Adopted May 11, 2004

HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
April 13, 2004
 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Twinbrook Community Recreation Center Annex

Members Present:  

Staff Present:  Sarah Gicale; Mary Lou Jacobs; Guerdon Stuckey

Re: Call Meeting to Order/Introductions

Ann Reiss called the meeting to order and asked everyone to introduce him/herself, as there was a new member in attendance.  She also explained that Bill Meeker had resigned from the Commission because he is moving away from the area.  The Commission vacancy will be advertised next month in Rockville Reports.

Re: Approve February 10 Meeting Minutes

Deborah Hopson moved that the minutes be approved.  David L’Heureux seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

Re: Review Mayor and Council Goals

Guerdon Stuckey, Director of Neighborhood and Community Services, began the discussion by thanking Commission members for their work on the 2003 Annual Report.  He said he thought it was excellent in terms of the depth and breadth of the topics covered.  He sees Rockville as a small town changing into a big city and he thought the Annual Report captured the human service issues associated with this transformation.

In reviewing the Mayor and Council goals that had recently been approved, Guerdon explained that the first goal, Create a Vibrant Town Center, has been their primary concern for the last three years and should result in giving Rockville a center city focus.  The second goal, Ensure New Development Citywide Improves Rockville’s Quality of Life, looks beyond Town Center to development in the future but places an emphasis on continuing a quality of life that Rockville residents have come to expect.  The third goal, Implement Public Safety, Pedestrian Safety and Transportation Improvements, emphasizes safety issues, especially as regards pedestrian safety.  Much of the fourth goal, Strengthening Rockville’s Sense of Community, revolves around Code Enforcement with an emphasis on how to educate other cultures to understand property maintenance.  Guerdon explained that currently his department, Neighborhood and Community Services, is engaged in a major outreach initiative, one strategy in accomplishing this goal.  The fifth and final goal, Enhance the City Government’s Performance, is new.  Guerdon said that the Mayor and Council are more inclined to look at government through the lens of the private sector.  As an example, department heads are expected to use performance measures and there is a high level of accountability throughout City government.

Guerdon closed by acknowledging that nothing in these five goals relates directly to human services.  Guerdon feels that he knows the Mayor and Council better than he used to and while Town Center may be the driver, the human services component and people in general are important to them.

David L’Heureux pointed out that the fourth goal, Strengthen Rockville’s Neighborhoods and Sense of Community, comes closest to including human service issues.  He said that there is now a website for ARNA, the Association of Rockville Neighborhood Associations, which is one way of learning more about the different communities in the city.  He promised to email the site to Commission members.  Tim Stranges said he had been pleased to note that the fourth goal also mentions senior housing.  He said that recently he and his wife visited the Gardens of Traville, a new housing development for seniors, located near Shady Grove Road, outside the city of Rockville.  This complex consists of five different buildings with hundreds of units, both market rate and subsidized.  It could be a model for Rockville to use in redeveloping Town Center.

Ann asked Guerdon to keep the Commission informed of any progress made, especially as regards housing goals.

Re: Report on Citizens Summit

Eric Wang reported back on the Citizen Summit, which he had attended on February 10th.  He said the meeting was organized into small groups of eight people each.  Each group discussed ideas and had a recorder who took notes.  Primary topics discussed by his group were Town Center, how to help immigrants, and where needed resources will come from. For example, Eric himself was concerned with education, specifically the idea of a school open house for immigrants and after-school programming to help children whose parents are working.  He thinks the City and the school system should come together to work on issues like these.  He has an idea for a fundraiser where money raised would go to the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services to be used in after-school programming, e.g., home work clubs that include other recreational activities.

Eric’s group also talked about long term planning for the city and the need to build housing near subway/metro.  He is from Taiwan, which is very crowded.  He feels that in the long term, for good quality of life, the city will need high-rise buildings.  Another topic discussed by his group was how to reduce student smoking.  He does not understand how the school system allows children to smoke just outside of their schools.

Ann asked what the next step would be following the Citizen Summit.  Guerdon said that the Citizens Summit provided an opportunity for residents to give input to the Mayor and Council to be used in formulating their goals.  In essence the next step has already occurred in that the goals have been adopted.  Eric said he would keep the Commission informed if there were any additional meetings.

Re: Distribute Materials on City’s Human Services Grants

Ann passed out the grant application materials used by the City in the nonprofit application process.  Included was a page that compares the funding amounts for Outside Agencies for FY 03 and FY 04.  Mary Lou Jacobs said that the Acting City Manager had submitted the proposed budget for FY 05 to the Mayor and Council the night before.  She said a copy of the amounts recommended for the Outside Agencies could be included in the Commission’s next mailing.  Ann said she had wanted everyone on the Commission to have these materials so they would all be informed.

Re: Sign-up for Upcoming Site Visits

Mary Lou passed around a site visit sign-up sheet.  She explained that a site visit team can be as small as two people or as large as five.  Most visits take place during the day although, occasionally, they may take place in the evening.  Two upcoming visits are for the Korean Community Service Center, which has an office on Muddy Branch Road, and the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, which is located on Comprint Circle, just off Shady Grove Road.  Mary Lou is not sure if the site visit team would go to that location or to a site where classes are held, as, for example, the Montrose Community Center.

Re: Report on CMR Health Forums

Agnes Saenz reported that for the past nine months, Community Ministries of Rockville (CMR) in partnership with Capital Technology Information Services (CTIS) has been doing an assessment of health needs in Rockville.  They sponsored six focus groups and asked for recommendations and opinions as to whether participants felt that CMR should develop a health project for the greater Rockville area.  After the focus groups were completed, CMR had a written summary prepared, which Agnes reviewed with Commission members.  Points included in the Executive Summary are:

• Persons most in need of health services include the uninsured and underinsured
  
• The most pressing unmet health conditions include oral health, cancer, diabetes, mental health and substance abuse.
  
• Access to health care is a main concern.
  
• Case management is critical in helping individuals access health care.
  
• There is a current need for comprehensive and affordable services.
  
• More culturally appropriate information on health, both preventive and post-diagnostic, is needed.
  
• Providing access to computers and the Internet would assist low-income populations in obtaining health information.
  
• There is a need for improved infrastructure with respect to the current health system, i.e., more clinics, improved access to specialty doctors, more supplies and equipment, etc.
  
• Participants in the Health Forums were supportive of the idea that the CMR Health Project might be a new community clinic.
  
• For a clinic to be successful, supportive services need to exist, e.g., transportation, child care.
  
• There is a specific need for information about cancer prevention, treatment, and screening.

While the above points speak to needs in the community, the following points were made in the form of suggestions for CMR to follow in establishing a Health Project.

• The CMR Health Project should not duplicate services.
  
• Partnerships are important in establishing a new project.
  
• There needs to be a realistic project plan.
  
• A business approach should be used in operating the CMR Health Project.
  
• It was recommended that there be an advisory group to provide guidance to the Project.
  
• Participants gave feedback on the process to be used in setting up and running the Project.
  
• Developing a demonstration project would be helpful.

After reviewing the summary, Agnes said that CMR is partnering with Mobile Med as part of this process.  Mobile Med recently purchased a second van but did not have sufficient funds for its operation.  So CTIS is providing the funds to operate this van.  CMR is choosing Crusader Lutheran as one stop for the van.  Agnes explained that this church is one of the sites for CMR’s Latino Outreach Program.  Starting the first week in May, the van will be at Crusader Lutheran Wednesday evenings, from 4-8 p.m.  In the beginning Agnes herself will be responsible for scheduling the patients and running the waiting room.

At the same time, CMR is meeting with other organizations to learn more about other programs that could potentially be replicated, for example the Holy Cross/ Montgomery College program.  Agnes is aware that the County is also interested in expanding health services. She said that unless CMR locates sufficient long-term funding, they won’t continue.  David L’Heureux suggested that Agnes contact Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in this regard.

Mary Lou said that the City of Rockville has been providing funding to Mobile Med for several years.  Last year only 62 Rockville residents used their services.  For the first six months of this year just 23 Rockville residents have used their services.  Currently the City is looking at whether the van should be moved to a different location.  She thinks that an important issue for CMR will be how to find the clients.  Agnes said she already has 40 potential patients lined up.  Ann asked Agnes to keep the Commission informed of progress.

Re: Discuss Presidential Service Awards Program

Bill Goodwin explained that, basically, the Presidential Service Awards is a recognition program.  Entities, including municipalities, can become certifying organizations so that individuals can approach an organization and ask for recognition.  The role of the Certifying Organization is to verify the volunteer work was done, to send for the award, and to confer the award.  Bill pointed out that when Mayor Giammo presented his goals last year, volunteering was included and, so should still be important to him.

Bill said that he has talked with Andrea Jolly who is also pursuing the idea of the Montgomery County Volunteer Center being a certifying organization.  She is more interested in recognizing businesses than individuals, but even if the Volunteer Center were to recognize individuals, she does not think the City of Rockville should be deterred.  She considers multiple forms of volunteer recognition to be a good thing.

Ann asked if the City were to become a certifying organization, who would do all the work?  Bill said he thinks this would be a good job for a volunteer.  Ann also asked how the program would be funded.  Bill said that in some instances, it could be appropriate for those receiving an award to contribute toward the cost of the award.  He thinks, however, that the Commission should not be concerned with this but instead consider the idea itself.

After further discussion, Bill moved that the City of Rockville become a certifying organization for the Presidential Service Awards.  David seconded the motion.  The motion passed with seven members in favor and three against.  It was agreed that Ann and Bill would draft a correspondence to the Mayor and Council advising them that the City should become a Certifying Organization.  They will present their draft at the next Commission meeting.

Re: New Business

Tim Stranges reported that in his role of Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, he had been approached by Sally Sternbach, Executive Director of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI), who wanted to know if the Chamber would like to work with her in getting Rockville businesses more involved with Rockville charities, primarily as a source of volunteers.  Sally’s theory is that businesses are less likely to move out of Rockville if they are involved in the community.  Sally proposed meeting with Chris Bartlett, Senior Neighborhood Resource Coordinator, and Joy Young, Executive Director of the Rockville Chamber of Commerce.  Tim also invited Mary Lou to the meeting.  They decided to begin by making site visits to ten businesses that have already been involved with non-profits.  The Chamber will do five visits and the REDI will do five.

Re: Ideas for May Meeting Agenda

• Discussion of committee structure
  
• Affordable housing—look into the Gardens of Traville
  
• Hometown Holidays booth
  
• Does the City require contractors to provide living wage or health insurance
  
• Senior Services:  needs and gaps in services (Ann is interested in this topic in the future.)

Re: Adjourn

David moved to adjourn the meeting.  Deborah seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM.

The next meeting of the Human Services Advisory Commission will be held Tuesday, May 11, 2004, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., at 32 Courthouse Square.