HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Joint Meeting of the Ames City Council and Hospital Board of Trustees 10/03/2013MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE
AMES CITY COUNCIL AND HOSPITAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
AMES, IOWA OCTOBER 3, 2013
The Ames City Council and Hospital Board of Trustees met in joint session at 12:08 p.m. on the 3rd
day of October, 2013, 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
Matthew Goodman, Peter Orazem, Victoria Szopinski, and Tom Wacha. 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 Mike Tretina and Lynn Whisler; Tom Johnson, MD;
Steve Sullivan, Public Relations Officer; and Stephanie Bates, Executive Assistant, representing
MGMC; and Steve Schainker, City Manager; Bob Kindred, Assistant City Manager; Melissa Mundt,
Assistant City Manager; Brian Phillips, Management Analyst; Judy Parks, City Attorney; and Diane
Voss, City Clerk, on behalf of the City of Ames. Kelly Huntsman, Carolyn McCall, and Ryan Crane
attended as representatives of Primary Health Care.
Chairperson Buck and Mayor Campbell welcomed the City Council, Hospital Board of Trustees,
and administrative staff members.
Mr. Dieter gave a presentation on healthcare reform and what it means for Iowa residents. He
advised that there are 264,000 Iowa residents between the ages of 19 and 65 who are without
insurance. Mr. Dieter said that, as part of the federal health plan (“ObamaCare”), persons must be
enrolled in some type of insurance plan by December 15, 2013, or face a penalty. There are premium
tax credits available to those who are considered to be at or below the poverty level. According to
Mr. Dieter, a goal of Mary Greeley Medical Center is to avoid readmission by improving
coordination of care throughout the continuum. He shared the results of the Hospital’s Transition
of Care Progr am. Mary Greeley’s percentage of readmission is 14.9% compared to the national
benchmark of 20 - 25%.
Kelly Huntsman, representing Primary HealthCare, explained the Federal Quality Healthcare Center
(FQHC), which will be coming to Story County in January 2014. Primary HealthCare is a non-profit
healthcare agency that operates centers to serve the medically insured, uninsured and underinsured
with their health care needs. According to Ms. Huntsman, Story County was one of 14 grantees in
the State of Iowa, and will receive $650,000 in funding to operate the Center. Ms. Huntsman
reported that this is not one-time funding; however, an application will need to be filed every year.
Similar Centers opened in Des Moines and Marshalltown in 1981 and 2001, respectively.
There are strict reporting requirements for each Center, which were reviewed by Ms. Huntsman. She
said that the Center will provide comprehensive primary care services to areas with a high-need
population that are being medically under-served. The required services will address medical,
dental, and behavioral health issues. It was noted that dental services will continue to be made
available through a contract with Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA).
Ms. Huntsman explained why an FQHC was needed in Story County. She said that the rate of
poverty in Story County is 18.7%; the entire State of Iowa is at 11%. According to Ms. Huntsman,
the Center will not turn anyone away who is requesting health services, regardless of their ability
to pay.
According to Ms. Huntsman, the Center will be governed by a community board comprised of a
majority of users. She explained the Implementation Plan for the new Center. It must be open to see
patients by January 15, 2014. According to Ms. Huntsman, no location for the Center has been
determined; there are a few options. Due to the short time frame, it might be necessary for the Center
to open at a temporary location until a permanent location can be found and renovated. The cost of
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renovations, depending on the site, is estimated at $657,000. The federal grant will allow only
minimal dollars for renovations to the site. It is not desirable to use the federal funding for that
purpose as it will result in a decrease by that amount in future grants. They hope to use the grant
funding for operations, not renovations. It is hoped that the necessary funds and in-kind donat ions
and materials for renovating a site will be raised through community partners, direct donations, and
other grants.
Council Member Orazem suggested that the FQHC have a conversation with Iowa State University
(ISU) concerning the services that the Center will be offering. Ms. Huntsman pointed out that one
of the requirements of the federal grant is that services not be duplicated. Mr. Orazem noted that all
ISU students are required to have insurance. Ms. Huntsman said that was true, but the dependents
of ISU students are often not insured.
There were no further comments from the Board of Trustees or City Council, and the meeting
adjourne d at 1:35 p .m.
_________________________________________________________________________
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor