WILLMAR — Kandiyohi County, as the mental health authority for its residents, is required by the state to provide certain mental health services to those who need them. Helping the county meet these requirements is the Southwest Minnesota Adult Mental Health Consortium (also known as SW-18), one of 19 adult mental health initiatives in the state.
“The purpose of this effort and the consortium is to really look at what the mental health needs are of our clients in the community and how do we support and build supports for those communities,” said Kandiyohi County Social Services Director Collin Thorkelson.
Torkelson spoke about the SW-18 funding request at the Kandiyohi County Council meeting on June 4. In Kandiyohi County, the consortium is requesting $57,188 to put toward a new reserve fund. The request was approved unanimously by the County Council.
SW-18 is funded by a two-year block grant from the state, with a portion of that funding going to pay mental health service providers who provide care to underinsured and uninsured individuals.
In theory, funds from state grants should be available to reimburse these providers, but there is often a lag between when SW-18 receives its invoice and when state funds are available, and fluctuating numbers of clients and services provided make it very difficult to budget month-to-month.
“This creates cash flow issues for us,” Thorkelson said.
It’s an issue that SW-18 and other groups like it have been working on for years. Torkelson said the consortium has been pressuring DHS to solve the problem, and the new law requires DHS to come up with a plan at some point. But the consortium needs to solve it now.
“We can’t wait for Homeland Security to figure this out,” Thorkelson said, adding that PrimeWest Health has helped for the past two years but can no longer do so.
To cover any funding shortfalls, the Southwest Consortium is asking each of its 18 member counties to contribute to a new restricted reserve fund. The Consortium will pay its bills from this fund only if there is a shortfall in state funding. Once state funding arrives, the Consortium will repay the reserve fund. County contributions include a base fee of $15,000, plus increases based on population.
Torkelson said if the reserve fund is no longer needed, any money contributed to it will be returned to the county.
For the next funding cycle, 2025-2026, the consortium believes a reserve fund of $540,000 will be sufficient. The amount is based on the grant money SW-18 receives from the state in those years, which is set to double to $9.9 million.
“This is really good news,” Thorkelson said. “We’re going to be able to provide more services and meet more needs.”
