Cook County Health Board Meeting

Cook County Health Board Meeting
June 28, 2024

Challenge of Monitoring 53 Separate Behavioral Health Grant Awardees

• Grants of either $500,000 or $1 Million of ARPA funds under the Stronger Together Behavioral Health initiative have been awarded to 53 different community-based organization  The purpose of the grants is to address behavioral health inequities across the region’s system of care through increased systems alignment, enhanced system quality, and the expansion of access to early intervention and prevention, treatment, support, recovery and crisis assessment and care.  Grant awards were made  to those communities in greatest need and will begin  September 2024. Commissioners were concerned with how the Department would accomplish gathering granular data, given the diversity of grantee organizations to be able to measure effectiveness. The Department recognizes  the challenge and is working on and dedicated to setting measurable and quantifiable goals and objectives. 
• The Commissioners also engaged in a discussion on the use of the term  “mental health” vs. “behavioral health” indicating that each may create stigma. The Department indicated that both terms are in use but are dependent on circumstances and level of comfort with who they are addressing at any time. Commissioners requested an update on goals and objectives in six months.

Report from Chairman of Board:  

• Chair Taylor asked for a moment of silence in recognition of the passing of Commissioner Dennis Deer and announced that there would be a formal recognition of his contributions with Commissioner Deer’s family present at the next scheduled Board meeting on July 26, 2024.  There were Commissioners who chose to reflect on their friendship with Commissioner Deer at this meeting as well.

Finance Committee Report: 

• A total of thirty-four contracts received approval from the Finance Committee on June 14th and subsequently received approval by the Board. Six had no fiscal impact, two were ARPA funded and two were grant funded. Of the remaining contracts, ten exceeded $1 million with the majority of those between $1 and $3.6 million except for a three-year contract for 3rd Party Administration of dental and vision benefits awarded to Avesis for $9.9 million; and a 2-1/2 year contract for telephone triage and referral services for mental health and substance abuse awarded to NAMI of Chicago for $7.9 million.   
• Questions were raised by Board regarding an amendment and increase to the contract with In His Hands Resource Center for $46,150 (ARPA funded) as to impact on homeless families with children and a request made to drill down to all levels of need - singles, families with children under 12, bi-lingual, etc. and further, how this service would be funded after ARPA funds are exhausted.

Quality and Patient Safety and Audit and Compliance Committees:  

• Due to a lack of a quorum, the Quality and Patient Safety meeting was cancelled. The Committee submitted reports for informational purposes and later consideration.
• Although the Audit and Compliance Committee had rescheduled its meeting to the hour before today’s Board Meeting, it went into a closed meeting and never reconvened into an open session. 

Report from Interim Chief Executive Officer:

• In addition to the Behavioral Health Grant awards, Dr. Mikaitis reported successful audits including a Joint Commission survey, and  an IDPH compliance audit for a sickle cell grant. Cermak developed a comprehensive resource guide for individuals leaving Cook County Jail. CCDPH continues to participate in the 100-day challenge to end homelessness in Suburban Cook County.

Informational Reports:  

1. Human Resources Committee Metrics: Second quarter vacancies at 1,821 with 1,435 at various stages of fulfillment from posting of position to offers made. Separations and retirements trending down, and one-third of  ARPA funded positions filled with permanent staff. The accelerated Nursing hire between August 2023 and May 31, 2024,  had 564 offers made with three hundred accepted and twenty-eight pending for a 57% acceptance rate. There were declines from applicants who had applied for multiple positions and could only accept one.
2. Managed Care Committee Metrics: County Care had 429,217 members as of June 5, 2024, and 33.7% of the managed Medicaid Market in Cook County. CountyCare’s enrollment increased 1.3% in March in part due to an 83.7% retention rate over projections. Retention through redeterminations has been helped by the presence of DHS staff at dedicated redetermination events hosted by County Care. 

​Observer - Peg Moster