SUMMARY MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District
March 26, 2019
9:00 AM
ATTENDEES: Vicki Soule Pat Knipper
Angela G Ann Marie McCrystal
Allen Jones Jennifer Frederick
Ann Marie Suriano Nicholas Coppola
Tony Brown Jennifer Frederick
Kate Voss Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Convene Meeting – Allen Jones, Treasurer
Mr. Jones convened the meeting and stated that the purpose of the meeting was to allow any agencies who intend on responding to the Gifford Health Center RFP, an opportunity to ask for clarification on any requirements within the RFP document.
There was group discussion surrounding the office and medical equipment located at the Gifford Health Center. Mrs. Suriano indicated that since the District purchased most of the equipment when they built the center, she believes it to be District property. Additionally, she noted that the County Commission funded the purchased of replacement equipment through the Health Department, on behalf of the residents of Indian River County. She further stated that she has requested that Mrs. Hawker to prepare an inventory list of District owned equipment for her to review. In a phone call between the two, Mrs. Hawker indicated to her that over the years, the Health Department has used its own funds, provided by the County Commission, to replace old or broken equipment. The Health Department will need to go through the county procurement process to determine what the Health Department will and will not use. Mr. Jones stated that he would be a proponent of the District purchasing new office and medical equipment for the center, since much of it is outdated. It was further discussed that any entity responding to the RFP will need to address their equipment costs and needs within their response. Dr. Coppola indicated that he and an associate of his would be willing to walk through the center and assist with a budget for the items that will need to be replaced.
Mrs. Soule requested additional clarification concerning what is considered the ‘ramp up period’ and the expectation in patient volumes at the center. Mr. Jones stated that he would like the responding agency to list their true projected volumes. He explained that the numbers reflected in the RFP were projections of how many patient visits would be expected. They arrived at this number based off of the average volume at the clinic dating back to 2003, when the clinic was fully operational, and the last point of adult and pediatric services.
There was further discussion surrounding the hours at the clinic and if extended hours would be available. Mr. Brown indicated that extended hours would be beneficial to the community due to the fact that some residents seek medical care on the weekends or after 5:00 PM. Mrs. Knipper stated that the VNA is committed to assisting in this transition by placing the mobile unit at the center which is open until 7:00 PM. The group also discussed the importance of the new entity having a strong and trustworthy relationship with the community. Mr. Jones recommended that a Gifford Health Center Collaborative Committee be formed to keep communication lines open and have representatives from local agencies who have a better understanding of the community be part of this collaborative.
Dr. Coppola stated that the Mental Health Association is also committed to this transition but questioned whether they would need to submit a response to the RFP, since the MHA is not proposing to provide primary care. Mrs. Suriano explained that any agency who plans to provide services at the Gifford Health Center should complete the RFP and those sections relative to their service lines. Any items in the RFP that are not relative to the organization, may be skipped. The RFP responses are due back to the District on May 3rd, and will be opened for review at a public meeting on May 8th.
Public Comment- There was no public comment.
Adjourn- The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am.
