NEW ULM — Brown County commissioners will consider mental health client assistance contract programs during its meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Effective Feb. 1, 2023 through Dec. 31, 2023, the programs with Eunoia Family Resource Center (EFRC), Hoffmann Counseling and Horizon Homes have a clause to automatically renew after that unless a 30-day notice is provided by either party.

In 2019, Brown County initiated mental health client assistance contracts with four providers. It is the obligation of the county to provide mental health services to uninsured and underinsured clients.

Some specific services like medication management and ARMHS (adult rehabilitative mental health services) for ineligible clients, were only included in the contract with Southern Minnesota Behavioral Health.

With the downsizing of their agency 1Aand limiting who they see, Brown County reached out to other providers who are willing to provide services to the uninsured/underinsured if they already offer that service.

For EFRC, the new service added to their contract is psychiatric or certified nurse practitioner (CNP) assessment and prescription of medication to address mental illness symptoms.

For Hoffmann Counseling services, ARMHS and CTSS (children’s therapeutic support services) are being added. This is a medical assistance (MA) authorized service but the contract allows them to be paid to provide this service to uninsured/underinsured clients who meeting other eligibility criteria.

The Horizon Homes contract is new for the county client assistance program. They currently provide ARMHS for mental health adults on MA. This would allow them to provide this service to uninsured/underinsured individuals but otherwise qualify for the service.

Commissioners will also consider:

• Increasing Hermann and Heartland Express staff on call pay from $35 to $40 per day effective March 1, 2023. It has been some time since Heartland staff on call pay has been increased.

With the addition of Hermann Express, Heartland/Hermann management is on call 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays on a rotating basis between the manager, assistant manager and lead driver. This would be for about 44 Saturdays and Sundays a year.

On call staff is responsible for covering for a driver if they are sick or finding a replacement, making sure of a response to any emergency a driver may have with a passenger, or if the bus is involved in a crash.

On Sunday, on call staff is also responsible for listening to passenger voice mail for cancellations or a call from New Ulm Medical Center for a same day discharge.

• The board meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 in the courthouse commissioner’s room.