| Board Meeting Minutes-May 12, 2003 |  |
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Meeing Held at Members Present Peter L. Sheras, Ph.D., Chairman Members Absent Carol Johnston Others Present James R. Peterson, Executive Director Michael Costanzo, Director, Mohr Center
Dr. Sheras, chairman, called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
Dr. Sheras said that he was pleased to see so many board members at the May meeting of the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards in Williamsburg.
Dr. Sheras asked if there were any comments from the public. There were none.
Dr. Sheras asked if there were other items to add to the agenda. Mr. Peterson said that he would like to announce an upcoming meeting to be held in Culpeper.
Ms. Barrett noted that on page 4 of the minutes, it was incorrectly stated that a meeting of the Virginia Office of Protection and Advocacy Board (VOPA) was held at Western State Hospital (WSH) when in actuality she had said that she and the executive director of VOPA visited and toured WSH. With regard to the discussion on health insurance, Mr. Murphy said that on page 7 the language should be changed to say that other local governments “have similar high-end deductions.” Also, he clarified that on page 8 he had stated that the recommendation under consideration from the Personnel Committee was not the recommendation that had appeared in the minutes of the earlier meeting of the committee, but a recommendation adopted by the committee at a subsequent meeting. Ms. Rebholz said that she was referring to the treatment malls at WSH when she made her remarks regarding the programs and skills building activities. ON A MOTION BY MR. BELAIR, SECONDED BY MS. REBHOLZ, THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 14, 2003, BOARD MEETING WERE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED AS REVISED.
Ms. Rebholz asked for clarification as to why the individual numbers
did not always add up to the total figures especially considering
that, for example, it would seem that anyone needing mental health
services from Region Ten would need psychiatric services. Mr. Peterson
responded that some of the persons were currently in treatment and
others were not, and so if a person is already receiving a particular
service, it would not be included in the numbers for needed services.
Dr. Sheras noted that the minutes for the Executive Committee meeting were on the tables in front of each member. He said that of the six localities, only Fluvanna County had approved an increase in funding and he commended Ms. Rebholz for her continuing efforts. Ms. Rebholz commented that she had taken two members of the board of supervisors on a tour of Friendly Oaks, and perhaps this may have helped them understand the need for support. Ms. Garrett reported that she had gone to Blacksburg with Mr. Pezzoli to see pro bono services for folks with no resources. She has sent a letter to the free clinic to see if they wanted to take this on, and Mr. Pezzoli has talked with UVa. Mr. Pezzoli said that he will write a proposal including UVa, the Free Clinic and the Mental Health Association. They are in the process of determining if Dr. Cantebury is interested in assigning residents and to mutually establish a finite amount of unfunded service which would represent the community’s aggregate response to this need. Dr. Sheras asked about the likely site for the program and Mr. Pezzoli responded that the Free Clinic would be preferred in order to avoid all of the requirements to which we are subject. Ms. Garrett noted that UVa was receiving considerable criticism for not taking indigent patients. Ms. White said that the Free Clinic said that they told both the city and the county that additional mental health services are needed, and when referrals are made to Region Ten, they are told they Region Ten doesn’t have the resources. Mr. Pezzoli said the response to referrals both to Region Ten and UVa is mixed, but it is the case that persons are told to “try here, try there.” Ms. Miller said that there are also populations that we do not serve such as sex offenders, and for example, a probation officer may say they need a particular service, but it is not one that we offer. Another example would be marital counseling that we only provide in conjunction with family treatment, not as a stand alone service. Dr. Sheras referred back to the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting and said that Ms. Lori Wood and Ms. Molly Yates of Region Ten’s Emergency Services participated in the mental health crisis response team to get unified response capability and training of volunteers with the city’s emergency services coordinator, Mr. Kay Harden.
Mr. Murphy, chair of the Nominating Committee, reported that he had spoken with every board member or left messages for them to discuss the nominations, and particularly to ask if they would accept a nomination, and who they thought would be appropriate for nominations. The committee proposes the following slate: Ms. Garrett, chair, Mr. Murphy, vice chair, Ms. Johnston, secretary, and Mr. Belair, member-at-large of the Executive Committee. Dr. Sheras thanked the committee for their work and noted that the elections will be held at the June 9 meeting.
Mr. Wunsh said that the Finance Committee had met at 4:00 p.m. today, and he asked Mr. Brown to report on the budget discussion. Mr. Brown said that the committee reviewed the FY 2003 proposed final revisions which would then serve as a springboard for the FY 2004 revisions. Revenues and expenditures for FY 2003 were both up slightly with the projected balance being $44,000 to the good. The Finance Committee approved the revisions at its meeting prior to the board meeting. Ms. Garrett noted that even following the David Lloyd reorganization, the budgets are still reported out by disability area rather than the new organization structure. Mr. Brown responded that this is necessary in order to report to the state and other fundors, but internally, each program receives budget information that is specific to their operations. Mr. Brown said that the proposed revised FY 2004 budget is now shown in balance. Mr. Peterson said that once again, the proposed State Performance Contract will have to be out for public inspection for a period of 30 days before the board can adopt the contract, and the contract is based on the budget. He suggested that a special board meeting could be called for either June 27 or June 30 for the purpose of reviewing any comments that have been received from the public, and then adopting the FY 2004 budget and State Performance Contract. In the interim, any additional information pertaining to revenues and expenditures would be incorporated into the proposed budget for review at the special meeting. It was agreed that the special meeting would be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, June 30, 2003. Mr. Wunsh said that the Finance Committee also discussed the response to the Requests for Proposals (RFP) that had been issued for the next audit. Although several firms initially showed some interest, only the current firm, Hantzmon Wiebel & Co., actually responded to the RFP.
Mr. Michael Costanzo reported that as of July last year, the detox program at the Mohr Center, which had been operating for 11 years, was ended in order to respond to the state budget cuts. In its place is a 5-bed public inebriate program, and a 10-bed residential treatment program. The public inebriate program is funded by the Department of Criminal Justice Services and is not licensed by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. However, the residential treatment program is licensed. It is a real loss to no longer have detox services available locally, but we are fortunate that we have been successful in making transportation arrangements to New Hope detox center in Staunton. With regard to the SHARE grant resolution, Mr. Costanzo said that every year the board is required to act on the resolution to authorize the grant which provides funding for emergency transitional shelter for homeless persons. Region Ten has received this funding for over 10 years, and the amount is divided up state-wide based on the number of beds provided for this purpose. We are currently receiving $25,000, but it will probably be less next year. Ms. Garrett asked about the length-of-stay at the Mohr Center, and Mr. Costanzo replied that the public inebriate shelter is for 24 hours, but there is no prohibition to renewing the 24 hours as needed. Ms. Garrett asked if New Hope was consistently available, and Mr. Costanzo responded that they have never turned anyone away. Mr. Belair asked if there were any possibility of restoring our own detox capability, and Mr. Costanzo said that funding would be needed. Mr. Trippel asked if it were because of funding that we now have fewer beds, and Mr. Costanzo said that was correct, that there is no longer the staff required for coverage. Mr. Belair asked what would happen if New Hope were not available. Mr. Costanzo said that they would either be held at the Mohr Center until a bed was available, or would be taken to the emergency room. Mr. Belair asked if the program ever responded to mental health needs, and Mr. Pezzoli said that this had been the case sometimes. Ms. Wernstrom said that there are more choices for alcohol detox and that UVa offers detox services on 5 East. Ms. Rebholz asked if the Mohr Center was only serving males at now, and if so, what happens to females. Mr. Costanzo said that they are not well served, but that New Hope is available and also out-of-area placements are possible through the purchase-of-services funding for residential treatment, SARPOS. Ms. Barrett asked if this represented discrimination, and Ms. Miller responded that we do serve women, but not in this program. Mr. Murphy said that another factor was that women are rarely picked up for public intoxification.
The committee is scheduled to meet this Thursday (May 15) at 4:00 p.m., and then the plant and bake sale will be held on Friday, May 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Ms. Barrett said that donations of bake goods for the sale would be appreciated.
Mr. Pezzoli said that the board had expressed a great deal of interest in exploring day treatment services for kids. The Educational Support Services offered in the schools by the Central Virginia Community Services Board in Lynchburg is the model we are implementing, and it has begun in the Enterprise School at Murray for Albemarle County students. There is also the possibility of implementing the program at Johnson Elementary School in the city. There will also be a day treatment program for 20 kids in the summer operated as a summer camp with kids participating from two to four hours at the First Presbyterian Church on Park Street and funded by Medicaid. Dr. Sheras asked how the program would be publicized, and Mr. Pezzoli said through special education and Region Ten staff. Mr. Belair asked if the program would only be open to Albemarle residents, and Mr. Pezzoli said that the summer program would be open to all jurisdictions. Dr. Sheras asked if this would be a particular drain on the staff, and Mr. Pezzoli responded that some of Region Ten’s school based staff are not as busy in the summer. Ms. Barrett asked about Region Ten staff in the schools, and Mr. Pezzoli gave a brief history of the services and staff which has varied from one locality to another, and within each locality over time. Ms. White asked if this was different from the school’s special education program, and Mr. Pezzoli answered, yes, that this is day treatment and is funded through Medicaid, so participants must meet Medicaid eligibility and the specific treatment services must also be Medicaid eligible. Mr. Murphy asked if this would be held after the summer school, and Mr. Pezzoli responded to the affirmative. Ms. Miller reported on the Access and Quality Assurance Division,
and she thanked Mr. Pezzoli for making staff available to help with
coverage for intake. She reported that the implementation of the
new system of utilization management is progressing, and ticklers
are now used to trigger authorizations for billing Medicaid and
Comprehensive Services Act reimbursements. Other billing types are
being added. She thanked Mr. Brown for the collaborative work from
him and his division for the work needed to implement utilization
management. Mr. Murphy asked Mr. Pezzoli if the staff employed by Region Ten to monitor Medicaid eligibility was helping with the billings. Mr. Pezzoli said that the Medicaid eligibility specialist works in conjunction with the Charlottesville Department of Social Services DSS), and that we pay half the cost of the position and city DSS applies to the state DSS to cover the other half. The net effect of this effort has yet to be determined. With regard to medical services, Dr. Moody reported that he and Mr. Pezzoli had worked closely to hire a second nurse practitioner.
Dr. Sheras said that the Region Ten Board was well represented at the Williamsburg conference with attendance by Ms. Barrett, Mr. Belair, Ms. Garrett, Mr. Rebholz, Dr. Sheras and Ms. Wernstrom. Ms. Rebholz said that this was one of the best conferences she has attended, and the board members took an active role in the discussion groups to do the planning which was then typed up and reported back to the full group. The small groups were then reconvened the next day to conduct strategic planning. The strategies will be considered at a meeting in July and then adopted for the year. Ms. Barrett added that this will determine what the VACSB Public Policy Committee will base the budget requests on. Dr. Sheras said that Secretary of Human Resources, Jane Woods, was very clear about the Governor’s support, and board members were pleased to see that the administration understands the needs and wants to collaborate. Ms. Wernstrom said that she realized how little nurses are immersed in the Community Services Boards system and reinvestment issues, and she is considering writing up the expanded contribution that nursing could bring to the system. Ms. Barrett said that the VACSB had just voted to include nurses as a charter member of the association. Ms. Rebholz reported that the next meeting of the VACSB will be held at Wintergreen on October 8 through the 10th. Both Ms. Barrett and Dr. Sheras commented on how the VACSB is now turning more of its attention to the national level given the impact of federal decisions on our ability to provide services at the local level. XV. BOARD MEMBERS’ REPORTS ON PROGRAM VISITS AND OTHER Rev. Cameron commented that he had his first experience reporting to the Board of Supervisors. He also noted that there had been a critical letter sent to the Board of Supervisors regarding the state meeting attended by county officials, and Rev. Cameron subsequently wrote a letter supporting the county’s participation for which he received a thank you note in return from the chair of the board. Ms. Wernstrom said she visited the offices in Greene County with Mr. Peterson and heard about the lack of resources there. She was glad to see the new building and the inroads into the community that have been established, but was concerned about the lack of staff and no secretary which left the persons seeking services floundering on the outside.
The topic for June meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia is, “From Babies through Seniors: Region Ten Responds to Community Needs,” and will be held at the Northside Library on Wednesday, June 11, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dr. Sheras will moderate a presentation which will address community mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse needs and services from a historical, political, family, and provider perspective. Susan Garrett, Delegates Rob Bell and Mitch Van Yahres, and Region Ten’s Cynthia Harrison are among the presenters. This will be the third year that the Senior Statesmen of Virginia have focussed on these community-based service needs as a priority for legislative action. All board members are encouraged to attend. The May meeting of the Senior Statesmen will also be held at the Northside Library (this Wednesday, May 14 at 1:30 p.m.), and the Retreat Committee (Ms. Wernstrom, Mr. Belair and Ms. Garrett) will meet at the library at 3:30 p.m. Dr. Sheras reminded the members that the retreat will be held on Monday, July 14, from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m, and that more information on the retreat will be available at the June 9 board meeting. Ms. Cotton asked what part of the retreat will involve the public, and Dr. Sheras responded that it will be an open meeting, but that since this is intended to be an internal process, it is not planned to include participation from the public. Mr. Murphy asked if there will be an August meeting of the board given that historically the board has not met in August. Dr. Sheras said that this has yet to be determined. Ms. Barrett reminded the members that a special program will be on Cinemax this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Ms. Rebholz said that she and Ms. Wernstrom had visited the Dual Recovery Center and found it to be very interesting. They were part of a meeting with the consumers and were asked questions and participated fully. Ms. Barrett said that there will be a documentary on HBO which on the surface would not seem to have anything to do with mental health, but in actuality deals with acceptance and rejection by families. Ms. Miller said that the UVa drug study has been released, and asked that Mr. Peterson provide a report on it at a future meeting. Ms. Barrett and Dr. Sheras were interviewed by Senator Creigh Deeds for his community services television program and this will be aired in May (and other times) as part of “May is Mental Health Month.” The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m.
REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD PUBLIC HEARING 800 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA Susan Garrett, Vice Chair James Peterson
A public hearing was advertised in the Legal Notices section of the classified advertisements in the May 23, 2003, edition of the Daily Progress: region ten community services board announces a public hearing to be held on Thursday, May 29, 6:00 p.m., at Region Ten’s offices located at 800 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville. Public input will be received on the proposed State Performance Contract for fiscal year 2003-2004. The Contract incorporates the programs and budgets for mental health, mental retardation and substance addiction services for the City of Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson. The final Performance Contract will be considered for adoption at a special meeting of the Region Ten Board to be held on Monday, June 30, 6:00 p.m. at 800 Preston Avenue. For more information, or to review the documents in advance of the public hearing, please call 972-1810. Ms. Garrett convened the public hearing at 6:00 p.m. No members of the public attended, and no comments were received. Ms. Garrett declared the public hearing closed at 6:20 p.m. REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
Members Present Phil Carr Members Absent Barbara Jenkins, Chair
Others Present James Peterson, Executive Director Charles Collins, Regional Advocate, DMHMRSAS
1. Nominations for Candidates for Appointment to the Region Ten
Local Human Rights Ms. Hymes has been appointed to the new University of Virginia Local Human Rights Committee but will continue her service on the RTLHRC until a successor is appointed. Ms. Barbara Jenkins has been appointed to the State Human Rights Committee (replacing Peter McIntosh) and will not be able to continue as a member of the RTLHRC. Dr. Colley has not been able to attend a meeting since last August. The human rights regulations call for a minimum of five members for a local human rights committee, and so the RTLHRC needs to recruit at least three members although the members present agreed it would be preferable to recruit five members for a total committee membership of seven. Ms. Hymes introduced Ms. Sylvia Milner (1948 Thomson Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903) who has expressed interest in seeking appointment to the committee. Ms. Milner provided information on her interest in serving on the RTLHRC and responded to questions from the members and the regional advocate. On a motion by Mr. Carr, seconded by Ms. Hymes, it was unanimously voted to submit the nomination of Ms. Silvia Milner for membership on the Region Ten Local Human Rights Committee to the State Human Rights Committee for consideration. On a motion by Mr. Carr, seconded by Ms. Hymes, it was unanimously voted to write to Mr. Peter McIntosh to ask if he would be available for appointment to the Region Ten Local Human Rights Committee, Mr. Peterson to write the letter. The members discussed recruitment for additional committee members and asked Mr. Peterson to write to the affiliate organizations requesting them to submit nominations. Current staff and board members are not eligible for consideration, but consumers, family members and past board members would all be eligible and would make good candidates.
For the information and education of the committee members, Mr. Veerhoof briefly described two situations at the ARC of the Piedmont involving complex human rights issues.
Mr. Collins reported that a special study group met twice in Charlottesville--in December 2002 and March 2003--to examine a number of issues facing the Local Human Rights Committees throughout Virginia. Recruitment and training of committee members, and organizational issues such as the use of affiliate agreements and financial support from affiliates, were items addressed by the study group. The report will be presented to the State Human Rights Committee on June 9 by the executive director of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board, Ms. Charlotte McNulty.
Then next regular meeting of the Region Ten Local Human Rights Committee will be held on Friday, August 22, 2003, 3:30 p.m. at a location to be determined. The meeting was adjourned. May 12, 2003, BOARD MEETING MINUTES Members Present Peter L. Sheras, Ph.D., Chairman Members Absent Carol Johnston Others Present James R. Peterson, Executive Director I. Call to Order Dr. Sheras, chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
On a motion by Mr. Belair, seconded by Rev. Cameron, the minutes of the April 14, 2003, board meeting were unanimously approved as distributed.
Mr. Peterson reported that the architects have submitted the application to the Rural Development Fund (RDF), and that Mr. Peterson is scheduled to meet with the RDF official next week to review the status of the application. The qauestion was asked how long the application process might take, and Mr. Peterson said that this was unknown at this time.
Respectfully submitted, Paul Belair
Dues And Membership – 116% Expenses to date are still projected to stay with annual budget Other Expenses – 82% 2nd Semi-annual payment of taxes paid in May/June. |
