DHFAC Meeting Minutes
September 22, 2002
In Attendance:
- Vince Meconi, Chair
- Patti Blevins
- Anthony Alfieri
- Charles Reinhardt
- Deborah Hudson
- Joseph Lieberman
- Bethany Hall-Long
Secretary Meconi convened the meeting and welcomed committee members and guests.
A timeline was proposed for the Committee's work. Similar to last year, the Committee would meet three times, including the Sept. 22nd meeting, and hold one public forum. The Committee's work will be completed by the end of November. Members in attendance agreed to the timeline and format.
Mary Kate McLaughlin distributed a form with proposed meeting dates to the Committee in order to schedule out the remaining meetings and the public forum.
Budget Update
Mary Kate McLaughlin provided an update on payments from the Master Settlement Agreement. She indicated that payments were coming in at or above the projections. FY02 payments came in at $29.8M, slightly above what the committee had planned for. Additional dollars went into the strategic reserve.
The projected payment for FY04 is $29.8M. This is the base amount upon which the committee should base its recommendations. Strategic reserve balances will be provided at the next meeting in order to ensure that the balance has been adjusted to reflect all FY02 reversions.
Update on HFAC Programs
Public Access Defibrillation
Diane Hainsworth reported on the AED program, which in fy03 is in its third year of a three-year program. Ms. Hainsworth stated that the program was able to purchase 145 defibrillators in FY02, five more than originally projected. This was as a result of savings from bulk purchasing. 94 units were placed in High Schools.
The program is requesting that the committee consider extending an additional year of funding in FY04 so that training and related activities can continue, and so that additional units can be purchased and distributed to police and fire police, as well as in areas of public assembly.
The Committee had general questions about the machines, such as what the lifespan was (10-12 years), and other questions about their functioning and upkeep.
Uninsured Action Plan/Diabetes
Paula Roy reported on the activities of the Community Health Access Program (CHAP). Ms. Roy stated that the Health Care Commission had obtained two federal grants to help fund state planning projects. She also reported on the status of the Chronic Disease Diabetes Project.
Committee members asked general questions about insurance issues, such as whether or not the state itself contributed to the insurance problem with its use of casual/seasonal workers, and whether large companies use creative methods such as employing people "near full-time" to avoid providing coverage.
The Committee asked Ms. Roy to bring a budget breakdown showing the FY03 breakdown of federal and tobacco funds in CHAP & FY04 budget request.
Department of Public Safety
John Giles reported and provided a handout on the activities of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Tobacco Enforcement(DABCTE).
Mr. Giles also presented a letter from Secretary Ford requesting that the Committee approve a $36,000 transfer of tobacco funds within DPS's budget. The money had originally been allocated to the State Police, however, it is needed within DABCTE for the development of a website and database program for tobacco enforcement activities. The committee voted to approve the transfer.
Mr. Giles also provided the Department's FY04 funding request, which remains level with its FY03 allocation. The Committee asked Mr. Giles to provide the "Employee Equipment" Costs referenced in the budget request.
Substance Abuse Transitional Housing/Heroin Residential Program
Jack Kemp from the Division of Substance Abuse & Mental Health reported on the Transitional Housing program. While the Division encountered difficulty securing a site for the house, Connections has succeeded and the program began operation in August. The house is located on Jefferson Street in Wilmington.
Mr. Kemp also reported that the Heroin Residential program has received additional federal funds (Substance Abuse Block Grant) in the amount of $150,000. The deadline for bids for the contract is the end of September. It is not anticipated that there will be a problem finding providers to bid on the contract.
Department of Education
John Ray reported on the activities of the Department of Education, including the execution of mini-grants in 7 school districts, used to train teachers on methods of preventing the use of tobacco among students. The funds are also used for the School Health Leadership Institute.
Representative Hudson requested a copy of the RFP's for the mini-grants. The Committee also requested a budget breakdown and request for FY04.
Delaware Prescription Assistance Program
Cindy Denemark reported on the Delaware Prescription Assistance Program(DPAP). She provided the most recent DPAP semi-annual report, which provides current numbers and other information on the program.
Committee members had several general questions about the program, including whether the committee would want to look into the possibility of merging/working with the Nemours program. Ms. Denemark mentioned that there are tradeoffs to consider between the two programs, i.e., the Nemours program offers coverage for non-pharmaceutical items.
Other comments from the committee included whether staff are looking into other eligibility categories for recipients (i.e., VA eligibles), and the consideration of establishing a preferred drug list under DPAP. Ms. Denemark offered that the committee would want to weigh the advantages of this, as such measures could increase administrative costs. She also mentioned that the program did establish a mandatory generic policy as of April 1, 2002, which requires that medical necessity be present for non-generic drugs.
Public Comment
No comments from the attending public were offered.
