| Board Meeting Minutes- May 10, 2004 |  |
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Meeting Held at 800 Preston Avenue
Susan Garrett, Chairman Members Absent Carol Johnston Others Present James R. Peterson, Executive Director Evelyn Cotton, Mental Retardation Residential Services
Ms. Garrett, chairman, called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m.
Ms. Garrett welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Ms. Garrett asked if there were any comments from the public. There were none.
Ms. Garrett asked if there were any items to be added to the agenda. Ms. Barrett said she would like to discuss the new state budget; a substance abuse initiative adopted by the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards; and an upcoming training regarding the Olmstead plan for Virginia. Ms. Wernstrom asked if we will see the attorney, and when will the report be out. Ms. Garrett said that the attorney would not be attending the meeting, and Ms. Wernstrom responded that she would like to meet with the attorney. Ms. Barrett said that she also would like to meet with him, and so Ms. Garrett said that the attorney would be invited to attend the next meeting of the Executive Committee, and any interested board members could attend and meet with him at that time.
Ms. Garrett deferred any remarks at this time. VI. APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 12, 2004, BOARD MEETING MINUTES Mr. Kelley noted that he had not appeared before the Nelson County Board of Supervisors even though the minutes incorrectly stated that he had. Ms. Wernstrom said that Mr. Beghtol from Western State Hospital had said that temporary beds had been placed in the hallways in order to accommodate the excess census, and she asked that this be included in the minutes. ON A MOTION BY MR. BELAIR, SECONDED BY MS. BARRETT, THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 12, 2004, BOARD MEETING WERE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED AS CORRECTED.
Mr. Belair reported that the Nominating Committee felt that with a new executive director coming on, it was important to maintain the corporate memory by continuing the same officers for another year, except that he would step aside from standing for reelection for the position of member-at-large of the Executive Committee if another member was interested in putting their name in. For the other positions, the Nominating Committee is submitting the following nominations for officers of Region Ten and Region Ten, Inc.: chair (and chair and president of Region Ten, Inc.), Ms. Susan Garrett; vice chair (and vice chair and vice president of Region Ten, Inc.), Mr. Michael Murphy; secretary (and secretary of Region Ten, Inc.), Carol Johnston; and past chair (and past chair and past president of Region Ten, Inc.) Dr. Peter Sheras. Mr. Belair said if anyone would like to volunteer to be on the slate for the position of member-at-large of the Executive Committee, they could do so at this time. Otherwise, a nomination would be made at the June meeting when the elections are held. Nominations would also be accepted from the floor at that time. Ms. Wernstrom said that she had not been contacted to inquire of her possible interest, and even though she was not interested in being nominated, she thought that members should be called like they were last year by Mr. Murphy. She asked if this wasn’t so and also what the policy was on this. Mr. Murphy confirmed that he did call all members last year. Mr. Peterson responded that there was not a policy on how the Nominating Committee conducts its business, and that the actual practice had varied from year to year. Mr. Belair added that there had been time constraints for the Nominating Committee, and so he had invited any members to volunteer if they wished. Ms. Wernstrom responded that was not the point, that members are not going to publicly volunteer.
Ms. Garrett noted that the Executive Committee had discussed the inconsistency in previous practice when board members wished to apply for a staff position, and that some board members have been told they must resign from the board before submitting their application, and others have been allowed to apply without first applying for the board. The Executive Committee had developed a recommended policy on this, but since two board members have requested a closed session, this will be discussed later in the meeting. Ms. Garrett reported that the Executive Committee had also discussed the scheduling of a board retreat, but they concluded it would make sense to wait until the new executive director is in place.
Ms. Garrett said that the recruitment process is on track, that telephone interviews will be held on Thursday after which the finalists will be chosen to meet with the full board. The committee is targeting the June board meeting for a decision. Dr. Sheras cautioned that the interviews were not intended to be an interrogation, but rather an opportunity to talk informally. Ms. Gibson observed that this tight schedule left little time for candidates to arrange flight reservations, etc. Ms. Wernstrom suggested that given the board members’ schedules and commitments, perhaps all of the interviews could be held during the June board meeting. Ms. Garrett responded that the interviews will be scheduled for separate days.
Ms. Maltais reported that the committee has not yet met this month.
Mr. Peterson noted that the latest draft of the plan has been distributed, and the intent was for all board members to review the draft over the next month so that a mini-work session could be held at the June board meeting to move toward adoption of the plan. Ms. Barrett commented that the June board meeting already had a very full agenda. Mr. Peterson responded that there was no urgency to review and adopt the plan, and so the discussion could be postponed. Ms. White asked if the latest draft included the outcomes, and Mr. Peterson said that every consumer in every service has quarterly outcome objectives that are evaluated every quarter, but the challenge has been to develop a method to aggregate these very specific and very real outcome measures to reflect them in terms of program outcomes.
Ms. Maltais reported that the Meadowcreek plant sale had netted $1,400. Ms. Davis reported that the SAMHSA (federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) grant applications are due in May and June, and these would address homeless consumers with co-occurring disorders and women’s residential treatment. Also, a Robert Wood Johnson grant would give priority for access of clients with substance use disorders. Ms. Davis announced that Region Ten’s prevention services director. Mr. Phillip Crosson, has resigned to relocate to Costa Rica, and all board members are invited to come to a going away party to be held on May 28, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, at the Fourth Street Station. Mr. Trippel asked what kinds of programs were planned for the future for substance use disorders, and Ms. Davis responded that residential treatment services for women, and clients with co-occurring disorders, were the first priorities because a substance abuse diagnosis rules them out for Medicaid and other resources. Ms. Garrett asked about the status of the mental health court, and Mr. Pezzoli replied that the UVA Systems Engineering Department was conducting a study to determine practices and statistics of persons with mental health needs in the criminal justice system. He will report to the board on this when the report is released. Dr. Sheras reported that federal enabling legislation has just been voted out of Senate committee for $10 million for pilot projects. Also, a $100 million authority will hopefully be on the floor at the end of the year. Ms. Wernstrom asked how this differs from jail mental health services, and Mr. Pezzoli said that it establishes new courts with the intent of diverting persons from the corrections system. Mr. Murphy asked if the year-to-date financial reports were available. They will be mailed tomorrow. Ms. Barrett reminded board members that the Finance Committee will meet here on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.
Ms. Barrett said that there were several very good sessions at the conference held at Virginia Beach. The institute conducted by Ken Minkoff, M.D., “An Integrated System of Care,” discussed the need to establish services for co-occurring disorders. He has worked with the Central Virginia Community Services Board (Lynchburg area), and so we could talk with them or access Dr. Minkoff’s website. Another presentation was by Mr. Al Siebert, “Developing Resiliency in Yourself, Your Organization and the Consumers You Serve.” There was a great deal of interaction with the participants in this session. Mr. Siebert pointed out that on the national mental health website, there is not a single mention of mental health, just mental illness. There is a great need to put out more positive information. Ms. Barrett reported that the VACSB board voted to add a position of assistant executive director, and to approve the relocation of the association’s offices. She added that a substance abuse initiative was adopted that recognizes that a good job has been done for mental health and mental retardation advocacy, but not for substance abuse. Ms. Barrett recommended that the board establish a task force comprised of board members, staff and community members to develop highly focussed plans. She noted that Ms. Hammond also attended this workshop and would be able to add to this. Mr. Belair commented that the public views substance abuse as a character flaw and therefore the legislators do not want to fund services because they see the individuals as responsible for the problem. This is reflected in the funding cuts for drug courts while at the same time new funding is being considered to implement mental health courts. Ms. Hammond said that the point was made in the workshop that funding had been available through the criminal justice system, and that could be to our disadvantage. Mr. Murphy said that he has yet to see the proposed bylaws for the board’s proposed Substance Use Disorders Advisory Committee, and also there is the community’s Prevention Coalition, and any new efforts by the board should be coordinated with these. Ms. Barrett responded that the public needs to be educated. Ms. Barrett said that a meeting will be held with Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Jane Wood, to advocate to keep case management in the Community Services Board system. There are other groups trying to get case management for the funding that comes with it. Dr. Moody asked if perhaps there was other options, such as opening the service to all providers, and Rev. Cameron asked in that case then, what options there would there be for rural areas. Ms. Barrett reported that a bylaws change for the VACSB expands the representation from each of the five Health Planning Regions from one to two representatives to include a board member from each region. A board member from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board currently represents our region (HPR-I). Ms. Barrett was elected chair of the VACSB beginning July 1. Mr. Belair asked about a summary of the state budget action, and Ms. Barrett replied that everyone was surprised about the increased number of Medicaid Waiver slots that had been included in the final budget. For our area it is likely that the number of new Waiver slots will necessitate at least one new group home and additional staff. Mr. Peterson said that this would be possible because the Waiver provides full funding for the services. Mr. Murphy observed that some of these consumers were already receiving services and so it would not involve all new consumers. Ms. Barrett has written to the legislators thanking them for their action, and Dr. Sheras suggested that Ms. Garrett also send letters on behalf of the board to those legislators who supported increased funding: Senators Deeds, Hanger, and Houck, and Delegates Abbitt, Landes and Van Yahres. Ms. Gibson noted that schools received the bulk of the new funding to the extent that the Greene County Schools are expecting to return a half-million local dollars, and so this may help other local services. Ms. Wernstrom reported that there was a quite remarkable presentation on a suicide mal-practice case at the VACSB conference. The testimony brought out that only the patient’s illness had been considered, and not their health, and that no one had even talked to the patient. She related this to the question she had raised earlier about the closing of state hospital beds and what was going to be done with all of those people. The state can be sued, and the concept that the state is liable is important. Ms. Wernstrom also said that the presentation by Commissioner Reinhard was excellent, that he emphasized that a person is a person, not a collection of illnesses. She described how the commissioner used a circle to portray the person, with different small circles inside the larger circle to represent other components, and only one of these circles was the illness. There is a need to get physicians to look beyond the diagnoses, and Ms. Wernstrom will send some information to Dr. Reinhard that addresses this need.
There were no reports at this time.
Ms. Garrett said that a state budget summary had been distributed, and since this item had already been discussed earlier, it would not be necessary to discuss it now. Ms. Barrett said that a workshop will be held at John Tyler Community College on Wednesday, June 2, to discuss Virginia’s plan for Olmstead implementation, and the restructuring of services in relation to the Department’s vision and legal considerations. This legislation will have a profound impact on Virginia in the coming years. Registration for the workshop must be submitted by May 28, and Ms. Barrett would welcome anyone who would like to ride with her. Ms. Garrett said that she would call for a recess of the meeting (7:05 p.m.) of the Region Ten Community Services Board in order to convene into a meeting of the board of Region Ten Community Services Board, Inc. Ms. Garrett reconvened the meeting of Region Ten Community Services Board at 7:30 p.m.
Ms. Garrett announced that a request has been made for the Board to enter into a Closed Meeting to receive information on personnel matters. The Meeting is warranted and complies with Section 2.2 3711 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended. ON A MOTION BY MS. BARRETT, SECONDED BY MS. WERNSTROM, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED THAT THE REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT OF BOARD MEMBERS PURSUANT TO THE PERSONNEL EXEMPTION AT § 2.2-3711(A)(1) OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA. Ms. Garrett reconvened the board in Open Meeting at 7:58 p.m. She stated that no resolution, ordinance, rule, contract, regulation or motion was adopted, passed or agreed to in Closed Meeting. The Region Ten Community Services Board hereby certifies that to the best of each Member's knowledge, (i) only public business matters lawfully exempted from Open Meeting requirements by Virginia law pursuant to § 2.2-3711(A)(1) of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, were discussed in the Closing Meeting to which this certification applies, and (ii) only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the Closed Meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the Region Ten Community Services Board. Ms. Garrett asked for a role call from all members certifying to the foregoing. MEMBERS VOTING AYE: MS. GIBSON, MR. TRIPPEL, MS. HAMMOND, DR. SHERAS,
MR. BELAIR, MR. KELLEY, MR. MURPHY, MS. GARRETT, MS. WHITE, MS.
BARRETT, MS. WERNSTROM, REV. CAMERON AND MR. KELLEY; NO MEMBERS
VOTING NAY. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Carol Johnston REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING May 3, 2004 Susan Garrett, Chairman James Peterson, Executive Director John Davidson, Esq.
1. Planning for the May 10 board meeting Committee members reviewed the minutes of the of the April 12 board meetings, and the proposed agenda for the May 10 meeting. The Nominating Committee will report on the slate of officers at the May meeting for action at the June meeting. Copies of the latest revision of the strategic plan will be distributed with an opportunity for initial feedback at the May meeting but extended consideration at the June meeting.
At the invitation of the committee, Mr. John Davidson, Esq., discussed the legal aspects of personnel policies and procedures.
The committee members discussed the need for the board to adopt a policy so that if a board member decides to apply for a staff position, they would first need to resign from the board. On a motion by Mr. Belair, seconded by Dr. Sheras, it was unanimously
voted to recommend to the board the addition of the following language
to Board Policy #7 (Conflict of Interest): “A board member
who wishes to apply for employment with Region Ten must submit their
resignation from the board prior to the submission of their application
for employment.” June 14, 2004, Board Meeting Agenda Item XI. REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING June 7, 2004 Michael Murphy, Vice Chairman Other Board Members Present Barbara Barrett James Peterson, Executive Director
Committee members reviewed the minutes of the of the May 10 board meetings, and the proposed agenda for the May 10 meeting. Mr. Murphy provided a brief summary of the items to come before the board, and asked if there were other items that should be considered. Ms. Barrett said that she and Ms. Wernstrom had attended the workshop on the Olmstead implementation, but that this could be reported on under the agenda item for board member reports. Mr. Murphy noted that due to the lengthy business agenda, that possibly the consideration of the strategic plan could be postponed. The members agreed.
Mr. Murphy announced that a request has been made for the Executive Committee to enter into a Closed Meeting to receive information on personnel matters. The Meeting is warranted and complies with Section 2.2 3711 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended. On a motion by Mr. Belair, seconded by Dr. Sheras, it was unanimously voted that the Region Ten Community Services Board Executive Committee convene in closed session to discuss personnel actions pursuant to the personnel exemption at § 2.2-3711(a)(1) of the code of Virginia. Members voting aye: Mr. Belair, Dr. Sheras, Ms. Wernstrom, Ms. Barrett, Ms. Johnston, and Mr. Murphy; no members voting nay.
Mr. Belair reported that a grant application could be submitted to the department of Housing and Urban Development to secure funding to develop housing for four consumers in Louisa. Also, he detailed the history of how Region Ten came to lease the office space in Louisa, and prior to the expiration of the lease, he would like to see Region Ten develop its own outpatient facility. He reviewed available parcels of land in Louisa that he has researched, and which would provide suitable sites for these facilities. Board members were supportive and encouraged him to present these proposals at the June 14 meeting of the Region Ten, Inc., Board. The meeting was adjourned.
FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
Roxanne White, Chair Other Members Present Bondy Shea Gibson
Jim Peterson
Mr. Brown provided an orientation to Region Ten’s budget and process using a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “Region Ten’s Budget Made Simple.”
Mr. Brown distributed copies of a spreadsheet (see attached) comparing the current FY 2004 budget to the proposed FY 2005 budget. The proposed FY 2005 budget totals $23,218,601 which represents a 12.5 percent increase over the current FY 2004 budget of $20,634,132. Of the $2,584,469 increase, projected increased Medicaid fees account for $2,407,297 (or all but $177,772). This means that all other increases in revenue sources--local, state federal and other fees--represent less than one percent of the budget. The FY 2005 budget is the basis for the state Performance Contract which must be available for public comment for 30 days prior to adoption by the board. The Finance Committee was asked to review the FY 2005 proposed budget, incorporate any revisions, and then approve it for recommendation to the board at the June 14 board meeting. The 30 day public comment period will begin tomorrow when a legal notice will appear in the Daily Progress inviting the public to review the document. On a motion by Rev. Cameron, seconded by Ms. Barrett, it was unanimously voted to recommend to the board the approval of the FY 2005 budget. 3. Finance Committee Charter Ms. White noted that the frequency and schedule of meetings for the Finance Committee should be based upon the responsibilities of the committee, and these should be outlined in board policy and a charter for the committee. An annual calendar of meetings could then be established to meet these responsibilities. It was agreed that currently existing information pertaining to the Finance Committee would be compiled, and then a statement of responsibilities, an annual calendar, and a charter would be developed. (Note: the current Annual Board Calendar calls for Finance Committee meetings to be held in August, October, November and April, addressing issues of the budget, annual audit, Finance Committee policies, and insurance/risk management). The meeting was adjourned. REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING Angela Hammond, Chair
Jane Lewis
1. Staff Benefits Survey Results Ms. Lewis conducted a PowerPoint presentation, describing the results of the staff’s opinions concerning Region Ten’s benefits. The survey went out with the March paychecks. With a 32% response (the higher salary scale employees with the most service time responded more than the lower salary scale personnel with lower service time) and 68% no response, the results show that most employees who responded are satisfied with the benefits offered. The three top requested benefit additions were (1) 49% requested a 401K plan with matching funds, (2) 44% requested a paid month off after 10 years service, and (3) 33% requested 3 weeks vacation after 5 years service. Ms Lewis will make a full report to the Board at the June 14, 2004, meeting.
Ms Lewis also reported that 11 proposals (RFP) were submitted to conduct the class/compensation study. They were all received by May 15 because state requirements prevented Region Ten from following the time line this committee had imposed. The Quality Management Council will meet Monday, May 24, to begin perusing the proposals. They will interview vendors, and then select one by mid to late June, Ms Lewis said.
Mr. Kelley asked Ms. Lewis if Region Ten had a benefits policy manual. She replied, “We have a Human Resources Manual. You can find all policies and procedures from the Human Resources Manual on our website.” She also said every new employee receives training that includes reviewing all benefits. When asked, “Do we need a benefits manual?”; Ms. Lewis said there are all sorts of legal issues involved. Ms. Hammond asked if the Personnel Committee needed a mission statement that spells out our purpose and goals. The consensus was that we did not. The next meeting of the Personnel Committee will be held June 15, 2004 at 4:30. The meeting was adjourned. REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
Phil Carr, Chairman
Reed Banks, Rehabilitation Services Director From Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation Brian Veerhoff, QMRP, ARC of the Piedmont 1. Affiliate Agreements Committee members reviewed the first draft of the Affiliate Agreement which had beeen mailed prior to the meeting. Ms. Hymes suggested, and the committee members concurred, that III A (“The affiliate shall collect, maintain and report information concerning human rights activities 10 days prior to each scheduled meeting to....”) be stricken, as redundant with III F which also deals with reporting requirements. Replacement language for III A was adopted: “The committee on its own motion can request an affiliate to appear before the committee to discuss human rights activities at any time.” Mr. Veerhoff asked for definition of IV E (“The affiliate agrees to pay for all costs associated with a RTLHRC hearing”), specifically, what “all costs” would consist of. Committee members responded that this would include mailing, reproduction of documentation, and possibly refreshments, but not a fee paid to the committee or legal costs. No language change was proposed for this section. Committee members discussed and sought clarification on III F (“In
addition to, and apart from, the above reporting requirements, at
any time that the affiliate files a report of abuse and/or neglect
to the regional advocate, the affiliate must also advise the chairperson
of the RTLHRC at the same time the report is submitted to the regional
advocate.”). Committee would like redacted copies of incidents
that involve: (1) serious injury due to neglect or abuse; Phillip Carr It was unanimously agreed to approve the Affiliate Agreement with the changes noted. Committee members requested copies of the revised agreement and a list of the affiliates.
Mr. Banks provided brief review of PACT services, and then Mr. Banks and Mr. Pezzoli responded to questions. The question was asked how a person graduates from PACT. The response was that PACT is not a time-limited service, but it is voluntary service (as long as the services are needed and desired). Services may reduce in intensity (titrate) as client’s needs decrease. Does a PACT client have the right to see the psychiatrist without staff? Yes, although it is common for primary staff to attend psychiatric appointments in order to assist the client in presenting their needs, but the client has the right to say no. Ms. Hymes said that she had suggestions to make the PACT team more recovery based, and Mr. Pezzoli extended an invitation to her.
Mr. Collins reviewed procedures outlined in the “Rules and
Regulations to Assure the Rights of Individuals Receiving Services
from Providers of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance
Abuse Services.” Mr. Collins introduced Ms. Kelly Murphy as
the person who handles this process for Region Ten. Ms. Hymes asked
if a staff member violated a clients human rights, as well as Region
Ten internal policy, would the personnel issue be addressed.
The next meeting of the Region Ten Local Human Rights Committee will be held on Friday, August 6, 2004, 3:30 p.m. at Region Ten. The meeting was adjourned.
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