MINUTES
DUKES COUNTY HEALTH COUNCIL
Thursday, September 23, 2004 Meeting
West Tisbury Public Safety Building
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Tad Crawford called the meeting to order at 7:40 a.m. A quorum was present. In addition to Tad, the following were in attendance: Vice Chair Jacque Cage, Treasurer Terry Appenzellar, and Council members Marni Lipke, Ned Robinson-Lynch, JoAnn Murphy, Paddy Moore, Chris Knowles, Patsy McCornack, Robert Tonti, Ilene Klein, Sarah Greenberg, Tim Walsh, Cathy Brennan, Cindy Doyle, Jane Cleare, Mary Jane O’Connor-Ropp, Antonio Teixeira, Sarah Kuh, Michele Lazerow and Cynthia Mitchell. Absent were Secretary Kathy Rose and Council members Ken Chisholm, Susan Desmarais, Pat Donegan, Mike Dutton, Nancy Gilfoy, Frank Honey, Andy Krickl, Michael LaPolla, Les Leland, Ronald Rose, Fred Rundlet, Bob Sawyer, Charles Silberstein and Peter Strock. Also in attendance were Dukes
County Manager E. Winn Davis (ex-officio member), Murray Frank (filling in for Secretary Rose), unsworn Health Council member appointee Carlin Hart, and Dukes County Executive Assistant Brian S. Kinal, who took these minutes.
INTRODUCTIONS
Tad introduced two guests from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health: Mary Foley, director of the Office of Oral Health, and Susan Shepherd, program coordinator, Office of Rural Health. He then asked the others present to introduce themselves.
PROGRAM UPDATES
Ilene Klein, chair of the Primary Care Working Group, gave a report on the network development planning grant that was submitted. She gave special credit to Tim Walsh and Dedie Wieler of Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, which is the lead applicant. She also expressed appreciation for the many letters of support that were filed with the grant. Chris Knowles said he hopes that the grant partners will work collaboratively even if the grant application is not successful.
Patsy McCornack reported that the Community Care Project of the Chronic Illness Network is up and running, and that the first group of volunteers has completed the necessary training. More training will be conducted on Nov. 5-6, she said.
CIN Co-Chair Marni Lipke said the project should be delivering services by January after matching clients with volunteers.
Returning to the topic of the network development planning grant, Tad said he wanted to recognize two people who contributed the most to the tough work of grinding out the application under an especially tight deadline: Dedie Wieler of Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Health Council member Chris Knowles, who works for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services. He presented both Dedie and Chris with gift certificates to Lure restaurant.
Sarah Kuh presented a quarterly report on the Vineyard Health Care Access Program. VHCAP staffer Mary Leddy said funding is not expanding, but demand is. Ilene Klein said in her private practice, she has noticed an increased number of uninsured people ages 60 to 65. Jacque Cage confirmed that those numbers are rising as people leave the workforce but do not yet qualify for Medicare. Murray Frank, who was filling in for Kathy Rose, said it’s “criminal” for such a situation to exist in this advanced country.
ORAL AND RURAL HEALTH
Susan Shepherd and Mary Foley of the Department of Public Health both lauded the Health Council for the network development planning grant application. And, both offered the ongoing help of their respective agencies.
Mary addressed Sarah Kuh’s concerns about the need for more oral health services on the Island. She said her office currently spends $1.4 million per year on oral care, but $1.3 million goes to seven clinics operated by Tufts University. She said the most recent report on oral health in Massachusetts was done in February of 2000, and there is very little current data.
Tad said many questions need to be addressed regarding any future oral health clinic on the Vineyard, including whether it should be situated at the hospital.
Mary suggested that the Health Council formulate a short-term plan and a long-term plan regarding oral health.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Cindy Doyle made a motion, seconded by Bob Tonti, to approve the minutes of the Sept. 2 meeting, as presented. The motion passed unanimously, with the understanding that members who were absent on Sept. 2 abstained.
PROGRAM UPDATES (CONTINUED)
Jacque Cage reported that the Lower/Outer Cape Community Coalition would be sponsoring a program Oct. 27 at the Rhode Island University Geriatrics Education Center titled “Promoting Mental Health Among Older Adults.”
Tad said he would be attending the 7th Annual New England Rural Health Roundtable Symposium Oct. 14-15 in Nashua, NH. Murray Frank and Cynthia Mitchell attended two years ago.
Murray Frank made a report on the Rural Scholars Program of the University of Massachusetts-Worcester. Several of the young scholars, who are medical students, will be coming to the Island for a visit spanning two weeks.
FY-05 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Tad spoke briefly about the FY-05 goals and objectives that had been distributed to Health Council members. He called it “a working document to guide us.”
Paddy Moore said more discussion is needed on the goals and objectives.
REVISED DCHC GRANT POLICY
Terry Appenzellar distributed copies of the Health Council’s proposed funding policy. It applies primarily to grant opportunities, and includes provisions for “fast-tracking” applications with imminent deadlines. Michele Lazerow made a motion, seconded by Ilene Klein, to approve the policy. The vote was unanimous in favor.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Nominating Committee Chair Cathy Brennan said the terms of 15 Health Council members will expire at year’s end, and the process of nominations for reappointments and new appointments is well under way.
RURAL HEALTH CLINIC
Cynthia Mitchell said the rural health clinic is up and running. She said it is already licensed as a medical clinic and health care center, and is near the end of the process for federal designation as a rural health clinic.
ADJOURNMENT
Jane Cleare made a motion, seconded by Marni Lipke, to adjourn. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brian S. Kinal
| 
