What opportunity did Madison County see?
As stewards of a roughly $4 million budget aimed at improving the mental health of Madison County residents, the Mental Health Department (MCMHD) has a keen need to maximize use of state dollars, ensure compliance with funding requirements, and demonstrate program results. The Department saw an opportunity to bring in fiscal support on a contract basis, thus gaining specialized expertise and eliminating the need for a full-time employee. MCMHD hired CCSI to help manage state aid reporting, monitoring, contracting, and performance review, thus increasing their effectiveness and reducing the risk of disallowances or other penalties associated with not managing funds correctly.
How did CCSI approach the work?
Understanding the details of managing state funding can take years for a fiscal officer to master. CCSI’s Jim Monfort, Sr. Consultant, Manager of Financial Services, is someone with just that experience and expertise. Jim worked with MCMHD Director of Community Services Teisha Cook to review contracts with mental health service providers, establish funding priorities, and manage grant funding. Jim also worked with account clerks at MCMHD’s mental health clinic to project productivity and revenue as well as reimbursements and expenses. Jim functions as a member of the staff, working side-by-side with MCMHD employees to provide a seamless fiscal support experience.
What were the impacts of CCSI’s work?
CCSI has brought not only specialized fiscal support to MCMHD, but also a wealth of connections and insights that improve delivery of mental health services in Madison County. From planning and budgeting to back-office support on topics like value-based payments, MCMHD can now access all the expertise of CCSI to share best practices and increase effectiveness. Among other improvements, CCSI’s involvement in all aspects of budgeting, grant management, forecasting, and reporting has helped MCMHD’s clinic reduce intake waits for psychiatric patients from 400 days to 40 days.
What were Madison County’s insights?
“Jim has educated me about the flow of funding through the county to service agencies,” says Ms. Cook. “He’s taught me how to monitor contracts and have good oversight of our spending. That’s been really valuable to me as a newer director coming from a clinical rather than a financial background.” One of the greatest benefits to working with Jim has been his impact on the culture as a whole: “Jim has really helped with talking to our clinic staff about productivity and finance in a way that’s understandable to people,” says Ms. Cook. “Jim has showed us how everything works together to improve delivery of mental health services in our community.”