Geauga County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (GC-MHRS) - January 17, 2024
Meeting Details: GC-MHRS Board held its regular monthly meeting on January 17, 2024 at 6:00 pm at the Board offices located at 13244 Ravenna Rd., Chardon, OH 44024. This meeting was in person only with no recording available. No agenda was available in advance on the website or on social media, but the agenda is available through a request to Office Manager Teresa Slater by email at tslater@geauga.org.
Public Comment Policy: No formal policy, but in practice public comment is permitted at the end of the meeting.
Board Members Attending: Chair Steve Oluic; Secretary Jimmy Lee Holden; Treasurer Michael Petruziello; Board Members Ann Bagley, Reba Dykes, Kathy Johnson, Douglas Lundblad, Mary Ruth Shumway and Patricia Varanese. Vice Chair Alberta Chokshi, Marty Fay, Carolee Lesyk, and Greg O’Brien were absent.
Staff Members Attending: Executive Director Christine Lakomiak, Clinical and Compliance Manager Michelle Maneage, Finance Director Jim Mausser, and Secretary Theresa Slater.
Service Providers: Tia Lawrence, Torchlight, Melanie Blasko, Lake Geauga Recovery Center, Mary Wynne-Peaspanen, Signature Health, Kristine Frankenberry, Executive Director of NAMI Geauga, Vicky Clark, Ravenwood Health, Andrea Gutke, WomenSafe and possibly other providers who didn’t sign in.
Guests: Gail Roussey, LWVG Observer and Anastasia Nicholas, Chagrin Valley TImes reporter.
Call to Order, Roll Call, and Pledge of Allegiance occurred as listed on the agenda. The meeting was called to order at 6:01.
Minutes from the November 15, 2023 meeting were approved. Minutes are posted on the Board’s webpage here.
Chairman’s Report:
Mr. Oluic said he was happy with the direction of the Board, and was pleased with the expansion of TLC (Transitional Living Center).
Executive Director’s Report:
Ms. Lakomiak presented her report through a powerpoint presentation which was much appreciated by the Board. The key points of the presentation are summarized below. Observer Note: Commonly used abbreviations in this report include MHAS, which is the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (website here) TLC, which means Transitional Living Center and GC-MHRS Board, which in this report refers to the Geauga County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.
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LeeAnne Cornyn is the new Director at the Ohio MHAS (Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services), and she is conducting and/or attending meetings around the state to get input on needs. GC-MHRS Board is advocating for larger allocations. Ms. Lakomiak said that the current system with small grants is time consuming.
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There will be State training January 30-31. Chair Oluic and Director Lakomiak will attend this training, which will include ethics training and a Sunshine Law refresher.
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There is newly updated guidance on audits.
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Ms. Lakomiak stated that there is updated Q & A information about Non-Medical Cannabis. Observer Note: There is information available from the State of Ohio here.
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Transitional Living Center (TLC) - The new facility will add 7 beds for a new total of 14 beds. They have secured $1.1 million from the State of Ohio (with a $126,000 match from MHRB funds). They have received 3 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) responses for architect services.and will be interviewing those three architects.. The State MHAS has a deadline of January 26 for selecting an architect. Observer Note: It is not clear if Ms. Lakomiak has the authority to select an architect on her own as there is not another Board meeting before January 26.
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Medical Necessity Audits - These procedures will establish a reasonable method of determining medical necessity for use of public funds.
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Program Audits - Ms. Lakomiak also reported on the program audits that have been conducted and stated that there are still a few programs to complete. She stated that some audits resulted in paybacks if the services didn’t meet the criteria. She clarified this to say that the Agency had to make a payment back to GC-MHRS if there was an issue.
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Ms. Lakomiak stated that the following Quality Assurance Recommendations were made for Agency use:
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Add a copy of the patient’s ID to the case file
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Establish procedures for reversing claims with the Board
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Create chart notifications to ensure Treatment Plans do not expire
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Add additional documentation training for Peer Support Specialists
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Implement Program levels at TLC
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Restructuring TBS (Adult Therapeutic Behavioral Support and Community Psychiatric Supportive Treatment - TBS and CPST) Progress Notes to include prompts such as: Problem, Interpretation, and Client’s Response
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RFP (Requests for Proposals) for provider agencies will be sent out February 1st with a due date of March 22.
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Geauga Jail Treatment will be implementing a universal approach to reporting outcomes. Observer Note: Lake-Geauga Recovery Services has an outpatient treatment program that is available at the Geauga Jail.
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Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) - AOT is the practice of delivering outpatient treatment under court order for adults with severe mental illness who meet specific criteria, such as prior history of repeat hospitalizations or arrest. “Positive Pathways” is a tool for assisting those individuals most at risk for the negative consequences of not receiving treatment.
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Budget Total Funding - State and Federal $3,363,419 (49.6%); Local $3,415,652 (50.4%)
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Different fiscal years complicate budgeting. The Ohio MHAS fiscal year is July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 while the Local (County Commissioners) fiscal year is the calendar year.
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Finance Committee voted on a new financial report form summary to present to the Board which is simpler and should be easier to understand
Ms. Bagley asked a question about the Stepping Up Program. Ms. Lakomiak stated that she will have more information on that in her February report. She said that they have made progress on this and that there are now several dates in May set for the mapping. Mr. Oluic stated that if you sign up for updates through Ohio MHAS, they will send them to you. Observer Note: See more information about the Stepping Up Program here and here. The mapping program is a way of pulling together all the information regarding services available to those with mental health issues who enter the criminal justice system.
Committee Reports
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Finance Committee: Mr. Petruziello had no report but stated that, since about 50% of funding comes from Geauga County taxpayers, it is important to be fiscally responsible. He also mentioned the streamlined financial report that was approved by the Finance Committee.
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Opiate HUB Committee: It was reported that former GC-MHRS Board member and the designated representative to this Committee, Ms. Linda Miller, will be stepping down from participation in this Committee. It was not stated if someone else from the GC-MHRS will be taking over this role.
Board Review and Action Items
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Resolution 24-01-2 Crisis Stabilization and Hospital Inpatient - This discussion and Resolution involved a situation which could occur if an individual in crisis had no insurance. Ms. Lakomiak stated that she applied to the State for funds and was granted $20,000. In response to a question, Lakomiak said that the staff then would work with the individual to apply for Medicaid. Board approved this Resolution
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Resolution 24-01-3 - Psychiatric Hospital Transitional Support Funding - In this situation, a person was eligible to be released from a psychiatric hospital but had no place to go and no funds. Ms. Lakomiak applied for funds from the State and got $7,000. She said that the GC-MHRS Board is eligible for more funding if needed. She stated that it is not common to get this assistance.
The Board approved this Resolution.
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Financial Reports
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Mr. Mausser stated that to date they have expended 44.1% of State funding.
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Vouchers - November totals were $763,733; December totals were $149,399. Mr. Mauser stated that the December totals were low because the Auditor stops payments as of December 13 and doesn’t resume until mid January.
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Mr. Mauser again mentioned that the State Fiscal Year (SFY) begins on July 1. Through the County Calendar Year, the Board expended $6.98 million. The unencumbered funds with the auditor are under $2.53 million.
Old Business - None
New Business - None
Chair Oluic stated that he has never felt more comfortable being on this Board as in the past 4 months, when the Board accomplished many long-term goals.
Public Comments
Director of NAMI, Kristine Frankenberry, said that the Journey of Hope event will be held on Saturday, January 27 from 9am - noon at the Chardon United Methodist Church.
Executive Session - The Board entered Executive Session to discuss employment of a public employee. It was stated by Chair Oluic that there would be no formal action taken following the Executive Session.
This Observer left the building at this time. It appeared that most of the public and service providers left the meeting as well.
Board Minutes: Available at https://www.geauga.org/board-minutes/
Next meeting: The next meeting will be on February 21, 2024 at 6:00 pm.
More Information: https://www.geauga.org/
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: 1/21/2024
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