It’s official. Progressive Community Services now provides case management coordination services for developmentally disabled individuals in Buchanan County. And it has the building to prove it.

Board members cut the green St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon on the former doctor’s office building on 2216 Highly St., for the grand opening of the Progressive Community Services Service Coordination offices Thursday afternoon.

“It means local tax levies will provide local support services for people with developmental disabilities who live in Buchanan County,” Lynn Wells, Progressive Community Services executive director, told the crowd of about 70 board members, friends and associates.

Actually, case management services coordination in Buchanan County has been official since the Department of Mental Health moved control of those services from its offices to the local Senate Bill 40 board earlier this year.

Those services were initially offered locally through the Albany, Mo., regional offices which served 11 counties. In serving so many counties, service coordinators often carried caseloads of 70 clients.

The transition allows for lower caseloads and more individualized client attention, said Carmen Cotton, services coordinator manager.

“With smaller caseloads it allows you to have more one on one time, time to do more finding of resources that supply a more critical role in linking the services,” she said.

As of June 2, 284 clients receive services in Buchanan County. There are currently 11 service coordinators with plans to hire more.

“I think it’s wonderful for people in Buchanan County because we’re going to be able to have caseloads, 35 to 40, where people can have good quality case management,” Ms. Wells said.

Ms. Wells also said the move was no reflection on the Albany offices. Serving 11 counties often times simply left their service coordinators overwhelmed.

Chuck Curry, a client who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, said that he is pleased with the transition. It’s even better that he gets to still have his original caregiver, he said.

“It’s nice having Nick working here. He used to be my service coordinator from Albany,” Mr. Curry said through a voice decoder.

Alonzo Weston can be reached at

alonzow@npgco.com.