Request expansion

[Observer Ofthehaps]

Dear Commissioners,

I am writing to formally request that the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) and the Quality of Care (QOC) committee expand oversight beyond the Longview facility to include a comprehensive, independent performance audit of SummitStone Health Partners’ forensic and outpatient programs at the Bristlecone, Centre, and Wilson clinics.

To ensure proper fiscal stewardship of 0.25% sales tax funds, this audit should be conducted by an outside firm with no ties to SummitStone, the MCM Collective, Lucet, or internal leadership. Current reports facilitated by the Butler Institute rely on data filtered by SummitStone operations leaders, creating a "closed-loop" system that lacks objective accountability.

Specifically, I request that the audit investigate:

1. Administrative Staffing Ratios: A review of clinician-to-administrative ratios from 2020 to the present. While approximately 75 frontline positions were eliminated due to reported deficits in 2024, executive overhead remained high. Executive salaries remain high while patient waitlists for therapy have grown.
2. Financial Oversight: An investigation into the "material weakness" identified in SummitStone’s June 2024 audit and the $181,038 OIG fraud settlement from November 2024.
3. Compensation and Procurement: An analysis of executive salary subsidies relative to direct care production. This should include a review of procurement processes, such as the Epic EMR rollout, and potential conflicts of interest regarding board appointments in the community. 
4. Service Verification: An investigation into reports from late 2025 regarding court-ordered groups allegedly conducted by non-credentialed staff while possibly charging county vouchers.

Transparency is a measurable requirement, not a “catch up over coffee”.  I look forward to your acknowledgment of this request.

Sincerely,

Observant Tax Payer