LONG TO-DO LIST FOR KRAFT, CMH
Macomb commissioner reappointed to chair mental health board says service faces many challenges
Hiring a new CEO, increasing people’s access to mental-health services and adding and retaining staff are the top priorities of the chairperson of Macomb County Community Mental Health.
Phil Kraft, who also is a county commissioner, was reappointed in a 12-0 vote by the county Board of Commissioners for a second three-year term as chairperson of the 11-member CMH board, which guides the public agency that provides mental-health and substance-abuse treatment as well as services for the developmentally disabled in the county.
Kraft, a Chesterfield Township Republican, and board Member Donna Cangemi of Sterling Heights received all 12 votes cast at the March 21 commission meeting. Board Members Lori Phillips of Macomb Township and Mark Kilgore of Eastpointe received 10 and nine votes, respectively, to gain new terms. Also receiving votes among the 11 applicants were Sherita Harvey of Washington Township, who received three votes, and Constance Jones of Richmond, who received one vote.
The terms started Monday and end March 31, 2027.
“We have our challenges,” Kraft said of CMH at a county board committee meeting last month.
Top on the list is replacing Dave Pankotai, who guided CMH in Macomb County for five years before leaving last Jan. 1. Kraft said the board is actively looking for a permanent CEO. Traci Smith is currently serving as interim CEO.
“We need to find the right person,” he said.
Access to CMH services also is a top priority, he added.
“That’s one of our main goals in our strategic plan, to increase access for the folks in Macomb County so everyone who needs services can receive them,” he said.
Another challenge is addressing staff shortages, which is an issue throughout the health-care industry.
“We’re in a staffing crisis,” he said. “We’re looking for help. We need help. We need qualified help.”
He pointed to remarks by Jones, one of the candidates who spoke and was not selected but cited the importance of attracting and retaining qualified staff.
“The services that Community Mental Health provides will only be as good as the doctors, clinicians and staff that provide them,” she said.
Jones, who previously worked for CMH as a supports coordinator/case manager, also mentioned she is “surprised” CMH still exists and not taken over by a larger entity.
“There are large corporations, hospital systems, so many other entities that could come in and take over so easily,” she said.
Despite the concerns, Kraft said he is pleased with the CMH board’s progress since he was first appointed as a member seven years ago when CMH faced major funding cuts from the state and federal government. He said residents were complaining about cuts.
Many of the services have been restored.
“It’s completely different. It’s like night and day,” he said.
The board posts have become sought-after positions in recent years with the heightened focus on addressing mental health and opioid addiction in the public sphere.
“We’re lucky to have so much interest in our Community Mental Health for the county,” Board of Commissioners Chair Don Brown said after the vote at the meeting.
Many of the applicants attended the meeting, and Brown encouraged those who weren’t appointed to be involved in the organization in other ways.
“The Community Health Board will work you in,” he said.
Board members are paid $75 per diem plus mileage.
“We’re in a staffing crisis. We’re looking for help. We need help. We need qualified help.”
— Phil Kraft, chairperson of the 11-member CMH board