AGENDA
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
Regular Monthly Meeting
Zoom Meeting
April 16, 2020 @ 4:00 p.m.
TRUSTEES: Marybeth Cunningham Allen Jones
Ann Marie McCrystal Barbara Bodnar
Karen Deigl Dr. Michael Weiss
Tracey Zudans
STAFF: Ann Marie Suriano Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Kate Voss
PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Saver Jeanene Shepard
Convene Meeting – Marybeth Cunningham, Chairwoman
Mrs. Cunningham convened the regular monthly meeting of the Indian River County Hospital District (“IRCHD”) at 4:00 p.m. Ms. Cunningham asked for those who intend to speak during the meeting, to identify themselves before speaking. Ms. Zudans Provided the invocation for the meeting.
Consent Agenda-
Mrs. Cunningham asked for a motion to approve the Chairman’s Meeting Minutes dated March 18; Regular Monthly Meeting Minutes dated March 19, and an April disbursement of $1,168,439.52. Mrs. McCrystal made the motion, which was seconded by Ms. Bodnar. The motion carried unanimously.
Chairman’s Report- Marybeth Cunningham, Chairwoman
Mrs. Cunningham indicated that she wrote a note to County Administrator Jason Brown after reading a news article which stated that the County was contemplating opening up operations in the next few weeks. She had concerns that they had not discussed these plans with Cleveland Clinic and asked that Mr. Brown include Dr. Rosencrance in any decision making regarding the same. Mr. Brown indicated that the article was misleading and that the County has no plans to reopen in the coming weeks. He also stated that he had intended on including Dr. Rosencrance and public health officials in discussion surrounding a plan for reopening. Additionally, Mrs. Cunningham indicated that CCIRH submitted its annual report to the District, in accordance with the lease agreement. All questions regarding the report should be submitted to Mrs. Suriano for follow up.
District Counsel Report – Jennifer D. Peshke, Esq.
Mrs. Peshke provided her report and stated that she received and reviewed the annual report from CCIRH. She has also reviewed the Districts fiscal year 2019-2020 audit. She continues to track any new executive orders passed by the Governor in accordance with COVID-19 and the District operating in compliance with Sunshine Law requirements.
Financial Statement Review – Allen Jones, Treasurer
Mr. Jones provided the financial statement review and stated at the end of March there was approximately $11.4 million in the bank and investment account. Year to date, the investment account has generated approximately $65,000 in interest, but interest rates have now fallen due to the pandemic. All interest funds are in government guaranteed deposit banks and are immune to economic impact from the corona virus. The District is expected to receive an additional $1 million in tax revenue this fiscal year. Therefore, the District is in a position to finish the year with excess reserves. As a result, the District may assist those funded agencies it supports should their volumes continue to decrease and expenses rise, due to COVID-19.
FY 2020-2021 Budget Process- Allen Jones, Treasurer
Mr. Jones explained that this year’s budget process has been amended to avoid formal presentations by agencies for the renewal of funded programs currently supported by the District. Trustees will be given an opportunity to raise questions and issues with any requests, and have them addressed as necessary. For new agencies that have submitted a funding application, an opportunity for a formal presentation will be given at the Trustees’ discretion. He further reviewed the timeline for receipt of the funding applications, review of the same, and proposed meeting dates. The Trustees instructed Mrs. Frederick to contact all funded agencies to see if they will require an extension in submitting their fiscal year 2020-2021 funding request.
Executive Director Report- Ann Marie Suriano, Executive Director
Ms. Suriano stated she received communication from Dr. Saver regarding the operations of We Care. Since We Care was not deemed an essential service, they were asked to cease operations for person to person care. They stopped in person visits mid of March, but Dr. Fountain has conducted some telephone services for patients who had previously scheduled appointments. We Care is still anticipating a decrease in volumes and the Health Department has been able to repurpose the We Care employees to assist the Health Department with COVID-19. Therefore, We Care will now reduce the salary expense billed to the District by 50%. Further, she spoke with Ms. Soule and received an update concerning the operations of TCCH. TCCH has reduced their staff and temporarily closed some of their clinics. They have chosen to keep the Gifford Health Center location open and will continue to provide services at that location. Lastly, she asked the Trustees to consider a more proactive approach concerning funding for needs associated with COVID-19. It has been discussed that while agencies are seeing lower volumes due to COVID-19, it is anticipated that volumes will increase dramatically once the stay at home orders are lifted and people begin to seek health care treatment once again. This may also produce more acute care patients. Additionally, those with chronic conditions may have become more ill due to not seeking treatment while quarantined. It was further discussed that telehealth may play a more vital role in providing care to patients. Therefore, with these issues in mind, and the uncertainty of reimbursement rates from insurance and Medicare, it is important to support our funded health agencies through this new environment. There is $500,000 in the District reserves that could be used to support these agencies. There was further Trustee discussion concerning future funding efforts.
Other Business-
Mr. Jones addressed the board and stated that he is proud of how effective this board has been in assessing the needs of this community. The board successfully completed the Cleveland Clinic transaction as well as the transformation of the Gifford Health Center, along with the expansion of the VNA Mobile Unit. He thanked the Trustees for their work and dedication.
Public Comment-
Mrs. Sheppard Clinical Director at MHA, thanked the Trustees for their support. She stated that their walk-in clinic remains open and they are also conducting telehealth services. MHA will continue to support Indian River county through this pandemic and is able to do so with the support of the District and other funders.
Adjourn- The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 PM
Respectfully Submitted,
Ann Marie McCrystal
Secretary
