| Board
Meeting Minutes- March 8, 2004 |
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| Meeting held at 800 Preston Avenue Charlottesville, Virginia Members Present Susan Garrett, Chairman Members Absent Carole Z. Wernstrom, RN, MSN Others Present James R. Peterson, Executive Director Evelyn Cotton, Mental Retardation Residential Services Owie Samuels I. CALL TO ORDER Ms. Garrett, chairman, called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
Ms. Garrett welcomed Ms. Bondy Gibson, recently appointed to the Region Ten Board by the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors.
Ms. Garrett asked if there were any comments from the public. Ms. Cotton asked if there would be any discussion about the change to move all residential over night staff to awake status. Ms. Garrett asked Ms. Cotton to go ahead and speak to the issue, and Ms. Cotton said that she wanted to commend the Quality Management Council (Region Ten’s management team) for giving staff ample notice about the impending change which enabled staff to make informed decisions in response to the change.
Ms. Garrett asked if there were any items to be added to the agenda, and Ms. Barrett responded that she would like to make an announcement about an upcoming meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia, and a report on the volunteer orientation.
ON A MOTION BY MS. BARRETT, SECONDED BY DR. KIBLER, THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 9, 2004, BOARD MEETING WERE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED AS DISTRIBUTED.
Ms. Garrett commended Ms. Hammond and the other members of the Personnel Committee for the work they did to develop the human resources component for the strategic plan. Ms. Hammond reported on the last meeting of the Personnel Committee indicating that the committee felt that an update on the classification and compensation system was in order given all of the changes coming out of the David Lloyd reorganization. Also, a staff survey will be conducted to identify issues that are of particular interest with regard to classification and compensation. Ms. Garrett said that the committee is recommending to go ahead with the study, and that a second was not required since the motion came from a committee. She asked if there was any further discussion. Mr. Murphy asked if Ms. Jane Lewis, human resources director, already does this, and do we want to spend dollars to have a external study. Mr. Peterson responded that since the last external study four years ago, new positions and changes in existing positions have been rated internally, but especially considering the sweeping changes resulting from the David Lloyd process, a comprehensive external perspective would be valuable. Also, there are lingering issues from the approach taken four years ago that need to be addressed. Ms. Gibson said it was one thing to conduct a study, but would there then be funds available to actually implement the recommendations. Mr. Peterson said that the final phase of implementation of the previous study was just completed as of this February, but that was after a decade of salary increases averaging just one percent per year, and so there was an enormous amount of catching up to do. Given this progress, whatever might come out of the new study would be easier to implement than the last time around. IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ISSUE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING A CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION STUDY. Mr. Murphy commented that he had the feeling that the administrative positions were classified too low as a result of the previous study, and so the RFP should address that this as well. Mr. Brown expressed his agreement adding that it was the kinds of employers and positions that were included in the comparisons that resulted in lower ratings.
Ms. Garrett said that the Executive Committee had discussed the Risk Management Report and Recommendations at length and noted that findings in the report were in the process of correction. Ms. Barrett asked why three residences were listed for Fontaine when there are only two, and Ms. Maltais said that it may be because the committee did not know which of the two residents were involved and so showed them in a separate category. These are the kinds of things that the new recording and reporting procedures will correct. Ms. Gibson said that the report did not include a recommendation to recognize and reward positive safety records, and she suggested that such a recommendation should be added. Ms. Barrett noted that there was no information as to whether or not the fire drills were successful, and also was there any record to tie the incidents to consumers and staff by name. Mr. Peterson responded that all incidents are reported and logged according to site and consumers and staff involved. Ms. Garrett noted that the Executive Committee had reviewed the application of Ms. Barbara Elias for appointment to the Mental Retardation Services Advisory Committee, and were recommending that she be appointed to the Advisory Committee. Mr. Belair asked how many members were on the committee, and Ms. Maltais replied that there were presently nine. Mr. Belair asked if they wanted more members, and Ms. Maltais said that recruitment was one of the committee’s goals. Mr. Belair asked if the committee has difficulty as to how it sees its function, and Ms. Maltais said that the committee is still finding its way, with some members including the chair wanting to see more volunteer work and so a subcommittee--Friends of Meadowcreek--has been formed to pursue that. Other members prefer to be more in the advisory mode. Mr. Belair responded that what the board is interested in is getting advice, and so if the members want to volunteer, they shouldn’t set up a subcommittee because the bylaws do not provide for that. Rev. Cameron asked if there was anything in the bylaws to prevent this, and Mr. Murphy responded that the chair can appoint subcommittees to address issues that come up. Ms. Barrett said that the bylaws provide for the committee to look at needs in mental retardation and to get resources and community involvement, and what better involvement is there than actually volunteering. Mr. Belair followed by saying that let’s assume that the committee comes up with recommendations, then these should be passed onto the board to decide if we want to do this. The previous advisory committee was disbanded precisely because they were getting involved in things the board did not want them to, yet if the bylaws allow the chair to set up subcommittees, then, O.K. Ms. Barrett said that the goals and objectives had been presented to the board a few months earlier (October 2003), and they included the volunteer activities and there were no objections. Mr. Belair suggested that the executive director mail the recommendations to the board members, and that it then be put on the agenda for next month. Ms. Garrett said that volunteering is very important, and now since the committee members are going through the Region Ten orientation, she asked Ms. Barrett to report on that. Ms. Barrett said that it is a requirement for volunteers to go through the orientation which is provided to all new staff every Friday during a day long session. She said much of the orientation was very helpful, but some was not at all applicable to volunteers and so the orientation should be modified accordingly. Ms. Barrett said we should look at the bylaws and put this on the agenda for next month. Ms. Johnston asked if this would hold up the orientation, and Mr. Peterson responded that it would not, that an orientation is required by licensure and would continue to be provided in some form. Ms. Johnston said that she would not like to do anything that would discourage volunteers. Mr. Murphy reiterated that the board has already endorsed the committee goals, and if a board member wishes to revisit the issue, that is OK, but in the meantime, a motion is not needed because the activity has been approved. Ms. Garrett asked for a report on Region Ten’s plans for the observance of its 35th anniversary. Ms. Barrett gave an example of a book patterned after that produced by Ms. Mildred Spicer for the special needs recreation program at the city Department of Parks and Recreation. The book would include articles from consumers, staff, board members and others describing how Region Ten has made a difference in the lives of those in need, and would also include art work and the kind of information that was in the 20th anniversary newspaper supplement--a comparison between what was and what is. She said that the staff are excited about the project, and she added that she hoped Mr. Trippel would help with the art work. Ms. Garrett said that one of the objectives in the strategic plan calls for the dissemination of this kind of information and communication to the public. Ms. Barrett added that programs would also be sponsored for speakers to present on topics of interest during the year. Proclamations will also be sought from the local governments, and these are all good ways to keep Region Ten in the public eye. She commended Ms. Mary Miller for the great works she has done in developing this plan. Mr. Belair cited goal number two in the strategic plan calling for improved access to services, and the book would be an excellent way to let the public know. He suggested that if the cost were not prohibitive, copies could be distributed to every doctor and dentist to be available in their waiting rooms. Ms. Barrett said that Ms. Miller was already intending to get donations to support the costs. Ms. Barrett added that she would challenge each board member to contribute toward the cost, and she would start if off by making a $500.00 contribution. Ms. Garrett moved to the consideration of the strategic plan and noted that the goals flow from the mission statement. She asked for the next steps, and Mr. Peterson said that the process would continue to further operationalize the strategies, time lines and measures.
Ms. Garrett referred to the report and said that she would like to see all board members involved in the second interview and possibly executive directors from other Community Services Boards. She anticipates that this would take place in May, and that the candidates would also talk with staff. Mr. Belair asked if there was still a need for a consultant, and Mrs. Garrett responded that this will be decided as they move along.
Mr. Peterson reported that the RTLHRC had met and reviewed and approved the human rights policies for DePaul Family Services group home program located in Bumpass. The committee is planning a special meeting on March 26 to develop committee bylaws and affiliate agreements which would prescribe the responsibilities of the affiliate agencies under its umbrella including attendance and reporting to the committee and paying an annual fee to help offset the costs of maintaining the committee.
Ms. Garrett said that the board had already covered this during the discussion of the Executive Committee report.
Ms. Garrett said that this item had also been covered.
Ms. Garrett introduced Ms. Neta Davis, the new director of the newly reestablished Division of Substance Use Disorders Services. Ms. Davis said that she had worked with Region Ten in the field of substance use disorders for 10 years until she was appointed to head up the development and operation of the new Access service, but she was excited now to be returning to the field of substance use disorders. Ms. Maltais referred to the earlier comments of Ms. Cotton regarding the change of overnight staff to awake status, and that this is more attentive to consumer needs especially recognizing the increasing medical and physical challenges. She announced that the spring Meadowcreek plant sale will be held from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 7. They are also soliciting bake goods to sell, and so any board members who would like to contribute items would be welcomed. She said that the renovations at the Grady Avenue residence are almost completed, and everyone is looking forward to an early April completion date. Finally, an employee of the month program has been implemented at Meadowcreek where anyone can recommend an employee to be recognized for exceptional service. Mr. Larry Eubanks, the maintenance assistance, was the first to be honored, and there are some special perks including a special parking place, mention in the newsletter, and a continuous PowerPoint presentation shown in the entryway attesting to his excellent service. Ms. Becker said that she has been on the job now for one week and has been conducting interviews to replace Ms. Davis for her previous position as director of Access. Mr. Pezzoli said that his office has been relocated from Fourth Street to temporary space here in the Preston Avenue building pending the relocation of the administrative division to the leased space downtown. He has been recruiting to fill the responsibilities for overseeing rural services formerly carried out by Ms. Becker, but he does not anticipate filling the position as it had been, but rather returning to the earlier model calling for a director in each rural locality. He then reported on the meeting hosted by the Mental Health Association on crisis stabilization services which was also attended by Ms. Garrett, Dr. Sheras, Mr. Peterson and Ms. Becker. He said that for over 15 years this has been a major item in Region Ten’s strategic plan. Ms. Garrett reported that there was a great interest in using peer volunteers to help out. Mr. Belair asked for an update on the status of transportation to the clubhouse and also of the pharmacy program, and Mr. Pezzoli replied that it was unlikely that there was any future for the Advanced Pharmacy Solutions program, and instead Region Ten was once again relying on drug companies for samples and also doing what we used to do which requires more staff time. Regarding transportation, he said that LogistiCare is still experiencing tremendous turnover, and the situation remains unsatisfactory. Mr. Brown said that his staff is filling boxes and preparing for the move the 1st of April, otherwise it’s business as usual.
Ms. Barrett reminded members that the spring conference of the VACSB will be held in Virginia Beach May 5 to 7, and that she has been following all of the legislative alerts about the budget, and has been writing to legislators.
Ms. Garrett asked if there were any further reports from board members, and there were none.
Ms. Barrett announced that the regular monthly meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia will be held on Wednesday, March 10, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Northside Library, and that the program will consist of a presentation she will make on Medicaid Waiver. She will present 10 sample cases, and then the audience will be divided into small groups with the charge to select just one case for funding out of the 10. This is intended to place a face on this crucial need. The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Carol Johnston REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING Committee Members Present Angela Hammond, Chair Others Present James Peterson
1. Staff Survey Ms. Lewis presented a draft of the staff survey designed to elicit staff opinions on Region Ten;’s benefit structure. The survey would be sent to each individual staff member by including it in the March payroll envelope. Committee members offered a number of suggestions for revisions to the draft, and also added a second section to address the issues related to the classification and compensation study.
Ms. Hammond outlined the committee activities and objectives for the immediate future, and the following time lines were established. a. Staff survey to be issued at end of March b. The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the classification and compensation study to be issued about March 26 c. RFPs to be returned April 16 d. Selection of vendors to be interviewed to be completed by April
20 f. Award to vendor May 15
Committee members reviewed the previous RFP from four years ago with particular attention to the scope of work and the evaluation and award criteria. Minor revisions were suggested for inclusion in the new RFP. The next meeting of the Personnel Committee will be held on Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 4:30 p.m. Ms. Lewis will be in Korea at that time. The meeting was adjourned. REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING April 5, 2004 Committee Members Present Susan Garrett, Chairman Others Present James Peterson, Executive Director 1. Planning for the April 12 board meeting Committee members reviewed the minutes of the of the March 8 board meetings. Mr. John Beghtol, Western State Hospital’s assistant director for community relations, will make a report to the board. Ms. Garrett pointed out that Mr. Beghtol had proposed converting a 24-bed ward at the hospital to be used by the four nearby Community Services Boards (including Region Ten) as a crisis stabilization center. She hope that he would report on this as well during his remarks. The committee also reviewed the minutes of the Personnel Committee. Mr. Peterson reported that there will also be minutes of the special meeting of the Region Ten Local Human Rights Committee (RTLHRC) at which time proposed bylaws were developed along with an affiliation agreement. The agreement would be executed by all of the agencies under the RTLHRC, and require each affilitate appear at least annually and also pay a $100 annual fee to continue their affiliation.
Ms. Garrett pointed out that the bylaws require that a nominating committee be appointed in April in order to report out a slate of proposed officers to the board in May. The elections take place in June, and the new officers begin their terms on July 1. Ms. Garrett asked Mr. Belair to chair the committee, and she will also ask Ms. White and Ms. Hammond to be members of the committee.
Mr. Peterson reported that the Teensight program, which has been in operation for 14 years under the auspices of Focus, will be looking to come under another agency in a year or two. Their mission of providing prevention services meshes nicely with Region Ten’s programs, but some of their funding may require that they come under a 501 (c) 3 non-for-profit corporation rather than a public agency (although Region Ten, Inc., meets the criteria, all of Region Ten’s personnel have always been under the public agency, not Region Ten, Inc.). In any event, Mr. Peterson had suggested to Ms. Alicia Lugo, Teensight’s executive director, that she submit the job descriptions for their four staff positions to be reviewed and rated when Region Ten’s classification and compensation study is conducted, and then the board will have a year or so to explore all aspects of the possible merger.
Concerns have been raised about the lack of policy governing those situations when a board member would like to submit an application for a Region Ten staff position. The Executive Committee will consider developing a proposed board policy at its next meeting. The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be held on Monday, May 3, 12:00 noon, at the Hardware Store Restaurant, 316 East Main Street, Charlottesville. The meeting was adjourned. REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
Phil Carr, Chairman Others Present James Peterson, Executive Director From Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation
The committee used as a model the bylaws of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Local Human Rights Committee which have been approved the State Human Rights Committee. The members agreed that the only changes needed were name changes to make the bylaws applicable to RTLHRC. On a motion by Ms. Hymes, seconded by Ms. Bruns, it was unanimously voted to recommend approval of the bylaws as revised to the State Human Rights Committee. Affiliation agreements from several Local Human Rights Committee
were reviewed, and then revisions were proposed to the agreement
from the Rappahannock-Rapidan Local Human Rights Committee. The
members agreed that the annual affiliation fee should be set at
$100. Mr. Peterson will incorporate the revisions, and will send
draft copies of both the bylaws and the affiliation agreement to
all members for their review and feedback. The bylaws will then
be forwarded to the State Human Rights Committee for their review
and approval. The next regular meeting of the Region Ten Local Human Rights Committee will be held on Friday, May 21, 2004, 3:30 p.m., in the board room (basement level) at Region Ten’s offices located at 800 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville. The meeting was adjourned. Linda Noakes, chair, called the meeting to order. Linda welcomed the newest member of the MR Advisory Committee, Barbara Elias. Committee members introduced themselves to Barbara and gave some information to members regarding what brought them to the Region Ten Advisory committee. 2. Review of minutes Linda Noakes noted that the first edition of minutes did not include attendance information. Martha Maltais reported that the second edition of the minutes did include those persons in attendance. Barbara Barrett made a motion to approve the minutes. Cheryl Ribando seconded. Minutes approved. 3. Discussion Region Ten Community Services Board’s 35th Anniversary Celebration Barbara Barrett reported that the 35th anniversary celebration would be ongoing, not any one specific date. Martha Maltais reported that Mary Miller is putting together a special book in honor of the anniversary. This book will include poems, drawings, short stories, etc. to express sentiments of consumers and community members regarding Region Ten and the difference Region Ten Community Services Board has made to the community in 35 years. This book should be available for distribution this year as we celebrate the anniversary. 4. Recruitment of new Advisory members Martha Maltais reported to the Advisory Committee that phone calls have been made to persons who were sent letters of invitation to join the committee. Several people indicated interest but due to involvement in other committees were not able to commit to Advisory Committee membership. Martha reported that the Gianinny family seemed interested and Martha needed the phone number of Helen Maurek (which Carol Cutler subsequently provided). Martha will attempt to reestablish phone contact with those persons who seemed interested. Cheryl Ribando suggested that Martha should contact the United Way to post information on their website for recruitment of volunteers for Friends of Meadowcreek. 5. Goals of the MR Advisory Committee The committee discussed goals and objective and reviewed previous
projects. MR Advisory On the Road presentation- This presentation is ready to be shown, releases have been signed. It can be set up to scroll through automatically or set up to be presented by Advisory members with a script. New Goals Martha Maltais will survey the staff to get input regarding gaps in medical care and how the MR Advisory committee could address those issues. Jobs Development- The committee may choose to focus to paving the
way developing paying jobs for consumers in the community. Meadowcreek
day services is looking at using a position to develop the job market
for consumers during the day. Meadowcreek would send staff to a
job site to guarantee to the employer that the job would get done.
Barbara Elias asked if the committee had considered a presentation
to a service club (which has not be done). Lois Brown asked if we
have a list. We do not have a staff person yet in MR to work on
job recruitment. Linda Noakes asked about DRS. Meadowcreek is not
a DRS vendor but we do have some consumers who have worked in the
community in some paying jobs. Linda Noakes suggested that the MR Advisory committee work on gathering statistics and information on the level of unmet medical needs our consumers have and also a list of the jobs that consumers have done in the community. Linda asked the committee if the committee wants to think about priorities or decide now what the priorities are. Charles Byers indicated he felt the jobs issues should be a priority. Luther Gore suggested that the goal should be very narrow, almost by way of a pilot. What could the MR Advisory Committee do to make a difference? Linda Noakes suggested that the committee should set a goal once the committee decides what to focus in on. Cheryl Ribando suggested that the committee should include education of the public. Charles Byers suggested that the committee should ask Melvin Fensome to address the committee. Mr. Fensome has a presentation about his time living at CVTC when it was known as the “Colony.” Carol Cutler suggested the committee work on the jobs issue and the healthcare issues as well. Carol said it was a very positive for community businesses to hire people with disabilities. Lois Brown reported that she would be glad to ask Tim Breedlove if he would make a presentation to the committee concerning his development of employer contacts and that she would follow up. Committee will continue to prioritize goals at the next meeting. 6. Upcoming Events: 7. Next Meeting – The next meeting of the Mental Retardation Advisory Committee will be Thursday, May 13, 2004, from 4:00-5:30 at the Meadowcreek Center. Respectfully submitted,
March 8, 2004, BOARD MEETING MINUTES Members Present Susan Garrett, Chairman Members Absent Carole Z. Wernstrom, RN, MSN Others Present James R. Peterson, Executive Director Owie Samuels
Ms. Garrett, chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
On a motion by Rev. Cameron, seconded by Ms. Barrett, the minutes of the February 9, 2004, board meeting were unanimously approved as distributed. III. Nelson County Facility Mr. Peterson reported that the Nelson County Planning Commission met on February 25 and enthusiastically approved the site plan even though the final soil erosion calculations were pending. The commission gave the authority to the planning director to issue the final approval upon receipt of the calculations. Once the notification of final approval is received, it will take the Rural Development Fund of the Department of Agriculture about 90 days to process all of the paperwork to closing. At that point, the project can be let out for bid.
Suitable sites have yet to be identified, and so there was no progress to report.
Ms. Garrett introduced Ms. Owie Samuels, a parent and dedicated volunteer who has asked to address the board about a topographical concern at Blue Ridge House. Ms. Samuels said that Blue Ridge House is a beautiful building, but she learned last week that the builder at Burnet Commons is planning to install an 18 foot high concrete retaining wall between the Blue Ridge House property and the adjacent lot. The wall will loom over the back of the clubhouse to the extent that the building will look like it is in a pit. The builder is willing to sell the lot for the amount he paid for it ($45,000), and then a gentle grade with plantings could be installed instead of the wall. Ms. Samuels has already raised $12,000 for landscaping, and she has raised $4,000 toward the possible purchase of the lot. There will be 36 houses in the development selling for about $350,000. Ms. Samuels said that it would be justified to also take some of the $12,000 and apply that toward the purchase, but funds must be available for plants and shade trees. Mr. Belair asked if there had been any effort to get the builder to visit Blue Ridge House and meet the members, and Ms. Samuels said that her invitation to him last week was the first time. Dr. Kibler said that he knew the builder and would talk to him about what the possibilities might be. Ms. Garrett asked about Region Ten, Inc., using existing resources to purchase the property outright, and Mr. Peterson responded that this could be done, and then Ms. Samuels could continue to work with her group to replenish Region Ten’s fund. Rev. Cameron said it would be unconscionable to not consider pursuing this. Ms. Garrett asked if someone would like to propose a motion. On a motion by Ms. Barrett, seconded by Rev. Cameron, it was unanimously voted to proceed with the purchase of the lot adjacent to Blue Ridge House, and to authorize the executive director to negotiate a contract of purchase. The meeting was adjourned at 7:19 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Carol Johnston |
