The CEO of Western Montana Mental Overall health is stepping down

A single of the nation’s most prominent providers of mental overall health and addiction solutions will quickly commence browsing for a new CEO.

A spokesperson for the Western Montana Mental Overall health Center mentioned this week that the Missoula-primarily based organization has decided not to renew Levi Anderson’s contract following 5 years as executive director. Anderson’s final day with the organization was Friday, May well 19.

Western has contracted with Cascadia Management Group, also primarily based in Missoula, to assist with the administrative transition more than the subsequent two to 3 months. That group’s president, Colleen Rudio, oversees Western as interim executive administrator. She framed Anderson’s exit as a joint selection among him and Western primarily based on the nonprofit’s need to “appear for a various leadership style” and prioritize collaboration with other overall health care providers.

“Suitable now, the organization requires to concentrate on its relationships and organizations in each and every of our communities,” Rudio mentioned in a telephone interview Wednesday. “Creating certain we’re exactly where we want to be, when we want to be there, is seriously what I feel the board is focusing on in its subsequent leadership.”

Anderson could not be reached for comment prior to publication.

Western, a longtime backbone of behavioral overall health solutions in communities across western Montana, has faced economic hurdles for years. In 2017, the state Legislature slashed Medicaid reimbursement prices, especially for case managers, destabilizing numerous Medicaid-dependent providers a year ahead of Anderson took the helm at Western. The COVID pandemic has improved staffing and overhead burdens.

Though the organization continued to supply a myriad of solutions, such as crisis stabilization and Complete College and Neighborhood Remedy (CSCT) in public schools, Western also closed applications and lost contracts in current years. In an April interview with KFF Overall health News, Anderson mentioned Western’s higher volume of solutions produced the closing of some applications extra visible.

“We have grow to be the face of the system’s failure mainly because we are the only organization that supplies these solutions,” Anderson mentioned at the time.

Lawmakers from each political parties doubled the boost in reimbursement prices for Medicaid providers through the 2023 legislative session, bringing new investments of up to $330 million in state and federal funds, according to Rep. Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, chairman of the subcommittee on overall health price range.

But these provider costs are not set but. The price range bill containing the proposed increases, Property Bill two, has not been sent to the governor’s desk and could modify shape when it does. Gov. Greg Gianforte, who has line-item veto energy more than price range bills, asked Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Good Falls, in May well to single out some of the provider’s proposed rate increases Republicans and Democrats fought effectively through the final days of the parliament.

If that occurs, providers will nevertheless see historic increases in Medicaid reimbursements. But market advocates say absolutely nothing significantly less than what lawmakers have agreed on about the dangers of the utility going bankrupt.

“As with all organizations, charges for Medicaid providers have risen at an unusually higher price of inflation,” Mary Windecker, executive director of the Montana Behavioral Overall health Alliance, mentioned in a Thursday e-mail. “From 2019, a quantity of solutions for young children and adults have closed due to low prices and will have to reopen at a larger expense.” The extra revenue allocated by Senator Fitzpatrick’s colleagues will be necessary to reopening these closed applications and reversing the influence of the 2017 price range cuts and the worldwide pandemic on communities.

Western continues to make service modifications, in addition to its leadership, with the economic forecast in thoughts. The organization decided this month to convert the residential addiction remedy system, Recovery Center Missoula, to a reduced-level residential system, laying off 5 current residents and laying off eight workers in the procedure. RCM was the only remedy system in Missoula licensed as a three.five facility primarily based on the American Society of Addiction Medicine criteria.

Rudio, Western’s interim CEO, mentioned the selection was produced in element for economic causes. But she mentioned the customized license will enable the 16-bed facility to fill its roster and shorten its current waiting list. Although the organization hasn’t announced extra closings or system modifications, Rudio hasn’t ruled out the possibility.

“I am not going to say that there will not be system modifications as we go forward, but what I will inform you is that there are at the moment no applications that we’re seeking at ideal now in terms of eliminations or cuts,” Rudio mentioned.

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