By Mark Remme A new health program targeting citizens over the age of 65 was addressed and passed at a Tuesday morning Rock County board meeting. The Minnesota Department of Human Services plans to implement the new program known as Minnesota Senior Health Options (MNSHO), which will assist citizens of age who are eligible for Medical Assistance and Medicare. Rock County Family Service Agency Director Randy Ehlers said the plan would cater to 100 eligible citizens within the county, 34 of whom aren’t being served right now. Through federal reimbursement, the program will actually earn the county about $37,420 in 2006.Clients will sign up or be enrolled with Managed Care plans that administer the program, such as UCare Minnesota and Blue Plus. Care for patients would be listed under one seamless plan which helps deter numerous insurance plans for patients, Ehlers said. Clinical services, acute hospital services, nursing home care, and assisted living are all areas listed under the seamless program. Along with the acceptance of the new plan for senior citizens within the county, authorization from the county board for a new FTE social worker was asked for and passed. The FTE worker would fill the need for a county Care Coordinator required by the new health plans. The Care Coordinator is the contact person for the clients to call regarding service questions. In Rock County, the number of constituents who are eligible for MNSHO is listed as a half-time caseload for the projected County Coordinator. The Family Service Agency plans to hire the FTE worker full time and distribute half the workload toward children’s mental healthcare within the community. "Children’s mental health is always a major concern but is something we haven’t focused on a lot in Rock County," Ehlers said. "This position would help us redistribute staff responsibilities and help us focus more on that area of care." The new position would be filled by the first of October at the earliest but more realistically in mid-November, Ehlers said.