MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE NORTH FORK AMBULANCE HEALTH SERVICE DISTRICT

Meeting minutes for: July 18, 2024

The Regular Monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the North Fork Ambulance Health Service District, located in the Counties of Delta, Montrose, and Gunnison, Colorado, was held at 110 E. Hotchkiss Ave, Hotchkiss, Colorado, on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.

CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 11:03 a.m.

ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA:
No additions to the agenda.

ROLL CALL:
Board members present: Dan Miller, Dave Kreutz, Marcus Roeder, Peter Pruett, and Bonnie Eisenberg.
Others present: Kathy Steckel and Diane Perry.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE:
No conflict of interest.

PUBLIC COMMENT:
No public comment.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Minutes from the June 20, 2024 Regular Monthly Meeting were reviewed.
Bonnie Eisenberg noted a mistake under New Business. The date in the first line should be June 26, 2024, not 2023.
Marcus Roeder made a motion that the minutes be approved with that change. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.

REPORTS:

FINANCE REPORT:
Financials for June were presented and reviewed. June was the last month that we received significant tax monies. No unusual expenditures in June.
Marcus Roeder made a motion to approve the financials for June. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.

APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATIONS:
Dave Kreutz made a motion to approve the appropriations for June as presented. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.

DISTRICT CHIEF REPORT:
Kathy Steckel gave an overview of her report (see attached).
Administration: Our website is now considered accessible with forms that can be filled out online! Still working on the Strategic Plan.
Finance: The Audit has been filed with DOLA. Still waiting on the reimbursement for the ambulance from the state.
HR/PR: Still in the process of surveying the crew. Kathy has a new challenge coin for our 5-year anniversary and is handing them out to employees as she surveys them. Kathy handed out the latest crew news. The second page maps out the functions of our agency and includes our prevention programs. The third page of the newsletter summarizes employee benefits. Kathy will share this with crew members as she surveys them to ensure that everyone knows about the CP/CARES Program and is aware of all the benefits we provide. This brought up a discussion about the MIH program and how it reaches more of our taxpaying base than the 911 calls. Marcus suggested that we might be able to use the saying “Not your ordinary ambulance service” in promotions. The discussion shifted to crew benefits and how the on-call model provides an excellent work/life balance. Bonnie thinks this is a good position to bring up in grant proposals. It is rather unique and something that could stand out in a grant. Kathy discussed how the medical transport and CARES program could provide opportunities for older crew members who may not want to perform lift assists anymore. They can do patient transports and train to be patient advocates.

OPERATION:
New ambulance is in service. Everyone loves it.

PREVENTION:
We did 90 transports for the medical rides program in 2023, and thus far in 2024, we have done 91, so the program is growing quickly.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
No unfinished business.

NEW BUSINESS:
Billing Rates:
Kathy presented a billing rate sheet with regional numbers and suggestions from our billing company. There was much discussion about billing, and Kathy has a few questions from the board to ask BSI for clarification. Dan felt that it is generally better to have smaller, more incremental rate hikes than to wait and have a large increase later. It appears that one of the main reasons to raise rates is for state grants; they need to see that we are maximizing our income potential. There were many unanswered questions. Kathy will try to get Michelle, the owner of our billing company, to come to the next meeting to answer the board's questions. Dan thinks we need to make a decision before the next budget.

Dan wondered what we were doing with the old rig. Since it was purchased in part with a state provider grant, we need to get a release from the state before we can dispose of it. The majority of the board thinks it would be a good idea to donate it to someone in need of an ambulance. Kathy will work on getting the release from the state and finding some options for donation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, August 15, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further matters before the board, Dan Miller made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:24 p.m.