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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-11-06-HSC-min.pdf Human Services Committee Minutes, 11/6/89 �1 Present Renee Cochin and Bob Cushman, Co-Chairmen; Ann Irving Seymour Mandel ; Sheila Martin ; Nancy Schock and Tom McKinnon, Enablement Committee and Marion Shepp and - Rick Safford , Lexington Citizens with Special Needs (during the portion of the meeting devoted to discussing subcommittee status ) ; and Steve Baran, Human Services Coordinator 1 Minutes of 11/6/89 On 1st page of minutes, date of minutes is 10/ 16 and not 10/2 and the date of the minutes referred to in item 1 ( for corrections ) should be 10/2 and not 10/16 Corrections by item 2 Committee membership Bob, Renee and Seymour were reappointed for three-year terms 6 Subcommittees Introductory wording in 2nd paragraph needs C ) to be clearer as follows In relation to a request for subcommittee status , Renee asked if two separate subcommittees were needed in the future 7 Meeting with Selectmen End 1st sentence with the word charge as follows Renee thought that in the upcoming meeting with the Selectmen we should advise them as to the results of the review of the Charge The next sentence should read as follows Renee observed that while the Committee should not tell agencies what services to provide and how to conduct their business it does have an obligation to set standards The next sentence is unrelated and should be deleted U Human Services Committee Minutes, 11/6/89 Page 2 n 2 Coordinator report Senior Health Monitor program Steve distributed request for proposal for Senior Health Monitor program being sent to bidders identified as having the capability for such a program These are Visiting Nurse and Community Health, Inc , Alternative Care, Talentree, Special Care, International Homemakers and Health Force Based on a rate of $33 per visit for a Senior Health Monitor and $55 for an RN assessment, cost is estimated to be $46, 860 Friends of the Council on Aging might be able to contribute $3, 000, and the possibility of doing fund raising for the program through the Friends has yet to be explored Peg Jemison, Case Manager, is presently spending 50% of her time on this program Out of 47 clients seen for case management by Peg in August, 16 were seen through the Senior Health Monitor program The remaining 9 Senior Health Monitor clients were case managed by the (I ) Minuteman Home Care Corporation Steve was asked to clarify why the rate of $33 per visit was used as a basis for projections and how this relates to the rate presently being charged Presumably, the COA is seeking a rate better than the one currently being charged by VNCH Cooperative Elder Services Inc Steve and Linda Crew Vine, Director of the Council on Aging, visited Joanna Fuller , Executive Director of Cooperative Elder Services, Inc Cooperative Elder Services is presently being funded by the Town in the amount of $3, 500 Linda is presently responsible for monitoring the program as requested by the Town Manager The Committee expressed surprise to hear that Linda Vine would henceforth be monitoring the Cooperative Elder Services performance and that their budget request would be placed within the Council on Aging jurisdiction in the FY ' 91 budget The Committee felt they should have been previously advised of this move Steve said that he, too, was surprised to hear about this change through Linda Crew Vine U Human Services Committee Minutes, 11/6/89 Page 3 n The Committee asked to know the exact number of Lexington residents in the program at present on scho-larship as well as on full payment Dick Dougherty felt that some communication with the Town Manager was in order and that the Town Manager should be invited to discuss the situation in two weeks at 7 p m 3 Enablement Committee and Lexington Citizens with Special Needs discussion on their becoming a single committee Renee introduced the possibility of the two committees joining forces in view of the common ground between them, in spite of the significant differences between the groups Nancy Schock said the priority of the Enablement Committee had been physical accessibility since it is not possible to even take part in meetings without (I ) accessibility She was interested in the two committees becoming one or working together closely Rick Safford spoke about the Lexington Citizens' priority to find housing for their adult children, but he, too, believed that the two groups might share some common concerns Marion Shepp referred to the broad interests of the Citizens beyond housing recreation, socialization, and vocational concerns The group had been instrumental in placing four people in housing They had talked about a coalition or commission; on the other hand in relating to State agencies, it seemed often necessary to refer to one category of disability or the other She felt the Town should provide housing and the State agencies the programs Both were required Steve Baran said that he had previously researched the subject for the Enablement Committee and recalled that there were some towns with Commission status U 1 Human Services Committee Minutes , 11/6/89 Page 4 n Tom McKinnon of the Enablement Committee spoke of the fear of not being accepted felt by people with disabilities Feeling comfortable in the community was very important for everyone When he was young, people with disabilities were treated as if they had a disease Dick Dougherty thought a merger of the two groups might result in a dilution of energies Success in the past had come from each committee being very focused on its separate purposes At the same time , an umbrella Commission would present additional advantages Another potential problem was that being a subcommittee to a Selectmen' s Advisory Committee precluded the possibility of taking action against the Town when necessary Renee thought the groups may only be concerned about the needs of their immediate members rather than representing a broader constituency, in which case they should not be an official part of the Town Rick Safford replied that in point of fact they did both act for themselves and for others Marion referred to ( ) the added respect that was obtained from different community actors when the claim could be made that her committee was associated with the Town Renee encouraged the two groups to further consider getting together to form an umbrella organization 4 Comments on substance abuse forum The Committee felt that the forum had gone well and that there was good participation The absence of guidance counselors was noted Guidance counselors were reported to have said that the current school policy had a chilling effect on students coming forward to discuss their problems The positive participation of the police in the forum was noted, and it was agreed to invite Joe O' Leary from the Police Department to the next meeting of the Committee 5 "Eddie" and further meetines on substance abuse Some of the Committee members had attended "Eddie" , noted the full participation and that it had reached the kids, but there seemed to be no structured follow- up Renee announced that Judy Zabin, Chairman of the RePlace board, wanted to see a group in the Town to work on drug problems Sheila recalled a meeting two years ago sponsored by the Human Services Committee which brought different groups together Human Services Committee Minutes, 11/6/89 Page 5 n 6 Needs assessment A draft request for proposal for a needs assessment was reviewed by the Committee Renee saw the need for greater emphasis on a needs assessment showing what does exist in Lexington, what do we already have and what agencies serve Lexington whether or not they are physically located in Lexington Bob emphasized the importance of involving clergymen in view of the considerable human services activity that is sponsored by churches and synagogues Steve advised that a Heller School lab team be brought in to carry out some of the background work desired by the Committee It was felt that the lab might also concentrate on a couple of areas , e g , special needs recreation The Committee agreed to sponsor the lab team coming to Lexington 7 Liaison with Council on Aging C ` Dennis will be attending the next Board meeting of the Council on Aging He asked if this would be a long- term assignment Respectfully Submitted r' } I ); 4, Stephen Baran, Human Services Coordinator v