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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980-02-05-HSC-min.pdf February 5, 1980 HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE Present Carol Perez, Barry Marshall, Ruth Nablo, Ruth Butler, Nicky Osborne and Elizabeth Pressman Absent Stephen Baran, Howard Levingston The meeting was called to order at 7 35 p.m by Carol Perez Meeting with the Human Services Committee for the first hour were members of the Community Health Committee including the Chairman, Mr Bill Page, Mrs Jackie Ward, Mrs Laura Jean Kern, and Mr Jack Gardner Mrs Perez asked Mr Page what the difference was between the charges to the two committees Mr Page gave some background of the establishment of his committee It grew out of a recommendation of the Lexington Forum on Aging Copies of some resolutions of that group were handed out to all present Mr Page reviewed the charge to his committee They have begun acting on part of it, collecting information about medical and health services available to Lexington residents The Community Health Committee also met with Linda Roma of the Greater Boston Health Planning Council Mr Page indicated that his committee would like to make a joint arrangement with the Human Services Committee to implement the Selectmen's charge A discussion of the health component in mental health agencies followed It was mentioned that this year there has been an increase in health education in the schools, especially at the elementary and junior high levels The REPLACE outreach worker was given as an example of the health component in a mental health agency He does go to the schools and present programs on drugs and alcohol Mr Page stated that there is a lack of funds for preventive action Mrs Ward added that preventive spending is cost effective It is important, she said, to get this across to the community Ruth Butler said that it is important to get the preventive component on a fiscal base Another area that may need more funding, according to Mr Page, is the Board of Health He feels that they could use more staff Ruth Butler asked whether the Community Health Committee had come up with a definition of health Jack Gardner offered that it is physical and mental well being and being able to cope with the social environment Nicky Osborne asked why the Board of Health services should be expanded and what should that Board's role be? Mr Page said that he wasn't prepared to answer yet Mr Gardner expressed the need for more information and education for pre- vention Mrs Ward added that parents, students, teachers and guidance people all need to be educated Laura Jean Kern said that they need to identify what would be beneficial for Lexington She said that gaps in services must be identified and then a way found to fill them As much health information as possible should be made available Some discussion followed The fragmentation of health care in Lexington takes away from the many good things going on, said Laura Jean Kern Mr Page asked Mrs Perez to appoint someone from her committee to act as liaison with his group Areas of commonality and duplication can be worked on together Mrs Perez agreed to get back to Mr Page in the next three weeks Ruth Butler mentioned health education and outreach as a good linkage point between the two committees Education of service providers, she added, can help make services accessible Some discussion of changes in medical education vis a vis gerontology followed The Community Health Committee was thanked by Mrs Perez and left - 2 - Minutes of January 14, 1980 were accepted as corrected (correction Ruth Butler not Ruth Osborne in listing of those present) Mrs Pressman announced to the committee that the School Sites Conversion Committee meeting would take place Thursday, February 7, at 4 30p.m. at the Munroe School Mrs Perez told the committee that she had spoken to Marcia Feakes of the Youth Commission That group is currently carrying on a study of the need for a youth center They are going to meet with people at Hayden to see whether a program attractive to teens can be worked out there Mrs Perez suggested that Steve Baran's report on REPLACE be discussed at a later date, after committee members have had a chance to see it and when Howard Levingston is present Nicky Osborne went over the questions and answers from Mystic Valley She had met with the Executive Director, the Area Director, the Director of Consultation and Education and the Director of Out-Patient Services on February 4, 1980 Committee members commented on the answers given by Mystic Valley Nicky and Barry Marshall will bring questions that need more clarification back to the agency Next week they hope to have the report for the Selectmen completed Ruth Nablo and Ruth Butler gave an update on their CMARC report They visited the facility Friday, February 1 Mr Hebert, a parent and member of the CMARC board took them around and tried to answer their questions He had a very positive view of the agency, though Ruth and Ruth questioned his objectivity There is a need for stable contracts Carol Perez asked that the committee consider the cost of dispersing the clients to other programs, versus the cost of keeping this program going A discussion of some of the problems followed Since the Department of Mental Health (DMH) does not seem to be offering much support at this critical time, it was suggested that perhaps the Concord and Mystic Valley areas could get some money for consultant services for CMARC The subcommittee may get in touch with Dr Ernest Cook, Area Director of DM11, to get his ideas on helping CMARC At the next meeting the REPLACE report will be discussed The committee will also decide on a liaison person for the Community Health Committee Nicky Osborne suggested that the committee look at the various criteria used by the subcommittees to evaluate agencies An outline of these would be very useful in future reviews In addition, it was suggested that getting a sense of how each agency assesses its own needs would give the town a basis of comparison with its priorities when funds are requested Nicky said that we should know just what we are paying for Ruth Nablo asked that the committee look into setting up contracts with each agency it funds Town Counsel should be consulted about this possibility The meeting was adjourned at 10 15 p m by Mrs Perez Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth H Pressman Management Intern