Community Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County (CMH) will sell a building in Sturgis following a meeting of its board Tuesday evening. The board also discussed the organization’s financial standing and reopening plans, among other topics.
On June 15, Krysti Boughton, executive Director of St. Joseph Community Co-Operative, Inc. submitted a letter of interest to CMH Executive Director Kristine Kirsch, offering a price of $165,000. The CMH board approved Boughton’s offer for the building at 307 West Chicago Road, pending finalization of the offer and some terms and details by Kirsch.
According to the letter, the co-operative will pay all closing and inspection costs. The co-operative is a member owned organization that provides job training to its members, as well as in-home services such as chores and shopping to members and clients through its Hulda’s Household Helpers division. Those clients include individuals, but also agencies like CMH.
Board Member Cathi Abbs, who is also executive director of the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce, said another party also expressed interest in the building in February, but has not submitted an offer. Board Member Rick Shaffer said the building has been on the market for some time. Several board members at Tuesday’s meeting said a primary benefit would be that CMH will no longer have to be responsible for upkeep costs.
Tuesday’s vote requires Boughton to submit a formal offer within 30 days before the sale can proceed, and Kirsch and Boughton must verify whether the co-operative’s intended use is compatible with local restrictions. According to Boughton’s June 15 letter, the co-operative is negotiating to sell its current building, and tentatively expects to have a late July closing.
BOARD AWARDS CONTRACTS TO OVERSEE TRANSITIONS, CONTINUE SERVICES
The CMH board approved four contracts at Tuesday’s meeting, including one with former Finance Director Jill Brindley, who is retiring. Cameron Bullock has been promoted to fill the vacated position from his previous job as the organization’s compliance officer. CMH leadership has proposed to pay Brindley $150 per hour to periodically assist Bullock with the transition.
Kirsch said she wanted Brindley to be available for Bullock’s first year. Bullock said the figure is derived from researching what comparable consulting firms typically charge, typically between $1,200 and $2,400 per day. He took the low figure and divided it by an eight-hour day, then discussed it with the agency’s auditor, who said typically, a consultant would provide for their own expenses out of pocket.
Abbs suggested a cap on the total amount, saying that leaving it open-ended would be irresponsible. The board approved a contract for up to 10 hours per month for two months, with a maximum total of $3,000. It will consider extending the contract based on Bullock’s needs.
Also awarded at Tuesday’s meeting was a contract with Dr. Anish Desai, who has been a psychiatry specialist with CMH, and to Sparks Behavioral LLC. Dr. Desai recently moved to Chicago after finishing his residency and has offered to provide telehealth services at $165 per hour. Sparks provides Adult Applied Behavioral Analytics (ABA) therapy services. Kirsch said this treatment recently applied to one client at CMH. The service is on hold, but she expects to require it again. The firm charges $1,980 for assessment and $140 for treatment.
In addition to its contracts with those service providers, the board also approved a revenue contract with Mendon Community Schools. The contract would provide a therapist at $50 per hour for Mendon’s 2019-20 fiscal year and at $60 per hour for the 2020-21 fiscal year. The increase meets several cost increases that have occurred over the last few years. The total amount received in previous years has not reached the $63,000 cap that applies to the contract annually.
PAPERWORK AUDITS AND FINANCIALS IN GOOD ORDER
Jarrett Cupp, who has taken over Bullock’s position as the compliance officer, reported CMH has restarted claim auditing, which ensures the agency’s case paperwork is up to par. Auditors have found the agency to be in good standing. Bullock cited a few minor incidents, such as a document that was falsified by someone who didn’t bother to find the original, but said corrective action brought the agency back into full compliance.
Several board members praised Bullock, saying he had taken on a considerable amount of increased responsibility. Board Member Jan Bermingham said his promotion was “not just a raise, but a whole new position.”
Monthly financial reports showed an overall surplus of $430,900. Kirsch said the agency has not had a similar surplus in a long time. Revenues as of May 31 stood at $12,659,499, just slightly ahead of the budgeted projection of $12,245,866 for that date, which matches the projected expenditures figure for the same date. Actual expenditures stood at $11,900,777.
Kirsch mentioned a board policy that requires her to present a quarterly investment report, and that she had not done so, but will remedy that. The bank statement for CMH’s investment accounts included with the board packet showed some gains in revenue. An account at Century Bank started in 2019 shows a net gain over the past year of $7,083.16.
REOPENING UNDERWAY; MANAGEMENT FOCUSED ON PLANNING
Kirsch discussed the status of reopening from the COVID-19 shutdown, describing how staff have adjusted services to working with clients online. The agency is still in the first phase of its reopening plan, and staff expect to remain at that stage for some time based on spiking case numbers.
Under the current phase, some staff are still working remotely, and onsite staff are prioritizing one-on-one appointments with brand new clients or those just out of the hospital. Kirsch emphasized the importance of being able to provide services again, saying that with the shutdown, “clients are starting to get weary.”
CMH Employee Kristy Barkley said the job training program at the popcorn stand in Three Rivers’ Scidmore Park is currently on hold because an employee was exposed to COVID-19. Barkley said she will wait a week and evaluate how to proceed at that time.
Meanwhile, CMH staff are working on an Emergency Preparedness Plan. That plan briefly included a COVID-19 response plan, which has since been transferred to a separate document that goes into greater depth.
Staff are also working on an accessibility plan which ensures services and facilities that are as functional and accessible to clients as possible, both in general and amidst the logistical challenges of the pandemic crisis. The plan includes physical changes to CMHS’s facilities and grounds, but it also includes adjustments to services to reduce stigma, assist underserved populations, ensure staff feel safe in volatile situations, and help clients to feel like services are happening within their communities.
This story has been edited since it was first published. We previously reported that Cameron Bullock reported on CMH’s claim auditing at Tuesday’s meeting. However, Jarrett Cupp gave that report to the board. That paragraph has been updated with the correction.
Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
