McLean County’s Behavioral Health Coordinating Council [BHCC] — which advises the County Board on behavioral health needs and the spending of dollars reserved for mental health and public safety — has been going through a “reset” to provide a group structure and formal bylaws.
County board chair Catherine Metsker announced her plans for restructuring in March, when the BHCC met last, adding the group would not meet until significant work had been done. Since the advisory group meets quarterly, Metsker said her personal goal was to have that work completed ahead of the next meeting, which would have been on Friday — but that’s not how it played out.
“We had every intention of meeting that June date to have another BHCC meeting,” she said. “However, we have had a few minor hiccups.”
As a result, the meeting is canceled, and the next one is scheduled for September.
Cause for delays
Metsker pointed out the county has been delayed in its attempts to find strategic initiatives — developed from the Mental Health Action Plan — and how to measure their success.
“We want them to have data-driven [metrics, but], we need to know, what are we going to measure?” she said.
Another setback occurred at Monday’s county board executive committee meeting when an ordinance that included measures to make the BHCC a permanent advisory committee to the county board, with notes on required membership and duties, was pulled from the agenda at the last minute.
Metsker told WGLT this was so the county can get input from the City of Bloomington and the Town of Normal, since the shared sales tax revenue from the municipalities is what funds the Mental Health and Public Safety Fund.
“We obviously meet with our partners, and when those partners review things, sometimes we have to take a step back, and that's what happened yesterday: we took a step back because we have to have our partners understand,” Metsker said.
Since the county board only meets monthly, Metsker said July is the earliest the ordinance can be presented to the executive committee again, adding bylaws cannot be completed or approved before the ordinance — or some variation of it — is approved.
The ordinance
If the ordinance moves forward as is, it would be the first time the BHCC’s structure and function are made binding. It also would change the historical procedures of the group.
While the BHCC would maintain a similar membership and meet quarterly, it would no longer advise the county board on spending. Instead, budgeting and allocation powers would be given to a new group — the Mental Health and Public Safety Fund Joint Advisory Council [FAC].
County administrator Cassy Taylor described the proposed council as a subset of the larger BHCC, and said it would have seven members. The county, Bloomington and Normal will each have its BHCC representatives serve on the advisory council, as well as two additional nominated area experts and two Criminal Justice Coordinating Council [CJCC] members.
Taylor said the CJCC members would be the only committee members not on the BHCC, but a necessary addition since the fund “covers more than just behavioral health” needs of the county. It also goes toward the justice system, which is under the public safety arm of the fund.
Metsker explained the new structure would start "allowing the BHCC team to focus on where their expertise is, and that's... in the work that's being done locally, and looking regionally as well as nationally, to improve the mental health services within our county."
The advisory council would meet once per year.
Metsker said by the time the July county board meeting rolls around, she is hopeful Bloomington and Normal will have provided feedback on the ordinance so the county board can vote on it, adding she “feels confident” the strategic work also will be “well underway” by then.
“We know that there are… mental health needs are that are critical in our community that we need to begin to address, and we do not want to be delaying the ability to help fund those,” she said.
Director of Behavioral Health Coordination
While all this happens, McLean County is still searching for its permanent director of behavioral health doordination. Kevin McCall, who held the role for about two years, left the position in April. Marita Landreth, who had recently been appointed to assistant director of behavioral health coordination, has been acting as interim director.
Landreth has been ensuring current grants and initiatives are operating smoothly during the restructuring because although no new initiatives are to come from the BHCC, previously approved contracts and operations have continued.
Taylor said interviews are underway for the director role and she expects the county will make its selection by the end of the month. She added the absence of a permanent director has not impacted the restructuring, but having the position filled will be a plus.
“If we have our department fully staffed, especially at a department-head level that makes the process much easier,” she said.
