SUMMARY MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
May 8, 2025
1:00 PM
TRUSTEES: Paul Westcott William Cooney Michael Kint Karen Deigl
Allen Jones Kerry Bartlett
ABSENT: Chuck Mackett
STAFF: Dawn Carboni Jennifer Frederick
Kate Voss Frank Isele
Jennifer Peshke, Esq. Kaytlin Dickens
ATTENDEES: Megan McFall Collete Heid
ZOOM: Tara Beard Kim Jeansonne
Sarah Cleek Anne Posey Hank Carr Pat Knipper Vicki Soule Raquel Rivas Lisa Zahner Ann Marie McCrystal Carrie Lester
Convene Meeting
Dr. Cooney convened the special meeting of the IRCHD Board of Trustees at 1:00 PM and turned the meeting over to Mr. Isele who led today’s discussion.
Mr. Isele provided an overview of the work he, Ms. Frederick, and Ms. Carboni have done over the last three weeks relating to the fiscal year 25-26 funding application process. He explained that the team conducted a thorough evaluation of 59 program requests and their evaluations focused on distinguishing between programs that support well-being and those that improve health outcomes. He emphasized the need to prioritize funding for programs that demonstrate measurable impacts on health and healthcare access, and it was noted that many applications, while beneficial, did not align directly with the District’s healthcare delivery mission. Also, each request was evaluated based on its individual merit, aligning with the District’s established goals and the team engaged in discussions to reach consensus on their evaluations, ensuring clarity and justification for their decisions. The evaluation process also involved direct communication with the CEOs and financial leaders of the funded agencies for clarification on their requests. It was further discovered through the process that additional opportunities for local partnerships and community collaboration were identified to enhance program sustainability. Moving forward, the District aims to encourage innovation and collaboration through a more targeted funding strategy and Mr. Isele highlighted the importance of diversifying referral and funding sources to ensure program sustainability. He further acknowledged that the evaluation process is ongoing and will require further calls and discussions with the funded agencies.
Next, Ms. Frederick provided a walkthrough of the request for funding evaluation tool form to familiarize Trustees with the process. The evaluation form includes sections for assessing program alignment with District goals and financial support data. It was discussed that the District staff’s recommendations should be viewed as guidelines to assist Trustees in their evaluations and that Trustees should also use their own perspectives when completing the evaluations. It was also confirmed that staff made sure all required documentation for the funding applications were provided and can be accessed through e-C Impact. Ms. Frederick stated that Trustee will have until June 13th to complete their evaluations and once completed, a comprehensive report of the data will be provided to staff, who will review the findings with the board at the June 18th Chairman’s meeting. There was Trustee discussion, and many were pleased and thankful to the staff for their time and effort put into the evaluation process. Dr. Cooney asked for public comment related to the new evaluation process, and there was none.
Mr. Isele asked Ms. Peshke to provide additional clarification to the Trustees on potential conflicts of interest when working through the evaluation process and upcoming group discussions on the same. She explained that all funding applications and evaluation tools are public records. However, she encouraged Trustees with a known conflict of interest relative to a funded agency, to refrain from evaluating that agency to avoid a perceived conflict. Additionally, it was discussed that a Trustee should announce their conflict prior to any discussion and leave the room when the item they are conflicted with is discussed. She also referenced a section within the conflict-of-interest policy which stated that a Trustee may participate in discussions should the majority of the board vote to have the conflicted Trustee present for discussions. Ms. Deigl recommended that an agenda item be added to each District meeting which provides the opportunity for a Trustee to announce a conflict of interest at the beginning of each meeting.
Next, there was discussion surrounding the creation of a draft fiscal year 2025-2026 budget and when Trustees can expect those discussions to take place. It was discussed that there is another check-in meeting for the Trustees on June 3rd to discuss the evaluation process with the goal of having the first budget discussion at the June 18th Chairman’s meeting. It was also discussed that additional conversations will need to take place regarding sunsetting programs which refers to gradually decreasing funding for programs that may no longer align with the Districts funding strategy. It was further emphasized that sunsetting does not mean immediate termination of programs but rather a phased approach to funding adjustments.
Public Comment & Adjourn
Dr. Cooney asked for additional public comment and there was none. The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 PM.
