Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
Time: 4-5:03 p.m. CT
Location: Virtual — Microsoft Teams
Attendance
Members present: Tania Zerr, chair; Rich Smith; and Andrea Hochhalter
Members absent: Kurt Snyder and Melanie Gaebe
Also present: Monica Haugen, Behavioral Health Division liaison; and Janell Regimbal, facilitator/recorder
Welcome and Call to Order
Tania Zerr, chair, called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m. A quorum was confirmed.
Agenda Approval — May 18, 2026
Motion: Rich Smith moved to approve the May 18, 2026, agenda as presented. Andrea Hochhalter seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
Approval of Past Meeting Minutes — March 2, 2026
Motion: Andrea Hochhalter moved to approve the March 2, 2026, meeting minutes as presented. Rich Smith seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
Review of Draft July BHPC Agenda for Consideration
Janell Regimbal presented a draft framework for the July BHPC quarterly meeting agenda and walked the Executive Committee through the rationale and flow. She noted that BHPC has been using a “primary theme” approach to improve continuity and reduce topic switching.
Regimbal noted that the April quarterly meeting focused on children’s services and that her draft proposes July focus primarily on advocacy and legislative priority preparation.
Members provided feedback on potential presenters for topics such as the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a “Moonshot” discussion and a school behavioral workshop recap. Members also provided feedback on status updates for legislative priority items, including crisis services, the state hospital, behavioral health supportive housing and the Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD) waiver. Members recommended a dedicated discussion segment on the IMD waiver to clarify what, if anything, has changed since earlier BHPC position discussions.
The agenda will also include an advocacy planning work session to help BHPC move from identifying advocacy priorities to implementing manageable advocacy actions earlier in the cycle rather than waiting until December.
Proposed ideas included:
- A simple member advocacy toolkit, including a priorities document, talking points and practical guidance, such as how to identify legislators by district and request one-on-one meetings.
- A BHPC-hosted virtual candidate/legislator conversation on behavioral health priorities using a no-cost format.
- Discussion of feasibility and engagement expectations, including acknowledgment that some BHPC members have restrictions related to their roles and cannot participate in certain types of advocacy, while other members can more actively engage.
Implementation of Letters of Support Policy/Procedure
The Executive Committee discussed how to implement BHPC’s newly adopted letters of support policy and procedure, including whether and how to make the process publicly visible.
Members reaffirmed the prior discussion that BHPC should take a low-level awareness approach, such as leveraging the existing BHPC web presence hosted within the Health and Human Services system. Options discussed included adding a brief reference in an “About” or similar section, providing a simple link to the policy and procedure documents without prominent promotion, or using an internal-facing “resources” section, if appropriate.
It was noted that any web posting must consider ADA website compliance requirements. The HHS communications team was identified as best positioned to provide guidance on acceptable formats and document types.
Janell Regimbal will consult with the HHS communications team to determine the best ADA-compliant way to add basic information and/or a link to the letters of support request process on the BHPC webpage.
Legislative Pre-Session BHPC Advocacy Planning
The committee discussed whether a separate pre-session advocacy planning agenda item is needed, given that the draft July agenda already includes a dedicated advocacy planning work session.
The consensus was to retain advocacy planning within the July BHPC meeting agenda as drafted, while ensuring the session has a focused structure so the time is used effectively.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 5:03 p.m.
Minutes provided by: Janell Regimbal, Insight to Solutions/BHPC facilitator