Call to Order and Roll Call
The 2nd meeting of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue was held on<Day> Thursday, July 23, 2015, at 10:00 AM, in Room 171 of the Capitol Annex. Representative Joni L. Jenkins, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Ralph Alvarado, Co-Chair; Representative Joni L. Jenkins, Co-Chair; Senators Julie Raque Adams, Carroll Gibson, and Morgan McGarvey; Representatives Donna Mayfield and Darryl T. Owens.
Guests: Ms. Adria Johnson, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Community Based Services (DCBS), Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS); Ms. Tina Willauer, Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) Director, DCBS, CHFS; Mr. Barry Salovitz, Senior Director of Strategic Consulting Services, Casey Family Programs; Dr. Ron Sonlyn Clark, Senior Director of Substance Abuse Programs, River Valley Behavioral Health; Ms. Velva Poole, START Supervisor; and Ms. Ronda Maddox, START Family Mentor.
LRC Staff: Cindy Murray, Jim Bondurant, and Benjamin Thompson.
Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START)
Ms. Johnson, Ms. Willauer, Mr. Salovitz, and Dr. Clark presented information on the START program.
In response to questions from Senator Gibson concerning court orders, Ms. Willauer noted that START intervenes before the judge makes a decision in court cases. Ms. Willauer confirmed that START is currently only in four counties, but stated that DCBS was still looking at ways to expand the program.
In response to a question from Chair Jenkins concerning the costs, Ms. Johnson noted that the cost of creating a new START site could be up to $750,000.
In response to questions from Representative Owens, Ms. Willauer noted that the START team in Jefferson County consists of four social workers and four family mentors. Ms. Willauer stated that for every family accepted into the START program, two families have to be turned away.
In response to a question from Chair Jenkins, Dr. Clark noted that the majority of the START population was from expanded Medicaid.
In response to questions from Senator Raque Adams, Ms. Willauer noted that there is no additional caseload to a START team’s fifteen caseload cap.
In response to questions from Senator Alvarado, Ms. Willauer confirmed that START has reached out to all providers, including faith-based, in order to meet as much need as possible. Ms. Johnson noted that DCBS is hoping to expand the START program to Fayette County next.
In response to a question from Chair Jenkins, Ms. Willauer confirmed that START is partnered with the Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) program.
There being no further business before the subcommittee, the meeting was adjourned at 11:18 AM.