August 1, 2013 – Finance & Facilities Committee Minutes
Members Present:
Mr. David Bolton
Ms. Denise Brown
Ms. Trish Fulton (Chair)
Mr. Marcel Meyer
Mr. Ian Peer
Others Present:
Dr. Christopher Mackie, Medical Officer of Health & CEO (Secretary-Treasurer for Board of Health)
Mr. John Millson, Director, Finance and Operations
Ms. Sherri Sanders, Executive Assistant to the Board of Health (Recorder)
Ms. Louise Tyler, Director, Human Resources and Labour Relations Services
Dr. Bryna Warshawsky, Associate Medical Officer of Health and Director, Oral Health, Communicable Disease & Sexual Health Services
Media Outlets:
none
At 9:00 a.m., Dr. Christopher Mackie, Medical Officer of Health, welcomed everyone to the inaugural meeting of the Finance and Facilities Committee of the Board of Health.
Disclosures of Conflict(s) of Interest
Dr. Mackie inquired if there were any disclosures of conflict of interest to be declared. None were declared.
Approval of Agenda
The agenda was accepted with the change that Item #4 (2013 September 5 Agenda) would be discussed as part of Business Item 3.2 (Review Terms of Reference).
Business
Election of Committee Chair
Mr. Peer nominated Ms. Fulton for the position of Chair of the Finance and Facilities Committee (FFC) as Chair. Ms. Fulton agreed to let her name stand. Nominations were closed, and Ms. Fulton was acclaimed. It was decided that if the Chair could not attend a FFC meeting, the group would either reschedule the meeting or appoint an Acting Chair at the meeting.
Review Terms of Reference (re Role of the Committee)
It was reviewed that the Committee is not a decision making body. The Committee’s role is to make recommendations to the Board of Health who would then make the final decision via a motion.
It was also reviewed that the Committee would book monthly meetings; however, if a meeting is not necessary for that month, the Chair could cancel the meeting. It was decided that the FFC would meet on the first Thursday of the month at 9:00 a.m. (usually 2 weeks prior to the Board Meeting). The meetings for the remainder of 2013 are scheduled as follows:
- Thursday, September 5
- Thursday, October 3
- Thursday, November 7
- Thursday, December 5
Discussion ensued about the 2014 Budget targets. The Committee inquired about the timing to discuss parameters for the budget. Mr. John Millson, Director, Finance and Operations, explained that PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is assisting with the development of a plan/schedule for dealing with the budget. The FFC will see a draft of the schedule at a future meeting before it goes to the Board of Health. The draft plan/schedule will help the Board to set a budget target and defend that target to the City of London. Mr. Millson reported that the Health Unit must have its budget submitted to the Province by the end of March.
Dr. Mackie also reported that the Board of Health will hear a report at the September 19 meeting to update members on the PwC recommendations. It was also suggested that the Board needs to look at the level of programs and services it needs to provide before setting a budget target. The Board also needs to determine where it wants to focus its services, e.g., children, seniors, etc.
Items for discussion at the September meeting of the FFC were discussed for consideration of the Chair to develop an agenda in collaboration with the MOH/CEO and Director of Finance and Operations.
Items
Current Insurance Rider (Report No. 001-13C)
Dr. Mackie assisted committee members with their understanding of this report. He explained that the Health Unit completes an application and submits it to the City of London. The City acts as the Insurance Broker and using the pooled funds of the Self-Insurance Reserve Fund, also acts as an Insurer, charging premiums that allow for substantially reduced deductibles.
Committee members inquired about the implications of seeking insurance separate from the City (e.g., with Cowan Insurance Group).
A question was also asked about if the Health Unit is covered for harassment claims, for example. Ms. Louise Tyler, Director, Human Resources and Labour Relations, explained that under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), an employee cannot sue an employer for unsafe working conditions (physical or other). General cases would be covered by the Health Unit’s general liability.
The Committee recommended that staff members investigate the option to move to a different Broker and bring back a comparison (including risk) at a future FCC meeting.
Current Leases (Report No. 002-13C)
Mr. Millson assisted Committee members with their understanding of this report.
A question was raised about why the Health Unit has a presence at Sherwood Forest Library and not at other similar areas (e.g. Argyle Mall, White Oaks). Ms. Brown offered to make a motion at the City to enable the Health Unit to be at this and other similar facilities free of charge.
Ms. Brown left the meeting at 10:05 a.m.
Mr. Millson explained that in most of the existing health unit leases, renewal needs to be confirmed six months prior to the end of a lease. The FFC will review the terms, and the Board will decide whether or not to renew lease. Options for renewal of leases were discussed, as well as alternatives.
Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) 2013 Service Agreement (Report No. 003-13C)
Dr. Mackie assisted Committee members with their understanding of this report. He explained that the goals for health units set out in Schedule B are not realistic due to the detailed reporting system that requires significant work by hospital staff. For example, it would be more realistic to set the provincial average of 85% (rather than the current goal of 100%) as this Health Unit’s target for post-partum screening. The agreement does provide an additional Full-Time Equivalent nursing position at the Health Unit to assist with the new screening process.
Mr. Millson reported that the deadline to submit the signed HBHC agreement is mid-August.
It was recommended that the Finance and Facilities Committee accept the service agreement (including a letter from the MOH with the understanding that the targets set out in the agreement are not tied to funding. (Meyer, Bolton).
It is recommended by the Finance and Facilities Committee that the Board of Health endorse the Board Chair to sign the 2013 service agreement for the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program as attached as Appendix A to Report No. 003-13C (Peer, Bolton).
Contract Policy (Policy 1-080)
The FFC reviewed the contract policy and approval/signing authority chart. Dr. Mackie reported that the Health Unit is currently renegotiating the travel clinic contract as recommended by PwC. In addition, the Contractual Services Policy (Policy 1-080) is currently under review with the assistance of PwC.
Concern was expressed about instances where one person has authority to sign a contract. Dr. Mackie assured the Committee that all contracts will be available to the Board and that Board approvals for signatures are recorded.
In response to a question about why the travel clinic is independent and not publically funded, Dr. Mackie replied that a high level of knowledge, certification and risk counselling is required. Other travel clinics within health units are highly subsidized. No one in this health unit has the qualifications required to run the clinic. There is a heavy volume of patients, indicating demand for the service. Per the PwC recommendations, the Health Unit is negotiating to ensure that the contractor that provides travel clinic services pays an amount of rent that reflects the space and frequency of clinic utilization.
Other Business
Next scheduled Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting – Thursday, September 5, 2013 9:00 a.m.
MLHU Board Room, 399 Ridout Street, London
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 a.m.