Sierra County staff told the Board of Supervisors that the county has finalized a mental health plan agreement with the California Department of Health Care Services and will become a managed care mental health plan, a change officials said will allow the county to draw down medical dollars for hospitalizations, residential treatment and other direct services.

"We will become the managed care mental health plan for our county, and it will allow us to draw down medical dollars to pay for hospitalizations for people for paying for direct service," Cheryl Prince McMillan, speaking for behavioral health, said during the meeting. She added the change will require the county to open services to Medicare and other insurances and that county staff expect operational challenges in the coming year.

Prince McMillan also reported on the county's summer day program: about 50 children were participating across sites in Downieville and Loyalton, and staff were resolving partner coordination issues. She said the planned "horses and humans" program was removed from the agenda because county counsel would not sign a release form acceptable to staff; the item will return when liability issues have been addressed.

The board took no separate formal vote on the DHCS item during the meeting; county staff said the DHCS agreement sailed through on the consent agenda and noted there is no local cost associated with the DHCS action itself.

County counsel later reported closed-session direction to staff on personnel matters relating to behavioral health performance evaluation; the board did not disclose further details in open session.