2010 County Winners

La Crosse County - Formation of the Mississippi Valley Health Commission

La Crosse County has operated the Lakeview Health Care Center (LVHCC) including nursing home and care services for the developmentally disabled for many years. The Health Care Center clients were typically those who could not be served in other nursing homes or in the community. These clients are generally dependent on Medicaid, which does not cover the full cost of care. The "gap" between the actual cost of care and the amount paid by Medicaid was filled by La Crosse County property taxes.

In 2009, La Crosse County led the formation of the first ever multi-county commission for the purpose of managing and operating a nursing home and facility for the developmentally disabled. This new entity has been formed as the Mississippi Valley Health Services Commission. The memebership of this commission includes the Counties of La Crosse, Monroe, Sauk, Richland, Vernon, Crawford, Juneau, Chippewa, Marinette, Rock, Trempealeau, Outagamie and Winnebago.

Outagamie County - Partnering of Outagamie County and Fox Cities Health Center

Prior to this initiative, Outagamie County Health and Human Services was seeing a large volume of county residents, for mental health services, who had Medicaid coverage. Since Medicaid only reimburses 58% of county costs for mental health services, the county had to subsidize many private HMOs and the State's Medicaid program in order to deliver needed services to some of the county's most vulnerable citizens.

In response, Outagamie County and the Fox Cities Health Center partnered to provide improved mental health services to residents and to reduce the costs to the county associated with the decreasing Medicaid reimbursement rates. The cost savings benefitted Outagamie County, the Fox Cities Community Health Center and the taxpayers of Outagamie County through increasing access to services, recouping of costs associated with county staff and assisting additional patients in coming to Fox Cities Community Health Center.

Honorable Mention

Sheboygan County - Check Diversion Program

Ozaukee County - Internet-based Septic System Tracking Software.