SUMMARY MINUTES
CHAIRMAN’S MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
April 17, 2024
TRUSTEES: Marybeth Cunningham Barb Bodnar Michael Kint Paul Westcott
William Cooney Karen Deigl
Kerry Bartlett
STAFF: Dawn Carboni Jennifer Frederick
Kate Voss Frank Isele
Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
ZOOM: Deborah Shellenberger Robert Siedlecki
Lisa Zahner Jeanine Bittinger
Jay Saxena Katie Carroll Anne Posey
ATTENDEES: Vicki Soule Ann Marie McCrystal
Wes Samons Wayne Creelman
Lauretta Farrell Ceclia Stalnaker Meridith Egan Lisa Khale
Convene Meeting
Ms. Cunningham convened the meeting of the IRCHD Board of Trustees at 10:00 AM by welcoming those participating via Zoom and in person.
Discussion on Performance Review with BJM, CPA- Dawn Carboni Internal Auditor & Data Analyst
Ms. Carboni stated that representatives from BJM are present today on zoom to provide the Trustees with an overview of the Performance Review process and answer any questions they may have about the report. Mr. Saxena Vice-President of Operations at the Surgicalist Group addressed the board and provided the Trustees with an overview of the process and the scope of work which focused on the District’s Special Act. He further stated that the District staff were extremely organized and engaged in the process. Also, Ms. Carboni prepared a management letter, which outlined the Performance Review recommendations for staff. Many of the recommendations given are items that staff are currently working to put in place. Mr. Saxena also stated that these recommendations are meant to be implemented over a period of time, and do not need to be done immediately. Overall, the BJM team confirmed that the review showed the District to be in compliance with the requirements of the Special Act and fulfilling its obligation to provide access and support to medical services in the community. It was further stated that having completed this Performance Review, the District is also in compliance with the requirement of the 2021 legislation reporting requirement for Special Districts. Ms. Carboni stated that staff would provide a copy of report to the Trustees for their review and comments, with the expectation that a final report will be available next month for Trustee approval and submission to the state. The Trustees thanked BJM and the staff for their efforts in completing this requirement and were pleased with the outcomes of the review.
FY 24-25 Request for Funding Consideration- Wes Samons, Executive Director of The Mental Health Collaborative
Mr. Samons addressed the board and stated that he is here today to request their approval to submit the FY 24-25 funding application for the Mental Health Collaborative and McCabe Connections Center. He explained that due to an error in recording the deadline for submission of the application in his calendar, he missed the cut off date to complete the application in eC Impact. Mr. Samons took full responsibility for this mistake and asked that he still be allowed to submit a funding request application. There was Trustee discussion and Ms. Frederick explained that she spoke with Mr. Bruckner at the United Way, who is overseeing the process with eC Impact, and stated that he can reopen the portal for a limited amount of time, in order for the application to be submitted. However, he requested that there be a board action approving the same. There was Trustee discussion as to whether they would consider this request and what had been done in previous years if an agency missed a deadline. Ms. Frederick explained that over the last several years, many agencies requested extension in the submittal of their applications, which were always granted. However, this year is different due to utilization of eC Impact, which has a strict cutoff date for submittal. It was also identified during discussions that New Horizons also missed the deadline to submit their applications and the Trustees requested that they hear from that organization as well, before deciding to accept the late funding applications.
Mr. Wims provided an explanation to the Trustees as to why New Horizons failed to submit their funding request application into the eC Impact portal by the deadline. He explained that similarly to the Mental Health Collaborative that there was an error in recording the deadline date and he took responsibility for the oversight. There was further Trustee discussion regarding the process moving forward for accepting late applications. It was decided that they would make a one-time exception this year to accept the late applications, due to the fact that this was a new process put in place through eC Impact. However next year, no consideration would be given to agencies who missed the application deadline. Therefore, Mr. Westcott made a motion to approve a one-time reopening of the eC Impact portal to allow the Mental Health Collaborative and New Horizons the ability to submit their FY 24-25 funding request applications by close of business April 19th. He also requested that communication be sent to all other entities who applied explaining that the portal had been reopened to allow these agencies to apply but that next year the same consideration would not be given and that all applicants must adhere to deadline requirements. The motion was seconded by Ms. Deigl and carried unanimously.
New Horizons Update- William Wims, CEO
Mr. Wims provided the Trustees with a few updates relative to service changes within the organization. He explained that New Horizons will discontinue their Medication Assisted Treatment program over the next 30 days and have transferred those patients to other entities in the community. They are also closing their Independent Recovery program however this closure will not affect any Indian River County residents. He further stated that in an effort to strengthen their presence in Indian River County, they are focusing their efforts on the IRC Mobile Response Team and have increased staff and hours of availability. He further stated that they are also adding additional detox beds to their facility in Fort Peirce and will now have 22 beds available. Lastly, he stated that there is still a need for transitional support for clients who are leaving detox and need sober living support.
Update on FY 24-25 Funding Request Process- Frank Isele, Executive Director & Jennifer Frederick, Program Liaison
Ms. Frederick provided the Trustees with an updated funding request presentation scheduled and tentative program budget outline and thanked those Trustees who participated in the eC Impact training. All funding applications, except for the two that were just approved to be uploaded, are in the eC Impact portal and read for Trustee review and consideration. Those agencies who are new to the process or currently funded agencies requesting funding for new programs, are scheduled to provide a brief presentation at a future budget request presentation meeting. Next there was discussion surrounding the review process and the Trustees discussed how best to review the request. Ms. Deigl suggested that the applications be split up amongst the Trustees to diversify and lessen the amount of reviewing each Trustee would have to engage in. However, it was agreed that this process would not be suitable as each Trustee is responsible for completing an evaluation form for each request, and this information is needed to make the determination if the program will be funded. It was also discussed that two agencies, who did not meet the requirements for funding last year, have reapplied for funding this year. Ms. Frederick explained that staff is currently reviewing their new funding application and will make a recommendation to the Trustees whether the items that needed corrective action have been addressed, in order to be considered during this funding cycle. Mr. Westcott recommended that District staff prepare a brief report with their recommendation for the Trustees to consider, and if a Trustee felt that they still would like to consider the request, a vote be taken to evaluate that entity for consideration. Next there was a discussion with regard to upcoming meetings for budget presentations and discussion meetings. The Trustees agreed to hold a meeting on July 9th which would be dedicated to finalizing a tentative budget which will be voted on at the regular monthly meeting on the 18th.
Update on Women’s Sober Living Property- Karen Deigl, Trustee
Ms. Deigl stated that she has attended several meetings during the past month regarding a potential new property for consideration located at 1766 20th Avenue and toured the property with Mr. Isele and Mr. Siedlecki on March 28th. She explained that property looked suitable and the total cost to purchase and renovate it would be less than half that of the Children Home Society properties. Further on April 1, she met with Mr. Isele, Ms. Peshke and Mr. Siedlecki to go over the details of the new property. At this meeting it was decided that she would set up a meeting with the City of VB Planning and Zoning Department to see if a women’s sober living facility could be established at the new property they toured. On April 12, she met with the representative from Planning and Zoning Department and learned that a sober living facility could not be established on the property due to zoning restrictions. City officials recommended that they look for properties located in either a C1 or C1B zoning district, as each would allow a congregate living facility. Next, she provided an update regarding the Children’s Home Society (“CHS”) properties. There have been discussions with the group surrounding several ideas, including using one of the properties for the sober living facility while using the second for another healthcare community need. They will continue to investigate the CHS properties as well search for new potential properties in both the city and the county that are located exclusively within the zoning districts that allow congregate living facilities. She further stated that the group plans to meet again in a few weeks, and she will keep the Trustees updated about their activities. There was Trustee discussion, and many felt that due diligence in conducting research about potential properties has been going on for more than a year and it seems that the CHS properties fit the needs for this project and that an offer to purchase should be submitted for consideration. There was also discussion surrounding whether the parcel could be split, and Ms. Peshke indicated that once an offer is submitted, there is a due diligence process and during that time there can further determination about the parcel being split. The offer to purchase would also be contingent upon the deed restrictions being lifted relative to the use of the property. With those matters in mind, Ms. Bodnar made a motion for the committee to investigate making an offer to purchase the CHS properties. Ms. Peshke stated that once the group has a figure in mind, she will contact each Trustee individually to discuss the offer amount and answer any additional questions they may have. Ms. Cunningham seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Follow Up Items- Paul Westcott, Trustee
Mr. Westcott stated that in a follow-up to last month’s meeting where he brought forth his remarks about CCIRH, he would still like the Trustees to hold a special meeting to discuss the same. There was also discussion about the need for a strategic planning meeting and Ms. Voss indicated that the meeting scheduled for the 29th would need to be rescheduled due to limited Trustee available. It was suggested that Ms. Voss create a Doodle poll which would provide multiple dates for consideration by the Trustees and the results would be emailed directly to Ms. Voss.
Other Business
Mr. Kint stated that the Accounting and Financial Practices and Procedures Manual prepared by the Finance and Audit committee had its final review by Ms. Peshke and is ready for Trustee review and input. He provided copies of the documents to the Trustees and Ms. Voss indicated that she would send out an electronic copy of same, should they wish to submit any recommendations or changes. Mr. Kint further stated that the expectation will be to place this on the regular monthly meeting agenda in May for Trustee approval.
Public Comment & Adjourn
There was no further business and Ms. Cunningham asked for public comment. There was no further public comment, and the meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.
