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Home My WebLink AboutBHAC Mtg Minutes Dec 9-2025_Draft Behavioral Health Advisory Committee (BHAC) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES FOR: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 BHAC Members: Heather Dudley-Nollette (Commissioner District 1, Chair), present Neil Nelson (City of Port Townsend, Vice Chair), present Chris Ashcroft (Courts), absent Patricia Beathard (School Districts), absent Jill Buhler Rienstra (Public Hospital District), present David Fortino (Law Enforcement), absent Nicole Gauthier (Community Resources/Transportation), present Patrick Johnson (Community Member at Large), absent Kees Kolff (Jeff Co Board of Health), absent BHAC Alternate Members: Greg Brotherton (Commissioner District 3), absent Richard Davies (Courts), present Andy Pernsteiner (Law Enforcement), present Scott Mauk (School Districts), present Bruce McComas (Public Hospital District), present Gabrielle Vanwert (Jeff Co Board of Health), present Staff: Apple Martine, Jenn Mitchell, and Lolinthea Hinkley Attendees: Jolene Kron, Denise Banker, Bret Black, Jim Novelli, Gabbie Caudill, Yvonne Owen, Brian Richardson, Jon Stolting, A.J. Feit, Ciela Meyer, Rebecca Marriott, Viola Ware, Tom Olson, Heather McRae-Woolf, Nancy Israel, Kara Billinger-Hessom, Lara Cittadini, Mindy Walker, and James Kennedy. Call to Order Chair Dudley-Nollette called the meeting to order at 2:33 pm upon establishment of a quorum. Public Comment No public comment Approval of Agenda December 9, 2025 Meeting Agenda: Member Pernsteiner made the motion to approve, Member Buhler Reinstra seconded it; the Committee voted unanimously to approve the agenda as presented. Adoption of draft minutes from last BHAC meeting October 14, 2025 Meeting: : Member Pernsteiner made the motion to approve, Member Buhler Reinstra seconded it; the Committee voted unanimously to approve the minutes as presented. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS • Staffer Martine (Interim Behavioral Health Coordinator) spoke to Hospital District Commissioner member Jill Buhler Reinstra’s long and meaningful tenure serving on the BHAC. She retires at the end of December 2025 and her alternate, Bruce McComas, will formally step into the member seat of the BHAC as of January’s BHAC meeting; a new alternate has not yet been determined by the Jefferson Healthcare board. • Staffer Martine clarified that the Alternate for the local Board of Health (BOH) representative to the BHAC has been confirmed as of the 11/20/25 meeting of the BOH and will be held by Gabrielle Vanwert; she will be the alternate to Kees Kolff of the BOH to the BHAC. • Staffer Martine continued to clarify that the Alternate position for the City of Port Townsend representative is as yet unnamed but that City Council intends to delegate an alternate rep to the BHAC as of its meeting in early January 2026; this would be the alternate to Neil Nelson of the City Council to the BHAC. The City of Port Townsend representative is the de facto Vice Chair per BHAC bylaws. COUNTY BUDGET DEFICT & IMPACTS ON BHAC FUNDS • Chair Dudley-Nollette asked that this topic precede the 1/10th of 1% Budget Update for better chronology of topics on today’s agenda; Staff Mitchell conferred to go next and the Committee agreed. • Chair Dudley-Nollette shared a critical update about the Jefferson County government’s General Fund budget in 2026 as she reflected on the winter’s deliberations and mechanisms for maintaining critical Jefferson County health and safety programming during a deficit year. She informed the BHAC that the BoCC decided to retain the following dollars for keeping county staffing whole in 2026 via the following: 1. 1/10th of 1% Fund 131 = BoCC retains $100,000.00 which includes an additional $75,000 to the Courts in 2026 totaling $275,000/year and retaining an additional $10,000 to Juvenile Services in 2026 totaling $25,000/year. 2. Opioid Settlements Fund 132 = BoCC retains $150,000.00 for County functions as yet to be determined for the purposes of departmental programs that serve public safety and align with the abatement strategies outlined in the One WA Memorandum of Understanding. • Discussion ensued regarding funds remaining in Fund 131 and Fund 132 for feasibility of funding two upcoming rounds of RFPs, one in Jan 2026 for Opioid Settlement Funds (re: SFY27 one-year contracts) and the other in late March 2026 for the 1/10th of 1% Funds (re: 2027 & 2028 calendar year two-year contracts); consensus was that funds to cover the remainder of existing active contracts is not in jeopardy but that total amounts for upcoming RFP awardees may be less than expected. BHAC OPIOID SETTLEMENT RFP • Staffer Martine reviewed the current readiness of the RFP application, as reviewed and approved to form at the BHAC’s October meeting. And, the RFP packet now includes a cover letter to all potential applicants describing the scope and particular constraints of this funding source as directed by the BHAC at the October meeting as well. 1/10th of 1% BUDGET UPDATE • Staffer Mitchell (JCPH Finance Mgr) reviewed the budget document offered in the meeting packet. She noted vendors are getting invoices in on time and that her team is engaged in final billing for 2025. The 2026 budget spreadsheet was shared looking into the year ahead, the second year of two-year 1/10th of 1% contracts. Mitchell noted that a correction is needed in the field indicating the increased amount for Juvenile Services, per the BoCC’s request that a total of $25,000 be awarded to them in year 2 (a $10,000 increase over what was originally awarded at $15,000 for 2026). This correction on the 2026 spreadsheet will be updated and provided in follow up materials to the membership and where meeting materials are archived. She also addressed a question about what happens to any one vendor’s underspend; these dollars are put back into the general carry forward for the entire fund and contribute toward the amount available at the next RFP cycle. DATA COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE • Staffer Hinkley (JCPH Epidemiologist) agreed to postpone the presentation on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFFS) given time constraints of the meeting relative to other urgent topics. She will provide this presentation at the next scheduled regular meeting of the BHAC in February 2026. VENDOR REPORTS • Denise Banker, JCPH’s Nurse Family Partnership Administrator, shared content including stories about nurse/client relationship impacts; nurturing healthier pregnancies, birth, and early parenthood; caseload parameters and a growing team that affords the Jefferson NFP to also serve Clallam County mothers (not paid for by 1/10th funds); benefits and cost of NFP programming generally; and national research trials and outcomes data re: the program’s return on investment over the long run. • Hanako Meyers, Olympic Angel’s Case Manager, shared data and insights about those within the foster care community who are living with intergenerational trauma and little opportunity to live within a normal childhood or to gain needed life skills. OA’s supportive programs by and large operate on generously donated time by volunteers. OA offers kinship support, individual youth mentoring, access to community supports and resources for building self-empowerment, and Love Boxes for wrap-around support to whole families including foster children so that foster parents can continue to serve. The key is that trust is being built in all ways and flowing in all directions. • Heather McRae-Woolf and Nancy Israel, The Benji Project, shared content re: vision for their programming this year and how they’ve achieved successes to that end along the way. They shared about increased numbers of youth served and served in new and different ways this year. Programs vary in terms of depth and intensity and they have in-school, after-school, and summer camps. TBP is also integrating art for self-expression and mindfulness into their overall curriculum. ADJOURNMENT • BHAC Chair Dudley-Nollette adjourned the October BHAC meeting at 4:35pm.