SUMMARY MINUTES
CHAIRMAN’S MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
June 19, 2024
10:00 AM
TRUSTEES: Marybeth Cunningham Barb Bodnar Michael Kint Paul Westcott
William Cooney (zoom) Karen Deigl
Kerry Bartlett
STAFF: Dawn Carboni Jennifer Frederick
Kate Voss Frank Isele
Jennifer Peshke, Esq. Kaytlin Dickens
ZOOM: Lauretta Farrell Anne Posey Wayne Creelman
ATTENDEES: Molly Mills Lindsey Kross Marty Mercado Stephanie Renolds Randy Riley Lindsey Proffitt Tahia Moore Deborah Engle Ann Marie McCrystal Ceclia Stalnaker
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.
SRA Request for Additional Funding – Liz Bruner, VP of Philanthropy
Ms. Bruner addressed the board and thanked them for the opportunity to bring forth the request for additional funding to support the public guardian program. She also introduced Randy Riely who is serving as the program’s compliance officer since October 2023. Ms. Bruner explained that during a review of the program a funding shortfall was discovered due to unanticipated changes in legal services during the October 2023-September 2024 grant period. In an effort to cover the shortfall, they applied for a grant from another organization, but unfortunately were not awarded the funds. Therefore, SRA is requesting an additional $120,000 in funding to support the shortfall. She further reviewed information relative to the shortfall in funding and stated that the additional funding requested will also allow them to accept new cases from the court, to provide this much needed service. There was Trustee discussion surrounding the request and Ms. Burner discussed how SRA is working to better anticipate losses and working with the compliance officer and hospital to confirm indigent status, prior to submitting filings with the court, which are the main expenses incurred for the program. There was no further discussion and Mr. Westcott made a motion to approve the request, which was seconded by Ms. Bodnar. The motion carried 6-1, with Ms. Deigl recusing herself from the vote.
FY 24-25 Funding Request Presentation-
Hope for Families- Marty Mercado, Executive Director
Ms. Mercado introduced the support staff who accompanied her for today’s presentation. She provided a brief overview of the organization, their capacity to serve families and the waitlist for services. She also discussed their client population, and the complex needs of the families who stay with them. She explained that many clients are on medications to treat substance misuse disorders and it is important that those medications are manages and safely administered. Therefore, they have submitted for the upcoming FY 24-25 a funding request to support a medication technician who would provide that oversight and support for those prescription medications. The request to support this program is $14,400 and their total request for funding FY 24-25 is $68,416. There was Trustee discussion and there was further clarification made surrounding the request.
Whole Family Health Center – Marie Andress, Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Andress addressed the board and stated that she has four new program funding requests being brought before the Trustee for consideration in the next fiscal year. Those include support for laboratory services in the amount of $65,000; The Behavioral Health TCL program for $141,000; Enhanced Workforce Development for $125,000; and the Mobile Medical Office program for $127,000. She discussed each request in detail and there was Trustee discussion surrounding the same. Ms. Andress was asked to provide additional clarification surrounding the expenses included with the enhanced workforce development program, as many Trustees felt what was being requested was outside of the scope of funding. Ms. Andress stated that there may have been miscommunication with her staff regarding the appropriateness of requesting funds for this program. She will regroup with them and follow up with Ms. Frederick with any additional questions or information.
Suncoast Mental Health Center – Debra Engle, Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Engle introduced the support staff who accompanied her for today’s presentation. As it was her first time presenting in front of the Trustees she provided some historical background about the organization, which has locations in Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River counties. Next, she discussed the funding request of $240,5333 to support the Wellness Without Walls-Family Support Services program, which works with community members by assessing, planning, implementing, evaluating services for at-risk individuals, and improving family functioning within the home and the community. There was Trustee discussion surrounding request and specifically the budget for the program. Some Trustees questioned items that were included in the personnel costs, and it was requested that additional clarification be provided surrounding those items.
HSB/VCOM Lease Discussion- Frank Isele, Executive Director
Ms. Cunningham stated that the Trustees have received the proposed lease between the District and VCOM for the HSB building and parcel, for their consideration. CCIRH indicated that they are not currently in a position to enter into a lease agreement with VCOM with regards to the HSB but would be willing to work with District in the future on a potential sublease agreement. Therefore, a proposed lease has been brought before the Trustees to move forward with negotiations with VCOM. There was Trustee discussion and Ms. Deigl made a motion to approve moving forward with District Counsel preparing a draft lease agreement with VCOM. The motion was seconded by Ms. Bodnar for Trustee discussion. More Trustee discussion ensued and many felt that this was a positive step for the community and would also provide a positive economic impact as well. There was also discussion supporting the terms of the lease and the need for a purchase price provision. Dr. Cooney was not in favor of the longer-term lease and still had concerns over the lack of a supporting resident program being offered by CCIRH. There was additional Trustee discussion, and a vote was made to approve the motion, which passed 6-1 with Dr. Cooney in opposition.
Performance Measures & Health Outcomes Dashboard- Frank Isele, Executive Director
Mr. Isele stated that the District is developing the Performance Measures & Health Outcomes Dashboard beginning with data that is specific to performance measures and health outcomes data for Indian River County. He asked Ms. Dickens to walk through the same with the Trustees and she provided a detailed review of the dashboard and its functions, which she developed using Microsoft Power BI. She explained that much of the data referenced in the Dashboard is from the US Census Bureau and FL Health Charts, which is slightly outdated. However, they are working to find additional data sources and it’s the Districts goal to maintain this dashboard with the latest data, so that they have an accurate picture of healthcare trends within the community. This will help better understand the needs and gaps for healthcare within the community.
Off Cycle Funding Request Policy- Frank Isele, Executive Director
Mr. Isele stated that this year specifically there have been many off-cycle funding requests. He and District staff have developed a policy which outlines how the District would address those requests. Ms. Frederick reviewed the policy which addressed requests submitted from currently funded agencies and/or new agencies requesting funding to fill a healthcare gap. In many cases District staff would have the authority to approve the requests, without the need for board approval. However, there are procedures in place to address any new funding requests, which would require a site visit, a presentation from the agency, and board approval. There was Trustee discussion and the Trustees asked that this policy be provided to the funded agencies and posted to the District website. Also, it was recommended that any fee-for-service program, which are currently funded and need additional support, not require board approval. District staff will continue to notify the board of any reallocations in funding as well. A motion to approve the policy was made by Ms. Cunningham and seconded by Ms. Bodnar. The motion passed unanimously. However, Ms. Deigl and Ms. Bartlett were not present for the vote.
There was also Trustee discussion surrounding the eC Impact portal and completing the evaluations tool and interpretation of some of the questions that are being asked. Ms. Frederick agreed and stated that as this was the first year, there are some areas that could be improved upon. The plan moving forward is to have future discussions on this, and make those changes prior to the next funding cycle. There was also discussion surrounding the fact that there may need to be a funding criteria policy put in place and the hope was that during the next strategic planning meeting in July, some of those criteria would be developed with goals and objectives.
Other Business
Mr. Kint asked for an update regarding the purchase of CHS property and if the District received a response to the purchase offer they submitted. Ms. Peshke stated that the sellers were non-compliant with the process and never responded to the Districts formal offer. Due to their lack of response to the request, the District withdrew the offer. Mr. Isele stated that he is working with another broker to see what other viable options there are in the community to support this effort.
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 1:10 p.m.
