AmeriHealth changes may eliminate case management services in county

March 23--OSKALOOSA -- The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors had a short meeting Monday, March 20, hearing several reports on pressing county issues but taking little action on any items.

The meeting came to an end after about 45 minutes when the three supervisors went into closed session with an outside attorney to discuss the proposed regional airport project. The closed session reportedly lasted more than an hour, however no information from the session was available for the public, said Supervisor Willie Van Weelden.

The supervisors opened the meeting by hearing a lengthy report from Heather Gross, the Mahaska County coordinator of disability services and targeted case management supervisor, who provided an update on possible changes to the county's managed care services.

Gross said the county's insurance provider for a variety of disabled residents--AmeriHealth--had made a decision to take its case management services internal, as opposed to having case management services provided locally by counselors in individual counties like Mahaska.

Currently, Mahaska County has four case management workers--three who work full-time and one who works part-time--Gross told the supervisors. All four could potentially lose their jobs under the changes being implemented by AmeriHealth, she added. Additionally, the changes mean local patients will likely no longer have familiar care providers they have worked with for years.

"At some point, I believe we will not be providing case management here locally like we have four 20 years," Gross said. "My concern is our individuals, and to some degree, the case managers."

Gross said after the meeting that case managers offer important services to more than 80 Mahaska County residents, including those with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, health disabilities and who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. These patients often are able to live on their own, but need assistance with a variety of personal life tasks and activities, she said.

The locally-based case managers provide help to these individuals, and many of them have known their patients for several years or longer. This familiarity with the local patients is helpful to their care, Gross said, and many of the patients are upset about the possible changes.

Gross told the supervisors that AmeriHealth has tentatively set a start date of April 1 for internalizing the case management program, and she believes the process will be completed in the summer with full dissolution by fall of 2017.

"There are a lot of potential solutions with no answers," she said.

In other action, the supervisors received a report on the new environmental learning center from David Sedivec, director of the Mahaska County Conservation Board.

Sedivec said bid letting for the construction work on the environmental learning center is set for June 6, and the staff is working hard to keep the project exactly on track for the $3 million price tag initially set for the center.

"We are doing everything we can to keep this at or below budget," he said. "It's kind of exciting, things are moving forward out there."

The Board of Supervisors also heard from several other people during the meeting:

--Mahaska County Sheriff Russell Van Renterghem told the supervisors he is working on hiring an additional deputy, and also said the sheriff's office would begin 24-hour patrolling effective April 1.

--County Engineer David Shanahan's employment contract ends in June, and the Board of Supervisors refused to discuss renewing Shanahan's contract until a work performance evaluation is conducted. The evaluation is tentatively schedule for the April 3Board of Supervisors' meeting. Shanahan asked the supervisors to conduct the performance in a closed session, which the board agree to.

--Supervisor Mark Doland reported that he had recently attended a board meeting for the Oskaloosa Area Chamber and Development Group, and that the organization was in a state of uncertainty. Doland said he believes the OACDG may undergo "re-organization or re-structuring" in the future.

-- Jeff Forward is the editor of the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at 641-672-2581, ext. 425, or via email at: regionaleditor@oskyherald.com. He is also on Twitter: @OskyHeraldEditr.

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