SUMMARY MINUTES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
County Commissioner Chambers/ Zoom
September 19, 2024
TRUSTEES: Karen Deigl Michael Kint
Marybeth Cunningham Paul Westcott
Barb Bodnar Kerry Bartlett
William Cooney, M.D.
STAFF: Kate Voss Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Frank Isele Kaytlin Dickens Dawn Carboni Jennifer Frederick
ATTENDEES: Vicki Soule Chuck Mackett Reene Bierly Wayne Creelman
Liz Bruner Chris Deigl Erene Anderson Jan Donlan John Donlan Robyn Orzel
ZOOM: Marie Andress Anne Posey Pat Knipper Megan McFall Lisa Zahner
Convene Meeting, Invocation, Pledge & Consent Agenda
Ms. Cunningham convened the regular monthly meeting of the Indian River County Hospital District at 5:15 PM. She asked for a motion to approve Chairman’s meeting minutes dated August 26 and a September disbursement of $1,471,899.66 The motion was made by Ms. Deigl and seconded by Ms. Bartlett. The motion carried unanimously.
Ms. Cunningham reflected on the District’s budget process for fiscal year 24-25 and stated that while there were some challenges adjusting to the new method of using eC Impact, she was pleased at the improvement being made to the overall efficiency of the process. She also thanked the Trustees for their efforts and input during the budget process.
District Counsel Report- Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Ms. Peshke stated she has responded to questions from Trustees as they have arisen pertaining to various matters the District is handling and she continues to review the annual deadlines and deliverables due to the District under the lease with CCIRH. She is also working to respond to Trustee questions with regard to the District authority under the lease with CCIRH and will provide a written summary on the same. Also, she continues to work with Ms. Deigl and Mr. Isele on negotiations to purchase the CHS property to house a future women’s sober living facility. They are making progress and will have an update for the Trustee in the next few weeks. Further, the District and VCOM have entered into a lease agreement for Human Services Building and she is working on the last phase of this process which is to confirm CCIRH will grant a waiver of the Right of First Refusal they currently hold on the parcel. Next, she stated that she has been working with Ms. Frederick to finalize the agency funding agreements. Lastly, Ms. Peshke has participated and assisted with the Trustee’s Strategic Planning efforts and continues to remain available to each Trustee in this regard.
Financial Statement Review – Michael Kint, Treasurer
Mr. Kint stated after eleven months of the fiscal year, the District is in strong financial condition. He provided a review of the year-to-date budget items and investment and cash holdings. He explained that the District has received 102%, or $12,946,443 of the $13,573,305 budgeted tax revenue, which is $12,688,060 realized, after $885,245 commissions and uncollectable taxes. Next, he reviewed the Districts investments and stated that as of August 31, all investments total $13,261,146 and discussed the various figures which are allocated; which include treasury bills and money market funds, the Florida Fixed Income Trust Preferred Deposit Pool account, and Seacoast bank. Next, he reviewed the overall program and administrative expenses. He stated that most funded agencies have expensed approximately 90% of their total budget, which is on track for this point in the year. Three agencies reflect expenses which track over their budgeted amount. He explained that those agencies had requested additional funds to cover those shortfalls, but the additional funds are not reflected in the approved budget totals. Lastly, he reviewed total administrative expense, which were over budget and discussed the various reasonings for the increase. There were no further questions or comments.
Executive Director Report- Frank Isele, Executive Director
Mr. Isele provided information on several follow up items and began by discussing the Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network/DCF abrupt cut in funding for prevention programs, which effected several District funded agencies. He explained that he was able to speak with Representative Brackett and Senator Grall’s office and both were supportive of the Districts efforts to better understand why these cuts happened and also stated that they would look into the matter as well. He also received a call from Jessica Durant, Human Services Program Director at DCF who provided a response to the Districts request for further information regarding the funding cuts. Unfortunately, the response she provided was very vague and did not formally identity the reasoning behind the funding cuts. Next, he discussed the Sebastain River Medical Center (“SRMC”) sale to Orlando Health, which has not been finalized. However, the bankruptcy court did approve the purchase of SRMC and two other Steward Florida facilities for $439.42 million. Further, Mr. Isele provided an update on CCIRH efforts to begin providing inpatient detox services at the BHC. He stated that they are in the process of finalizing the license application and business plan for the project. They also have purchased evidence-based curriculums and started specialized clinician training, while coordinating nursing and behavioral health technician education. Lastly, they are working with local psychiatric service providers to secure a psychiatrist specializing in addiction medicine. Next, he asked Ms. Dickens to provide an update on the performance measure and health outcomes dashboard. Ms. Dickens provided the update and showed the Trustees the new updates to the dashboard, which has now been imbedded into the District’s website. He further stated that in an effort to have more accurate data to review and process, he would like the District to annually conduct a survey to obtain local data on healthcare outcomes. Therefore Mr. Isele recommended engaging the services of Clearview Research to conduct the survey. Ms. Dickens stated that representatives from the organization would be present at the October Chairman’s meeting to answer Trustees questions and concerns. Further, he stated that the District convened all parties involved in the continuum of care for the Mental Health Court, to discuss the mechanics of client flow and the distribution of funding. There will be a follow up meeting scheduled at the end of October to take a further deep dive into the program to ensure that it is operating as efficiently as possible. Lastly, Mr. Isele discussed the potential efforts to contract a grant writer to assist the District in accessing available grant funding, specifically allocated for special districts. There was Trustee discussion about the various types of grants available and how the District could best access these grants. Most Trustee felt that the District should focus solely on federal funds, and not private entities who utilize philanthropic dollars.
Funded Agency Semi Annual Reports- Senior Resource Association
Ms. Robyn Orzel, the newly hired Chief Development Officer at SRA addressed the board and stated that Ms. Bruner would be providing tonight’s update for the Trustees but that she looks forward to working with the board in the future. Ms. Bruner provided the semi-annual written report which discussed the four programs the District supports. She then spoke to the additional questions provided to the funded agencies with regard to the organization and future operations. Ms. Bruner discussed the two learnings the organization had over the last six months which included new developments within the Public Guardian Program and Meals on Wheels. She also discussed their continuous effects to recruit volunteers for the Meals on Wheels, which has expanded significantly. Next, she discussed an emerging issue they are seeing locally effecting their organization, which included the ongoing need and shortage of primary care physicians. She explained they are hopeful that the new partnership with VCOM will create additional opportunities for physicians to stay within the local area to support the community. Lastly, she stated that SRA leadership anticipates continued organizational and philanthropic growth to address existing wait lists and will respond to increasing demands for senior services. In addition to meeting increasing needs driven by population growth, projected expansion will include absorption of select services and activities previously provided by Senior Collaborative of IRC. She explained that as of Oct 1st, this absorption will be finalized with Senior Collaborative being dissolved as an organization. There was Trustee discussion, and many were unaware that Senior Collaborative was dissolving and were disappointed that they had not been notified sooner. Ms. Soule, board chair for Senior Collaborative, addressed the Trustee and stated that they are working to finalize those notification letters and communication would be sent to funded partners and the community soon. Additionally, there was discussion that the board just approved funding in the 24-25 fiscal year budget to support Senior Collaborative and that those funds should be allocated to SRA. The board requested that representatives from SRA come back before the Trustees next month with a formal request for those funds to be redistributed. Ms. Bruner confirmed that they would be prepared in October to come back before the board with their request.
Other Business
Mr. Isele stated that VCOM representatives had contacted the District informing them of an error within the lease agreement relative to the date listed for the deadline to have an fully accredited medical school developed. The current agreement does not reflect the proper amount of time and will need to be amended to 2030, in order to maintain accreditation standards. Mr. Isele stated that he has individual conversation with each Trustees discussing the same and asked that a formal vote take place this evening approved the date change to the agreement. There was Trustees discussion, and all were understanding and in favor of the amendment. Mr. Kint made the motion to approve the change which was seconded by Ms. Deigl. The motion carried unanimously.
Public Comment/Adjourn
There was no further discussion or public comment, and the meeting was adjourned at 6:10 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Barb Bodnar, Secretary