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HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION
MINUTES
FEBRUARY 21,2000 1 1 Page 1 of 4
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4 The regularly - scheduled meeting of the Human Services Advisory Commission was held
5 on Monday, February 21, 2000 at 5:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center, in
6 Chapel Hill, N.C.
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8 MEMBERS PRESENT Louise Echols, Co- chair; Natalie Ammarell; Marvin Block;
9 Deborah Kinert; Rosetta Moore (substituting for Dee Gamble); Sue Russell; Cathleen
10 Trask; Rebecca A. Young.
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12 MEMBERS ABSENT Dee Gamble; Mel Hurston; Barry Jacobs; Lynette Jeffries; Donald
13 David Thompson, Jr.; Rosetta Wash
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15 STAFF PRESENT Nancy C. Martin, Assistant to the Clerk
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17 STAFF ABSENT Albert Kittrell, Assistant County Manager
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20 WELCOME AND MEMBER UPDATE: The members introduced themselves and gave
21 updates on their department's activities.
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23 Rosetta Moore, Chair of the Orange County Board of Social Services, was substituting
24 for Dee Gamble, who has a scheduling conflict until June because of a class. Ms.
25 Moore discussed the "Work First" Training Program.
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27 Deborah Kinert, Member, At- Large, reported on the activities of the Nursing Home
28 Community Advisory Committee, of which she is also a member. This Committee is
29 currently posting its activities, minutes and reports on the World Wide Web via the
30 Orange County Internet Site. The Committee continues to visit and inspect County
31 Nursing Home facilities.
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33 Marvin Block, Member, representing the Advisory Board on Aging, reported on the
34 Orange County Department on Aging Information Line, 967 -2087, available 9 a.m. —
35 4 p.m., Monday — Friday. Regarding the emergency situation faced in early February
36 because of the snow storm, he said that the Department on Aging contacted 165 senior
37 citizens by telephone to inquire about their needs. Mr. Block said that the Department
38 on Aging is making every effort to remedy the situations that occurred during this snow
39 storm of stranded elderly persons.
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41 Cathleen Trask, Member, representing Communities -in- Schools, said that there are
42 currently 1,100 students being helped by the programs of CIS in Orange County. She
43 also reported that because she and her husband will be relocating to Florida this
44 summer, she regrets that she must resign from the Human Services Advisory
45 Commission.
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47 Louise Echols, Member, At- Large, works at the Orange County Health Department and
48 reported that the Department is celebrating "Health Month."
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HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION
MINUTES
FEBRUARY 21, 2000 Page 2 of 4
1 Natalie Ammarell, Member, representing the Interfaith Council, reported that she is
2 resigning because of time constraints regarding increased responsibilities at the
3 Interfaith Council.
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6 MINUTES - The minutes of November 15, 1999 were approved as presented.
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9 ELECTION OF NEW CO- CHAIR: Because of the recent resignation of Judy Cox, Co-
10 Chair, consideration was given to electing a new co -chair to assist Louise Echols. Ms.
11 Echols described the duties of the Co- Chair, i.e., to attend every meeting, and to help
12 with the Annual Forum.
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14 Deborah Kinert volunteered to serve in the Co -Chair position and was accepted by
15 acclamation.
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18 MEMBERSHIP: REAPPOINTMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS
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20 Attendance It was announced that for future reappointments to all County Advisory
21 Boards and Commissions, the attendance records of the member must be included with
22 the letter of recommendation, per the amended Resolution Regarding the Appointment
23 and Orientation Process for Boards and Commissions, amended February 14, 2000.
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25 Rosetta Moore suggested that we have an attendance sheet to pass around at the start
26 of each meeting. This would simplify the attendance - taking process and make the
27 members more aware their responsibility to attend each meeting. Nancy Martin will
28 develop such a chart retroactive to September, 1999.
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30 Representation Discussion ensued regarding a possible change in the by -laws of
31 HSAC to provide representation of the Hispanic Center. However, it was the consensus
32 of the Commission that the interests of the Hispanic Center could be just as well
33 represented by recruiting someone from the Hispanic Center to serve in an At -Large
34 position.
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36 Ms. Moore would like to see the Asian community represented on the HSAC.
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38 Ms. Ammarell suggested that it would be beneficial to have a consumer of human
39 services be represented. Ms. Trask suggested that a Hispanic mother be recruited to fill
40 that position. Ms. Ammarell also suggested that the Commission invite someone from
41 the Daycare Community to be on the HSAC.
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43 FORUM 2000 -TOPIC IDEAS
44 The following possible topics for this year's Human Services Forum were discussed:
45 ♦ Mental Health - Rosetta Moore
46 ♦ Housing — Rosetta Moore
47 ♦ Elder and Domestic Abuse — Marvin Block
48 ♦ A Welcoming and Safe Community — Rebecca Young and Sue Russell
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HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION
MINUTES
FEBRUARY 21, 2000 Page 3 of 4
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2 Ms. Moore said that she felt that the 1999 Forum was too concentrated on just one
3 group, and that there are other groups that need to be considered. Marvin Block said
4 that the reason the HSAC chose the Hispanic theme for 1999 was that the County has
5 experienced a recent large influx of Hispanic immigrants and it was felt that there was a
6 need to address the specific issue of how to assist these new citizens.
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8 Mental health among children was discussed at length. Many times unruly school
9 children are mentally ill and are not receiving the appropriate attention for that problem.
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11 Ms. Russell suggested that a survey be done in the community to find out what the
12 issues of most concern are. The United Way did such a survey in the fall of 1999. The
13 members were in favor of studying that survey to help them to decide a Forum 2000
14 topic.
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16 Co -Chair Echols mentioned that the Health Department also produces a bi- annual report
17 entitled "Community Diagnosis" that could assist the Commission in its search for a
18 topic. Another valuable resource would be a booklet produced by the North Carolina
19 Department of Health, Ms. Echols said.
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21 Co -Chair Echols will contact the United Way regarding the its Fall 1999 Survey, and ask
22 for a speaker to come to the next meeting of the Commission, or she will request copies
23 of the Survey to provide to Commission members.
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25 Another resource to help the Commission find a relevant topic for the 2000 Forum was
26 suggested by Sue Russell, i.e., that the Commission request the current report from
27 Shaping Orange County's Future Task Force, which makes projections to the year
28 2030.
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30 Ms. Russell also posed the question of, "To what extent does the Human Services
31 Advisory Commission plan ahead regarding citizen needs ?" She suggested that this
32 Commission consider incorporating long -range planning as part of its goals.
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34 Co -Chair Kinert suggested using the Healthy Carolinians report, but in further discussion
35 it was mentioned that this would be duplicative of the other reports already discussed.
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37 Rebecca Young presented the idea that the Commissioners be encouraged to make a
38 statement that our community is safe. She said that creating and building trust for new
39 citizens is important. Ms. Russell suggested wording to the effect that Orange County is
40 "a safe and welcoming community." These concerns were discussed in light of the
41 recent Siler City incident focused against the Hispanic Community.
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43 Ms. Russell was in favor of Ms. Young's suggestion that Human Service Advisory
44 Commission should make public statements whenever we see injustice such as in Siler
45 City recently.
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FEBRUARY 21, 2000 Page 4 of 4
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
The next regularly - scheduled meeting will be March 20, 2000 at the Government
Services Center, Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy C. Martin
Assistant to the Clerk to the
Orange County Board of Commissioners