By Zoom
3:00 – 4:00m
Members Present: David Klotz (Governmental Co-chair), David Martin (Community Co-chair), Billy Fields (Finance Officer), Paul Carr, LaShonda Cyrus, Joan Edwards, Rasheed Ford, Ronnie Fortunato, Steve Hemraj, Freddy Molano MD, Julian Palmer, Scott Spiegler (for Guadalupe Dominguez Plummer, ex-officio), Marcelo Maia Soares, Brook Montes, John Schoepp
Members Absent: Raffi Babakhanian, Marya Gilborn, Emma Kaywin
Other Planning Council Member Present: John Goldenbridge
Staff Present: NYC DOHMH: Michael Navejas, Doienne Saab, Johanna Acosta; Public Health Solutions: Barbara Silver, Gemma Barclay, Arya Shahi; HRSA: Axel Reyes
Agenda Item #1: Welcome/Introductions/Minutes/Public Comment
Mr. Martin and Mr. Klotz opened the meeting followed by introductions and a moment of silence. The minutes from the March 20, 2025 meeting were approved with no changes.
Agenda Item #2: GY 2025 Reprogramming Plan
Mr. Reyes reported that EMAs will receive another partial award for GY 2025. The full award was expected in early April, and the full award is still anticipated at some point, but HRSA decided to provide another partial award to prevent gaps in services. An official communication will go out next week with details, including the amount.
Agenda Item #3: GY 2025 Reprogramming Plan
Mr. Carr presentedthe GY 2025 reprogramming plan, which maximized the expenditure of grant funds that become uncommitted during the course of the year. The Council gives the Recipient the latitude to shift funds between service categories in order to enhance overperforming contracts. No service category will be enhanced by more than 20% of its original allocation in the spending plan without Council approval. ADAP will be included as a category for enhancement after all other service categories have been considered, but will not be subject to the 20% cap. All enhancements are one-time, meaning that they are just for the current grant year and do not change the original service category allocations or contract amounts.
Mr. Carr moved, on behalf of the PSRA Committee, to approve the GY 2025 reprogramming plan as presented. The motion was adopted 15Y-0N.
Agenda Item #4: Revised Service Standards
Ms. Saab and Ms. Acosta presented an overview of HRSA-required service standards. Service standards outline minimal elements and expectations a RWPA service provider follows when implementing a specific service category, including service models and performance measures. They are a shared responsibility of recipients and planning councils, where recipients draft or revise Service Standards, then reviews and approves them with the council. They should be revised when needed (e.g., after a new service directive is approved and an RFP process completed). Elements included in the standards are: 1) service category definition, 2) service components, 3) staff qualifications, 4) intake and eligibility, 5) transition and discharge, and 6) case closure protocol. Standards are used by recipients to ensure services are provided to clients consistently across funded service providers, and to establish the consistent framework of service provision from which processes and outcomes are measured for quality management. Language for service standards comes from pre-existing sources: 1) Ryan White legislation and HRSA guidance, 2) Planning Council service category directives, 3) DOHMH HIV Care & Treatment Program/PHS requests for proposals (RFPs). There is no new language in the service standards and they are meant to fulfill a HRSA requirement. Revised standard are needed for the following service categories that have had recent revised Council directives and completed RFPs: Behavioral Health (Mental Health, Harm Reduction, Supportive Counseling), Housing and Ambulatory Outpatient Care (HIV & Aging).
Mr. Klotz reviewed the text of the six service standards, noting that some is boilerplate language used for all service categories (e.g., case closure, grievance procedures). A sample standard (Housing) was reviewed in depth showing individualized goals (from the Council’s directives), program enrollment criteria (from the Council’s directives), service types (from the Council’s directives with details from RFPs), and staffing plans (from RFPs). Language regarding discharge/case closure and grievance procedures are taken from HRSA guidance and are the same for all categories.
Ms. Fortunato moved, on behalf of the IOC Committee, to approve the service standards as presented. The motion was adopted 15Y-0N.
Agenda Item #5: Other Business
Mr. Klotz reviewed the agenda for the April 24th Council meeting, which will include a presentation of the 2025 Quality Management plan.
Also, a report from the Consumers Committee’s Client Advisory Board Town Hall is being prepared. The event was a success with about 70 attendees.
There being no further comment, the meeting was adjourned.
