Cape Girardeau County board taking over case management role

The Cape County Board for Developmentally Disabled is in the middle of taking up the case management work being handled by the Missouri Department of Mental Health's regional office.

Bob Dale, board executive director, said since hiring new case managers in February, the transition of workload from the office in Sikeston, Mo., is going well.

The case managers are receiving training from the state's regional office as they begin taking on clients.

"It's going beautifully," Dale said.

He said there has been and will continue to be cooperation between the two groups as more than 100 cases are given to the board.

In an attempt to educate the public on the process, officials from the board and the regional office will host public meetings today at the Cape Girardeau Public Library. The meetings at 2 and 6 p.m. will allow the public to meet with representatives and ask questions.

Dale said case managers will also attend the meetings to answer questions. This will be the first time the board has offered case management, and Dale said because the service is new it's important for the public to learn as much about it as possible.

"It's just the right thing to do. We're trying to be open and honest about this," he said.

Terry S. Regenold, the director of the Sikeston office, said by moving case management to the county, service will be more efficient and convenient.

"Case management by county boards has worked very well for individuals and families in other counties throughout the state," Regenold said. "Providing case management at the local level will improve accessibility to a case manager for the individual and family. Local case managers can be more involved with other local community agencies and providers."

The caseload being on the county level also tends to result in lower manager to client ratio. Regenold said the average caseload for Sikeston managers is 85 cases, and the ideal caseload is 40.

cbartholomew@semissourian.com

243-8600

Pertinent address:

711 N. Clark Ave., Cape Girardeau, MO