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SAN MATEO COUNTY COMMISSION ON AGING
MINUTES
January 10, 2005
Health Services Agency, 225 37th Avenue, Room 100, San Mateo
PRESENT: Andre Belarmino, Dorothy Borbidge, Bob Collins, Arline Elliott, Janet Galeno, Marvin Goldman, Bill Lathrop, Treva Ludy, Jerry McCarthy, May Nichols, Mary Pappas, Robert Prevot, Annie Sadler, Scott Smyth, Aaron Straus
ABSENT: Rachel Sanchez-Parodi
EXCUSED: Suzanne Black, Bertha Price, C.W. Roddy, Elizabeth Furber, Helen Karr, Ming Tak Leong, Fiona Wainwright
GUESTS: Lorraine Simmons, Supervisor Tissier’s Office; Honorable Adrienne Tissier, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors; Michelle Knapik, Peninsula Volunteers; Maureen Dunn, Mills Peninsula Senior Focus; Anne Hipskind, YFES/YDI
STAFF: Lori Sweeney, Community Program Specialist; Zhanna Ashkinaziy-Abuel, Public Service Specialist; Lisa Mancini, Director, Aging and Adult Services
1. CALL TO ORDER: 9:05 a.m. by Chair Elliott.
2. CORRESPONDENCE: Commissioner Straus read a thank you note from Stephen Juel, Health Services Manager, who retired in December, for the retirement party and gifts.
3. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None
4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: M/S/C – Pappas/Nichols
Correction to item 10 (A) on the agenda: change Commissioner Lathrop to Commissioner Black under Continuum-Based Continuum of Care (CBCC). Commissioner Prevot has replaced Commissioner Black as Chair of the Nutrition Committee.
5. CHAIR AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT:
Chair Elliott reported on the following:
* Two executive meetings were held since the last general meeting in November. Commissioner Pappas is unable to be “Commissioner at Large” due to other commitments but will continue to chair the Ad Hoc Funding Committee. Commissioner Ludy will fill her position. Succession planning for recruiting new commissioners and joining with other commissions to work out an evaluation plan for commissioners is a pressing need. We would like to ensure a diverse and active representation on the commission. Commissioner Straus is working on this. Regarding Section 8 vouchers, Supervisors Hill and Nevin called a special meeting with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and staff from the Housing Authority to review the County’s handling of Section 8 vouchers. Currently, 14% of vouchers go to seniors and 29% of the people on the eligibility list are seniors. This does not include subsidized housing built especially for seniors. Commissioners McCarthy, Sadler and Leong also attended.
* Met with Lisa Mancini, Director of Aging and Adult Services, regarding Prop 63 money and the mental health needs of seniors. Under a program called “Older Adult System of Care,” we will be receiving money from the Dept. of Aging and the Dept. of Mental Health to help with these needs. If anyone is interested in attending meetings as they come up, let me know.
* Attended C4A conference entitled “Embracing Change” and the two TACC meetings that were part of the conference. Shea Muller, Aging and Adult Services, was acknowledged for her work on the Strategic Plan.
* Attended three meetings to discuss the goals for the next Long Term Strategic Plan.
* Attended a demonstration of hearing devices along with Commissioners Sadler, Furber and a representative from Self Help for the Hard of Hearing (SHHH) that may be purchased with OTO funds for use at senior centers.
* Stephen Juel, Health Services Manager, sent a thank you note and a picture of him in the slippers that the Commission gave him for his retirement. He also gave the Commission and Aging and Adult Services a book entitled What Good Are Old People For.
Today during the break we will celebrate Lori Sweeney’s birthday.
6. STAFF REPORT:
Lisa Mancini, Director of Aging and Adult Services, reported on the following:
* Met with Gale Bataille, Mental Health Director. She would like to have members from the Commission on Aging, the Commission on Disabilities and the Public Authority Advisory Committee attend Mental Health meetings and be involved in the planning sessions for Prop. 63 funds.
* Currently analyzing the Governor’s budget. Discussed the statewide plan to recommend certain committees and commissions for elimination. The CoA is not one of them and will continue to exist.
* Discussed the Program Services Manager I position, which will take over most of Stephen Juel’s responsibilities. The ADA responsibilities have been moved to Health Administration and are now with Arthur Morris, Deputy Director of the Health Department. Hoping to have someone in place as Program Services Manager by March.
Lori Sweeney, Community Program Specialist, reported on the following:
* The March Executive Committee meeting date is changed to March 7, 2005 from 1-3:00 p.m. due to the RFP timeline.
* The RFP was released on January 3, 2005, and the Applicants Workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, January 11, 2005. There will be a one hour presentation followed by a one hour question and answer period. The RFP submission deadline is February 11, 2005. The evaluation team is scheduled to meet during the last week in February. The recommendations for funding will be presented at the March meeting.
* The One-Time Only funds were increased to $430,999. The groundwork is currently being done on all projects, and the contracts are in negotiation. The target date for contract initiation is February 15, 2005.
7. DISCUSSION/ACTION:
Shea Muller, Community Program Specialist, discussed the following:
* Presented on the Strategic Plan 2005, Goals and Objectives.
* For streamlining purposes, the ongoing programs will be located in the back of the Plan in matrix form for easy location.
* The phrase “Seniors and Adults With Disabilities” has been removed in order to reduce redundancy because the entire Plan addresses that population. It will no longer be continually mentioned throughout the Plan. M/S/C- Nichols/Sadler
8. DISCUSSION/ACTION:
* Lori discussed the changes to the Procedural Rules as recommended by County Counsel. In order to comply with the Brown Act, the Executive Committee can no longer request a vote by phone to support any action. In the past, this method had been used to seek approval for supporting grants when the submission deadline required action in advance of the Commission’s regularly scheduled meetings. After the Executive Committee had approved action, it was then ratified by the full Commission. County Counsel stated this method was in violation of the Brown Act and recommended that one way to address the issue would be for the full Commission to grant the authority to the Executive Committee to meet and vote on approval for letters of support for grants on behalf of the entire Commission. The Commission objected to this action and voted to table it until the next meeting, with the request that Penny Bennet, Deputy County Counsel, attend the next Commission meeting and explain the process in detail. M/S/C- Galeno/Ludy
9. PRESENTATION:
Youth Commissioner Wainwright was unable to attend and will present at the February meeting. Lori gave a brief outline of the proposed computer-mentoring project.
10. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
A. Community-Based Continuum of Care
* Discharge planning is the new focus area and will be discussed at the next meeting. The committee will also be working on the work plan.
B. Legislative/Advocacy – Report Submitted
* Next meeting will be changed to February 28 due to the President’s holiday on February 21. Commissioner McCarthy will chair the next meeting.
* Will suggest CPR training for employees of senior centers. As requested, a letter from the Medical Society will be submitted.
C. Minority Elders – Report Submitted
D. Nutrition Committee
* Will meet after today’s CoA meeting at the Fair Oaks Senior Center and administer a short survey to people attending the Congregate Nutrition Program and to go over the work plan.
E. Housing
* When brochures are finished, will present to both the CoA and CoD to help with distribution.
E. Sunshine
* Cards were sent to Commissioner Roddy, Stephen Juel, Lori Sweeney and Verna Aldous. A card will also be sent to Commissioner Furber.
* Commissioner Belarmino asked to be notified each month of birthdays, illnesses, and any other events that require him to send out a card.
11. LIAISON AND AD HOC COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Ad Hoc Arts – [as amended] In addition to the Older Americans' Month poetry contest, there will also be a photography exhibit in the Peninsula Arts Museum at 32 W. 25th Ave. in San Mateo. This building is accessible. For information see Commissioners Leong, Goldman, and Belarmino.
Commission on Disabilities – No Report
Implementation Coordination Committee – No Report
In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority – Written Report Received
In addition, a manager from the County of Mendocino Department of Social Services provided a presentation on the importance of fingerprinting potential IHSS care providers. On August 1, 2001, at the direction of their Board of Supervisors, a fingerprinting program was initiated to check the background of potential IHSS registry providers. This program is available free of charge to any IHSS recipient who requests a background check of their care provider regardless of whether or not they use the registry. The County of Mendocino funds this program in full. This costs about $50-60 per transaction and has been very successful.
Legal Aid – No Report
Legal Aid’s Health Consumer Center – No Report
Meals on Wheels – No Report
Adult Abuse Prevention Collaborative – Ombudsman will hold a training for volunteers this spring. Contact Tippy Irwin (349-7008) for more information. Mission Hospice will also hold a training. Contact Nadine Condon (554-1000) for more information.
New Beginning Coalition – No Report
Paratransit Coordinating Council – No Report
California Senior Legislature – No Report
Triple A Council of California – No Report. Meets on the January 26 and 27.
Community Block Development Block Grant – No Report
Intergenerational Collaborative – No Report
12. OTHER:
* Commissioner Goldman talked about the upcoming tax season and the AARP training for volunteers. If anyone wants to make a donation to help seniors, line 53 should be checked off.
* Commissioner Sadler expressed her concern on commissioner attendance. Chair Elliot discussed the plan for evaluation and succession plan.
* Commissioner Pappas talked about the proposed plans for Social Security and asked the Legislative and Advocacy Committee to look into it. She will submit a written request to Commissioner Strauss.
* Chair Elliot discussed the White House Conference on Aging planned for October 2005. There will only be certain topics allowed and discussed. Attendance will be limited. The Legislative and Advocacy Committee will look into this matter.
* Commissioner Nichols announced that per Howard Lader, there will be Peer Counseling training in February, and they are looking for Peer Counselors.
12. ANNOUNCEMENTS: None
13. ADJOURN: 10:34 a.m.
Next Meeting
February 14, 2005
9 –11 am, Room 100
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