Eastern WV Rural Health Education Consortium

Board Meeting Minutes

DATE: 2/24/04 TIME: 9:30 a.m. PLACE: The Instructional Resource Center, Romney, WV

The following persons were present:

• Jaime Bland, RHEP Administrative Assistant
• Annette Boggs, Community Representative
• Patty Dorsey, Community Representative
• Lynn Dunlevy, City Hospital
• Robert L. Harman, Grant Memorial Hospital
• Lisa Hileman, Community Representative
• Bonita Jackson, Community Representative
• Gary Johnson, E.A. Hawse Health Center
• Kimberly Kline, Community Representative
• Rusty Morgan, Community Representative
• Pat Nolan, War Memorial Hospital
• Malinda Turner, RHEP Coordinator
• Jeanne Wooten, Veterans Affairs Medical Center

The meeting was called to order by Mrs. Jackson, Board Vice-Chairperson. There was a quorum of Board members present. Lynn Dunlevy was introduced as the new representative for City Hospital.

AGENDA ITEM: APPROVAL OF MINUTES

DISCUSSION: There were no corrections or omissions to the October and December minutes.

ACTION: The October minutes were approved (Motion: Hileman, Johnson). Motion passed. The December minutes were approved (Motion: Harman, Johnson). Motion passed.

FOLLOW-UP: None required.

AGENDA ITEM: 04/05 BUDGET ALLOCATION

DISCUSSION: The WVRHEP Finance Committee selected the method of funding for the WVRHEP program at the November 17th meeting. The funding method is based on each consortia submitting the amount of funding needed to operate their consortium. This amount was received by the same percentage (89.9%) to reach the amount of funding received by the WVRHEP program.

A sheet detailing each of the consortia budgets was distributed as well as a list of the principles and formula used to determine the funding for the 04/05 fiscal year. The consortium would receive $342,901 for the 04/05 budget based on the formula.

Mrs. Turner reported that the WVRHEP Finance Committee has a conference call at 11:30 a.m. today to discuss a request from Senate Education Chair, Senator Bob Plymale. He is requesting the WVRHEP funding be submitted to him with a 10%, 15%, and 20% reduction.

ACTION: Received as information.

FOLLOW-UP: An update will be provided at the next meeting.

AGENDA ITEM: HSTA UPDATE

DISCUSSION: The consortium received the $5,846 from the Health Sciences & Technology Academy (HSTA) program which was reimbursement for Jane Horst's time.

ACTION: Received as information.

FOLLOW-UP: None required.

AGENDA ITEM: 2nd QUARTER BUDGET REPORT

DISCUSSION: The 2nd Quarter Financial Report was distributed along with an addendum that includes the additional grant funding the consortium has acquired this year. For the first two quarters of the fiscal year, the consortium is approximately $30,000 under budget. This is due to savings the consortium has made on communications and salaries line items.

The consortium received a 1.4% Governor's reduction in budget. This is noted in the Changes to Budget column and resulted in a $4,403 reduction to the 03/04 budget.

ACTION: Received as information.

FOLLOW-UP: None required.

AGENDA ITEM: WVRHEP ADVISORY PANEL

DISCUSSION: Mrs. Turner reported on the November 17th WVRHEP Committee and Advisory Panel Meetings. The School Committee discussed the eight restricted cities in the WVRHEP program. A sub-committee may be formed to look at the criteria for adding or removing this designation from the program. Any other change in consortium service area would be by the Advisory Panel with recommendation from the local consortium Board.

The Finance Committee reviewed two funding plans. One based on historical budgets and one based on student numbers. The historical budget plan was accepted. The WVRHEP program received a 1.4% Governor's Budget Reduction for the 03/04 fiscal year.

The Advisory Panel approved three policies: Adjunct Faculty Appointment for Field Faculty, Purchase of Capital Assets, and Minimal Components of IDS/IDE. The Adjunct Faculty Appointment for Field Faculty requires that field faculty must obtain an adjunct faculty appointment from all schools where they take students. In the past, there was a reciprical agreement that you only needed a faculty appointment from one school in the state. This will require the Site Coordinators to work with faculty to obtain appointments for all schools.

The Purchase of Capital Assets policy placed a moratorium on the purchase of capital assets by any consortia. This includes Learning Resource Center improvements and computer purchases.

The Minimal Components of IDS/IDE policy allows students to participate in Interdisciplinary Experiences (IDE) as well as Interdisciplinary Sessions (IDS). This change was needed to expose students to experiences when there are not sufficient numbers of disciplines at a consortium to hold IDS or if students are not within a one hour driving distance to IDS. The policy also requires that field faculty be certified as IDS facilitators. A training will be held on April 30 for consortia On-Site Clinical Directors to train them to train field faculty in their consortium.

The Advisory Panel also approved a Resolution that requests consortia look at ways to achieve greater economies of scale, explore consolidation and/or mergers, and improve quality and education while saving operational funds.

ACTION: Received as information.

FOLLOW-UP: None required.

AGENDA ITEM: WVRHEP POLICY 2003-04 - ADJUNCT FACULTY APPOINTMENT FOR FIELD FACULTY

DISCUSSION: The Board discussed the policy requiring all field faculty to have faculty appointments. The Board reviewed the consortium's policy - Definition of Field Professors. The consortium has one field professor that does not have a faculty appointment. This individual has applied for an appointment, but the school will not provide the faculty appointment due to not wanting to add additional sites. The individual has taught consortium interdisciplinary sessions for the past six years and does a very good job.

A recommendation was made to revise bullet point #2 on the consortium's policy to state "Field professors must have the qualifications to receive a faculty appointment with a WV Higher Education Policy Commission school or state and/or private college school system".

ACTION: The recommendation to revise the consortium's Definition of Field Professor policy was approved (Motion: Nolan, Harman). Motion approved.

FOLLOW-UP: Continue to monitor.

AGENDA ITEM: WVRHEP LEGISLATIVE DAY

DISCUSSION: Mrs. Hileman thanked the Board for approving her travel to the annual WVRHEP Legislative Day & Dinner. The first day she visited legislators at the Capitol to discuss rural health. That evening, our consortium had the most legislators at the Legislative Dinner. A copy of the WVRHEP Annual Report that was handed out at the dinner was circulated. The next day she attended "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" training that was provided by WVRHEP and conducted by Dean Mike Adelman and his staff from the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine. Gaye Mitchell, Dr. Rosemarie Cannarella, Heather Congdon, and Malinda Turner also attended the training.

A copy of the 2004 Legislative talking points and a copy of the summary from the Performance Evaluation & Research Division (PERD) was distributed. The recommendation from PERD was that the WVRHEP program be reauthorized. The House submitted H.B. 4157 which was passed in the House and forwarded to the Senate to reauthorize the program for four years. H.B. 4157 has not bee reported on in the Senate yet. Senator Ed Bowman may also make a recommendation to revise the RHI Act to allow the purchase of capital assets with state funds.

ACTION: A copy of the WVRHEP Annual Report will be mailed to Board Members. Mrs. Turner will check on the cost of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" training for the Board.

FOLLOW-UP: An update will be provided by e-mail.

AGENDA ITEM: ANNOUNCEMENTS

DISCUSSION: The following announcements were made:

• Mrs. Turner announced that Tammy Sowers has been hired as the new secretary for the Martinsburg office. She started on February 8th.
• Mrs. Hileman and Mrs. Mitchell attended the WVU Health Sciences Center - Eastern Division Holiday Party on December 16th.
• Mrs. Jackson announced that Jessica Kirby, a consortium scholarship recipient, is completing her first year at the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine.
• Mrs. Hileman reported that she continues to take students out to dinner on her own dime. The students are very appreciative and feel welcome in the Romney community.
• Mrs. Hileman reported that two local brothers may be in medical school at the same time. Kevin Stein is a 3rd year medical student at WVU and his brother, Terry, has been accepted at Marshall University.
• Mr. Nolan announced that April 2nd will be his last day at War Memorial Hospital. He will be the new administrator at Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal, VA. A predecessor has not been named at War Memorial Hospital.
• Mrs. Dorsey reported that she has completed her nurse practitioner degree. Her thesis was on the nursing shortage in the eastern panhandle compared to the nation. Her findings were that the shortage is not as great here as nationally. She also learned that sign-on bonus are not the answer and that employee morale is more important.
• Mr. Johnson reported that he has Scott Meehan, 3rd year WVU medical student, at his site this month. The site will be keeping in contact with Scott who is a local student and potentially very recruitable.
• The next WVRHEP meetings will be held on March 15th.
• The next consortium Board meeting will be held on April 20th.

ACTION: Received as information.

FOLLOW-UP: None required.

ADJOURNMENT: 11:10 a.m.

Bonita Jackson, Board Vice-Chairperson