MINUTES
DUKES COUNTY HEALTH COUNCIL
March 25, 2004 Meeting
West Tisbury Public Safety Building
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Tad Crawford called the meeting to order at 7:30 a.m. A quorum was present. In addition to Tad, the following members were in attendance: Mary Jane O’Connor-Ropp, Sarah Kuh, Cathy Brennan, Antonio D. Teixeira, Donald Rose, Terry Appenzellar, Patsy McCornack, Jane Cleare, Marni Lipke, Michael LaPolla, Lorna E. Andrade, Ned Robinson-Lynch, Ken Chisolm, Paddy Moore, Bob Tonti, Kathleen Rose, Jo Ann Murphy, Susan Desmarais, Louisa Williams, Cynthia Mitchell, Ilene Klein, Elaine Pace, Patrick Donegan, Charles Silberstein, Peter Strock, Nancy Gilfoy, Leslie H. Leland, and Anson W. Krickl Jr. Also present were Dukes County Manager E. Winn Davis (ex-officio member) and Dukes County Executive Assistant Brian S. Kinal, who took these minutes. Absent were Jacque Cage, Mike Dutton,
Sarah Greenberg, Frank Honey, Chris Knowles, Michele Lazerow, Fred Rundlet and Tim Walsh.
CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS
Tad welcomed the group. He said it was good to see the medical community well represented. He also noted that the school system was represented.
The chairman explained that the bylaws require an annual meeting, and said the May meeting would be the annual one.
Other highlights of Tad’s presentation:
Ø The Health Council needs to revisit its core mission, with a focus on primary care.
Ø The council is a dynamic group in which both action and the failure to act are felt.
Ø “Synergistic connections” or partnerships must be developed.
Ø Residents should be empowered to navigate the health care system. For that purpose, it needs to be more transparent.
SWEARING-IN OF NEW MEMBERS
Dukes County Clerk of the Courts Joseph E. Sollitto Jr. administered the oath of office to the Health Council’s new board members.
ELECTION OF COORDINATING COMMITTEE
Paddy Moore moved, seconded by Charles Silberstein, to elect the following nominees to the Coordinating Committee: Cathy Brennan, Jane Cleare, Kathleen Rose, Jacque Cage, Tad Crawford and Terry Appenzellar. A seventh position remains open. The motion carried unanimously.
ISLAND HEALTH PLAN AND RURAL HEALTH CLINIC UPDATE
Cindy Mitchell said the affordable insurance plan is projected to begin on July 1, 2004. The plan will be extended to Cape Cod and Nantucket as well as Martha’s Vineyard. The Rural Health Clinic is expected to open in early June. It will perform outreach too.
Cindy said the Rural Health Clinic has an urgent need for an interpreter because of the island’s large Brazilian population. Donald Rose said the Dukes County House of Corrections has a new Brazilian-speaking employee who might be able to help the clinic.
Peter Strock questioned whether Cindy should be serving on the board of the Health Council since the bylaws specify that board members of Island Health Plan will not serve on the Health Council. Tad said the rule applies only to board members, and that the County ruled that Cindy could be a member of the Council in her capacity as the Director of the Island Health Plan.
In response to a question about her agency’s name, Mitchell said Island Health Inc. is the new name of the former Island Health Plan.
PRIMARY CARE UPDATE
Ilene Klein, chair of the Primary Care Task Force, said progress has been slow over the past year. She said the group hopes to present a definition of primary care at the next meeting. In the future, she sees the task force initiating an inventory of primary care services and working with the Health Report on primary-care issues.
Ilene said the council needs a process for moving grants forward. For example, she said the council would be well positioned to apply for a Rural Health Outreach Grant of $600,000 over three years. The grant explicitly favors island, she noted.
CHRONIC ILLNESS NETWORK UPDATE
Marni Lipke, chairman, said Island Health Inc. had offered the CIN a one-year, $10,000 allocation from the Rural Health Grant as seed money for a home health care program for the chronically ill. Marni made a motion that the Health Council support this collaboration between the CIN and Island Health Inc. Patsy McCornack seconded. The language of the motion was taken from the Council’s January 29 meeting, as follows: “The Dukes County Health Council supports the Chronic Illness Advisory Board collaboration with Island Health Inc. to implement the goals of the Chronic Illness Network and to help with outreach for any primary care access.” The motion carried unanimously.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Patsy McCornack made a motion, seconded by Jane Cleare, to accept the minutes of the Jan. 29, 2004 meeting, as amended. The motion carried unanimously.
Marni made a motion to accept the minutes of the Feb. 26, 2004 meeting, with the amendment that a quorum no longer existed at the time a vote was taken on her motion regarding the CIN. Paddy Moore seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
LIGHTHOUSE STEERING COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES
Cathy Brennan made a motion, seconded by Sarah Kuh, to appoint the following people as representatives to the Lighthouse Steering Committee: Ilene Klein, Jacque Cage, Tad Crawford and Sarah Kuh.
NEW BUSINESS
Paddy Moore moved that in the future, committees should share minutes of their meetings. Patsy McCornack seconded. The motion carried with none opposed, Jane Cleare abstaining.
Cathy Brennan moved, seconded by Jane Cleare, to request that the Health Council be included in a focus group Planetree meeting at the hospital. The motion carried unanimously.
County Manager Davis said sharing of minutes would be facilitated by the county’s new website, when it goes online. The site features an e-mail subscription service that would allow Health Council members to receive posted minutes automatically.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Treasurer Terry Appenzellar said the current operating fund balance is $5,042.90, which needs to be spent by July 1.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned around 9:40 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brian S. Kinal
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