Meeting Minutes Details
Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative
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Eleanor Williams, CNI Fiscal Analyst, provided an extensive overview of the CNI Trust Fund finances. Since inception in 1998 through February 28, 2005, the Trust Fund has awarded $9,831,379.20 in grant awards. The fund is currently over obligated by $1,447,726.34. The amount of unobligated funds (available funds) to the board is $39,871.01 as of February 28, 2005. The Trust Fund is still averaging about $110,000/month into the Trust Fund. It is projected that it will take about 14.5 months to get the over-obligated balance to zero (May 2006).
With the aforementioned research award made on March 18 to The Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University the available funds to the board is ($79,571.99).
Roll off of Board Members a of June 30, 2005
Three CNI board members will finish their four (4) year terms June 30, 2004. Only one of the members is eligible for reappointment (the other two members are finishing their second four year term), but due to moving out of the state he will not be applying for reappointment. The positions that are open for reappointment are:
1. One person licensed by a health regulatory board within the Department of Health Professions with experience in brain or spinal cord injury rehabilitative programs or services
2. One Virginian with traumatic spinal cord injury or a caretaker thereof
3. One citizen-at-large who shall not be an elected or appointed public official
Gubernatorial appointment applications were due to the Secretary of the Commonwealth on
March 15, 2005. The Governor makes the final decision as to who will be appointed in those positions. No action is required of the board.
National Institute of Health (NIH) Research Study Inquiry on the CNI Trust Fund
As discussed in the January 20 board meeting, the Institute of Medicine has developed a report on the current state of spinal cord injury and state, federal, and philanthropic funding mechanisms. One of the things that the committee (who wrote the report) asked was 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 National Institute of Medicine is releasing their report Spinal Cord Injury: Progress, Promise, and Priorities on April 5, 2005. Specifically, the report identifies strategies to accelerate the development of cures for spinal cord injury and examines spinal cord injury research and research infrastructure issues at the federal, state, and private sector levels. The study is sponsored by the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Program.
The briefing will take place on April 5th at 11:00 a.m. in Room 1024 of the Keck Center of the National Academies, 500 5th Street, Washington, DC. Interested individuals may register to attend for free at: http://www.iom.edu/spinalcordinjury or they may call Kathy Patchan at (202) 334-3758.
No action is required of the board, however if a board member is interested in attending, CNI will reimburse for mileage to attend.
The release of a request for proposal (RFP) was tabled at the January 20 meeting and brought up again at this meeting. Discussion ensued on the possibility of releasing an RFP in 2005.
At the request of Commissioner Jim Rothrock, Eleanor Williams, CNI Fiscal Analyst will prepare a model for the board to illustrate when the board can expect to announce a new RFP without a negative balance in the Fund. The model will be emailed out for the board members to review.
Jim Rothrock made a motion that the CNI Board use the next 9-12 months to 1.) better understand the impact of projects funded to date 2.) identify new areas of need and 3.) develop a strategy to use the RFP process to better shape the network of services and research efforts for people with brain and spinal cord injury; in this regard, the Board and its trust of the CNI Board staff ask the staff to identify persons who might be able to contribute to the aforementioned effort. Doug Harris seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. After review of CNI funds the Board does not anticipate funding until sometime in 2006.
Kristie Chamberlain, CNI Program Administrator, will see that the Board’s decision to hold off on releasing an RFP in 2005 is posted on the web site and will also contact all individuals who have inquired about funding to let them know the board’s decision.
Published Research
Per the Board’s request at the January 20 meeting, CNI staff, Kristie Chamberlain, emailed the CNI Research grantees to determine which grantees had published or presented on research related to the CNI Trust Fund Option-A grants. A packet of materials from the grantees who responded was shared with the Board members in addition to the second round CNI Option A Research grantees bi-annual reports and a final report from a first round Option A research grantee. No action is required of the board.
Patricia Tiernan adjourned the meeting at 12:35 p.m.
