Panel approves contract authorization for psychiatric nurse practitioner to serve addiction clients

The Health and Human Services Committee on April 7 authorized the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to contract with Jacqueline Husper, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, to provide assessments, therapy and medication management for addiction services clients.

Commissioner Megan Johnson said the department solicited quotes, that Husper’s proposal was the lowest, and that the $110-per-hour arrangement—limited to an as-needed, up-to-14-hours-per-week arrangement—will restore clinical capacity the department has lacked since its prior practitioner left in September 2025. "She also has a tremendous amount of experience," Johnson said.

Johnson told the committee the contract is structured as an as-needed/per-diem agreement so the county pays only for hours worked. The department said the funds to cover the arrangement are included in the 2026 budget. The committee carried the authorization by voice vote; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally.