BEBA Board Meeting Minutes, June 18, 2001

Phone meeting. BEBA board members at phone meeting: Michael Brightwood, Raymond Castellino, Dorothy Adler. Marla Van Stein had prior commitment. Christie Barrack not able to come, gave Sandra her opinions about decisions before the board meeting to share with others. Sandra Castellino, Administrative Director also on the phone call.

 

All decisions are highlighted in bold. The rest is reports and discussions.

v    Review of Minutes from 3/2/01. Accepted.

v    Discussion on grants and fundraising

Ø    Michael's comment: need face time, call up and say I'm coming over 5-10 minutes.

Ø    Dorothy met a fundraiser for Lincoln Center and Sloan Kettering, find someone who knows someone. Active with Fund for Santa Barbara.

Ø    Michael brought up Julianne, Ray's sister getting Kellogg Foundation grant, look at proposal letter. Ray mentioned Wendy McCarty applied to Pzetzer Foundation for grant. Dorothy says they fund in-house. Do a lot of funding for IONS, $3,000,000.

Ø    Michael thinks highlight research when going for grants.

Ø    Michael, how to make this transferable in short amount of time. Replicable. Ray spoke about CALM presentation.

 

v    Families' Payments

Ø    Michael asked about taking MediCal. Ray is not a chiropractor. Need a primary care doctor. Would be in business of evaluating and diagnosing, takes out of research. Ray got out of chiropractic to get out of paperwork.

Ø     

v    Financial Report

Ø    Budget Review – see year to date budget, income and expenses

Ø    Sandra submitted revised budget submitted to Karuna, slightly different than approved at last meeting, asked for ok of this budget. Revised budget approved. Sandra went over changes. Discussion about donations, where to get them.

 

v    Family Payment Structure The current situation: Ray strongly wants BEBA to be seeing more families prenatally and newborns, infants, toddlers. Families are all stretching to pay.

Ø    Lower each family to one notch below what currently paying. See revised chart. Lower the lowest amount paid [see chart] to 7.50/session

Ø    Welfare moms with no other income: keep free or charge $20/month or something.

§       This still may be high for low-income families. Anything under $15/session is probably not worth the expense of bookkeeping. Or we can raise the zero amount. Value of charging something so people feel is an exchange.

Ø    Different Price for families with younger children.

§       Incentive Program to reach new families. If people know it is less expensive to start earlier, it may encourage some of them to come to BEBA earlier rather than later. Suggestion:

¨     Different price for Prenatal-infant to two years if start before age one; another higher price for those starting between one and two. Anyone starting after 2 or who reaches age 2 pays the price on the revised sheet.

¨     Under 2 starting after age 1, pay 2/3 of cost of sheet. Under 2 starting before 1 year, 1/2 cost on the sheet.

¨     Exceptions in payment rate at discretion of Clinical Director, eg twins. Ray can charge less to see families he wants due to unusual circumstances.

Ø    ALL ABOVE PAY STRUCTURES APPROVED

 

v    Any difference in charge for Jean and Nancy vs Ray?

Ø    Costs BEBA more to see them. However, in real world they never charge over $80/visit. No one paying full amount has ever asked to work with them – could do for less outside BEBA. Ray can only do so much. Different price would provide opportunity for families to work with BEBA who couldn't otherwise. Needs discussion.

Ø    If did this, suggest 2/3-3/4 cost would pay to see Ray.

Ø    Families seeing Ray and Jean or Ray and Nancy would pay less when Ray is not present.

Ø    I asked Nancy and Jean about this. Nancy fine with it, thinks that is the way families see the value – more for Ray. Jean doesn't want higher price for Ray, less for her or Nancy. Brought up Nancy and Jean teaming together.

Ø    Board didn't want to make a decision regarding different pay for Ray and other staff without more discussion since Jean didn't want to charge differently for her work and Ray's.

 

v    Staff payments: Jean, Nancy, Sandra

Ø    Request from Jean for higher pay, wants to make $45/session instead of $30. Right now seeing only one family with Ray and finishing one family with Nancy. Nancy is fine with whatever we pay, doesn't want to work more than one morning a week because she's starting SBGI next fall.

Ø    If and when clinical staff paid more, Sandra would like pay of $20/hour Sandra's pay is averaging $18/hour. She's paid $15 for scheduling, $20 administration $25 bookkeeping.

Ø    Jean and Nancy both want to work with another person. When they work together, BEBA currently paying $60 ($30 each). Ray likes working with another person for some families. When he is away, they can take over, have more responsibility. Possibly pay Nancy and Jean more when managing session alone. Eg $35 or $40 or $45 if one of them seeing families alone. $30 when working together or with Ray. This would encourage them to work independently.

Ø    Board didn't want to raise pay when money is not there.

 

v    Mission Statement and Name – asking for suggestions NO DECISIONS MADE

Ø    Current mission statement, approved last meeting: BEBA's mission is to support families to resolve prenatal, birth and other early trauma while promoting healthy growth and family relationships."

Ø    Current name, approved last meeting: BEBA (Building and Enhancing Bonding and Attachment): A Center for Family Healing

Ø    Need for something about "Research"

Ø    Does this say what we do?

Ø    Sandra waiting to report to IRS until clearly solid name & mission.

 

v    Board Members

Ø    Dorothy suggested to Julia Swanson, SB attorney who specializes in non-profits that she consider being on BEBA's board. Sandra just sent her information. Board approved adding her if she is interested.

Ø    Ray and Sandra may have others want to suggest. Ask board members to be able to approve someone by individual phone contact between board meetings until we have five active board members other than Ray. Board approved checking by phone.

 

v    Board meetings

Ø    Suggestion for next meetings: Aug 20 (Michael available in person). This date set for sure, 7 pm.

Ø    Next dates: Monday, Sept 24, or October 1, Monday, Nov 26. Castellinos out of town Oct 11 or 12 until Nov 20. Sandra back a week before that.