Pathways CEO tells Alger County Board the agency serves about 3,000 locally, warns state centralization could reduce local control

Matt Vasquez, CEO of Pathways Community Mental Health, presented an in-person annual review to the Alger County Board on May 18, saying Pathways “serves right around 3,000 individuals here in Alger, as well as Luce, Delta, and Marquette counties” and employs about 200 staff. He highlighted recent recognitions — CARF accreditation and a workplace Bell Seal — and described a psychiatric residency partnership that is expanding from four residents in 2024 to seven in 2025.

Vasquez described Pathways’ funding mix and operational pressures, noting Medicaid remains the primary revenue source and explaining why federal- and state-level changes matter locally. “Medicaid…the feds pick up 65% of all Medicaid costs,” he said, adding that Healthy Michigan expansion carries a different federal/state split. He warned that a draft bill from Sen. McBroom that would create an Upper Peninsula mental-health authority could centralize functions, reduce local representation on governance boards, and create start-up costs and staffing challenges that may be difficult to overcome in the U.P.

Board members asked clarifying questions about enrollment trends, program staffing and accreditation. Vasquez said Pathways saw steady growth from 2019 through 2024 and noted some year-to-year fluctuation; he also said the residency program both expands clinical capacity and supports local recruitment. He offered to forward a draft joint letter from the five U.P. community mental-health CEOs analyzing the McBroom proposal to the commission for review. The board did not take a formal vote on the report; Vasquez said the letter would likely be ready the following day.