Health & Human Services Board - Regular Meeting — Minutes

Chippewa County Health & Human Services Board Regular Meeting September 17, 2026 Chippewa County Courthouse, Room 302 8:00 AM 1. Call to Order The Chair called the meeting to order at 08:00 AM 2. Roll Call Members Present: Kari Ives, James Ericksen, Pam Guthman, Dennis Bachman, John Halbleib, Marcia Kyes Members Absent: Lee Hennick, Sandy Frohling, MD, Robert Bullwinkel, MD Others Present: County Administrator Andy Albarado; Human Services Staff: Bobbie Jaeger, Sarah Zielke; Public Health Staff: Brittnay Herrick, Sarah McQuillan, Audra Knowlton, Amy Ralph, Nikki Hoernke, and Mindy Bremness. 3. Members of the Public Wishing to Be Heard (Comments will be limited to 5 minutes per speaker.) There were no members of the public wishing to be heard. 4. Consent Agenda (Unless separation of an item is requested, all items will be adopted under one motion.) Under the Consent Agenda, Chair Ives asked to move the Public Health Director's Program and Financial Report to the first item under Reports to accommodate Public Health Director Brittnay Herrick's call with the State Health Department. Motion: Approved as Amended Result: Passed (6 - 0) Mover: John Halbleib Seconder: Pam Guthman Ayes: Kari Ives, James Ericksen, Pam Guthman, Dennis Bachman, John Halbleib, Marcia Kyes Nayes: None Absent: Lee Hennick, Sandy Frohling, MD, Robert Bullwinkel, MD 1. Approve the Agenda 2. Approve the Minutes - August 20, 2026 3. Schedule Next Meeting Date - October 15, 20206 5. Reports 1. Public Health Policy, Practice, and Program Success — Nutrition Division - Amy Ralph/April Krumenauer Public Health Nutritionist Amy Ralph presented information on the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program. Ralph oversees the program. She reviewed the core program components and services offered, counselor availability, the program’s goal, benefit statistics for Chippewa County and the State, and breastfeeding information provided and support. April Krumenauer has been the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for 12 years. In 2025, she had 391 total contacts with 185 unduplicated women. She currently has a caseload of 93 families. Ralph shared responses from the six-month postpartum survey. In Krumenauer’s absence, Ralph shared a text message from one of her clients, Makala. Through encouragement and communication with Krumenauer, Makala was able to successfully pump once she returned to work, and she became less stressed about continuing to provide breastmilk and not just formula to her baby. Pictures of Makala’s daughter, Lennon, were shared. Ralph also read a letter written by Krumenauer sharing how the WIC staff and her support and encouragement contributed to Makala's success in breastfeeding. Makala is appreciative of the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program. 2. Public Health Director’s Program and Financial Report – Sarah McQuillan Public Health Director Brittnay Herrick presented the Public Health Program and Financial Report. Herrick highlighted several items from the report: Administration: Staff attended National Night Out. Community Health: Think Outside the Stigma Campaign is underway, and Herrick shared the locations of the billboards throughout the county. Enteric disease outbreaks continue to increase. Environmental Health: Wrapping up summer festivals, continuing to inspect facilities and new businesses, the water lab continues to be busy, and they are preparing for the annual DATCP and DSPS agent review. Nutrition: On September 1, the US House passed a continuing resolution to extend funding through December 11, 2026. Herrick gave a communicable disease update; Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks had a 100 percent issuance for the first time; and 407 sets of WIC Farm Fresh Produce Program vouchers were distributed. Planning and Strategy: Completed 100 percent of documentation for PHAB Reaccreditation. Kudos to Nikki Hoernke and her team for all their hard work, especially Tori Lammar. Congratulations to staff celebrating years of service. Nikki Hoernke reviewed the children with special health care needs dashboard. She shared data for the Single Point of Entry and the Children’s Resource Center. It was recommended to track outcomes of the families who enroll in services after referrals are received. Measles outbreaks are continuing to grow across the state. Chippewa County has a probable case. Public Health is looking to open its Incident Command System on a smaller scale to start contact tracing. They have been administering measles vaccinations within the county. Herrick has been working closely with the State. Discussion was held on measles, the wastewater dashboard, and complications of measles that lead to hospitalization. Herrick added that sharing of measles vaccine has been occurring between counties, and staff may help other counties vaccinate as needed. 3. Chippewa County Community Health Assessment Update - Nikki Hoernke Planning and Strategy Division Manager Nikki Hoernke gave an update on the Chippewa County Community Health Assessment (CHA) survey. They partner with health care systems and counties to complete the Community Health Assessment. She encourages all community members to complete the survey and to help promote it. The survey closes October 31. Once the survey results are compiled, community conversations will be held to collect secondary data. They are working with partners to conduct outreach to ensure the CHA survey reaches all populations throughout the community. The Housing Authority was recommended as a partner. 4. Human Services Director’s Program and Financial Report – Bobbie Jaeger Human Services Director Bobbie Jaeger presented the Human Services Program and Financial Report. Jaeger highlighted several items from her report: DHS has an online survey if you are interested in submitting ideas to allocate opioid settlement dollars. September 8 was 988 Day, spreading awareness of the suicide and crisis lifeline. Behavior Health PAC is providing input on diagnoses to be included in the list for medically frail exemption of the Medicaid work requirement; the Winnebago rate will increase by 10 percent. Child Welfare PAC - The University of Wisconsin is conducting a research study on initial assessments, and the findings should be ready in Spring 2027. On August 25, Wisconsin lawmakers voted to audit the state’s FoodShare program, the first time since 2012. Long Term Care PAC - Adult Protective Services intake and screening process is being created at the state level, and they are working to create a Medicaid presumptive eligibility policy. Patty Lemay was recognized for 32 years of service. ADRC- Part-time administrative assistant position is open, gearing up for the Medicare open enrollment period, and conducting outreach for more foster parents. Youth Justice - Kerry Krista was nominated and will be receiving the WJCIA Frank Chrisafi Recognition Award for her service in Youth Justice. Congratulations! Economic Support - Recruiting for three Economic Support Specialists. The dashboard has been updated to show more month-to-month and year-to-year data. Jaeger highlighted the breakdown of crisis response under Mental Wellness & Recovery and the Fiscal Report. The department received a couple of large insurance reimbursements, which will help with out-of- home placement costs. 6. Business Items 7. Agenda Items for Future Consideration 8. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at: 09:09 AM Result: Passed (6 - 0) Mover: James Ericksen Seconder: Marcia Kyes Ayes: Kari Ives, James Ericksen, Pam Guthman, Dennis Bachman, John Halbleib, Marcia Kyes Absent: Lee Hennick, Sandy Frohling, MD, Robert Bullwinkel, MD