Manatee citizens' voluntary health care board starts Tuesday

BRADENTON -- Manatee County's quest to adopt a permanent solution to pay for and deliver health care to its uninsured residents begins in earnest Tuesday as a citizen's health care advisory committee brainstorms for the first time.

The 10-member volunteer Health Care Advisory Board will eventually advise county commissioners. It kicks off at 4-6 p.m. Tuesday at the County Administrative Center, 1112 Manatee Ave. W. The meetings, which will be held at least eight times this year, are open to the public.

"What will happen on Tuesday is that they will be getting their structure put together and get their marching orders," said Andy Guyre, manager of the county's Human Services Division, which will assist board members. "The county attorney will explain the Florida Sunshine Law to them. They will review the documents that created the board and talk about how it will work. Citizens who come will have three minutes to state their opinions on the health care status in the county, and their views will be included in the minutes."

With the county indigent fund rapidly depleting and no new revenue stream in place, commissioners agreed in December to treat indigent patients through Sept. 30 by taking cash from county reserves.

But commissioners also hope a revenue stream can be created for the future.

That's where this board comes into play, said one of the 10 board members, Philip Brown, president of the United Way of Manatee County.

"It's my aspiration, if not my belief, that there will be a diversity of lenses brought to the issue of how we finance and deliver care to the uninsured in Manatee County," Brown said. "We will also be able to tap into the consulting firm to be hired by the county and build on their knowledge."

Brown was referring to Health Management Associates Inc. of Lansing, Mich., which is in negotiation with the county to receive a one-time fee for indigent health care consulting.

To give the board time to brainstorm, commissioners approved a contract with Manatee Health Care System, which operates Manatee Memorial Hospital, for $3.525 million to provide indigent care. The contract represented a $1.2 million cut to Manatee Memorial.

Commissioners also agreed to an indigent contract for Blake Medical Center of $500,000, down from $670,000.

The hospitals' most recent contracts had expired Sept. 30, 2015.

"Frankly, the Manatee County Healthcare Advisory Board in itself is an attempt to mobilize our community around civic engagement," Brown said. "All of us on the board are residents or workers in Manatee County. I think civic engagement is a vital part of a community's overall health."

Eventually, the board will hold workshops with commissioners to discuss their ideas, Guyre said.

Members of the healthcare advisory board, who were appointed to terms expiring in September 2016, include:

Brown, social services representative;

Thomas Skolada, substance abuse representative;

Lori Dengler and Ernest (Sandy) Marshall, representatives from any discipline.

The appointments to terms expiring in September 2017:

Henry Raines, representative from any discipline;

Kirk Zeppi , behavioral health representative;

Dominique Kohlenberger, health care representative.

The appointments to terms expiring in September 2018:

Ray Fusco, health care representative;

Stephen Hall, business representative;

Beverly Hindenlang, higher education representative.

Richard Dymond, Herald health and social services reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.

This story was originally published January 4, 2016 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Manatee citizens' voluntary health care board starts Tuesday ."