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Home My Public Portal AboutHHS Meeting Packet_11.1.2023Town of Brewster Health and Human Services Committee 2198 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631 (508) 896-3701 HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 2198 Main Street Wednesday, November 1, 2023 @ 5:00 p.m. This meeting will be conducted in person at the time and location identified above. This means that at least a quorum of the members of the public body will attend the meeting in person and members of the public are welcome to attend in person as well. As a courtesy only, access to the meeting is also being provided via remote means in accordance with applicable law. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast or affect remote attendance or participation, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda, which includes an applicant and its representatives, should make plans for in- person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. Members of the public who wish to access the meeting may do so in the following manner: Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87354818467?pwd=ZzNCNXJuTGgxTFVUT0k3cUNNTFRUdz09 Passcode: 027724 +1 929 436 2866 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) Webinar ID: 873 5481 8467 To request to speak: Tap Zoom “Raise Hand”, then wait to be recognized. When required by law or allowed by the Chair, persons wishing to provide public comment or otherwise participate in the meeting, may do so by accessing the meeting remotely, as noted above. Additionally, the meeting will be broadcast live, in real time, via Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brewster-ma.gov), or Video recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov). Please note that the Health and Human Services Committee may take official action, including votes, on any item on this agenda. 1.Call to Order 2.Declaration of a Quorum 3.Meeting Participation Statement 4.Recording Statement: As required by the Open Meeting Law we are informing you that the Town will be video and audio taping as well as broadcasting this public meeting. In addition, if anyone else intends to either video or audio tape this meeting they are required to inform the chair. 5.Approval of October 3, 2023 Minutes 6.Review of Received Grants by the Number and Process Going Forward 7.Presentation by Society of St. Vincent de Paul 8.Presentation by Nauset Together We Can 9.Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair 10. Next Meetings: December 6, 2023 11.Adjournment Date Posted:Date Revised:Received by Town Clerk: Health and Human Service Committee Members Suzanne Kenney Chair Sean Parker Vice Chair Lisa Perkins Secretary Deborah Blackman Jacobs Patricia Hess Mary Jo Murphy Anne O’Connell Town of Brewster Health and Human Services Committee 2198 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631 (508) 896-3701 HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 2198 Main Street Tuesday, October 3, 2023 @ 5:00 p.m. Present: Committee Members: Suzanne Kenney, Patricia Hess, Deborah Blackman Jacobs, Mary Jo Murphy, Lisa Perkins; Conor Kenny, Town Liaison; Kari Hoffman, Select Board, Liaison Absent: Anne O’Connell, Sean Parker 1.Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chair Kenney at 5:00 p.m. 2.Declaration of a Quorum: A forum was declared. 3.The Meeting Participation Statement was read by the Chair. 4.The Recording Statement was read by the Chair. 5.Approval of September 6, 2023 Minutes: The minutes as amended were approved unanimously. 6.Review of Data Form for Grantees FY’25: Suzanne reviewed the prior discussion regarding the plan to obtain a better measure of Brewster residents’ use of agency services and the cost per specific service. Conor has drawn up, and Suzanne has amended, a form which has been used by Mashpee Human Services and has resulted in much better uniformity in data collection. Suzanne indicated the changes she made to the form would further serve to differentiate the type of use and an unduplicated count of numbers served. Lisa questioned whether the request for information should be even more specific. Mary Jo suggested that we try to use the form as we read these applications coming in currently to help us formalize the form for next year. Suzanne will suggest specific applications to each member on which we will trial the form for current applicants. A couple of applications have already been received and Sean will deliver all proposals once the deadline is reached. Discussion followed about the possibility of Bay Cove coming to speak next month as well as Nauset Together We Can. Added to the list of possible presenters for a future meeting was the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. 7.Presentation by Outer Cape Health Services: Representatives from OCHS were Kathleen Weiner, Chief Development & Communication Officer; Gerry Desautels, Sr. Development & Communication Officer, and Brianne Smith, Director of Care Management. Gerry indicated that OCHS serves about 1200 Brewster residents out of the Harwichport office, providing mostly primary care, but also behavioral health care. Describing the center as “a doctor’s office on steroids”, he noted that services include: a WIC program, a health center, chronic care management, recovery services, Quest center, Healthy Connections program., etc. Dr. Damien Archer, MD, is the new CEO of OCHS, replacing Pat Nadle. Our grant to OCHS provides the cost of what is not covered by insurance. OCHS is a federally qualified health center, receiving money from federal government, which means that it is required to see anyone whether insured or not. Access to care is always a challenge on the Cape and that is a key focus of the new CEO. Future considerations include AI as an adjunct to medical care. Brianne Smith, a licensed social worker, discussed her responsibility for outreach service to help anyone at risk medically as well as for substance abuse and connecting them to programs and support systems. This is a component of the Community Navigator Program. Some individuals are seen once, others often over the course of a year. Average length of intervention/support is about 7 months. Brianne reviewed the complexities of seeking medical/ support care on the Cape, given the multiplicity of services, requirements, and providers. This year, they have had about 32 referrals from Brewster. The Navigator team personnel have a diverse set of skills. They have a full-time worker at NRHS. They can generally call individuals back in 24-48 hours to offer support. A referral for one individual often turns into support for the whole family. They have lots of individuals who live alone with families living elsewhere. Each patient has a nurse/care manager to follow and help manage medication. They also have a peer- based program for people in recovery which is similar to the Navigator Program. The care teams can refer to services on the spot. She further discussed their partnership with other non-profits when they learn of an issue, such as a recent suicide at NRHS where they reached out to Bay Cove.. They have 200 employees, probably the largest health center on the Cape. Kathleen Weiner discussed the challenges to bring in staff that fill their care teams. Their goal is to take care of the whole patient. Mary Jo asked how people find them; the answer was that their building in Harwich port is a “beacon in itself,” and that they are easily found. The goal of the Community Navigator Program is to reduce use of the emergency’s rooms. Navigator services are not reimbursable by insurance. Survey data is derived from federal standards as well medical care patients. Kathleen noted the concern about the federal government remaining operational as there are current concerns about a federal shutdown; another challenge is updating technology. Another major challenge is retaining staff—due to the shortage and expense of housing on the Cape. The fact that we are seasonal is also a challenge. Staffing is a concern is that “no one is in primary care anymore.” The committee thanked the OCHS representatives for their presentation. 8.Presentation by Homeless Prevention Council: Hadley Luddy, CEO, represented HPC. Started in 1991, HPC has served more than 50,000 people from Harwich to Provincetown since its inception. The core mission is to provide solutions re: financial and housing instability to help individuals in need with a focus on long- term case management. The overarching goal is to provide prevention services. Clients are assigned a case manager who stays with them, assesses the needs, and works to find solutions. They work to help people being able to subsist without federal assistance. They are a SNAP provider and give support re: how to navigate the food system, partnering to help those who are not eligible for state or federal assistance. They work with seniors providing information sessions for anyone not permanently safe in a house. They help individuals bridge the gap between their needs and what support is available. If someone is at-risk of losing their housing or has lost their housing, there are few options. There has been continued growth in numbers coming to their agency and continued support over time with the same clients. Since 2016, their numbers have quadrupled. The coordinator of the Youth Homeless Demonstration Program supports young adults, 16-24-year-old, who are homeless. They get connected to services. HPC is beginning to work with single family homeowners who might be part of the solution for these young adults. Hadley is hopeful that will bring more opportunities to this group. A growing demographic of need is the 25-54-year-old group. The issue is that housing is so overpriced. Deborah asked if they have been impacted by new immigrants coming to the Cape; Hadley noted that this is not a particular issue for them as is in other areas of the state and seen on state and national news. HPC is not involved in the emergency shelter component of housing. Relative to Suzanne’s question about sources of funding, Hadley noted that HPC has worked to diversity their funding. Funding comes from private individuals, private trusts, organizations, and town, state, and federal entities. When asked by Patricia, Hadley indicated that they are doing outreach at CCCC relative to their student population. The committee thanked Ms. Luddy for her presentation. 9.Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair: None. 10. Next Meetings: November 1, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. 11.Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 6:09 p.m. Date Posted:Date Revised:Received by Town Clerk: