HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 27, 2004 11:30 A.M.
SCOTT HEYMAN CONFERENCE ROOM
Present: M. Robertson, Chair; T. Todd; B. Blanchard; N. Schuler
Excused: M. Koplinka-Loehr
Staff: N. Zook, Youth Services; T. Albert,
Youth Services; P. Carey, Social Services Commissioner; J. Kippola, Administration;
W. Skinner, Public Information; B. Chen, Health Planning Council; M. Dill,
Human Services Coalition; B. DeLuca, Interim Mental Health Commissioner;
C. Covert, Clerk of the Legislature
Guest: D. Winch, County Legislator
Called to Order
The meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m.
Changes to Agenda
Ms. Robertson reported that part of the discussion concerning
the Advance Rx contract will be held in executive session.
Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
Mr. Winch reported on his appointment by the Governor
to serve on the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
This Council advises Commissioner Gorman on what is important for funding
and potential change of priorities and what they should be. There are
three elected officials and 20 mental health professionals and medical professionals
on the Council. The group meets 4-6 times per year either in Albany
or New York City. The Council reviews programs seeking to be licensed
for a substance abuse or alcohol organization such as CARS. The Commissioner
has also charged the Council with looking at gambling addictions. Gambling
impacts all ages and can become a major burden on society. Mr. Winch
will be meeting with Mr. DeLuca, Interim Mental Health Commissioner, and
County Administrator Whicher to discuss the County's situation, as an upcoming
Council meeting will focus on Tompkins County. He will also meet with
other professionals throughout the County seeking additional information.
Ms. Carey expressed an interest in meeting with Mr. Winch as well to discuss
how an agency tries to access services such as CARS.
Update on Advance Rx
Executive Session
It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Ms. Schuler,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to hold an executive
session to discuss contract negotiations. An executive session was
held at 11:51 a.m. and returned to open session at 12:22 p.m.
Publicity for TompkinsRx Discount Card
Ms. Kippola and Ms. Chen distributed a list of recommendations
for launching the prescription card program and targeted audiences.
The National Association of Counties contract was approved with Advance Rx
and 30 counties will be signing on. Staff feels an important first
step with launching the program is an insert in the Pennysaver. Following
a brief discussion concerning distribution points, Committee members also
suggested locations such as Planned Parenthood and community centers for
reaching out to residents.
Ms. Robertson clarified that once the specifics are finalized,
the Committee will approve a resolution to authorize a contract for the full
Legislature to consider. Mr. Whicher commented that he does not want
County staff to be responsible for the rolling out of this program.
Ms. Dill updated the Committee on two proposals for funding
the distribution of cards, and said one was not received and the other does
not look good. The Health Planning Council program discussed
access to Canadian prescriptions and brought the topic to the Human Services
Coalition for a decision. She spoke of Broome County; Boston, Massachusetts;
and the State of Michigan purchasing Canadian drugs and providing contact
numbers in Canada. The FDA sent a scolding letter about the inappropriateness
of this action. The Human Services Coalition felt it did not want to
directly advertise Canadian numbers on the HSC website but would include
a discussion piece about this issue with the appropriate warnings and have
links to the prescription programs of Broome County, the State of Michigan,
and others.
Resolution adopted by Cattaraugus County
Ms. Robertson noted there are bills pending in the Senate
regarding re-importation of drugs and requested consideration of this resolution
be postponed until the next meeting.
Youth Services Department
Resolution
It was MOVED by Ms. Schuler, seconded by Mr. Todd, and
unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to approve and submit
the following resolution to the full Legislature for approval:
RESOLUTION NO. – ACCEPTANCE OF GRANTS AND INCREASE OF HOURS - YOUTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS, the County Youth Services Department has been awarded a Federal
Drug Free Communities Support grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration for $100,000 to provide the planning and coordination
of substance abuse prevention education efforts of the Community Alcohol
and Drug Coalition for the period October 1, 2004, through September 30,
2005, and
WHEREAS, the grant-related duties require an increase in the Planner position
from .8 FTE to 1.0 FTE for the period November 8 - December 31, 2004, as
well as related travel and supply expenses, and
WHEREAS, there is grant revenue to offset these expenses during the last quarter of 2004, and
WHEREAS, the County Youth Services Department has been awarded a $20,007
Workforce Development grant to provide support to a collaborative of youth
agencies offering career awareness, academic support, and work readiness
services to low-income youth for the period of October 1, 2004, through June
30, 2005, and
WHEREAS, the grant-related duties require an increase in the Program Management
Specialist position from .8 FTE to 1.0 FTE for the period of November 8 -
December 31, 2004, and
WHEREAS, there is grant revenue to offset the salary and fringe expenses for this period, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, on recommendation of Health and Human Services
Committee, That Tompkins County accept the Drug Free Communities Support
grant for $100,000, for the period October 1, 2004, - September 30, 2005,
and the Workforce Development Grant for $20,007 for the period October 1,
2004, – June 30, 2005,
RESOLVED, further, That the County Youth Services Director be authorized
to enter into contracts to execute the duties as outlined in the grant applications
with 100 percent funding from the funding sources,
RESOLVED, further, That the 2004 budget of the County Youth Services Department’s
Planning and Coordination budget be adjusted as follows:
REVENUE:
7020.44820 Programs
for Youth
$ 8,598
7026.42797 Other
Local Government Contributions
$ 1,622
Total $10,220
APPROPRIATION:
7020.51000634 Salary
- Planner
$ 1,254
7020.58800
Fringes
$ 489
7020.54303
Supplies
$
350
7020.54330
Printing
$
500
7020.54412
Travel
$ 1,005
7020.54442
Professional Services $
5,000
Total
$ 8,598
7026.51000655 Salary
- Program Management Specialist $ 1,167
7026.58800
Fringes
$ 455
Total
$ 1,622
SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20
* * * * * * * * * *
Informational Note:
The Drug Free Communities Grant
A. County Youth Services has been contracted by the City of Ithaca to coordinate
the last two years of the City’s 4-year grant. The 2004-2008 proposal
was developed by a free standing coalition which requested that the County
administer the four year grant which provides $100,000 in year 1, $100,000
in year 2, $75,000 in years three and four.
B. Grant activity will continue in 2005 and the 2005 budget will be adjusted
in January 2005 to reflect the portion of expenses and revenue for the period
January 1 – September 30, 2005.
C. Purpose of the grant: to provide support to the local coalition to enable
them to implement several educational strategies to prevent and reduce the
use of alcohol and other drugs among students in the Ithaca School District
in grades 6-12.
Workforce Development Grant
A. County Youth Services wrote the collaborative grant proposal submitted
to the Workforce Development Board on behalf of four direct service agencies
and proposed to offer support services to those agencies and to the Employment
and Training Department of the County.
B. Grant activity will continue in 2005 and the approved budget will be adjusted
in January 2005 to reflect the portion of expenses and revenue for the period
January 1 – June 30, 2005.
C. Youth Services staff will gather financial documents to help Employment
and Training and the agencies determine the eligibility of youth ages 14-20
to be served. It will also administer pre-and post-tests to help document
attainment of performance standards and support the work of the Youth Employment
Council in developing systems for documenting young workers’ readiness and
experience for potential employers.
PINS Update
Ms. Carey updated the Committee on the plans for moving
forward with the PINS early prevention project following the VERA conference
held in July. The early prevention project consists of a team from
Mental Health, Social Services, and Probation going into schools. They
are in the process of meeting with two schools, Newfield and Dewitt Middle
School, to see what their needs are and what might work. Newfield is
excited about this and Ms. Carey feels it will be used as a pilot project,
as the school currently has a Probation Officer and Mental Health person
in place and would only need a person from Social Services added.
Mr. Todd asked what kinds of students would be helped
by the program. Ms. Carey said they will address behaviors such as truancy,
bullying and acting out. She wants to build a culture of helping kids
and families early on.
Ms. Carey reported on a $12,000 grant for a needs assessment.
A variety of available assessment tools are being evaluated in order to decide
which will be purchased for use in the County. This will allow the
intake information being collected, as kids enter the system through different
departments, to be shared and not need to be recollected every time.
Position Request
Ms. Carey briefly reported on the request to fill the
position of Social Welfare Examiner. She said the vacancy occurred
in the HEAP unit; however, due to some reorganizing, the position is now
located in the Daycare unit. Ms. Carey noted that she is very worried
about whether the HEAP funds will be sufficient this year, with oil prices
so high and more people needing emergency help.
It was MOVED by Mr. Todd, seconded by Ms. Schuler, and
unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to approve the request
to fill the vacant position of Social Welfare Examiner as presented.
Dental Services Program - Update
At this time, the Committee briefly reviewed the quarterly
report of the Innovative Dental Services Program. Currently there are
a number of dentists located in the City, one in the Groton area, and a pediatric
group in Syracuse. The rate of client "no shows" is less than two percent
and Ms. Carey commented that the reason is because of the outreach efforts
of the staff person, Holly Stevenson.
Department Highlights
Ms. Carey updated the Committee on areas she is looking
at reorganizing and/or streamlining. She has asked a workgroup to evaluate
the application process for handling intakes. Some issues the group
will be looking at include better preventing homelessness and speeding up
the application process for individuals in the shelter, expediting food stamps
and revamping the application process, and revamping the front end detection
system (fraud detection system). Ms. Carey hopes to have a finished
plan by mid January. This workgroup will also be looking at the process
in the jail, making sure eligible inmates are getting applications completed
before being released, to prevent them from going to a shelter.
Other areas that DSS staff are examining include doing
direct data entry in the Medicaid unit and the contract with the Red Cross.
The goal is to make sure Red Cross shelter clients are moving through the
DSS process and that people are “re-housed” as quickly as possible.
Next Meeting
Ms. Robertson requested liaison reports and committee goals be discussed and reviewed at the next meeting.
Mental Health
Appointment
It was MOVED by Ms. Schuler, seconded by Ms. Blanchard,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to appoint Larry
Roberts to the Mental Health Services Board for a term that expires December
31, 2007.
SRO (Single Room Occupancy) Housing Update
Mr. DeLuca updated the Committee on the status of the
SRO project. He has been in discussions with the Office of Mental Health
about the County being the contractor instead of the State. The list
of pros and cons for the County to be the contractor was discussed.
Traditionally, the State has been the contractor for licensed housing projects.
If the County were the contractor, a provider would need to be selected and
the County would be responsible for monitoring the contract. This subject
has been discussed with the Mental Health Services Board and Mr. DeLuca feels
there was a favorable response with moving in this direction.
If the State were the contractor, the process would include
an RFP process through the State Comptroller's office, possibly creating
a complicated process and less control at the local level. If the County
were the contractor, the State would continue to maintain regulatory responsibility
over the service. The State office believes the project will be expedited
if the County is the contractor. Mr. DeLuca said if the County authorized
this, he would issue an RFP and have an objective process for selecting a
provider. He would recommend a small group of individuals to review
the proposals and make a recommendation. Ms. Blanchard said she has
several more questions and would like to discuss this further before taking
action. Mr. DeLuca said either way, the State would construct the facility,
at a cost of about $3 million.
Ms. Blanchard was excused at 1:35 p.m.
Following further discussion, it was the sense of the
Committee by those present to have Mr. DeLuca manage the project with the
County as contractor, and bring forth a resolution at the appropriate time
to approve a contract as it would be a multi-year contract and require County
Legislature approval.
Approval of Minutes
This item was deferred to the next meeting.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1:43 p.m.
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