CAPWN exits Chapter 11 proceedings

More than two years ago Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska (CAPWN) board member announced that the organization needed to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Following that announcement the board and staff at CAPWN began making changes. According to a recent news release, the organization identified debt, restructured the agency and developed a plan to pay back creditors.

After two years of diligent work, the organization filed an amended plan in January 2016 which was approved, signed and filed by the judge. CAPWN has successfully exited Chapter 11 with a final decree date June 16, 2016 which states that the case has been fully administered.

Much of the work done to pull the organization out of bankruptcy was in restructuring the programs administered by CAPWN.

Some of the programs once administered through CAPWN were transferred to other organizations. One such program, Head Start, is now under the direction of the Educational Service Unit (ESU) 13. Another, the housing program, will be transferred to the direction of a qualified agency when such an agency is found.

“Jeff Tracey, he is in charge of the clinic, and a long ways back said, half joking, ‘Let’s just keep the clinic and get rid of the rest’,” Nolting said. “The clinic makes money.”

Throughout a review process at the clinic with the Bureau of Primary Healthcare, department heads came to understand that many of the programs offered can fit into the Federally Qualified Health Center umbrella.

According to board president Tim Nolting, though it will remain a Community Action Partnership, and though it will continue to receive Community Service Block Grants.

A new mission statement was adopted by the board at the May 2015 board meeting. That statement is: To provide quality services and promote learning opportunities to improve and nurture the health and wellbeing of Western Nebraska communities.

CAPWN has been reorganized into four main divisions:

Clinical Health Services: Medical, dental, behavioral health, reproductive health and immunizations.

Community Health Services: WIC (Women Infants and Children), CSFP (Commodity Supplemental Food Programs), MSHS (Migrant and Seasonal Head Start), FGP (Foster Grandparent Program) and CDC (Child Development Center).

Supportive Health Services: Youth services, youth shelter, navigator services, emergency services, case management and community response.

Administration: Finance, Human Resources and Information and Technology.

A statement on the news release concludes, CAPWN is moving forward serving out patients and clients in a holistic approach that is based on trauma informed service delivery model, regardless which door an individual uses to access CAPWN services.