Health Care Center Committee Meeting Minutes

DATE: July 1, 2004

PRESENT: Arthur Carlson; Larry Volz; Linda Borleske; Tom Bychinski, Paul Endres; Jeanne Leeck, Administrator; Ron Birdd, Environmental Services Manager and Gene Wiegand, Administrative Coordinator; were present for a portion of the meeting.

1. Called to order at 8:30 a.m. by Art Carlson. The open meeting law requirements were met.
2. Motion by Borleske, second by Volz to adopt the amended agenda.
   Motion carried.
3. Motion by Volz, second by Bychinski to approve the minutes of the previous two meetings. Motion carried.
4. Communications. No communications were received.
5. Review and Consideration of purchasing Housekeeping Carts. Ron discussed the need for the carts and reviewed the bids received.
   Motion by Borleske, second by Volz to approve the expenditure for purchasing Housekeeping Carts.
   Motion carried.
6. Discussion of Sauk County Health Care History proposal. Mr. Mike Carrigan of the Reedsburg Times Press has been talking with Ron Birdd and discussing the possibility of writing a history of the Health Care Center. The Board was very supportive of this. Details of the publication have yet to be worked out.
   Motion by Carlson, second by Volz to give approval to move forward with a written history of the HCC.
   Motion carried.
7. Discussion and Consideration of Billing Training Options. Jeanne explained the need for additional training and billing assistance. The two proposals were discussed.
   Motion by Endres, second by Borleske to approve the agreement with Melyx for billing training and assistance.
   Motion Carried.
8. Strategic Planning Study, Final Presentation. Mr. Keefe explained the incentives to down size to the 90 bed level. Also presented revenue and expense statements for each option. Down sizing would cause a decrease in expenditures for maintenance, utilities and other services, however a large decrease in revenue is also seen. Over time the difference in cost of operation for down sizing vs. staying the current size is very small. One consideration would be the time frame of possible upgrades to the WWTP. Cost projections for changes to the sewage plant range from $550,000 to $1M. Art talked with Mr. Ossipoff of the DNR and was told nothing would have to be done for about 20 years. Mr. Keefe was told 10 years. This will be clarified by Art. Perhaps Mr. Ossipoff could be asked to speak to our group. Gene Wiegand suggested that staffing shortages which may still be an issue in the future need to be addressed by incentives such as scholarships etc. These staffing issues will be around no matter what the final decision is. Mr. Keefe indicated that the projections for health insurance increases have been adjusted on all options to a more realistic number of 10% rather than the 17.5% originally stated. Presentation is scheduled for the full board on July 20th. Mr. Keefe summarized his recommendations indicating the status quo does not make good fiscal sense nor does remodeling because it will cost $7+M and has no added value. Building would make more sense and whether it would be here or in Reedsburg is a toss-up. Both have their advantages. Future uses of this building would be difficult to find. Down sizing would maximize the possibility of holding down costs and keeping a good staff ratio. Other alternatives should also be looked at such as CBRF or Assisted Living units. Gene said that the critical issue is that the care is provided for Sauk County Residents. We as a county need to explore other areas and agencies to provide services and keep our SNF beds for those who have no other alternative. Some members of the county board have asked for numbers associated with relocating residents. Jeanne will work on providing these numbers. Our board will plan another meeting to discuss their recommendations. Meeting scheduled for July 8 at 5:00 p.m.
9. Review and consideration of recent donations. Jeanne read the donations received for last month.
   Motion by Bychinski, second by Volz to approve the donations for June in the amount of $2,289.00.
   Motion carried.
10. Administrator's report. Jeanne dealing with billing issues but things in the Business Office are working out. Our Relay For Life Team made approximately $2,200.00. Have had meetings to plan for the Car Show to be held on August 14. We will be providing the food for this year so planning is more challenging. We had a float in the Butterfest Parade and residents enjoyed helping with construction and to be a part of the parade. Residents have been going on many outings and enjoying the warm weather. Residents are visiting the Circus World Museum today. Cell phone has been provided for those driving the buses.
11. Personnel Department Report. Jeanne reviewed the status of job vacancies and employee recruitment activities that have occurred over the past month. Thirty applications have been received for the Business Manager Position. Interviews will be scheduled for the 12th and 13th of July.
12. Review and Approval of Vouchers/Receipts Review. Jeanne reviewed the invoices for this month. Items of interest were highlighted.
    Motion by Borleske, second by Endres to approve the invoices for the month in the amount of $124,628.96.
    Motion carried.
13. Business Office Report. Jeanne indicated that things are going OK in the Business Office. We will continue to work on more cross-training to avoid problems.
14. Next Meeting . Special meeting to discuss recommendations - July 8, 5:00 p.m. Regular meetings are scheduled for August 5; September 2 and October 7 all at 8:30 a.m.
    Motion by Volz, second by Bychinski to adjourn.
    Motion carried.

Meeting was adjourned at 10:40

Respectfully Submitted: Linda Borleske, Secretary