[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6665639,"mediaKeyId","2346857-de0fea1e3df0c4e3f18d5ddfe98acca8","parentId",2346857,"title","HHC leaders report progress on public-health lab, EMS programs, TB and influenza response","audioSeconds",528,"startMs",732000,"endMs",1260000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346857-de0fea1e3df0c4e3f18d5ddfe98acca8&start=732&end=1260","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346857-de0fea1e3df0c4e3f18d5ddfe98acca8/thumbnail_732000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6665639/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/HHC-leaders-report-progress-on-public-health-lab-EMS-programs-TB-and-influenza-response","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6665639-b0a3d9e8c642569b553717de39e0f773/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194406&Signature=U3Fwwf6NX58ZdqGULmwYJFmnImCykmcG65yUTg8bt~xqsvsYC8RgSYmcUpo6nNFlU4XCqLMaNuFWxjvotmDvpyoFJb1zCqT0-fi5R8Y6mb-Ghs3yZHtu0mgdoPvdRnAKrDDOgeO3U7t2oJQl-CrjinI-vZHemjR1OVmU9LP7z8hlh6mCZPQVx8CHaukgQiI3kmIpP1Il87Uy46US9Pp5Rv9XgPgQfKOIVwCG-JZGnuimTv~5CCXlW87XnIo1pXgZUELGcsNAo7naJtIGyjD0e2w7sNR~g~IY~t~LSSJMAFmVZcP0kQM2MbtJv9OxfyTN9usK8KYPjOe2s8IuG5FAyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Indianapolis, IN","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Health and Hospital Corporation trustees received a series of operational reports on Feb. 18 covering construction projects, public-health trends, emergency medical services operations, long-term-care activity and foundation board changes.

Paul Babcock, president and CEO of HHC, said the public-health laboratory on 30th Street is underway with foundation work started and a targeted mid-September 2026 completion. He said construction on a new Indianapolis EMS headquarters is expected to begin spring 2025 with a hoped-for completion in November 2026. Babcock said HHC is monitoring federal and state legislative and regulatory developments that could affect funding for HHC divisions.

Dr. Virginia King, director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department, announced the WIC clinic on 30th Street will relocate to a new address and is anticipated to open in June. She reported public-health staff are tracking 1,672 patients with latent tuberculosis infection; she said that represented a 15% increase from 2023 and a 63% increase since 2022. The department also saw 1,523 refugees in 2024 for initial visits from more than 50 countries, and completed 989 physician visits and 414 civil-surgery clinic encounters for that population.

King warned the county is experiencing very high influenza activity and elevated respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and another viral respiratory illness. She said emergency departments are seeing a disproportionate share of visits for flu-like illness, particularly among children: 5-to-17-year-olds and 0-to-4-year-olds showed the highest emergency-department visit percentages. King noted Marion County public-health programs provided nearly 30,000 immunizations at district and community sites in 2024 and completed more than 9,000 home visits by public-health nurses and community-health workers.

Dr. Dan O'Donnell, chief of Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services, said the service has handled 16,899 incidents year to date, a 13% increase. He told trustees the agency has launched a formal mental-health co-response with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department designed to coordinate response plans on-scene. O'Donnell said Indianapolis EMS will switch to ANSI-compliant high-visibility yellow uniforms for provider safety and is building a special-events team of part-time paramedics and EMTs to cover large events without straining 911 operations. He also said the agency is in discussions to deploy a nurse-navigation line (Crosswalk Health) to divert lower-acuity calls to non-transport care options.

Julie White, vice president of long-term care, reported January occupancy at 77% with an average daily census of 6,018 residents, up from 75% in January 2024. She said approved 2025 capital facility projects total $19 million with scopes and bids underway and that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance revisions affecting nursing-home admissions, restraints, psychotropic medications, staffing reporting and quality improvement were delayed from February to March.

Dr. Harris (Eskenazi Health) summarized system priorities around primary care, mental health integration and trust-building with historically underserved populations, and the Eskenazi Health Foundation reported several incoming and outgoing board members and officers as the foundation completes board turnover.

Why it matters: The operational updates outline service demand pressures — especially respiratory viruses and TB screening/treatment needs — and infrastructure investments intended to support long-term service delivery and emergency preparedness across the HHC system.

Trustees were not asked to take further formal action on these reports at the meeting; several asked follow-up questions and staff said they would provide additional details through committee briefings and future board materials.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council of Indianapolis, IN - Health & Hospital Corporation Board - Feb 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","HHC and partner agencies updated trustees on construction timelines for a public-health lab and EMS headquarters, rising latent TB and influenza activity in Marion County, a new WIC clinic site, Eskenazi Health priorities and long-term-care capital projects.","taxTitle","Indianapolis City, Marion County, Indiana","taxId",3627,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6665642,"HHC trustees unanimously approve consent agenda including Jan. 13 minutes and medical-staff policy",80,44000,124000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346857-de0fea1e3df0c4e3f18d5ddfe98acca8&start=44&end=124","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346857-de0fea1e3df0c4e3f18d5ddfe98acca8/thumbnail_44000.jpg","/articles/6665642/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/HHC-trustees-unanimously-approve-consent-agenda-including-Jan-13-minutes-and-medical-staff-policy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6665642-b357289f01309cb1532f0169123816d8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194406&Signature=ON-oMULCvUjNrxNxDeBCvl8cD36dpQEwQuErO-ugXAycgUgNKUV7RGtKy1ySVJ-aEqSZXKSZAjnfeWxS0tpTeOqhdqEX39CoQmpgVOvjuw5-nkVgmgiVqcdBN3kGPusNFy1gm3N-eUl~xr5s82CbI789DFH33yXPoYGWVW-vTmVgKu7ThuQwUqJRDNyc1ZTBsJBOf4Wyiw-y7FQhWMV~EB0yXvEB5d2583eOpdkrcOrU8vnzqXAFaTtt2AOqYlZgyUZzEw0oI0dNA8PLBv3H1HGmbBe5Qpcw2yKA1E0GvHem0Z5UbUtS3wUnocBha0YQ5u1QqveWHm9RGowuY4tiiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Health and Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees unanimously approved the consent agenda at its Feb. 18 meeting. The consent package included the board minutes from the Jan. 13, 2025 meeting; the acting treasurer/CFO report on January 2025 cash disbursements; appointments, reappointments and changes to privileges discussed in the Eskenazi Health committee meeting; and Medical Staff Policy 700-141, which the committee reviewed.

A trustee moved the motion; a second was recorded. The board chair conducted a roll-call vote; trustees present voted yes and the motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: Routine consent-agenda approvals allow HHC to finalize minutes, financial reports and personnel privileges established in committee and move regular business forward.

No further action was taken on the items beyond approval; any substantive details on appointments, reappointments or policy changes were discussed in earlier committee meetings and not debated at length on the full-board floor.","The Health and Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included board minutes from Jan. 13, 2025, cash-disbursement reports and a medical-staff policy update.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6665644,"HHC trustees approve contract negotiations to reestablish internal audit function, chair recuses",585,125000,710000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346857-de0fea1e3df0c4e3f18d5ddfe98acca8&start=125&end=710","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346857-de0fea1e3df0c4e3f18d5ddfe98acca8/thumbnail_125000.jpg","/articles/6665644/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/HHC-trustees-approve-contract-negotiations-to-reestablish-internal-audit-function-chair-recuses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6665644-4da5330f75aa8fead399f71abc72417a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194406&Signature=ge0NwPffsrj6JEqIomdzIkW69wx0mcqDVX~pRL273hiAVWZivaXtet~c9ghYbHTvwMa7t-xNbJyv03Ls4FehjbWAjDISRx4OonWj2NmDJtAMMRH-euDzj8p59mbgcDf7CwOsvkT8CgQWdUvw66AEdJd1SUeQXKcR2UPlFt3rsHEwV6ZDXF~xcvT9y4JBagOg44OnLyXWSXYiIcIxNyect8B~EoVFX5SsB9D8iA9EvaG4jN~0pXHbICC6SFTd8CmTgt9-X41b38QMpkx6dTmJSIGCtqupNKuzZLjnWV6UaNfTkqiQ245hrqPVVIWcITqTOxOv26QDKBGnqv5nlQFvqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Health and Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees on Feb. 18 authorized staff to negotiate a contract with the top-ranked respondent to a request-for-proposal for internal-audit services, approving an estimated budget of up to $1,330,000 for a two-year engagement.

The vote followed a presentation from interim CFO and assistant treasurer James Simpson, who summarized the RFP process, evaluation committee makeup and scoring. Simpson said six vendors responded, four were interviewed and the evaluation committee favored a firm that proposed a technology-enabled approach to continuous auditing and data-driven risk assessments.

The board heard that the corporation has not maintained a functioning internal-audit office since the early 2000s. Simpson reviewed the historical context: an internal-audit committee established in 1986 (resolution 303-1986) and an office of internal audit created in 1987 (resolution 33-1987), both cited in the procurement memo. Trustees also noted the board approved authorization to engage consulting services for internal audit in February 2024 (resolution 3-2024).

Before the audit discussion began, one trustee said he would recuse himself from discussion and voting because he is a retired partner of Crowe LLP and had earlier removed himself from the evaluation process to avoid any appearance of conflict. \"I'm recusing myself from the discussion and voting, on the internal, audit proposal before the board out of an abundance of caution,\" the trustee said.

Simpson told trustees the evaluation committee included representatives from Eskenazi Health, Indianapolis EMS, the long-term-care division, Marion County Public Health Department and headquarters, and covered accounting/finance, corporate compliance, diversity/equity/inclusion, legal and personnel. The vendors interviewed included firms characterized in the memo as traditional, boots-on-the-ground audit firms and others proposing a technology-enabled model. The committee's scoring showed a narrow spread; the highest-ranked firm proposed a combination of data analytics, continuous monitoring and on-site work where needed.

Trustees asked about the price differential among finalists and about the diversity-business-enterprise (MBE/WBE/VBE) participation the proposers reported. Simpson said the recommended firm proposed an estimated 15% MBE participation and 3% VBE; no WBE percentage was listed in that firm's proposal, and staff said they would work with the chosen firm to improve those subcontracting numbers.

Trustee Flores moved to approve the recommendation and authorize contract negotiations; a second was recorded. The board conducted a roll-call vote; the motion passed with unanimous votes from trustees who participated in the vote. The trustee who announced a recusal did not participate in the vote.

Why it matters: Trustees said reestablishing internal audit is intended to provide independent, objective examinations and to strengthen controls across HHC’s hospitals, ambulance service, long-term care and public-health operations. The board directed staff to proceed with negotiations consistent with HHC purchasing policy and return final contract documents for execution after legal review.

The board recorded an estimated maximum two-year cost of $1,330,000 for the engagement; Simpson said the procurement contemplates an initial one-year agreement with option to extend and negotiate a second year.

The board did not adopt a signed contract during the meeting; formal execution will follow completion of negotiations and legal review.","The Health and Hospital Corporation board authorized staff to negotiate a contract for professional internal-audit services up to $1.33 million over two years after an evaluation that favored a technology-forward firm; the board chair recused from discussion and the vote.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

HHC leaders report progress on public-health lab, EMS programs, TB and influenza response

HHC trustees unanimously approve consent agenda including Jan. 13 minutes and medical-staff policy

HHC trustees approve contract negotiations to reestablish internal audit function, chair recuses