MN HIV Services Planning Council Meeting

October 10, 2006 9:00 am – 12:00 noon

Plymouth Congregational Church

1900 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis

Minutes

Council Members Present:
Karin Sabey	Lee Lewis
Michael Behl	Ephraim Olani
Bob Hansen	Gerry Tyrrell
Andy Ansell (Co-Chair)	Gary Novotny
Robert Pioli	Susanne Pfeil
Dollina Odera	Ama Sabah
Francis Mark	Hazel Erickson
Antonio Marante	Rae Eden Frank
Council Members Absent:
LeMonte Graham - excused	Randall Guilford - excused
Gilbert Achay – excused	John Cyzon – excused
Jim Lawser (Co-Chair) – excused	Ojuolape Olagbaju – unexcused
G. Allen Foster - excused	Joseph Smith - unexcused
Consultant:
Allison Rojas – CCG
Guests:
Jennifer Houston – WestSide Community Health Services
G-HAT:
Redwan Hamza - DHS	Sheila Murphy - Hennepin County
Jonathan Hanft - Hennepin County	Eduardo Parra - Hennepin County
Staff:
Wendi Kistner (minutes)	Tim Sullivan

Quorum Present? Yes

I. Welcome and Introductions; Lighting of the Candle

The meeting was called to order at 9:10am. Tim lit the candle for the struggle each person faces in fighting HIV/AIDS. He also let the candle in memory for his friends David and Steve who have recently passed away. Introductions were made.

II. Review the September 12^th Meeting Minutes and Proposed Agenda

The minutes were approved by unanimous consent. The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.

III. Open Forum

Gary asked Council members to sign up for the prevention plan mailing list if they wish to receive the mailing. Gary told Council members what information is included in this plan.

Tim gave history on the Prevention planning body. Their work is important in the Council in planning what services to fund. Although a lot of their information will be shared during Council meetings but it is important for Council members to get as much information as possible. Andy also said the Co-Chairs meet CCCHAP Co-Chairs and MDH staff on a quarterly basis.

IV. Co-Chairs Update

Dave, Redwan, Tim, Jim, Andy and Jonathan met to discuss the ongoing process of entering into an MOU/Letter of Understanding with Title II. A decision has not been made whether or not a technical assistance request will be made to help define roles and responsibilities. Jim and Andy are going to meet next week to discuss priorities for the Planning Council in the MOU discussion. After this has been done they will meet with Tim to review and advise. Once this has been done the three of them will meet with Dave, Redwan, and Jonathan again to present this information. Andy and Jim will continue to update Council staff on the process as things move forward. Questions/Comments:

· Ama asked if the Co-Chairs are looking for feedback from Council members. Andy said right now they are just pulling information together and as things move forward they will ask for feedback from members.

· Tim reminded members that they need to understand all the sources of funding that are available to PLWH/A in MN. A lot of information will be presented in the future and if things are confusing just ask questions. MN is the only state that has one planning body for both Titles I and II and although decisions are made for both titles only Title I is required to follow the prioritization and allocations determined by the Council.

V. Staff Report

· Tim distributed the Committee Roster to Planning Council staff. Tim reminded members that they are more than welcome to attend any and all Planning Council committee meetings. If anyone feels their committee assignment is not a good fit please let Council staff know.

· RAAN is in the process of applying for a federal grant to help strengthen the network of rural MN providers for prevention and support services. Tim gave history on rural MN provider planning. The goal of the grant will be to develop a workplan and get everyone to the table so there is good representation among all regions and service areas. Redwan added the two components of the grant are prevention and to establish a network among rural MN service providers. MDH will also be involved in this process. The application is due on Thursday. Questions/Comments:

o Lee asked who the application is submitted to and how much it is for. The application is through HRSA and is a one year grant of $85,000.

o Jonathan said regardless if RAAN receives the grant or not there is a plan in the works to get more information from rural MN providers. Currently Hennepin County, DHS, and RAAN hold greater MN provider trainings aimed at both service providers and HIV/AIDS consumers.

o Andy asked if the Planning Council decides to sign a letter of participation what extra work will transpire for the Council. Roles and responsibilities will be negotiated if the grant is funded.

o Ephraim asked if it is possible to have more than one Planning Council per state. Title I is mandated that there be a Planning Council put in place by the Title I grantee. In MN this is Hennepin County because they have the largest cases of HIV/AIDS in the EMA. DHS serves as the grantee for Title II funds. Most states have a consortium for Title II. This could be a group of service providers, a group that makes recommendations to the grantee although they are not required to abide by the recommendations, or in some states, the Title II consortium has the same authority as Title I Planning Councils. When the EMA was established in MN in 1995, Title I and Title II decided to work together and have one Planning Council.

o Bob asked if the greater MN provider trainings are also for consumers to get information. Yes, but consumer information gathering hasn’t been implemented into the plan yet. Right now it is more about providing information to service providers. Once this is implemented into the plan more time will be spent on outreach and getting consumers involved. Francis said he would like to know what other services are available and would like this information provided.

o Ama asked what percent of the grant will be allocated to prevention and care. Redwan said this hasn’t been developed at this point. Right now they are focusing on bringing service providers together to network. The grant will not be used to provide any services to consumers.

· Reimbursement – If anyone is submitting reimbursement for mileage or wages it needs to be given to be Wendi by the Executive committee meeting (4^th Thursday of the month). This will help her get them to the person who pays reimbursement in a timely fashion.

VI. Title I Update, Jonathan Hanft, Hennepin County

A. Year 12 Application – The application was submitted on Wednesday September 27^th. Year 12 for Title I will begin March 1, 2007 and will end February 29, 2008. They are anticipating flat funding. Jonathan walked the Council through the way funding is calculated. The first half of funding is based on a formula of HIV/AIDS cases and the other half is a competitive grant. They hope to hear between January 1^st and March 1^st what the funding will be. Questions/Comments:

a. Andy asked Jonathan to talk about the competitive portion of the grant. The narrative portion of the grant will be posted on the website. The application includes co-morbidities, populations with special needs that encounter special needs to access to care (poverty, uninsured, HepC, STI, substance use, mental health, etc.). The six populations of special needs: white MSM, men of color who have sex with men, women of child bearing age, Black/African Americans, Black/African-Born Immigrants, and Latinos. Information is used from Needs Assessment, MDH, and other programs. The application is written by the Title I grantee staff.

b. Tim reminded Council members that if Title I receives more or less funding the Council will need to reallocate money accordingly.

B. Reauthorization – When the CARE Act was first passed in 1990, it was to be reauthorized every five years but was not reauthorized in 2005. It was not approved by the senate before they went on break. The future of reauthorization is unknown at this point.

a. Lee asked about reauthorization. Jonathan said 75% will need to go to primary care services (mental health, primary care, etc.). His understanding is that there is an opportunity for EMAs to apply for a waiver of this requirement if they can prove there is access to other services that can cover these services. MN has a good publicly funded insurance program and should be eligible for this waiver. Currently 19% of funds are allocated to primary care services.

C. Health Literacy trainings will begin in November and would be a great training opportunity for Council members. Andy said this is a great training. He said the relationship with a physician is the greatest resource for a person living with HIV disease. Jonathan distributed a copy of upcoming trainings entitled Hennepin County Ryan White Program Upcoming Training Dates October – December 2006.

VII. Title II and ADAP Update