As Dane County officials ponder the county’s 2027 county budget, the nonprofit Journey Mental Health says a funding shortage threatens its ability to provide its current level of crisis care, according to a report in the Wisconsin State Journal.
Sarah Valencia, CEO of Journey, which contracts with the county to provide mental health services, said Medicaid reimbursements have fallen short of county projections.
As a result, she said the organization has absorbed an unsustainable $1.8 million in costs over a four-year period and can no longer cover the shortfall.
Valencia said Journey has not met the revenue target for Medicaid, a joint federal and state healthcare program for economically disadvantaged people, in each of the last four years.
Journey is seeking an expense-based contract under which Dane County would approve a budget for the services it wants, reimburse Journey for its costs and cover any future shortfalls in Medicaid revenue.
