The Wayne County Health Department has finalized agreements with two community partners to provide key Health First Indiana services.
The Wayne County Board of Health approved agreements with Centerstone of Indiana and with Reid Health during its Feb. 11 meeting, and Wayne County’s commissioners provided their approval Feb. 12. Both agreements use the health department’s HFI funding.
The department will provide $150,000 this year for Centerstone to operate a Stride Crisis Center for mental health and crisis services. The center, which also has a mobile unit, had an open house Feb. 13 at 816 Dillon Drive in Richmond.
The required crisis receiving and stabilization services include crisis intervention, harm reduction education and services, triage and therapy services, short-term case management, training and outreach for staff and community partners, translation, and transportation to mitigate crisis.
In addition, Reid Health proposed additions to the contract initiated last year that expand services. The additions cost an extra $96,702.52 from the health department’s HFI budget. The contract had been for $260,389.
The Wayne County Board of Health approved the expansion during a Feb. 11 meeting, then Wayne County’s commissioners provided their approval Feb. 12.
Reid’s efforts address four core HFI services: tobacco prevention and cessation, chronic disease prevention, trauma and injury prevention, and maternal and child health.
The expansion would add a third community health worker and provide about 7.5 hours per week from a lactation and perinatal education consultant. It would also provide raises for existing positions and equipment, such as computers and cell phones.
The health board and commissioners also approved a contract with Nelco Advisory to provide 340B program consulting. Nelco will provide an annual audit and five hours each month of consulting services for about $42,000 per year.
The contract is good for three years and automatically renews unless the health department opts to end it. The 340B program allows the purchase of discounted outpatient drugs from pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Physicals
The health department will offer Department of Transportation physicals and school sports physicals.
The health board and commissioners approved charging $125 for DOT physicals and $25 for sports physicals. Burk said those are in line with charges by other providers.
Poshia Slusher, the department’s family nurse practitioner, is certified to give the DOT physicals.
“I think it will be a good service for the community,” said Dr. Paul Rider, the board’s chair.
Other issues
- The board voted for Rider and Sabrina Pennington to continue as chair and vice chair for 2025.
- Curtis Wright, superintendent of Richmond Community Schools, has resigned from the board. “I thank him for what he added to the board,” Rider said.
- Restaurant inspectors Craig Markley and Jason Howard became the first in Indiana to be standardized through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code.
- Board members will receive a pay increase during 2025. The chair will receive $1,600 and board members will receive $1,300
A version of this article appeared in the February 19 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.