Horizon back on the horizon for MHC The Texas-based mental-health management group has two months to decide whether it can run county operations at a savings By Christopher Clough News-Chronicle The Brown County Human Services Committee unanimously agreed to allow Texas-based Horizon Mental Health Management 60 days to decide whether it can privatize the county's mental-health care. Horizon spokesman Charlie Neal and regional vice president Mike Saul, who is based in Chicago, appeared before the committee at a special meeting on Wednesday. Horizon Mental Health Management is a subsidiary of Horizon Health Corp., a private, for-profit business founded in 1981. It claims to be the nation's oldest and largest contracted manager of hospital psychiatric services, with contracts in 36 states and Washington, D.C.; 123 contracts out of nearly 1,000 overall are for mental-health services. Horizon became interested in the Brown County situation when it was made aware of a request for proposals to audit a privatization plan from locally-based Bellin Health Inc. Neal said the company would like two months due diligence to analyze the MHC population and determine whether its management services could help the county. "I would be the first to admit I don't have the solution to all your problems," he said. "But I believe we can help." Neal said Horizon is involved in one privatization effort of a formerly public mental health system in Bergen County in Paramus, N.J. He said it is a 1,185-bed public hospital, and Horizon manages a 325-bed mental health system in it for the county. "They are very happy with it," Neal said. "They are taking the funds they are saving (and using them) to build a new facility." While Neal said he didn't know whether Horizon would be able to save money for the county, he hinted the company would look for a hospital or other health-care facility with space to house some MHC patients. He said Horizon would not build a new MHC or simply take over the current building, which is in violation of numerous state codes. "I think the most cost-effective is to find a partner who has excess beds," Neal said, "and negotiate to provide some portion of care. I don't think managing in the existing facility is an option. Building a new facility is not an option." Neal declined comment when asked if he had already talked with hospitals in the area. With several MHC employees in attendance, Sups. Pat Collins and Guy Zima asked what would happen to current employees, who are union members, if Horizon takes over. Neal said the company is flexible in dealing with existing staffers. "We have dealt with employees on an institution-by-institution basis," he said. "Some hospitals think it's very important for their employees to remain in place. In those, we bring in just top-level management. Others, we hire everybody. So it's very negotiable." Zima asked whether Horizon was looking to take over without making changes in MHC operations. "That's the point," Neal said. "There's going to be some changes to make things viable for the long term." If the action taken by the committee is approved by the full County Board at its Nov. 12 meeting, Horizon will have 60 days from today to come back to the committee with a report and final proposal, if it decides to offer one.