IMHPAC: Development Committee Minutes October 27, 2022

ILLINOIS MENTAL HEALTH PLANNING AND ADVISORY COUNCIL

Meeting of the Development Committee, Thursday October 27, 2022, 3:06 PM

1. Call to Order: The Webex Meeting was called to order by Co-Chair Ron Melka at 3:06 pm. In attendance were Committee Members Ron Melka, Nanette Larson, Ray Connor, Fred Freedman and DMH staff Irwin Kerzner. A quorum was present. Courtney Aidich of DMH was also on the call to ensure the Webex link continued to work, but did not participate. The name Craig Kowalski was also signed in on the Webex screen without a video, and did not respond when asked for an introduction.
2. Approval of Agenda: Fred moved, and Nanette seconded the agenda be approved as presented. All were in favor. Passed.
3. Approval of the August 25, 2022, minutes: Nanette moved, and Ray seconded that the minutes be approved. Fred abstained. Passed.
4. Resignations: Irwin reported that there were no resignations from the Council to report.
5. Candidates for new and returning membership slate at Fall Meeting: Ron notified the committee that we currently have 4 members whose terms are up, and have agreed to be reconsidered for an additional 3-year term. They are:
   • • Ron Melka
     • Thane Dykstra
     • Isaac Palmer
     • William Korte
   • Ray moved and Nanette seconded that they be slated for another term on the Council. Ron called for a roll call vote. Ray Connor - Aye, Nanette - Aye, Fred Freedman - ye, Ron Melka - Aye. Motion Passed Unanimously.
   • Ron then notified the Committee that we had one new candidate to be considered for Council membership - Emily LeFew, who submitted an application letter dated July 29, 2022. The Committee had received Ms. LeFew' s resume and letter of application prior to the meeting. Emily is an LCPC and MBA. She has spent her career serving children and families with serious mental illness, domestic violence, autism, and those in the child welfare system, amongst others. Currently, she is the Director of Strategy and Clinical Excellence at Camelot Care Centers. She has been attending the larger IMHPAC meeting, as well as the Child and Adolescent Committee meeting and would be pleased to expand her contribution to the field of mental health through serving on this council and subcommittee. In addition, she currently serves on the Illinois Collaboration on Youth(ICOY) Policy Advisory Committee.
   • Irwin commented that we are still in compliance with our SAMHSA guidelines of having a majority of the board members not be state employees or providers.
   • Ray moved and Nanette seconded that Ms. LeFew be slated for a 3-year term on the Council. Ron called for a roll call vote. Ray Connor - Aye, Nanette - Aye, Fred Freedman - ye, Ron Melka - Aye. Motion Passed Unanimously.
   • The Slate of Candidates submitted by the Development Committee to the IMHPAC membership for approval at the November 3, 2022, meeting is:
     • Ron Melka
     • Thane Dykstra
     • Isaac Palmer
     • William Korte
     • Emily LeFew
   • According to our bylaws, the vote is to be on the slate as a whole.
6. Member Surveys: Irwin reported that we will need to conduct an updated survey of our membership demographics. Ron recommended that any additional items for the survey be submitted by committee chairs and officers shortly so that Irwin can submit any changes to the survey to the data staff at DHS for their design.
   • Given the low response for nominees for our fall slate, Ron asked that members continue recommending candidates, and encourage our members to ask individuals from a broader range of experiences so as to be as reflective of our population as we can.
7. Public Comment: None. Nanette brought up an issue on reimbursement that is pertinent to recruitment and retention, though not necessarily a duty of this committee. Consumers are to receive a stipend for attending meetings, as well as reimbursements of expenses. There have been delays in the State issuing these checks. We also have an additional two - month delay built in to our process. Our treasurer must verify one's attendance at a meeting before a request can be submitted to the State. The Treasurer does not have the meeting's attendance until the minutes of a meeting are published almost two months after the meeting is held. Any way that this delay could be eliminated would speed up the reimbursement of our consumer members by two months and should be considered.
8. Adjournment: Ray moved; Nanette seconded. All were in favor. Adjourned at 3:37.