Geauga County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (GC-MHRS) - April 17, 2023
Meeting Details: Regular monthly meeting, April 17 at 6:00 pm at the Board offices located at 13244 Ravenna Rd., Chardon, OH 44024. In person only. No recording. No agenda available in advance on the website or social media.
Public Comment Policy: no formal policy but in practice, public comment is permitted at the end of the meeting.
Who attended: Chair Steve Oluic, Vice Chair Linda Miller, Secretary Alberta Chokshi, Treasurer Michael Petruziello, and board members Ann Bagley, Walter Claypool, Reba Dykes, Marty Fay, Jimmy Lee Holden, Kathy Johnson, Ryan Mekota, Greg O’Brien and Mary Ruth Shumway.
Not attending: Board member Carolee Lesyk
Staff members attending: Executive Director Christine Lakomiak, Secretary/Receptionist Teresa Slater, and Finance Director Jim Mausser.
Service Providers: Representatives from eight service providers including Ravenwood Health, Lake-Geauga Recovery Center, NAMI, Signature Health, Catholic Charities, and Torchlight VMA.
Guests: Kathy Franz, LWV Observer and one member of the general public.
Call to Order, Roll Call and Pledge of Allegiance occurred as listed on the Agenda.
Minutes from the March 15, 2023 meeting were approved and are available on the website.
Chairman’s Report:
Board Chair Steve Oluic provided the Chairman’s report before this observer arrived at 6:05 pm.
Executive Director’s Report
Welcome New Member: Ms. Lakomiak introduced new board member Reba Dykes, who has a background in housing and has already attended new board member orientation.
March Recap: Ms. Lakomiak recapped accomplishments of the past month:
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Attended the Stepping Up Program day - A very inspirational day was spent learning about the Stepping Up Program which is aimed at addressing those with MH diagnoses who are in the criminal justice system This applies to about 34% of the jail population. Board Member Cathy Johnson attended as well. Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton has spearheaded this effort since stepping down from the Ohio Supreme Court. Many systems will be involved including the Sheriff, the courts, and healthcare. The next meeting will be on ZOOM with all Board Members invited.
Requests: Ms. Lakomiak made two requests of the Board:
Of note:
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Ms. Bagley noted that an Alaska agency is coming to visit Ravenwood tomorrow because of their model program. Ravenwood has gained national recognition for this innovative model and Ms. Lakomiak said this is something to be proud of.
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The Crisis response team was able to respond to the recent incident with a gun at West Geauga High School. The GCMHRS Board supports the Crisis Response team and is grateful for their quick and effective response and for their professional manner.
Committee Reports
Relations Committee: Kathy Johnson reported that meetings are ongoing between Ms. Lakomiak, Ms. Johnson, Ms. Miller and agencies. She explained these are not “request for proposal” meetings but are meant to introduce Ms. Lakomiak and build relationships.
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Mr. Claypool asked if the whole board will hear what the committee is learning?
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Ms. Johnson said the intention of these initial one-on-one meetings was to form relationships.
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Mr. Claypool stated he wants a “report.”
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Ms. Lakomiak stated she wants to break the cycle of doing things 30 days at a time. Ms. Lakomiak stated that she has to be able to do her job on an ongoing basis every day. This prompted a discussion about the accountability and reporting systems already in place for all agencies to submit data to the Board of the GCMHRS. These reports can be accessed by any Board members who wish by contacting Board staff. The Board staff has accountability practices in place and collects data on outcomes. Evaluation is ongoing and available to the public. Ms. Lakomiak reiterated that she has regular quarterly meetings with provider agencies.
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Ms. Shumway responded that there is a need to balance requests for reports as hours spent writing lengthy reports are hours not spent on direct service.
Ms. Johnson closed her report by sharing that GCMHRS will participate in a “faith-based event” on Chardon Square on June 3rd. Reviewer Comment: References to the “Geauga Faith Coalition” and to this event are made in the GCMHRS Board minutes for March 15, 2023. We have been unable to find any information about this organization.
Finance Committee: Mr. Petruziello reported the finance committee met that evening, just prior to the board meeting. They will be preparing a report. A five-year budget presentation is in the Board packet for today.
Planning and Policies Committee: Mr. Claypool reported the committee has not met but will soon.
Capital Planning: Ms. Shumway reported the committee intends to meet every other month and had no update for this meeting. She stated they are letting Ms. Lakomiak “get her feet wet.”
Opiate HUB Committee: Ms. Miller reported they are working on packets to show appreciation for 750 First Responders that will include helpful items like food and treats. In past years, beef jerky has been popular. There may be $1,500 in funding from the State, but the committee’s planning is ahead of the game. For last year’s appreciation program, donations were received. This event will take place in Fall, 2023.
Board Discussions and Action Items:
Discussion Re: Agency Reports: Ms. Lakomiak wants Board members to know that provider agencies regularly submit reports to GCMHRS staff. She stated Board members should not be asking agencies to report to them individually. Instead, they should direct their inquiries to GCMHRS staff.
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Mr. Holden, Board member, asked what staff does with the reports? Are they read or are they filed without being read? Ms. Lakomiak responded that the reports are read and used for quality improvement, to help agencies improve and solve problems. She said if something looks “off” they talk to the agency.
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Mr. Holden repeated his question, asking “you actually look at the reports?” Ms. Lakomiak indicated that they do and went on to say they will be having quarterly meetings to look at budget, outcomes, trends, and significant issues and can report those observations and findings out to the Board.
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Mr. Petruziello asked: “ if you can’t audit the data, how are you going to verify it?” Ms. Lakomiak responded that evaluation and audit are on-going. This is standard procedure for all grants and all service funding. There are many methods of measurement. These include but are not limited to: chart reviews, spot checks, client satisfaction measures, outcome measurements, and more. In addition Mr. Mausser spot checks things already such as proof of residency and budgets. Ms. Lakomiak says there are systems in place.
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Mr. Claypool requested that GCMHRS report to the County Commissioners the state of mental health. He asserted “ we never do that.” Ms. Lakomiak stated GCMHRS provides such a report annually.
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Ms. Bagley noted the need to take a longer term view of RFPs and how the Board could be more long term in its thinking.
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Ms. Shumway commented on the need to balance reporting and service delivery demands.
Discussion Regarding Agency Funding Levels: Board members were reminded that there was a decision to keep funding levels the same as last year. No further discussion.
Discussion Regarding Agency Funding Vote: Board members voted unanimously to consider all nine funding resolutions at once. Mr. Claypool offered comments as noted but there was no additional discussion.
Action Regarding Agency Funding Resolutions: APPROVED unanimously in a single vote
Resolution 23-04-01 Ravenwood Health Allocation for SFY2024
Total Funds $3,093,935.00
Mr. Claypool requested statistics about calls, outcomes, etc.
Resolution 23-04-2 Signature Health Grant for SFY2924
$15,626.00 will be distributed to Signature Health Inc.
Mr. Claypool requested to see sex education curriculum.
Resolution 23-04-3 Geauga County Sheriff Grant for SFY2024
Total Funds $8,900.00 ($5,000 for DARE $3,900 for LOSS support services.
Mr. Claypool requested to see DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) report.
Resolution 23-04-4 Torchlight Youth Mentoring Alliance Allocation for SFY2024
Total Funds $85,000.00
Resolution 23-04-5 Catholic Charities Allocation for SFY2024
Total Funds $205,000.00
Resolution 23-04-6 Family Pride of Northeast Ohio Allocation for SFY2024
Total Funds $76,692.80
Resolution 23-04-7 Lake Geauga Recovery Centers Allocation for SFY2024
Total Funds $400,942.00
Resolution 23-04-8 NAMI Geauga Allocation for SFY2024
Total Funds $80,653.00
Resolution 23-04-9 WomenSafe Allocation for SFY2024
Total Funds $45,150.35
Action Regarding Client Rights and Grievance Procedure Policy: APPROVED unanimously
Ms. Lakomiak felt this was an emergent issue. When the previous Interim Executive Director left the agency, the GCMHRS Board needed to appoint a client’s right’s officer immediately. As Ms. Lakomiak reviewed the policy and saw that it was outdated, she adjusted it to current requirements. The first document in the packet was from 1991. The second was the proposed new policy.
The new policy in the Board packet was sent to the prosecutor for review and approved.
Financial Report:
Mr. Mauser reported they are financially on track. He was thanked by the board for his hard work.
Old Business
Ms. Miller reminded Board members to complete their annual form.
Mr. Petruziello asked why the incidence of Mental Illness isn’t decreasing? He suggested calling in the agencies to find out why. Other board members offered information such as the effects of the pandemic, isolation, social media, opioids and other factors.
New Business
Mr. Oluic instructed Board members to start recording their volunteer hours. He stated that he is hoping for new stability now that the new Executive Director is on board and stated that as a good goal for the Board.
Ms. Bagley asked for name tags for Service Providers to help herself and other new board members to identify providers.
Mr. Claypool shared that he recently learned of a Camp for Sight-Challenged individuals. The Rotary organization wants to help and the program doesn’t need funding but requires staffing.
Public Comment:
Ms. Shumway introduced Erin, a junior from Chagrin Falls, OH who shared her Rotary Speech about her battle with Anorexia. A very moving presentation.
Adjournment - at about 7:30 PM
Board Minutes: https://www.geauga.org/board-minutes/
Next meeting: The next Board meeting was not announced but it should be on May 17, 2023 (third Wednesday) at 6:00 pm with no virtual option.
More Information: https://www.geauga.org/
Observer: Kathy Franz
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Shelly Lewis
The League of Women Voters of Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org.