SUMMARY MINUTES
CHAIRMAN’S MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
February 19, 2025
10:00 AM
TRUSTEES: Chuck Mackett William Cooney Michael Kint Paul Westcott
Allen Jones Kerry Bartlett Karen Deigl
STAFF: Dawn Carboni Jennifer Frederick
Kate Voss Frank Isele
Jennifer Peshke, Esq. Kaytlin Dickens
ZOOM: Anne Posey Barb Bodnar Marie Andress Kim Jeansonne
Lisa Zahner Ann Marie McCrystal Pat Knipper Nancee Long
Wayne Creelman
ATTENDEES: Lauretta Farrell Vicki Soule
Cecelia Stalnaker Kellie Hensley
Convene Meeting
Dr. Cooney convened the meeting of the IRCHD Board of Trustees at 10:00 AM by welcoming those participating via Zoom and in person.
IRC Health Survey Results Discussion
Mr. Isele provided a historical review of the process and stated that the purpose of this survey was to provide the District with solid and consistent data that was a representative sample of individuals in the county that could be collected year over year. Further, the District also has the opportunity to breakdown the data into several different ways which is beyond the current report provided. Mr. Vancore of Clearview research provided a detailed review of the survey results for the Trustees. He also explained the sample size and compilation of the data. Overall, the survey results were positive regarding the health care residents are receiving in Indian River County, especially in terms of accessibility for urgent care needs. However, there was significant underutilization of behavioral and preventative mental health services, as well as some demographic and insurance disparities. There was Trustee discussion which they highlighted the need for comparative data on healthcare delivery across county, with a focus on Medicaid and uninsured populations. Plans were also discussed to conducted a follow-up survey to track changes in healthcare perceptions and accessibility over time. It was also recommended that this survey takes place during the offseason, to better understand the insurance demographics in the community. This future survey will also aim to include more targeted questions to better understand the needs of uninsured and underinsured populations, particularly focusing on women under 50 and families with children. Mr. Isele also recognized Ms. Dickens for her efforts on managing this project.
Review of Board Governance & District Policies
Ms. Peshke spoke to the current board governance documents in place for the Trustee which included the Acknowledgement and Conflict of Interest Statement, as well as the Code of Conduct and Ethics Guide. She explained that each year the Trustees are requested to review these documents and complete the Acknowledgement and Conflict of Interest Statement for the District records. She discussed the importance of reviewing these documents which outline best practices for Trustee conduct as well as disclosing any conflict of interests they may have. Additionally, she stated that she is working with District staff to update the current conflict of interest policy which she plans to bring back before the Trustees next month to review and discussion.
Next, she spoke to the two draft policies proposed for adoption which included a Records Request policy and Media and Communications policy. She discussed the importance of both to ensure that the District is communicating a consistent message to the public and allowing the District records custodian to maintain and fulfill public records request. There was Trustee discussion and a few corrections were recommended for the documents. With those changes made Ms. Bartlett made a motion to approve the Records Request policy and Media and Communications policy. The motion was seconded by Dr. Mackett and was approved.
Funded Agency Semi Annual Reporting Process FY 24-25
Mr. Isele stated that he created a draft reporting document for the funded agencies to use for their semi-annual reporting. This is in an effort to streamline the reporting process and obtain only relevant information with regard the District goals and outcome measures, as well as the agency’s financial snapshot. It was clarified that if an agency has more than one program, they would complete the first page of the document for each program being funded. The second page of the report will address the agencies’ operations and growth plans for the future. He further stated that this report was shared with the funded agencies, and they received positive feedback and suggestions on the same. Ms. Bartlett has also been engaged in the process and assisting staff with the development and transition of the District funding process for next fiscal year. There was Trustee discussion and many were pleased with the report. There was further discussion surrounding the timeframe of the agencies completing these reports and if it would need to be done on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Additionally, staff was looking for clarification on amending the current semi-annual reporting process, which included each funded agency providing an in-person report to the Trustees once a year. The majority of the Trustees felt that transitioning to written only reports would be sufficient and that should a funded agency have an important need to present that they could request the same and be added to the agenda at a subsequent board meeting. Additionally, Mr. Isele stated that he has offered the new reporting document to the funded agencies for use moving forward, should they wish to transition before the beginning of the new fiscal year.
Discussion on District Capital Investment Requests & Follow Up TCCH Capital Funding Request
The discussion began with a review of the request from TCCH. Dr. Mackett stated that he is a per-diem employee of TCCH and is rescuing himself from the discussion. He also left the conference room in an effort to further remove himself from the conflict. Ms. Soule provided a historical review of TCCH decision to move forward with their expansion and need for this new facility. Ms. Farrell provided details with regard to the capital request, which is $1 million dollars and can be expensed over several years. At this point, they are looking for the District to pledge the funds by March 10th, so that they can meet the requirements of the new market tax credit loan. She also discussed their fundraiser efforts and loan repayment schedule. After further Trustee discussion surrounding the request, the Trustees focused on the need for the District to develop parameters or a policy which addressed capital funding requests. Also, Mr. Isele prepared a handout which addressed some consideration regarding capital requests for the Trustees to review. It was explained that the District historically has not supported capital funding requests and in doing so could trigger other funded agencies to submit similar requests. Ms. Carboni also pointed out that it is not currently included within the District budget and there should be a policy with guidelines in place to ensure the District is investing tax dollars appropriately and with the correct oversight into these projects. Ms. Peshke also agreed that it would be beneficial to have a policy in place and suggested a special call meeting for the Trustees to further discuss the same. After further discussion, the Trustees agreed to meet next week for further discussion on this matter and transitions to the budget funding process.
Public Comment & Adjourn
Dr. Cooney asked for public comment and Lisa Zahner responded to the discussion surrounding the records request policy and media communications policy. She stated that the only time a Trustee provided her with records, circumventing the custodian records, was when she requested the meeting packet back up documents. She asked that the meeting packets be posted online for review so that she does not have to submit a records request. Ms. Voss responded that she has knowledge and documentation that other records were provided to Ms. Zahner, beyond just meeting packets, circumventing the records custodian process. Ms. Voss also stated that District staff would work to update the website to include a function which made the District board packets available to the public. There was no further discussion or public comment. The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 PM.
