SUMMARY MINUTES
CHAIRMAN’S MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
January 20, 2020
10:00 AM
TRUSTEES: Marybeth Cunningham Barbara Bodnar
Ann Marie McCrystal Allen Jones
VIA ZOOM: Karen Deigl Michael Weiss
ABSENT: Tracey Zudans
STAFF: Ann Marie Suriano Jennifer Frederick
Kate Voss Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Convene Meeting – Marybeth Cunningham, Chairwoman
Mrs. Cunningham convened the Chairman’s meeting of the IRCHD Board of Trustees at 10:00 AM by welcoming those participating via Zoom and in person.
Mental Health Association Semi Annual Update- Angela Guzenski, COO
Ms. Guzenski introduced Ms. Sheana Firth, the Chief Brand Officer and Director of Marketing and Philip Cromer, PhD., the new Chief Executive Officer. She provided a review of the Walk-In Center and support group service activity data from Oct-Dec, 2020. She explained that about 40% of these services are conducted through telehealth. Additionally, MHA has hired a new clinical director, Ms. Jessica Olsen, who has been a strong addition to their team. She further reviewed data concerning the clinical outcome measurers at the Walk-In Center and stated that the clinical team conducted 56 suicide risk assessments. 64% of clients discharged in the last quarter of 2020 ended care with a favortiable disposition. She also reviewed client satisfaction survey results from the Walk-In Center as well. Ms. Firth provided an update concerning the Vero Drop-In Center and discussed client satisfaction data. Through the first quarter there were 1605 member visits. Ms. Guzenski reviewed MHA’s financial data and stated that they received some private donations which have helped sustain the center during COVID. They were also awarded CARES Act funding and a PPE loan. She also provided an update concerning the Middle and High School Violence and Suicide Prevention program. She reviewed data on the same and discussed the challenges they faced with implementing the program during COVID. Ms. Jeanne Sheppard addressed the board and provided further insight as to how the COVID pandemic has placed a community wide focus on mental health. She explained that early on, MHA decided that they would not close any of their centers and chose to instead reduce hours of operation and limited the number of members inside. With the Walk-In Center remaining open, they saw a 30% increase in walk-in patients. They were also able to quickly adapt to telehealth delivery methods from CARES Act funding and plan on utilizing these new methods moving forward. Lastly, Dr. Comer introduced himself to the board and thanked the Trustees for their support.
Agreed Upon Procedures FY 18-19 Review- Kip Jacoby, CPA
Mr. Jacoby provided a summary overview of the agreed upon procedures. He explained that the biggest issue they found was providing proof of residency. The District staff has implemented a better system of acknowledging those issues and providing a write up of the same within the notes section on the database. He stated this year’s exception rate was at 7%, which was much better than 11% from the previous year. It was further discussed that the District has amended their proof of residency guidelines to combat this issue and should have less exceptions for fiscal year 19-20.
Other Business
Mrs. Cunningham announced that Mrs. Zudans submitted her letter of resignation to the board. Mrs. Suriano stated that she has notified the Governors Appointments office and they will have 45 days to fill the vacancy, from the date of her resignation. There was Trustees discussion surrounding the matter of a Trustee taking a leave of absence, instead of resigning. Mrs. Peshke stated that she would research the matter and follow up with the board.
There was group discussion surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and its availability in the county. There was also discussion concerning home health workers having access to the vaccine, due to their work with direct patient care. Mrs. Soule stated she has spoken with Mrs. Hawker and she is working on a plan to address this need. Unfortunately, at this time, the demand for the vaccine is much greater than the supply.
Public Comment & Adjourn
Mrs. Cunningham asked for additional public comment and there was none. The meeting was adjourned at 12:10 PM.
