SUMMARY MINUTES
FY 24-25 BUDGET REQUEST PRESENTATION MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
May 2, 2024
1:00 PM
TRUSTEES: Barbara Bodnar William Cooney
Karen Deigl Michael Kint
ABSENT: Paul Westcott Kerry Bartlett
Marybeth Cunningham
STAFF: Jennifer Frederick Kate Voss
Frank Isele Dawn Carboni
Jennifer Peshke, Esq. Kaytlin Dickens
ZOOM: Vicki Soule Kim Jeansonne
ATTENDEES: Heather Dales Cynthia Ryan Chuck Bradley Jeremey Gates Chris Drake Stu Keiller
Convene Meeting
Dr. Cooney convened the budget request presentation meeting of the IRCHD Board of Trustees at 1:00 PM by welcoming those participating via Zoom and in person. Dr. Cooney asked that each presenter keep their presentation under 15 minutes and that Trustees hold their questions, until the end of the presentation.
FY 24-25 Budget Request Presentations
The Arc of IRC – Heather Dales, Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Dales addressed the board and stated that ARC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that provides advocacy, medical transportation, day programs, and housing to individuals with special needs. There are six group homes for clients who need 24-hour care and those homes house 4-6 individuals. The funding requested submitted to the District of $165,718.00 would support client medical management which would assist in paying for two FT employees with benefits to assist in managing and coordinating 80% of the health appointments for clients. She further explained that ARC provides a significant amount of medical case management care beyond two appointments per year. Many clients have complicated medical, physical, and aging issues that require a significant number of various health care appointments to maintain their quality of life and are averaging three or more health care appointments per week. The agency currently is meeting the health appointments through overtime and long hours, which is creating difficulties for the organization. There was further discussion surrounding the reimbursement rates they received from the DOT, which are significantly lower. There was Trustee discussion and they questioned how outcome measure could be tracked and justified. They also recognized the important role Arc plays for this population.
Youth Sailing Foundation of IRC, Inc. – Chris Drake, Executive Director
Mr. Drake addressed the board and explained that he assumed the role of Executive Director approximately 8 months ago. He then introduced former Executive Director Stu Keiller, who accompanied him for today’s presentation. Mr. Drake discussed the funding request of $45,000, which was to support their adaptive sailing program. He explained that the adaptive sailing program provides the opportunity for sailing on the Indian River Lagoon for people with special needs. These special needs span from physical disabilities to mental disabilities, and the program serves individuals from early teens to late sixties. Currently the program is at its capacity of serving 25 individuals, but they are hoping to expand to 30, if they are awarded the District support. There was a review of the programs budget and Mr. Drake discussed how clients are referred to the program. Currently, the organization is 90% supported by private donations and no child is turned away from their services for lack of financial means. There was Trustees discussion, and many expressed their concern regarding the lack of developed outcome measures. Mr. Drake indicated that he is willing to develop those metrics and will work with other reputable sailing programs in the country, who have this data available and are tracking the same.
Camp Haven – Chuck Bradley, Executive Director
Mr. Bradley provided a brief overview of Camp Haven and the services they provide to men within Indian River County. He then discussed the new funding request of $52,000 which is to support their case management and psychological counseling programs. He further explained that the funding request is 15.21% of the total budget and the $52,000 request is to replace the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council (“TCHSC”) grant, which redistributed to its rapid housing program. There was Trustee discussion surrounding the requests and the funding lost from TCHSC. They also heard from Shotsi Lajoie, the therapist who provides counseling and she discussed the positive impact these services have on the residents. It was also discussed that having mental health counseling available on site improves the client’s participation and supports better outcomes.
Veteran’s Council of IRC – Cynthia Ryan, Executive Director
Ms. Ryan provided an overview of the funding request of $120,000, which was to support the hiring of two case workers to provide case management services to veterans. She explained that veterans in crisis face a multitude of challenges accessing resources, such as navigating the VA and local programs. Many also suffer with mental health issues or physical disabilities, which complicates the situation further. These case managers would work directly with veterans to develop individualized case plans that outline specific goals and steps for achieving self-sufficiency in all aspects of their life. There was Trustee discussion and they expressed the need for the organization to be able to track and monitor data and outcome measures. There was also discussion surrounding the other organizations the Veterans Council is working with collaboratively, to better assist their clients.
Other Business-
Ms. Peshke informed the board that after she and Mr. Isele had the individual Trustee discussion with the board regarding the CHS properties an offer to purchase the properties was submitted. The owners of the CHS properties have until Friday to respond or provide a counteroffer. There will be further updates provided at this month’s Chairman’s meeting.
Ms. Carboni stated that she has provided the Trustees with some of her preaudit reports on the new agencies who have requested funding for the FY 24-25 budget cycle. She explained that her recommendations are based on the data and materials she has received from the agency. If a recommendation not to fund is made in her report, it is based on the fact that the organization did not provide the required documentation requested and is not in compliance with the District’s funding guidelines which are in place.
Public Comment & Adjourn
Dr. Cooney asked for public comment and there was none. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 PM.