DeKalb County Seal
DeKalb County, Illinois

Minutes of the
DEKALB COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH BOARD


September 20, 2004


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Board Members Present: Bob Krogman, Norm Gilbert, Doug Fraley, Julia Fullerton, Jeannette Vaupel and Mary Petruchius

Board Members Absent: Regina Parker, Maureen Russell and Opal Zitka

Other Persons Present: Staff: Jerry Lane and Sue Halbrader

The Community Mental Health Board meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m. by President Bob Krogman.
 

AGENDA

Ms. Fullerton moved to approve the agenda, seconded by Ms. Petruchius, all in favor.

INTRODUCTIONS

None.

MINUTES

Mss. Fullerton moved to approve the minutes of August 16 as corrected, seconded by Ms. Petruchius. On a voice vote, the motion carried unanimously.

CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • Mr. Lane announced the next State Association meeting will be held December 6, 2004, at the Drake Hotel in Chicago.
  • Mr. Lane circulated the final draft of the Children’s Mental Health Comprehensive Plan among Board members for their information. Copies are available upon request.
  • Mr. Lane circulated a copy of the letter sent to Mr. Mike Flora, President and CEO of Ben Gordon Center, stating the Board’s position to deny transfer of ownership of the building to BGC.
  • Mr. Lane said that staff had met on August 23 with Mike Flora and Heather Mucha, at which time he told Mike about the Board’s decision to continue to exercise their responsibility toward the property that they hold in public trust. The discussion then covered the status of the PACT Program. At this printing, BGC has twenty-five active participants in the program, forty more identified as potential clients, and by the end of the year they expect to have fifty people actively engaged in the program.
  • Mr. Lane said they also discussed the problems created when medication is prescribed by family practitioners. It is particularly dangerous because children are not being monitored closely and followed up the way adults are by psychiatrists. The doctors, internists, family physicians, and pediatricians, are not trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. For example, bi-polar children often appear to be ADD or ADHD.
  • Mr. Lane announced that Ben Gordon Center is still actively raising funds for their capital campaign. A Barn Dance is scheduled for October 23. You may also purchase a raffle ticket to win a 2004 Ford Mustang. Just stop by the Ben Gordon Center.
  • Mr. Lane said that Mr. Flora stated that the new homeless residence, built by Hope Haven, is doing day treatment without case management. Ben Gordon Center has offered to contract for case management and been rebuffed.
  • Mr. Krogman wondered with the paucity of child and adolescent diagnosis and treatment for mental illnesses, what shall we do? A number of suggestions are being discussed at this time, among which is labeling medications with a warning about children taking them (right now Prozac is the only medication approved for children). Recently we have seen a good deal of bad press about mental health treatment, some of it backed by Scientology. People are confused about treatment and continue to be in denial due to stigma.
  • Mr. Lane said that because there is such a range of differences between adults and children, biochemically, and not enough people have been educated and trained to treat children and adolescents, treatment is going to remain problematical. Placing blame on the medications themselves is inappropriate, but parents and physicians need to be watchful and wary when children are under treatment.
  •  

    FINANCE REPORTS

    Mr. Gilbert moved to approve of the September 16th agency claims as submitted; seconded by Ms. Petruchius. On a roll call vote the motion passed unanimously.

    Mr. Gilbert moved to approve of the September 16th office claims as submitted; seconded by Mrs. Vaupel. On a roll call vote the motion passed unanimously.

    Mr. Lane distributed the County’s Budget narrative, which can be found on the County’s website, to Board members. County officials are amending the September 1st Budget Recommendations to the Administrative Services Committee with a series of cuts that total $285,000. Among other things, two Corrections Officers in the Sheriff’s Office and one attorney in each of the Public Defender’s office and the State’s Attorney’s office will be deleted. Jobs will be not be cut, but needed positions will not be filled. We still have an overcrowded jail, meaning officers must be taken away from other duties to transport people to other jails where they will be housed at County expense.

     

    COMMUNITY INPUT

    None

     

    COMMITTEE REPORTS

    None

     

    OLD BUSINESS

    The search for a new Executive Director continues, with the fifty-nine original applications narrowed down to the most qualified and appropriate candidates. Board members will examine the remaining resumes and meet again at the end of the week to discuss continuing the hiring process by scheduling interviews.

    NEW BUSINESS

    Ben Gordon Center has been engaged in a capital fundraising effort for the past year and a half to raise the money to renovate and expand the existing facility from the inside. Plans for expansion have been in the making since before the previous CEO retired two years ago. At this point, BGC has been successful in raising $172,000 of the target $1.3 million. Due to the slowness of this funding stream, a plan to renovate the building over time in seven steps has been proposed, making the final construction cost $908,909, instead of the $801,192 originally calculated. Change and reconfiguration of the building has been an ongoing theme as the demand for services in a growing community increases.

    Mr. Flora has explored a number of funding sources. The Kresge Foundation views the slow flow of money from the community as a lack of community support. In reality, local funding sources are tapped out. Other private philanthropists do not see the need to contribute to what they view as renovations to a government building. Mr. Flora also approached the State of Illinois only to be told, "Maybe later, but nothing this year. Maybe.... next year," by Dr. Bonecutter of the Division of Mental Health. New HIPPA requirements, the need for improved medical management and use of doctors, and client increase averaging twenty people per day makes the need for expansion immediate.

    The Board, after some discussion, decided to call a joint meeting with Mr. Flora and his Board, which has traditionally done with past renovations and repairs of this scale, to discuss details of the renovation plan in a question-and-answer session before the next Board meeting.

    Mr. Fraley moved to adjourn to Executive Session, seconded by Mr. Krogman.

    Mr. Gilbert moved to adjourn from Executive Session, seconded by Ms. Petruchius. All in favor.

    It is time for Evaluation forms for the Executive Director to be distributed and compensation to be determined. Board consensus is the old form needs improvement. Mr. Krogman offered to have the form and present method of evaluation and compensation analyzed by a personnel expert and reworked. The proposal met with general approval. Forms will go to Board members and be returned to President Krogman by October 11, one week prior to the next scheduled Board meeting.

    Mr. Gilbert moved to adjourn, seconded by Mrs. Fullerton. All in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m.

     

    __________________________________________

    Secretary/Treasurer
     


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