Consumer advisory guidelines

The committee membership is open to anyone on program HH that applies. Based on the applications received, DHS will choose 16 applicants reflective of the Minnesota HIV epidemic as reported in the Minnesota Department of Health HIV epi data.

Meetings are open to anyone who would like to attend, but only Program HH consumers will have voting and membership privileges.

Committee members may serve on other community planning groups, be employed at or serve on boards of HIV services non-profit organizations or HIV-related businesses but must disclose these affiliations.

The Consumer Advisory Committee is chaired by co-chairs. The committee elects one co-chair. The co-chair shall serve one (2) year term, but can be elected to consecutive terms as co-chair. A DHS HIV/AIDS Division staff representative will serve as the second co-chair.

Membership terms

Members are elected for a two year term. Members can be elected to two, two-year terms. If circumstances warrant, more terms could be served. This will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Members who no longer meet Program HRH eligibility or who move off of Program HRH Services may complete their current term. However, they will not be eligible for subsequent terms unless their eligibility status changes.

If a member misses two consecutive meetings, DHS will consider that seat vacant and open for election.

The committee will meet a minimum of two (2) times each year between January 1 and December 31. Additional meetings could be added if business warrants additional meetings.

Of the two annual meetings, the spring meeting will take place in greater Minnesota and the fall meeting in the metro Area.

Meetings are open to the public.

Voting is calculated by the majority of votes received by the seated members. Only seated members can vote. Voting will be based on consensus.

Expenses

Breakfast and lunch is served at the meetings.

Each committee member receives a small stipend for their participation at each meeting they attend.

Travel expenses and lodging will be made available to:

• Metro members attending the meeting in greater Minnesota
• Greater Minnesota members attending the meeting in the metro area

The Consumer Advisory Committee will act in an advisory capacity for Program HH services and policy. The committee will:

• Review Program HH materials including applications, client letters and forms and give feedback from the consumer prospective
• Make recommendations on Program HH eligibility, enrollment policies and access issues
• Make recommendations and evaluation of Program HH customer service and consumer responsiveness
• Make recommendations for addressing gaps in service and program accessibility

Members are expected to attend all meetings, but there are legitimate reasons for missing a meeting. There is an expectation that if it is necessary for a committee member to miss a meeting that the member would communicate to the

The committee membership is open to anyone on program HH that applies. Based on the applications received, DHS will choose 16 applicants reflective of the Minnesota HIV epidemic as reported in the Minnesota Department of Health HIV epi data.

Meetings are open to anyone who would like to attend, but only Program HH consumers will have voting and membership privileges.

Committee members may serve on other community planning groups, be employed at or serve on boards of HIV services non-profit organizations or HIV-related businesses but must disclose these affiliations.

The Consumer Advisory Committee is chaired by co-chairs. The committee elects one co-chair. The co-chair shall serve one (2) year term, but can be elected to consecutive terms as co-chair. A DHS HIV/AIDS Division staff representative will serve as the second co-chair.

Membership terms

Members are elected for a two year term. Members can be elected to two, two-year terms. If circumstances warrant, more terms could be served. This will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Members who no longer meet Program HRH eligibility or who move off of Program HRH Services may complete their current term. However, they will not be eligible for subsequent terms unless their eligibility status changes.

If a member misses two consecutive meetings, DHS will consider that seat vacant and open for election.

committee co-chair. Missing two consecutive meetings would be grounds for filling that seat with a new member.

Meetings will be run through modified parliamentary rules of order from Robert's Rules of Order. Robert's Rules of Order will be used to run the meetings should the need arise.

Ground rules

1. Be open and direct.
2. State opinions clearly and directly.
3. Respect others opinions and points of view during meetings.
4. Share information from this Committee judiciously and concisely. This Committee is a piece of a much larger system. The Committee members serve as leaders in the community and have the ability to guide and shape attitudes and reactions of consumers and providers. Partial information has the potential to be misinterpreted and misunderstood.