“the last resort Would be for the state to take over their operation and either merge them into another mco or find another provider to manage that.” Julie henry, n.c. department of health and human services
to the request for corrective action," he said, adding that the board had already held preliminary discussions concerning what must be done to continue providing services and stop operating in the red. Most of the state’s recommendations come from Mercer’s July 23 report. Piedmont Behavioral Health, says Henry, experienced similar problems when it first became an MCO. For Western Highlands, she added, "It's just that the time frame is compressed, and there's more scrutiny now." Watson, however, assured the board that the state isn’t looking to interfere with Western Highlands’ mission. “We're not talking about having to slash services," he said. "What you're talking about is having to manage toward where you ought to be." And steve Owen, chief business operations officer for the state’s Division of Medical Assistance, added, "I think you can turn this thing around."
looking ahead The board, Schoenheit explained later, will do its best to follow the state’s guidelines. "One of my goals is to develop better collaboration between staff and the board; expect the board to be a bit more involved than in the past.That's what I want, and that's what they want until we can sort of get this under control and go back to more normal operating procedures," he said. In the meantime, Schoenheit said he wanted to reassure clients, stressing that while a $3 million deficit is not ideal, it represents only about 5 percent of the organization's budget. And the state, noted Henry, hopes Western Highlands can serve as a lesson. "We hope this will help the other MCOs learn from this experience. Hopefully,” she said, the state won’t “find ourselves in this situation with the [other] MCOs coming online. This is not a death knell for Western Highlands: We really do think that with some guidance and making some of these adjustments, they can get back on track." X
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Wednesday, August 8th
The first day of school should be full of excitement and anticipation for kids. Children should walk into their classrooms eager to see old friends and make new ones or maybe with a bit of trepedation about new teachers or being at a new school. Children shouldn’t be worried about not having school supplies like notebooks and pencils. Again this year Eblen Charities has partnered with Ingles Markets, WLOSTV and Clear Channel radio to make sure children in Western North Carolina are able to start the school year on the right foot.
728 Fifth Avenue West Hendersonville, NC 28739 828.693.8416 • www.iaomt.org
Here are some of the items that are needed: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Boxes of Tissues Rulers Safety ScissorsGlue Sticks #2 Pencils Colored Pencils Two-Pocket and Three-Pocket Folders Highlighters Crayons Loose-Leaf Paper Composition / Notebooks Book Bags Whiteboard Dry Erase Markers (Black) Zip-Lock Freezer Bags (Gallon, Quart, Snack Size) 5×7 Note Cards Pencil Erasers Purell Hand-Sanitizer
For drop off locations be sure and check
www.eblencharities.org
Leah McGrath, RD, LDN Corporate Dietitian, Ingles Markets
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/InglesDietitian Work Phone: 800-334-4936
What’s HOT this summer? COME SEE WHAT ALL THE BUZZ IS ABOUT!
INTRO OFFERS
$
20 $60 for 8 days
for one month
(First time, local students. All levels welcome!)
Send your health-and-wellness news and tips to Caitlin Byrd at cbyrd@mountainx.com or mxhealth@mountainx.com, or call 251-1333, ext. 140.
mountainx.com • AUGUST 8 - AUGUST 14, 2012 29