DUKES COUNTY HEALTH COUNCIL
Minutes
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Call to order
Oceana Rames, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:30AM.
Attendees included: Eleanor Beth, Sharon Clauss-Zanger, Valerio Destefani, Cindy Doyle, Jay Ferriter, Judie Flanders, Rev. Robert Hensley, Amanda Hutchinson, Chris Knowles, Sarah Kuh, Rex Jarrell, Karen Meeks, Patsy McCornack, Cynthia Mitchell, Paddy Moore, Gayle Poggi, Oceana Rames, Bob Tonti, Dedie Wieler, Terre Young
Vote to approve the Minutes of the April 28, 2010 meeting, unanimous
Oceana introduced and welcomed new members Amanda Hutchinson and Rev. Rob Hensley. By way of orientation, members of Health Council committees described the goals and work of the various committees. An address and committee list was circulated for updates.
A slate of Coordinating Committee members and officers was offered and unanimously accepted. The Officers are: Oceana Rames, Chair, Patsy McCornack, Vice Chair, Julia Burgess, Treasurer and Terre Young, Secretary. Other CC members are, Connie Teixeria and Cindy Mitchell.
Nominating: After last months meeting, with only one member stepping forward to join the coordinating committee, it was offered that our Nominating Committee and the entire council membership look into the community for new members and leaders. We would like to see the council generating more PR into the community – we need to promote ourselves and our work more. Patrick Philips of “Vineyard Voice” would be an opportunity to do just this as he has created a non profit which is staffed by island students who produce and develop web based information for use by organizations like ours and accessed by the public. Inviting Peter Lambos, director of the Boys and Girls Club was suggested for the September meeting. Cindy Doyle will invite him.
MVH Community Health Initiatives: DON public meetings; Bob and Paddy explained the process of the two community forums and detailed the results . The public didn’t really like the buckets and offered that several items needed to be in every bucket, for example, mental health and lyme disease. Community members were each given three dots to place on the description of need they wanted addressed by this grant process. Following is the “dot tally”:
Youth risky behavior 3
Substance abuse 21
Medical, mental health for 18-26 yr. olds 2
Elderly 12
Integration behavioral health & medical care 8
Stress reduction 1
Public alert system 0
Lyme disease 6
Food quality in schools 3
Food safety 0
Prevention, eating healthy 1
Chronic disease management 4
Oral health 0
Substance abuse 2 Detox/prevention 14 - all ages
Addiction – into chronic 7 - serious mental illness, lyme
Limitations to health care access 2
School programs 2
Parent education 2
Special needs children 7
Counseling for seniors 7
Kids, broken homes 3
The survey is on line at the county website for more public input until June 7th.
In the fall, the council could take a look at some of the identified needs and think about how to work across the lines. This list of community needs and hopes is proof that we need the council to work on issues that don’t belong in buckets. A reality is that Lyme needs coordinated prevention as it was a high issue at both meetings. Perhaps an Americore worker would be a good place to start. Cindy D. is attending a meeting to solicit support from Americore for our community.
Rex is looking at a project to bring Harvard and Kripalu to the high school to study yoga to reduce stress, obesity, anger with the hope toward prevention and to change the culture.
The council’s work plan was lightly discussed and we were asked to consider the possibility that some part of the work plan moves from committee level to become council wide, like lyme disease.
Oceana adjourned the meeting at 9:30 am.
The next Dukes County Health Council meeting will be held on Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 7:30 in the Public Safety Building in West Tisbury.
Respectfully submitted, Terre D. Young
| 
