Rockingham County warns adult medical daycare providers of likely transportation shortfall

Rockingham County officials told the Board of Commissioners on June 17 that adult medical daycare programs are likely to face a near‑term funding shortfall driven largely by transportation costs.

Staff reported the program’s year‑to‑date transportation spending and estimated an upcoming $10,000–$15,000 shortfall for the fiscal year if current billing rates and new client additions continue. Commissioners discussed options: a line‑item transfer (which requires a quorum and may only be used above the board’s $5,000 threshold), restricting future transportation reimbursements, or asking providers to make short‑term operational changes such as reducing driver coverage.

Given timing and accounting uncertainty, the board directed county staff to notify providers — including Silverthorn and other program vendors referenced during the discussion — that the county anticipates a shortfall and will provide a more exact figure next week. Staff said the county will pay up to the maximum available in the program line but could be unable to cover all transportation invoices for the coming weeks. Commissioners emphasized prioritizing direct care to residents when allocating limited dollars.

The board did not approve an emergency line‑item transfer at the meeting but passed or rejected several discrete client‑level funding requests for adult medical daycare during the session: one request for an additional Silverthorn client at $25 per day, four days a week failed on recorded votes; a smaller, separate request for another provider was approved.