Mental Health Board

708 GENEVA COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH BOARD September 9, 2014 The Geneva Community Mental Health Board met at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9, 2014, in the Geneva City Council Chambers, 109 James Street, Geneva, Illinois 60134. Present: Chairman Ford, Members Goc, Goldstein, Hamilton, Shogren, Johnson. Absent: Wagner. Also present Association for Individual Development Exec. Dir. Lynn O’Shea, Recording Secretary Celeste Weilandt. 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chairman Ford called the meeting of the Mental Health Board to order at 7:00 p.m. A quorum was present with six (6) voting members. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA – Goldstein asked to discuss a Geneva teen program under Item 7.C. 3. OMNIBUS AGENDA ( OMNIBUS VOTE ) All items listed with an asterisk ( * ) are considered to be routine by the Mental Health Board and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a board member or citizen so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Omnibus (Consent) Agenda and considered in its normal sequence on the Regular Agenda. Motion by Johnson, seconded by Goc to approve the omnibus agenda. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote of 6-0. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES/PAYMENTS *A. Regular Meeting Minutes of August 12, 2014 - Passed by Omnibus Agenda. *B. Approve Payment to Recording Secretary for Services - Passed by Omnibus Agenda. Exec. Dir. Lynn O’Shea from AID introduced herself to the new members and explained her agency’s background stating that her agency has been providing services to Geneva residents since 1961. A quick update followed regarding the agency’s latest activities including the pursuit of a $750,000 Challenge grant (matching grant over 3 years) under the Dunham Fund and working with Brinshore, LLC who provides tax credit financing for group home housing. To understand tax credit financing, Ms. O’Shea invited members to attend Brinshore’s presentation on Monday, September 15, 2014, 4:00 p.m. at Geneva’s Sixth Street School. Also, O’Shea reported the Illinois Planning Council on Intellectual and Development Disabilities is sponsoring a housing development seminar where it is taking applications from teams of individuals, corporations, parents and disabled individuals who come together to create more affordable housing and member Goldstein has been invited to sit in on those meetings. Chairman Ford suggested inviting, via email, other housing groups in Geneva to attend the September 15th tax credit meeting. Johnson asked O’Shea whether she has seen the use of vouchers by individuals being any better or worse, wherein O’Shea explained that from her perspective, the vouchers appeared to be working. 5. OLD BUSINESS A. Discuss Objectives – Hamilton reviewed what the board discussed last month and pointed out the board should be adopting some objectives so that it can see if they are getting accomplished or not. Discussion/revisions followed in each of the three objectives: Funding: 1) Maintain a relationship with service providers to make them aware of the funds allocation process. 2) Use data from service providers and government bodies on local needs, on services to Geneva residents, and on the effectiveness of services provided in the funding process. Advocacy: 1) Assess the needs of our community by gathering information about the latest actions of ACHHAI, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse decisions by law and policy makers and discuss the impact those decisions may have on our community. 2) Develop positions on these actions and decision based on the impact of them on Mental Health, Development Disabilities and Substance Abuse populations. Dialog followed whether a gap analysis would be done since it was different from assessing data. Hamilton believed it was important, especially if there was a large gap, the board would want to accordingly. However, dialog followed whether to include the verbiage “assess the needs/gaps of our community” which members decided to discuss next month. Minor revisions followed under Education, along with the removal of the 3rd bullet point. Education: 1) support the efforts of service providers through inviting them to make presentations at monthly GMHB meetings and invite the public to these presentations. 2) work cooperatively with local service providers to educate the public through a variety of events and opportunities, such as National Mental Health Awareness Month. 708 Geneva Community Mental Health Board - 2- September 9, 2014 For next month, Chairman Ford asked Hamilton to summarize on one page the goals and objectives, as discussed over the past three months so he could email a copy to Ms. Phyllis Russell. B. Adopt Mission – Goals - Objectives – See above. Refinement of language would take place next month. C. Set Plan for November Presentations – Chairman Ford asked for input on whether agencies asking for less than $5,000 should not have to show up or whether those agencies asking for more than $10,000 should have more time to speak. Members discussed and agreed that all agencies be present at the funding meeting. Agencies asking for more than $10,000 would have 10 minutes to speak and those under $10,000 would have 5 minutes. A 7:15 p.m. break time was suggested. Member Johnson encouraged members to ask questions. D. Set Plan for December Council Meeting – The board discussed whether all agencies should be present at the December meeting. Dialog was raised that it was the board’s responsibility, after gathering all of its information, to make a presentation to the City Council on what the board sees as a need. Chairman Ford offered ideas of different ways to present to the council, i.e., individual members or two-member teams. Johnson reminded members that it was incumbent upon the board to convey that most money given toward mental health currently is not enough, given the need the board has seen, and that mental health, substance abuse and DD issues grow larger every year yet the funding for those services does not and a comparison needed to be done in the future. The chairman suggested that the board listen to Ms. Russell next month and decide/discuss how it wanted to address the council. Members also agreed that the council needed to walk away with one topic/one message. 6. NEW BUSINESS A. Objective Actions – Tabled for the December or January meeting. B. Agency Visitations – Goldstein said she has dates to visit the South Street group home, which the board agreed to visit after the new year. Hamilton mentioned visited the Living Room model in the AID room located at Mercy Hospital. The model offers peer counseling and is supported through the Zellmer Foundation. (handout distributed). Hamilton shared the conversation she had with Ms. Zellmer and invited her foundation to apply for funding next year if Ms. Zellmer found her agency provided services to Geneva residents. A short discussion followed that members can continue to invite service/non-service providers to speak at this board’s monthly meetings. 7. OTHER BUSINESS A. Countywide DD Housing (Goldstein) - See Lynn O’Shea’s discussion above. B. Location and Questions for October Meeting – Chairman Ford recommended holding October’s meeting in the City Council conference room and would follow up with its availability. C. Teen Program - A Cutter’s Guardian Angel – Shogren reported on a teen program that came through the Geneva High School Viking Vessel newsletter, mentioning, also, that a Safe Schools tip line has been set up as a phone line for reporting bullying, self-harm, etc. anonymously. Shogren, on behalf of the Mental Health Board, offered to speak at the September 14, 2014 meeting which was being held at the Geneva Library. Members suggested that she mention what the Mental Health Board does. Goldstein reported she read an article in the Geneva Magazine entitled The Changing Face of Disability wherein Ford stated he would retain his copy to remind him of whether this board can do anything in support of same and whether member Wagner may be in a position to assist with students with disabilities looking for employment. However, Hamilton mentioned that those students with disabilities in the Geneva school district (ages 18 to 21) most likely would fall under the Batavia/Geneva/St. Charles/ Kaneland co-op and such program transition special education students into adulthood and have job coaches training them in their employment. A general dialog arose that at age 22 an individual’s services end entirely and those services are placed on the family. The challenge was how to continue those services and to keep the individual independently functioning. Chairman Ford stated that this board will have to find out what is not working. On another matter, Goldstein said she would follow up with Ms. O’Shea regarding the educational funding this board gave her for students with severe behavior issues. 8. PUBLIC COMMENTS/MAIL Correspondence – None. 9. ADJOURNMENT The Geneva Mental Health Board was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. on motion by Goc, seconded by Shogren. Motion carried unanimously. Recording Secretary, Celeste K. Weilandt