Meeting Minutes Details
Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative
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Richard Bendall Jr., M.D. Monelison Family Physician
Robert Boyd disAbility Resource Center
Philip Brown Charlottesville Police Department
Doug Harris State Health Commissioner’s Designee
Gregory Helm, M.D., Ph.D. University of Virginia
Jim Rothrock Commissioner, Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services
(ex-officio)
Patricia Tiernan, R.N. Tree of Life
Staff
Kristie Chamberlain Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, Staff for CNI
Eleanor Williams Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, Fiscal Analyst
Patti Goodall Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services
Guests
Janet Hill Contractor/Evaluator
Michael Martelli, Ph.D. HIGH Hopes
Macon Sizemore Independence House
The Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative (CNI) Advisory Board met for a regular quarterly business meeting at the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, 8004 Franklin Farms Drive, First Floor Conference Room-101-103 in Richmond, Virginia. Patricia Tiernan, R.N., Chair convened the meeting at 10:08 a.m.
Public Comment Period
A public comment period was held. No public comments were offered.
Approval of September 17, 2004 Minutes
Rob Boyd made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 17, 2004 meeting; Philip Brown seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
New Business/Announcements
James Rothrock, CNI Advisory Board Member and Commissioner of the Department of Rehabilitative Services, wanted it noted in the minutes that he is hereby serving on the CNI Advisory Board as an ex-officio member.
Announcement
Commissioner Rothrock gave out pins to Dr. Helm and Dr. Bendall from the Governor for the Put Virginia First campaign. The pins have been given to all Governor Appointed Advisory Board members at the Department of Rehabilitative Services.
Commissioner Rothrock provided a brief update on the general assembly. Of possible specific interest to CNI is that Senator Russ Potts, from the Winchester area has put in a bill to create a fund to support Stem Cell Research.
SB 1194, “SB 1194 Christopher Reeve Stem Cell Research Fund; created. Establishes a special nonreverting, revolving and permanent fund for the support of stem cell research in honor of Christopher Reeve. The Fund will be used to support medical and biomedical stem cell research conducted in Virginia institutions of higher education relating to the causes and cures of disease, including, but not limited to, paralysis caused by spinal cord injury, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders, such as Lou Gehrig's disease. The Fund will consist of appropriations, gifts, grants, and donations from public or private sources, will be administered by the Commonwealth Health Research Board (an existing board with appropriate expertise), will not require matching funds from the institutions, and may be used to support stem cell research that is not eligible for federal research funds through the National Institutes of Health. A second enactment clause calls for a general fund appropriation of $1,000,000, to be deposited to the Fund in fiscal year 2006.
Patti Goodall provided the Board with an update on the awarded BIS funding, $750,000 in FY’05 and $1,000,000 in FY’06 and fiscal years thereafter. The allocation of dollars to specific organizations was determined by Legislative Services. The Department of Rehabilitative Services is administering the funds. The funds will provide specialized brain injury services such as case management, day programs, clubhouses, regional resource centers, work adjustment and transitional employment programs, transportation, and development of additional service providers for individuals with brain injury in Virginia.
Ms. Goodall also explained the new Brain Injury Waiver bill allowing people to apply for Medicaid coverage to allow them to receive money to live independently in the community (housing etc.), employment etc. Along with that bill is a brain injury waiver licensing bill to define who will determine licensing of brain injury waiver service providers.
HB 2826 and SB 1237- Brain Injury Waiver; licensing authority. Authorizes the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services (DMHMRSAS) to license providers of services under the Medicaid Brain Injury Waiver and providers of residential services for persons with brain injury. The bill defines "brain injury" for waiver purposes and requires the Department of Rehabilitative Services to collaborate with DMHMRSAS in activities related to the licensing of Brain Injury Waiver service providers. The bill requires the State Board of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to promulgate necessary regulations within 280 days of enactment. .
The Institute of Medicine is currently developing a report on the current state of spinal cord injury and state, federal, and philanthropic funding mechanisms. The sponsor of the study, New York State, has asked that we review these areas of research. One of the things that the committee (who writes the report) has asked is for the NIH to review what states are doing in terms of funding spinal cord injury research (example: New York State started up their research program in 2000). The National Institute of Health contacted the CNI Trust Fund to participate in the study by asking the Trust Fund to confirm the way the Trust Fund is set up to award grants, the number of Research grantees funded and the number of dollars dedicated to research grants since its inception. The information collected by the NIH will be compiled and released in book form in March 2005. This was provided as information only to the board. No action is required.
MISC. Business
At the request of Dr. Bendall, Patti Goodall, Director of Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury Services will see that the Board receives the state’s action plan for working with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for Board members to review.
The next meeting of the CNI Advisory Board will be scheduled for mid- March 2005. Staff will send out an announcement when the meeting date is confirmed.
Old Business
Community Grants Colloquium Evaluation Review
Evaluations and verbal feedback showed that the Community Grants Colloquium held in November 2004 was a very successful event and the grantees networked as a result of meeting with each other. One of the comments in the evaluation was a suggestion for the creation of a CNI grantee Quarterly newsletter. Discussion ensued and it was suggested that CNI look at highlighting different grantees each month on the CNI web site. Kristie Chamberlain will look into ways to highlight grantees using the CNI web site each month.
Patricia Tiernan adjourned the meeting at 12:55 p.m.
