MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE NORTH FORK AMBULANCE HEALTH SERVICE DISTRICT
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, September 19, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m.
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA:
No additions to the agenda.
ROLL CALL:
Board members present: Dave Kreutz, Marcus Roeder, Dan Miller, and Bonnie Eisenberg.
Peter Pruett was not present.
Others present: Kathy Steckel, Diane Perry, Marie Stucker, Tanya Applegate, and Medeina Ryan.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE:
No conflict of interest.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
No public comment.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Minutes from the August 15, 2024 Regular Monthly Meeting were reviewed.
Dave Kreutz made a motion that the minutes be approved as written. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.
REPORTS:
FINANCE REPORT:
Financials for August were presented and reviewed. No unusual expenditures in August.
Dave Kreutz made a motion to approve the financials for August. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.
APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATIONS:
Bonnie Eisenberg made a motion to approve the appropriations for August as presented. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.
DISTRICT CHIEF REPORT:
Kathy Steckel gave an overview of her report (see attached).
Administration: Kathy is still working on the Strategic Plan. She has almost completed the crew interviews. Some of the issues that have surfaced in the interviews include health insurance and staffing for all shifts in the future. The crew supports the CP/CARES program. They have seen a reduction in lift assists. EMTs would like to be more involved in the program, but that is a challenge given the state guidelines.
Finance: The 2025 budget is in progress, and a draft will be presented before the next meeting. Kathy would like to meet with the finance committee to go over the budget before then.
HR/PR: Accepted Steve Simpson’s resignation on September 6, 2024. Tanya and Marvin have been taking extra shifts to ensure that all ALS shifts are covered. The position is currently advertised, and they hope to have the position filled by the beginning of October. Dan thanked Tanya and Marvin for filling in.
OPERATION:
The annual inspection of Lifepaks and Lucas CPR devices has been completed. Kathy is pleased that this did not exceed the budgeted amount. We no longer have a maintenance contract, so repairs are on a per-need basis and could be expensive. New Lifepaks are now $55k, but ours are not up for replacement until 2027, so we will continue paying for annual maintenance until then. Dan would like us to look into trays to hold equipment in place in the back of the QRVs.
PREVENTION:
The Chronic Disease Program starts September 23 at 11:30 a.m. in Crawford. Medeina Ryan gave a quick overview of the plans for the program. It is two-fold: to educate and inform, and to provide some means of prevention. The program will rotate through the communities.
The Community Health Needs Assessment continues. The focus group will meet on Monday, September 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided starting at 11:00 a.m. The Hispanic community will be surveyed on October 11.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
No unfinished business.
NEW BUSINESS:
Dan would like to re-appoint the Finance Committee to meet with Kathy about the budget. Dan Miller and Marcus Roeder will be the members and will meet with Kathy on October 7, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.
Kathy’s contract will need to be added to the agenda for next month with an Executive Session to discuss.
Bonnie suggested that the CARES program might mention the need for ramps to local realtors, as ramps are not always needed when a house is sold.
Bonnie will be out of town for the next meeting and may need a ZOOM connection.
With the increase in lift assist calls recently, Marie requested that Kathy look into lift cushions as an addition to the EMS equipment that crews carry.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
Task Force Meeting: September 30, 2024, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.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 11:46 a.m.