SUMMARY MINUTES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
County Commissioner Chambers/ Zoom
August 19, 2021 at 4:00 PM
TRUSTEES: Allen Jones Kerry Bartlett
Ann Marie McCrystal Marybeth Cunningham
Michael Weiss Karen Deigl
Allen Jones
STAFF: Kate Voss Jennifer Frederick
Jennifer Peshke, Esq. Ann Marie Suriano
Convene Meeting – Marybeth Cunningham, Chair
Mrs. Cunningham convened the regular monthly meeting of the IRCHD at 4:00 PM by welcoming those in attendance and via Zoom. Pastor Joe Moore provided the invocation and Dr. Weiss led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance
Consent Agenda- Marybeth Cunningham, Chair
Mrs. Cunningham asked for a motion to approve the Chairman’s meeting minutes dated July 14; regular monthly meeting minutes dated July 15, and an August disbursement of $695,185.36. Dr. Weiss made the motion to approve, which was seconded by Mrs. McCrystal. The motion carried unanimously.
District Chair Report- Marybeth Cunningham, Chair
Mrs. Cunningham addressed the board and provided an update concerning Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital (“CCIRH”) and their COVID-19 admissions. Currently the hospital has 107 COVID-19 positive patients, with 30 of those in the ICU. Additionally, the county’s positivity rate is at 26%. She encouraged the public to get vaccinated and wear masks. While she understands that CCIRH has experienced some transitional issues and their reputation within the community has struggled, without CCIRH Vero Beach would be without a local hospital. Also, considering the challenges the last two years have brought to our community healthcare system, CCIRH has supported this community fully. Lastly, she provided an update concerning CCIRH and their hospital scores. Currently they are rated a B from Leapfrog, which is an increase from their previous C rating. Additionally, CMS has rated them a 4-star hospital, which is an increase from their previous 3-star rating.
District Counsel Report – Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Mrs. Peshke stated that she continues to review the annual deadlines and deliverables due to the District under the Lease with CCIRH. She has completed the right of way transaction with the County and still working with the Cleveland Clinic and VNA’s counsel to amend the existing Agreements the District and the hospital entered into in 2018. Mrs. Peshke further stated that she attended budget funding meetings and the joint board meeting of the District and the We Care Boards as the District works towards finalizing the 2021-2022 FY budget.
Financial Statement Review- Allen Jones, Treasurer
Mr. Jones provided his report and stated that the District remains in sound financial condition. Through the end of July, the District had bank deposits and investments totaling approximately $8.5 million. $1.1 million in disbursements will be spent this month leaving a total of $7.4 million to finish the fiscal year’s final two months. Mr. Jones explained that it will require the District to disburse about $1.8 million to fund its obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year. Therefore, it is projected that the District will complete the fiscal year with a carryover of a little over $5.5 million to begin the next fiscal year. Further, the District has now completed its commitment to pay CCIRH $500,000 a month, per the terms of the Lease Agreement. Additionally, the District committed to support the Women’s Health Initiative with a $500,000 one-time payment to the CCIRH Foundation which will be completed by the end of the fiscal year. This means that in the next fiscal year, the District will have the ability to redirect up to $6 million in funding once provided to CCIRH, to other agencies to enhance the District’s mission of improving the health of Indian River County residents. Lastly, Mr. Jones stated that the board continues to work to responsibly and effectively finalize budget for next fiscal year. As a reminder, he stated that all of the District’s board actions are conducted publicly, and he encourages public comment as they work through the opportunities to support improving public health in our community.
Executive Director Report- Ann Marie Suriano, Executive Director
Mrs. Suriano stated that the District has completed drafting and amending the Strategic Visioning RFP document. The RFP will be posted on August 20th to the District website for a response, along with it being distributed to various professional contacts and recommend firms, who specialize in this type of work. The District will also post a display ad in TC Palm to gather further interest and potential response. Additionally, she has begun to revise the FY 21-22 budget based on the comments and discussion at the Chairman’s meeting yesterday. She plans to disburse the updated budget to the Trustees for the review and consideration, before the meeting on September 7th for their last budget discussion meeting.
Funded Agencies Semi-Annual Report-
Mental Health Association- Angela Guzenski, COO
Ms. Guzenski addressed the Trustees and stated that Dr. Philip Cromer and Ms. Jeanie Shepard are also participating in today’s presentation via Zoom. Ms. Guzenski reviewed data concerning the Walk-In Center and Support Group services for the last 6 months. Ms. Shepard reviewed the clinical outcome measures for the same. From January to June, the MHA clinical team conducted 3 violence risk assessments and 129 suicide risk assessments. Additionally. 65% of clients discharged in the last quarter ended ongoing treatment with a favorable disposition. She further discussed the client satisfaction survey results data which showed favorable outcomes as well. Next, Ms. Guzenski reviewed the Drop-In Center data and stated that for the last 6 months there have been 3,712 member visits to the center and a total of 145 unduplicated members. She further reviewed some client satisfaction data and testimonials from the center. She explained that they have maintained COVID-19 protocols at the center and have had only a few cases of clients contracting the virus. Ms. Guzenski then provided a review of MHA’s financial data, which showed an increase of revenues over expense. She stated that this was due to the fact they have received private philanthropic donations over the last year and additional support to their endowment fund. Lastly, she and Ms. Shepard discussed the School Violence and Suicide Prevention program data. Currently, in the last quarter, they conducted 26 mental health screenings and provided 237 therapy services. She further discussed that MHA has gone over their budgeted funding for this program, but that they experienced a decrease in funding needed for the Walk-In center. Therefore, the funds not being used for the Walk-In center will be reallocated to fund the deficit in the School Violence program.
Tykes & Teens- Eric Garza, CEO
Mr. Garza introduced himself and his team, which included Ms. Andrea Greenlee and Ms. Samantha Messina. Ms. Greenlee provided their report and stated that Tykes & Teens has provided 363 hours of non-billable services. During the 20-21 school year, two therapists served 22 students and 8 of those students successfully completed their treatment plans. At the end of the school year, 4 students successfully transitioned into regular classrooms after learning how to regulate their behavior. Currently, Tykes & Teens is set to begin providing support in schools once again and will be focusing their efforts at Glendale Elementary, the Wabasso School, and Osceola Magnet School. All therapists will provide in-person support and deliver those services on campus. If a student must quarantine, the services can be offered via telehealth. Next Ms. Greenlee discussed the center’s performance metrics. After being informed that the Trustees wanted to receive more substantial performance metrics, she worked with Mrs. Fredrick on creating those. She indicated that many of the metrics she and Mrs. Frederick agreed upon using moving forward, were metrics that the center has already been tracking. She believes this transition will provide better reporting and the data that the Trustees are looking for. Lastly, she discussed a success story of an 11-year-old client who presented in the EBD specialized classroom. After 11 months of treatment, the client was able to transition back into the general population at school. His mother also noticed improvement within her other children, since their sibling had received the counseling. The Trustees thanked them for their presentation and look forward to receiving the new improved metrics data.
New Business-
Special COVID-19 Funding Request- Whole Family Health: Center Marie Andress, CEO
Ms. Andress explained that Whole Family Health Center (“WFHC”) has been one of the main community partners to assist with all things COVID-19. From administering COVID-19 tests; holding multiple vaccine clinics; and providing monoclonal antibody treatments, they have supported the community every step of the way. She explained that since January 1, 2021, WFHC has administered over 9,000 covid tests and over the last two weeks of August, there have been an additional 1,000 tests performed. Additionally, they have provided nearly 450 monoclonal antibody treatments since January 1, 2021. She prepared a spreadsheet for the Trustees to review, which outlined a portion of their costs for these tests and treatments. Therefore, Ms. Andress stated that she is requesting from the District a total of $219,444.61 in reimbursement for these items. There was Trustee discussion surrounding her request. Many of the Trustees felt that Ms. Andress and WFHC have gone above and beyond during this time for the community and she has always been available and responsive to requests for assistance. It was further clarified that this funding request would be reimbursement for services conducted within Indian River County only. Mr. Jones made a motion to approve which was seconded by Mrs. McCrystal. The motion carried unanimously.
Additional Funding Request- Phoenix Rising: Pedro Bernabe, CEO
Mr. Bernabe, along with Phoenix Risings outreach director Ms. Misty Keen addressed the board. Mr. Bernabe indicated that the center has 3 potential clients that have been accepted through their screening process for services. Currently, the center does not have enough District funds left in thier budget for the remainder of the fiscal year, to support these 3 patients. The cost to fully support the treatment of these patients is $30,000 and they are requesting the same from the District board. There was Trustee discussion and many felt that after yesterday’s discussion with Mr. Bernabe at the Chairman’s meeting, that they have been left with more questions about the structure of the funding and success rate at Phoenix Rising. It was further discussed that the District provided an additional $200,000 in funding, which they requested to serve an additional 20-28 clients, back in March, 2021. With these factors in mind, the many Trustees were not comfortable providing further additional funding at this time. Mrs. McCrystal made a motion to approve the request, which was seconded by Mrs. Cunningham. The motion failed 6-1, with Mrs. McCrystal voting in favor to approve. The trustees asked Mr. Bernabe to take the next 30 days to prepare a clearer and more detailed request with metrics and data for their consideration.
Public Comment/Adjourn
There was no public comment and the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 PM
Respectfully Submitted,
Ann Marie McCrystal, Secretary
