Board Members Present:  Doug Fraley, Andrea Gargani, Robert Krogman, Eileen Dubin, Chuck Rose (arrived 7:10 pm), Cynthia Luxton (arrived 7:17 pm)

Board Members -Excused Absence:  Janice Abizaid, Jeannette Vaupel

Board Members - Absent:  None

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

I.  CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by the President, Mr. Fraley at 7:05 p.m.  He noted that there was not a quorum.  He did ask that the Board discuss the Agenda and January 2007 meeting minutes, but that motions to approve them would be not be taken until a quorum was present. 

The Board discussed the Agenda and the January 2007 minutes.  Mr. Rose arrived at 7:10 p.m.  Mr. Fraley announced that a quorum was present. 

II.  AGENDA

Ms. Dubin moved to approve the agenda; seconded by Ms. Gargani.  The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. 

III.  INTRODUCTIONS

There were no introductions.

IV.  MINUTES

The Board continued its discussion of the January 2007 minutes, noting one correction to the draft. 

Mr. Rose moved to approve the minutes of the January 2007 Board meeting as amended; seconded by Mr. Krogman.  The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote.

V.  COMMUNITY INPUT

There was no community input.

VI.  CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Ms. Carney passed around a thank you message from Ms. Regina Parker, for the plaque given to her at the January 2007 meeting by the Board in appreciation for her service on the Board.  Ms. Carney also passed around several newspaper articles on funded agencies, upcoming events, information on the Suicide Prevention Walk, a fund raising event for Suicide Prevention Services in Batavia, Illinois, and an article on the positive results of a prevention program for teenager methamphetamine use. 

VII.  FINANCE REPORTS

Ms. Carney presented the January 2007 revenue and expense reports.  All revenue and expenses are within the expected ranges. 

Mr. Krogman moved to approve the January 2007 agency claims in the amount of $121,819.00; seconded by Mr. Rose.  The motion passed unanimously on a roll call vote.

Mr. Krogman moved to approve the January 2007 office claims in the amount of $12,993.02; seconded by Ms. Dubin.   The motion passed unanimously on a roll call vote.

VIII.  DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Ms. Luxton arrived at 7:17 p.m.

Ms. Carney presented the following:

•  Congratulations to Ms. Luxton on her new position at Harper College.  Ms. Luxton described her new duties.

• Ms. Gargani presented a brief report on the NAMI dinner that she attended. 

• The ACHMAI Newsletter.  She directed the Board’s attention to articles on the continuing progress on the Medicaid Local Funds Initiative, a nation-wide campaign for parity for mental

health services, and progress on the ACMHAI-sponsored amendment to the Illinois Community

Mental Health Act. 

• The upcoming funding hearings:

a.  Hope Haven will not be applying for Grant Year 2008 funding, but will send an outcome

     report for theGY07 Board-funded Equine-Assisted Therapy program. 

b.  DeKalb County Special Education Association has discontinued the TEAM program and will not be applying for funding this year for Developmental Screening.  The DCSEA Executive Director is working with interested agencies to develop an alternate “home” for Developmental Screening for Birth to 3 Years.  Ms. Carney asked the Board to keep this screening program in mind during the hearings and allocations process as the opportunity to fund this program may become available. 

• Ms. Carney is now representing the Board on the Tri-County Community Health Center Advisory

Board. 

• Senator Bryzinski and Representative Pritchard have formed a task force to address the problem of access to health care for Medicaid and uninsured county residents.   This issue has reached crisis proportions, with many residents using only the two county hospitals’ emergency departments for their medical care.  Also, mental health and psychiatry services are so poorly reimbursed by Medicaid that providing these services is burdensome to the agencies.  The Mental Health Board is represented on this task force by Ms. Carney. 

• The group of providers and County Board Health and Human Service Committee members that met to discuss the mental health needs of persons over 60 with self-neglect will next meet on March 13, 2006.  An earlier scheduled meeting was cancelled due to weather conditions. 

• Ms. Carney noted that it has been evident that providers of services to persons over 60 are prepared to help and that they consistently “go above and beyond” to coordinate services with other providers.

• The Ben Gordon Center had an insurance appraisal completed for the Gordon Center building.  Its replacement value is $1,746,457.  A copy of the appraisal was given to County Administration and a copy put on file in the Board office.

• The Gordon Center notified the Board office that there had been a water pipe break at the Gordon Center due to recent extremely cold weather.  The break was noticed within a short period of time and the damage was minimal.

• The Board-sponsored Suicide Prevention workshop will be held on February 22, 2007.  Over

50 people have registered for the program.   A report on the workshop will be given at the

March Board meeting. 

IX.  COMMITTEE REPORTS

Executive Committee:  The Committee did not meet this month due to poor weather conditions.

Finance Committee:  Ms. Gargani, Chairman, gave a brief report about the first meeting of the Finance Committee, which met on February 7, 2007.  The Committee discussed its role, an evaluation of the Board’s funding and allocations processes, agency reporting for funded programs, and related issues.  

Personnel and Nominating Committee:  The Committee has not met recently.  Mr. Fraley asked Mr. Krogman to serve on the Personnel and Nominating Committee with Ms. Vaupel and himself.   Mr. Fraley noted that at the last meeting Ms. Luxton was asked to be on the Personnel Committee and the Finance Committee, but since the Personnel Committee now has three members, he asked if she would be agreeable to focusing her work on the Finance Committee.  Ms. Luxton agreed. 

Mr. Fraley reminded the Board members that the Personnel and Nominations Committee would be

presenting nominations for Board officers at the June meeting. 

Gordon Center Lease Committee:  Now that the Board has received notice that the Gordon Center will

sign the lease as it was submitted to them, the Board Committee has completed its work and will be disbanded. 

X.  OLD BUSINESS

The Gordon Center Re-roofing project is completed.  The final paperwork should be arriving soon and then the final invoice can be submitted with the March claims.

Board Member Recruitment:  The Board has received several letters from persons interested in Board membership.  Mr. Rose reported that he had talked at length with an attorney who is also interested and he gave her name to Mr. Fraley.  

Mr. Fraley, Ms. Dubin and Mr. Krogman volunteered to screen the applicants and meet with those that they felt would help the Board meet its goal of reflecting the diversity of the community on the Board. 

Community Outreach Building:  Ms. Carney presented an update on the new building and our office space.   Ms. Dubin noted that consideration is being given to adding a second floor to the building.  Once a decision is made, and any needed design issues addressed, the construction bidding process will begin. 

Meeting Attendance by Electronic Means:  Mr. Rose reported that there have been challenges in court to entities that are subject to the Illinois Open Meeting Act allowing meeting attendance by electronic means and there is a proposed amendment to the Act which would limit the circumstances under which such attendance would be allowed.  He has talked to John Farrell, Assistant State’s Attorney, about this and sent him information about it.  Ms. Carney will follow-up on this issue and report to the Board. 

XI.  NEW BUSINESS

Drug Court Participants Medications:  Ms. Carney noted that the Board has discussed supporting the DeKalb County Drug Court by covering the cost of medications for Drug Court participants during their first month of treatment, to allow the participants and his or her providers time to identify a means to pay for medications.  Not being able to purchase prescribed medications can be a barrier to treatment and the Board has in the past affirmed its desire to remove or diminish barriers. 

Ms. Carney recommended that the Board allocate $2,500 for the remainder of this Grant Year, with $5,000 for next Grant Year, for this purpose.  She also recommended that payment be provided for psychotropic medications, and for essential other medications on a case-by-case basis subject to approval of the Board’s Executive Director.  Mr. Fraley suggested that this allocation be discussed at the end of the year again.

A motion was made by Mr. Krogman to provide up to $2,500 this Grant Year, 2007, and up to $5,000 next Grant Year, 2008, for medication cost support for the Drug Court; seconded by Ms. Luxton.  The roll call vote was as follows: Ms. Dubin, yes; Mr. Fraley, yes; Ms. Gargani, yes; Mr. Krogman, yes, Ms. Luxton, yes; Mr. Rose, no.  The motion passed on a roll call vote.

The Drug Court is applying for federal funds for continuing operating costs.  Ms. Carney will write a letter of support for the Drug Court.

The 2007 Annual Plan:  Discussion was tabled due to the late hour. 

Ms. Carney reminded the members that the next meeting will be a short meeting held at 6:30 p.m., prior to the start of the Grant Year 2008 Funding Hearings at 7:00 p.m., on March 12, 2006.

Mr. Fraley suggested that all Board members prepare questions for each agency. 

XII.  ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

_____________________________________            ___________________________________

Janice Abizaid, Board Secretary                                              Kathy Ostdick, Recording Secretary

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