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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Joint Meeting of the Ames City Council and Hospital Board of Trustees 10/01/2014MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AND HOSPITAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES AMES, IOWA OCTOBER 1, 2014 The Ames City Council and Hospital Board of Trustees met in joint session at 12:05 p.m. on the 1st day of October, 2014, in Mary Greeley Medical Center (MGMC) North Addition, Room A/B. Those in attendance representing the Ames City Council were Mayor Ann Campbell and Council Members Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Matthew Goodman, Chris Nelson, and Peter Orazem. Council Member Gloria Betcher was absent. Representing the Mary Greeley Medical Center Board of Trustees were Chairperson Sarah Buck and Trustees Louis Banitt, MD; Brad Heemstra; Mary Kitchell; and Ken McCuskey. Administrative staff present were Brian Dieter, President and CEO; Vice-Presidents Gary Botine, Neal Loes, and Lynn Whisler; Tom Johnson, MD; Steve Sullivan, Public Relations Officer; and Stephanie Bates, Executive Assistant, representing MGMC; and Steve Schainker, City Manager; Judy Parks, City Attorney; Susan Gwiasda, Public Relations Officer; Brian Phillips, Management Analyst; and Diane Voss, City Clerk, on behalf of the City of Ames. Welcome and Introductions. Chairperson Buck and Mayor Campbell welcomed the City Council, Hospital Board of Trustees, and administrative staff members. Primary Health Care. Vice-President Lynn Whisler gave a presentation on the Community Healthcare Center, which has been operating at 1202 Duff Avenue for not quite a year. It is a Story County resource; however, the majority of the patients are from Ames. The Center was made possible by a grant provided by Primary HealthCare, which is a non-profit healthcare agency that operates centers to serve the medically insured, uninsured, and underinsured with their health care needs. Story County was one of 14 grantees in the State of Iowa. The Center received $650,000 in funding for operations for 2014. The grant renews annually; however, an application needs to be filed every year. There are strict reporting requirements for each Center. According to Ms. Whisler, the Center provides comprehensive primary care services to areas with a high-need population that are being medically under-served. The required services address medical, dental, and behavioral health issues. It was noted that dental services continue to be made available through a contract with Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA), and mental health care is provided by Eyerly Ball. The Center is not a “free” clinic. Payment is made by patients on a sliding fee scale; however, the Center will not turn anyone away who is requesting health services, regardless of their ability to pay. Ms. Whisler explained that the Center is operating at a temporary location until the renovations at its permanent location at 3510 Lincoln Way are completed. The lease for that location has been finalized. The cost to remodel the site and purchase the needed equipment is estimated at $735,500. Of that amount, $451,959 has been raised through community partners, direct donations, and other grants. It is not desirable to use the federal funding for the renovations or equipment as that will result in a decrease in the amount of future grants by that amount. It was reported by Ms. Whisler that to-date, services have been provided to 732 patients. There have been a total of 1,400 visits to the Center, which breaks down to approximately 200/month. Financial Assistance. Vice-President Gary Botine provided a review of MGMC’s Financial Assistance Program. He emphasized that Mary Greeley Medical Center provides services to patients regardless of their ability to pay. The pay structure used by MGMC was explained by Mr. Botine. He also provided a review of the financial assistance provided by MGMC. Publicity of the Financial Assistance Program, which is a key component of MGMC’s Community Benefit Report, was outlined by Mr. Botine. 2 Master Facility Update. Vice-President Whisler provided highlights of the reconstruction and new construction that have been occurring at MGMC since 2011. Phase I is nearly complete. It included construction of a new six-story patient tower, power plant, rooftop garden, and enlarged patient rooms. The hospital is constructing Phase I to LEED Silver standards. Phase II is now underway. It will include a new Emergency Department and ambulance garage, main entrance, covered and elevated walkway, and landscaping. Ms. Whisler provided the construction schedule for Phase II. She explained that Mary Greeley is licensed for up to 220 beds. Some of the new area will not be finished so as to allow flexibility is usage. If additional beds are needed, a new Certificate of Need would have to be applied for and received by the hospital. Board and Council Comments. City Manager Steve Schainker thanked the Administration of MGMC for meeting and working with surrounding neighborhood residents to build long-lasting and trusting relationships. Board Chair Sarah Buck asked if the City Council would like to see any particular topics discussed in future Joint Meetings with the MGMC Board of Trustees. Council Member Peter Orazem mentioned that he would like to see some of the same types of data that were presented on the Community Healthcare Center moving forward one year. Mayor Campbell noted that those types of data could assist the City Council when making its decisions on allocating human services (ASSET) funding. There were no further comments from the Board of Trustees or City Council, and the meeting adjourned at 1:18 p.m. _________________________________________________________________________ Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor