HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE MARCH 10, 2004 11:30 A.M. SCOTT HEYMAN CONFERENCE ROOM
Present: M. Robertson, Chair; T. Todd; N. Schuler; M. Koplinka-Loehr; B. Blanchard
Staff: P. Carey, Social Services Commissioner;
I. Stein, Office for the Aging Director; S. Whicher, County Administrator;
N. Zahler, Youth Services; N. Burston, Human Services Coalition; N.
Zook, Youth Services; S. Griffin, Foodnet
Guest: Joanne Farbman, Advocacy Center, A. Tutino, Ithaca Journal Reporter
Called to Order
The meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m.
Changes to Agenda
The following items were added to the agenda:
Transfer - Youth Services Department
Resolution - Acceptance of a Grant from National Center for Seniors'
Housing Research for an "Assistive Technology and Aging in Place
Initiative" - Office
for the Aging
Update - Explore move of Mental Health to nonprofit
Chair's Report
Ms. Robertson reported that she has heard from most Legislators
concerning the Housing Report. She will make it available to the public
now and have it posted on the web.
Ms. Robertson spoke briefly about an article she distributed
about what happens when an individual has trouble paying for prescription
drugs and what the family has to go through. Mr. Whicher commented
that he will be looking into this issue this year. Mr. Todd referred
to the article in today's Ithaca Journal as well and said he would like an
analysis from County Administrator Whicher.
Ms. Robertson provided an update on the report provided
at a previous meeting by Lisa Holmes of Office for the Aging concerning the
Southside Food Shopping program. She reported the cost for the program
is $9,116. The breakdown is as follows: Southside's income from
Office for the Aging, United Way, City of Ithaca, etc. is $5,335. Southside
pays the difference for staff time and resources for the program. The
amount from Office for the Aging to Southside comes from the State.
There are no local dollars used for this program.
Approval of Minutes
Ms. Robertson asked that action on the February 25th Committee minutes be deferred to the next meeting.
Human Services Coalition
Ms. Burston presented Ms. Robertson with a list of presentations
and reports she would like to include on the Committee's calendar this year.
She also announced that the HSC forum on April 14 will feature Legislator
Blanchard and Sheriff Meskill as the speakers to discuss public safety issues.
Advocacy Center
Ms. Farbman said the Advocacy Center now handles Adult
Services and the new Integrated Domestic Violence Court. She spoke
about the difficulties with the process of transferring the Adult Services
program, but commented the transitioning of services was moderately smooth.
However, she feels in the future there need to be procedures in place when
programs and services are being considered for consolidation or elimination.
The Advocacy Center did receive some equipment and materials from the Center
for Crime Victim and Sexual Assault Services of Tompkins County (CVSA).
The Advocacy Center began advertising in September 2003 that it would be
taking on the services handled by CVSA. The first three months there
were 23 adult women who came in and approximately 123 units of service (meeting
times) were provided. The more interesting area is the number of requests
from colleges for adult sexual assault education. The Center was not
as prepared at the time because a staff person was not yet in place for that
purpose. It has now been five months since the approval of the State
Department of Health budget, however, funding has not been received or a
contract signed but the services are being provided. Ms. Farbman continues
to remain in contact with the State Department on the status of the funding
and contract. Ms. Schuler recommended Assemblywoman Lifton be contacted
about this issue.
Ms. Farbman spoke about another challenging issue concerning
funding as there were many cutbacks with various funders of the Center.
The amount received by the Advocacy Center from the State Department of Health
was more than it received in the past; however, the funding CVSA had received
from the State was considerably more to run their program, resulting in a
loss for the Center to continue the services, and overall less in state funds
coming into the county. She said there will need to be future considerations
with the program financially.
She spoke briefly about the services provided and said
the Center is continually getting referrals from the colleges which did not
happen in the past.
In response to a question concerning financial arrangements
with the colleges, Ms. Farbman said honoraria are received from college classes
and at times payment is received from sororities for presentations.
Ms. Farbman said the colleges do provide some services themselves; however,
the education piece is not available in the same manner as the Center offers.
Following further discussion, Ms. Robertson asked if the
number of students and the classes served could be documented. Ms.
Farbman noted that information could be gathered. She was not sure
whether Gannett Health Center operates a 24/7 service. It was noted
that if students live off campus, they use local police who make referrals
to the Advocacy Center.
Ms. Farbman continued her presentation and said currently
there are 15 staff and she is in the process of hiring one more. She
spoke specifically about the Integrated Domestic Violence Court. The
program was imposed on the County by the State. Tompkins County was
one of the first rural areas to receive grant funding. The grant is
for two years and is administered at the State level. Officially on
December 15th, the Integrated Domestic Violence Court opened and both County
Court Judges preside. This past week, it was reported the docket was
full for the first time. The Advocacy Center received funding from
the grant to hire an individual to act as a legal advocate. The concept
of combining criminal and family court cases being seen by one Judge is new.
Ms. Blanchard commented that the Public Safety Committee has been discussing
this subject and will share information with this Committee in the future.
Youth Services
Appointment
It was MOVED by Ms. Schuler, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to approve and submit the following
appointment to the full Legislature: Youth Services Board
Jeffry D. Bishop - At-large representative - term expires December 31, 2005
2003 Annual Report
Ms. Zahler distributed copies of the Departments' 2003
Annual Report. She gave an overview of the report and commented the
Department performs several core functions. One core function is the
administration of funding that comes from County and State sources.
The Department has an obligation to contract out with qualified service providers
most of which are not-for-profit agencies and the Ithaca Youth Bureau.
In 2003, more than 1,800 youth were served by not-for-profit agencies, not
counting the youth that participated in the Recreation Partnership or town
sponsored programs. Ms. Zahler noted that the 1,800 served is about
1,000 less than five years ago as a result of budget cutbacks.
Detention Program
Ms. Zahler stated the County is required to file a plan
with the State. When looking at the numbers and increases in PINS (Persons
In Need of Supervision) petitions, various County staff from Social Services,
Probation, Youth Services, etc. began looking at other programs, services,
and resources that may be available. A letter was sent to key officials
who work in the juvenile justice and substance abuse areas and a meeting
has been scheduled to discuss and receive feedback on some of the issues
and trends these officials are seeing. Ms. Zahler said she hopes there
will be follow-up meetings to discuss further key issues identified, to make
sure we are getting as much as possible out of our programs. A representative
from Cayuga County was contacted as well and will be attending the meeting
to discuss their integration of services that have seen dramatic results.
Ms. Carey briefly commented that she is excited about this meeting because
it is the first time schools have been involved.
Ms. Zahler announced that on March 15th there will be
a Rural Youth Services Showcase, with Cooperative Extension staff working
with various municipalities highlighting their most effective programs to
promote youth development. In addition, she said she would file the
Recreation Partnership report from their annual meeting in the Legislative
office.
Department of Social Services
Resolution
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Ms. Schuler,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to approve and submit the following
resolution to the full Legislature for approval:
RESOLUTION NO. -AUTHORIZATION
TO ACCEPT GRANT AND CONTRACT WITH YOUTH ADVOCACY PROGRAM FOR SINGLE POINT
OF ACCOUNTABILITY (SPOA) COORDINATORS SERVICES DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
WHEREAS, when a Tompkins County youth is identified as being at risk of institutional
placement or of needing support to safely remain in his or her home or community,
the Department of Social Services works in concert with those youths, their
families, and with other government and community agencies*, to identify
and arrange for delivery of that support, and
WHEREAS, this consensus-based process, called the Single Point of Accountability
(SPOA) process, has led consistently to more thorough and effective assessments
and care plans for the youths in question, and
WHEREAS, the participant youths, families, and agencies agree that these team meetings are highly valuable and effective, and
WHEREAS, the Department of Social Services has found it increasingly challenging
to free internal resources to coordinate and provide material supports for
these meetings, and
WHEREAS, New York States Office of Children and Family Services has awarded
the Department of Social Services funding of $7,594 in TANF funding to cover
100 percent of the cost of contracting with the Youth Advocacy Program to
provide a Single Point of Access (SPOA) Coordinator for Persons In Need of
Supervision (PINS) aged 16 and 17, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Health and Human Services Committee, That
the Department of Social Services is authorized to accept the aforementioned
grant and to contract with the Youth Advocacy Program for provision of a
SPOA Coordinators services for the period April 1, 2004 through March 31,
2005,
RESOLVED, further, That the Director of Finance is hereby authorized to make
the following adjustment to the 2004 budget of the Department of Social Services:
Appropriation:
6010.54442 Professional Services
$7,594
Revenue:
6010.54610
Federal: TANF
$7,594
SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20
* * * * * * * * * *
Explanation:
* Agencies and county departments that have participated in the SPOA process
during the past two years include Mental Health, Probation, County Attorney,
Glove House, Youth Advocacy Program, Hillside, Law Guardians Office, Catholic
Charities, and Pathways.
With growing caseloads and reduced staffing, Tompkins County Department
of Social Services Services Division has found it increasingly difficult
to provide the quantity and quality of support that the SPOA meetings require.
When the availability of TANF funds for prevention of non-secure detention
placements for PINS aged 16-17 was announced in November 2003, the Department
sought and found a partner agency, the Youth Advocacy Program, willing to
contract for provision of that support. New York State has approved our proposal,
and having been approved by the state we now seek that of the County Legislature.
Office for the Aging
Resolution
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Ms. Schuler,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to approve and submit the following
resolution to the full Legislature for approval:
RESOLUTION - ACCEPTANCE OF A GRANT
FROM NATIONAL CENTER FOR SENIORS’ HOUSING RESEARCH FOR AN “ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY AND AGING IN PLACE INITIATIVE” - OFFICE FOR THE AGING
WHEREAS, the Office for the Aging has as its mission to assist seniors to
remain in independent living as long as possible and appropriate, and
WHEREAS, there exists a wide range of assistive devices in the market, and
WHEREAS, the number of individuals needing these devices continues to rise, and
WHEREAS, the Office for the Aging has been awarded funding from the National
Center for Seniors’ Housing Research for the period of April 1, 2004, through
March 31, 2005, to develop a resource center of assistive devices and the
outreach and public information to insure maximal utilization of those devices,
now therefore be it
RESOLVED, on recommendation the Health and Human Services Committee, That the County hereby accepts this grant of $14,850,
RESOLVED, further, That the Finance Director is authorized to make the following adjustments to his books:
Revenue:
6786.42770 Other Miscellaneous Revenue
$14,850
Appropriation: 6786.54491
Sub contracts
$14,850
SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20
* * * * * * * * * *
Explanation: This grant will be used to purchase assistive devices
for a center to enable disabled seniors to try out and secure these items,
if desired. The funding will be contracted out to the Finger Lakes
Independence Center and will supplement their already existing loan closet.
In-kind contributions of various kinds of outreach and public information
will be provided by the County Office for the Aging and the Ithaca College
Gerontology Institute.
Status on Database
Ms. Stein explained several years ago the Department was
strongly encouraged to establish a database for long-term care services and
enter a relationship with a PDS System. The Department contracted and
received support from the State as well as the County's Information Technology
Services (ITS) Department for this project. The Federal requirements
have now been revised and the Department needs to comply. The Department
is in compliance; however, the State is no longer connected with the PDS
system. ITS is unable to continue its support without this relationship
and therefore the State Office for the Aging is asking the local Office for
the Aging Department to link up with another provider called SAMS.
Discussions have been held with all parties and it is felt this is the only
option. The cost of this proposal is $10,000-$15,000; however, the
Department does not have this funding. Mr. Potter feels the cost of
the project would be $10,500 and that this amount can be accommodated in
his budget as part of serving the County's database needs. County Administrator
Steve Whicher has approved this request and it is also being brought to the
appropriate program committees for information. COFA is also seeking
funds from local foundations for this project; if funds are received they
would go to the ITS budget.
Foodnet
Ms. Stein brought to the Committee's attention that Foodnet
may have a deficit of $40,000 at the end of the year. She hopes this
will not be the case. They have submitted five applications that appear
to be promising which will reduce the estimated deficit. Mr. Griffin
explained the situation and said some of causes are increased health insurance
and worker's compensation. He also said there has been no increase
in State or Federal funding. He noted that the capital program campaign
is underway; if successful this will help their operating expenditures in
future years. Mr. Griffin noted that they have recently cut 0.5 FTE
and now have 15 FTE on staff.
Mental Health Department
Mr. Whicher reminded the Committee that the Mental Health
Commissioner search is on hold to allow time to look into moving Mental Health
services to the not-for-profit sector. He has been pursuing this and
at this time this research is at the data gathering stage. He said
that he, David Squires, Bob DeLuca, and a Personnel representative are planning
a visit to Putnam County. Also attending the meeting will be the County
Administrator from Ontario County as they are simultaneously exploring this
possibility. He spoke briefly about Putnam County's experience and
the reasons for their restructure, which has been in place about five years.
The committee discussed the differences between Tompkins and Putnam Counties,
and noted that there are many program and financial issues that need to be
explored. Mr. Whicher said he will continue to keep the Committee informed.
2004 Goals and Calendar
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr suggested, and the Committee agreed,
to move the topic of preventive services to be the second bullet under all
departments/agencies on page one of the goals and not recommend focussing
on a particular “crosscutting” topic this year. It was felt that the
Committee will need to spend much more time on budget issues and there are
several reorganizational issues already on the Committee’s agenda for the
year. At the appropriate time, departments will be reporting on the impacts
of the Governor's proposed budget.