Executive Director's Comments - Finance Committee Board Meeting 4/18

• The state is still holding the $4M in escrow that they held from LRE Capitation. The LRE's attorney is still seeking to confirm what the state’s intent is whether to hold or return the $4M. If the state does hold the funds the LRE will likely file a lawsuit.
• I mentioned previously that CMS is doing an audit of 5/10 PIHPs and LRE is one of them. We have received additional data requests from us and LRE have fulfilled those requests. The consultant whom CMS is working with is CoventBridge and they are reviewing the Medicaid program for program integrity and efficacy.
• I received an email from one of the CMH CEOs yesterday, who came across communication that leaked news that “CCBHC was on the chopping block in the White House's budget.” In reading the article, the White House is creating a new division within DHHS called Administration for a Healthy America. The article stated that CCBHC was under the heading of “Other Eliminations”. However, follow up emails from the group stated that there was correspondence from the National Council that this was the IA grant from SAMHSA and not the CCBHC demonstration. We will be keeping an eye on this one.
• Samaritas Update: Two homes (Hansens and Horton) will be fully transitioned in May and the Duecy home is next in line to transition to MOKA.
• Last month I reported that Rep. Greg VanWoerkom's office contacted us regarding our CSU white paper; we did end up meeting with his team. We have compiled more data, including operational costs, from Network 180 and copies of their various agreements with Trinity Health. This information will be provided to Rep. VanWoerkom’s office. We also have a meeting set up with Trinity Health to continue discussing on how this partnership will be operationalized. Later we are meeting with Carrie Mull, key personnel, and Trinity Health lobbyists on May 28th. 
• Internally at CMH we continue to work on finding efficiencies in the work that we do through various KATA projects. There are a number of KATA projects ongoing related to CCBHC, Homebased, IMH, Autism, etc. Supervisors and managers are slowly getting comfortable asking for reports and really knowing where they stand in terms of outcomes.

Want to Know More?

Curious about what’s happening at HealthWest and across the CMH landscape? Want your voice to be heard and have a say in the conversation? Join us at our board meetings—either in person or via Zoom! You can find the meeting schedule and Zoom link on our website.

New Computer Security Program

During our last all staff meeting, Mike Kimble mentioned that HealthWest will start deploying a new computer security program called Cisco Endpoint Security. This is what will get you onto the VPN. To assist in installing the new system and uninstalling the old Cylance program, IT is asking all staff to power on their computer at least once each day and then shut down or reboot their computer at the end of the day. All staff computers should have the new program installed on their computer by the end of next week. The new Cisco Secure Endpoint will create a new tile in your Cisco Secure Client program.

How to Zoom

The IT Department will be providing an optional in person training for staff who would like an overview of setting up Zoom meetings in the conference rooms.

This training is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30 3 PM to 4 PM in MHC Board Room B.

Topics covered will include:

• Starting a Scheduled Meeting
• Starting an Instant Meeting
• Joining a Meeting
• Share Screen Function
• Inviting When in a Meeting
• Meeting Controls

Please reach out to Charlie Chea if you have any questions or if there is anything else you would like to be covered during the training.

Additionally, feel free to let him know if there are any other IT related trainings you think would be helpful for us to go over in a similar way in the future.

Protect Zoom Sessions From AI Bots

AI Bots are third-party services that offer AI based note-taking services. HealthWest does not have any contract terms with these services and could end up resulting in a HIPPA violation. Learn how to protect your Zoom sessions from bots.

iPhone How-To & Troubleshooting Guide

The IT Department has created a troubleshooting guide containing instructions to resolve common iPhone issues that have been reported.

The guide covers the following:  

• How to Restart Your iPhone
• How to Update Your iPhone
• How to Use Airplane Mode
• How to Enable WiFi Calling
• How to Force Quit an App 
• How to Reset Network Settings

Each section has a brief introduction that explains what issues can be remedied by following those listed instructions.

Reach out to Charlie Chea if you have any questions.

Policy Update

Policy 02-026 Credentialing and Re-Credentialing Requirements of HealthWest Employees has been updated and posted on The Compass.

HCBS Case Manager/Supports Coordinator Training Updates

The Home and Community Based Services training was launched in March 2025 and is required by the LRE.

The HCBS Training is a required training for all case managers and support coordinators who are involved in writing Individual Plan of Services. All modules must be completed in chronological order.

If you haven't registered for Module 3 yet, there is still time:

• April 29th: 1 pm
• April 30th: 1 pm
• May 1st: 9 am

Once all three modules are completed, a Certificate of Completion will be sent to each CM/SC and to HealthWest. All modules should be completed by May 16, 2025. 

Coming Soon: FunD Raffle

The FunD Committee will soon be hosting an "abbreviated raffle" with items that will get you and your family ready for summer fun! The winners will be drawn at the end of next month with all proceeds to support the FunD committee.

The FunD raffle is hosted annually as one of the main fundraisers for FunD. It is made up of a list of prizes up for raffle. Each item has a set number of available spots in the drawing of that item and donation price per spot. Once the list is open you can reserve space(s) for the items you are interested in winning and make the donation to finalize your spot in the drawing. Keep an eye on The Compass and future newsletters for updates!

Medicaid and grant funding don't allow HealthWest the flexibility to invest in our staff the way we want to. That’s where the FunD Committee comes in! The FunD Committee is funded by staff to reinvest in staff and the community. The committee coordinates fun activities that raise money that often goes right back to support staff via giveaways, food and events.

"HealthWest Way" Training Added to Relias

Many of you have noticed that a new training was added recently to Relias called "HealthWest Way." This three-day-consecutive (three days in a row) training, which is required for all HealthWest staff, will focus on improving our service delivery and overall customer service.

The HealthWest Way is based off of The Disney Way's customer-centric culture. Bill Capodagli, president of Capodagli Jackson Consulting, will be the consultant and facilitator during this training. Bill has over 30 years of international management and consulting experience and has assisted organizations of all sizes successfully implement a culture based on Walt Disney's original success principles - Dream, Believe, Dare, Do.

This is a three-day-consecutive training and we wanted to add it to Relias as early as possible to give staff an opportunity to register and ensure your calendars are clear.

If you have already registered, but did not sign up for three consecutive days, someone from the training department will be reaching out to you soon.

Stay tuned for more info or reach out to the Training Team if you have any questions.

Coming Up Soon! Knowledge Bites: Elder Care

This presentation by Life Circles aims to prepare HealthWest staff to meet the increasing demand for high-quality care for aging populations. It focuses on equipping us with the necessary skills and understanding to address the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of elderly patients.

Sign up in Relias today!

United Way Campaign Results

Muskegon County has completed this year's United Way Campaign; and what a successful campaign it was! The County as a whole raised $62,128.72 - 95.6% of their goal of $65,000. HealthWest, as part of the County, raised $13,605.60 - 97.2% of our goal. We even surpassed last year by $843.60!

Due to the County of Muskegon's strong fundraising efforts, we'll be receiving the Hero's Celebration Award! Thank you everyone who helped out this year!

The campaign chair for the whole County was HealthWest CIO Kristi Chittenden! She brought many new ideas to the table; for example, if new donors donate $52 or more per year, they were eligible to win $100. The winner of the $100 was HealthWest's Laurie Johnson!

April's Supported Employment Spotlight

Georgette Wells is a shining light in the world of Supported Employment.

Georgette has grown exponentially since coming to HealthWest. For 20 years, Georgette’s mental health struggle dictated her life. She didn’t work, stayed at home and watched her healthcare career disappear. For years she’d been a phlebotomist and CNA. Her patients loved her bubbly and caring personality, but it all seemed to have slipped away.

With a lot of practice, push and perseverance, Georgette chose to set her fear and anxiety aside. “I love taking care of people,” she told her Supported Employment worker, Laura. Since going back to work, Georgette has flourished in assisted living facilities and home health care. This month, she was named Employee of the Month by her employer, Corsocare. She was even featured on its LinkedIn page:

“Georgette 'GiGi' is always checking in to see if she can cover any additional call offs, new clients or staff needing time off in the Muskegon area. Even when she has worked a full day she will not hesitate to cover last-minute needs. Her dedication is greatly appreciated by both my team and our clients.”

Georgette is proof that a successful career can be reignited with a spark of determination. She’s been working now, for over a year. Her next goal: CNA school!

Addressing trauma is now the expectation, not the exception, in community agencies. It is equally vital that we understand and build resilience in conjunction with understanding the impact of trauma. The combination of an individual’s experience of trauma and resilience impacts every area of human functioning— physical, mental, behavioral, social and spiritual. Health service professionals and community providers are expected to view the people they serve through a trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, equity-focused lens and to competently intervene in this area. The good news is that trauma is treatable, and organizations can become trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, and equity-focused to best meet the needs of the people they serve. This training teaches participants about trauma, its prevalence and impact, including the latest information on trauma and the brain. This training explores the connection between behavior and trauma and identifies trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, equity-focused ways to intervene with all those we serve. Participants learn what being trauma-informed looks like and key strategies for implementing this approach as well as highlighting the connection between self-care and compassion fatigue.

MAY 8

My name is Jeffrey Greenberg, PhD, and I am the director of SAMHSA’s Eating Disorder Center of Excellence (ED-CoE). The purpose of the ED-CoE is to develop and disseminate training and technical assistance (TTA) for healthcare professionals and greater eating disorder communities on prevention, treatment, and awareness. We are excited to be hosting our first webinar tailored specifically for primary care professionals and Certified Community Based Health Centers (CCBHC), a SAMHSA funded initiative. The information about this webinar is below:

Title: Early Identification and Management of Eating Disorders in the Primary Care Setting

Description: This webinar aims to enhance the eating disorder knowledge and skills of primary care audiences and those embedded in primary care settings. It will provide tactical and actionable recommendations to incorporate eating disorder identification and treatment best practices, focusing on dispelling myths, identifying signs and symptoms of eating disorders in current patients, and understanding how to screen and refer to specialty care.

Date: Tuesday, May 13th, 2025 from 1-2 PM EST

Platform: Zoom

Register: https://forms.office.com/r/bRwZ2biMhY