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Commission adopts interlocal agreement to restructure Bear River Health Department, appoints behavioral-health director
Summary
Box Elder County commissioners unanimously approved an interlocal agreement restructuring the Bear River Health Department and appointed Trevor Cook as the Behavioral Health Director under contract; commissioners said the move aligns governance and clarifies contracting for behavioral-health services.
Box Elder County commissioners unanimously adopted a multicounty interlocal agreement on June 25 that restructures the Bear River Health Department to combine public health, mental health and substance-abuse responsibilities across the participating counties.
Under the agreement, which Jordan Mathis of the Bear River Health Department summarized for the commission, the department will have clarified duties, added ex officio seats (including for the Cache County executive and representatives of Utah State University), and explicit authority to contract for behavioral-health services. Commissioner Lee Perry moved to adopt Agreement #26-27 and the motion carried on a unanimous roll-call vote.
The Board of Health will continue as the department's governing body, with specified voting and ex officio seats. The interlocal agreement also establishes a Bear River Behavioral Health Advisory Council to advise on planning and operation of behavioral-health programs. Mathis told commissioners the changes align the county with other jurisdictions in the state and were reviewed by the county attorney’s office.
The commission also voted to appoint Trevor Cook, current executive director of Bear River Mental Health, as the Behavioral Health Director under contract, a position the agreement allows to be filled directly or by contract. The motion to appoint Cook was moved by Commissioner Perry, seconded by Commissioner Bingham and carried unanimously.
Why it matters: County officials said the restructure is intended to streamline oversight of public health and behavioral-health services, improve contracting and position the counties to secure Medicaid and state funds. The agreement requires county legislative bodies to retain certain fiscal review powers and calls for annual public hearings on the behavioral-health plan.
“Under the agreement, the department now has responsibility to develop and oversee contracts for behavioral-health programs,” Jordan Mathis said in the meeting presentation, explaining changes to contracting language and the addition of advisory seats.
Next steps: The commission adopted a related resolution (Resolution #26-20) approving the agreement and the county will implement the governance changes and the director appointment as specified in the interlocal agreement.
