Commission for Women

1 MINUTES OF MICHIGAN CITY COMMISSION FOR WOMEN MEETING Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. West Conference Room in City Hall Call to Order: Kathy Dennis called the meeting to order at 5:10 pm. Present were Commissioners Jo Ann Engquist, Dalia Zygas, Kathy Dennis, Bonita Schaaf, Kristina Isabelle and Sharlene Livesay. Absent was Faye Moore, Kay Hill, Albertine Allen, and City Council Liaison Pat Boy. Approval of Minutes of the Prior Meeting: Minutes of the October 18, 2018 meeting were reviewed with motion to approve by Livesay, second by Engquist. Motion carried. Treasurer’s Report: Commissioner Moore was not in attendance and Treasurer’s report was not available. Old Business: Discussion of Maternal/Infant Healthcare in Michigan City: Commissioner Zygas reported that social worker Nicole Florek is being trained as a Breast Feeding Consultant. We considered inviting the new President and CEO of Franciscan Health to a meeting to learn about programs available. Discussion of Homelessness in Michigan City: Commissioner Dennis met with Chief of Police Mark Swistek to discuss homelessness. He stated that they have more police on Franklin Street, and the newest officer is a woman veteran. He said most of the homeless are vets, although some claim to be but no record can be found. They also discussed the possibility of having a van out on the street providing services for the homeless, and Chief Swistek thought there might be grants available to fund a van. Dennis also met with Keys to Hope and United Way. All agree that mental health is the biggest challenge, and that there is a great need for mental health facilities in Michigan City. Currently there are only five inpatient beds in Michigan City, and Health Link has two counselors from Swanson Center to provide services. We will learn if the old St. Anthony Hospital could be used for mental health facilities for both in and outpatients. We decided that the MCCFW will add our voice to ask for a system of care in Michigan City. Livesay and Dennis will meet together and with the Homeless Task Force to discuss, Isabelle will research programs being used in our size cities, Schaaf will discuss with Joe Bunch of Drug Free Partnership and Engquist will discuss with Leigh Morris. New Business: Request for Donation. There were no Requests for Donations to consider this month. Commissioners’ Comments: None.  2 Council Liaison’s Comments: None. Adjournment: Motion to dismiss at 6:10 pm by Livesay, second by Zygas. No meeting is scheduled for December. Our next meeting will be held on January 17, 2019. Submitted by: Bonnie Schaaf, Secretary, Michigan City Commission for Women