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MINUTES
DUKES COUNTY HEALTH COUNCIL
June 24, 2004 Meeting
West Tisbury Public Safety Building
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Tad Crawford called the meeting to order at 7:35 a.m. A quorum was present. In addition to Tad, the following were in attendance: Vice Chair Jacque Cage, Treasurer Terry Appenzellar, Secretary Kathleen Rose, and Council members Cathy Brennan, Elaine Pace, Paddy Moore, Patsy McCornack, Jane Cleare, Sarah Kuh, Cindy Doyle, Frank Honey, Ken Chisholm, Tim Walsh, Chris Knowles, Cynthia Mitchell, Nancy Gilfoy, Ilene Klein, Sarah Greenberg, Leslie H. Leland, Patrick Donegan, Peter Strock, Frederick Rundlet, Antonio Teixeira, Ned Robinson-Lynch, and County Manager E. Winn Davis, ex-officio. Rev. Mary Jane O’Connor-Ropp arrived after the meeting had begun.
INTRODUCTIONS
Tad introduced two students from the Rural Scholars Program, Jesse Foote and Kate Lolley.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Paddy Moore made a motion, seconded by Les Leland, to approve the minutes of the March 25 meeting, as presented. The motion passed unanimously. Peter Strock made a motion, seconded by Les Leland, to approve the minutes of the April 22 meeting, as amended by Cathy Brennan. The motion passed unanimously. Tad noted that those who were not in attendance at the meetings automatically abstained from voting on the minutes.
OLD BUSINESS
Ilene Klein, chair of the Primary Care Working Group, submitted the group’s definition of “primary care.” This prompted a lengthy discussion about primary care related topics, including the difficulty of keeping primary-care physicians on island and the imminent opening of the Rural Health Clinic in Edgartown.
Ilene made a motion, seconded by Paddy Moore, to allot five minutes for the next several meetings for primary-care practitioners to speak. The motion carried unanimously. Paddy moved to accept the definition of primary care. Cindy Doyle seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Ilene raised the question: What is the role of the Primary Care Working Group vis-a-vis the Health Council? Jacque Cage asked: What is the next step for the Health Council? Tim Walsh said the Health Council lacks a strategic plan with a timetable. Jane Cleare posed the question: How can the Health Council plan if the board members of the major organizations don’t know what the Council is doing?
Ned Robinson-Lynch made a motion, seconded by Patsy McCornack, that the Primary Care Working Group should seek a planning grant. The motion passed unanimously.
COUNTY MANAGER’S REPORT
Winn announced that the Dukes County Advisory Board would meet June 30 and conduct a public hearing on the proposed County budget for FY-05. He asked Health Council members to urge the Advisory Board members in their towns to support the charge to the towns for the services of the County Veteran’s Agent.
NEW-HOSPITAL UPDATE
Tim Walsh gave a report on the plan to build a new hospital. He said the estimated cost has been reduced from $50 million to $42 million by eliminating the proposed office building and new kitchen, and renovating a portion of the hospital that was to have been demolished. He said the Department of Public Health would make a determination of need around July 1, and he asked for the council’s support.
Peter Strock made a motion, seconded by Paddy Moore, to give the Coordinating Committee the authority to write a letter of support if it saw fit. Cathy Brennan said the island needs a new hospital, but said she has concerns about the specific plan for a new one, focusing on the plans for the 1972 building. Ned Robinson-Lynch asked why the Council couldn’t just vote on whether or not to support the project. He made a motion, seconded by Fred Rundlet, to support the hospital plan. It passed unanimously. Peter Strock’s motion was withdrawn.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brian S. Kinal
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