March 2016 | Meeting Minutes

St. Croix Government Retirees Inc. General Meeting

Minutes of the St. Croix Government Retirees Inc. meeting held on March 15th 2016 at the cast iron Pot restaurant in Estate Princesse. The meeting was chaired by Mary Moorhead.

Attendance ... There were 31 members and stakeholders in attendance at the meeting.

Minutes ... Abdul R. Ali read the minutes and following the reading Phyllis Nehlsen made a motion that the minutes be accepted as read. The motion was then seconded by Mary Roebuck.

Matters Arising ... There were no matters arising from the minutes.

Reports ... (President's Report) Mary Moorhead reported on a number of matters to include the Investment Meeting at Carambola which according to the investors is going well. Mary Roebuck raised the question regarding a building out East that the GERS owned and she wanted to know if that building was discussed at the Investment Meeting. Moorhead said that the matter was not discussed and that she would make plans to look into it. On the recent audit that was done on the GERS Moorhead indicated that information is currently available in the newspapers. Moorhead went on to say that said the food distribution program is on the horizon and that it would be run by Rogersville . The marketing of the SGR was another point that Moorhead mentioned and she said that she would speak to Ms. Morton of the GERS in an effort to get some help and advice in this area. (Advocacy Report) Phyllis Nehlsen reported that plans were being made to meet with the senators to discuss a number of matters to include payment of the 84% retro, the loan suspension, the $7 million dollars rum cover over monies that is owed years to the GERS, updates re the Tobacco Sin Tax Bill among others. She said that she would keep the body informed of progress with the meeting dates. (Finances) Rhea Hodge, the treasurer said that the SGA has a bank balance of $4,795 .81 cents and that of that amount some $756 .00 in dues were collected in February 2016. Hodge also said that while the SGR membership amounted to 151 only 50 persons pay their dues on a regular basis.

Presentation by Faustina Richardson SMP Coordinator ... ms. Richardson said that the role of the SMP was to empower senior to prevent healthcare fraud. She discussed the program's structure, its goals, the need for SMP volunteers and how the abuse takes place from time to time. She also provided some tips to the audience as to how they could prevent healthcare fraud by reporting the matter to the local Medicare office by calling 340-772-7368. calls could also be made to 1-800-Medicare and the Senior Medicare Patrol Program at 340-713 -3701.

Membership Drive Ad ... This matter was discussed and it was suggested that the ad should include the meeting place, the goals of the advocacy group and details about its functions and current achievements, the cost of being a member of the SGR and the benefits attached to being a member. No firm decision was made at the meeting as to who would undertake the writing of the advertisement.

Any Other Business ... There was no other business.

Adjournment... ... made a motion that the meeting be adjourned and the motion was seconded by ...