Minutes of the
CONSUMERS COMMITTEE
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Zoom Meeting
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
MINUTES
Committee Members Present: Marcelo Maia Soares (Co-chair), John Schoepp (Co-chair), Raffi Babakhanian (Consumer-at-Large), Asia Betancourt, Paul Carr, Billy Fields, Lawrence Francis, Yves Gebhardt, John Goldenbridge, David Klotz, Charmaine Graham, Rob Walker
Staff Present: Michael Navejas, Doienne Saab, Abraham Omeyoma
Guest Present:
Agenda Item 1: Welcome/ / Moment of Silence/Minutes
John S. opened the meeting with small conversation while the rules of respectful engagement were displayed throughout the opening of the meeting. A moment of silence was followed by roll call.
With no meeting held in the month of April, minutes of the March 18, 2025 meeting were approved with no changes.
Agenda Item 2: Table Distribution updates
Members planning to collect their iPad at the meeting must notify Daniel by June 10, 2025. He can be reached by phone at (646) 946-6718 or via email at dbickram@health.nyc.gov.
Agenda Item 3: CAB Town Hall Survey Responses
Michael initiated the discussion by sharing results from the post-Town Hall evaluation survey. Although the event drew over 70 participants, only 25 valid email addresses were collected, and just 13 respondents completed the survey.
Survey feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees highlighting the opening presentation, panel discussions, and breakout sessions as key strengths.
Committee members recommended that, for future events, evaluation surveys be designed in advance and distributed immediately following the event to improve response rates and collect timely feedback.
Agenda Item 4: CAB Town Hall Written Report
Michael reviewed the CAB Town Hall Report with Committee members, focusing on the Executive Summary, Lessons Learned, Post-Evaluation Survey, and Next Steps sections.
Discussion centered around potential revisions to the Executive Summary, including suggestions to edit, remove, or summarize it more concisely. The Committee ultimately agreed to include a bullet-point summary preceding the Executive Summary to enhance clarity and accessibility.
Other sections of the report were well received, and members expressed interest in continuing to engage with the outlined Next Steps.
Agenda Item 5: 2025 RWHAP Part A Provider Meeting
Committee members were informed that Gina Gambone, Director of Quality Management, invited the Consumers Committee to lead a workshop at the July 29, 2025 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part A Provider Meeting.
The proposed workshop would build on the model used at the 2024 provider meeting, with a focus on increasing provider engagement with Community Advisory Boards (CABs). The goal is to position CABs as a vital mechanism for obtaining meaningful consumer feedback to inform quality improvement efforts.
The session would begin with a presentation featuring background information on the Planning Council, findings from the 2024 Recipient Survey, and key takeaways from the April 15 CAB Town Hall. The workshop will be structured around the five “Lessons Learned”:
• Empowerment & Consumer Leadership
• Communication & Accountability
• Resourcing & Compensation
• Training & Capacity Building
• Collaboration & Networking
These lessons will guide breakout sessions in which providers will develop actionable strategies. The workshop will conclude with group discussions to share outcomes and identify next steps.
Agenda Item 6: Public Comment
The next meeting of the Consumers Committee will be a hybrid meeting from 1 to 3 pm on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 and will be held at Cicatelli, located on 505 8th Ave Ste 1900, NY, NY 10018
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
