Indian River County Hospital District

FY 23-24 Budget Request Presentation Meeting- June 6, 2023

SUMMARY MINUTES
FY 23-24 BUDGET REQUEST PRESENTATION MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
June 6, 2023
10:00 AM

TRUSTEES: Marybeth Cunningham Barbara Bodnar
Karen Deigl Michael Kint
Paul Westcott Kerry Bartlett
William Cooney

STAFF: Jennifer Frederick Kate Voss
Ann Marie Suriano
Jennifer Peshke, Esq. (via Zoom)

ZOOM: Marie Andress Kim Jeansonne

ATTENDEES: Latoya Bullard Chuck Cunningham
Marty Mercado Stephanie Rennolds
Andrew Welter-Frost Liz Bahl
Barbra Hammond Heather Moxley
Ginny Blossom

Convene Meeting – Marybeth Cunningham, Chairwoman

Mrs. Cunningham convened the budget request presentation meeting of the IRCHD Board of Trustees at 10:00 AM by welcoming those participating via Zoom and in person.

FY 23-24 Budget Request Presentations
Miss B’s Learning Bee’s- Latoya Bullard, Executive Director

Ms. Bullard addressed the board and thanked them for the opportunity to bring forth this funding request. She provided a brief overview of Miss B’s mission which is to assist children and families from high poverty communities in IRC by providing access to academic support and behavioral services designed to help students reach and maintain proficiency in reading and math. She began by reviewing the objectives of Project COAEP (“Community Outreach Academic Enrichment Program”) and stated that the program is designed to support access to programs and services that strengthen primary care, behavioral health and prevention. Additionally, they aim to decrease the number of students displaying behaviors that prevent learning from occurring in the classroom. Next, she reviewed some goals for the program which included educating and informing staff and parents of the impact and effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (“ACE’s”) and increase access for families in Indian River County to Applied Behavioral Analysis. She then reviewed data concerning the percentage of students who were proficient in math and reading, and made learning gains since 2019. Next, she provided a review of the funding request and how it would be implemented at the center. The total request for funding was $50,000 and would support the following services. She explained that students are provided with a Functional Behavioral Analysis (FBA) to determine the nature of the behavior. Once the functions of the behavior have been identified, an intervention is created to increase or decrease the behavior. The intervention continues until the behavior has been generalized in all settings. In the group setting, all components are the same, but it occurs on the level of the entire group. The goal of both services is to increase behaviors that are conducive to learning and help students become proficient learners. Behaviors are encouraged or minimized using positive and negative reinforcement. The services are provided by their Behavioral Team. The Team consists of a Supervising Behavior Analyst, Behavior Analyst, Teachers, and Drivers. The Supervising Behavior Analyst oversees the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), the development and implementation of Functional Behavioral Analysis, and Behavioral Assessment. They ensure the BCBA and all other staff members are in compliance with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. The Board-Certified Behavioral Analyst/ Behavior Analyst is responsible for implementing assessments, completing direct observations, interviews for indirect assessment, and staffing. Teachers are responsible for implementing interventions, collecting data, and completing indirect assessments of student behavior. She further explained that the services would be offered Monday-Friday 8am- 6 pm and Saturday, 8am-2pm, and that all employees would be full time to meet the needs of the community. There was Trustee discussion and it was pointed out that 50% of the funding request was to support administrative costs. They also questioned whether she already had staff in place to implement this program. Ms. Bullard explained that she has applied for a transportation grant which she is hopeful will offset some of the administrative costs. Additionally, they have identified a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst to provide these services, and they are willing to assume the role if funding is secured.

Hope for Families Center- Marty Mercado, Executive Director

Ms. Mercado addressed the board and stated that Hope for Families continues to expand to meet the ever increasing demand for homeless services. The total request for funding is $58,133 which is an increase of $15,993 from fiscal year 22-23. She discussed the funding request and stated that District funds will be applied to an existing program which supports the role of the he Patient Navigator, which is a part-time position whose duties includes the reviewing of health records of adults and children and refers them to community services and resources. These referrals are primarily physical, mental and behavioral health. In this role, the Patient Navigator helps clients to connect to primary care providers and helps them with their overall health awareness to support sustainability within the family unit. The request also includes funding to support a driver who is available at all times, to transport residents to and from medical appointments as needed. This is important especially for those who do not have their own means of transportation and where public transportation does not fit within their appointment schedule. Additionally, this request includes and new to the Hope for Families (“HFC”) case management team, a position of Intake Case Manager. This position conducts interviews and assessments of potential new clients on the waitlist which averages between 80 to 100 families at this time. The Intake Case Manager will interview potential residents to see what possible social services are needed. This position will assess if mental health services, medical or other resources are needed while the family is in their current homeless state. Families on the waitlist must qualify for HFC services to work with the Intake Case Manager which includes a family unit with minors, and must not have a violent felony background or have a sexual offense record. Also, a small percentage of the request covers overall supervision of the program by the Director of Case Management and the Executive Director as well as the purchasing of needed supplies and equipment specific to the administration of the program. She further explained that the Intake Case Manager is also a peer who has past experience with homelessness and provides a better understanding of the struggles their clients are facing. Ms. Mercado stated that with the addition of this case manager they have been able to reduce their waitlist of families down to 60, when it was originally over 100. Also, the role of Intake Case Manager allows them to collect additional data to track chronic homelessness and identify causes as to why some individuals are choosing to remain in this lifestyle. Next, she discussed HFC Collaborative Partnerships and stated that the Patient Navigator works closely with partners from the moment they are admitted to the program and throughout their residency and upon graduation to ensure a smooth transition as residents become sustainable. The collaborative partnerships are with United Against Poverty, Treasure Coast Community Health, New Horizons, Suncoast Mental Health, Whole Family Health, Tykes & Teens and Mental Health Collaborative. They also utilize the services of the New Horizons Crisis Mobile Unit, which can be available within the hour of their call and to deescalate a mental health situation and provide immediate support for the families at HFC. Lastly, she discussed their data collection and key performance indicators, and stated that HFC is constantly working to improve their data collection to provide better reporting of outcome measures, in order to substantiate the need for their services in the community.

The Learning Alliance- Liz Bahl, COO

Ms. Bahl discussed the mission and vision of the Learning Alliance and stated that they are dedicated to uniting the community and building support for children age birth through 3rd grade. As an alliance, they are a collective group of community members, educators, families and investors working towards their goal of having 90% of the county’s children reading on grade level by the end of third grade. She stated that their organization is continuing to focus their efforts on supporting the behavioral and mental health of the children they work with, so that they are able to reach milestones in academics. Next, she reviewed the organizations funding landscape and stated that their current budget is approximately $4.5 million of which 90% is supported by philanthropy which through COVID, they realize is unsustainable. Also, through COVID their budget increased by 33% and the organization is now looking to have more diverse and sustainable funding resources in place. It was further discussed that the organization also receive funding from CSAC. She then provided a review of the funding request which is to support the Prevention Intervention Coach who provides direct support to school leaders, teachers, staff, and parents with essential programming, including coaching, professional development, and best-practice strategies to support their students’ developmental growth. The total request for the program is $125,000 and they believe aligns with the District strategic priority of focusing efforts and investments on programs that strengthen primary care, behavioral/mental health and prevention. She then reviewed some statistics showing the need for these services, specifically within Indian River County. She then introduced Randee Bok, who currently serves in the role of Prevention Intervention Coach. Ms. Bok provided the Trustees with her education credentials and discussed her teaching practices. She also provided educational handouts to the Trustees to gain better understanding of how her teachings are implemented. There was Trustee discussion surrounding the request and the breakdown of expenses provided. Some Trustees questioned whether the District has previously supported funding for travel expenses, which is included in this request relative to the cost of Ms. Bok’s travel from one school to another.

Sunshine Physical Therapy Center- Ginny Blossom, Interim Executive Director

Ms. Blossom addressed the board and stated that Sunshine Physical Therapy Center (“SPTC”) has been undergoing organization change over the last year, and has stepped in as Interim Executive Director after Mary Silva resigned in March. She indicated that there was fear that the organization would have to cease operations due to lack of revenue and virtually no fundraising efforts from the board. She thanked the Trustees for their financial support over the last 6 months and stated that due to this funding they have been able to continue to assist Medicaid and uninsured patients. Ms. Blossom then discussed future plans to secure sustainability for the organization which includes securing additional community support through fundraising and strengthening their board governance. She then discussed the funding request which totaled $300,000, which was an increase of $150,000 from the previous fiscal year. She stated that the funds will be utilized to support therapeutic services provided to adults and children who would otherwise not receive services, due to insurance or financial constraints. She explained that this support is even more critical with rising inflation, employees and prospective employees demanding higher wages and better benefits, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates not increasing but declining by 2% this year. Additionally, approximately 36% of therapy visits at their facility requires them to seek financial support due to the patient’s financial situation or insurance constraints. The District funds will also help SPTC maintain and even increase the number of patients served. Further she explained that SPTC is the only non-profit organization in the county that provides therapeutic services, and most other facilities either do not accept Medicaid or ATA plans or significantly limit the number of such patients due to the excessive paperwork and low reimbursement rate that does not cover the cost of providing the service. There was Trustee discussion and many questioned how the organization was working to strengthen their Board of Directors and become more sustainable long term. There was also discussion surrounding how their performance outcomes were measured and tracked, along with their KPI’s. Ms. Blossom stated that she has been working with Ms. Frederick to provide the District with the data they are requesting and will continue to provide updated data and outcomes, that reflect the progress and improvements of the patients they are serving. She further explained that some of the therapy provided is ongoing and measured improvements may be recorded differently than other forms of treatment.

Other Business-

Ms. Cunningham informed the board that she and Ms. Suriano met with Dr. Peter and Dr. Delaney from CCIRH. The purpose of this meeting was to convey the concerns of the District, the position of the Trustees and discuss the issues which they feel the hospital should be addressing, and how the District could better help support CCIRH. Through their discussion Ms. Cunningham also reiterated how it was important for CCIRH and its representatives to communicate with the public their struggles and successes, instead of remaining quiet. She further stated that until they address the Trustees directly, there will remain a sense of discomfort. Therefore, she invited both Dr. Peter and Dr. Delany to address the board which she is hopeful will take place in July. Mr. Westcott stated that he believes the Districts Special Act provides the District with the right and obligation to hold CCIRH accountable and is hopeful that they will be more transparent and collaborative moving forward, otherwise he believes there may need to be further intervention from the District. There was also Trustee discussion concerning the CCIRH commitment and integrity committee which Ms. Deigl sits as a representative. The Trustees would like further clarification on the roles and reporting requirements of that committee

Next, Ms. Cunningham stated that Ms. Bartlett submitted some recommended changes to the Finance Committee and investment policy and procedure documents. There was Trustee discussion surrounding her recommended changes, and Ms. Suriano indicated that she would update the document to reflect the agreed upon changes from today’s discussion. The updated documents and subsequent resolution approving the same would be included with the materials at the June 15th regular monthly meeting.

Public Comment & Adjourn

Mrs. Cunningham asked for public comment and there was none. The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 PM.

WILLIAM COONEY

SEAT 7

William P Cooney MD is an orthopedic surgeon (retired) who has been a resident of Vero Beach since 2004. He practiced orthopedic surgery at Indian River Medical Center from 2006-2015 within the orthopedic practice of Prosports. He served on the IRMC Foundation for four years. Prior to this, he was a Professor of Orthopedics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota, Chair of the Division of Hand Surgery and Vice president of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He served as the Vice Chairman of the Mayo Clinic Development Department. He has been President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation, Consultant at Shrine Hospital systems. He was editor in chief of the Journal of Orthopedic Surgery and co-editor of the Journal of Hand Surgery. He held grants in hand and wrist surgery sponsored by National Institute of Health (NIH) and Stryker Orthopedics and has over 250 publications in the field of orthopedic surgery, hand, wrist and elbow surgery and microsurgery- free tissue transfers. Within Indian River County, he has served as Chairman of the Board and President of the Hope for Families Homeless Center, Board of the Indian River Hospital Foundation, We Care and Whole Family Health Center medical practices.

Term:  1/23-12/24   |   1/24-12/29

Origination: Elected (2 OC)

Occupation: Retired Surgeon

Email: w.cooney@irchd.com

Address: 1705 19th Pl Suite G3, Vero Beach, FL 32960

KERRY BARTLETT

SEAT 6

Kerry Bartlett,  of Vero Beach, has more than 30 years experience in philanthropy, including as vice president of the VNA & Hospice Foundation; VNA chief advancement officer from 2001-2007; and executive director of the Indian River Community Foundation from 2008-2014. Kerry is the founder of The Bartlett Company, which focuses on nonprofit and philanthropic consulting. She also is a managing director for Carter, a Vero Beach company that specializes in advancing philanthropy worldwide. Kerry has spent more than 25 years in the nonprofit sector as a fund development professional and has particular expertise in annual funds, major gifts, endowment campaigns and legacy giving. Kerry is also known for creating and implementing effective donor-centered stewardship programs that build, maintain and strengthen nonprofits’ relationships.

Term:  3/21-12/22   |   1/23-12/26

Origination: Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis
Elected NOC

Occupation: Philanthropic Consultant/Managing Director

Email: k.bartlett@irchd.com

Address: 1705 19th Pl Suite G3, Vero Beach, FL 32960

KAREN DEIGL

SEAT 5

Karen has been President and CEO of Senior Resource Association, where she successfully advocates for older adults and their families, since 2006. In that role, she helps provide activities, education and services benefiting older and disabled adults in Indian River County. In addition, Karen provides oversight of the community mass transit system for residents and visitors of the county. As CEO, Karen is responsible for a $7 million operational annual budget and managing more than 100 employees. She ensures that fiscally sound and responsible solutions are created to provide healthcare and a better quality of life for all Indian River County residents. Karen earned a BS in Health Administration from Florida Atlantic University and an MHA from the University of Florida. She was elected to the Indian River County Hospital District Board of Trustees in 2016, and joined the Board in January 2017.

Term:  1/17-12/20   |   1/21-12/24   |   1/24-12/29

Origination: Elected 1 OC | Elected NOC

Occupation: President/CEO

Email: k.deigl@irchd.com

Address: 1705 19th Pl Suite G3, Vero Beach, FL 32960

PAUL WESTCOTT

SEAT 4

Paul Westcott has been a Board Certified Workers' Compensation Attorney since 1999. In addition, Paul has earned his certification from the Florida Supreme Court as a Circuit Civil and Family Law Mediator. Receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in both Economics and Political Science at Florida Southern College, he continued his education at Stetson University College of Law. He graduated from Stetson in 1988, having been a published member of the Stetson Law Review. Paul has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1988.  He began his practice in a combined civil litigation and transactional practice before serving as an Assistant State Attorney.  He began his career in Workers' Compensation with Rissman, Weisberg, Barrett, Hurt, Donahue & McClain P.A., where he handled Workers' Compensation cases at the trial and appellate levels.  In 1997, Paul opened the Ft. Pierce office of Hurley, Rogner, Miller, Cox, Waranch & Westcott P.A. handling workers' compensation cases at all levels throughout central and south Florida, while managing the operations of that office.  During his nearly 25 year career in Workers' Compensation, he lectured on a wide range of industry topics.


Term: 
1/23-12/26   |   1/21-12/24

Origination: Elected 1 OC 

Occupation: Attorney & Mediator

Email: p.westcott@irchd.com

Address: 1705 19th Pl Suite G3, Vero Beach, FL 32960

CHUCK MACKETT, M.D.

SEAT 3

Charles “Chuck” Mackett MD is a practicing primary care physician who has a long and storied career in military, academic and executive medicine. Dr. Mackett recently retired from Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital where he served for fourteen years as Chief Medical Officer, Chief of Staff and President of Indian River Medical Associates. Dr. Mackett serves on the Board of Directors of the We Care Foundation of Indian River County and the Mental Health Collaborative of Indian River County. He currently cares for patients at Treasure Coast Community Health. These experiences give Dr. Mackett a unique perspective regarding mental health, substance abuse, maternal-child care, care for veterans, preventive medicine and access to high quality medical care.

Dr. Mackett is a graduate with honors from the University of Notre Dame and is a graduate from the SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society and earned his Master of Medical Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Mackett is trained in Aerospace Medicine and is board certified in Family Medicine and Geriatrics. He is a combat veteran, former Air Force Hospital Commander and flight surgeon who served in Germany, Haiti, Japan, Korea, Romania and Iraq. His many military decorations include two Legions of Merit, a Bronze Star Medal, a Defense Meritorious Service Medal and three Air Force Meritorious Service Medals. Dr. Mackett is an Outstanding Graduate of the Air War College.

A native of Upstate New York, Dr. Mackett and his family first moved to Florida in 1996 when he served as Fight Commander and Residency Program Director at Eglin Air Force Base before later serving as Medical Group Commander at Patrick and MacDill Air Force Bases. Dr. Mackett served as Associate Professor, Executive Vice Chairman of Family Medicine and Consultant in the International and Commercial Services Division at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center before returning permanently to Florida and Vero Beach in 2009.

As a Hospital District Trustee, Dr. Mackett plans to advocate for improved access to mental health services and access to affordable high quality primary and specialty care for all residents of Indian River County particularly mothers, children, the elderly, the underserved and veterans.

Term: 1/24-12/29

Origination: Elected NOC

Occupation:  Primary Care Physician

Email: c.mackett@irchd.com

Address: 1705 19th Pl Suite G3, Vero Beach, FL 32960

MICHAEL KINT

SEAT 2

Born and raised in Illinois, Michael was a Theatre and Speech Instructor at Lincoln College when he moved to Indian River County in 1984. He was the Director of Education for the Riverside Theatre for a decade, helping to build the Riverside Children’s Theatre and directing many productions. Michael is well known in the community for his 25 years of service at the United Way of Indian River County, 16 of those years as the CEO. He is very proud of his work with dozens of nonprofit agencies and his commitment to creating and strengthening community collaboratives. Michael was also an Adjunct Faculty member at Barry University for 20 years. He has served on many boards and committees over the years, including: Children’s Services Advisory Committee Needs Assessment, Chair of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program for many years, and he was a founding member of the Mental Health Collaborative, the Senior Collaborative of IRC and the IRC Executive Roundtable. As a Hospital District Trustee he is committed to serving all the citizens of our county. In particular, he hopes to see enhanced availability and affordability for behavioral/mental health for all in need.

Term: 1/23- 12/26

Origination: Elected 1 OC

Occupation: Retired CEO United Way

Email: kintm.irchd@gmail.com

Address: 1705 19th Pl Suite G3, Vero Beach, FL 32960

ALLEN JONES

SEAT 1

In 1973, Mr. Jones began a 27 year career with Merrill Lynch, eventually becoming a senior executive of the company, Senior executive positions included Chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch Life Insurance Company, serving on the Private Client Executive Committee and various other leadership roles including leading the effort to transition Merrill Lynch to a fee based rather than commission based business. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. Jones’ professional career began in the United States Air Force from 1964-1968, achieving the rank of Captain. He then worked with Investment Company Dabbs, Sullivan, Trulock located in Little Rock, Arkansas rising to partner before the firm was sold and joining Merrill Lynch. Mr. Jones received his B.S.B.A in 1964 from University of Arkansas. He further completed advanced management courses at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University, the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University. His past community service efforts include serving on the Board of Directors for the John’s Island Club from 2008-2010; Board of Directors for the Indian River Medical Center from 2007-2010; Chairman of the Indian River Medical Center Foundation from 2006-2010; Board of Directors of the Bedens Brook Golf Club; Board of Directors of the Princeton Community Hospital from 1994-1999 and the Chairman of the American Health Association, in Houston, Texas.

Term: 1/24-12/29

Origination: Elected 2 OC

Occupation: Retired CEO

Email: a.jones@irchd.com

Address: 1705 19th Pl Suite G3, Vero Beach, FL 32960