SUMMARY MINUTES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
County Commissioner Chambers/ Zoom
November 16, 2023 @ 4:00 PM
TRUSTEES: Paul Westcott Michael Kint
Marybeth Cunningham Kerry Bartlett
Karen Deigl William Cooney, M.D.
ABSENT: Barb Bodnar
STAFF: Kate Voss Jennifer Frederick
Frank Isele Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Dawn Carboni
ZOOM: Caliegh Hanson Anne Posey Nancee Long Lisa Zahner
Ivy Duffy Jeff Pickering
ATTENDEES: Gerri Smith Michael Hammes Matt Riser Ann Marie McCrystal Carol Kanerak Ginny Blossom Katrena McMahan Heather Moxley Shawn Leyton Vicki Soule Cecelia Stalnaker
Consent Agenda– Marybeth Cunningham, Chair
Ms. Cunningham convened the regular monthly meeting of the IRCHD at 4:00 PM and provided the invocation. Ms. Bartlett led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ms. Cunningham then asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda and monthly disbursement which was made by Ms. Deigl and seconded by Mr. Kint. The motion carried unanimously.
Chairmans Report- Marybeth Cunningham, Chair
Ms. Cunnigham recognized Ms. Deigl who was presented with the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce “Alma Lee Loy Community Service Award” at the 101st Annual IRC Chamber Awards Dinner on November 2nd. She explained that this award recognizes citizens of Indian River County who have distinguished themselves professionally through excellence and privately through commitment to the community.
District Counsel Report- Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Ms. Peshke stated that at next month’s meeting she will be presenting an attorney overview at which is to provide the public with some background information about who the District is, its purpose, and how the District governs its public meetings. She stated that other county boards provide this overview at their meetings and the District will do the same moving forward, when appropriate. Next, she provided her monthly report and stated that she has worked with various Trustees over the last month on matters the District is currently involved in. She also continues to review and monitor the annual deadlines and deliverables due to the District under the Lease with CCIRH. Further she informed the board that she has received a proposed Far Bar Vacant Land Contract between the VNA and the District, for the sale of the Hospice House Parcel at a fair market value price of $3.8 million. The Trustees were also provided for their review Resolution 2023-05 which gives authority for the District’s board chair to sign the purchase and sales agreement so the parties can begin to work towards an April 8, 2024, closing date. This resolution will be presented later in tonight’s meeting, for approval. Additionally, she explained that District owned Human Services Building is still currently vacant and the board is continuing to evaluate its options as far as future use/rental or sale. Lastly, the District is currently on hold but continues to monitor how a potential county ordinance change regarding stormwater retention may impact the IRC floodplain and stormwater code changes as it relates to the property the Hospital District owns regarding the hospital campus. Ms. Cunningham stated that as a point of clarification, the board of Trustees approved to move forward in negotiations with VCOM concerning a potential lease agreement for the HSB and they are still working through discussions with representatives from VCOM at this time.
Financial Statement Review- Michael Kint, Treasurer
Mr. Kint stated that after the completion of the first month in the new fiscal year, the District continues to be in excellent financial condition. As of October 31st, the District had not yet received any FY 23-24 tax revenue. However, at the start of November, those funds began to be received. As Mr. Kint was not familiar with the traditional schedule of the receipt of the tax revenues, he went back to last year’s financial statement which showed that in November 2022, the District received 62% of its projected tax revenue. Additionally, by January, the District had received 85% of its projected tax revenue, so it is likely that the same will be true for this current fiscal year. Next, he reviewed expenses for October and stated that program and administrative expenses were both under budget. He then provided an update concerning the DeepBlue investment accounts and stated that there is currently $2.4 million in the preferred deposit pool and $2.6 million in Treasury bills, and $658,000 in money market funds, as well as $3.1 million in T bills through Treasury Direct. The total investment holdings for the District are approximately $8.7 million. As a follow up to a Trustee question requesting the total amount of interest earned at the close of fiscal year 22-23, he reported that the total amount earned, less fees, was $316,204 dollars. Lastly, he stated that the District’s Finance and Audit Committee held their second meeting this week and at the meeting there was a deeper dive into the District financial and investment statements, so the committee had a better understanding of how the dollars are being spend. The committee also began the work to create an accounting and financial procedures manual for the District. Once the manual has been drafted, he will bring forth the same for the Trustees to review and approve.
Executive Director Report- Frank Isele, Executive Director
Mr. Isele acknowledged that Ms. Carboni has once again joined the District staff to fulfill the role of Internal Audit and Data Analyst. He stated that her role is extremely important and ensures that the District has accountability and transparency concerning the tax dollars that are being spent. Next, he provided an update concerning the foundation repairs made to the Gifford Health Center building and stated that they have been completed. However, there was a recent attempted break in at the center, and the front door to the building was damaged. Currently there is research being done to find a vendor to make the repairs and Mr. Isele will provide future updates to the Trustees when they become available. He then provided the Trustees with an update concerning the District’s Performance Review and stated that staff has had several meetings with representatives from BJM and provided them with the requested documentation need to generate the report. The Trustee requested that District staff provide a listing of all documents that have been provided to BJM thus far, for their information. Mr. Isele stated that the project continues to move forward, and they are still on target to receive a draft report in January. Next Mr. Isele referenced a recent article published in 32963 concerning the District working with VCOM on a potential partnership, which would include leasing the HSB. He stated that the long-term goal would be for VCOM to operate a medical school in the HSB, with a focus on bringing additional primary care doctors to the area. Those discussions are continuing, and Ms. Peshke has been working to help facilitate this process. Next, he discussed a new initiative of refreshing the IRCHD brand to raise awareness of the value of the District throughout the community. He explained that this brand refresh includes updating the District logo, website, and the preparation of the 2022-2023 impact report. Mr. Isele then informed the board that the District and Lambert Commercial realty recently renegotiated their property management agreement concerning the HSB. He explained that initially there had not been a formal agreement in place for their services, but with the recent increased incidents at the building which required their management, Lamber requested a document be put into place that outlines additional cost and service expectations.
Mr. Westcott stated that he has a few concerns should the District choose to move forward with a lease to purchase option concerning the HSB, due to the fact that there is limited real estate adjacent to the hospital campus. He would like the District to conduct an evaluation to determine potential future needs for that area, before committing to a lease to purchase deal with VCOM. Ms. Cunningham clarified that the board agreed to support VCOM and to move forward with a lease agreement, not an outright sale, which VCOM had originally submitted. She does not believe that the board ever approved a lease to purchase option and that there are still further discussions between the parties that need to take place before final decisions would be made.
Funded Agency Semi Annual Report- Sunshine Physical Therapy- Ginny Blossom, Executive Director
Ms. Blossom addressed the board and introduced Heather Moxley, assistant executive director and clinical director, along with Katrena McMahan, COO. She thanked the Trustee for their continued support and stated that she is happy to answer any questions concerning their written report. Next, she addressed the set of questions provided to each funding agency concerning new initiatives and challenges they have experienced over the last 6 months. She stated that over the last 8 months they have been working to improve their financial position and continue the path to financial stability. They have been looking into other revenue streams and have recently begun to provide services at offsite locations, which has been beneficial to increasing revenue. She further explained that they continue to look for ways to improve their data collection and measuring outcomes. Next, she discussed some emerging issues they are facing is a lack of primary care support and access, specifically with signed plans of care for their patients, and she discussed he various areas where this could improve. They are also seeing an increased need for behavioral therapy resources, specifically in children. Lastly, she discussed their plans as an organization for the next five years with included expansion of services and a community campaign to provide higher recognition within the community for the work that they are doing. Ms. Bartlett recognized that Ms. Blossoms’ title no longer reflects interim executive director and asked whether she has assumed the role of executive director. Ms. Blossom indicated that the board of directors approached her and asked if she would be willing to stay on in the role which she accepted and is now part of the staff on a full-time basis.
Unfinished Business- Approval of GlobeChek Funding Request- Frank Isele, Executive Director
Mr. Isele stated that in a follow up to last months request from GlobeChek concerning funding for the 23-24 fiscal year, the Trustees had an opportunity to discuss the same at yesterdays Chairman’s meeting and an amended request is being proposed for approval this evening. He explained that the initial request was for $336,000 which included a portion to support a mobile Globe. However due to the uncertainty surrounding various factors with the organization ability to carry out this portion of the request, the Trustee agreed to remove this portion and only fund the other portion of the request which totals $282,000 and is billed on a fee for service basis. The Trustees also agreed that if GlobeChek was able to address and correct the various issues concerning the mobile Globe, have a strategic direction for better utilization and exposure in the community, the Trustees would be willing to revisit funding this portion of the program. After additional Trustee discussion and clarification concerning the amended request amount, Mr. Westcott made a motion to approve the amended funding request of $282,000, which was seconded by Dr. Cooney. The motion carried unanimously.
New Business- Resolution 2023-05- Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Ms. Peshke stated that before the Trustees is resolution 2023-05. She noted that the resolution included in the meeting packet reflected number 2023-03, but the correct number should be 2023-05, as the prior numbers were utilized for the District budget and millage approval process. She explained that this resolution would authorize the District board chair to execute a Vacant Land Contract for Sale and Purchase of the Hospice House Parcel, between the District and the VNA, with a fair market value purchase price of $3.8 million. She referenced that the District accepted the VNA’s May 9th, 2023, Option to Purchase and agreed to move forward with the process to sell the parcel for fair market value as determined by an agreed upon appraisal. Therefore, they are now ready to move onto the next step of signing a purchase and sales agreement, which is outlined in resolution 2023-05. Ms. Peshke asked for a motion to approve resolution 2023-05 which was made by Ms. Deigl. The motion was seconded by Ms. Bartlett and carried unanimously.
Public Comment/Adjourn
Ms. Sharon Wolfe of Vero Beach provided her public comment. There was no further Trustee discussion, and the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Barbara Bodnar, Secretary
