Committee for Seniors & Citizens in Need

MINUTES Commitee for Seniors and Ci�zens in Need June 26, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. The Commitee for Seniors and Ci�zens in Need (CSCN) met on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in the Bel Air Police Department Community Room, 39 N. Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, MD. MEMBERS PRESENT: Vickie Bands, RN, Director, Upper Chesapeake Community Outreach; Vice-Chair of ENCC Debra Hanley, Brightview Assisted Living Franklin Jones, new CSCN member Jasmine Stock, LCSW-C, Upper Chesapeake CTO Karen Winkowski, Administrator, Harford County Office on Aging IN ATTENDANCE: Mary Chance, Town Commissioner Charles Moore, Chief of Police, Town of Bel Air Pam Moore, Recording Secretary Kris�ne Reinhardt, Administra�ve Secretary 1. Welcome and Introduc�ons Vice-Chair Ms. Bands called the mee�ng to order at 8:38 a.m. 2. Review the Agenda Today’s agenda was distributed and discussed. 3. Vote and Approval of the Minutes – May 22, 2024 Ms. Hanley moved and Ms. Stock seconded the mo�on to approve the minutes of the May 22, 2024, mee�ng. The mo�on carried. 4. Old Business a. Name Change - Review of proposed changes to Town Code to reflect name change and updated language about Commitee’s mission and purpose i. Voted on 6/17/2024 at the Town Hall Mee�ng – Approved Ordinance 827-24; to be effec�ve 21 days a�er passing, July 8, 2024 Ms. Reinhardt advised the new name for this commitee, the Commitee for Seniors and Ci�zens in Need (CSCN), was approved by the Town Commissioners at the June 17, 2024, Town Hall mee�ng. The new name will be effec�ve as of July 8, 2024, twenty-one (21) days a�er this vote. Ms. June 26, 2024 Page 1 Reinhardt and Mr. Anderson, Public Informa�on Officer for the Town of Bel Air, will change the Commitee’s name on the Town website and where appropriate. b. Discuss amending Town of Bel Air, MD Code: Chapter 10: Boards, Commissions and Commitees § 10- 20: Memberships; terms of office – i. New members appointed at Town Hall Mee�ng 6/17/2024; Franklin Jones and Greg La Cour, each for a term of three (3) years The CSCN had previously consisted of five (5) members. During the June 17, 2024, mee�ng, the Town Commissioners voted that between five (5) to nine (9) members can serve on the CSCN. The Commitee currently has seven (7) members, and a quorum is the majority. Two new members were approved, Franklin Jones and Greg La Cour, each serving a term of three (3) years. Commissioner Chance will advise the CSCN if issues pertaining to seniors or ci�zens in need are being discussed in Town Board mee�ngs so that members may atend and offer their thoughts and support. 5. New Business a. Ms. Reinhardt requested members advise her of new business ac�on items to be added to the agenda in advance of the next CSCN mee�ng. b. Ms. Winkowski advised that"Carmel Roques, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging, visited the McFaul Ac�vity Center Monday, June 17. She spoke about “The Longevity-Ready Maryland Ini�a�ve,” which focuses on a 100-year life span. Secretary Roques noted that 60% of current kindergartners will live to age 100, and, according to Governor Moore’s Execu�ve Order, “Maryland must act with urgency and seize the opportunity to build a longevity-ready and aging-friendly state, by establishing new policies and programs, evalua�ng the efficacy of current services, iden�fying new support op�ons for older adults and caregivers, coordina�ng with public and private partners, and strategically planning for the future.” Ms. Winkowski and others from the Harford County Office on Aging took Secretary Roques to Parkview Bel Air, a senior living facility, where she was able to see thirty-seven (37) par�cipants do chair zumba. The Secretary was impressed with ini�a�ves and projects sponsored by the Harford County Office on Aging, especially preventa�ve measures and health promo�ons that reduce hospital admissions. Ms. Winkowski noted that Parkview Bel Air is eligible for Housing and Urban Development money because they are subsidized. c. Ms. Winkowski advised that the Harford County Office on Aging is partnering with Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (UCMC), the United Way, and APGCFU, in a food security program for June 26, 2024 Page 2 seniors, beginning today at Fairview House Care Home in Aberdeen. Currently, the only op�on for home- delivered meals is frozen food from Meals on Wheels which is not nutri�ous; however, Meals on Wheels has a built-in, volunteer delivery model which is efficient and inexpensive. The Office on Aging has long advocated for a different model for home delivered meals, but the delivery aspect has always seemed to be an insurmountable issue. When this partnership with UCMC arose, the Office of Aging teamed with a local caterer in Aberdeen, Maison In�mate Catering, who makes three (3) large meals once a week and whose cooking aligns with nutri�on standards. Most importantly, the caterer can deliver the meals because Fairview is close to her business. The Office on Aging also met with ShopRite regarding senior menus. Delivery is a huge problem due to staffing, reliability of volunteers, and food safety issues. d. HarGo Rides is a new transporta�on ini�a�ve for people undergoing dialysis, cancer treatments, and other medical appointments. Dr. Kumar of UCMC decided to start a volunteer ride program; a pilot program will begin in September, probably in northern Harford County where there is litle public transporta�on. Dr. Kumar would also like to see seniors use this program for socializa�on. Ms. Bands and Ms. Winkowski discussed Synergy and Katherine’s Keepers, two programs that will provide transporta�on and stay with the pa�ent while the medical procedure is being done; however, these programs charge for their services. Ms. Bands noted that seniors do not know where to search for resources when they are sick and need transporta�on. Mr. Jones discussed the difficul�es he had in accessing transporta�on when he was ill. Fortunately, the Red Cross arranged an Uber for him, but he noted that he and friends of his do not know where to go or who to call for help or informa�on. Ms. Bands and Ms. Hanley discussed the difficulty in dissemina�ng informa�on to seniors and wondered how to best reach the senior popula�on. Current bus routes are affordable but are not user friendly. The Harford Transit LINK Ride Share coordinator, Ryan Kivinski, can be reached at rideshare@harfordcountymd.gov or at (410) 612-1620 ext. 7474, and he is happy to help people plan their bus routes. Ms. Hanley would like Mr. Kivinski to visit Brightview Assisted Living to train the front desk staff on how to use the Harford Transit system. Ms. Winkowski suggested that Mr. Jones and his friend call the Harford County Office on Aging and speak to a caseworker. She noted that there were 74,000 ini�al calls to the Office of Aging last year and that cases must be priori�zed; they try to focus on preven�on and awareness. e. Ms. Winkowski advised that telephone number 211 (also htps://211md.org/) was established several years ago by the United Way to help people access food, housing, u�lity assistance, and other essen�al health and human services. When people call 211, they are connected to local partners for help. CSCN members agreed that the 211 service is not well-adver�sed and many people are not aware of it. June 26, 2024 Page 3  f. Ms. Bands men�oned Melynda Velez of LASOS who is in contact with two brothers in Shrewsbury, PA, who pick up fresh food from Amish farms and deliver it for only 31 cents per pound. These brothers are willing to drive to the Bel Air area to deliver fresh food. Ms. Velez and Ms. Bands will inves�gate this program further, and Ms. Bands will keep the CSCN apprised. g. Ms. Stock discussed the Care Transforma�on Organiza�on (CTO) which is a case management team that works with primary care offices for people with Medicare Part B. Many people use emergency rooms as their primary care, and CTO connects people to actual primary care offices which can follow up with the higher risk popula�on. Ms. Bands advised that anyone can call Upper Chesapeake at 800-515- 0044 with any and all ques�ons and they will connect them to the appropriate office for help and follow up. 6. Stakeholder Comments Mr. Jones noted again that he and his friends simply do not know where to go for informa�on and stressed that it is not an issue of affordability. CSCN members agreed that reaching the senior popula�on and ci�zens in need to provide help and per�nent informa�on is an ongoing problem. Mr. Jones suggested having name tags at CSCN mee�ngs with members’ affiliated organiza�ons listed underneath their names. 7. Confirm tenta�ve mee�ng date August 28, 2024 The next mee�ng will be Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in the Bel Air Police Department Community Room. 8. Adjournment The mee�ng adjourned at 9:40 a.m. Signature on file __________________________________________ Mary Chance , Commissioner Signature on file ___________________________________________ Kris�ne Reinhardt, Town Administra�ve Secretary June 26, 2024 Page 4