clinical Services Unit, said the department recorded 265 crisis calls in 2025, compared with a historical monthly average of 282; the unit handled 28 emergency detentions last year (historical average 26). Waiting lists include 20 people for outpatient counseling and 12 for Community Care Services (CCS); five county residents were in residential placements at the time of the meeting.
Woodard told the board that Tellurian will not provide detox services going forward. The county plans to use Fond du Lac Healthcare Center as the alternative, but Woodard said Fond du Lac requires medical clearance before admitting patients, a process that will force deputies to remain with patients for several hours while clearance is completed. Woodard also reported that White Pines Consulting has terminated its contract with the CCS region, reducing contracted capacity for coordinated services.
The loss of a detox provider and a regional CCS contractor were presented as operational constraints rather than policy proposals; board members did not take formal action at the meeting. Woodard framed the issues as service continuity and public-safety considerations tied to medical-clearance procedures at the receiving hospital.
Board members also heard staffing updates that intersect with clinical capacity. Director Mandy Stanley reported that a Child Welfare Social Worker position had been filled and a pending offer was made for a CCS position; recruitment for a therapist position remained ongoing. Jessie Cody, representing Children and Family Services, noted that a new staff member, Kaitlyn Schultz, started the same day and that the CLTS waiver audit returned a 96.4% compliance rate.
The board did not adopt new policy at the meeting; members directed staff to include related education topics on future agendas and to continue monitoring service demand and provider arrangements. The board set its next regular meeting for Feb. 2, 2026.
The department will likely need to coordinate with law enforcement, the receiving hospital and regional partners to manage the operational impacts of the detox-provider change, according to staff remarks at the meeting.
