DUKES COUNTY HEALTH COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
January 16, 2003
Members present: Tad Crawford, Lorna Andrade, Cathy Brennan, Jacque Cage, Jane Cleare, Michelle Lazerow, Marni Lipke, Melinda Loberg, Kathy Logue, JoAnn Murphy, Ned Robinson-Lynch, Kathy Rose, Fred Rundlet, Joyce Steward.
Also present: Frank Case, Nancy Gilfoy, Paddy Moore, Beth Toomey, Carol Seale.
After a brief review period the members broke into the four working groups created at the retreat. The groups met briefly and then reported their findings.
Mission/Vision: The group began by reviewing the current Health Council mission statement. They then looked at the ideas that came from the retreat and tried to define just what those words were meant to convey. For example, they looked at the words ‘consumer’ and ‘cooperation’ and applied them to what current committees are doing and how that reflects on the mission statement. By building on the mission statement these ideas can be reframed to promote wellness. The Health Council could then become an advisory and supportive organization.
The group would like to see the Nominating Committee to a permanent committee.
Nominating Committee: A list of existing and proposed members was circulated. Proposed membership changes are to decrease the number of representatives from the hospital and Community Services by one each and broaden the representation from the public official category to read police/fire/EMTs/BOH.
The proposed new members would help to fill the desire for more consumer representation.
Council Priorities: As they met, the group kept returning to the term community ownership, which they define as a council consensus of ownership as well as those represented.
Other priorities they discussed include:
§ Short term/long term goals -- the HC must identify and determine these goals.
§ Levels of ownership – this needs to be brought to the HC
§ Community input
§ Advocacy – we must connect with the community to know the needs; advocacy is interactive and in three parts: gather information, advocate, and follow-up.
§ Conflict-related community ownership and investment, including “dynamic discussions”
§ Structure of meetings – need some rules of group conduct.
§ Reasonable goals – subjective and a part of community ownership
§ Coordinated care – on-going and never-ending. This is an important way to educate the community on HC works
§ How can we get the hospital to buy in to the HC?
§ Community driven – HC needs to be community driven to succeed
§ Initiatives – which basic needs must continue:
o The Nominating Committee needs to be year-round committee
o Outreach Committee – we need to communicate with consumers and those who don’t know us
o Funding Committee should have a budget process
o Advocacy – promote educational events, draw in more people
§ The group also looked at the structure and purpose of our committees and how we meet – the agenda (never enough time for everything), and reports from various sources. Committees need to be able to report fully on what they are doing – we need to make time for this, and it will help with community ownership.
Key Relationships: The group would like to see more consumer representation from specific constituencies (religious, elderly, etc.). The consumer repre-sentatives could meet regularly (perhaps quarterly) to plan how best to commu-nicate the HC agenda to their constituencies.
Due to time constraints the balance of their report will be saved until the next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:05.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol Seale
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