| Board Meeting Minutes - November 13, 2006 |  |
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REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD Board Meeting Minutes 502 Old Lynchburg Rd Members Present Members Absent Mike Kelley, Chair Carol Johnston, Secretary Others Present Caruso Brown, Interim Executive Director
I. Call to OrderMr. Kelley called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. WelcomeMr. Kelley welcomed everyone to the meeting. Comments from PublicNo comments at this time. Specification of Other Items to be added to the AgendaEvadne Deeds came forward to speak to the Board Members about Blue Ridge Clubhouse’s Christmas Dinner Celebration. Consumers create a wish list of items they would like to have and then those lists are provided to anyone who would like to adopt a consumer. The adopting person typically spends $20.00 on the consumer whose list they received. Last year 140 consumers were adopted. This year Blue Ridge estimates between 140 to 150 consumers. Ms. Deeds passed around her business card for anyone that was interested in adopting a member. She invited everyone to call or email her with questions. Approval of October 9, 2006 Board Meeting MinutesMs. Hammond pointed out two corrections for the Board Minutes. Item VIII. Bottom of page, “Central VA” should be “Central Virginian”. Ms. Hammond also stated that the donation checks should be made out to “Region Ten Services Board Inc”, not to “Region Ten Community Service Board, Inc.”. Ms. Barrett asked that page numbers be added to the minutes for future meetings. She also indicated that on the second to last page, fourth paragraph, that instead of reading “I feel Region Ten takes cares a lot of poor, “ it should read “I feel Region Ten takes care of a lot of poor,”. Ms. Hammond indicated that she would like Board Members to receive a copy of the TenPlus when they are published, and asked when they would next be published. Mr. Brown answered by saying he would speak to Mary Miller about when the next publication would be. He knew that she was waiting until after the Consumer Advisory Conference to take place, and certainly that has. He is uncertain when that publication will be, but he will find out. Reed Banks asked that he be listed as present at the last Board Meeting since he was in attendance. Mr. Kelley asked if there were any other corrections to be made, to which there were none. He then asked for approval of the minutes. On a motion made by Ms. Barrett and seconded by Mr. Szakos, and unanimously voted upon, the October 9, 2006 Board Meeting Minutes were approved.
Executive Director’s ReportMr. Brown addressed the previous request for Board Packets to be mailed earlier so that members would have ample time to review them. Members stated that they received them with plenty of time, and that the effort was appreciated. Mr. Brown indicated that there had been positive movement with Little High Street Neighborhood Association. The association had indicated in a letter a continued willingness to work with Region Ten to assure that consumers moving into the newly constructed apartments would feel welcomed in the neighborhood. Mr. Brown went on to say we would be meeting with the Association in the near future. Mr. Brown also noted that his report indicated a donation of $1,000.00, was received from Second Bank & Trust. Ms. Barrett asked that when board members were absent from a Board Meeting that they receive any handouts that were provided during the meeting. She went on to state that on WINA she heard two staff members from Region Ten discussing a workshop that was held last Friday regarding working with handicapped people. She stated that communication was one of the things discussed at the focus groups, and that she would like communication provided to the board regarding workshops and events. This would be a good way for the board to participate and would help board members become more knowledgeable. Mr. Brown replied that he would look into this workshop and also see if there is a gap in communication that can be addressed and adjusted. Ms. Barrett referenced Mr. Banks’ report, fourth page, and second paragraph. She asked what SunStone Place was. Mr. Banks replied that it would be one of the transformation initiative grant projects under Region Ten. SunStone Place will be a transitional housing component. Ms. Barrett referenced the graph attached to Ms. Becker’s report. Under Mental Retardation there are several columns that had zeros and she asked if these were items Region Ten did not do, or if consumers did not ask for these services. Ms. Becker responded that we do provide case managers in the counties but those numbers were blended in with Preston Avenue Case Management. Ms. Barrett suggested that we accurately show these numbers, since it appears that we do not service those areas. Ms. Anderson referred to Mr. Banks’ report about the VHST Program. His report stated that there were 24 job commitments and 18 accepted applications. She asked him why there were not 24 accepted applications. Mr. Banks answered by saying that the interview process was fairly rigorous. He then stated that he could go over with her the criteria for those positions, but that he did not have them with him at that time. Ms. Anderson further asked if the applicants did not meet the criteria, or if there was not enough time to get enough applicants. Mr. Banks responded by saying that perhaps there were not enough applicants to fill the positions or that applicants that applied did not meet the criteria for one reason or another. Ms. Anderson asked about Shannon’s team celebrating that only one person was in state psychiatric care this month, if this also implied that there were no local hospitalizations. Mr. Banks answered by saying that they had been tracking state hospitalizations for this outcome. They have not tracked local hospitalizations, because of their short-term nature. Ms. Anderson then asked Ms. Maltais about the Sponsored Placement program and if it was a requirement to be enrolled in a day program. Ms. Maltais said yes it was a requirement. Ms. Anderson then asked if a consumer would be ineligible if they could not be a part of day programs due to medical issues. Ms. Maltais answered by saying that right now with this new start up service we want to make sure that provisions are made for someone from sponsored programs go and interact with peers, so that they have a social network and community integration. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that is that it must be the Meadowcreek Center. Ms. Anderson then referred to customer satisfaction information in Ms Maltais’ report. She asked if there was a specific team that delivered the information, and was it staff that administered the survey, or was it consumers who did this. Ms. Maltais answered that the case manager solicited part of the information during quarterly assessments, asking if they were happy with the day support staff and their services. So some of the information gathered was lifted off of that. In terms of the stakeholder surveys we did a two-pronged approach. We used a web-based form and for the families we sat down and created our own for the information we needed. Ms. Tolton referred to the end of Mr. Banks’ report regarding developing comprehensive, written Conditional Release plans for persons who are found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). She asked how is that difficulty being addressed. Mr. Banks, assisted by Darcy Baker an employee working as a Liaison staff, explained the process of placement to include working with the Forensic Review Panel and consulting with Kathleen Staddler a Forensics Specialist. Ms. Tolton asked about the challenges of needed funding for community Placement. Mr. Banks stated that there was a Discharge Assistance Project Fund that is allocated to Region Ten. This is one of our direct sources for discharge funds. Consumer Advisory Committee ReportMyra Anderson and CAC Chairman Paul Patrick made a comprehensive presentation about the Consumer Advisory Committee to the board. The other members of the committee who were present were: Ms. Baker also spoke during the presentation, stating that this was a good source of feedback from our consumers. At the end of the presentation other members of the committee who were present stood up and introduced themselves. Members present at the meeting were; Pamela Lamb, Jane McGeorge, Sheri Grupp, Brenda Overcash, Pamela Zitzewitz, Frank Blakenship, Diane Van Doren, and Robert Mawyer. Ms. Barrett asked when did the CAC meet. Ms. Anderson answered by saying that they held their meetings every other Thursday at Meadowcreek and would be meeting at 11:30 AM later in the week. Mr. Kelley asked how many members does the committee have? Ms. Anderson answered that there were 12 active members, two of those were from Mental Retardation and there were currently no members from Substance Abuse. The CAC has made presentations at the Substance Abuse sites; there had been previously one member from the Substance Abuse Division, but that consumer transitioned out quickly Ms. Hammond asked if someone who was in a Substance Abuse program and had been through Region Ten, but was not currently in a Region Ten program, could they become a member. She went on to further clarify that if the person was currently in Alcoholics Anonymous for example and had previously had services through Region Ten, but was not now receiving services with Region Ten, could that person be a member of the CAC. Chairman Paul Patrick answered that this would be allowed. The question was asked if a presentation had been done for the residential side of Dual Recovery Center (DRC). Ms. Anderson replied that this was their very first presentation, but they do plan on becoming more active and doing more presentations around the agency. Ms. Anderson went on to state that she first joined the CAC when she was invited to attend a meeting. The CAC hopes to help the staff of Region Ten become more familiar with what they are doing so that staff may feel more comfortable going back and providing information to the consumers about the committee to familiarize them also. Ms. Tolton asked if there was membership for consumers who could not attend committee meetings due to be in the hospital or just unable to attend. Ms. Anderson stated that currently we do not have membership for consumers who cannot attend meetings. She went on to say that this was a subject that the CAC might want to look into, or at least see about getting the input of those consumers who are unable to attend. The question was asked if the CAC had a way to receive email from consumers who wished to ask question or make comments and suggestions. Ms. Anderson answered that Mr. Patrick, Ken Moore, and she would be meeting soon to discuss creating a web page. One of the members had mentioned adding a blog to the web page so that consumers could post comments. Mr. Moore currently sends out the minutes from the CAC Meetings and there is a list of people who do work on web pages. They hope to get a few more people to help with this. Mr. Brown indicated that he had been in a unique position to be in contact with other Community Services Boards and that he could say that the CAC was a premiere operation. There are not many other Community Services Boards that have a coalition of consumers that are as far in the process as Region Ten’s CAC is. Mr. Brown went on to add that they should really be applauded for the work they have planned and for what they have done already. Ms. Anderson thanked the board for this opportunity. Executive CommitteeMr. Kelley indicated that in recap of the meeting, most of the time was spent with Jane Lewis discussing the Executive Director Search. During the discussion the committee went over what the search process would be. Mr. Kelley stated that he sent an email to all board members inviting them to be a part of the Executive Director Search, and that Ms. Anderson agreed to help with this process. The next step for full participation will be in January during the phone interviews. Ms. Lewis will effectively screen out the applicants that do not meet the minimum requirements, and then conference calls will be set up with the other candidates. All board members are invited to participate in these telephone interviews and Mr. Kelley will let everyone know when those phone interviews are taking place. Mr. Kelley indicated that the Executive Committee did make a motion to rename the Preston Ave building after Jim Peterson, one of Region Ten’s previous Executive Directors. On a motion made by Ms. Barrett and seconded by Ms. Hammond, and unanimously approved by board members, the Preston Ave building, located at 800 Preston Ave will be renamed the James R. Peterson Building. Mr. Brown asked that this remain a secret until it can be announced at the Region Ten Winter Employee Appreciation Party. It is his hope that Mr. Peterson will attend the party, and the renaming of the Preston building be a surprise. Mr. Kelley indicated that the committee did discuss the work of the Transition Team and the results of the Focus group work. Mr. Kelley indicated that the remaining efforts have been turned over to Caruso Brown and the Directors. It will be their responsibility to respond to all the information gathered during that transition effort. He stated that at the next Board Meeting, in December, that Mr. Brown’s team would be coming forward with their proposal of short-term goals as well as long-term goals. Public Policy & Legislative Affairs CommitteeMr. Szakos indicated that the committee met prior to the Board Meeting this evening and were joined by Jenny Oliver, Diantha McKeel, and Brian Farrish. Members from Arc of the Piedmont and On Our Own were invited as well, though their schedules did not allow them to attend. Mr. Szakos stated that the committee is currently trying to reconstitute itself and figure out their place with other groups. Locally the Mental Health Association, VOCAL, Arc of the Piedmont, and On Our Own are trying to create their policy reform agendas. On the state level the VACSB has also create their public legislative agendas. He indicated that the committee is still working on what they need to recommend to the board, and they have concentrated a little more on how to support the local groups on what they have already identified as important. The committee is working to involve the Region Ten consumers, families, and Region Ten Board to advocate for policy issues that concern Region Ten. Mr. Szakos stated that at his point the committee felt it wise to wait to hear from these other groups on what they think might be important in terms of legislative priorities. The committee plans to come back to the board in December with some recommendations of what we might do. The VACSB will also come up with some ideas in terms of priorities. The committee is currently trying to figure out how to put strategies together to approach Delegates Toscano, Bell, and Janis and Senators Hanger and Deeds. Mr. Szakos asked Mr. Brown if the committee would be able to receive support from Region Ten staff. Mr. Brown indicated that both clerical support and management team leadership would be made available as the committee as needed. Public Education & Development CommitteeMs. Hammond reported that the work that Ms. Johnson had done on the letter to announce the Endowment Fund was about ready to be released. It was clarified that checks should be made out to Region Ten Community Service Board, Inc. Ms. Hammond indicated that Mary Miller had distributed a VSA Arts of Virginia press release inviting artists with disabilities to submit work for the Seventh Annual VSA Art Show, which is going to be January 12 – March 9, 2007. If anyone needs the phone number there was a flyer that went out and you can see me if you did not receive it. She went on to say that she sent an email and thank you letter to Susan Payne for coming out and talking to our committee. Ms. Hammond indicated that the November 16 committee meeting because Ms. Johnson will not be here. Ms. Johnston was going to bring in the letters and envelops to be addressed and mailed out. The committee will reschedule this meeting once Ms. Johnston returns. Finance CommitteeMr. Kelley indicated that Ms. White sent her regrets for not being able to attend this meeting. Mr. Brown indicated Ms. White did try to put together a committee meeting with members and the logistics were difficult to pull together. They hope in the future to be more successful in doing so. Mr. Brown indicated that Ms. White felt that that in the future Region Ten initiate a thorough budget process to establish a true initial budget establishing program needs and expansion in time for local government budget submissions. This would replace the development of the creation of a broad preliminary budget with the sole purpose of presenting a projection for local appropriation request. In the past a throughout budget preparation was reserved for later in the year to meet performance contract requirements. The Finance committee will explore implementation of the shift for next year. Mr. Brown gave a presentation on the budget construction of the Region Ten Budget using the current FY07 budget as starting point. Mr. Brown’s presentation moving from the current year FY07 budget to the projected cost and expected revenues showed a $590,223 shortfall. Mr. Brown indicated that there were three options that the board could consider to balance this projected shortfall. 1. To reduce projected expenses, specifically the cost associated with the final year implementation of the classification compensation study or adjusting the share that Region Ten would project for employees to pay for their health insurance, 2. To ask localities to pay the full amount of needed funds. 3. To request 50% of the needed funds from the localities and fund the remaining amount needed with prior year fund balances. After considerable discussion, On a motion made by Mr. Szakos and seconded by Ms. Hammond, and with approval from the full Board, it was decided that Region Ten would request that 50% of the needed funds, $295,111 representing an overall local government increase of 20.4% for FY08 and that it would be stated we would be asking for 100% the following year. Ms. Barrett suggested that members speak to Mr. Brown before going to their localities so that these meetings are very orchestrated. Mr. Brown stated that he could begin working on a data set for each locality of which a presentation could be formulated around.
VACSB UpdateMs. Barrett referenced a handout of the 2007 & 2008 Budget Priorities from the VACSB that she was providing Ms. Spears so that copies could be mailed to Board Members in the next few days. Ms. Barrett indicated that she wanted to bring to the board’s attention behavioral health issues of those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has become a very hot item with the VACSB right now and there is a committee working on trying to come up with legislative proposals and some programs to address this issue. Ms. Barrett thanked everyone for the flowers and card that she received while in the hospital. She also wanted to remind everyone to sign up for the Orientation Tours that the Division Directors are providing. She called in to coordinate her times with other board members and not many were signed up. If Board Members could refer back to their time tables and call in so that we can try and coordinate together so that staff won’t have to do these tours several times. Other BusinessMs. Hammond announced that Friendly Oaks Clubhouse was having a Thanksgiving Dinner and that they made their own invitations. She passed the invitation around for everyone to see. Adjournment
On a Motion made by Ms. Barrett and seconded by Ms. Hammond at 8:13 PM the November 13, 2006 Region Ten Board Meeting was adjourned and the Board entered into the Region Ten, Inc. Board Meeting. REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD, Inc. Meeting Minutes 502 Old Lynchburg Rd Members Present Members Absent Mike Kelley, Chair Roxanne White Others Present Caruso Brown, Interim Executive Director I. Call to Order Mr. Kelley called the meeting to order at 8:13 PM. II. Approval of October 9, 2006 Region Ten, Inc. minutes Mr. Kelley asked for approval of the October 9, 2006 Meeting minutes. On a motion made by Ms. Barrett and seconded by Kathy Tolton, the October 9, 2006 minutes were unanimously approved. III. Other topics Mr. Brown indicated that the HUD Application was being mailed tomorrow. IV. Adjournment On a Motion made by Ms. Barrett and seconded by Ms. Hammond the November 13, 2006 Region Ten Community Services Board, Inc Meeting was adjourned at 8:15 PM. |
