DUKES COUNTY HEALTH COUNCIL
Minutes
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Call to order
Dedie Wieler, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:38AM.
Attendees included: Tom Bennett, Eleanor Beth, Julia Burgess, Jacque Cage, Tad Crawford, Valerio DeStefani, Judie Flanders, Janet Holladay, Sarah Kuh, Rex Jarrell, Patsy McCornack, Karen Meeks, Jo Ann Murphy, Gayle Poggi, Oceana Rames, Bob Tonti, James Weiss, Dedie Wieler, Terre Young , guests, Amanda Hutchinson, AQ Board of Health and Marleen Spangler, Caregiver Homes.
Vote to approve the Minutes of the December 2009 meeting: Moved and seconded with the request to change the spelling of Ron MacLaren’s name; minutes approved.
The next scheduled meeting falls during school vacation and the February meeting is moved to March 25th due to small attendance.
Treasurer Report: Julia Burgess: The Health Council has $500. budgeted for committee work and these monies are to be spent by March.
MVH Community Health Initiatives: DON community benefit work group update: The meetings are very well attended, with people very committed to the heavy workload. The group’s progress will be copied to the entire council membership. The time line looks like this; Data is currently being reviewed; RFP tool will be created and approved; Community forums will be held to offer the public their chance to add to the process. A future step will be to figure out the group to review the RFP. This group needs to be independent of those seeking funds.
Nominating: Some members need to reapply as their terms expire with the county. This is a reminder to those to process paperwork with the county as well as members in need of completing the conflict of interest paper work and ethics test on line. A copy of the certificate of completion is to be given to Dedie Weiler by April 2nd.
Marlene Spangler of Caregiver Homes explained a new Mass Health/Medicaid funded program which focuses to prevent nursing home placement for some frail seniors. The program pays family members or others to continue the care of their elders at home offering a stipend of up to $16K, non taxed, dollars.
Sarah Kuh addressed the council to help promote collective support for processing applications for food stamps on island. She informed us that the Access program, VNA and boards of health are offering monthly dental health to seniors through Vineyard Smiles.
Elder Affairs Committee: Jacque Cage. The Elder Affairs Committee needs more members. Using the Rural Scholars document from 2008 the committee found possible projects that the Health Council could pursue and uniquely accomplish. They are:
- Revision of the pocket guide – update agency information
- Joint Health council and Hospital book, Healthwise for Life – reprinted, revised
- Maintenance of vineyard connection to RI Geriatric education center with the main goal being educate professionals in caring for geriatric individuals
- Continue to advocate for availability of mental health for seniors, revise screening tool used by PCs
- Develop volunteer multi media corps, expand attendance and awareness of educational programs
Dedie and Oceana will investigate how hospital funded book purchase and the cost of the 2010 edition.
Bob Tonti informed members on community H1N1 clinics and announced that they are prepared to handle the second wave. In December, VNA signed a Service Agreement with Island Hospice to support VNA’s end of life patients, offering continuity of care and the Hospice Medicare benefit. VNA offers a stroke support group for caregivers the 4th Thursday of every month.
The next Dukes County Health Council meeting will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 7:30 in the Public Safety Building in West Tisbury.
Dedie adjourned the meeting at 9:23AM. Respectfully submitted, Terre D. Young
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