DHFAC Meeting Minutes
December 14, 1999
Attending:
- Joseph DiPinto
- Charles Simpson
- Charles Reinhardt
- Dennis Rochford
- Thomas Grabowski
- Deborah Capano
- Gregg Sylvester
- Joseph Lieberman
- David McBride
- Calvin Wilson
- Vivian Longo
Absent:
- Patricia Blevins
Welcome and Introductions
Gregg Sylvester welcomed all to the meeting; HFAC members and the public introduced themselves.
Review and Approval of Minutes and Agenda
The minutes from the November 14 meeting were approved.
Next Meeting
HFAC's meeting is scheduled for December 28, 1999, at the Carvel State Office building, State Personnel training room.
Tobacco Updates
Gregg Sylvester announced that the first allotment from the tobacco settlement is scheduled to be received today (12/14/99). The next payment could be as soon as April or May.
The receipt of the money means the implementation of the "Pill Bill," may begin on January 14, 2000. Applications for assistance may be filled out immediately. In preparation for this event, additional personnel are on staff to assist clients. A media kick off is also set to begin as soon as the payment is received.
Old Business
Public hearing Update: Stephanie McClellan reported that 110 persons testified during the public hearings. Additional written comments have been submitted. Ms. McClellan has provided summaries of the hearings to Committee members; written comments will be compiled and sent to each Committee member.
Fund Management Workshop: 6 members attended the workshop November 22nd, in Delaware City. Copies of the presentations were mailed to members of the Committee. Senator McBride noted that the workshop was very informative, and will assist the members in decided what to do with the additional funds after hearing proposals from the public.
Mr. Grabowski expressed concern that some of the funds may need to be invested to offset decline in the amount received due to a decreased smoking rate. Representative DiPinto noted that an investment strategy should be high on the Committee's list of priorities. Further noting that the Committee does not have the expertise to design investment recommendations, Rep. DiPinto suggested that the committee should take advantage of the expertise in the state that is available to assist in investment decisions. It was decided that Sec. Sylvester and Rep. Capano would identify persons to form a work group that would provide scenarios and recommendations regarding the structure and management of the Delaware Health Fund.
New Business
Discussing funding needs and ideas generated during the public hearings, the Committee identified four categories: prevention/education, uninsured, services, and infrastructure. Within prevention and education, the Committee noted the focus on youth prevention of risky behaviors, especially tobacco use, but also including substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and lifestyle issues. Regarding tobacco use, the Committee noted that prevention efforts should be research based and should build upon those that have been proven to work, such as the programs in California, Massachusetts, and Florida and the CDC's Nine Best Practices. More information regarding these programs will be provided to the Committee. Rep. DiPinto also noted the need to focus on disease prevention, amongst both youth and adults.
Regarding the uninsured, Dennis Rochford stated that while the public comments pointed to this problem, the Delaware Health Care Commission should be tapped to provide clarification of the problem and program and policy recommendations.
Within the category of "services," the following needs were identified: school-based services for youth, support services for people with cancer, disease treatment, community-based services to the elderly and to people with disabilities, smoking cessation services (especially for youth), pre-natal and child care services, mental health and substance abuse services, and the need for automatic external defibrillators to treat sudden cardiac arrest.
Finally, within the category of "infrastructure," the needs for improvements in health care facilities and professions were noted, as was the need for telecommunications infrastructure within the healthcare system.
In addition to this discussion, the Delaware Health Care Commission presented a progress report to the Committee (attached) and made the following recommendations to the Committee: invest a portion to maximize resources for the future; develop a strategic plan to guide decision-making; and focus on prevention and the delivery of needed health care services.
In response to the Commission's report and recommendations and the Committee's discussion, the following decisions were made: to seek advice from state public and private fiscal resource management experts regarding fund management; and to seek more information regarding prevention/education, the uninsured and AED's as a onetime cost. The Committee requested that Tobacco Free Delaware, along with the Division of Public Health and the Department of Education present information on prevention, focusing on youth and tobacco. In addition, the Committee requested that the Delaware Health Care Commission present additional information on issues related to the uninsured in Delaware. The Division of Public Health was also asked to present additional information on the costs of AED's and on the costs associated with training and education for their use.
Finally, the Committee discussed the need to develop a process to request and receive proposals and presentations from the public. It was suggested by Rep. Capano that until such a process is developed, the Committee should not hear public presentations.
Public Comments
Leonard Young, representing Stand for Children, asked if the committee is still considering getting the funds in one lump sum to be invested and to ensure that the state gets as much as possible of the projected funds. He also asked why taxpayers are not given an option to vote to raise taxes to pay for health insurance. He also recommended a weighted system for sorting the comments.
Phil Pollner, a Newark physician, recommended that the committee look into a bill that Massachusetts has before it's governing body on startup funds for uninsured.
Zachariah Lingham, Health Promotion Coordinator for the City of Wilmington, encouraged the Committee to focus on services to the uninsured, as well as increasing the number of insured persons in Delaware. Moreover, he reminded the Committee that the three community health centers in the City of Wilmington are underfunded and encouraged the Committee to, when considering services to the uninsured, fund these centers.
Lolita Lopez, Westside Health, lent her support to Mr. Lingham's comments, stating that issues related to the uninsured are broader than insuring more Delawareans. Access to primary care and preventive services for the uninsured are important to consider when addressing this issue.
Next Meeting:
December 28, 1999
Carvel State Office Building
State Personnel training room
Noon - 2pm
