Lancaster County approves nearly $5 million in behavioral health contract renewals

The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners on July 22 approved renewal agreements for Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (BHDS) that together total $4,991,063.57 for the period July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Commissioner Alice Yoder moved the approvals and Commissioner Joshua G. Parsons seconded; the motion passed with Commissioner D’Agostino recorded as absent and both Parsons and Yoder voting yes.

The board approved the following renewals: Living Complete Technologies, Inc., for electronic health record software maintenance and support, $266,902.57 (an 11.54% increase); Keystone Service Systems, Inc., for community residential rehabilitation, $2,751,359.00 (a 5.11% increase); WellSpan Philhaven for psychiatric outpatient and emergency services (including a First Episode Psychosis program), $1,601,622.00 (a 0.43% increase); and PeerStar, LLC, for crisis peer support in conjunction with the county’s Crisis Intervention team, $371,180.00 (an 11.8% increase). The renewals are funded primarily by the Human Services Block; WellSpan Philhaven is additionally funded by the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant and a federal First Episode Psychosis Grant, and PeerStar is funded in part by Health Choices Reinvestment Funds.

The contracts cover a range of services county officials described in the agenda packet, from software support that underpins BHDS’s electronic recordkeeping to staffed residential settings and crisis response supports. No amendments or alternative funding sources were recorded in the minutes; the board recorded the funding sources tied to each contract in the agenda notes.