Board Members Present:  Doug Fraley, Norm Gilbert, Robert Krogman, Janice Abizaid, Jeannette        

                                             Vaupel, Andrea Gargani

Board Members -Excused Absence:  Regina Parker, Charles Rose, Eileen Dubin

Board Members - Absent:  None

Other Persons Present:  Office staff:  Elizabeth Carney, Kathy Ostdick

                                          Others:  Michael Flora, Cohen Barnes

I.  CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by the President, Doug Fraley at 7:03 p.m.  It was announced that the agenda was not posted within the required timeframe prior to the meeting.  Thus discussion on agenda items can proceed, but voting will be tabled until the July, 2006, meeting.

II.  AGENDA 

The agenda was discussed.  Voting was tabled until the July, 2006, meeting.

III.  INTRODUCTIONS

The President asked that the guests introduce themselves to the board and they did so. 

IV.  MINUTES  

The minutes were discussed.  No corrections were noted. Voting was tabled until the July, 2006, meeting.

V.  COMMUNITY INPUT   

There was no community input.

VII.  CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS  

Ms. Carney passed around two letters.  The first was from Lesly Wicks, Hope Haven, thanking the Board for the Fiscal Year 2007 grant for a trial project which will make equine therapy available to some homeless persons with moderate to severe mental health issues for whom traditional therapies have not proven effective. The second letter, from the Ben Gordon Center, identified the Center’s Board members who are on their Lease Committee and will be meeting with the Mental Health Board Lease Committee. 

The Board discussed the recent Board office open house that was held in honor of Ms. Ostdick who completed her six-month probationary period as a new employee.  The Board congratulated Ms. Ostdick and welcomed her to her new employment status. 

Ms. Carney directed the Board’s attention to an invitation received from the Ben Gordon Center for the annual Awards Ceremony.  The payment due date is on the invitation if any Board members wish to attend.

Ms. Carney drew the Board’s attention to the article on equine therapy that they received in their meeting packet.

Ms. Carney also passed around various newspaper articles regarding local mental health and developmental disability agencies and on subjects including mentally unfit military troops, an update on the County prescription drug card program, and the new veteran’s peer-support group that is starting at the Gordon Center. 

VIII.  FINANCE REPORTS 

Ms. Carney presented the monthly revenue and expenditure report.   The expenditures are well

within the expected monthly and year-to-date percentages.

June 2006 Claims were discussed and will be voted on at the July, 2006 meeting. 

IX.  DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Ms. Carney presented the following: 

A.     A 2007 Allocations Summary chart.  Ms. Carney explained all of the allocations to date and asked the Board members to call her if they had further questions.

B.     The office will be closed on Monday, 7/3/06.  

C.     An update of the Psychiatric Evaluation Purchase of Care billing.  The office is currently holding the bills submitted for some clients from 7/1/05 through 12/31/05, and bills for all

      clients from 1/1/06 through 4/30/06.  The office has been waiting for information from the

      agency that submitted the bills.  The agency has been reminded that a response is needed

at this time as this is the last month of the grant year and that the office will be closing the books on the year soon so the annual report can be given to the Health and Human Services Committee of the County Board. 

D.     The Fiscal Year 2007 budget will be on the next Board meeting agenda for discussion and

       adoption.  

E.      A list was reviewed that notes all allocations from 1982 to 2006 that were given to the Ben Gordon Center as additions to annual allocations.  Ms. Carney noted that this list will be utilized by the Board’s Lease Committee in its review of the terms of the lease and its development of the lease for the building occupied by the Center.  

X.  COMMITTEE REPORTS   

Committee reports will be discussed at the end of the meeting.

XI.  OLD BUSINESS 

Gordon Center Lease:  Mr. Fraley, Mr. Krogman and Ms. Carney will meet with the Ben Gordon Center’s Lease Committee on June 23, 2006, to hear the Center’s presentation on the financial status of the Center and its requests for the next lease.  The Board’s Committee will present a report at the July, 2006, meeting. 

Gordon Center Roof Project:   The Bid Document and Construction Manual developed by Brian Kerner, architect from Burndige Cassell, has been was reviewed by John Farrell, Assistant State’s Attorney, DeKalb County.  He did not have any recommendations for significant changes to the documents.  Ms. Carney noted that as confidentiality of client services is essential at the Center, that a confidentiality agreement for the roofing company’s employees to read and sign will be included in the Manual.  At this time it is anticipated that the bid process will begin in a few weeks.  An explanation of the bid process was passed out to the Board Members for their review.   

Board Office Space:  Ms. Carney presented a report on the progress to date of the design of the new county building that will be located on the DeKalb County Health Facilities campus.  She noted that she has been a member of the planning team so that if the Mental Health Board decides to participate in the building, the Board’s input will have been a part of the design process from the beginning.  She reminded the Board that the County has extended a welcome and an invitation to the Board for its participation, and that the Board’s Office Space Committee will be evaluating all relevant information to prepare for developing a recommendation for the Board.  

Ms. Carney reviewed updated plans for the interior of the building along with an updated plan for situating the building on the property.   The Board discussed various issues regarding office space including location, cost, impact of this cost on agency funding, accessibility for disabled persons, amount of foot traffic, storage and daily work space needs, future space needs, etc. 

The Board asked that the Office Space Committee specifically address these issues in its evaluation of the possible move, as well as any others that arise during the Committee’s review, and report back to the Board at the July, 2006, meeting. 

XII.  NEW BUSINESS

Slate of Officers: Ms. Vaupel presented the Nominating Committee’s Slate of Officers.  The nominations were discussed.  Voting was tabled until the July, 2006, meeting.  The slate is

as follows:  President - Mr. Fraley; Vice-President - Mr. Rose; Secretary - Ms. Abizaid. 

Community Crisis Response Training:  Ms. Carney discussed the Board’s responsibility for the planning and provision of mental health services in the County’s Comprehensive Disaster Plan.  The Community Crisis Response Team, the team that provides crisis intervention services to the community on an on-going basis, is an integral part of this plan, but it does not have enough members to adequately respond to a major event such as a county-wide medication distribution. 

To help meet the Board’s disaster preparedness responsibilities, she recommended three initiatives.  First, that the Board financially support a fall training provided by CCRT members to train area mental health personnel to provide services during a county-wide crisis.  Second, that the Board financially support a later event to train additional persons for the CCRT with the goal of strengthening the team for both on-going and major crisis events.  And third, that the Board affirm an expectation that each agency that receives Board funding, and that employs appropriate personnel, send one or preferably two of those staff to the fall training, and that those agencies  commit to making those persons available for disaster mental health services if there is a county-wide event such as a mass medication distribution.   

Ms. Carney noted that the Health Department has determined that the its employees alone would not be numerous enough to staff a countywide medication distribution event for 100,000 people and in attempt to meet that need, has asked that the County departments provide employees to assist with this.   Likewise, as this type of event would affect the entire community, and thus the responsibility for responding to the event will be shared by the entire community, expecting that agencies that receive Board funding commit to providing assisting is appropriate.  The Board discussed the initiatives and there was consensus to support them.   Ms. Carney will work with the CCRT on the fall training and when that is planned, communicate information about the training and the Board’s expectation to the agencies. 

XIII.  ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

_____________________________________            ___________________________________

Regina Parker, Board Secretary                                              Kathy Ostdick, Recording Secretary

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