HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-02-10-HSC-min.pdf NEXT MEETING OF HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE 2/23 at 7 45 p m
Meeting of Human Services Committee
2/10/87
Present Harvey Lowell, Seymour Mandel, Bob Cushman, Renee Cochin,
Sylvia Perlman, Steve Baran
1 Minutes were approved
2 Meeting with Choate Symmes Health Services Psychiatric Emergency
Service took place on February 5 with recognition that Choate
Symmes needed to learn more about communities and their resources
while appraising communities of the realistic limitations of
what was appropriate for PLE Sto do At the same time Lexington
will proceed to develop crisis plans and Standard Operating
Procedures requiring coordination of community agencies and the
Police and Fire Departments with special reference to suicidal
youth and the elderly, the latter through a focus on case management
services The possibility of giving some responsibility to
Mystic Valley Mental Health Center for training and coordination
with respect to psychiatric emergency problems was seen as a
later step following the development of more immediate contingency
plans
A questionnaire from Choate Symmes requesting community evaluation
of their capacity to respond was circulated
3 It was decided to postpone discussion of structuring committee
around youth/drug issues until the next meeting while Committee
response to housing questions would be dealt with later on the
agenda of this meeting
4 The Committee agreed to recommend to the Selectmen that VNCH
receive $7,000 in emergency funding for the balance of this
fiscal year Strong reservations were registered as to VNCH
management as evidenced by 25% overhead shown in financial report,
failure to apply to United Way, and poor record in obtaining
funding The Committee is entertaining the idea of sending out
an RFP for a team approach to health visiting and social services
with the contract to be managed by Council on Aging or some
other provider with VNCH being free to submit a proposal as well
5 Betty Flemmings of the Housing Advisory Committee of the Planning
Board spoke with the Committee on housing needs pointing out
that historically the Town' s value system had been in the di-
rection of believing that a low proportion of rental housing
was desirable Now the Town was faced with the fact of condo-
minium conversion at Emerson Gardens and the possibility that
Captain Parker Arms and Battle Green would go in the same direction
A tenant group has been formed of Emerson Gardens residents , and
they will obtain legal counsel with particular emphasis for the
time being of investigating the possibility of lifetime tenancy
for present residents
Bob Cushman suggested partnership investment as an alternative
that may not have been considered and will so testify along with
Seymour Mandel at Selectmen' s meeting on 2/23 at 8 p m