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Nancy Coston said they have estimated $30,000 to $50,000 for the year for the <br />children and this is one more thing that will pile an a little bit unless something levels <br />back out. The pharmacy costs are one of the largest increases. <br />Chair Carey said the state increased Medicaid in order to switch from Health <br />Choice to Medicaid. <br />Nancy Coston said that of course any new cases that come in would be in <br />Medicaid. They will try to track to see where their numbers go up. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he hopes they do track this and Nancy Coston <br />said that they could do some averages. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that it would be nice to know which pharmacies are <br />benefiting. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked what percentage increase they had seen in two <br />months. <br />Nancy Coston said about 25°~ increase aver what they spent last year at this <br />time. They had projected an 11 °~ increase. <br />John Link asked what they were hearing from other counties. <br />Nancy Coston said that she not yet heard from any other counties, but looking at <br />the state report it appears to be a 22°~ annualized increase which is much higher than <br />what was budgeted. <br />4. DSS Social Workers in the Orange County Schools <br />Gwen Price said that they entered into a contract with Orange County Schools <br />for providing school social workers {family specialists). This has been a great preventive <br />program and from DSS standpoint this has been one of the things we have talked about <br />over the years. What happens to children is greatly impacted when there is no <br />prevention effort and this is an opportunity to provide some prevention effort. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked about the location of these family specialists. <br />Yvette Smith said it was decided to place these family specialists in the schools <br />where the most students receive free and reduced lunches. <br />Gwen Price said OCS has four social worker positions on their staff. <br />Yvette Smith thanked both boards for their support for this endeavor. This <br />partnership between the schools and DSS is excellent. They have had great <br />cooperation. They have four social work positions that have made a big difference <br />within the schools. They have been able to service and provide needs for families that <br />they were not able to help before because they had four social workers trying to saver <br />12 schools. These positions with the DSS are 12-month positions, which allow the <br />social workers to follow these families, even aver the summer. These cases are open <br />and these families are serviced in summer months and we are able to help families in <br />preparation and their students' readiness when school begins in August. These <br />positions are described an your handout. They feel this is intervening earlier to prevent <br />things like neglect and abuse. The social workers advocate for services and monitor <br />progress. They provide case management services far these children. They make <br />monthly home visits and if a situation intensifies and rises to a level that requires mare <br />home visits, then it is possible to provide them. They bill Medicaid. They also provide <br />transportation to the location of the services needed by the family. Meetings with the <br />social workers, staff, and principals are held routinely. One of the principals has <br />expressed the need to have a full time social worker in their particular school and has <br />listed same of the situations that social workers face: <br />a) They have a family of four with a student in kindergarten and second grader <br />and a baby driven in a car. <br />