SUMMARY MINUTES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
County Commissioner Chambers/ Zoom
January 16, 2025
TRUSTEES: Karen Deigl Michael Kint
Paul Westcott Allen Jones (via zoom)
William Cooney, M.D. Chuck Mackett, M.D.
Kerry Bartlett
STAFF: Kate Voss Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Frank Isele Kaytlin Dickens Dawn Carboni Jennifer Frederick
ATTENDEES: Vicki Soule Marybeth Cunningham
Lauretta Farrell Pat Knipper Matt Reiser Chuck Brooks
Philip Cromer Angela Guzenski
Heather Roberts Raquel Rivas Kip Jacoby Carrie Lester Stuart Kennedy Ginny Blossom Katrena McMahan Ann Marie McCrystal
ZOOM: Anne Posey Lisa Zahner Phil Cromer Lisa Witkowski Megan McFall Heather Caiazzo Angela Dickens Meredith Egan Cecelia Stalnaker Michael Hammes
Kim Jeansonne
Convene Meeting & Pledge
Dr. Cooney convened the regular monthly meeting of the Indian River County Hospital District at 4:00 PM and led the group in the pledge of allegiance. He welcomed new Trustees Dr. Chuck Mackett and Allen Jones to the board. He also recognized Karen Deigl who is back for her third term after her reelection in November. He further recognized former Trustee Marybeth Cunningham and Ann Marie McCrystal who were in attendance, as well as Matt Reiser who is a District appointed Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital board member.
Attorney Overview, Officer Elections, & Organizational Matters
Ms. Peshke read into the record the attorney overview which outlined the District history, governing board information, and meeting conduct including public comment guidelines. The document is attached to the minutes for refence as “attachment 1”. Next Ms. Peshke began the process for the election of officers. She explained that per the District’s Bylaws at the first meeting of each year, the District is required to reorganize and elect five officers. The five offices to be voted on include chairman, vice chairman, secretary, assistant secretary and treasurer. Each office will be elected by calling for nominations, a second nomination and a motion to close the nominations and will be taking floor nominations for each of the offices by voice vote. She further explained that a second to each nomination is not required, however, it has been the practice of the District to call for a second on the nomination. She further stated that if you are nominated and don’t wish to serve at the conclusion of the nominations, please rise and state that you have declined the nomination. The nomination for each office will be voted on in the order the candidates are nominated. The first candidate to receive a majority vote will be nominated to that office. A majority vote is more than half the total number of people voting. There was Trustee discussion, and they understood the process. Ms. Bartlett addressed the board and provided her comments for consideration regarding characteristics and duties of the Chairman, which she would like to see elaborated upon in the District Bylaws. After further Trustee discussion, they agreed that additional language, such as what was presented by Ms. Bartlett, should be added to the District Bylaws.
There was no further Trustee discussion and Ms. Peshke began the election of officer’s process by calling for a nomination of Chairman. The first was Ms. Deigl who nominated herself and the nomination was seconded by Dr. Mackett. Next, Mr. Westcott nominated Mr. Kint, who rose and declined the nomination. Ms. Bartlett nominated herself, which was seconded by Mr. Kint. Lastly, Mr. Jones nominated Dr. Cooney, which was seconded by Mr. Westcott. Ms. Peshke asked if there were any additional nominations and there were none. First the board voted on the motion to elect Ms. Deigl which failed 4 to 3. Next, the board voted on the motion to elect Ms. Bartlett which failed 4 to 3. Lastly, the board voted on the motion to elect Dr. Cooney which passed 4 to 3, and Dr. Cooney was elected as Chairman of the board.
Next, Ms. Peshke asked for nomination to elect the vice Chairman. Ms. Deigl nominated Ms. Bartlett, which was seconded by Mr. Westcott. Next Dr. Cooney nominated Ms. Deigl which was seconded by Dr. Mackett. Ms. Peshke called for a vote on the motion to elect Ms. Bartlett as Vice Chair, which passed 5 to 2. Ms. Peshke then asked for a nomination for Secretary. Mr. Westcott made a motion to elect Ms. Deigl as Secretary, which was seconded by Mr. Kint. The motion carried unanimously. Ms. Peshke then asked for a nomination for Assistant Secretary. Mr. Westcott made a motion to elect Dr. Mackett, which was seconded by Ms. Deigl. The motion carried unanimously. Lastly, Ms. Peshke asked for a motion to nominate a Treasurer. Mr. Westcott made a motion to elect Mr. Kint, which was seconded by Ms. Deigl. The motion carried unanimously.
Next, Ms. Peshke stated that the board should approve a 2025 meeting schedule which includes the location and time of the Chairman’s and regular monthly meetings. Mr. Westcott made a motion to approve that the regular monthly meeting be held on the third Thursday of each month, at 4:00 PM at the County Commissioner Chambers, preceding that meeting on Wednesday will be the Chairman’s meeting held at 10:00 AM at the District offices. Ms. Deigl seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.
Consent Agenda
Dr. Cooney asked for a motion to approve of the Chairman’s meeting minutes dated December 18, regular monthly meeting minutes dated December 19, and a January disbursement of $1,549,364.70. The motion was made by Ms. Deigl and seconded by Dr. Cooney. The motion carried unanimously.
District Counsel Report- Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Ms. Peshke provided her report and stated that she continues to be available to Trustees with any questions pertaining to District matters. The CHS property purchase was completed on December 19th which will house a future women’s sober living facility. Next steps will be for District staff to work on the development of an RFP and schedule the necessary repairs that are needed at the building. Further she has continued to work with Ms. Frederick on finalizing the District funding agreements for FY 24-25. Lastly, she is working to prepare a memo that was requested last month outlining the relationship and any conflicts of interest the Chairman may have fulfilling their duties as an ex officio board member of Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital.
Financial Statement Review – Michael Kint, Treasurer
Mr. Kint provided his financial statement review and stated that the District remains in
good financial condition. He reviewed the financial and investment reports through December 31st and stated the District has received 84.6% of its budgeted tax revenue. Additionally, he stated that the District’s investment and cash holdings total $20,546,942. Next, he reviewed the year-to-date expenses versus budget spreadsheet and Dr. Mackett referenced that there were a few expense line items which were running ahead of budget for this period in the fiscal year. One area discussed was the expenditure for the VNA hospice house program and Ms. Frederick stated that she would follow up with the agency to gather information on the same.
Executive Director Report- Frank Isele, Executive Director
Mr. Isele provided his report and discussed a few follow-up items. He stated that District staff has completed the draft of the funding request policy which will establish a framework for evaluating and approving funding requests, specifically related to healthcare expenses that may not directly involve patient care. In addition to this policy there will be a letter of intent and a revised funding application. Those items will be discussed and set for approval at the February Chairman’s meeting. Additionally, Mr. Isele, as directed by the board, sent a letter of congratulations to Dr. Delaney regarding their acquisition of a new health center in Palm Beach. He further updated the board with information regarding the community healthcare survey and stated that the results were just provided to them and staff is currently reviewing the same. Mr. Isele further stated that he spoke with representatives from VCOM on the status of their approval to be added to Florida legislation with their acceptance as an approved school for clinical residency. The process is currently pending signature from the governor. Lastly, he continues to work with District staff to fill the role of finance and program support specialist and have conducted initial interviews with some candidates but are still in the process of choosing the appropriate person for the position. He will provide the Trustee with an update when more information is available. Lastly, he provided an impact story relative to the Mental Health Association which helped an individual obtain life changing behavioral health services.
Funded Agency Semi Annual Reports- Mental Health Association
Dr. Cromer provided the semi-annual update regarding the Mental Health Association. He first discussed data and statistics regarding behavioral health access and services in the state of Florida. He also spoke of local efforts to combat the negative impact on the community with the recent closure of the UF Clinic and now Suncoast Mental Health Center. He also discussed MHA’s plans for the next five years to make a meaningful impact by expanding services, specifically to the youth population, while maintaining access to mental health care for everyone in Indian River County. There was Trustee discussion, and they thanked Dr. Cromer for his informative report.
Unfinished Business
Mr. Kint asked for a status update on the $1 million funding request submitted to the District from TCCH, to support their expansion efforts. The request was brought forth last month at the Chairman’s meeting and Mr. Isele obtain answered to a few Trustee questions that were submitted related to the request. It is the expectation that there will be further discussion next month at the Chairman’s meeting. Ms. Farrell and Ms. Soule addressed the Trustee and spoke to the request. They indicated that a response from the District approving or denying the request would need to be obtained no later than the end of February, in order to remain compliant with other requirements of the grant funding process that is in place.
Dr. Cooney asked for clarification on the women’s sober living facility process moving forward. Mr. Isele stated that the process has just begun, and it was the initial intention of the District to secure a property for the project, before developing an operations plan. The District has no intention of operating the center and will develop an RFP process to partner with an entity who will manage operations. Mr. Isele further stated that over the next 6 months the District will look to hire a consultant for the development of the RFP and make the needed repairs to the building.
New Business- Presentation and Approval of FY 23-24 Audit & 2023 Agreed Upon Procedures
Mr. Jacoby provided a review of the Districts audited financial statement for fiscal year 23-24. He stated that the report was a clean and unmodified, which included additional detailed information in the management and discussion analysis. He further reviewed information regarding the Districts millage rate, which remains low compared to the authorized millage allowed. He also reviewed information related to expenses and investment income. Next, he reviewed the agreed upon procedures report and stated that this report is a deeper look into the financial assistance approval process the District has with its fee for service agencies. He discussed the sample size which contributed to about 7% of total services, for the six agencies that were tested. He further stated that they have conducted these reports for the last several years and the findings continue to lessen, resulting in a reduced number of exceptions. Mr. Jacboy thanked Mr. Isele and Ms. Kint for their efforts, along with the finance and audit committee who also assisted in reviewing the reports.
Public Comment/Adjourn
There was no public comment, and the meeting was adjourned at 6:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Karen Deigl, Secretary
