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Minutes 1997 - 1998
lb EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JANUARY 09, 1997 Members Presents Michael Kerns, Ellen Browne, Paula Cofresi- Silverstein, Susan Stroh, Mary Helt-Gavin Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Shandalynn Savage Community Representatives: Dr. Pinsoff, Doug Brenlin, Don Jefferson (The Family Institute) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:36 p.m. Introduction of the Family Institute representatives were made. I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Summers moved and Ms. Brownie seconded a motion to approve the minutes of December 12, 1996. Motion approved unanimously. 11. AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Update on The Family Institute Contract Mr. Summers invited representatives from The Family Institute to review their program plan. Dr. Pinsoff described how they planned to operationalize the present program plan. Dr. Pinsoff stated the focus is on multi problem families and the ideas is how to get more services to people who normally do not avail themselves to mental health services and are in desperate need of these services. Dr. Pinsoff proposed an aggressive outreach to engage these families to participate in whatever mental health services are required to address their present problems. The Family Institute offers a variety of mental health services that are family based in the sense that they are organized around the family system which involves individual therapy, couple therapy, family therapy and if necessary referrals for medication. our past history shows that we have developed strong relationships with various community organizations. The Family dw Minutes recorded - not yet approved Institute has gained credibility and respect within the community. Dr. Pinsoff stated that when it became clear that the Mental Health Board was committed to supporting the program, the Family Institute sat down and decided exactly what to do. It was also clear that there was a large service commitment involved in terms of working at a larger number of families providing a lot of service. Our concern was how can we and the Mental Health Board could get the best results for your dollars. We have been working on a relationship with the high school for 1 M years. We have been doing an education program with parents through the high school during this past year which has been successful. We have had a variety of conversations to offer additional services, but nothing has developed very strongly in that regard. We have developed a good relationship with the high school and came up with the idea of using the high school as the best place to access families. Dr. Pinsoff stated the high school was the most economical and efficient site in Evanston to recruit multi problem families. We felt that looking at the high school we would get virtually every child in Evanston between the ages of 14 - 18. ETHS is respected family friendly institution. For the most part, the high school is a supportive, positive place which is trusted and respected. There will also be minimum startup at ETHS. The high school is the primary and not the exclusive site for recruitment. Additionally, there is a good fit between the agenda of the Mental Health Board, the Institute and high school. In our conversation with Allen Alson, he has communicated to us a great interest in providing additional services for the children and families involved at the high school. The resources of the high school are limited and we would like to do more than these resources will permit. We are very committed to working with multi problem families in Evanston as is the EMHB. We saw this as a congruence of agendas. I have been trying to find out the percentage of students in the high school who have siblings in District #65 schools. I have been talking to the high school and a a number of people and apparently that data is not available. A very significant number of students at ETHS have siblings in other District #65 schools Minutes recorded - not yet approved in Evanston. We would be involved with the schools and those organizations these children are involved with, we see that as a way of building a collaborative network. Mr. Brenlin stated that The Family Institute would have an outreach worker present at the high school one day a week. That person would establish relationships with the Social Work and Special Education Departments. Referrals would be made to Don who would then evaluate the appropriateness of the referrals, assign the case to a therapist or take the case himself depending upon the situation. The assigned therapist would begin work with the family either at our clinic at Library Place, the Family Focus site, in the home or possibly at the high school if there is space available. So far we have met with Allen Alson and some of his staff at the high school, and we have secured his interest in the project. He thinks it is an ideal way to get families into the system. We are hoping that the relationship with ETHS will increase the likelihood that engagement will take place. The biggest challenge will be to get multi problem families to commit to service, and to follow through on the referral. We have come back to the Board to explain as best as can why we are making the change. This change, I think, is a modification not an alteration. Don Jefferson is here to night because he is identified as the person we would like most to do that job. He has extensive experience working in agencies that deal with multi problem families. He has specific interest in the kinds of problems we encounter. He is also one of our outreach workers at the YMCA. We are ready to go. We do not want to spend a lot of time with a very slow start up. Allen has indicated that he knows that the staff are aware of cases they want referred. Chair Summers opened the floor to Board members for questions. Susan Stroh asked "Will families pay for services"? Dr. Pinsoff replied that the clinic has a sliding fee scale. It is calibrated to the families income and the number of people in Minutes recorded - not yet approved the family. We frequently modify the scale, and we never turn a family away because they could not pay. There will be some money generated, in our initial proposal we indicated that the average fee is about $16 - $18.00 per session. Doug Brelin stated the family will be billed when a referral has been made and the family engages in treatment. Chair Summers commented there are a number of questions this raised for him and members of the Board. You say the high school is the primary, but not exclusive recruitment site. However, you haven't said anything about any other sites. Dr. Pinsoff stated that they would take families from any site they could find. For instance, we are now involved in several other sites in Evanston. Insofar as we have contact to multi problem families at these sites we will take on as many as we can. Chair Summers asked, "If it is only one day a week you propose to be at ETHS, would the intake worker go other places"? Dr. Pinsoff replied, "Yes, I doubt that he will be at ETHS for eight hours. I think that there would be other contacts with other schools and organizations. So again, its not exclusive, its primary. Summers commented if we are talking about location, ETHS is going to be where you contact your families. What reason do we have to believe that's who the multi problem families are. The obvious concern would be that not all multi problem families have kids at high school age. Some do, but have of course kids who drop out which is a part of multi problem families. It begins to look like a program for ETHS students who come from multi problem families as opposed to an outreach program for multi problem families. Dr. Pinsoff stated we are talking about $22,500.00. We are talking about providing service to a maximum of 70 families, which is about 700 hours of therapy. We are talking about not being able to serve all multi problem families in Evanston. Our Minutes recorded - not yet approved feeling is that we could effectively gain access to many multi problem families through the high school. There are a substantial number of children at ETHS that qualify as multi problem families. I don't think the problems all be that we don't get access to enough multi problem families. Chair Summers stated that there was no question in his mind that there are multi problem families that have kids at ETHS. My point is that it is beginning to look like a program for ETHS students who are in multi problem families, which means the focus is on these particular multi problem families. Granted you are not going to treat them all but what you are going to wind up doing is treating a subset of multi problem families, the subset being primarily those who have students at ETHS. Dr. Pinsoff stated "Yes", I think that is an accurate statement. The way we are thinking about this is developmentally. We see this as a good way to get the program launched, to get involved with families as quickly as possible, and also to get involved with families that are at risk of more serious problems because their children are in adolescence. Chair Summers stated he preferred intervention as early as possible. The younger you get kids usually the better shot you have, so when you talking about those already in adolescence I think it is harder, not that you cannot do it. Ellen Browne stated "I feel a little bit misled because aggressive outreach to me does not mean going to an institution that is already established where kids are already known to the system. So, I have a problem with you saying there is going to be extensive aggressive outreach, that misled me totally." I had vision of you going out and not to an institution where people are already known. My question is how you work at Evanston Hospital who is already there at the high school and the medical. clinic. Dr. Pinsoff stated that his conversations with people at the clinic at the high school indicated that the Psychiatry Department of Evanston Hospital is not very involved with the Minutes recorded - not yet approved high school. Currently, Family Institute has a collaborative relationship with Evanston Hospital. The Family Institute refers a fair number of patients to Evanston Hospital for medication evaluation. Ellen Brown commented that she was under the impression that there would be outreach to the Spanish speaking community because Family Institute has brought their Spanish speaking worker. Dr. Pinsoff replied that Family Institute was doing a lot of outreach. He reported that particular program was funded through the Evanston Community Foundation, and that Family Institute was reaching out to Latino families all over Evanston. Dr. Pinsoff explained that Family Institute did not see this program as duplicating the other program, instead Family Institute saw this as working with a slightly different population. Dr. Pinsoff commented that Family Institute used the term "aggressive" to mean pursuing the families. Ellen Brown replied that Family Institute is doing aggressive work with the family, and that it was the word "outreach" that was awkward. Susan Stroh commented that she likes to think what the Family Institute does as linkage, and that she was pleased that people would be at the high school making relationships and making that a part of the process. Doug Brenlin commented that Family Institute does what ever it can do to both get and keep the case engaged. He stated that drop out and premature termination are also common problems in working with multi problem families. He explained that because kids had links to the high school it would be easier to keep track of the kids and their families. Ellen Browne asked if The Family Institute would have done this work without funding from the Mental Health Board? She also inquired about the work The Family Institute had done with Evanston high school over the past two years. Minutes recorded - not yet approved Dr. Pinsoff replied that Family Institute would have not done the work without funding from the EMHB. He reported that The Family Institute has developed a program of parent education. The Family Institute is doing a series of evening programs for parents on different topics pertaining to adolescents. Mary Helt Gavin stated the original proposal suggested that The Family Institute would offer workshops and support groups, and would make presentations to groups that provide consultation to professional organizations. In your original proposal you had planned to target families with younger children and then finish up with kids at the high school. Dr, Pinsoff responded that they did not think this through completely at that time. Mary Helt-Gavin asked how The Family Institute felt about the relative age involved? Dr. Pinsoff stated The Family Institute received a million dollars from the Cross Foundation for an early preventative intervention program serving African American kids from age 3 -5. Mr. Brenlin asked what percentage of Evanston High School students have children and are still attending school. Ms. Silverstein stated that there were 30 - 35 ETHS students with children who were still attending school, and that most of these students come from multi problem families. Chair Summers requested that the discussion be ended, so that all EMHB members have an opportunity to raise questions to The Family Institute. Paula Confresi-Silverstein stated that she hoped part of The Family Institute's plan would be to provided service in the home. She commented that was something few agencies in Evanston were doing, which concerned the EMHB and district #65 personnel. Paula Confresi-Silverstein went on to say that the home is a really important place where there could be a lot of modeling on Minutes recorded - not yet approved while working with the family. Chair Summers stated that there was no question that the issues of efficiency, start up, and the relationship with the high school so that there are advantages of doing it this way. Chair Summers commented that he thought it needed to be weighed against other considerations, such as the fact that this was not what the EMHB were led to believe you were going for. The EMHB thought you were going to do things more associated with aggressive outreach, going out, and finding out more about multi problem families. It doesn't follow that the high school is the best way to approach this. Chair Summers commented on his concern about the focus on a subset of a population. He stated that he would like to see more focus on younger kids. Dr. Pinsoff stated that The Family Institute is willing to work with the EMHB around this. The Family Institute would like to have a collaborative relationship with the EMHB. The Family Institute shares your feeling that early preventative intervention is probably the best way to go. We think we can get access to some of these families this way. This is something The Family Institute would really like to try, we think will be very useful. We are willing to talk to you about what we find out. The Family Institute is not opposed to growing with this or expanding and modifying it as time goes by. Chair Summers commented that the idea of cooperation is good. Michael Kerns stated he would like to say in fairness to The Family Institute and their proposal that the language could be interpreted either way. It indicated they would provide the service of an outreach worker who would establish contact with Evanston organizations. The Family Institute has identified the high school as their starting point, but by their comments I do not think they are foreclosed to pursuing other outreach. Chair Summers thanked The Family Institute for coming. Minutes recorded - not yet approved III. AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Agency Liaison Reports - Mary Helt-Gavin reported that ACGC has finalized its strategic plan though the century. ACGC is merging with Resurrection Hospital but will remain an Evanston institution, ACGC also wanted it known, in response to the concern about outreach, that their staff dial 359 home visits last year. ACGC is looking to develop a program for people with dual diagnosis. IV. DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Chair Summers indicated that the community education initiative seemed like a good idea because it is something the community has a great deal of concern for. He commented that it related to the group as a Mental Health Board, and that it provides an opportunity for collaboration. Chair Summers noted that the community education initiative was discussed during the last meeting and that he would like to continue the discussion here tonight. Ellen Browne stated she thought it was an excellent report. There were action steps in the report which she felt were wonderful. She did not know who was responsible for carrying them out, but hoped whatever the Board plans to do fits in and does not duplicate but works with this group. The action steps were developed by a taskforce. It was reported that Allan Alson tied it all together. With regards to who was responsible, it is the function of the taskforce to get community groups to take responsibility for parts of it. Ellen Browne stated there were some very concrete action steps in the report, but what was missing was who was responsible for carrying these out. There are about 5 - 7 people responsible for carrying out the action steps. They are working with Community groups who seem to be the best group to facilitate them. Mike Murphy and Chief Minutes recorded - not yet approved Kaminski were mentioned as individuals involved with implementing the action steps. Chair Summers stated the intriguing thing about this report was how much it relates to the Evanston Mental Health Board's focus on multi problem families. Chair Summers highlighted areas of the report he found to be particularly interesting and relevant to the EMHB's focus. It was noted that the difficulty involved establishing a focus was related to the fact that there were several organizations offering different ideas. Chair Summers noted items on page 15 that were relevant to the work of the EMHB. He asked the Board what they thought about the community education initiative. Paula Confresi-Silverstein expressed her opinion that the community education initiative was a great idea. She stated that there was no need to reinvent a plan already laid out. She noted that there was latitude in this project, and that it could be expanded. Mary Gavin raised a question about confidentiality issues related to implementing the interagency agreements. Jay Terry stated that Dr. Alson was trying to sort out how to make this work. Jay Terry commented that it is difficult with so many programs to try to coordinate them all without efficiency suffering. Mr. Kerns offered his support of the community education initiative. Chair Summers noted there seemed to be unanimous support, and then called for an official vote to develop a community education initiative that fits with the taskforce. Ms. Silverstein second the motion and it was carried. 0 Minutes recorded - not yet approved V. UNITED WAY COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT Jay Terry stated that there is an obligation to use the form, and informed the Board that there is an opportunity to include a third page. He asked the EMHB if they wanted questions included. Chair Summers stated that Eating Disorders should be with drug and tobacco, but said that otherwise it was pretty comprehensive. Ellen Browne asked if the EMHB would take into consideration both the results of United Way and Evanston Hospital Community Wellness reports, and it the results could be linked. Chair Summers commented that the form should ask about more background information (i.e., age, economic level, education, gender, single -parent, etc.) Ellen Browne questioned the importance of knowing if a person held a board position. Chair Summers noted that there was nothing concerning depression. He commented that stress and anxiety could be one category, and depression could be another. VI. OTHER BUSINESS Chair Summers asked what was going on with the Library Board and their funding. He reported that there was a City Council meeting with the Library Board. It was reported that the Library Board feels that it is owed a certain percentage of the City tax bill. He stated that if the Library Board wins the EMHB should go next. Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, PEBRUARY 13,1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Frank Summers, Ellen Reynolds, Ellen Browne, Lonnie Wiebe, Mary Helt-Gavin, Nicki Pearson Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott, Shandalynn Savage community Representatives: Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center) Mr. summers called the meeting to order at 7:45 p.m. 1. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS Mr. Summers welcomed Sandi Johnson, Executive Director of the North Shore Senior Center. II. AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Agency Liaison Reports St. Francis Hospital Division of Behavioral Medicine. Ms. Helt- Gavin reported that Joe Kestnbaum, Director of St. Francis Hospital's Division of Behavioral Medicine, expressed great concern that the MHB reduced the allocations for his agency. He said he would like to continue a positive dialogue about funding with the MHB and hoped that there would be the possibility of a restoration of the funds in 1998. Ms. Helt-Gavin said Mr. Kestnbaum indicated he would like to meet with the MHB in the next few months. Mr. Summers asked Ms. Helt-Gavin to make arrangements for Mr. Kestnbaum to present to the MHB at the March meeting. Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that the Adult and Child Guidance Center (ACGC) is starting a program for people with dual diagnoses. They are currently looking for a psychiatrist for the program. She said Mr. Kestnbaum indicated that he expects that ACGC will remain in Evanston after the hospital's pending merger with Resurrection Hospital. Mr. Kerns asked if St. Francis will continue as a full service hospital. Ms. Browne said there had been a community meeting and February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved the hospital reported they would be downsizing the number of beds. Mr. Terry indicated the current building would be torn down and turned into green space after a new, smaller hospital was built. Hospital services will continue in the old building until then. It is expected that construction could start in the Fall. Family Focus. Ms. Pearson said Family Focus hired Barbara Bates as the new Executive Director. She previously worked with DCFS. she also reported that Family Focus/Evanston recently received funds from IBM to develop five computer stations. PEER Services. Ms. Pearson reported that Kate Mahoney expressed concern about the future leadership of RASA. The department's Director is leaving in anticipation of the reorganization of state human services. In addition, in the proposed new structure for substance abuse services, there will be a separation between prevention and treatment. It's not clear what the outcome will be from that move. At the present time the agency's staffing is complete and stable. PEER is working hard to be in compliance with the new rules for treatment programs, adopted in October, 1996. Ms. Mahoney is concerned that they require a more medical model for treatment. Metropolitan Family Services. Ms. Wiebe said Sandra Stumme reports the agency's staffing level and the number of clients are up to the former levels prior to Family Counseling Services going out of business. The agency is actively searching for a new building and have a few locations in mind. They also have the beginnings of a local board. Metropolitan Family Services will be joining with the YWCA and The Family Institute to do a program on March 10 about domestic violence. Mr. Terry commented that Metropolitan Family Services had found space at one building but the owner would not accept them because he thought the client traffic would be disruptive in the building. Mr. Saver added that Metropolitan Family Services received new funding from DMHDD to provide intensive case management services for local children as a way of keeping them in the community and out of institutional care. Ms. Pearson asked what parts of their program for multi -problem families had been put in place? Ms. Wiebe said she would discuss this with Ms. Stumme and invite her to discuss the program with the MHB at a future meeting. The Family Institute. Mr. Summers reported he met with Bill Pinsoff and discussed the January, 1997 MHB meeting. Dr. Pinsoff expressed concern that his agency had been open regarding their plans for use of their grant money only to be made to feel punished for their openness. Dr. Pinsoff expressed an interest in knowing the feeling of the Board. Mr. Summers said he reiterated that some members of the Board had some doubts about The Family February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Institute's plans for implementing the program for multi -problem families. Ms. Pearson said she thought the implementation plan which was included in the packet was a good one. Mr. Summers said he thought it would have been better to target younger kids initially, which would argue for targeting services to District #65 rather than #202. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the emphasis seemed to be upon marketing and outreach to only one point of contact. That is money which might be better spent on direct services for families. Mr. Saver pointed out that the agency's funding request had initially indicated that funding would provide .2 FTE to do outreach as a way of bringing services to the families. Ms. Stroh commented that The Family Institute staff person had already provided information to #202's social workers about how to access their services. She said she had already made a referral which meets the program's criteria. The MHB had a discussion about what services other than outreach would be provided by The Family institute under the contract. Ms. Wiebe stated that the agency had started out with a presence in Evanston by providing outreach at Family Focus and Y.O.U., and they are continuing outreach with the MHB's funds, instead of a direct service. Ms. Browne said that in those contexts outreach is a direct service, and was being used to bring the counseling to the families. That was also the case in the work The Family Institute had reported on at Family Focus and Y.O.U. Ms. Browne said, however, that she thought the focus should be upon younger kids and their families. Mr. summers said his understanding was that the outreach Worker was prepared to directly engage the family or make the referral to another therapist. Mr. Kerns commented that The Family Institute needed a starting point and was acting on a short time frame with a limited amount of dollars. He said the MHB would monitor the program closely, and thought the agency was clear with what the MHB's concerns are. Ms. Browne stated that the written implementation plan seemed to be responding to the MHB's concerns. Mr. Summers said he was in full support of moving ahead with The Family Institute, and thought that it would be better to have the new service in place rather than nothing. He added that the MHB would have to look at how the program was implemented. Ill. 1997.98 Contract Palicy Guidelines Mr. Saver reported that the FY97-98 contract documents for purchase services were in the process of being developed. Staff will start to deliver the contracts in the first two weeks of March, shortly after the City's FY97-98 Budget is adopted. He February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved indicated that he was waiting for final recommendations about specific language from the Legal Department about new Section 9.2 in the Policy Guidelines regarding the non -assignability of contracts to another agency. He asked the MHB to adopt the Policy Guidelines with the understanding that the intent of Section 9.2 would not change, but the final language of the section would depend upon the Legal Department's review. Ms. Browne moved and Ms. Pearson seconded a motion to adopt the Policy Guidelines Governing Purchase of Service Agreements for the period March 1, 1997-February 28, 1998. In discussion on the motion, Ms. Wiebe said she was pleased to see some of the changes in the Policy Guidelines that appeared to eliminate some requirements for the agencies. She said since the MHB was asking agencies for performance outcome measures in the FY97-98 contracts, she would like to eliminate or reduce some of the paperwork requirements. She said the requirements under client record keeping could be eliminated if the MHB was asking the agencies to provide performance outcome measures. The agencies could make their own decisions about what kind of records they needed to keep in order to produce the outcomes. Mr. Saver said the outcome measure issue was not a new one this year. Contracts, and previously the unified Budget documents, have required performance outcome measures for at least the past 13 or 14 years. However, the measures the agencies provided have never consistently demonstrated an actual impact outcome as a result of the services delivered. Ms. Browne and Mr. Summers both expressed concern and said the record keeping requirements were accepted, good practice. The types of information required in the contract were also expected by the State funders, as well. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the important issue was what the outcome of the services was, and not that the records have been kept. She asked whether it was the MHB's responsibility to require this and enforce it? Whether this is good practice is another question. Mr. Terry cited problems with the records which were kept by both ACORN and Family Counseling Service. These were discovered when these agencies were going out of business. It was very difficult to figure out what services had actually been provided. He said he was opposed to taking the record keeping requirements out of the contracts. Mr. Kerns said some of the requirements were included in recent years as a result of the situation with ACORN. Mr. Kerns asked whether the MHB receives financial audit reports from the agencies? Mr. Saver said the agencies are required through the UBP process and their purchase of service contracts to submit their audits every year. In response to a question, he noted that there was no indication of the types of problems which developed for Family Counseling Service in their most recent audit. There had only been a single sentence in one note in the February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved ACORN's audit prior to that agency going out of business that hinted at a possible financial problem. Ms. Browne said unless someone had financial and accounting background, those reports probably seemed in order. Mr. Terry said the most important information would probably be found in the audit management letter to the agency. Mr. Kerns said it would be worth checking to see if there was any way to get copies of the agencies' management letters. Mr. Kerns called the question. Motion passed unanimously 7 aye - 0 no. IV. COMMUNITY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that the committee met for the first time. In addition to herself and Ms. Pearson, there are several Mental Health Association members on the committee. The committee talked about a number of possible directions in which they might go in developing community education. Ms. Helt-Gavin said one possibility that is being explored is conflict management for at risk families. The committee is looking in to how conflict management skills are being addressed in the curriculum at School District #65 and ETHS. In addition, there is a need for a literature search about the impact or outcome in the community of teaching conflict management skills. Ms. Pearson said there are a number of initiatives in the community, such as the Murdough Foundation's stability campaign. She said the committee is not trying to start a new program, but is looking to build upon something already in place. They will report at the March meeting about the committee's next meeting, which is March 6. V. UNITED WAY NEEDS ASSESSMENT Mr. Saver said Tom Jager has organized an advisory committee to help direct the Evanston United Way's needs assessment process. This is a requirement placed upon all of the suburban United Ways by the United way of Suburban Chicago. He added that he has been working with a sub -committee to develop the format for the United Way of Evanston's community informant survey. The information from key informants will be incorporated with information which is collected through a random household survey. He said the key informant survey will be done in March. The household survey has already been sent to a random sample of 1500 households in the community. The results will be compiled by a tabulation company and provided to the Evanston United Way. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said no one locally knows what type of response has been received from the household survey. February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved VI. DIRECTOR'S REPORT 1997-90 City Budget. Mr. Terry reported the City Budget process is almost completed. The City Council is expected to adopt the Budget at their meeting on February 24. Mr. Terry said that, in his time with the City, this was the first time not a single question related to Health and Human Services was asked by the City Council in its budget questions. A main concern has been raised by the business community about the raising of fees for parking meters and fines for expired meters. If the City Council elects not to adopt these items in the FY97-98 Budget, it will leave a budget shortfall of approximately $500,000. if that is the case, staff may be asked to propose budget reductions to fill the gap. Mr. Terry explained the meter money goes into the Parking Fund, while the fines go into the General Revenue Fund. The latter is where the concern is. Intergovernmental Interagency Agreement. Mr. Terry reported that the meetings in Dr. Alson's office regarding the intergovernmental Interagency Agreement are continuing. There are plans to try to discuss a small number of families to see if some collaborative plans might be worked out on a case by case basis. There was also discussion about the resource guide "This Might Help". The group discussed an interest in updating and reprinting the manual and distributing it to every case worker and clinician in town. Ms. Reynolds said that Evanston High School's Special Education services are not represented in the guide and should be included in any future editions. Mr. Terry said he continues to meet with the Community Wellness Advisory Committee of Evanston Hospital for the needs assessment that they are doing. A report has been received on the focus group input. A household phone survey of one thousand has been done, but the committee has not received the report yet. Mr. Terry said he thought that there might be an over representation of social service agencies in the focus groups. In addition, as the MHB experienced in their own discussion groups, every agency addressed the need for their own services or issues. There has not been much of an overview from community leaders, the business community or elected officials. Given that many of the focus group participants were advocates of one issue or another, a comprehensive overview was not clear. children's Home and Aid Society. Mr. Terry said he will be meeting in a few weeks with senior management of CHASI to discuss the agency's Evanston operations. As ECDC reported last Summer, the programs are experiencing a number of problems because of managed care and because DCFS is controlling the flow of children to residential providers. The Rice Children's Center is no longer February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved certain to be full because DCFS is controlling access to the residential facilities and looking for smaller residential options in the communities. Girls Hope. Mr. Terry reported Girls' Hope opened a few weeks ago at their new home. Center for Public Ministry. Mr. Terry reported he and Dave Myers from CPM were part of a panel which presented to Leadership Evanston last week. Mr. Myers indicated CPM is considering a change of name as a part of their strategic planning process. Legal Issue. Mr. Summers asked what for an update about the Library Board's request to the City Council about their budget allocation, and the independence of the Library Board in establishing their own budget. Mr. Terry said a discussion was scheduled for March 19 in which the Library Board and the City Council will meet. He said Aldermen asked for a legal opinion and applicability of the Library Board's request to the Recreation Board and the Mental Health Board. As soon as this is legal opinion is available copies will be provided to the MHB. Mr. Summers commented that the Library Board believes their legal status is different from all other City boards and commissions. The basis for their request is a legal opinion from their own counsel to this effect. Mr. Summers encouraged all MHB members to stay on top of this issue as he foresaw a significant potential for increasing the MHB Budget. E.S.A.P.C. Essay Contest. Mr. Saver reported the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Council Essay Contest kicked off. Almost 8000 informational flyers were distributed throughout all of the public, private and parochial schools in Evanston. Already, a number of teachers have indicated that they are planning to use the contest as a classroom activity. SSI Changes. Mr. Saver reported that a number of changes are being implemented in the assessment process to determine eligibility of children for SSI. The estimates are that 50% of the children currently enrolled will lose their eligibility for benefits. Mr. Saver said Ms. Savage is going to be distributing information broadly to agencies in town which have clients that might be effected. New Business Venture for 708 Boards. Mr. Saver reported that a group of Mental Health (708) Boards in the west and central parts of that state are developing a care management entity as for - profit business to contract with DMHDD. They are attempting to submit a proposal to DMHDD to serve as the administrative service organization for case management services for persons with developmental disabilities in their area. Their role would be to February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved manage dollars and care on behalf of DMHDD, and contract with and monitor agencies which are already providing case management and information and referral services. This proposal is being done in conjunction with Association of Community Mental Health Authorities of Illinois, the trade association for 708 boards. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said the Evanston Mental Health Hoard is not a member of this association. He added that currently there is no attempt to put together this type of structure in the north and west Cook County area. Mr. Summers requested that the MHB be kept informed of these developments. Meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M.. Barott February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 8 Minutes. recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1997 1. Adopted the Policy Guidelines Governing Purchase of Service Agreements for the period March 1, 1997-February 28, 1998. February 13, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 9 t +� Minutes recorded - not yet approved • EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MARCH 13,1997 Members Present: Susan Stroh, Ellen Reynolds, Lonnie Wiebe, Mary Helt-Gavin, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, Nicki Pearson, Frank Summers Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott, Shandalynn Savage Community Representatives: Rosemary Cavaliero (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services); Eric Chandler, Theodora Tongas (Medill School of Journalism); Joe Kestnbaum (St. Francis Hospital Division of Behavioral Medicine) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and Mr. Summers welcomed them. Mr. Saver commented that the substance abuse prevention essay contest organized by the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Council (ESAPC) had produced 260 entries. He said the initial judging will be March 19. He invited Mental Health Board members to participate in the first round of judging. Mr. Saver said the Council intends to develop a report with excerpts from the essays, in order to profile the attitudes, ideas and comments about substance abuse from the kids. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 13,1997 Ms. Pearson said the Item IV, page 6 should be revised to read "...such as the Murdough Foundation's stability civility campaign." Ms.'VWiebe moved and Ms. Pearson seconded a motion to approve the February 13, 1997 minutes as amended. Motion approved unanimously. III. DISCUSSION WITH JOE KESTNBAUM, DIRECTOR ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE Joe Kestnbaum, Director of St. Francis Hospital's Division of Behavioral Medicine, joined the MHB. He said the MHB's reduction in his agency's allocation for FY97-98 prompted his wanting to discuss his concerns with the MHB. I -le said he needed a clearer understanding of the MHB's priorities and 0 March 13, 1997 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved funding criteria. He added that he thought the cut in his agency's allocation indicated a clear, negative • message, and that community agencies heard it in a negative way. Mr. Kestnbaum said he thought the MHB's discussion about allocations should not have lumped together Evanston Hospital and St. Francis Hospital regarding their financial situations. Evanston Hospital is an extremely wealthy and profitable institution. While St. Francis Hospital does all right financially, he said he did not think they were in the same league. The discussion about the Adult and Child Guidance Center (ACGC) should not focus on the hospital's resources because it has to function as a medium size agency, with its own budget within the institution. Mr. Kestnbaum said he thought there was a Iack of collegiality during this year's funding process. He said he understood that the MHB placed a high priority upon home visits for multi -problem families. There was discussion that only one agency was providing home visits, but no one asked whether ACGC provided that service. Mr. Kestnbaum said Iast year ACGC provided 359 home visits. He added that he was concerned about whether this was a useful measure to use regarding service to multi- problem families. Mr. Kestnbaum said he was also concerned that ACGC was characterized as not doing aggressive outreach in the community. He commented that St. Francis works with Albany Care, Greenwood Care and Center for Public Ministry very closely as a form of outreach. There are various definitions of "outreach". He said ACGC does provide some outreach, although not as aggressive as in some . models. Mr. Kestnbaum said ACGC is also involved in collaborative activity and community planning meetings wherever possible. Mr. Kestnbaum said with the MHB's new definitions he was not clear how the term multi -problem family was being defined, nor how the impact of work with those families was to be measured. He said he wanted a clearer idea of what the MHB was looking for. Ultimately, he might say his agency is not doing it, but he is not clear about the MHB's expectations. He said that there was a need for better communication and collegiality to solve misunderstandings in the future. Providers need to know the MHB's expectations in order to make it feasible to do the job. Mr. Kestnbaum said he was also concerned that nowhere, before or during the allocation process, was he asked what the funding cuts would mean, and how it would impact clients. There did not seem to be any focus on planning for the mental health needs of the community. He concluded by saying he hoped that in the future the MHB would have adequate and better information in making decisions in the future. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said that the MHB did define what they meant in focusing upon "multi- problem families." She said they are families who have difficulty in getting involved in the existing programs. Many suffer from drug use, and their kids experience neglect. They have a cluster of characteristics and problems that, if they escalate, will get them involved with violence and serious harm, or with systems like emergency rooms, the Police Department and the courts. She said she thinks ACGC does a good job and offers some wonderful services. But many times people who most March 13,1997 MH13 Meeting Minutes Page 2 0 Minutes recorded - not yet approved need the services will not make the effort to come to a professional office. The MHB wants the services accessible to homes where it is difficult to get in to. Ms. Wiebe noted she was familiar with ACGC's participation in community collaboration and with their community services. She said that the MHB did not have all of the criteria in which Mr. Kestnbaum said he was interested. However the MHB did have criteria for services about which they were clear. The MHB had those criteria in mind when they made their funding decisions. She indicated that, for her, the hospitals in the community were not as accessible as she would want them to be. Mr. Summers said the MHB established funding priorities with the benefit of information gathered from focus groups last Spring. Agency after agency told the MHB that multi -problem families were the area of greatest need. He said the outcome measures were for the agencies to establish. The MHB expected that the agencies would describe how they would respond to the funding priorities. The MHB was interested in hearing from any agency which proposed to deal with multi -problem families. But it was up to each agency to describe what it proposed to do and hoped to accomplish. The MHB had no single view about what should be done, but it wanted to set the priority and try something new. In order to do anything new or different, money had to be allocated in a different way. Ms. Pearson said the MHB was looking for a way to reach families which were not able to be engaged in more traditional ways, and who were not willing to go out of their way to obtain services. Mr. Summers .said, after the MHB reviewed its funding, it was determined that the hospitals had the most money in programs from where funding could be taken. Ms. Helt-Gavin stated that the MHB did not think about what message it would be sending. That was not the intent. The change in the allocations was not meant to be a negative statement about St. Francis Hospital. Ms. Wiebe asked Mr. Kestnbaum what suggestions he had for better communication between the MHB and the agencies? He replied that the board -agency liaison was very helpful, and he thought the relationship had been productive. He said that he thought only stating "multi -problem families" as a priority was a bit "soft". This might be used as a gauge, but the agencies still need to know what the MHB hopes to achieve with that as a priority. Mr. Kestnbaum suggested that, in the future, the MHB might want to convene a forum with the agencies to talk about how to respond to the needs of multi- problem families, rather than asking each agency to deal with the issue alone. Mr. Summers thanked Mr. Kestnbaum for coming, and for raising his concerns. He said he hoped that this meeting helped clarify the MHB's position. IV. UPDATE ON COMMUNITY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Ms. Pearson referred to the minutes of the joint MHB/MHAE Committee which were in the Board packet. She said the committee is still attempting to work out what its focus will be. There was 0 March 13,1997 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved interest in educating the community about what the schools are providing by way of conflict resolution and conflict management training. She said it was her impression that there was a mandate for schools to be offering instruction in this area. However, from the information from the research which has been done so far, it does not appear that all of the District #65 schools have a very active program in place. She said that Veronica Lindsey, who is responsible for this curriculum at ETHS, has been very helpful in providing information about the high school's process. She said Ms. Lindsey has agreed to serve on the committee. Ms. Pearson said the committee is still considering whether it might focus upon violence prevention in the schools. Mr. Summers said he thought the schools continued to be a good place upon which to focus. Ms. Helt-Gavin commented that the committee was still wanting to build upon something which is already in place. She said the group seemed to be most interested in interventions for children at an early age. There is consideration being given to providing information to nursery school and day care providers about information related to violence prevention. Mr. Saver said that there was some discussion about that as a focus during the workshop "Making Peace", which was sponsored by The Family Institute, Metropolitan Family Services and the YWCA. Mr. Terry said he had an update on a question which was raised in the committee's minutes. He said the Police Chief had reported that the Ministerial Alliance had established a ministerial presence outside and around ETHS after school as a result of the shooting at Dodge and Church in December. He said dates were supposed to have been set and been committed to well into next year. Mr. Summers said he thought that a focus upon nursery schools was not going to be as productive. He said that he thought the window of opportunity was in grades 3-5. His observations were that kids seem to be getting hardened by the age of 10, with attitudes and behaviors which don't seem to be in evidence in third grade. It could be extremely useful If something could be directed to this grade group about how to deal with their frustration and anger. Ms. Pearson thought the committee should also push the issue with District 1165, and get them to tackle the issue. Nis. Helt-Gavin said this would mean working with the District's curriculum department. Ms. Reynolds said that she thought the discussion at the YWCA was specifically about violence directed towards women. In abusive relationships, with the situation at home, kids have already seen extreme examples of violence by the time they get to third grade. Often, young boys who have been abused or witness domestic violence grow up to be abusers. Ms. Wiebe said that unless a group has some organized foundation from which to build, it takes time to build a group that works together with a purpose. She said she didn't think the committee on community education had yet had enough time to work through the issues.. She encouraged them go in the direction of clearly defining the purpose of the group and narrowing the focus. Ms. Helt-Gavin said the work of the committee might be of a long term nature, and expressed concern that the MHB is looking for a more concrete outcome within several months. Ms. Pearson said she thought the focus • L� March 13, 1997 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 4 0 Minutes recorded - not yet approved would probably be addressing violence to the community, and building upon something already in place. Ms. Wiebe suggested that at the next committee meeting a calendar be established, with time lines set in place for a proposal. Mr. Summers said he thought the mental health issues which could be addressed were violence and abuse. Perhaps something could be developed to integrate the District 65 curriculum with parent education. It might be useful to try to tie this to a focus upon multi -problem families. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said that the Friends of Battered Women and Children has a lot of expertise in this area. She said she would contact the agency to see if they have any interest in working on this issue, and will report back at the next meeting. V. REVIEW OF MENTAL HEALTH BOARD ORDINANCE IN CITY CODE The MHB reviewed the memo from the City Clerk's office regarding the review of the Mental Health Board's ordinance in the City Code. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said the last revisions were made in 1993, with minor changes in language. Ms. Helt-Gavin questioned "Powers of the Board' contained in Chapter 7, and asked whether the MHB has powers to oversee mental health groups not funded by the MHB? Mr. Saver said some of that might come from informal influence. However, the MHB does have that the right, under state statutes, to review and comment upon any DMHDD or DASA funding coming in to the community. Mr. Terry pointed out that many of the sections of the MHB's Ordinance are outdated. He said four years ago the Mayor reviewed the enabling Iegislation for various boards and commissions, and saw inconsistencies between practice and law. An ad hoc committee was established to review the ordinances, but has only met irregularly. He added that the City has not updated these codes on a regular basis. Any change would have to be approved by City Council. Ms. Wiebe moved and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein seconded a motion to establish a committee to review and make recommendations about changes in the Mental Health Board's Ordinance. Motion approved unanimously. Mr. Summers said he would talk with Mr. Kerns and Ms. Browne about serving on the committee. Vl. REVIEW OF AG) NCY LIAISON ASSIGNMENTS Mr. Saver said this issue was being brought to the MHB because the policy on the agency -board liaison stipulates "The liaison will serve no more than 2 years with a single agency." He said the initial assignments were made two year ago. Mr. Summers said the reason for the policy was to enable the MHB members to become more familiar with different agencies. In discussion, there was a general consensus that there were not any problems with the current assignments. Ms. Pearson moved and Ms. Gavin seconded a motion to delete the following clauses from the MHB's Board -Agency Liaison Guidelines (Procedure 8-95-A): "1. The liaison ivill start their duties in the month of March. "1. The liaison will serve no more than 2 years with a single agency. " 0 March 13, 1997 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved • In discussion, Mr. Summers suggested that there be no guideline set for the length of an assignment as liaison with the agencies. There was general agreement that a liaison could request a change in their assignment be considered at any time. Ms. Pearson suggested that the time when a new member has been appointed to the Board was an opportunity to look at changes. Motion passed unanimously. VII. AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Agency Quarterly Reports. Ms. Pearson asked why so many of the quarterly reports were delivered at the meeting, after the packet was delivered. Mr. Saver said that normally the quarterly reports would not be due until the end of the month, and some would trickle in late, in early April. He said he requested the reports be turned in earlier to be able to close out the fiscal year. Agency Liaison Reports Metropolitan Family Services. Ms. Wiebe said she invited Sandra Stumme to come to the April 14 meeting to discuss the start-up of their services for multi -problem families with the MHB. She said the agency has indicated that their service figures have climbed back to the levels which were being seen by Family Counseling Services. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein asked whether the MHB was going to increasingly be hearing agencies describe their priorities as multi -problem families? She raised concern that people who are provided counseling services are going to be included under the category of high risk families. Mr. Saver said that Metropolitan Family Services was funded by the MHB to serve that population. The agency has been restructuring the way their services are provided. As an example, what was Child Abuse Services, or the CAFAE program, has been reorganized under Family Support and Prevention Services. Multi -problem families are being served under that program title, as well as under their counseling services. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the MHB should delineate specifically what services it is looking for in response to multi -problem families, and ask questions specifically about them.. NTSW. Mr. Terry indicated that, on the basis of recent conversations, he was having a harder time viewing NTSW as an independent agency. He said it was his belief that all major fiscal, administrative and programmatic decisions at NTSW were, at a minimum, decisions made jointly with Thresholds. Ms, Pearson said she was surprised that none of this was reflected in the agency's most recent quarterly report. Mr. Terry added that as the MHB considers next year's contracts, NTSW would be a good agency to consider moving to a purchase of service contract with unit cost identified to support Evanston clients. The Family Institute. Mr. Saver said he had met with Don Jefferson, Coordinator of The Family Institute's outpost at ETHS. Mr. Jefferson reported that they have received nine referrals from the high March 13,1997 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 6 0 Minutes recorded - not yet approved school's social workers after only being in the high school three weeks. In addition, the program's statistical reports reflected a number of referrals from other agencies. Contrary to the initial expectations, the majority of the families have not wanted to be seen at their homes or some alternative site, but prefer to meet at The Family Institute's clinic. Early Childhood Development Center. Mr. Terry said he had met with David Kirk, President and CEO of Children's Home and Aid Society (CHASI). They operate three programs in Evanston: Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC), Rice Children's Center and Brewer House. The agency is taking a close look at its Evanston operations, the financial future for the programs and their relationship with the community. He said he would update the MHB posted on developments. Mr. Terry noted that ECDC has been submitting bids on managed care projects. Recently, they were asked some difficult questions about parking for their clients. In Mr. Terry's view, the private sector is bringing a customer service perspective which publicly funded not -for -profit agencies have not always considered. Center for Public Ministry. Mr. Terry said he recently accompanied David Myers to a meeting with HUD regarding a funding proposal. They were requesting funding from the same program title under which Housing Options received funds two years ago. There is currently a $600,000 set aside of HUD funds for Evanston. CPM was told that there were some deficiencies in Evanston's continuum of care, which had to be presented in their proposal for funding. HUD is asking the City to take a larger role in the request for funds, and in filling in the gaps in the service continuum. HUD also gives greater consideration to grant requests from units of local government than they from private agencies. Mr. Terry said the community is going to have to consider whether it is prepared to expand supportive services for persons who are homeless. Agency Accreditation. Mr. Terry said he and Mr. Saver have been asked for recommendations from the Council of the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities regarding Housing Options and SHORE. He said they are currently going through the accreditation process, which is being required by DMHDD for all of the agencies which they fund. DMHDD is requiring agencies to be accredited by July, 1997. He said staff provided very high commendation for both of the agencies. Senior Services. Mr. Terry said both Metropolitan Family Services and North Shore Senior Center are submitting bids for the services funded under the Area Agency on Aging, and previously provided by Family Counseling Services The applications are due the third week of March He said his observation has been that the competition between these two agencies has improved service delivery for seniors in the community. He said he thought Evanston now has two high quality agencies aggressively serving seniors. They are both actively involved in community planning efforts, and providing good services. He added that Metropolitan Family Services is still looking for new Evanston location for all of their services. Intergovernmental -Interagency Agreement Mr. Terry reported that Superintendent Alson is continuing to convene a group of community and agency representatives to Consider how to implement March 13,1997 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved and coordinate the Intergovernmental -Interagency Agreement. The group has grown to 25 people. Mr. Terry said there are still concerns about how information regarding individual clients and families is going to be shared. In the most recent meeting, ECDC and Metropolitan Family Services were reluctant to participate in discussing the details of particular cases, even though names were not going to be used, because of concerns about violating the Mental Health Code, professional social work ethics and client confidentiality. Evanston Hospital's Community Wellness Study. Mr. Terry reported that the results of the Community Wellness Study are being reviewed by the Community Advisory Committee. To date, the results of the study have not been released. He said, overall, Evanston appeared to be a very healthy community. One interesting statistic was that 30% of the adults surveyed stated they had accessed and utilized mental health services in the past year. The national figure is 10%. Respite Program. Mr. Saver referred to materials in the Board packet. He said that Clearbrook Center, in Rolling Meadows, is starting the Take A Break Respite Program in Evanston, northern Chicago and the northern suburbs. The respite services are for families who have an infant or toddler with a developmental disability, and are in need of a break. The services will be provided by volunteers. He indicated that he is helping the agency set up arrangements for local training for their volunteers, and is going to help provide community information about the availability of the services. The agency has expressed interest in meeting with the MHB to discuss their new services in this area. Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan Barott March 13,1997 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 8 • �i • Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, MARCH 13,1997 1, Agreed to establish a committee to review and make recommendations about changes in the Mental Health Board's Ordinance. 2. Amended the MHB's Board -Agency Liaison Guidelines (Procedure 8-95-A) by deleting the following clauses: "l: The liaison will start their duties in the month of March. "2. The liaison will serve no more than 2 years with a single agency." March 13,1997 MH9 Meeting Minutes Page 9 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, APRIL 10,1997 Members Present: Ellen Reynolds, Michael Kerns, Lonnie Wiebe, Mary Helt-Gavin, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, Frank Summers, Ellen Browne Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Stab: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott, Shandalyan Savage Community Representatives: Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center), Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The community representatives introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Chair. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MARCH 13, 1997 Ms. Browne moved and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein seconded a motion to approve the March 13, 1997 minutes as amended. Motion approved unanimously. M. DISCUSSION WITH SANDRA STUMME, DIRECTOR, METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES Sandra Stumme, Executive Director of the Evanston/Skokie Valley office of Metropolitan Family Services (NIPS), was invited to join the Board. Ms. Stumme started by expressing her appreciation for how helpful and willing the people and agencies have been in helping her organization to become familiar with the community. She praised the spirit of cooperation between agencies in Evanston and said she hoped the N*IB understood what a gift this was to have in the community. Ms. Stumme said MFS is currently building a local community advisory board. Bonnie Lytle has been elected Chair and Yvonne Davis as Vice Chair. There are 11 people who have agreed to serve on the board. The Advisory Board will not be making many financial decisions. Those still are the responsibility of MFS's board of directors. The Iocal board will be interested in the MHB's concerns, and will focus upon meeting the local needs of the population in which the April 10, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved MHB is interested. She said the mission of the Community Advisory Board is to ensure that the agency's local programs are making a difference in the community. Ms. Stumme said Mr. Saver has already met with the staff in the Family Support and Prevention Program. The program was previously known as CAFAE, which has been in the community since 1974. Its purpose will remain the prevention of child abuse. The program will provide home - based services when needed. The services provided in the program include 24 hour crisis support, individual and family counseling, home and office based services and support groups. They are trying to adjust to what a family needs, and providing what will be most helpful to preserve the family, when possible. They may see one member of the family in the office, which provides more privacy and avoids some of the confusion in the home. This might mean seeing the child in the office, and then taking them back home for family interview afterwards. Ms. Wiebe said the MHB is looking to Ms. Stumme to be the main contact with the NUS board of directors, as well as the local advisory board. She asked what Ms. Stumme's management responsibilities were? Ms. Stumme said she was responsible for the operations of the Evanston office. She said MFS is investing its own private funds in local programs and for the purpose of community development. A staff person has been hired to do community development. This is important because the local funds that have been allocated do not cover the full cost of the programs the agency is establishing. Ms. Stumme said one of her responsibilities is to help the local staff develop programming. In addition, she represents the individual programs at local planning and coordinating meeting when the other staff are unavailable. In response to a question from Mr. Summers, Ms. Stumme said the agency is still trying to find new office space in Evanston, but it is hard to find. They were considering space in one office building, but it was sold and the space is no longer available. They are now moving ahead slowly. The agency would consider buying a building if it was not too large. They are looking for approximately 4,000-4,500 square feet. She added, however, that as a not -for -profit organization that might be difficult in this community at this time. Ms. Stumme said she welcomed any assistance in finding space of anyone had a suggestion. Mr. Summers asked if MFS had a specific program established for multi -problem families? Ms. Stumme said she would need to know the definitions of multi -problem and high risk. She said she thought the terms might be used interchangeably. Mr. Summers clarified that the MHB uses the definition of multi -problem families to mean families which are receiving services from more than one agency. Ms. Stumme said that would be most of the families with whom the agency works. She said the majority of the families being seen in Senior Services would be multi -problem families. There is a separate program delineated specifically for families around issues of child abuse prevention. Other families would be seen in the Family Development program, which provides individual, family and couples counseling. Ms. Stumme said, using the MHB's terms, most of the Evanston families would be considered multi -problem families. In looking through the case records, one could define them. Ms. Stumme said the agency is working with many more April 10, 1997 Mental health Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved multi -problem families than the local funds are paying for. Mr. Summers said the definition of multi -problem families came out of the MI-IB's focus groups last June. He added that some families are misusing agency services by going to several agencies for the same problem. Ms. Wiebe said the MHB distinguishes between high risk and multi- problem. Ms. Stumme said MFS does not distinguish their families in that way, and doesn't use those specific terms. They attempt to identify and build upon the strengths of families. At the same time, they are concerned about having children in situations where they are at risk, and would act quickly to provide the service they need to insure their safety. Ms. Wiebe said the M1HB's concerns come from a funder's perspective. The MHB wants to know the percentage of families who are being seen by multiple agencies. Ms. Stumme said it would be helpful to her to have the terms described more specifically. Mr. Summers said that one thing the MHB is concerned about is the families which drain resources from a number of different agencies. Ms. Stumme said the real issue, then, would be are those families misusing services. It could be that it means the families are taking their problems very seriously, and are appropriately using a number of agencies for a number of different purposes. Ms. Stumme added that MFS is involved with a large number of families that have no resources. They are able to accommodate them with a sliding scale fee which slides to $0. Ms. Browne said she is interested in the number of families who go to different agencies, and how much service do they receive which is a duplication. Mr. Terry said the other questions which need to be addressed were which agency is addressing what symptoms, how are the services being sequenced, and which service is necessary first. Ms. Wiebe said another concern for the MHB was other agencies might not even be aware that other services were being provided. Ms. Stumme said she did not believe that this was a pervasive problem. From her experience, the Evanston agencies seem to be acting responsibly, and are working very hard to avoid this. Ms. Wiebe asked whether a central registry would help to keep track of issues like this. Ms. Stumme replied that a central registry could not be implemented because of confidentiality issues. MFS can only obtain or share specific information for specific purposes regarding specific persons. MFS uses a period of 60 days for its release of information procedures. After that, the release is no longer valid, unless the client signs another release form. She stated MFS does attempt to speak with other agencies regarding their shared clients, and to share relevant information, but with the clients' permission. In response to Mr. Summers' question, said Ms. Stumme since starting in Evanston the Family Support and Prevention Program has seen 28 families; 27 of these are Evanston families. The majority of the Evanston families are DCFS cases. The program is receiving many referrals. They have not had to struggle to build up the numbers. The referrals have come from the high school and grade schools, and from DCFS directly. They have seen approximately 80 individuals/month in the Family Development Program since the beginning of the contract. Ms. Stumme said she would check to see how many of these are also being seen by more than one April 10,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved agency. When MFS first took over from Family Counseling Services, their numbers of clients dropped off significantly. The caseloads are beginning g to build up again due to numerous referral sources. As the numbers increase, Metropolitan Family Services can add staff when there is a need for it. But they have to be fiscally sound, and only do it when there is a high demand for services. Ms. Stumme said the Family Development Program is trying to do both prevention and treatment in that same program. The Family Support program is able to provide in -home, direct services for children at risk. She said the agency is also hoping to bring the FAST program to Evanston in the future. This program works with children in the early grades who the schools have identified to be at risk of school failure, before they get in to real problems at school. It provides outreach to families who the community is most concerned about. This will take time to develop in Evanston. Ms. Stumme distributed a portfolio of all of the services MFS is providing locally. Mr. Summers asked how many staff speak Spanish? Ms. Stumme said they have three; one works in the Consumer Credit Counseling program. They have a diversified staff. Ms. Wiebe asked whether they have clients speaking other languages. Ms. Stumme answered not in the Evanston programs, however in Skokie they have clients who speak Russian and Korean. Ms. Stumme said MFS is offering some wonderful services at their offices. However, many of the families they are seeing have experienced some chronic problems. When there is a cluster of problems that continue to escalate, the families will end up having contact with the Police Department, with violence in the family, or by getting involved with many other systems. Many times, their clients will not even take a taxi or public transportation to the office. While the agency can have a number of services available, they will mean nothing unless the services are accessible to the families. For that reason, MFS is placing a big emphasis upon services available, when needed, in homes. Ms. Stumme thanked the MHB for their time and their financial support. In response to a question from Mr. Saver, Ms. Stumme reported MFS has received the go-ahead from DMHDD to start a Mental Health Program to reach out and identify children that are severely mentally ill. The services will provide intensive supports to help avoid out -of -home or institutional placements. The program was funded with CONNECT97 funds to serve Evanston and Maine Townships. She said she anticipates the new staff for the program will start May 1. The main focus of the program will be to connect families where they have a child who has received a diagnosis, and the family may not be getting adequate services. The new program will provide intensive case management supports to help the family received all of the benefits and resources to which they are entitled. Metropolitan Family Services will work with both hospitals and other community service providers which offer mental health services because MFS doesn't locally have those programs. MFS will need to connect the families where they can get the services they need. April 10,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Summers thanked Ms. Stumme for her presentation and the information supplied to the Mental Health Board members. W. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Mr. Summers referred to a letter in the packet from Dr. Ira Sloan, Department of Psychiatry at Evanston Hospital. Ms. Browne said she thought it was a good letter, and that she appreciated the positive tone. Mr. Summers said he appreciated the message, and indicated that the hospital would not reduce its services or staffing during the current fiscal year, even though it experienced a funding cut from the MHB. He added that the MHB would need to pay attention to what steps that department will take with their next funding year. Agency Liaison Reports Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services (North Shore Senior Center). Ms. Browne reported the agency expanded its office space by adding an additional 660 square feet in the storefront next to its original space. The Evanston Advisory Council of NSSC met in January and March. The agency is organizing a community education program regarding Alzheimer's Disease, in conjunction with the Commission on Aging (COA). The agency is also collaborating with the Intergenerational Committee of the COA to put on a program "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren". Contact has been made with the Brookdale Foundation and the Illinois Department on Aging for funding to support the program Center for Public Ministry. Mr. Kerns reported that he plans to attend the agency's May Board meeting. They will be presenting their budget and discussing long term strategic planning needs. Over the past year, David Myers of CPM has been developing and revising operating policies and procedures to help guide the staff in their actions. One change this past year has been that a number of CPM's major funders turned to different funding priorities. CPM has a new Development Director who is seeking additional funding sources to make up the loss. Mr. Kerns reported that CPM reports that the Winter was uneventful regarding problems, and with the warm weather the agency is reinitiating their community policing activity around the shelter. Housing Options. Ms. Reynolds said she visited the new home on Florence. They still have several vacancies, but everything appears to be going; well. Mr. Terry said he had several, additional agency updates: • PEER Services has been dealing with a graffiti problem on its walls adjacent to the CTA tracks. They were cited by the City to clean up the graffiti. However, they were going to need permission from the CTA in order to access the walls. The CTA refused permission because it would pose a safety hazard to have someone adjacent that close to their tracks. Mr. Terry said he was able to work with the Community Development Department to resolve April 10, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved the problem.; Mr. Terry commented said that the Area Agency on Aging (AAOA) has entered in to an agreement with the Great Lakes Alliance. They have arranged with private firms to endorse and promote their products, in return for remuneration. AAOA distributed a letter to its contract agencies, like the Commission on Aging and Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services, asking them to push the endorsed products, e.g., Ameritech Home Security. Mr. Terry said that this appears to be the sign of the times in fundraising for not -for -profit agencies. Mr. Terry reported that when Rice Children's Center was remodeled and renovated several years ago, Children's Home and Aid Society (CHASI) requested that a part of an alley be vacated so they could complete their entire plan. This was agreed to by neighborhood and the City Council with the stipulation that CHASI pave the remaining part of the alley. Alderman Feldman noted at Tuesday's City Council meeting that the alley was never paved. The Alderman insisted that CHASI complete this work and fulfill their part of the agreement immediately. Mr. Terry said he contacted CHASI and they indicated that the ball was in the City's court. He said he would update the MHB on this matter as it develops. Mr. Saver referred to a funding request included in the packet which was addressed to Dr. Tom Simpatico, Director of the Metro North Network from St. Francis Hospital's Division of Behavioral Medicine. The request was for DMHDD funding to support and expand the hospital's crisis intervention services. Mr. Saver reported that the service has been available at the hospital for approximately 2'/2 years, but is only able to offer daytime crisis services. The service is provided by Carol Phillips, the Intake Manager in the Division of Behavioral Medicine. He said he met with Ms. Phillips to discuss the program and learn more about their request. From her presentation, it appeared that the demand for crisis services at the hospital evolved out of her availability as Intake Coordinator to provide psychiatric consultation for psychiatric emergencies to the emergency room and the inpatient unit. As hospital staff became more familiar and comfortable with the assistance which was available, the demand for the service increased. Mr. Saver said currently there are no funds identified or available for expansion of services in the Metro North Network, but the Network's Advisory Council will be reviewing and prioritizing funding requests in order to be prepared, in the event funds do become available. Ms. Wiebe asked what the relationship has been between St. Francis Hospital's crisis services and Evanston Hospital's Crisis Intervention and Referral Services? Mr. Saver said he was not aware of whether there were any formal, working relationships or procedures that have been established. He added that Ms. Phillips reported St. Francis's crisis services are organized to provide support for individuals who are registered at the hospital, present at their emergency room or are in the hospital's inpatient unit. Evanston Hospital's crisis services are funded to provide the same services in that hospital 24 hours a day, have been providing 24-hour crisis backup for a number of other agencies in the community, and have a 24-hour crisis line. In addition, they have developed a close working relationship and procedures with the Evanston Police Department as a drop-off site. Ms. Wiebe asked whether there was a need for two publicly funded crisis April 10, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved intervention programs in the community? Ms. Browne commented that there is a definite difference in the populations being seen at each of the hospitals. Mr. Saver said St. Francis's funding request is not just targeting the local community. Approximately 50% of the individuals they identified as being eligible for or in need of their crisis services are from Chicago. He added that if St. Francis Hospital's Emergency Room was working with an individual in need of psychiatric services, it is unlikely that they would want to transport that person to Evanston Hospital for a psychiatric assessment and crisis counseling. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said Ms. Philips reported that St. Francis's crisis services were not being organized to do mobile assessment or outreach outside of the hospital. He said that Evanston Hospital has, when called upon, provided that through their ACCESS and Crisis Intervention programs. In addition, he said that he was informed by the Director of the Trilogy/Evanston program that she has recently been called upon a few times to assist the Evanston Police Department on the streets in an assessment and intervention with an individual who appeared to be in need of psychiatric services. V. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Mr. Saver provided an update on the budget being proposed for the Department of Human Services (DHS). Ms. Browne asked whether there was any indication that the agencies involved in the consolidation were working together. Mr. Saver said that the implementation of the new DHS would not begin until July, 1997, He said, however, that he has been informed that hundreds of State employees from the effected departments have been involved on various committees to work through the various planning issues, and to develop the implementation plans. Mr. Saver referred to materials in the packet from IACMHA and pointed out that, similar to previous years, there were no increases allocated for the increased operational and staff costs to provide community services in the proposed Budget. At the same time, there was a 5.4% increase proposed for state operated facilities, staffing and operations. Ms. Wiebe commented that she thought this seemed to be contrary to the State's expressed intent to move more people out of institutions and back to the community. Mr. Saver said the proposed Budget is only a maintenance budget for existing services. There are several increases proposed for new and expanded services to support people in the community, e.g., DD CILAs for the Bogard class, which are required under the Court Order; additional CONNECT funds to support people with serious mental illness. Mr. Saver said there has been some discussion that the definition of eligible populations for MI, services might be expanding. Previously, DMHDD developed definitions of their target and eligible populations which emphasized those individuals who were repeat, high users of expensive, state -operated facilities. The DHS operations will need to provide clinical services and supports to a larger population who are being effected by welfare reform. The DHS categories for eligibility for services for mental health problems may expand to assist that population to enter or re-enter the work force to enable the State is to meet its welfare reform goals. April 10,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Saver said that one of the more controversial issues in the DHS Budget is the proposed restructuring of metropolitan Children and Adolescent (C&A) Psychiatric Services, and the closure of the Metro C&A institutional program. The State plans to use the savings from the closure to purchase services from private psychiatric hospitals at a less expensive per diem cost, and to increase the community supports available through community mental health agencies to maintain a child in the community. The proposal faces a number of hurdles before it is enacted in the Budget because it is being opposed by the union, by some advocacy groups and some parents' groups. In the meantime, the State is proceeding as if the facility will be closed in November, 1997. VI. APPOINTMENT OF NOMINATING COMMITTEE Mr. Summers reported that the MHB's procedures require that a Nominating Committee for 1997-98 Board officers be appointed in April, with a slate of nominees to be presented at the May meeting. The election of officers would then take place in June, and the new officers would assume their duties in July. Mr. Summers appointed Lonnie Wiebe and Paula Cofresi-Silverstein to the Nominating Committee. Ms, Browne moved and Ms. Helt-Gavin seconded a motion to approve Lonnie Wiebe and Paula Cofresi-Silverstein to the Nominating Committee for Mental Health Board officers for 1997-98. Motion approved unanimously. VII. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry reported that he and Mr. Saver met with a staff person from the Substance Abuse Program run by the Veterans Administration at Clyde and Howard. They have established a full scale medical clinic for veterans which few seem to be aware of. They are doing outreach about the program and the clinic in order to increase utilization of these programs. Any agency who has a client who is a veteran has access to a wide range of services which they can make available. Mr. Saver reported that, at the same time, the Veteran's Administration has been increasing the income threshold for the services so not all vets are financially eligible. Mr. Summers asked if the clinic had any mental health services? Mr. Terry stated that some mental health services are available from the VA hospital system, but most individuals are referred for mental health services to Iocal agencies. Mr. Terry remind the members about the Evanston Hike for the Hungry and Homeless on Sunday, April 27. 1t will benefit CPM and other local programs. Mr. Terry distributed the minutes from the City Council meeting with the Library Board on March 19. Mr. Summers reaffirmed his interest in having the MHB informed and updated on this issue. Mr. Terry said the Aldermen and Alderman Elect will be meeting on Monday, April 21 to discuss proposed new rules for the City Council. Mr. Terry said it was his understanding that the new April 10,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 8 Minutes recorded - not yet approved rules would call for the return of the Human Services Committee, which would meet monthly. Mr. Terry reported that he would be hosting a meeting with all interested agencies to develop a continuum of care for homeless persons in the community. This is a necessary part of the application of any agency which wants to apply for HUD funds for the homeless. Mr. Terry thanked the MHB for their kind words and condolences upon the recent death of his father. Mr. Saver reported the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Council Essay Contest will be holding the final judging for the essays on Tuesday, April 29. Approximately 275 essays were received. The final judging will be for the 15 finalists in the 3rd-5th grade and 6th-8th grade categories. Ms. Helt Gavin volunteered to represent the UM and to assist in the judging. Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan Barott Secretary April 10,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 9 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 10,1997 1. Approved the appointments of Lonnie Wiebe and Paula Cofresi-Silverstein to the Nominating Committee for Mental Health Board officers for 1997-98. April 10,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 10 Minutes recorded -not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MAY 8,1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Lonnie Wiebe, Mary Helt-Gavin, Paula Co&esi- Silverstein, Susan Stroh, Frank Summers Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair StatY: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center), Kate Whitaker (Medill School of Journalism) Chair Summers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and Mr. Summers welcomed them. I1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF APRIL 10, 1997 Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein moved and Ms. Pearson seconded a motion to approve the April 10, 1997 minutes. Motion approved unanimously. In. MHB/MHAE COMMUNITY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Ms. Helt-Gavin provided an update from the MHB/MHAE joint committee. She reported that the committee had two new members: John Connelly, Kids Power, who teaches martial arts and helping kids set safe boundaries; and, Teri Talan, head of the Evanston Day Nursery. Ms. HeIt- Gavin said the committee's focus has been violence reduction in high risk children, and civility issues in kids, with an emphasis upon pre-schoolers. She said in the most recent meeting, some of the discussion was about the lack of adequate, affordable day care slots in the community for all of the families who need it. Many of the day care programs provide training and education for the kids about socialization and dealing with feelings. Some of the kids who are at the greatest risk, and in the greatest need of this type of education, are not able to take advantage of it. Ms. Helt-Gavin said the committee is continuing to discuss what forum they would like to use to provide their information. Mr. Saver said the committee had a problem focusing upon a specific topic, in part, because there were different individuals attending each meeting. Each new person brought to the discussion a slightly different agenda for consideration. May 8,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Ms. Helt-Gavin said the Committee was looking for feedback, and asked the MHB for any concrete suggestions she could take to the next meeting. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein suggested that the (Dempster Plaza) District 65 Family Focus drop in center as a good place to access kids. . Mr. Summers said he thought the focus should still be on violence reduction, and that the target should be pre-schoolers and their educators. He added that it might be a valuable community education project to provide information about the role of low cost child care in dealing with a number of social issues for high risk children. Ms. Pearson noted that when the Committee discussed targeting the pre-school population, Teri TaIan indicated that her child care center already was able to providing training for their kids around issues of violence and aggression. Ms. Pearson said she thought the Committee was going to survey all of the child care centers to determine whether this might be a useful educational project for the staff at other centers. Ms. Helt-Gavin said Karen Vroegh was working on the survey. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she would like to go to the next Committee meeting with suggestions for topics in which the MHB was very interested. Ms. Wiebe said the Committee should have a designated meeting with the only agenda item being to set objectives and identify a target population. Mr. Summers stated that the Mental Health Board should provide some direction as to the objectives for this Committee. He said he liked the idea of targeting small children rather than adolescents, and providing information to parents about helping their kids deal with conflicts. Ms. Helt-Gavin said there might be some way to set up sites where parents could go to receive the information. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said the best avenue would be to go to where the families already are, such as St. Nicholas Church, where people could present programs just before the Mass, and at the Family Focus Drop -In Center. Ms. Stroh said training about helping kids deal with violence might be provided for the mothers in the Teen Baby Nursery program at the high school, as well as at Family Focus for the mothers who are about to deliver. Ms. Cofresi- Silverstein commented that the Committee should also look to Fran Williams who does parenting classes at ETHS for pregnant, teen moms. Mr. Summers said, based upon the MHB's discussion, he would like the Committee's objective to be providing parents with high risk kids with training about how to teach their kids to deal with conflict, violence and anger. He recommended a target date of Fall, 1997 to start the initiative. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she would communicate the MHB's thoughts and ideas to the MHB/Mi-IAE Committee members. IV. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Agency Liaison Reports St. Francis Hospital. Ms. Helt- Gavin reported that ACGC sent their staff to Springfield to learn how to complete a new reporting format for DMHDD. She said Mr. Kestnbaum reported that the proposed merger with Resurrection Hospital is proceeding slowly, and the impact of a Minutes recorded - not yet approved merger is still not certain. Mr. Terry reported that several agencies are considering a change of their names. This is happening as they are going through a strategic planning process or considering a reorganization. NTSW. Ms Pearson asked if there was any additional information about changes at NTSW. Mr. Saver said Jim Stavish, NTSW's Executive Director, reported that the boards of NTSW and Thresholds are continuing to discuss the nature of their working relationship. Mr. Saver said he anticipates this will be resolved by the beginning of the new fiscal year. In the meantime, Thresholds has been assisting NTSW with a billing process for Medicare which has been generating some additional revenues for the agency. V. UPDATE: DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES Mr. Saver provided an overview of the proposed consolidation of State human service agencies into a single Department of Human Services (DHS). He said the plan was subject to approval in the State's budget process. The implementation plan being proposed to the Legislature could still be changed, however, at this late date it is unlikely that there will be any changes of great substance in the structure. Mr. Saver pointed out that the many of the terms and concepts used in the report on human services consolidation incorporate the language of behavioral health care and of industry. The plan will be measured against six performance areas; client outcomes, service quality, client satisfaction, community collaboration, service efficiency and organizational efficiency. In addition, the plan appears to be the backbone of Illinois' plan to accomplish its welfare reform goals. There is a heavy emphasis throughout the report upon clients achieving self-sufficiency, and taking more responsibility for their progress. Ms, Gavin asked about the "clearing house" role in the new system. Mr. Saver said it was his understanding that this would be a single point of entry and intake for anyone applying for services. Intake workers will do an assessment of the presenting problems and determine whether they are eligible fore State services. If the determination is made that an individual of family is eligible for services, they will; be provided one-time assistance to address immediate, concrete needs; referred for services outside of the publicly -funded human services system to private, community agencies; or, referred to a designated service coordinator. The latter will be broken down in to four different types of case management, with different levels of intensity. The service coordinators will have responsibility for helping the client develop and achieve specific goals and outcomes. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said he has not seen the eligibility standards for services. He added that he did not have any information about how the decisions will be made as to whether an individual will be referred to publicly funded services, privately funded services, or the natural helping network, e.g., churches, relatives, neighbors. However, all of these are a part of the State's plan for the implementation of a new, coordinated system. Mr. Saver said that he May 8, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved has not seen a separate implementation plan for Evanston, and he does not believe that a plan has been delivered to any of the community agencies. Initially, the new service system will be implemented by DHS in five communities which served as pilot systems under the Governor's Task Force on Human Services Reform. Ms. Wiebe commented that she was concerned a two-tier system could develop with community agencies: one door for people who go through the state determination process, and another door for people who have funding going directly to the agency. Ms. Wiebe asked what was intended in the report by the phrase "...the intake will happen at the initial point of need." She said this could mean there would be Service Coordinators at all the Evanston agencies. Mr. Saver said he did not believe that there would be an Intake Coordinator at every agency. The Intake Coordinator might be a State employee, or the position could be contracted out to a private agency in the community. This person would be responsible for implementing means tests, conducting intake interviews, implementing the initial screening to determine a service plan, and determine what additional agencies an individual or family might be referred to. The information from the intake process would, then, be available to all the agencies which were part of the eventual service plan. Mr. Saver reported that there would be a small group of people being proposed to implement this role due to the specialized training needed. Ms. Wiebe commented that the client may change Service Coordinators which made her think if their primary needs change, then the Service Coordinator could change. Mr. Saver referred to the chart about the design of the service delivery system which was in the packet, and said he assumed that an individual could move from one type of coordination to another as their needs and challenges change. Mr. Terry commented that some of the implementation will be geography driven. Evanston does not have its own Public Aid office. He said it was unlikely that a State coordinated intake point would be established in Evanston. Given that much of the activity for the new DHS will be dealing with welfare reform issues, he thought that, in many cases, Evanston individuals will have to travel to a location outside of the community. Mr. Saver said one of the biggest challenges for the new DHS will be the development of an effective management information system (MIS). He said that it has always been difficult for community agencies to get accurate information back from the State. In addition, it will be important for coordination of a new DHS information system with the new system which needs to be developed for the implementation of Medicaid reform. To date, there have been a number of problems with previous attempts to develop information systems for DASH, DMHDD and DPH. At the same time, the Legislature has mandated that the MIS be functional before all of the new systems and intake sites be implemented. Mr. Terry said one major hurdle is that it appears the State is trying to do two things at once - welfare reform and the reorganization of human services. It will take an extreme amount of effective coordination to bring those two systems together. Ms. Wiebe said funding would also seem to be a major problem in getting the new system off the ground.. Mr. Saver said the Casey Foundation originally funded five community federations to May 8,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved pilot different human services reorganization projects. These were used as models to help develop the model the State is proposing in the DHS plan for implementation. V1. REPORT OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE Ms. Wiebe reported that she and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein discussed nominations for MHB officers for 1997-98. She said the Nominating Committee is recommending the following nominations: Chair - Frank Summers Vice Chair - Susan Stroh There were no other nominations from the floor. Mr. Summers said the nominations would be voted on at the June meeting for one year terms beginning July 1, 1997. Vil7. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Human Services Committee. Mr. Terry reported the newly elected City Council met and reorganized their rules and procedures. One of the decisions was to reconvene a Human Services Committee. The Committee members are Ald. Moran, Aid. Feldman, Ald. Newman, Ald. Rainey and Ald. Kent. The Committee will met the first Monday of every month, with the first meeting on June 2. Alderman Kent will initially preside as Chair. Mr. Terry said Ald. Feldman would like to have boards and commissions have a regular reporting relationship with the Human Services Committee. This will be discussed at the first meeting. This Human Services Committee will also have oversight for Police Services, The Police Department Summer Plan will be on the agenda on June 2 Mr. Terry said he plans to bring up the discussion about City Council involvement in UBP at the July meeting. Mr. Summers asked that the MHB's June agenda include discussion about how the UM would like to proceed with UBP. Homeless Task Force. Mr. Terry said he recently convened a meeting of the homeless service providers in the Community. They were brought together to discuss the service continuum of care for homeless persons in Evanston. The continuum is a necessary component of any proposal which is submitted for a current funding announcement from HUD for homeless services. HUD requires a single service continuum for the community, including the identification of needs and gaps in services. Mr. Terry said last year CPM applied for the HUD funds, and were turned down, in part, because of HUD's concerns about inadequacies in the continuum of care in the proposal. Mr. Terry said in the initial meeting, the agencies identified the following needs for homeless services: aggressive street outreach; emergency shelter for homeless families; and, transitional housing. He added that the June MHB packet will include a draft copy of the proposed continuum of care for the NM's review. He would like the Human Services May B, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Committee, the NM and the Housing Commission to review and ratify the plan developed by the Homeless Task Force. HUD is looking for support and endorsement from local units of government for the continuum of care which is developed. Essay Contest. Mr. Saver reported the results of the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Council's Essay Contest. The certificates and awards for the winners will be presented by the Mayor at the May 19 City Council meeting. Certificates will also be awarded to all contest finalists and other children who participated at their schools. The Council will also be sending recognition awards to all of the teachers who participated with their classes. In response to a Question, Mr. Terry said a number of the essays by middle school students commented unfavorably on the D.A.R.E. Program. He said he is under the impression that Chief Kaminski is reexamining how Police officers relate to the schools. Mr. Saver said over the Summer, a sub -committee of the ESAPC will review all of the contest entries and excerpt some of the more interesting thoughts and observations. The plan is to issue a report at the beginning of the school year which summarizes the findings. The report will be distributed to City Council, the school boards, City commissions, community groups and agencies which have an impact upon substance abuse prevention in Evanston. Mr. Saver reported that Police Chief Kaminski is inviting all the essay winners to the Police Department's Citizen Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 5. The Chief is going to be recognizing all of the winners with a special commendation from the Department. Mr. Summers said this was an excellent idea, and great recognition for the kids. He asked whether there would be another Essay Contest next year? Mr. Saver stated the Council was going to evaluate this program over the Summer, and determine whether and how to do another contest next year. The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott May 8,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, .TUNE 12, 1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Lonnie Wiebe, Mary Helt-Gavin, Paula Cofresi- Silverstein, Ellen Reynolds, EIlen Browne, Frank Summers Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Gerry Gulley, Lois Mazor (SHORE: Community Services) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and Mr. Summers welcomed them. H. RECOGNITION OF RETIRING MHB MEMBER ELLEN BROWNE On behalf of the Mental Health Board, Mr. Kerns thanked Ellen Browne for eight years of dedicated service to the City, and on behalf of people with special needs. In appreciation of her service, Mr. Kerns presented her with a gift certificate to a health spa. Mr. Summers said he enjoyed working with Ms. Browne for the past three years, and appreciated the energy and enthusiasm she brought to the task. On behalf of Nicki Pearson, who was out of town, Mr. Saver read the following tribute: "First, lei me say hot, sorry 1 am that I ant not able to be here to .ray these words myself, but I ant sure that Ellen 011 understand the reason -- I'm out of town helping my mother gel settled in an assisted living program. The reason that I latow she will understand is that Ellen has been a strong and consistent advocate for services jar the elderly. In addition, her concern and advocacy for those persons with developme►ital disabilities has been an important force for all of its on the Xfental health Board. 1.11en has alivays kept our focus opt the needs of this group of sl)ecial individitals. "To work with Ellen has beeps somethiptg special. Always direct, never shy about her opinions -- Ellen was always easy to work with because you never had to spend bore trying to figure out her posidiopis on issites. She always made it perfectly clear! "Ellen has made an important contribution to l:twisiopt through her hard work on behalf of those who have a needfor quality mental health services in our community. 1 will miss her June 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved intellect, lntowledge, commilment and understa►tding of the issues. It has been an honor and a pleasure to have worked with her. " Jerry Gulley, Executive Director, and Lois Mazor from SHORE: Community Services thanked Ms. Browne for her support and advocacy as their agency's Board Liaison. Mr. Gulley said Ms. Browne was always available to the agency, and provided useful insight to the concerns of the Mental Health Board. Ms. Mazor recounted a visit Ms. Browne paid to the Brummel Town Homes and said she took a personal interest in what their residents had to say and the kinds of issues which effected their lives. Ms. Browne thanked the MHB for their generous gift, and expressed appreciation for everyone's thoughts of expression. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MAY 8, 1997 Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Browne seconded a motion to approve the May S, 1997 minutes as amended. Motion approved unanimously. IV. REPORT: MHB/MHAE COMMUNITY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that the joint MHB/MHAE Committee is continuing to focus on an awareness campaign for the pre-school age population. The campaign will be based upon the Civility Compact developed by the Community Task Force, and will emphasize respect for others and responsibility for one's own actions. The message of the Compact will have to be rewritten with language which can be use for a younger population. The Committee will be looking at ideas for translating this code, which is geared towards young adults and older adolescents, to something which is useable by care givers of preschoolers as well as preschoolers, themselves. In addition, the Committee will need to figure out the kinds of behaviors to encourage in children which leads to a responsible, non -aggressive, non-violent adults. The Committee is considering a number of ways to deliver the message: an awareness day workshop, follow up with various kinds of printed materials, children's projects like coloring books, ECTV broadcast. Ms. Helt-Gavin said the Committee is still working to refine the message. Mr. Summers asked for clarification about the comment in the minutes from the Committee's May meeting: "... (.she) ►vas concerned about the MHB :s recononeinkitions that would require mare 'lranrLs oil activity. " Mr. Saver said it was his understanding that one of the representatives from the Mental Health Association of Evanston (MHAE) was reacting to some of the comments and ideas provided by the MFIB. He said the MI-IAE expressed interest in doing education and advocacy as an organization, and providing training in the materials developed for the campaign. They want to be involved in developing materials for the training of care givers and providing that information to the "hands on people", rather than doing the work directly with the children. June 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein recommended bringing in some of the schools and day care centers to participate. Ms. Helt-Gavin said one of the problems for the Committee has been inconsistency in who is attending the meetings. It has been difficult to narrow the focus of interest when new people are at each meeting wanting to expand the project. Ms. Helt-Gavin said that once the plans are more concrete, the Committee will be open to involving more people for planning and implementation. Ms. Helt-Gavin said the Committee should soon have specific tasks and a work plan, and will need to develop a time line for implementation. The Committee will probably break up in to small work groups to continue the planning. She added that there will be a need for plans for follow-up through doctors' offices, clinics, and other places not traditionally thought of as educational sites. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she liked the idea of a one day workshop for this type of presentation. She suggested that the format should also include smaller break-out groups with a more cozy atmosphere. This would facilitate more open discussion among the participants. She said the location will be important, as will food, to draw people in. Mr. Summers said he thought the target population the Committee has identified will not be impacted by written materials. He said there will be a need for more hands on, concrete activities. Ms. Wiebe suggested that there be card tables set up and identified by category, e.g., grandparents who are care givers, single mothers, etc. In that way, workshop participants could find people in similar situations with whom they could speak about issues of concern. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein suggested that it would be helpful to include a young mother who has worked to improve her care giving skills share what skills she has learned. It would be important to have someone who feel good about the way she deals with issues of civility with her kids. Ms. Cofresi- Silverstein also said it would be important to have child care available at the workshop. She said she would check on having helpers from the high school available to do this for community service hours. V. UBP PROCESS FOR FALL, 1997 Mr. Terry said the item is on the agenda because the MHB requested it at the June meeting. He said there is no additional news yet about how the Aldermen are viewing UBP. He indicated the UBP Process for Fall, 1997 will be placed on the Human Service Committee's agenda for discussion on July 7. Mr. Terry said staff will need some guidance by July about how the allocation process is going to be handled this year. Ms. Wiebe said the MHB should communicate with the new Human Services Committee (HSC) a concern about a lack of attention to the Mental Health Board's issues and concerns. She said the N1HB needs the support of the HSC, and wanted to figure out how to get the HSC's attention to the matters at hand. Mr. Summers asked whether the MHB wanted to continue the UBP process, and what did they June 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved want it to be? The previous year the MI-IB thought there had been some improvements. They did not think it was pro forma, and just going through the motions. If the M HB wants to continue the process, they have the opportunity to make changes. If there is something they want, they need to go to the HSC meeting with their ideas. Ms. Wiebe said she thinks UBP is very important, and would not like to see it disappear. She added, however, that it is very confusing and takes a lot of time to feel on top of all of the information provided. Mr. Kerns said he would like to improve the process. Right now, it is providing for the administrative ease of the agencies, and makes it possible for agency directors to only have to attend one budget hearing. At the same time, it could be made more user friendly. Mr. Kerns commented that it might be more important if the CDBG funds were included for consideration with the UBP funds. One problem is that, after the hearings, each (under works in a vacuum in considering what to do with its funds. There is no discussion about issues, community needs or proposed allocations. In 1996, the funders met before the hearings to discuss their concerns and thoughts about community needs. He said this should be done again to discuss what the needs are that everyone is considering. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein asked why UBP had to be done very year? She suggested having the hearings every other year. The agencies have to prepare in order to do a good job. There is not enough time because there is a lot of pressure to deliver services. Mr. Summers stated there would still be a need for some type of forum every year, in order to keep in touch with the agencies. He added he liked the meeting with the United Way and the Aldermen beforehand to discuss needs. Mr. Summers said one possibility would be to meet every other year in a group setting with the agencies to discuss needs in the community. If it was done outside of a budget hearing, when the agencies were not competing with each other, the agencies would not feel so compelled to focus on their own financial and programmatic needs. They might be more open to discussing the service needs of the larger community. Ms. Wiebe said if there were a meeting every other year, the emphasis should be upon the service and program needs of the entire community. Mr. Terry said the MFIB is welcome to attend the HSC to hear the discussion about UBP. He added that the HSC is looking for an in-depth dialogue with all boards and commissions about how they are functioning. They want to gain a greater measure of dialogue and accountability with them. The HSC has emphasized that the boards and commissions need to report to HSC and get their direction from City Council members. Ms. Wiebe said the MI-IB should meet beforehand with the United Way and discuss their own concerns and interests in the UBP Process. Mr. Summers said he would like to have a meeting with the United Way for that purpose, and to consider an every -other -year hearing process. Ms. Browne said it would be a problem if there were not many people in attendance. The experience from the meetings the past year indicate that there is a need to know the full range of ideas about UBP in each group of funders. Mr. Summers asked Mr. Kerns to take the lead on this issue for the MUM. I -le asked Mr. Kerns to meet with the United Way before the July 7 HSC meeting, and June 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved to include those people who have been most involved with the UBP Process. In response to a question, Mr. Terry said another issue which has been discussed is whether UBP is an appropriate allocation of City stab resources. There are some who feel that his and Mr. Saver's time has been diverted from other issues. The MHB has been bearing the brunt of the staff work to organize the process. It becomes, largely, their staff time which is diverted from other issues. He said he doesn't know whether the United Way appreciates this. VI. REPORT ON HOMELESS CONTINUUM CARE FOR HUD FUNDING Mr. Terry reported that the Center For Public Ministry (CPM) was turned down last year when it applied for funding from HUD. One of the reasons they were turned down was that the City of Evanston had not officially developed a continuum of care for the homeless, which is a critical part of the proposal. Thirty per cent of HUD's evaluation of the community's continuum of care is for the process used to develop the document. Mr. Terry said he has been in the process of developing a continuum of care with the Homeless Task Force. HUD want to ensure that everyone in the community who is involved with the homeless has an opportunity to have input. Mr. Terry said his goal is to have a continuum of care which is officially sanctioned by the City Council, M1iB and Housing Commission. In that way, any agency which chooses to apply for the HUD funding will only have to attach the document to their proposal. HUD will only accept one continuum of care from each community. Mr. Terry said that Human Services Committee reviewed the initial draft of the document and Felt strongly that they could only support a document which identified aggressive street outreach for the homeless as the priority need. Mr. Terry said, to his knowledge, the only agency at this time which is planning to apply for these HUD funds is CAM. St, Francis Hospital was considering an application but agreed to be part of CPM's application, rather than submitting a competing application. If their proposal is funded, CPM will purchase services they require from St. Francis Hospital. Mr. Terry said that in the draft document the MHB received, the gap analysis chart and an inventory of services have not been completed. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the document was good. She said the document made reference to considering issues as a broader community. She indicated that space at Glenview Naval Air Station and Fort Sheridan was being made available for housing for persons who are homeless. She asked whether the issue is being looked at in a broader geographical context? Mr. Terry said Evanston is. He indicated he had conversations with HUD to try and encourage them to also look at regional issues. However, they are very reluctant to do this. HUD is more comfortable dealing with a more narrow community. Mr. Terry said the Housing Commission recently voted that a regional approach to housing issues as their number one priority. Mr. Terry added that it was clear from the discussion at the Human Services Committee that there is still an issue of Evanston bearing an unfair burden for serving homeless individuals from a larger, regional area. June 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Summers requested that the final, proposed Continuum of Care be placed on the July meeting's agenda for consideration and approval by the MHB. VH. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Agency Liaison Reports Center for Public Ministry. Mr. Kerns reported he attended the agency's May 15 Board meeting. The agency has a new development director. CPM has already received indication that they will be receiving a new, $25,000 grant. Their recent appeal campaign received twice the number of responses that they expected. CPM has adopted a strategic plan. It spells out a more professional case management model. The agency is also considering a new name and new identity. In addition, CPM is involved with the plans at Glenview Naval Air Base, and will be getting a house on the air base for a program for homeless families. North Shore Senior Center. Ms. Browne reported that Sandi Johnson has requested an opportunity to meet with the MHB to discuss the progress of the agency's programs in Evanston. Mr. Summers asked that NSSC be invited to the July meeting. SHORE. Ms. Browne congratulated SHORE for its three year certification from CARR She said she knows the certification process is a very rigorous one, and was confirmation of the quality of SHORE's programs. Mr. Terry said he had some additional agency information. He reported that he had been advised by Suburban Cook County Area Agency on Aging (SCCAAA) that they have elected to fund North Shore Senior Center for case management, case advocacy, and respite services. Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) is going to be funded for information and referral and elder abuse services. Mr. Terry reminded the MHB that Family Counseling Services (FCS) originally lost some funding for senior services. MFS had applied to receive some of that funding again, however they did not get back what FCS lost. Mr. Terry indicated that both NSSC and MFS are looking at ways the agencies can cooperate with each other. Vlll. MHB ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 1997 - 1998 Ms. Wiebe ,gave the Nominating Committee report. Ms. Wiebe moved and Mr. Kerns seconded a motion to elect Frank Summers, Chair and Susan Stroh, Vice Chair for the 1997-98 program year of the Mental Health Board. There were no other nominations from the floor. Motion approved unanimously. IX. DIRECTOR'S REPORT June 1 x, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Human Services Committee Update. Mr. Terry reported the City Council's Human Services Committee discussed their relationship with the boards and commissions. The Aldermen stressed that the boards and commissions report to the HSC and receive direction from them. HSC is planning to have bi-annual meetings with each board and commission in order to have in-depth discussions related to what is being accomplished and how the community is better off because the board or commission exists. Mr. Summers commented he thinks dialogue with the HSC is a good idea. Essay Contest. Mr. Terry extended congratulations and thanks to Mr. Saver for the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Council's success with the Prevention Essay Contest. He said it started as a simple contest. But it has lead to recognition and interest from a variety of sources, and was written up in The Evanston Revie►v. And now, the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy has requested copies of the essays for dissemination on the Internet. He added that as a result, in part, of some of the essays which were submitted by middle school students, the Police Department is reassessing the DARE Program and the role of Police officers in the schools. In response to Mr. Summers' question, Mr Saver said the Prevention Council will evaluate the Essay Contest over the Summer to determine whether and how the contest will be offered again next year. Community Needs Assessment. Mr. Saver reported that the final report of the Evanston United Way's community needs assessment is being prepared. There was a heavy emphasis in the top four or five identified needs on issues related to youth. The report will be distributed to the MHB when it is released. Meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott June 12,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 1997 Elected Frank Summers, Chair and Susan Stroh, Vice Chair for the 1997-98 program year of the Mental Health Board. June 12,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 8 ft 9 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JULY 12, 1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Mary Helt-Gavin, Ellen Reynolds, Susan Stroh, Nicki Pearson, Frank Summers Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Sandi Johnson, (North Shore Senior Center), Sandra Stumme, (Metropolitan Family Services), Tina Herpe, (Housing Options) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and Mr. Summers welcomed them. H. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JUNE 12, 1997 Mr. Kerns said he did not think he made the statement on page 4, "...it might be more important if the CDBG funds were included for consideration with the UBP funds." Mr. Summers said his comments about a community forum on page 4, paragraph 4 should have read: "Mr. Summers said one possibility would be to meet every other year in a group setting witlr#h....b.a,, 1. to discuss needs in the community ancf have the agencies present every other year." Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Pearson seconded a motion to approve the June 12, 1997 minutes as corrected. Motion approved unanimously. III. AGENCY DISCUSSION: SANDI JOHNSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER Sandi Johnson, Executive Director of the North Shore Senior Center (NSSC) joined the MHB. She thanked the MHB for supporting the agency's services. Ms. Johnson provided the history of their involvement with the residents of Evanston. She said in February, 1996, they set up a local office on Foster to provide counseling, case management and a number of support groups in which residents can participate, e.g., Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in connection with the Commission on Aging (COA). NSSC will be holding a picnic for this group in August. Ms. Johnson thanked Ellen Browne, former member of the NM, for helping design a course for nurses aides in Evanston who are interested in working with the elderly. NSSC also has a job July 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved placement office for CNAs and have been providing training for the past couple of years. Ms. Johnson said the demand for the service is increasing. NSSC has been able to co-sponsor community education programs in Evanston, e.g., Alzheimer Program, working with the Levy Center and the COA on a Medicare presentation in September. Ms. Johnson said the Evanston Advisory Council meets quarterly and assists NSSC in focusing on services in Evanston. Ms. Johnson said there wiII be a shift in the senior services that are provided by NSSC and Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) in Evanston as of October 1. NSSC and MFS have been communicating with each other informally, and they will provide for a very orderly transfer of services. The staff of both these agencies are very committed to providing services to the Evanston population. In addition to funding, NSSC has made a commitment to hire a part time person making a total of three persons in the Evanston office. Mr. Kerns asked about Grandparents raising Grandchildren, and asked if the care givers were blood related. Ms. Johnson stated they were related and that the Intergenerational Committee identified over 300 in the Evanston community. Ms. Johnson cited the case of a grandparent who was raising three children who were in need special services in the schools. Many of these grandparents want a support group to share their experiences and to provide support with one another. They do not want it to be professionally directed. The group has agreed to have a speaker each time. What they are most interested in is health care. Ms. Johnson said one of the problems they have identified is that Evanston Hospital clinic is no longer selling prescriptions at a reduced rate. Mr. Kerns asked if the focus of program could be expanded, e.g., high school children going to visit an elderly person, or adopting a grandparent. This could give the student a good feeling about this, as would provide the opportunity for the senior to relate to the student. Ms. Johnson said the majority of the grandparents coming in are at their Northfield location, with a few from the Evanston office. Ms. Johnson said NSSC is represented at the Levy Center, Nutrition Center, and Primm Towers. She reported that, for the most part, the seniors in Evanston are seen at their homes, rather than walking in to the office. In response to questions, Ms. Johnson said there are eight grandparents involved, and that there is no charge for the program. Ms. Pearson complimented Nis. Johnson on the Alzheimer program and said both she and her husband were greatly impressed with the information which was sent to her at home. Mr. Summers reported that Ms. Wiebe had been appointed the liaison between the MHB and NSSC. The MHB thanked Ms. Johnson for her informative presentation. IV. MIJB/AIHAE COMMUNITY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Nis. Helt-Gavin reported that she will be working with a subcommittee to revise language for a second draft of the civility document. The committee is still considering how to target the materials. Th Committee will meet in the middle of August. After work has been completed on the message to be delivered in the civility campaign, the Committee will begin to work on the various media to distribute the information, e.g., an awareness kick-off event, distribution through doctors' offices and clinics, coloring books. Ms. Helt-Gavin invited the IvIHB to review the materials in the packet, and said the Committee would appreciate input from the Board. July 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeling Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Ms, Pearson noted in the quarterly narrative report from The Family Institute their next marketing effort will be directed towards multi -problem families will be through day care centers. Ms. Helt- Gavin said that Metropolitan Family Services is targeting a similar audience. In response to a question from Ms. Pearson, Ms. Helt-Gavin said the Committee had not spoken with the Director of the Childcare Network of Evanston, but that the agency has been represented in meetings. Ms. Helt-Gavin said any materials the Committee develops will be tested in child care centers, and will be distributed to as many child care centers as possible. V. UPDATE: UBP PROCESS FOR FALL, 1997 Mr. Kerns reported that the MHB had not able to meet with the United Way prior to the last Human Service Committee meeting. In response to a question, Mr. Saver reported that Tom Jager thought if the Human Services Committee (HSC) was not involved in hearing City -funded agencies in the UBP Process there would not be enough agencies left in UBP to make it worthwhile to continue. He added that Mr. Jager thought the United Way was still very interested in convening some type of review process with the NM. However, the United Way would have difficulty with the NM's proposal to go to an every -other -year allocation review process. Mr. Summers asked Mr. Kerns to summarize the discussion at the HSC meeting. Mr. Kerns reported that there was an active dialogue regarding the Unified Budget Process with audience participation at the meeting. Mr. Kerns said the feeling was expressed that more needs to be done to make the agencies more accountable, and to improve the monitoring process. He said the Aldermen expressed interest in exploring with the agencies or with the community in, general, a process to more clearly identify community needs. Funding decisions should then be made to address those needs. There was no consensus among the Aldermen about how this should be accomplished. Mr. Kerns said the following thoughts were raised: a half hour hearing is not enough time to really ask informed questions of an agency and justify funding, each agency should come, periodically throughout the year, to discuss issues %Vith the funders; agencies should spend more time to justify their funding and talk about what impact they are having. Mr. Kerns said one Alderman suggested that the staff review funding requests and make recommendations for allocations. The thought was also expressed that staff should regularly bring agency shortcomings and problems to the HSC. Mr. Kerns said the HSC put the UBP Process on the August agenda for further discussion and a decision about the City's role. Mr. Kerns said additional information about the process was requested from staff to educate the HSC members who had not been involved with UBP previously. Mr. Kerns said, based upon the conversation during the meeting, there was still some willingness on the part of the Aldermen to participate in UBP. Mr. Terry said, however, based upon the discussions he has had with the Aldermen, the City's involvement in the UBP Process was up in the air. He said he thought there was no consensus to go forward. The HSC would discuss what other alternatives were available at their August 4 meeting. Mr. Summers suggested that MHB members attend the HSC meeting to raise their concerns in July 12, 1997 Mental health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 f Minutes recorded - not yet approved the discussion. Ms. Pearson said she thought the MHB should regularly attend the HSC meetings to ensure that mental health issues and needs are on the HDS's agenda. Mr. Summers commented that he saw a split in the attitudes of the HSC. He said it was his perception that some of the Aldermen wanted to pull out of UBP, and to focus on other issues; one Alderman wanted to spend more time in the UBP hearings with the agencies; and, one Alderman wanted more intense scrutiny of the agencies throughout the year. Ms. Helt-Gavin complimented Mr. Summers on doing a good job of educating the Aldermen about the MHB's concerns and issues with UBP. Ms. Pearson said she thought the MHB should contact their agencies about this issue, and let them know what is developing. Mr. Summers said a presence at the HSC meetings is important if mental health issues are going to be advanced. Mr. Terry commented that the MHB has spent a considerable amount of time discussing its own concerns with the flaws in UBP. At the same time it often appears to be criticizing the HSC's position, and arguing for preserving the status quo. In response to a question, he discussed the material he was going to provide to HSC for the August 4 meeting. He said one issue he was going to include in his report is that the MHB and the City are the only areas of the City Budget where vendors are identified at the same time that a service category is funded. After UBP every year, he and Mr. Saver organize the purchased service allocations by service category. It is a backwards way of determining how much funding will be allocated to service areas, e.g., substance abuse counseling, children's services. Mr. Terry said one option would be for the MHB to focus upon service needs rather than agencies, and to first agree upon allocation for these budget categories. At a subsequent time, decisions could be made about which agencies would provide services within those budget categories. Mr. Summers said he agreed that the MHB should not just endorsed the status quo and have UBP continue as it currently exists. He indicated that he was interested in looking at Mr. Terry's suggestion to consider initially making allocations to budget elements. Ms. Pearson commented that she was not interested in perpetuating U`BP. She said her main concern was to keep the NM's concerns in front of the Human Services Committee. She said she hoped that the MHB would do something differently in the allocation process this year. Mr. Summers said he would not like to see the City pull out of UBP. He said he thought there was still value in having the funders work together. He indicated he wanted to make the process more meaningful, rather than discarding it all together. Mr. Kerns said he thought the MHB should decide what it wants to do without waiting for the City to decide how it was going to proceed. He added that the MHB should also discuss the matter with the United Way. Mr. Summers said he liked the idea of having discussion groups with the agencies in alternate years. However, the agencies think there is a need to have an annual discussion with the funders. He said he would like to detach some of the discussion with the agencies from the budget hearing process. Mr. Summers invited the agency representatives present to comment on issues related to the UBP Process. Sandra Stumme, Executive Director of Metropolitan Family Services, said she thought July 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 I Minutes recorded - not yet approved it was important for the agencies to have a place to come and tell their story to the funders. Sandi Johnson, Executive Director of North Shore Senior Center, said she thought it was larger than just telling a story. She said she thought there needed to be a dialogue between fenders and agencies to also discuss expectations. If the expectations were made clear, some agencies might decide they did not want to do what the fenders were expecting. Also, the agencies should be visited and see what they are doing. Ms. Helt-Gavin asked whether the agencies represented felt that a dialogue with the MHB as funders would be as useful as being part of a forum with other agencies to discuss issues with the MHB? Ms. Stumme said she thought they were two very different processes. Agencies talk all the time with each other in many different meeting in the community. She thought it would be more useful for the MHB as a funder to hear what an individual agency provides to the community. Tina Herpes, Resource Director at Housing Options, said it would depend upon how the meeting was structured. A meeting with all of the agencies would be more important if the discussion focused upon community needs and service gaps, and which agencies were responding to the gaps. On the other hand, if the emphasis was to Iearn about the agencies, it would be more important to visit the agency and see how it was performing rather than sitting at a table in a meeting room. Ms. Herpes added that the attempt to limit the number of pages in the proposal format was limiting the ability for each agency to tell their story. Mr. Summers said he thought there were three separate purposes being discussed which the MHB would want to accomplish: (1) set information from the agencies about the needs in the community, similar to the focus groups the MIHB convened last year; (2) make funding allocations; and (3) articulate back and forth between the NM and the agencies what the expectations are, and discuss what is going on with the agency. He said he believed that three processes should be separated. Mr. Kerns said he thought that those three functions would work well if there were joint meetings to discuss what was going on in the community. He said he wanted to separate the discussion about needs in the community from the process of talking with agencies about their funding needs Funding decisions could happen in the Fall, after something like a Super Saturday -type of process and issue -oriented discussion groups. Allocations would be based upon the information provided in written proposals. Mr. Summers said he was in agreement with Mr. Kerns' statements. Mr. Kerns moved and AIs. Pearson seconded a motion that (t) annually the NUIB convene discussion groups with agencies and other community funders to talk about community needs, service gaps and priorities; (2) every other year, each funded agency will be asked to engage in an in-depth review with the funders to discuss what they are doing, what the agency is providing to the community, and what difference the agency is making in the community as a result or receiving local funding; and (3) ;allocations be made annually based upon the submission of sonic common budget forms, with the decisions being based upon priorities which have been established. Mr. Kerns said this will enable the funders which want to participate to come together to discuss their priorities and make their allocations based upon a review of written materials without convening a common set of funding hearings. The alternate years would provide each agency a longer period of time to make their July 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 V* Minutes recorded - not yet approved presentations. For those agencies that would not be making a presentation in any particular year, the MHB would have to develop some other mechanism for the NM to keep abreast of agency activities. Ms. Stroh said the discussion with each agency should be separated in time from the discussion about issues, which could be held in the Spring. She said that the timing of the meetings would be important. The agencies might perceive the meeting to discuss priorities and community needs as another opportunity to make a pitch for funding for their own needs. If the meeting was held at an earlier time during the year, the agencies might feel more comfortable and candid. Mr. Terry said the CDBG Committee has a meeting about community needs prior to engaging in their funding process. What has developed is that agencies' statements about community needs are very close to what they provide in their funding requests. Mr. Summers commented that the NM had recently used that type of process in its discussion groups to develop a priority to fund services for multi -problem families. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Pearson asked how the MHB was going to make the new plan work the first year. She said it was already too late to convene discussion groups to develop the picture of community need. Mr. Summers said the first issue would be to get a response from the other funders about the MHB's plans. The focus of the meetings and the process would be dependent upon what other funders wanted to participate. He added that it might be necessary to continue the same process for one more year. Ms. Pearson said after the discussion the NM had about the funding process, she did not want to continue in the same way this year. Mr. Kerns said the MHB already has information available from a previous forum, and can make use of additional information from the United Way's recent community needs assessment to develop priorities. Ms. Pearson added that the MHB had already decided last year that it would look closely at services for multi -problem families, and would evaluate the agencies it funded to provide those services this past year. Mr. Summers asked Mr. Kerns to work with staff to develop a communication about the MHB's decisions to submit to the HSC for their August 4 meeting. VII. CONSIDERATION OF HOMELESS CONTINUUM OF CARE FOR HUD FUNDING Mr. Terry reviewed the purpose of the Continuum of Care for HUD funding applications. He said Housing Options did their own needs assessment and developed their own continuum of care when they applied for HUD funding three years ago. HUD now wants the City of Evanston to have a single continuum of care for the community which is ratified by the formal policy- and decision -making bodies in the community. Mr. Terry said he worked with community representatives to develop the Homeless Continuum of Care document included in the packet. He said the final document was reviewed at a July 2 meeting. Mr. Summers said he was very impressed with the document and complimented Mr. Terry on his work. Mr. Terry said the Center for Public Ministry {CPM} is the only agency which notified him that it is going to apply is for HUD's funding for homeless services this year. St. Francis Hospital ACGC is planning to subcontract mental health services to CPM in a collaborative effort. Every agency in the community which applies for funds must use the same continuum of care, so CPM July 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 IJ Minutes recorded - not yet approved will attach the document being reviewed to its application. Mr. Terry asked the MHB to endorse and approve the Homeless Continuum of Care. Ms. Pearson moved and Mr. Kerns seconded a motion to endorse the Homeless Continuum of Care. Motion approved unanimously. Vllll. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Agency Quarterly Narrative Reports Ms. Pearson said that is always clear, by reviewing the Agency Quarterly Narrative Reports, which of the agencies are interested in keeping the MHB informed about their activities and progress. Some of the reports say much the same thing every time, or say very little at all. Mr. Saver said Ms. Wiebe asked him to convey her concern about the quality of the Quarterly Reports. He said she would be in agreement with Ms. Pearson's comments, and felt several of the agencies needed to do a better job of identifying useful outcome performance criteria against which they measure themselves. Mr. Summers said he was in agreement and said the agency liaison should discuss this with their respective agencies. Agency Liaison Reports North Shore Senior Center. Mr. Saver said Ms. Wiebe had offered to be the liaison to NSSC until new assignments were made when a new NM member was appointed. Mr. Summers appointed Ms. Wiebe to this role. Family Focus. Ms. Pearson reported that there have been a number of changes in the personnel at Dempster -Dodge Plaza location. PEER Services, Ms. Pearson reported the agency is still waiting to hear what the final budget will be for their services in the new Department of Human Services. Dr. George Busiel, who has been working for over 20 years with middle school age -kids in the community on substance abuse issues, is leaving and moving to North Carolina. The agency hired a new bilingual, Spanish- speaking counselor who will be posted at ETHS two days a week. Community Defender. The agency has hired a replacement for their social worker. St. Francis Hospital. Ms. Helt-Gavin said Joe Kestnbaum reported he expects there will be a place for the ACGC clinic in Evanston after the hospital goes through its reorganization. Mr. Kestnbaum spoke about the collaboration with CPM for the HUD grant, and reported that the agency has been meeting with DMHDD about contract compliance issues. SHORE. Mr. Summers appointed Mr. Kerns as the temporary liaison to the agency. July 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved VUL - DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry reported he met with Pat Vance, Director of Neighbors at Work (NAW), this past week. The agency appears to be positioning itself as the lead Evanston agency in dealing with welfare reform and job training issues. They already have a working relationship with Public Aid and will be receiving referrals of families who are moving off of TANF. Traditionally, NAW has not been directly involved in the many service networks. They were primarily providing assistance with housing, jobs and economic stability. Mr. Terry said they will need to begin to engage with the service networks for substance abuse, mental health issues and behavioral needs more than in the past. This will be necessary because many of the people that will be seen by NAW will need a lot of intense services in order to maintain their employment or to succeed with their post-TANF plan. Mr. Terry said Sandra Allen, Director of the Victim Services Bureau of the Police Department, made a presentation to the Human Services Committee the past Monday night. She indicated she changed the focus of her division's services because she thought their home -based counseling services were not being effective. Mr. Terry said he thought it would be an interesting debate to have Ms. Allen discuss the issue with the MHB, given the MHB's recent focus on funding several home -based service models. He said he thought that there was a philosophical divide in the community on this issue. Agencies which do not believe in home base services appear to be, in effect, writing off certain clients. On the other hand, those agencies argue they have had no success with those clients they have been serving at home after years and years of attempting to help. Ms. Allen indicated that, in some cases, they were working with the fourth generation in certain families. Mr. Terry reported Ms. Allen thought a home -based service model lowered expectations for families. She said her division has been having success with families who they are expecting to show up at meetings. Ms. Pearson suggested that a decision about an August MHB meeting be deferred until after the August 4 Human Services Committee meeting. The NM might have some additional issues to discuss about the funding process Meeting was adjourned at 9: l5 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott July 12, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page a Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1997 1. Agreed to revise the MHB funding review and allocation process by doing the following: (1) annually convening discussion groups with agencies and other community funders to talk about community needs, service gaps and priorities; (2) every other year, each funded agency will be asked to engage in an in-depth review with the funders to discuss what they are doing, what the agency is providing to the community, and what difference the agency is making in the community as a result of receiving local funding; and (3) making allocations annually based upon the submission of some common budget forms, with the decisions being based upon priorities which have been established. 2. Agreed to endorse the Homeless Continuum of Care for HUD funding. July 12, 1997 Mental health Board Meeting Minutes Page 9 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Mary Helt-Gavin, Ellen Reynolds, Lonnie Wiebe, Frank Summers, Nicki Pearson Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Tom Jager, Andrew Philipsborn (United Way/Evanston); Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services); Candace Carpenter (Medill School of Journalism); Helene Lome (NTSW/First Step) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. 1, INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The community representatives introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Chair. Ii. DISCUSSION OF FALL 1997 AGENCY REVIEW AND ALLOCATION PROCESS Ms. Wiebe asked Mr. Terry to clarify the proposal made by Alderman Feldman at the Human Services Committee meeting regarding the City removing itself from the Unified Budget Process (UBP). Mr. Terry responded that the motion, which was passed on a four to one vote, was that the City would no longer participate in the UBP process. Instead, the Aldermen will review applications for City funds and make funding decisions at the November, 1997 Human Services Committee Meeting. The Aldermen made provision for input from the United Way and the Mental Health Board, if they so desire. Mr. Terry said that opportunity would be provided for agencies to provide comments during the funding process. In addition, each funding proposal is to be accompanied a staff analysis sheet. In response to Ms. Wiebe's questions, Mr. Terry said the motion was amended by Alderman Moran to include a discussion about priorities and needs for the purpose of allocating funds. The NM members who were present at the HSC meeting discussed their impressions of the HSC discussion. Mr. Terry reported that Mr. Kerns addressed the HSC and reminded them the MHB had sent a communication inviting the Aldermen to participate in a revised funding process. He said it was his impression that the response from the Aldermen was the MHB's plan was fine for the MHB, but it did not work for the Aldermen. Ms. Pearson expressed concern that, based August 14, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved upon an earlier HSC meeting, the Aldermen were also considering the possible use of the human service funds for recreation and park programs. Ms. Wiebe said at the July Human Services Committee meeting, during discussion about the Unified Budget Process, Alderman Newman said that he thought the City's values were different from the values of MHB and the United Way. Ms. Wiebe said she thought this was true. Mr. Summers said that the MHB should go ahead with the plans it discussed at the July meeting for a different allocation and review process. In the Spring, the MHB would convene community discussion groups to help identify needs and assist the Board in identifying priorities. As a new part of the process, every agency would be given an in-depth review on alternate years. The MHB would rely upon information and reports provided by each agency liaison throughout the year. Mr. Summers said if the review process is to be a combined process with the United Way, it would be necessary to have discussion groups which were more far-ranging. Ms. Pearson suggested that the United Way representatives in attendance be invited to join the discussion to consider how the Ml:-IB and United Way could continue to work together. Tom Jager, Executive Director and Andrew Philipsborn, board member of the Evanston United Way joined the discussion. Mr. Jager said the United Way wants to continue to collaborate with the NM this Pall and to hear agency presentations together. He suggested that they hear the ten agencies which the MHB and United Way both fund. This could be done on a single Saturday. Mr. Philipsborn said continuing to have only one hearing for both funders would also help the agencies. Mr. Summers said he thought there was strength in continuing to work together. He suggested the MHB maximize its time with the United Way and hear only the agencies funded in common on a single Saturday. Agencies which were funded by only the MHB or the United Way could be heard by that funder in a separate process. In response to Ms. Wiebe's question, Mr. Jager said he thought the United Way and MHB dealt with different issues and priorities when they make their funding decisions. He said he did not think the priorities of both funders find to coincide. However, he thought it had always been beneficial for the UBP fenders to share their different perspectives in the funding process. i4ir. Summers said it was his impression, at this point, that the Human Service Committee was focusing on issues related to the Police and the parks, and that the MHB's issues were not a priority. Mr. Terry responded to earlier comments that there was a difference of values between the Aldermen and the MHB. He said he thought the Aldermen were watching the financial health of the agencies as an important factor. Mr. Summers said he thought that agencies which perform well financially should not be penalized. Ms. Pearson she thought that agencies which receive federal support should also receive community support. There was discussion about different ways to convene hearings with the United Way. Mr. Summers said he thought the NM should continue with a hearing with the United Way on a single Saturday. Mr. Kerns said he thought the second Saturday, which had been used in the process previously, should be discarded. While it had the potential to be a valuable session, there had not been any give-and-take among the funders for a number of years. The meeting had only served to rubber stamp the funders' recommendations. Mr. Summers said he was still interested in having a exchange of ideas with the United Way's representatives about their ideas and August 14, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved priorities, why certain agencies were being funded and community issues. Ms. Wiebe said a meeting for that type of purpose would require a well -planned agenda. It would not have to be scheduled on a Saturday, and might more easily fit in to people's calendars. Mr. Kerns said that type of process would help the MlE IB and United Way in making their proposed allocations. He added that the MHB would also have the benefit of that discussion if they chose to attend the HSC meeting on November 3. He said the Aldermen invited input to their allocation process at the last HSC meeting. Ms. Wiebe said she favored keeping the agencies funded in common with the United Way in a unified review process. She said she wanted to keep together with the United Way the pieces of the process which work well, i.e., common application process, combined hearing. She added that otherwise the process would seem too fragmented. Ms. Wiebe said all of the pieces of the allocation and review process which were discussed by the MHB at the July meeting do not need to be part of a unified process. Ms. Wiebe suggested that the MHB have an intensive review of each agency every year, outside of the budget process. That information could be shared with the United Way, Mr. Kerns said he was in agreement, but thought the NM should do an in- depth review of only half of its funded agencies each year. That could be done throughout the year and could be more detailed than if the MHB were to review all of its agencies each year. Mr. Jager asked about the timing of the City's allocation process, and the amount of funding the City had available. Ms. Pearson said the Aldermen were planning to make their funding decisions at a November 3 meeting. Mr. Kerns said the Aldermen indicated they would be open to receiving comments from the NM and United Way at that meeting. Mr. Summers suggested that the MHB convene a second meeting to discuss specific allocations after they know what allocations were being made by the Aldermen. Mr. Kerns said he thought the MHB should spread out the in-depth agency review process over the entire year. He suggested having an agency come to a monthly meeting and to have a discussion with the MHI3. Ms. Pearson said she thought the 20-30 minutes currently allowed each agency in their budget hearing was not significant or meaningful dialogue. Ms. Wiebe suggested adding fifteen or twenty minutes to the monthly MHB meetings, and to invite agencies to update the MHB about what they are doing and what agencies they are dealing with. Mr. Summers said he wasn't sure if those proposed discussions at board meetings would really be in depth, or just superficial. He said they were not different than what the MHB has already been doing with the agencies Mr. Kerns said the MHB might have to revise its format to accomplish a more in-depth review. Ms. Helt-Gavin asked what type of review the MHB would have to offer an agency if it decided it was going to reduce an agency's funding? Mr. Kerns responded that his proposal was that the MHB continue to conduct hearings in a unified process for the purpose of making budget allocation decisions. The in depth analysis of each agency every other year would allow the MHB to determine how its funding was working. He said his proposal was that the MHB would still have the agencies submit their forms, and that the agencies would still have an allocation hearing in a Super Saturday -type format. Mr. Summers said the MHB could hear the ten agencies it funds in common with the United Way on a single Saturday. With two hearings held at the same August 14, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved time, each agency could be given a one -hour hearing. Separately, on its own it would hear the Early Childhood Development Center, Neighborhood Services, Evanston Hospital Outpatient Psychiatry and The Family Institute at the October 9 MHB meeting. Ms. Pearson said the additional time for discussion would enable the MHB and its funded agencies to become more accountable. She said the agencies would also like to know more about what the MUM is looking for. Mr. Saver said in some of the agency budget hearings he has attended in the past there were not enough questions and issues to fill a half-hour. He asked whether the MHB was considering changing the process in some way to facilitate a more in-depth review? Mr. Kerns said that one way would be by convening meetings prior to the process to develop priorities, and communicating those to the agencies. The agencies should be prepared, in their presentation, to take fifteen minutes to describe how they are planning and responding to those priority issues. Mr. Summers said he thought the shorter period of time for the hearings discouraged panelists from asking probing questions. In addition, it always seemed awkward to ask follow-up questions because it would have meant everyone was unable to ask a question. Mr. Jager said that previously every agency was asked a standard set of 4-5 questions, in addition to any other questions which were submitted to the agency. He suggested that each agency be asked to respond to that standard set of questions in their presentation. Ms. Pearson commented that staff questions frequently do not get asked, and hoped that those questions would be addressed to the agencies. Mr. Summers reviewed the MHB's discussion and said the Board seemed to be in agreement that it would commit to a hearing with the United Way for the ten agencies that are funded in common. There would be two concurrent hearings, and each agency would be given an hour. Agencies which the MHB funds alone would be heard separately. There was additional discussion with the United Way representatives regarding the need for additional meetings to discuss community issues and funding recommendations. There was a general consensus that there was not a need for an allocation session to discuss specific funding recommendations, as was done in the past in the Unified Budget Process. The groups agreed to discuss funding concerns, agency issues, community priorities and other related issues at a meeting after the agency hearings. Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Pearson seconded a motion to convene budget hearings with the United Way for the ten agencies that are funded jointly, with each hearing to last up to one hour, and each panel member to participate in hearings for half of the agencies. At a later date, the NIHB and United Way representatives will come together to discuss community issues, funding priorities and potential allocation of funds by program function. Mr. Kerns reminded the MHB that the Human Services Committee invited the Board to provide input to the Aldermen about community issues when they develop their allocations. He said that a preliminary report should be developed from the discussion following the hearing about priorities. Motion approved unanimously. Mr. Terry said the N1HB will need to submit its budget figures to the City Manager by November I5. He indicated that the process will be starting late this year, and that proposals and August 14, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 FAnutes recorded - not yet approved information would not be going out to the agencies for several weeks. The MHB developed the following calendar for its consideration of funding proposals for FY98- 99 funding: Thursday, October 9 Review proposals of agencies requesting (MIM Meeting) funds only from the MHB Saturday, October 25 Super Saturday. Review proposals with the United Way of 10 agencies requesting funds from both agencies Thursday, October 30 Meet with United Way to discuss potential dollar amounts by program function, community needs, priorities and agency issues Monday, November 3 Human Services Committee meeting to make funding allocations Thursday, November 6 NM funding allocation meeting Mr. Saver asked, based upon the changes in the Super Saturday hearing schedule, how to allot time for the NM's October 9 meeting? The NM decided to allot 45 minutes to every agency except Neighborhood Services, which was allotted 20 minutes because of the relatively small amount of its allocation. It was thought that this would be sufficient given that time in the hearing would not have to be shared with another funder's panelists. III. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry reported that he and Mr. Saver had received a number of invitations and special requests from the Mental Health Association of Evanston's (MHAE) golf outing on Friday, September 5. He indicated that MHAE was very interested in having the MHB participate in the outing. He said there would be a picnic for non -golfers who wanted to join the activities. Meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p,m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott August 14,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1997 1. Agreed to convene budget hearings for FY98-99 with the United Way for the ten agencies that are funded jointly, with each hearing to last up to one hour, and each panel member to participate in hearings for half of the agencies. At a later date, the MM and United Way representatives will come together to discuss community issues, funding priorities and potential allocation of funds by program function. Au ust 7A 1997 Mental H ealth Board Meeting Minutes g Page 6 M r Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Mary Helt-Gavin, Ellen Reynolds, Lonnie Wiebe, Frank Summers, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, Carol Mullins, Nicki Pearson Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Claire McCarthy Peterson, Scott Morgan (Housing Options); Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services); Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. 1. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and Chair Summers welcomed them. Mr. Summers also introduced Carol Mullins, who was recently appointed as the new member of the Mental Health Board. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JULY 10 AND AUGUST 14, 1997 Mr. Summers asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of July 10, 1997. Ms. Pearson asked that page 2, paragraph 3 be corrected to read, "Ms. Pearson complimented Ms. Johnson on the Alzheimer program and said both she and her husband were greatly impressed with the information which was t...1a4, ,.t-home presented at the forum by NSSG ". She said no information was sent to her at her home. leis. Pearson moved and Ms. Wiebe seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the July 10, 1997 meeting as amended. Motion approved unanimously. Ms. Pearson asked that page 4, paragraph I of the August 14, 1997 minutes be corrected to read, "Ms. Pearson said the additional time for discussion would enable the MHB and its funded agencies to b......:::..:::.: . u...:::.t,.:.I, have a more meaningful dialogue as it relates to accountahility. She said the agencies would also like to have the opportunity to know more September 11,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 ti Minutes recorded - not yet approved about what the MHB is looking for. Ms. Wiebe moved and Ms. Belt -Gavin seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the August 14, 1997 meeting as amended. Motion approved unanimously. m. AGENCY DISCUSSION: HOUSING OPTIONS Mr. Summers invited Claire McCarthy -Peterson and Scott Morgan from Housing Options to join the MHB. Ms. McCarthy -Peterson thanked the MHB for the support they have given to Housing Options over the years, and while she was the Board President. She said the financial support and encouragement was essential, and the MHB's staff have always been helpful and very professional. She added that, at a personal level, she appreciated the advice and counsel she received. Ms. McCarthy -Peterson introduced Housing Options' new Board President, Scott Morgan. She said he is a Vice President of Northern Trust, and has been an Evanston resident for many years. Previously, he served as the Treasurer with the agency. Mr. Morgan gave a brief overview of his background. He said he was honored to be a part of Housing Options and felt energized by the future. He added that Housing Options will have to set priorities in how it works to meet the challenges of mental illness, as the way in which it is dealt with has to be changing. Ms. Wiebe asked Mr. Morgan if there were any goals he would like to discuss. He said there were not any projects that Housing Options wants to put in place quickly. The goals they are currently focused on are maintaining the quality of the residences they have, and maintaining a pleasant environment for the residents in their homes and the neighbors. Housing Options has been changing its role with its clinical contractors. They have hired a Clinical Services Coordinator who deals directly with resident screening and intake. The agency is also in the process of setting up a management committee for the four buildings they own. They want to be proud of what they already own. Mr. Morgan said the longer term question is what are the next needs for people who have mental illnesses. A major challenge the agency is facing financing the buildings they already own. Ms. McCarthy -Peterson said in the short term, Housing Options has been working very hard to get CARF accreditation (Council for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities). Housing Options has already had their site inspections and interviews, and will receive the report late in October. Ms. McCarthy -Peterson said that the service providers with whom they contract, Trilogy and Thresholds, have been accredited by CARF for many years. DMHDD is now requiring all of its contract agencies to have accreditation from an appropriate, national organization. Housing Options is being fit in to a new mold as a residential provider which has rehabilitation services being provided by other agencies, so there is not a close fit with CARF's guidelines. Ms. McCarthy -Peterson said she is optimistic, but assumes CARF will be making many recommendations in their report. September 11,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved (Mr. Kerns joined the meeting at 7;55 p.m.) Ms. Helt- Gavin said site attended the agency's annual meeting this past Monday and felt it was an inspiring program. She asked for clarification between SHIP and Housing Options's other residences. Ms. McCarthy -Peterson said SHIP is transitional housing. It is the scattered site program which was essentially inherited from ACORN when that agency folded. Housing Options has seven apartments which they rent. They are located throughout Evanston, and accommodate twelve residents. The clinical services are provided by Trilogy and, Typically, the residents go to the Trilogy Program Center on Poster to see their case managers. Residents in this transitional program are expected to move out after a two year period. Ms. McCarthy -Peterson said Housing Options other residences provide permanent housing in buildings the agency owns. An individual residing in these homes can stay as long as they want, and as long as the housing program is appropriate for that person. One difference in these buildings is that, because people are not scattered, there is a community in each building. The people there have formed friendships and there is a real sense of community and support. The residents have a good feeling that is really their home. They do not have to worry about where they are going to be in two years. Thresholds provides the clinical services and case management for the permanent housing. Ms, Helt-Gavin said she thought this was a wonderful program which is making a difference in people's lives. Mr. Summers thanked Ms. McCarthy -Peterson and Mr. Morgan for attending the MHB meeting, and wished Mr, Morgan luck in his new leadership role. IV. PLANNING FOR REVIEW AND ALLOCATION PROCESS FOR FY98-99 Mr. Saver said the kick-off meeting had been held with all of the agencies during the first week of September, and the materials and budget forms were distributed. He said a map of the changes in the review process was developed. Mr. Saver then pointed out the differences in the budget packets this year. He said structurally the proposals the MHB will actually review will be the same as the previous year. Mr. Saver said the MHB's October meeting packet would contain the proposals from the four agencies which receive local funding only from the Mental Health Board. The agencies' hearings will take up the entire October meeting. Mr. Summers polled the MHB to see who would be in attendance for the October meeting, and reminded everyone the meeting is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. He asked the MHB members to contact the office about any changes in their attendance. Mr. Summers said he thought the structure for the hearings this year is improved. With the September 11, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 3 Minutes recorded -not yet approved additional time, panel members will be able to ask questions which couldn't be dealt with previously. He said the October 30 meeting with the United Way should focus upon where the community should be going in terms of mental health in the community. Ms. Pearson asked if staff would be preparing recommendations for the November 3 Human Services Committee (HSC) allocation meeting? Mr. Saver said it was his understanding that an analysis for each agency would be attached to the proposal, but he did not know if this was going to include a recommendation for funding. Ms. Pearson requested that the MHB be provided with the City analysis for agencies also funded by the MHB. She also asked that the MHB be informed about when the HSC would be discussing the City's priorities. Mr. Saver said when the staff questions were distributed last year, the MHB had asked each agency to respond in writing at their hearing to a standard set of four questions. He asked whether there were any themes the MHB wanted each agency to respond to in writing this year. There was consensus that each agency should respond in writing to the same four questions which were provided last year. Ms. Wiebe suggested that an additional question be asked about the availability or accessibility of the program services, and steps taken to reach out to people who are in need of services. Mr. Saver said the questions requiring a written response would be sent to the agencies early enough so the written responses could be distributed prior to an agency's hearing. Ms. Wiebe said a well -organized agenda be developed for the meeting scheduled for October 30 with the United Way. She said the focus should be upon community priorities rather than individual agency issues. Mr. Summers said that the MHB should be sure to discuss any relationship between those priorities and funding or a lack of funding. Mr. Saver said the MHB previously indicated that there would be some specific questions it would want to have addressed by the agencies which were funded to serve multi -problem families in FY97-98. He asked whether there were any specific issues they wanted to raise when questions were distributed to the agencies? Mr. Summers said he thought both Metropolitan Family Services and The Family Institute should describe what has been done and with whom, as well as how the agencies are defining "multi -problem family". In addition, the following questions were suggested: how many were served; how is the agency evaluating the outcomes of the initiative; does the agency feel the program devised was worthwhile; is a home -based model of services working; in what way is the agency working in concert with other agencies regarding multi -problem families. On behalf of Jay Terry, Mr. Saver announced that the Mental Health Board was on the agenda of the October 6 Human Services Committee (HSC). He said Mr. Terry would like to know of any suggestions or recommendations prior to meeting from the MHB about what issues should be addressed. In response to Mr. Summers question, Mr. Kerns said that the MHB had made a similar presentation to HSC in the past, and provided a summary of what the MHB had September 11, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded -not yet approved accomplished during the year. Mr. Summers commented that the UM would clarify that its priorities have been multi- problem families, and that services were funded by making reductions in existing programs, not because Family Counseling Services went out of business. It was also suggested that the MHB raise concern about HSC's shift in priorities. Mr. Summers said he would prepare a memo to the HSC before the meeting; an oral presentation will be made which summarizes the issues at the meeting. He added that it would be helpful if one representative from each agency funded by the MHB be present at the the meeting, along with the members of the MHB, to demonstrate to the HSC the Board's interest and dedication to mental health. Ms. Pearson suggested that each agency liaison should contact their agency(s) and invite them to attend. V. MHB/MHAE COMMUNITY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Mary Gavin reported that Mr. Saver had completed a draft of the goals and mission, and of the civility compact for younger children and their caregivers, developed by the MHB/MHAE Committee. She reported that Karen Vroegh will be preparing a presentation of the draft materials at the October Childcare Network Meeting. The Committee wants to get feedback from early childhood providers about the proposed documents. VI. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Metropolitan Family Services. Ms. Wiebe said she attended a meeting of the new Evanston Advisory Board of Metropolitan Family Services. She said it is a very impressive board with enthusiasm and expertise. Ms. Wiebe said she will be attending the Senior Services Advisory Committee. Metropolitan Family Services is still looking for a new location and has been in contact with the management at 820 Davis and the Dempster/Dodge Shopping Center. North Shore Senior Center. Ms. Wiebe said she attended a benefit to support the House of Welcome for Alzheimer's clients. It was a very successful benefit. There is a new manager for the Evanston office starting the end of September, 1997. Alexander Brown knows the community well and has previously worked for Evanston HospitaVCrisis Intervention and Turning Point in Skokie. Neighborhood Services. Nis. Wiebe said she attended the agency's interviews with fundraising consultants. They want to hire someone to help organize fundraising for the agency. Ms. Wiebe said she spoke with all three of her agencies about accountability issues and, in particular, their performance objectives. Mr. Summers asked whether there were a list of Metropolitan Family Services' Evanston September 11, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Advisory Board? Ms. Wiebe said she would bring a copy to the October meeting. Early Childhood Development Center. Ms. Stroh reported that ECDC is beginning to create a new Advisory Council comprised of some of the parents of the families that they are serving, as well as community members. In response to Mr. Summers question, Ms. Stroh said the program was planning to remain in Evanston. NTSW. Ms. Stroh said NTSW is undergoing major remodeling and improvements on their First Step site. She said she thinks this displays a commitment to Evanston. Mr. Saver distributed a spreadsheet showing a history of the projected and actual service performance indicators for the NM -funded programs. In response to Ms. Pearson's question, Mr. Saver said while information is received about the number of low income individuals served each year, the agencies are not asked to make projections about these figures. Ms. Pearson requested that for the allocation process staff prepare a 3-year demographic profile of clients served by each of the MIiB-funded programs. Liaison Assignments. Mr. Saver reported at the August meeting there were temporary arrangements made for liaison assignments after Ms. Browne left the Board. Mr. Kerns said that new assignments should be made so Ms. Mullins could assume a liaison relationship. He said that the intent originally was that the MHB was going to rotate liaison assignments. There was consensus that the MHB would wait until the allocation process is concluded to realign the liaison assignments. Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott September 11,1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Pape a Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Frank Summers, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, Carol Mullins, Nicki Pearson, Susan Stroh Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Carlos Hernandez Community Representatives: Alexander Brown (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services); representatives from agencies presenting their funding requests are identified in Working Notes for each hearing Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and Mr. Summers welcomed them. H. AGENCY ALLOCATION HEARING Presentations by agencies requesting funds from the Mental Health Board for FY1998-99 were held in the following order: - Rice Community Counseling Services (nee Early Childhood Development Center) - Neighborhood Services - Evanston Hospital Department of Psychiatry - The Family Institute (The Working Notes from any or all of these hearings are available upon request from Mental Health Services. Contact Joan Barott at 866-2919 to obtain copies.) Meeting was adjourned at 10:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Harvey D. Saver Assistant Director October 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Pape 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Mary Heft -Gavin, Ellen Reynolds, Lonnie Wiebe, Frank Summers, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, Carol Mullins, Nicki Pearson, Susan Stroh Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Carlos Hernandez Community Representatives: Reshm Basu (Northwestern Medill); Dorothy Lloyd -Still, Frederica Fisssell (Housing Options); Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services); Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center); Alexander Brown (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services); Helene Lome (NTSW[First Step); Bob Roy (Evanston Community Defender); Barbara Glosny (Rice Community Counseling Services); Les Inch (Children's Home and Aid Society) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and Chair Summers welcomed them. IL APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 11, 1997 Ms. Pearson moved and Ms. Mullins seconded a motion to approve the minutes of September It, 1997. Motion approved unanimously. Ill. AGENCYLIAISON REPORT Family Focus. Ms. Pearson reported she attended the agency's Auxiliary Board Meeting. They are involved in the development of fundraising plans. Family Focus is also interviewing for the position of Director at the Oakton School Family Resource Center. Housing Options is in the process of moving to another location, which will leave a hole in Family Focus's revenue stream. Ms. Pearson said that a not -for -profit school from outside of Evanston will be moving in to the agency's November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved building, and will replace some of the lost revenues. PEER Services. Ms. Pearson said that Kate Mahoney, the agency's Executive Director, is collaborating with Patrice Quayle, from the Youth Services Bureau, and Linda Selway, from ETHS, to provide in service training for the Police Department. IV. PROGRAM FUNDING ALLOCATION PROCESS FOR FY98-99 Disclosure about Conflict of Interest. Mr. Summers said he had recently heard indirectly about some concerns expressed about Mental Health Board members who had a relative or family member on the board of an agency which is funded by the MHB. He stated, for the record, that he believed the MHB was in compliance, and has acted within the spirit and the intent of the laws and City regulations for disclosure of conflict of interest. In the past, MHB members disclosed any conflict prior to deliberations on agency allocations, and refrained from voting on that allocation. He said that this did not limit an individual's ability to comment upon service priorities or any agency accountability issues. Mr. Summers said if any agency had a concern about a particular Board member's actions, they were free to raise their protest in writing and appropriate action would be taken. He added that lie would not respond to verbal comments and innuendo. Mr. Summers reiterated that, at this time, he believes the MHB is in7legal compliance. Prior to the discussion about agency allocations, Mr. Summers asked whether there were any current conflicts of interest on the MHB. Ms. Pearson reported that her husband serves on the Board of Directors of The Family Institute, and that she would, therefore, not be voting on the allocation for that agency. Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that her husband serves on the Advisory Council for Housing Options, and that she would, therefore, not be voting on the allocation for that agency. Mr. Summers asked that these be reflected in the record and indicated that they did not mean that the individuals could not participate in the discussion. Agency Allocations. Mr. Summers reported that during the evening the MHB would discuss the funding requests in the amount of $495,830 for the Board's FY98-99 funds in the amount of $420,800. He said that a number of agencies were aware the MI-IB has asked the Human Services Committee for an additional $75,000 for services for multiple problem families. In the event that money becomes available, all of the agencies will be notified at the same time and proposals for those funds specifically will be considered. Mr. Summers suggested that the AIHB begin their review with the Center for Public Ministry (CPM). Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought the agency should receive at least what they requested. They do a very good job with a difficult population. Mr. Summers concurred and said the Substance November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Abuse Case Manager is in a unique position because the clients are coming to him for substance abuse issues voluntarily. Ms. Helt-Gavin suggested an allocation of $5000, an increase of $2000 more that what was requested. In response to Ms. Wiebe's question about the relationship with St. Francis Hospital's programs, Ms. Pearson said the funding was only for substance abuse and not for the Homeless Case Manager. Ibis. Helt-Gavin said St. Francis contracts with CPNI to provide clinical support for the homeless case management staff for 10 hours a week. Ibis. Pearson said she thought the service was a valuable and necessary service. The problem is that the hours of the position were cut when a grant was lost. She said she thought CAM would look for additional funds, but was surprised that no increase was requested in MHB funds. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein asked for clarification. She said she was concerned about starting with the first agency being reviewed and providing an increase without knowing where the funds were going to come from. Mr. Summers clarified that the Board was going to first review all of the agencies and develop initial, tentative recommendations. The emphasis should be upon funding for targeted areas, and substance abuse is one of the MHB's priority areas. Mr. Kerns said he supported the recommendation. The population being seen by the CPM Substance Abuse Case Manager is different than the individuals being seen at other substance abuse programs, and would otherwise not be served. The NM agreed to continue to review substance abuse programs. Mr. Summers said he was impressed with PEER Services' work and the agency presentation. He thought that the work with adolescents should be high on the MHB's priority list. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought OATES also did a good job. Ms. Wiebe said she thought PEER's Early Intervention Services would fit best with the MI-[B's priority of dealing with problems early in their cycle. Nls. Pearson said that PEER does a lot of active outreach and collaborates with a number of agencies. Their workers provide services at Y.O.U., Family Focus and ETHS. The MHB appreciates that type of approach. Mr. Summers asked whether the NIHB wanted to change any funding figures for the substance abuse programs? Ms. Pearson said at CPM it is a little murky about whether funds are being used for Evanston residents. Only 26% of the individuals in the program are Evanston residents. Mr. Summers said that was a concern because the MHB is allocating local tax dollars. Ms. Mullins asked why that percentage was so much higher than the number of Evanston residents being served at the shelter. Mr. Terry said it is conceivable that every resident seen at the shelter is being seen by the Substance Abuse Case Manager, and it would still be a low percentage of the total There is also more of an opportunity to work with people with Evanston connections. Nis. Helt-Gavin pointed out that OATES population is only 52% Evanston residents. Ms. Pearson said PEER's Early Intervention program in 100% Evanston residents. For PEER's other programs it is less. She said she was not inclined to increase the Adult Treatment Program, but pointed out that Evanston residents on the waiting list get priority for services. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said that, as an Evanston -based agency, PEER is funded by the State to work with a much larger geographical area. In order to maintain their largest funding source, PEER has to work with non -Evanston November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved residents. That is also the case with almost every agency which receives any substantial State funding. And like PEER Services, typically, the percentage of the agencies' total revenues received from the MHB is usually much less than the percentage of the agencies' clients who are from Evanston. Mr. Summers said he was looking for a consensus on allocations for programs providing substance abuse services. He suggested maintaining the CPM Substance Abuse Case Manager at the current level of funding. his. Pearson said she wanted to increase PEER Services' Early Intervention Program to the requested $1150 increase. Ms. Wiebe agreed, and said that program was serving the MHB's target population at a very early level. She added that a number of the kids served were probably coming from multi -problem families who had major issues with substance abuse. Ms. HeIt- Gavin said she wanted to give OATES their $210 requested increase. There was consensus to tentatively accept the initial allocations for substance abuse programs as follows: CPM/Substance Abuse Case Manager St. Francis/GATES PEER/Adult Treatment PEER/Adolescent Treatment PEER/EarIy Intervention Total Substance Abuse Services All°� $3,000 Chi $0 $7,210 $210 $47,750 $0 $5,000 $a $14,350 $1,150 $77.310 $I,360 Mr. Summers said the NM would next focus on services for multi -problem families. He said the agency programs to be considered were: Family Focus (FF), Metropolitan Family Services (MFS), Rice Community Counseling Services (CCS), The Family Institute (TFI) and the outpatient psychiatry programs from both hospitals. Ms. Stroh said that the MHB, in trying to define priorities, should be looking for outreach, collaboration and accessibility. She said she thought CCS has fulfilled those attributes for a long time. They coordinated the recent wrap -around training for the community at ETHS. And they reach out to the sickest and poorest residents. She added, on the other hand, Evanston Hospital did not send any staff to the wrap -around training, and were not involved in the MHB's meetings where the Board defined its priorities. Ms. Wiebe said she read the NIFS funding request very carefully, and the agency's written response to questions. She said the agency is in the process of helping clarify the multiple programs of a larger agency, and how they are responding to local concerns. Their reports indicate that they are November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved regularly serving a large number of multi -problem families. Mr. Summers said, however, that when the decision was made to fund services for multi -problem families last year, the MHB's funding was given specifically for work with that population and not general programs. He added that whether or not you liked what they did and how they did it, The Family Institute said they developed a program specific to multi -problem families. On the other hand, MFS said there was no specific program started because all of the families they serve are multi -problem. Ms. Wiebe said the agency was already serving the MHB's target population. The families were already there and there was no need to develop something new to serve them. Ms. Pearson said, however, the MHB was also talking about serving and engaging families who were not engaged. Ms. Wiebe responded that the MHB also said it wanted to focus upon those families which were aver -using services at multiple agencies. Mr. Summers said he thought the MHB was very clear that they wanted to fund a service which was more than providing general operating support for the agency, and MFS did not provide a separate service. Ms. Wiebe said she questioned whether the MHB funds at MFS went only to general support. The agency has a number of programs. The MHB's funds went specifically to the agency's programs for families. She said she thought there was a big problem assuming that MFS was not reaching multi -problem families just because they did not set up a new program. They served the families. They may have needed to continue to serve "old families" with multiple problems who were already connected. They were a new agency in town, so maybe they supported them in new ways. Mr. Summers said that the MHB said the funds were specifically for multi -problem families, and not the agency's general programs. He said he didn't see the specific program at MFS. Ms. Cofresi- Silverstein said she was concerned about what would happen to those families being served who have multiple problems if the NM did not fund the program at all. Mr. Summers said he did not know, but the agency would have to get the funds elsewhere. Mr. Kerns said the MHB was not vague about its expectations, and asked for specific programs to serve multi -problem families before funding them. The expectation was not that it would take years to develop a program. He added, however, that NIFS was not even through the first year of its initial contract. Mr. Summers said TFI didn't serve as many people as they thought they could, but they came up with a specific program. Ms. Pearson pointed out that the difference was that MFS had to deal with the overlay of the transition issues involved with taking over Family Counseling Services' operations. As a result, she didn't think the MHB was as specific with MFS as they were with TFI. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought CCS had been doing a good job, Mr. Summers said he has always been impressed with the work of that agency. It is the only agency in Evanston serving kids in the way that they do. He said he was concerned, however, with the number and percentage of Evanston residents the agency sees. Ms. Stroh pointed out that individuals seen by CCS from other communities are paying full fee, which helps to subsidize the number of low income Evanston residents who are paying on a sliding scale. Ms. Pearson said the agency has done quality work for years. Given the NIHB's priorities, CCS is certainly providing quality service for a high priority population. She suggested making an initial allocation to CCS of $62,000, a $5000 increase. N1s. Pearson said the FF program served a population which was 100% low income and Evanston residents. She recommended an initial allocation for the agency's request of $20,700, a $1000 November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved increase. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said the Evanston Community Defender provides aggressive outreach. The social worker works with very needy families. They are always there to help deal with serious issues which effect the entire family. For this agency, many of their clients are in multi -problem families. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein recommended an initial allocation of the agency's entire request of $4400, a $2200 increase. Mr. Kerns said he would support the full request. Ms. Heft -Gavin said she wanted to serve as an advocate and thought the MHB should give additional funding to St. Francis ACGC. Given the situation with the takeover by Resurrection Hospital and the uncertainty of their support for the psych services, Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought it was very important to show community support for the agency. Mr. Summers said he didn't see that ACGC did anything different that what is provided at Evanston Hospital. If you took specifically at what their programs offer, they don't have a specific program for multi -problem families. Ms. Stroh said she was impressed that the agency reported providing 300 home visits. She also said she thought it was important that St. Francis reported that their services were mission driven, and not driven by profits. Ms. Heft -Gavin recommended an initial allocation of $23,415, an increase of $5000. In response to questions, Mr. Terry referred to a copy of the FY97-98 contract with NUS and said standard language was used in the provisions of the document. Mr. Saver added that the description of the services to be provided by the agency's programs specified that multi -problem families would be served in an outreach- and home -based model of services. He said he thought that agency's outcome objectives in the contract were appropriate for the description of the services, as well. N1s. Wiebe recommended maintaining MFS and TFI at their current level of funding. She said she thought it was important for the MHB to keep its priority funding in place for a second year. She said it had not yet been a year that the programs at TFI and NIFS were in place, and it would take additional time to see results. She said the NfHB should reiterate to the agencies its emphasis upon services for multi -problem families. Nis. Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought the MHB had been more specific than that. Mr. Summers said he disagreed with Ms. Wiebe and thought the MHI3 wanted something more specific than general funds for multi -problem families. Ms. Heft -Gavin agreed with Ms. Wiebe and said no agency was going to come up with a solution in one year. The NIHB should maintain its funding commitment to MFS and TFI for another year. She added that the purpose of the Agency Quarterly Reports was to one way to find out if the agencies were doing what was expected. That is one way the NIHB should be using to know when to take corrective action. ,Nis. Mullins asked whether N1FS had the same expectations as the AIHB? Mr. Summers said apparently not. He said at least some of the Board members thought they were being more specific. However, the agency did not indicate at their hearing that they had provides something specific. Mr. Kerns read the descriptions in N1FS's contract of the services which were to be provided to multi- problem families. He asked whether there was any reason to believe that any of the services were not delivered? Mr. Summers said he did not think so. Nis. Wiebe said it sounded as if some of the Board members did not receive the information from the NIFS hearing in the form they expected. November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved She asked whether the NM was able to accept the information which was provided by MFS in its follow-up? Ms. Pearson said she ws distressed with the original proposal from MFS. She said there were a number of questions which were not satisfactorily answered by the agency in its hearing. She said the follow-up information was much more helpful and clarified a number of the questions. Ms. Pearson said MFS had been in a difficult situation because they took over an agency in crisis and had to sort out a number of problems. She said she thought the MHB had been more specific about their expectations, but believed the Board should continue to support MFS. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she felt the same way about TFI. She supported funding at the same level for TFI and MFS for another year, and recommended the MHB have -more direct contact with the programs in the next year. Ms. Stroh said it has been very helpful to have TFI at the high school. The program is working aggressively to make contact with students who are referred. Mr. Summers said he feels better about the program knowing that it is not getting referrals just from ETHS. Ms. Wiebe said she is looking forward to seeing whether this type of outreach works. Ms. Stroh said the MHB will need to continue to look at that issue, and to determine whether the follow-up is sufficient. Ms. Pearson said given the definition the MHB had for outreach, it means getting out of the office and making the services more accessible. She said she didn't think that Evanston HospitaI's Outpatient Psych program does that. She offered that both hospital's should be considered in that context. Mr. Summers said, from what he could tell, he did not think either hospital did community outreach in their outpatient psych programs. He recommended funding Evanston Hospital OP Psych at the current level. Ms. Helt-Gavin said Evanston Hospital was a wealthy institution. Funding the program at the current level would feel the MHB was supporting a very wealthy group. She added that she also wasn't certain that the Outpatient Psych program had a real financial problem, given Evanston Hospital's wealth. Mr. Kerns said it was dangerous to consider whether large agencies like the hospitals were managing their bottom line well, and challenging the way they manage their bookkeeping. There are a number of other agencies that the MHB still has to consider where that same issue might be raised. He said the Board should be looking at whether the programs are serving the population well. Ms. Pearson said Evanston Hospital does provide good therapy, but the MHB agreed they want to focus upon multi -problem families. There was consensus to tentatively accept the initial allocations for programs serving multi -problem families as follows: Proms Allocation Chi Ricc Community Counseling Services $62,000 $5,000 Evanston Comm Defender/Services to Persons $4,400 $2,200 Evanston Hospita110utpalien( Psychotherapy $18,415 $o November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Family Focus/Pregnant & Parenting Teen $20,700 $0 The Family Institute/Therapy Services $22,100 $0 Metro Family/Family Support & Prevention $28,900 $Q Metro Family/Family Counseling $22,100 $0 St. Francis Hospital/ Outpatient Psychiatry $23,4 l5 $5,000 Total Multi -Problem Family Services $202,030 $12,200 Mr. Summers suggested that the MHB next focus upon services for persons with developmental disabilities. Ms. Wiebe said Neighborhood Services was moving their administrative office out of Evanston. However, their connection to the community was still very strong for the few people who were being served locally. She said she thought it was still reasonable to fund the program at some level. Mr. Summers responded that the agency was only serving 3 Evanston residents out of 21 total clients. He said he thought this was a logical place to make a funding cut. Ms. Pearson said even the question of an Evanston connection was very vague. There does not seem to be a long term commitment to Evanston. As their residents choose other places to live, the agency could be gone before long. Mr. Summers recommended eliminating funding all together, a reduction of $1600. He said there were higher priorities for which the money could be used. Ms. Pearson said there was not much she could add to the MHB's comments about SHORE. It is a wonderful agency which does fabulous work. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she was glad that an agency was available to do the type of work that they do. Ms. Pearson recommended that SHORE be funded at the current level because the MIHB needed to find additional funds for other priorities. She reminded the MHB that SHORE received a $5000 increase last year, more than what had been requested. There was consensus to tentatively accept the initial allocations for programs for persons with developmental disabilities as follows: r r Neighborhood Services/DD Residential SHORE/Day Programming SHORE/DD Residential Services Total Developmental Disability Services ,Allocation $1,G00 ($1,600) $21,900 $0 $24,700 $0 S48,200 ($1,600) The MHB agreed to next consider services for persons with mental illness. Ms. Stroh said First Step continues to be an impressive program. They have made significant improvements in their financial condition, as was requested. And they have strengthened their viability by expanding their services, November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 8 Minutes recorded - not yet approved which are being funded under Medicare and Medicaid, as a result of their relationship with Thresholds. She recommended giving NTSW their request of $6500, an increase of$1000. Ms. Pearson said she fully supported Ms. Stroh's comments. First Step continues to be a high quality program. She said she was delighted the agency has strengthened their financial position, after working so hard under difficult circumstances. She said she was concerned because she is still not clear exactly what their relationship is becoming with Thresholds. She said she absolutely wants the agency to remain in Evanston. But she is recommending that the program be funded at its current level. Mr. Summers said he agreed that the current level of funding should be maintained, especially given that the NM had a limited amount of money. Ms. Pearson added that the agency should also be able to access additional, new funding with their new relationship. Mr. Summers said ACCESS was a unique program in Evanston. He said he would like to give more money to it. It provides solid outreach, and aggressively tries to reach a population no one else wants to work with. It provides vigorous programming for a population which is severely disturbed, one of the MHB's mandated population groups. He recommended allocating $6000, an increase of $2000 more than what is being requested. Mr. Summers said Evanston Hospital's Family Partnership program was a new, creative effort. It is the type of program the MHB should be funding and encouraging to work with families. He recommended an initial allocation of $3000. Ms. Pearson recommended maintaining Crisis Intervention at the current level. They provide a critical service in the community. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said the program does an excellent job of supporting many agencies in the community. The service is the only thing like it in Evanston. Ms. Wiebe agreed with funding for the program at the current level. Mr. Summers said anyone in Evanston can access the program. In response to Mr. Summers' question, Mr. Saver said Evanston Hospital's Catalyst program includes the services the MNB used to fund in the Refocus program. When the Department of Psychiatry realigned their services a few years ago, they reorganized the partial and day hospital services. The major emphasis of the line of services is to help people avoid rehospitalization. Mr. Summers recommended sustaining Catalyst at its current level of $3500. Mr. Summers recommended maintaining Housing Options at its current level. He said the agency does a special job in a very difficult area of housing for persons with mental illness. Their services are unique and of very high duality. If they weren't, there would have been many more problems in the community the MHB would have heard about. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she agreed with the comments. Housing, Options is the only housing resource for persons with mental illness in Evanston, outside of Greenwood and Albany Care. The agency has done an outstanding job of integrating their residents into the neighborhood. NIs. Wiebe said she has nothing but praise for their very successful programs. She said there was some concern about Housing Options' large fund balance, but the agency needs those funds in order to be able to maintain the upkeep on their homes. November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 9 Minutes recorded - not yet approved She recommended funding Home First for the requested $2000 increase. Mr. Terry pointed out that this year Housing Options decided not to ask for funding from the Human Services Committee, and that it appeared they transferred the entire amount of their funding from the City to their request to the 1VEHM. Mr. Summers said the agency is providing specialized housing in the right way. The MHB wants to continue to support agencies that do so well. He recommended maintaining, Housing Options at their current funding level. Ms. Helt-Gavin recommended that ACGC program for Psych Care for the Mentally III be maintained at the current funding level. Mr. Summers said he could agree with the recommendation but thought it was difficult to determine what specific services the program provides for persons with mental illness. There are no clear lines to distinguish between the programs at ACGC, There was consensus to tentatively accept the initial allocations for programs serving persons with mental illness as foIIows: Prop m Evanston Hospital/ACCESS Alloy t� $6,000 hnn�e $2,000 Evanston HospitaVCrisis Intcrvention $45,950 $0 Evanston Hospital/Catalyst $3,500 $0 Evanston Hospital/Family Partnership $3,000 $3,000 Housing Options/Home First $3,644 $0 Housing Options/Bell House $2,376 $0 Housing Options/SHIP $9,820 $0 NTSW/First Step $6,500 $1,000 St. Francis/Psych Care -Mentally Ill $15,650 $0 Total !dental Illness Services $96,440 $6,000 Ms. Wiebe said the only agency left was North Shore Senior Center (NSSC). She said from the short relationship the MHB has had with NSSC she has been very impressed by the sheer numbers of older people being served and who are attracted to it. She said the program gives a sense of being very new and very successful in a very short period. Ms. Pearson asked about the large increase in the Case Management budget. Mr. Terry responded that lie thought it reflected the changes the State was making in which agency was going to be providing senior services in Evanston. Ms. Stroh pointed out that the agency also provided respite. There was a consensus to initially allocate the current level of funding, $16,230, to NSSC. November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Pape 10 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Saver reported that, as a result of the initial recommendations, the Mental Health Board had allocated $440,170, $17,960 more than it had to spend. Mr. Summers asked the Board for recommendations on how to balance its Purchased Services budget. There was consensus to reduce the reduce the allocations to Evanston Hospital/ACCESS {- $2000) and St. Francis Hospital/OP Psych (-$5000) by the amount they were initially increased, Ieaving them with their current level of funding. Mr. Kerns said he thought Evanston Hospital was trying to be creative and innovative with the Family Partnership Program. He recommended maintaining the allocation for the new program. Ms. Heft -Gavin agreed that the MHB should encourage this type of innovation. Mr. Summers recommended reducing the Metropolitan Family Services allocation in order to be able to support another creative effort. Mr. Kerns recommended restoring $2000 to St. Francis, and reducing funding to Metropolitan Family Services and The Family Institute in equal amounts of approximately $6500 each. If additional funds are provided to the MEHB by the City, those funding levels could then be restored. Mr. Summers modified the recommendation and suggested not restoring $2000 to St. Francis. He suggested, instead to reduce funding to Metropolitan Family Services and The Family Institute in equal amounts of $5500 each. Ms. Pearson objected, saying this would be balancing the MHB budget by not supporting its agreed -upon priorities. Mr. Summers said Metropolitan Family Services only used the funding for its general operating expenses, so it was not taking funding from the Board's priorities. Mr. Kerns said the MHB would continue to fund the programs, but it has considered other services and identified which ones are also serving the priority population. Mr. Terry said he was concerned that the MHB would have commended a program during its meeting with the Human Services Committee, then cut the program funding. He said he was worried about the message this would be sending. Mr. Kerns responded that the MHB is also trying to say to the City that it needs more money to fund services. The MHB needs the additional funds because it is serious about funding its priorities. Mr. Terry said it would appear that a switch was taking place if the MHB reduced funding to a priority service only to restore it with additional funds from the Human Services Committee. This would not be adding anything additional or new. Mr. Summers recommended balancing the budget by reducing Metropolitan Family Services by the amount of $10,960. Ms. Pearson suggested, instead, to reduce the amount of the increases allocated to programs. Ms. Helt-Gavin asked if the MHB were to receive additional funds from the Human Services Committee, would they have to be allocated for services for multi -problem families? Mr. Terry said it was his understanding that the Human Services Committee thought that was the MHB's request, and so the funds would have to be spent for that purpose. Ms. Wiebe said she was inclined to provide smaller increases as incentive funds for the programs which were initially allocated an increase. But the MHB needed to keep its message clear and maintain funding for those programs funded for the priority population. Nis. Pearson said she could November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 11 Minutes recorded -not yet approved agree to reduce funding for Metropolitan Family Services if the amount was reduced. Mr. Kerns moved and Nis. Pearson seconded a motion to reduce the allocation to Metropolitan Family Services by $5000. Motion approved unanimously. There was a lengthy discussion about how individual program allocations could be reduced in order to balance the budget. Ms. Wiebe moved and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein seconded a motion to reduce the increase for the Evanston Community Defender by $1100, for an allocation of $3300, and eliminating the new $3000 allocation for Evanston Hospital/Family Partnership Program. Motion approved 6 aye - 3 no (Mullins, Kerns, Heft -Gavin). Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Wiebe seconded a motion to reduce the initial allocation to Rice Community Counseling Services by $1860, for an allocation of $60,140. Motion approved 7 aye - Z no (Stroh, Helt-Gavin). Mr. Saver indicated that, in order to balance the purchased services budget, the following changes were proposed in the MHB's initial allocations: Pgr,s tin LM= Ally Reduction Rice Conununity Counseling Services $62,000 $1,860 $60,140 Evanston Community Defender/ $4,400 $1,100 $3,300 Services to Persons Evanston Hospital/ACCESS $6,000 $2,000 $4,000 Evanston Hospital/Family Partnership $3,000 $3,000 $0 Metro Family/Family Counseling $22,100 $5,000 $17,100 St. Francis/Adult & Child/ Adolescent OP Psych $23,4I5 $5,000 $18,415 Mr. Saver reviewed all of the proposed program allocations. Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Wiebe seconded a motion to adopt the proposed FY98-99 Mental Health Board program funding allocations for recommendation to the City Manager's budget (see attached spreadsheet). Motion approved unanimously. V. ADOPTION OF MENTAL HEALTH BOARD ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET Mr. Saver reviewed the proposed FY98-99 MentaI Health Administration budget. He said it was November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 12 Minutes recorded - not yet approved $84,800, an increase of $4200 over the current fiscal year. Of that total, $78,400 or 93% of the total budget is for line item amounts which are determined by the City's Budget Office. He indicated that the only proposed change which was not determined by the Budget Office is a line item for a new personal computer. He said if the Budget Office approves the request for the funds, they will only be made available for the purchase of a computer. They will not be available for any other uses. Ms. Pearson moved and Ms. Mullins seconded a motion to adopt the FY98-99 Mental Health Administration budget as presented. Motion approved unanimously. Mr. Summers reminded the Board that the Human Services Committee was going to entertain the MHB's request for an additional $75,000 for multi -problem families at its November 17 allocation meeting. He encouraged everyone to attend. Mr. Summers asked staff to draft a memo to the Human Services Committee indicating that the MHB has not yet identified how the money will be allocated. If the money is made available to the Board, the NM will solicit proposals from agencies for new efforts in working with multi -problem families. Meeting was adjourned at 10:37 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Harvey D. Saver Assistant Director November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 13 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1997 1. Adopted the proposed FY98-99 Mental Health Board program funding allocations for recommendation to the City Manager's budget (spreadsheet attached). 2. Adopted the FY98-99 Mental Health Administration budget as presented. November 9, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 14 lib Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1997 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Mary Helt-Gavin, Ellen Reynolds, Paula Cofresi- Silverstein, Nicki Pearson, Susan Stroh Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Carlos Hernandez, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Helen Lome (NTSW/First Step); Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center); Tom Jager, Steve Strauss, Justine Lovig, Mike King, Deborah Thorne (Evanston United Way) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. 1. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and were welcomed by Mr. Summers. H. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF OCTOBER 9 AND NOVEMBER 6, 1997 Mr. Summers asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of October 9 and November 6, 1997. Ms. Pearson said the change in allocation for Family Focus on page 8 in the November minutes should be $1000 rather than a $0. Nis. Gavin moved and Ms. Pearson seconded a motion to approve the minutes of October 9, 1997 as read Motion approved unanimously. Nis. Gavin moved and his. Pearson seconded a motion to approve the minutes of November 6, 1997 as amended Motion approved unanimously. III. DISCUSSION WITH UNITED WAY FUNDING PANEL ABOUT 1997 PROGRAM FUNDING ALLOCATION PROCESS Tom Jager, Executive Director, and Steve Strauss, Justine Lovig, Mike King and Deborah Thorne of the Board of the Evanston United Way joined the Mental Health Board (MHB). Mr. Summers explained the changes which occurred in the agency allocation process for 1997. He said after the Human Services Committee (HSC) decided to hold funding hearings separately, the MHB and United Way agreed to continue to convene joint hearings for the agencies they fund in common. He December 11, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved said the two fenders thought it would be a good idea to evaluate changes in the hearing process, and to discuss the funding allocations and community needs. Mr. Jager said the members of the United Way discussed October 25 hearings and thought the process went well. They thought the hearings were very informative, and, in most cases, the additional time was used very productively by the agencies. Ms. Lovig said the additional time enabled the agencies to provide a comprehensive picture of what their organization was involved in, and what were the issues they were facing in Evanston. Ms. Lovig said she was interested in having the hearing panel develop some vehicle to provide feedback to the agencies based on the information they presented. She thought the feedback might be useful to the agencies regarding the way they were dealing with the issues, or the way they were allocating their resources. Ms. Lovig cited as an example the Evanston Community Defender. She said it would be worthwhile to provide the agency with feedback about how they are organized, and how they might be able to develop other sources of funds. They are not able to get out from under their current workload to develop new funding sources. If they were supported during this period of time, they could do some long range planning and possibly identify additional resources to support their mission. Mr. Strauss said he found the 55 minute hearings very helpful and useful. He said that he thought some agencies were managing their funds better than others. The difficult question is how to make the decisions about which agencies to make the allocation of limited dollars. Mr. Jager referred to an article which appeared in the Evanston Review, and said it was a pitch to raise additional contributions for the United Way's campaign. He said that even when there was a Unified Budget Process, the United Way made allocations and tentative commitments for projects without having a final figure on how much they had to allocate. He said the United Way will not really know until May, 1998 how much money they have to distribute. Their current allocations are not final until the figures are in on the Campaign. Mr Jager said in the current allocation process the United Way and the MHp jointly reviewed ten agencies. The United Way had a community needs assessment which identified the need for more services. In response to the HSC's proposed agency reductions, Mr. Jager said he thought it was a shame that the City conducted their allocation process alone, and did not share their thinking with either the United Way or the NiHB. Debbie Thorne said, as the Chairperson, that she was also disappointed also that the City did not take part in a combined allocation process Mr. Summers stated the MHB was disappointed that the City had no contact with them about priorities even though the HSC said they were interested in input from the MHB about community issues and needs. He said he thought the HSC's allocation decisions had been made before the eventual HSC allocation meeting, which excluded any public discussion. Mr. Strauss also expressed his feeling of being frustrated and asked whether there was something the United Way and MHB could do as a group to express their frustrations to the HSC about the funding decisions which were made. He said lie thought the needs of the community for services are increasing rather than decreasing. Nlr. Strauss asked flow can the community move forward without collaboration and December 11. 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes --- Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved without the funds to support the great efforts the agencies have worked so hard to achieve in Evanston. Mr. Summers said the MHB was planning to send a guest essay to the Evanslolr Revie►v expressing their concerns. He suggested that the United Way could also sign on to this as a joint statement of concern. Nis. Helt-Gavin asked what the cost of the HSC's cuts in allocations was going to be to the community. Mr. Jager said that the cuts would have to be made up through other sources. He .;aid he has had calls from Center for Public Ministry expressing concern about being cut by both CDBG and the City. The agency has indicated that, as a result of the cuts, they are going to be asking United Way for more money. Mr. Jager said all the United Way can do is tell the agencies to request what they need. Then the United Way will have to make the allocation decisions based upon whether the Campaign is a success. The decision will have to be made Iater as to whether the United Way will be able to cover any of the decreases. Ms. Thorne said she thought there was not going to be significant, additional funds coming to Evanston from the Suburban United Way, The Evanston community already receives a supplement which other communities do not receive. Ms. Lovig asked about the conditions in Evanston, and said she thought the social services problems are becoming more difficult and increasing. She said that City's budget seems to be emphasizing, instead, the improvement of parks and increasing the number of Police officers. Ms. Pearson added that in the City's budget last year there was an increase for the Police Department. in response to a question, Mr. Terry said the current City budget is approximately $56 million. The anticipated budget for the City next year is projected at $59 million. Based upon the projections there is a gap of approximately $3.5 million between expenditures and revenue for FY98-99. Mr. Terry said he thought the City Manager might be proposing revenue enhancements to cover the gap. Whether these will pass the City Council remains to be seen. Mr. Terry distributed a memo from the City Manager to City Council regarding the budget situation. He said that was the information referred to by an Alderman during the HSC allocation meeting. Ms. Lovig said she thought the decision of the HSC to remove themselves from the joint allocation process meant that they didn't hear what the agencies had to say about community needs. Ms. Pearson said she thought if the issue was to find a way to reduce the budget it would have been more equitable to implement a 10% cut across the board to all agencies. Mr. Strauss stated that the United Way's local allocation of funds exceeds the total amount which is collected locally The United Way of Suburban Chicago determines how much money from the larger, suburban campaign is eventually given to Evanston to distribute. He said, as a result, he thought it was unrealistic to anticipate that Evanston would received additional, new funds to cover the reduction in the allocations. Nir Jager said with the dollars being very limited the United Way will have to tool; at whether they need to make some shifts in allocations. Mr. Terry questioned whether, in fact, community attitudes toward human services were changing. He said lie still believed that there were residents questioning Evanston's level of service. He noted the elected officials are out meeting with residents every day and are often very reflective of community attitudes. Nis. Thorne disagreed and stated that while residents of Evanston care about December 11, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved their property values, if Evanston does not have a sense of community those property values will not ' stay high. Mr. Terry agreed that the social service programs are part of the community, but felt that ` every time there was a shooting public confidence was eroded and the call was for more law ` enforcement. Mr. Summers said he felt that was too strong. ' Mr. Summers suggested that it would be a good point to move on to the next agenda item. He invited the United Way representatives to participate in that discussion, as well. IV. FOLLOW-UP TO RESPONSE FROM HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE Mr. Summers said he thought there were two issues the MHB should consider in relation to the ' actions of the Human Services Committee: increase the public awareness about the cuts to the human services agencies; and, highlight that the Council seems to be changing community priorities i towards human services in an unreasonable way. Ms. Lovig said she was concerned about whether decisions about human services in the City's Budget were being made by people with compassion. She said she thought an educational campaign should be brought to the people in the community who do care about human services, and they should be encouraged to express their concerns about the agency reductions to their Aldermen. Ms. Lovig added that a campaign should promote the value of the human services system to the community -at -large. Ms. Helt-Gavin agreed with the suggestion. She said the MHB is mandated to look out for people who are basically unpopular or overlooked in the community, e.g., drug addicts, people with disabilities. She said she thought the MHB has a duty to advocate for them. Ms. Thorne suggested contacting other groups to help work on the issue, such as the League of Women Voters. Ms. Lovig suggested also targeting groups which have a vested interest in similar issues, such as the school boards and PTA's. Ms. Lovig recommended that the United Way and the MHB organize a town meeting or public forum about the issue of the reductions to human service agencies. The Aldermen should be present to hear the community's concerns. She said this might force the issue. In response to a question, Mr. Terry said the City Council has to adopt the Budget no later than the last week of February. It has to be approved by February 28, 1998. Ms. Lovig urged the United Way and MHB members to be present at the Saturday morning budget hearings and make their presence and concerns known. Ms. Helt-Gavin asked whether the purpose was to get the Aldermen to rescind some of the cuts to agencies. Mr. Summers said he thought there were two broad issues upon which to focus: the cuts in allocations, and the decision -making process. Mr. Summers said he thought it was very short-sighted to cut the human services agencies. Ms. Pearson pointed out that there was also the issue of the whether the I-1SC was going to consider and respond to the Nil-IB's request for an additional $75,000. She said those funds were to have been for additional services to be provided before police intervention was necessary. Mr. Jager said that at the Ml-IB and United Way should try to organize the social service agencies to make a statement at the Saturday budget meetings. He said it would be important for the agencies to have their Board members involved. tvis. Thorne commented that taxes have not been raised in Evanston for approximately 4 to 5 years, but the needs have been increasing. Mr. Summers said the assessed valuation of the property in town has been going up so people pay more in taxes. Mr. December 11, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Strauss said that even with no tax increases, agency costs have continued too escalate, not to mention the needs increasing. In response to Mr. Summers' questions, Mr. Terry said that the Saturday budget meetings do not have a rigidly structured agenda and are very loose in terms of when issues are dealt with. Mr. Terry said he thought if the City Manager's proposed budget includes a property tax increase, that will be the major issue in the community dialogue about the budget. Mr. Terry explained that the problem the City Manager has had to deal with is that the budget has been balanced in recent years through transfers from surpluses in the Water Fund. But for the last two years, the sale of water has been down. As a result, there has been no surplus funds to transfer into the general fund. Mr. Strauss asked whether the City Manager's proposed budget will reflect the $90,000 cut for social services funding? Mr. Terry said that it would. He added that the community purchased services were the only area in the City's proposed budget where the Aldermen make the determination about a funding level before they receive the City Manager's recommendations. Mr. Summers said there were two written documents for the group to review. He said the letter he wrote could be adapted to send to the Human Services Committee and to submit to the Evansion Review. He said the draft letter from Ms. Heft -Gavin and Ms. Pearson addressed the HSC and requested time on the Committee's agenda. Ms. Lovig said that there should be two essays addressed to the Evanstoir Review. one raising concern about the Human Services Committee withdrawing from the joint agency review process; and, one trying to organize people to get involved in the need for an increase of funds for human services. There was a consensus among NM members to submit the letter from Ms. Heft -Gavin and Ms. Pearson, with changes, to the Human Services Committee for their January 5 meeting. There was also agreement to submit Mr. Summers' article to the Evanston Review. Mr. Summers said he would incorporate the additional thoughts and comments which were submitted to him. The document will be reviewed at the January MHB meeting. after a lengthy discussion about strategy, the MHB and United Way agreed to convene a work group to identify and invite organizations to support the effort. Ms. Helt-Gavin suggested having a communication committee to call agencies and people to come to a meeting to organize a campaign. Mr. Strauss said there should be more than just the agencies which have a vested interest because they lost funding. Nis. Reynolds suggested that the service organizations in town should be invited. There was agreement to develop a position paper with an accompanying fact sheet to educate the community about the budget cuts and their impact on agency services. In response to Mr. Jager's question, Mr, Terry indicated that, as City employees, neither he nor Mr. Saver would be able to take part in any organizing or lobbying about the budget cuts. Ms. Helt-Gavin and Nis, Pearson volunteered to assist in this project. Ms. Stroh, Nis. Reynolds and leis. Cofresi-Silverstein agreed to work with Nis. Lovig on organizing a community meeting about opposing the budget cuts. Ms. Pearson suggested that a good place to start would be using the mailing lists from the MHB/United Way Discussion Groups several years ago. Mr. Kerns said he reviewed his notes from the July and August HSC meetings. He said he was December 11, 1997 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 y Minutes recorded - not yet approved disappointed that the City chose not to continue to participate in the proposal review process with the MHB and United Way. He said the HSC had originally indicated they would look for input from the MHB about community needs and priorities. When it came to implementation, nothing happened and the HSC was not interested in any input. Mr. Kerns said it was also frustrating that the HSC ignored and did not address the proposal from the MHB about funding for multi -problem families. That was after they expressed interest in hearing about the issue from the MHB. Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that she had attended the November Human Services Committee Meeting. She said that Alderman Newman requested the MHB be placed on the January HSC agenda, prior to the adoption of the City Budget. She reported that the Alderman hoped to resolve some of the ill feelings that had developed between the MHB and HSC. IV. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry reported that the merger of St. Francis Hospital with Resurrection Health Care has been completed. He said he was informed that, so far, there has been a smooth transition. Mr. Saver reported that none of the agencies funded by the State received additional funds for FY97- 98. An attempt during the recent legislative session to secure a 3% "cost of doing business" increase through the State Legislature failed. He said the allocation bill passed with great support in the State Senate, but the bill was not called for a vote in the House. It is expected that there will be one more attempt made to pass the bill in January. He said some of the MHB-funded agencies had based the budgets in their funding proposals on receiving some increase from the State. Meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott Qecember 11, 1947 Mental Health 'boa,rd Meeting Minutes Pa , 9 . e6 t Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Mary Helt-Gavin, Ellen Reynolds, Lonnie Wiebe, Susan Stroh, Frank Summers Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Carlos Hernandez, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Joe Kestnbaum (St. Francis Behavioral Health Services), Alexander Brown (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and were welcomed by Mr. Summers. H. REVIEW DRAFT MHB EDITORIAL ESSAY Mr. Summers said he wanted to review the advocacy issues about the City budget at the same time the MHB reviewed the draft guest essay to the Evanston Review He asked Mr. Kerns for an update about the Monday night Human Services Committee (HSC) meeting. Mr. Kerns said the MHB had been on the agenda, but there were a number of other issues which had to be dealt with first. Mr. Kerns said that the HSC was willing to meet with the NM at its February 2 meeting. However, several Aldermen questioned what the purpose of the discussion was going to be. Mr. Kerns said the Aldermen indicated the MHB's request for an additional $75,000 for funding services for multi -problem families would be discussed in the context of the overall City budget. It will also have to take in to account the fact that the City Manager has had to propose major increases in the City's water and sewer fees and by 40% to balance the budget. Mr. Kerns said Alderman Moran stated he thought the Aldermen should talk about how the funding process worked, lack of communication and lack of dialogue. Mr. Kerns said that the MHB had been at the HSC for the past six meetings and there had been very little dialogue. Mr. Kerns stated that Alderman Rainey took exception to the NIHB's concern that the were some pre-HSC meeting decisions by the Aldermen about funding allocations. He said the Alderman thought they were being complete in their review of the agencies, and that they were doing their job. Ivir Summers said he would be unavailable for the February 2 meeting, and had a prior teaching commitment on Monday evenings. He asked whether there were any other evenings when the MEIB could January 8, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Rage 1 Minutes recorded • not yet approved meet with the HSC'' Mr. Terry stated there may be already be a conflict with the February 2 meeting because it is the same date as the City Council's budget hearing for the public. That will probably take up much of the evening. He added, however, that all of the HSC meetings were on Monday evenings. Mr. Summers said he wanted to appoint a Iiaison committee from the MHB to meet with the Human Services Committee. Ms. Reynolds said she was concerned about forming a committee to meet with the HSC because she did not think there was much room for discussion. She said she thought the Aldermen had pre -arranged positions regarding the funding and were not open to any input. Mr. Summers said he thought that public pressure through a published essay might have an effect on the Aldermen. Mr. Kerns said he didn't think that would have much additional impact when there have been 3 to 5 MHB members in attendance at each of the past six HSC meetings, and the entire MHB has corresponded with them during the course of those months. Ms. Wiebe suggested as many of the NM as were available should attend the HSC meeting, and that Mr. Summers appoint someone act as a spokesperson. Mr. Summers appointed Mr. Kerns to serve as the MIiB's spokesperson with the HSC. Nis. Wiebe reported on the recent advocacy activities related to the City Budget. She said she and Ms. Helt-Garin attended the Wednesday night meeting chaired by the United Way. She reported that 30 -40 people attended the meeting representing social service agencies which had received funding cuts, as well as those which had not received funding cuts or were not funded by the City. The purpose of the meeting was to organize to get the City Council to rescind the human service funding cuts. The plan that was developed was to have all agencies which had been cut to identify up to five consequences that would result from the funding cuts. All of the information will be pulled together as a fact sheet. Board members, consumers and supporters of social services in the City were being urged to attend the City budget hearings and to speak to the issue during Citizen Comment. Ms. Wiebe said that anyone who had thoughts on what should be included in the community letter opposing the cuts was invited to submit the information to either Tom Jager or Don Baker. It was suggested that invitations to sign the letter be extended to all the board presidents of social service and other community organizations in the City. Others will be encouraged to send letters and call the Aldermen, and to come to the budget meetings and speak. NIs. Wiebe encouraged the MEB members to make calls as well. She added that the community letter would also be distributed by agencies to their mailing lists. She said there was a group of Northwestern University students who were volunteering to help distribute copies of the letters to agencies. Ms. Wiebe said a press conference was scheduled for the Monday, January 19, for a public signing of the community letter. She said she thought that there were a number of individuals involved and actively doing their part. Mr Summers said he had received several changes from Board members for the draft guest essay he distributed regarding the budget cuts. his. Wiebe raised concern about submitting an essay which was inflammatory and which would preempt the efforts of the agencies to organize in the community. Mr. Summers said he thought there was nothing in the guest essay which would get in the way of the agencies' activities Mr. Kerns moved and Nis. Helt-Gavin seconded a motion to approve the submittal of Mr. Summers' guest essay on behalf of the Evanston Mental Health Board regarding the Human Services Committee's budget cuts to the Evanston Review as amended. Motion approved 5 aye (Kerns. Helt-Gavin, Summers, Reynolds, Stroh) - I no (Wiebe). January 8, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved IV. AGENCY ACCOUNTABELITY ISSUES Review Third Quarter Agency Narrative Reports. No discussion Agency Liaison Reports. Center for Public Ministry -- Mr. Terry said the agency had received good news regarding their funding. He explained the McKinney Emergency Shelter grant, and said the City contracts with agencies to provide services for homeless persons. He indicated that, historically, the majority of those funds have gone to the CPM. The City was recently notified by HUD that Evanston's annual allocation, currently $63,000, will be increasing to $91,000 in FY98-99, In addition, CPM received informal announcement from HUD that they will receive a three year grant totaling $600,000. CPM's plan is to develop Evanston's first street outreach program for the homeless, and to continue to implement the Good Neighbor Program in the Downtown area. The new programs will likely be started up in mid-1998. Mr. Terry explained that the CPM proposal had to include the local Continuum of Care which was adopted by the City. The MHB earlier reviewed and adopted the current Continuum Mr. Saver said CPM reported during their budget hearing that they had lost some of their funding for the Substance Abuse Manager. The agency indicated that they were going to have to cut back on the hours for that position. He said David Myers recently reported that the agency had obtained a commitment for additional funding from a private foundation to restore some of the hours for that position. Mr. Saver added that he though this was a benefit for the service network. The reports he has received have indicated that the Substance Abuse Case Manager has been relatively successful in helping individuals gain access to residential treatment. Housing Options -- Mr. Terry said Housing Options is continuing their evaluation about their role as a housing provider as opposed to a service provider. The agency is also continuing to assess their relationship to Trilogy and Thresholds as clinical support providers. In the interim they have been holding off in their search for an Executive Director and are operating with and interim Executive Director. Dorothy Lloyd -Still, one of the agency's founding board members, is serving in that capacity. Marianne 1loberly has a short-term contract with Housing Options to provide consultation. Metropolitan Family Services -- Ms. Wiebe reported that the agency will soon be relocating to 820 Davis. She said the plan was to move February 1 Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services -- 4is. Wiebe reported that the agency is hiring two new staff in response to a large number of new clients. Communication Regarding Changes at St. Francis Hospital. Joe Kestnbaum, Director of St. Francis Hospital's Division of Behavioral Health Services, joined the Board. He indicated that, per the terms of his agency's contract with the Mental Health Board, he was reporting about the completion of the acquisition of St. Francis Hospital by Resurrection Healthcare. He asked that the existing contract be continued under January 8, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved the new arrangement. Mr. Kestnbaum said he thought the acquisition was a work in progress, and all of the effects are not yet known. He added that it was his understanding that St. Francis Hospital had been acquired to continue to operate as an independent institution, and to serve the Evanston community. Mr. Kestnbaum indicated that it was his intent to expand and enhance the services in his area. To date, there has not been a concentrated look at mental health services in this new arrangement. For now, ACGC will continue to do business as usual. Mr. Kestnbaum indicated that there has been some talk about developing a Senior Service Center. In response to a question, Mr. Kestnbaum said at the present time there has been no change in his position, and that he will report to the network's Vice President for Mental Health Services. Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Belt -Gavin seconded a motion for the Mental Health Board to continue its FY97-98 contract with the St. Francis Hospital Adult and Child Guidance Center. Motion approved unanimously. Change Partners -- Revise Agency Liaison Assignments. Mr. Saver reported that the MHB had originally had term limits for agency liaison assignments. Later, these were eliminated. However, during the discussion in the summer about agency monitoring Mr. Kerns suggested that the issue of rotating liaison assignments be raised again, after the fall allocation process was over. Ms. Wiebe said she thought there were a number of issues related to this subject, including an examination of what the role should be. She suggested that this be a part of the discussion if there is a planning retreat. Mr. Summers agreed with the suggestion. He said he was concerned that the liaison role was beginning to become an advocate for agencies, and thought that might be as result of not changing liaison assignments. He said the Board members should have the close contact, but should not advocate. The liaison should provide a closer look at the agencies, and should bring back information for the benefit of the entire Board. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the MHB should start with the job description to determine exactly what the liaison role is, and then after knowing what the role is took at making new assignments. Mr. Summers said the MHB should defer the matter for consideration during a retreat. IV. REVIEW CONTRACT POLICY GUIDELINES FOR FY98-99 Mr. Saver said the NIHB's Administrative Procedures require that they annually review and adopt the Contract Policy Guidelines for use with purchase of service agreements for the coming year. He reviewed the material in the information memo and asked whether there were any recommendations for revisions to the Guidelines. He said he would make the necessary, minor changes for the MHB's consideration at the February meeting. Ms. Wiebe commented that she did not think there was any need for and major changes V. PLANNING ITEMS FY98-99 MHB Objectives. Mr. Terry explained that each department is required to submit performance measures as objectives in the development of the City Manager's Budget. He said it was customary to discuss the objectives with the NM before the draft budget book is published, but this did not happen this year. The objectives which were presented in the packet represented earlier decisions already made by January 8, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 u. Minutes recorded - not yet approved the MHB, as well as staffs' sense of where the MHB was headed on several issues. He indicated that the objectives would need to be adopted, and that there was still time for them to be amended. Mr. Saver indicated that the objectives regarding the updating of the directory, and the family education initiative were already being implemented. After discussion, Ms. Wiebe moved and Ms. Belt -Gavin seconded a motion to adopt the FY98-99 Mental Health Board objectives. Motion approved unanimously. Mr. Saver said he thought the IVM should spend time at the February MHB meeting to begin to discuss the implementation of the objectives. He said two of the objectives were going to require a considerable amount of Board members' time. MHB Planning Retreat. Mr. Terry said the memo from staff recommending that the MHB undertake a planning retreat was the outgrowth of a number of different issues. Some of them were issues which Board member have discussed among themselves. He said he thought a retreat would provide the MHB the opportunity to meet and have a frank discussion about issues which is often not possible during the monthly meetings..He added that he thought the MHB's retreat several years ago have been very useful. Mr. Terry said he thought the MHB had recently spent a great deal of time taking issue with decisions of the Human Services Committee. The MHB has not spent as much time staking out its own area and planning what it wants to accomplish, and what its priorities are. He said he thought a retreat would be a good way of doing this, and beginning to deal with some of the concerns which have been raised about the roles and relationships of the MHB. There was a consensus to have a retreat sometime in March or April, Ms. Wiebe suggested that a retreat be planned one month instead of having a Board meeting. She said she also thought it would be useful to have a facilitator for the retreat. Ms. Reynolds said that Carol Mullins' letter of resignation from the MHB raised a number of concerns, including whether mental health professionals should be on the MHB. She said she would like to see the following issues discussed: who can be an MHB member; what are the limits of the what the NM can and cannot do; and, what constitutes conflict of interest. In response to Ms. Wiebe's question, ivlr. Terry said that all members of City boards and commissions must sign a conflict of interest statement when they become members. Mr. Summers requested that staff poll the MHB on their dates of availability for a retreat, and the topics they would like to cover during a retreat. V1. REPORTS NIHB/IHAE Community Education Initiative. Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that the draft of the committee's document on civility for younger children was very well by a group of day care and preschool teachers. They were interested in receiving materials to begin to implement with their students right away. She said the next committee meeting will be spent looking at ways that a campaign can be kicked off, and the information can begin to be distributed. January 8, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 5 Minutes recorded • not yet approved VII. DIRECTOR'S REPORT National Public Health Week Mr. Saver said a Community Health Fair is being planned for the first week of April as a way to help implement to National Public Health Week. He said he was working with the Health Department to help plan the event. He said he was working with behavioral health care providers as a part of the activities for the day. Currently there are 16 or 17 of those types of agencies which will be doing workshops, various screenings or providing informational tables. Substance Abuse Prevention Essay Contest. Mr. Saver reported that the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Council is going to conduct an essay contest again. The focus will be upon 3rd-8th graders this year. Materials will be distributed the first week of February. The contest deadline is March 6. Mr. Saver said he hoped NM members would be available to help with the contest judging. Meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ......................................................................... Joan M. Sarott January B' igB Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998 I. Agreed to submit Mr. Summers' guest essay on behalf of the Evanston Mental Health Board regarding the Human Services Committee's budget cuts to the Evanston Review as amended. 2. Approved the continuation of the Mental Health Board's FY97-98 contract with the St. Francis Hospital Adult and Child Guidance Center. 3. Adopted the FY98-99 Mental Health Board objectives. January 8. 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, FEBRUARY. 12, 1998 . .... Members Present: Michael Kerns, Mary Helt-Gavin, Ellen Reynolds, Lonnie Wiebe, Nicki Pearson, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, Frank Summers Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Stan: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Carlos Hernandez, Joan Barott Community : Representatives: Dorothy Lloyd Still (Housing Options): Alexander Brown, Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center); Lori Price (Medill School of Journalism) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Chair. Dorothy Lloyd Still, Executive Director of Housing Options, announced that her agency was selected for honorable mention in HUD's annual Maxwell Awards of Excellence competition for their housing programs. iI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES DECEMBER 11, 1997 AND JANUARY 8, 1998 Ms. Reynolds moved and Ms. Hclt-Gavin seconded the motion to approve the minutes of December 11, 1997 and January 08, 1998. Motion approved unanimously. III. MHBIMHAE FAMILY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that the committee was making progress. She said Mary Wilkerson, from the United Block Clubs of Evanston, met with the group to describe the program she is starting at Oakton School. She will be starting a family mentoring program in conjunction with a number of other Evanston organizations, including Family Focus. Ms. Helt-Gavin said Ms. Wilkerson had some good ideas about how to implement the civility campaign with families of children who are at risk of not being successful. She added that at the next committee meeting each committee member will be proposing project ideas for how to distribute the civility messages February 12, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved which have been developed. Mr. Saver said that Ms. Wilkerson provided the committee with a copy of her group's strategic plan for working with families. He said he would make copies available to any MHB member who contacted him. IV. FOLLOW UP ON ADVOCACY ISSUES Ms. Wiebe reported that she had had no further contact with the group which was working on the restoration of the funding cuts for human services agencies. She said the group was continuing to meet but there had been no recent MHB representation. Ms. Pearson said the United Way had informed her about a Sunday afternoon planning meeting, but she didn't think that any other members had been contacted for this meeting. Mr. Summers said someone from the Board should be a liaison to this group. Ms. Pearson said she would act as the liaison. Mr. Summers said he thought as many MHB members should be involved as possible. He said he was concerned that some of the momentum was ebbing. In response to Mr. Summers' question, Mr. Terry said the Budget Meeting on Saturday, February 21 was expected to be the Iast opportunity for citizen comment in the budget process. He said the City Council was expected to hear all additional comments at that time, and hoped to spend the entire evening of Monday, February 23 deliberating on final issues to pass the Budget. He said most of the adjustments in the Proposed Budget were on the revenue side, with several changes proposed for expenditures. Mr. Terry added that, so far, there had not been a formal proposal to restore to the human service funding cuts. Mr. Summers and Ms. Pearson encouraged all of the MHB members to contact their own Aldermen and Aldermen with whom they were familiar to encourage them to restore the funds. V. REVIEW OF MHB FY98-99 ALLOCATIONS Mr. Kerns said that he wanted to review the MHB's FY98-99 allocation in Iight of the City's proposed agency reductions. He said he wanted to consider allocating additional funds to PEER Services' Early Intervention Program. Mr. Summers said he would entertain any motions, but said any proposed increase would have identify from where the additional funds would come. Ms. Wiebe reviewed how the NM developed the original funding recommendations. She said if they were to reconsider any allocation it should be in context of the entire MHB budget, and in light of what decisions were made by the City. Mr. Kerns moved and Nis. Niche seconded a motion to reduce Rice Community Counseling Services in the amount of $3140, and to increase PEER Services/Early Intervention by $1500 and Metropolitan Family Services/Family Development by $1640. In discussion, Mr. Kerns said the reduction for Rice was the same amount the MHB was February 12, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 2 r Minutes recorded • not yet approved originally proposing to increase that agency in FY98-99. He said the allocation for the Rice program had been increased each of the past two years. His motion would hold Rice Community Counseling Services at a maintenance level. Ms, Pearson said she could support the motion...Mr. . Summers said he thought the entire amount should be given to PEER Services, with the balance going to the Adolescent Treatment Program. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she supported the partial restoration for Metropolitan Family Services. They are serving the multi -problem families population. She said she wanted to make sure that the MHB was not pulling the rug out from under this program. Ms. Wiebe said she agreed and thought the MHB should actively support its own funding priority. Mr. Summers said the MHB was already funding that program. He said he was concerned that the agency did not have a specific multi -problem family program. Motion passed 4 aye (Kerns, Wiebe, Reynolds, Helt-Gavin) - 3 no (Summers, Pearson, Cofresi- Sitverstein). VI. IMPLEMENTATION OF FY98-99 OBJECTIVES Ms. Wiebe stated she had been a part of the task force which reviewed the Board's objectives. She presented the recommendations about implementation, Ms. Wiebe said she thought more about the proposed process for groups to gather information from the community and thought it should be shortened. Based upon the way the MHB had handled the issue previously, she recommended that the MHB only convene the discussion groups. In the past these groups took a great deal of time from the staff. She mentioned she was a great advocate for the outcomes of these groups because she believed the process worked. Mr. Summers said he thought the best process was to have the funded and unfunded agencies convene to have a wide ranging discussion about priorities and needs. In response to Ms. Wiebe's question, Mr. Summers stated the MHB representatives at the meetings would compile information and report back to MHB about the contributions from the agencies. Ms. Cofresi- Silverstein suggested including a small number of individuals (e.g., from school districts, merchants association, community groups) in the group discussions. In response to Mr. Summers' suggestion, the MHB agreed to convene two different discussion groups with approximately 20 people in each group. The Board representatives to each group will summarize the findings for the rest of the INM. Ms. Wiebe then explained the recommendation of the task force regarding in-depth discussions with each of MHB-funded agencies. She suggested that the NM start with the March meeting to meet with the agencies, and convene the discussion groups in April. Mr. Kerns suggested having the discussion group closer to the funding hearings in the fall. There was agreement on this point. The M11B also agreed to invite the United Way to again participate in the discussion groups. Ms. Reynolds said it would be important to ask specific questions of the agencies which have February 12, 199a Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved provided multi -problem family services to validate what has happened as a result of their funding. She added that the MHB needed to remember that it never set up an evaluation tool to quantify specific outcomes. Ms. Wiebe said the questions should be. consistent for -all three agencies.. _Mr.. . Terry raised concern about the process. He commented that April, 1997, the MHB met with an agency and left them with the impression that they were doing a good job. Later, in the fall allocation meeting, the agency was cut by $5,000 because of the concerns of some about their services. Based upon the April meeting the agency had no idea that they were not performing satisfactorily. Mr. Kerns said he thought that particular agency might have misinterpreted the funding cut. The MHB agreed to begin their review of the three agencies funded for multi -problem family services in April, 1998. Ms. Wiebe and Ms. Reynolds were asked to complete the list of questions to be submitted to each of these agencies. Ms. Pearson said the MHB also needed to look at what its expectations were for the multi -problem family funding. The questions should reflect that. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought the liaison for each agency should bring specific questions to individualize the discussion with each agency. Ms. Wiebe agreed and said those questions should be brought to the meetings. The Iiaison should play a special role in those meetings with the agencies. VII. MHB PLANNING RETREAT Mr. Summers reported that based upon the survey results the first issue was to agree upon a date for the retreat. Mr. Kerns suggested canceling the March meeting and in its place having the retreat. It was agreed that the proposed weekend dates were not going to be ideal. It was suggested that a Tuesday in the early evening, either March 24 or March 31, might be best. Ms. Helt-Gavin and Mr. Kerns said they would confer about possible conflicts and make the final decision. It was agreed that the retreat would be from 5.30-9;30 p.m. Mr. Terry was asked to look in to having a facilitator for the retreat. The MHB also requested that arrangements be made for a Iight dinner to be served. Mr. Saver will check into a location. VIII. FEBRUARY 16 MEETING WITH HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE The MHB discussed the purpose of meeting again with the Human Services Committee at the February 16 meeting. Mr. Kerns said he thought there was a lack of communication between the Human Services Committee and the Mental Health Board. Mr. Summers said he had hoped that the Human Services Committee would take in to consideration the MHB's input prior to any decisions about funding for agencies. Mr. Summers said he would be unavailable for the meeting. He asked Mr. Kerns to head a contingent to the HSC meeting. Mr. Summers said he February 12, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved thought the group should raise the following: (1) the basis for rejecting the MHB's request for $75,000 for a multi -problem family initiative; (2) what appeared to be a good working relationship between the HSC and NM quickly deteriorated; and, (3) the $90,000 reduction in human services funding established the wrong priority for the community. VI. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES There were no Agency Liaison reports VII. REVIEW CONTRACT POLICY GUIDELINES FOR FY98-99 ' ' ' Mr. Saver reported that he had received no recommendations for revisions to the Contract Policy Guidelines. He said there were no staff issues raised with the Guidelines Ms. Pearson moved and Mr. Kerns seconded a motion to approve as amended the Policy Guidelines Governing Purchase of Service Agreements for the period March 1, 1998-February 28, 1999. Motion approved unanimously. VHI. DIRECTOR'S REPORT McKinney Grant. Mr. Terry reviewed the change in the relationship between Center for Public Ministry and St. Francis Hospital in the provision of services for homeless persons. He said CPM is now entering into a new relationship with Evanston Hospital, and a change in the on -site provision of services at the homeless shelter. He said CPM was requesting funding to provide psychiatric evaluations at the shelter in their proposal for McKinney funds. Mr. Terry said his staff recommendation to the HSC would support this request. CPM was also requesting funding which would make the Substance Abuse Case Manager a full-time position. Mr. Terry said three of the MHB-funded agencies applied for the McKinney funds, and seven agencies in total. This was double the number of requests that were previously received. The recommendations will be reviewed by the Human Services Committee on Monday, February 16. United Way Funds. Mr. Terry reported that he had a conversation with Tom Jager. It appears, at the present time, the United Way will not be able to fully fund all their current obligations and there might be a need to reduce some allocations.. ESAPC Essay Contest. Mr. Saver provided an update on the essay contest. He invited MHB members to participate in the judging for the contest. This Might Help Directory. Mr. Hernandez provided an update on his work with the agencies to update the directory. He added that there were going to be a number of new agencies added February 12, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved this year. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she is getting involved with publishing and reporting for a new newspaper in town, the Evanston Roundtable. She said she has asked for, and is waiting to see, if there is a policy regarding any conflict of interest in that job and her role on the Mental Health Board, She said she would talk to MHB members to see if they had any concerns about this relationship. Meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott February 12, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 129 1998.. _ 1. Approved a motion to reduce FY98-99 allocations for Rice Community Counseling Services in the amount of $3140, and to increase PEER Services/Early Intervention by $1500 and Metropolitan Family Services/Family Development by $1640. 2. Approved as amended the Policy Guidelines Governing Purchase of Service Agreements for the period March 1, 1998-February 28, 1999. February 12, 1096 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 7 r Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MARCH 24,1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Mary Heft -Gavin, Susan Stroh, Ellen Reynolds, Lonnie Wiebe, Nicki Pearson, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, Frank Summers Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff Jay Terry, Harvey Saver Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. Mr. Summers referred to the memo about the meeting from Jay Terry. He said that the MHB planning retreat was put on hold because of uncertainty regarding the Board's future membership. As a result, he said the meeting would deal with some planning issues but not include all of the issues the retreat was envisioned to include. 1. MEMBERSHIP Mr. Summers announced that his four-year term on the MHB was up at the end of April. He said he decided not to ask to be reappointed because he realized that he has not had sufficient time to devote to his Board responsibilities. His last meeting will be April 8. In addition, Ms. Pearson's second term was up in July. Unless someone is appointed soon, the MHB's membership will be at six. II. FUTURE LEADERSHIP Mr. Summers reported that Ms. Stroh indicated that she would not be able to be the chair of the MHB. She said she would be able to assume the role until a new chair is elected in June. Mr. Saver reminded the Board that a nominating committee is to be appointed in April to develop a slate of officers for the next year. 111. EXPECTATIONS In response to Mr. Summers' question, Mr. Terry said over the past two -three years the MHB has moved away from relying upon committees. Previously there was a committee structure and an executive committee to work on various issues. Now the monthly Board meeting is where everything takes place. Mr. Terry said the members of the MHB might want to reconsider how they want information to flow and how they will communicate about issues with each other. He March 24, 199a Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded -- not yet approved asked what staff could do to help with the process? Mr. Summers said he thought the MHB's current process slows things down. He said a subcommittee structure was needed to process information and develop recommendations for the MHB. The work should be done in the subcommittees. Time in Board meetings could then be spent considering recommendations and making decisions, which would move issues along more quickly. Ms. Wiebe said she thought committees were important. If there was difficulty arranging a meeting, the work could be done by phone meetings. She said she thought the NM was unable to do what it needs to without subcommittees. Ms. Wiebe added that she thought MHB members should be prepared to make an additional commitment of time in order to be able to deal with other community groups. There must be more than monthly meetings, and that expectation should be made clear when people come onto the MHB. If not, the MHB will need to rely more upon staff, but they already do a lot and very well. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said when she joined the MHB she thought the time commitment was limited to a once -a -month meeting. She said in the future she will feel more pressure to make available more time. The MHB is an important board, but she is personally having increasing time limits. She added that she thought she was already making as much time available for the MHB as she could. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought the MHB needed to decide what it wanted to do, and then recruit more people who had more available time. She said she had some suggestions. Mr. Kerns said he thought that an MHB job description had been developed several years ago. He asked that the description be distributed to the Board to review and consider whether it is still appropriate. In response to Ms, Reynolds' question, Mr. Terry said some other City boards and commissions require much more time than the MHB. Others have an active committee structure and review issues once a month. There are others which do not spend as much time as the MHB. Mr. Summers said the NM was really talking about how active a board it wants to be. He thought the MHB should be more on top of things and play a more active role in the community. The problem is that the members only have so much time. Mr. Kerns said he has been involved with the MHB for six years. During that time there have been periods when it has been both active and inactive. He said the MHB used to have more staff time allocated to it. Mr. Kerns said he felt that the MHB does not do enough advocacy, outreach and community education. He suggested that the staff could take a greater responsibility for the funding allocation issues, which would allow the MHB to be more energetic in other areas. Mr. Summers said he agreed and thought funding should not be the MHB's primary concern. He said March 24, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded — not yet approved it should play a leadership role in educating the community about mental health issues. Ms. Wiebe said she has been directly and indirectly been around the MHB's activities for approximately 20 years. In that time the MHB has had respect and a presence in the community. By the time she came on the MHB two years alto the Board began doing less and less. She said the MHB has correctly focused upon funding. However, the focus upon advocacy and community education has been lost. Ms. Wiebe said she thinks the respect for the MHB has been slipping recently. She added that the Board will need to rebuild that respect in the community if she is to stay on the MHB. Part of the problem could be a Iack of visibility. In the past, MHB members spent more time dealing directly with issues in the community. Ms. Wiebe said the MHB should start focusing upon its image. ` Mr. Summers said getting respect is based upon what one actually does. Mr. Kerns said to the extent that the MHB is willing to consider doing more with its other goals, it will require an additional time commitment from the members. Ms. Heft -Gavin said she agreed, but wanted to know what the MHB perceived to be areas of community need which it could fill. Mr. Kerns suggested that the MHB take an active role on national issues, such as insurance for mental health needs or legislation. Ms. Helt-Gavin said staff already keep the MHB informed about what is going on, but the MHB doesn't do anything with that information. Mr. Summers said a committee might be able to work on the issues mentioned. Mr. Kerns suggested that the MHB consider moving away spending so much time on funding agencies, or consider doing it in a different way. Mr. Teary said if the MHB chose to do that it should focus upon the: big picture for funding and set major policy directions. Staff could then use those to develop specific funding recommendations for the MHB's consideration. Ms. Wiebe said to do that the MHB would have to reorient itself to what problems it is trying to solve. Mr. Terry said staff can provide support if they are provided with clear direction. Ms. Wiebe said it was her impression that the MHB has already expected staff will do all of the work, and raised concern that there might not be sufficient time available to pick up many more responsibilities. Ms. Reynolds said she thought the MHB should revisit issues identified in its policies and procedures. It has not always been clear about what the MHB can actually do as a board in City government. Mr. Kerns said he agreed the MHB should take a close look at its own policies and procedures. This will especially be important for new Board members. IV. LIAISON ROLE Mr. Kerns discussed the history of the MHB liaison role. Mr. Saver said the original recommendation for the liaison function was developed four years ago by an MHB committee on agency monitoring and accountability. Mr. Kerns said he was concerned about the relationships which develop. Sometimes MHB members tend to defend their assigned agency because of those March 24, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes retarded -- not yet approved relationships. Originally the MHB was going to shift liaison responsibilities every two years. However, after the first two years, members thought they wanted to stay involved with the agencies because they were becoming very familiar with them. He said he thought the time had come to rotate those roles and not be so locked in to one agency. Mr. Summers said he thought the liaison role had been very positive, but he was concerned about how the Board members had become too close to the agencies. He said he agreed the MHB should rotate the assignments. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the liaison role was very important because it kept the agencies alert to the MHB's interests. Mr. Terry said the MHB needed to keep in mind how difficult it is for a liaison to speak about problems with their own assigned agency. He said the MHB must be supportive of the liaison when they bring up problems and issues with the agencies. (Ms. Stroh left the meeting at 6:40 p.m.) Mr. Summers pointed out that the Human Services Committee (HSC) asked for specific information from the MHB about some of its funded agencies which were being considered for restoration of funds. He said he wanted the liaison to be the one to provide the information about PEER Services, Family Focus, Metropolitan Family Services and Center for Public Ministry. Mr. Kerns suggested that the liaison be responsible for obtaining the information and presenting it to the MHB. Staff will work with the liaison to write the memo to the HSC on behalf of the MHB. Ms. Summers said at the March 2 HSC meeting Alderman Feldman asked for an evaluation of the liaison process. Mr. Summers said the thought that was what the MHB had been discussing in this meeting. There seemed to be a consensus that the liaison role provided more substantive knowledge about the agencies, and enabled the MHB to know the agencies better. The real problem was that the liaison become too close and become agency advocates. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought it was more accurate to say "there is a tendency to become advocates" rather than it always happens. Mr. Summers said there seemed to be agreement to go back to rotating liaison responsibilities as a way to help reduce the problem. Mr. Saver pointed out that the current MHB administrative procedures, which were adopted in March, 1997, indicate that there are no guidelines for the length of an assignment as liaison with the agencies. At that time there was a general understanding that a liaison could request a change in their assignment be considered at any time. Ms. Pearson moved and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein seconded a motion that the Mental Health Board procedures be revised to indicate that the agency liaison assignments will be rotated on an annual basis. Motion approved unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). There was an agreement to make new liaison assignments at the MHB meeting in May. Mr. Kerns suggested that the MHB consider follow-up with City Council be a designated liaison assignment. Mr. Terry suggested that when the MHB responds to the Human Services Committee with information from the liaison an informational memo be sent explaining the MHB's assessment of March 24, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded — not yet approved the liaison role and changes which were made in the liaison guidelines. Mr. Summers reminded the MHB that the agency liaison will be responsible for providing information to the HSC for their consideration of restoring funds to agencies. The liaison should also be prepared to attend the HSC meeting. He encouraged other Board members to attend and follwo the issues. V. RULES COMMITTEE REQUEST TO TELEVISE MEETINGS The MHB reviewed the request from the Rules Committee to televise meetings of Boards and Commissions. After discussion there was a general consensus that the MHB would be willing to televise at least one meeting a year. If there was something important to communicate, more meetings would be considered. Mr. Saver suggested that the MHB consider using this as a forum to implement their earlier thoughts about getting more involved in community education. A schedule of meetings to be televised will be developed later. VI. FAMILY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that the MHB/MHAE Family Education Initiative materials are going to be presented at the combined community educational standards meeting on March 30. They will also be distributed at an information table at the Child Care Fair on April 25. Mr. Saver reported that the Civility Compact was being presented two-sided, in both English and Spanish. He said the Latino Outreach Specialist provided the translations. He indicated that materials are also being provided for parents about videos from the Caring for Kids campaign from several years ago, and suggested books available at the Library. Ms. Helt-Gavin said the MHB has reviewed the Civility Compact on several occasions. She asked the MHB to formally endorse the document for public distribution. Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Wiebe seconded a motion to adopt and endorse the Family Education Initiative documents. Motion approved unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). VII. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry referred to materials in the packet and said there is a new bill being considered in Congress which would change the provisions of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. These changes would make it much more difficult to develop housing for people with special needs in communities. He said staff would be following the issue. Mr. Terry said based upon the discussion in the meeting he thought there was a consensus that the March 24, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 5 Minutes recorded — not yet approved MHB was going to consider changing its funding process for next year. The discussion focused upon the MHB funding broad priority areas, and staff would work out the details subject to approval. Mr. Terry said the MHB will need to make decisions about this in the near future. Mr. Saver reminded the MHB about the Health Fair on April 8 at the Levy Center. He said a number of the MHB's funded clinical agencies will be providing information and doing screenings at the fair. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the MHB had a valuable discussion about a number of issues during the evening. She said, however, that she thought there was still a need for a retreat. She hoped that one could be planned after the Board was back up to a full complement of members. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Harvey D. 4javer Assistant Director March 24, 1998 Mental Health Board '" "" ....... Meetinfl Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded — not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, MARCH 24,1999 1. Agreed to amend the Mental Health Board procedures to indicate that the agency liaison assignments will be rotated on an annual basis. 2. Adopted and endorsed the Family Education Initiative documents. MaTeh Z4, i9 a Mental'--,.._�.. Page 7 Notes recorded -- not official EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD NOTES OF MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1998 Members Present: Mary Helt-Gavin, Susan Stroh, Lonnie Wiebe, Frank Summers Presiding: Frank Summers, Chair Staff% Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Carlos Hernandez Community Representatives: Alexander Brown (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services); Bill Russell, Don Jefferson (The Family Institute); Jim Stavish (NTSW) Mr. Summers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. He indicated that a quorum was not present for the meeting. As a result, any items requiring a decision would be held over to the May meeting. I. DISCUSSION ABOUT MULTI -PROBLEM FAMILY FUNDING INITIATIVE: THE FAMILY INSTITUTE Mr. Summers said the Mental Health Board would be reviewing the agencies it funded to provide services to multi -problem families over the course of the next three meetings. He said the UM was interested in examining the impact and effectiveness of the funding initiative, and determining whether the effort was working. Mr. Summers invited Bill Russell and Don Jefferson from The Family Institute to join the MM. Mr. Russell provided an overview of the materials submitted to the MHB, and thanked the MHB for their financial support for the agency's new program initiative. He also expressed appreciation to ETHS for providing the program a home -base from which to do outreach. He said the agency feels very positive about its results after one year. Overall, they have been relatively successful engaging those individuals and families who are reluctant to engage in therapy. Mr. Russell said, in response to the MHB's written questions, that The Family Institute defines "multi -problem family" as one that is economically disadvantaged and which has two or more mental health or social service problems. Typically, the clients being seen in this program are already involved with one or more agencies. lvir. Russell indicated that 85% of their clients in the services funded for multi -problem families responded on a follow-up survey that The Family Institute's services were helpful. Their corresponding therapists were more conservative in their assessment of the services. In response to Mr. Summers' question, Mr. Russell said the program's services consisted primarily of outreach, home visits, counseling, case management and case consultation. Mr. April 9, 1998 Mental Health Board Notes of Meeting Rape 1 Notes recorded — not afficlal Summers asked for a break -down of the problems which resulted in referrals to the program. Mr. Russell provided a brief overview and said he would follow-up and send a written list to the N11M. Mr. Summers asked about the average length of stay in the program. Mr. Russell said it was approximately 10 visits. Ms. Wiebe asked for a description of counseling and case management as services which were provided in the program. Mr. Johnson said he has attempted to do some case management, as it was appropriate. He said he attempts to be a part of a larger service component in his clients' lives. He attempts to work with them in the context of other services which they are being provided. He works with other service providers to develop a treatment plan. Nis. Helt-Gavin asked whether the definition of "multi -problem families" was something used in all of The Family Institute's programs and clinics, or whether it was being used only for the NIEB-funded program? She also asked whether the economic factor was a necessary component of the "multi -problem families" definition? Mr. Jefferson responded that the definition was developed specifically for the Evanston program. He said the definition included an economic component because families of economic means could be seen in the agency's other clinical programs. The outreach part of this program was developed specifically for families who could not otherwise afford services. Ms. Heft -Gavin asked several questions about the program's relationships and cooperation with other agencies. Mr. Jefferson said at ETHS, he had relationships with the school social workers. Typically, when they make referrals he seeks out the youth at the school. He said that he had begun to develop similar relationships with other places in the community like Reba Day Nursery. Mr. Jefferson added that he is often unable to deal with a case alone, but he will do the initial treatment and assessment. ,N,Ir. Terry asked whether there were any primary referral sources for The Family Institute at ETHS? He also asked Mr Jefferson to respond to the comment that he had heard that many of ETHS's referrals have been the kids at the school who are truants. Mr. Jefferson said he had received a large number of referrals from the social workers of kids who were truants. He said, however, he has also received referrals from other programs in the school. Most of the truants were juniors and seniors, and were difficult to catch up with. Mr. Terry asked whether it was a good or bad experience to receive so many truant referrals? Mr. Jefferson said it was a mixed experience .fr. Saver pointed out that the written materials which the agency provided indicated that the program was taking more time and costing more than was initially anticipated in The Family Institute's funding proposal. The agency indicated that this was a burden financially, and that they might be better off if their service projections had not been as high. Mr. Saver asked about other sources of funding for the program. Mr. Russell said there are some reduced fees which are charged those clients who are able to pay something. But a program which is doing outreach and April 9, 1998 Mental Health Board Notes of Meeting page 2 Notes recorded — not oificlal trying to engage a reluctant population is not in a position to insist upon fees from its families. Mr. Saver asked whether, given the role The Family Institute is playing with some of the high school's truant population, funding to support the program might be requested from ETHS. Mr. Russell said he would pass the comments on the president of the agency. Mr. Summers said it appeared the agency fell short in their service projections, serving 50 families rather than the projected 70 families. Mr. Russell said the agency originally thought it would not be as difficult or as expensive to work with this population. Mr. Jefferson said he thought this might turn around because he will be spending more time at ETHS in the coming year. Ms. Wiebe asked about how many staff were involved in the program. Mr. Russell indicated that he provided part-time administrative support for the program, while Mr. Jefferson spent some of his time doing outreach for the program. In addition, there are five graduate students who see clients at the agency's clinic. Mr. Saver pointed out that, based upon the services which The Family Institute reported upon, there was a significant decrease in the units of service which were provided in the second half of the program year. Mr. Jefferson said this reflected both a lull in program participation in the summer time as well as that the agency had experienced some difficulty in getting referrals. Those numbers appear to be picking up quite a bit now. Ms. Wiebe said she appreciated the agency's aggressive outreach. She said, however, that she was puzzled as to why it was taking so much effort to get people in to the program for services. Mr. Russell said this was due to several factors. Many of their target cases have the perception that help is not necessary. The pressure to get help is often external, with someone telling the individual that they have to go to The family Institute to be served. In addition, there is active resistance because many of the individuals don't believe in the type of work performed by the agency. Mr. Terry also pointed out that locally there seems to be a surplus of family oriented counseling services available. He said he has received reports of none of those types of services running a waiting list, and the respective agencies having difficulty getting sufficient referrals. Mr. Summers asked what happens to the families who have serious problems and are being seen fewer than the average number of sessions. Mr. Russell said with those families The Family Institute works to help them resolve the immediate crisis. The therapist lets them know that they can always come back if they want to continue their work. Sometimes that happens. Mr. Saver said the agency reports that they use other mental health clinics for approximately 2r/O of their linkages outside of the clinic. He asked what the reason for those referrals would be. Mr. Russell said these would be for medications. Ms. Helt-Gavin asked whether the agency's goal was to help the family resolve the initial crisis. April 9, 1998 Mental Health Board Notes of Meeting Rage 3 Notes recorded — not ofAclal Mr. Russell said they hope to work withe the entire family. But after resolving the presenting crisis the family may choose to break off services. At that point there is only so much the clinic is able to do, so they hope the family will get back in touch with their therapist. Mr. Russell said this often happens. Mr. Summers thanked Mr. Russell and Mr. Jefferson for their presentation. He said the MHB would use the information presented when it considers the continued funding for the multi- problem family initiative. a. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABELITY ISSUES Mr. Terry introduced Jim Slavish, Executive Director of NTSW. Mr. Stavish said he has been with NTSW for 24 years. He talked about the changes in the agency during that period and indicated that the programs are currently very stable. He also indicated that the agency has been in a very strong financial position since its affiliation with Thresholds. Mr. Stavish indicated that he recently accepted a new position as the Director of the Niles Township Senior Center, and would be leaving the agency during the last week of April. NTSW is currently looking for someone for the position of Director. He thanked the MHB for their financial support, and expressed his appreciation for their interest in the community's mental health needs. The MHB wished Jim luck in his new position and thanked him for his work in the community. Ms. Wiebe reported that Metropolitan Family Services has finally moved their offices. They are now in a suite of offices at 820 Davis Street. Mr. Terry reported that Housing Options recently appointed Dorothy Lloyd -Still as their permanent Executive Director. The agency also hired a full-time Development Director. Mr. Terry said Tom Jager reported that Lucinda Nieto, from St. Francis Hospital's Ofcina Latino, will be transferring to the hospital's outpatient clinic in Rogers Park. Mr. Jager also indicated that The Family Institute's Latino worker may not be retained in Evanston unless another source of funding can be found for the position. Mr. Terry said this would put a dent in the community's services for the Latino population. Ms. Wiebe reported that Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services has developed a group of volunteers who are trained to help seniors with any Medicare -related problems. M. REPORTS Human Services Committee Review of Agencies. Ms. Helt -Gavin gave Ms. Pearson's report about the Human Services Committee meeting on April 6. She said HSC had a very intense April 9, 1998 Mental Health Board Notes of Meeting Pape 4 Notes recorded — not offlclal discussion for 2'/2 hours with PEER Services. There was not enough time for BE -HIV to be heard that evening. Ms. Helt-Gavin said one Alderman expressed interest in reallocating funds the agency was receiving from the MHB for adult treatment and providing those funds to the agency in the future for youth -oriented services. Ms. Helt-Gavin said the discussion at HSC raised some questions about the MHB's authority. She said she thought the MHB should ask the City's Corporation Counsel for a legal opinion about the following items: L Has Evanston, by ordinance, established the Mental Health Board? If so, please provide a copy of the ordinance. ii. Has Evanston, by ordinance, adopted provisions of the Community Mental Health Act, or portion thereof (405 H,CS 20/0.1 ct scq.)? If so, please provide a copy of the ordinance. iii. Has Evanston passed a resolution or an ordinance levying an annual tax for the purpose of providing community mental health facilities and services, including facilities and services for persons with a disability? If so, please provide the resolution or ordinance. iv. Has Evanston submitted a proposition to the voters asking whether it should levy an annual tax for the purpose of providing community mental health facilities and services, including facilities and services for persons with a disability? If so, please provide documentation relating to the referendum. v. Does Evanston deposit taxes collected pursuant to any resolution or ordinance or referendum referred to in paragraph 3 or 4 into a special fund? If so, please provide information regarding the fund. If not, please explain why not and provide documentation for this situation. There was a consensus to submit the list to the City Attorney for a response. 1 Health Fair. Ms. Wiebe reported that the Health Fair was a success. She said she enjoyed the range of information which was provided to the community. She said she appreciated seeing a number of the MHB-funded agencies providing information about behavioral health services which are available. Alexander Brown, Director of Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services, said he thought the Health Fair provided a real value to his agency to present their services. rV. APPOINT NOMINATING COMMITTEE Mr. Summers said he appointed Ms. Pearson, Ms. Helt-Gavin and Mr. Kerns to serve on the Nominating Committee for officers for 1998-99. The Committee is to make its report at the May meeting. The election of officers will be at the June meeting. April 9, 1998 Mental Health Board Notes of Meeting Pape 5 Note$ recorded — not OMIat V. SO LONG, FAREWELL Mr. Summers thanked the MHB members and said he enjoyed his experience in working with them. He said the experience was a personally rewarding one for him. He encouraged the MHB to continue their efforts and said he thought the Board was moving in the right direction. Mr. Terry thanked Mr. Summers for his work with the MHB and expressed appreciation for his leadership during his tenure as Chair. Ms. Helt-Gavin thanked Mr. Summers for his leadership and said it was displayed best in his expression of caring for those individuals who no one else was concerned about. Ms. Stroh said she especially appreciated the editorials Mr. Summers wrote on behalf of the MHB. Ms. Wiebe said she thought Mr. Summers had good skills as Chair and appreciated the way he moved the MHB along in its agenda The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Harvey D. Saver Assistant Director April 9,1998 Mental'Health Board Notes of Meeting " ' ' Page , Minutes recorded -not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1998 Members Present: Lonnie Wiebe, Mary Helt-Gavin, Ellen Reynolds, Paula Cofresi- Silverstein, Nicki Pearson, Susan Stroh, Michael Kerns Presiding: Susan Stroh, Interim Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Sandi Johnson, (North Shore Senior Center); Cate Grund, Barbara Glosny, Maurice Menaschek, Deidre Hicks (Rice Community Counseling Services); Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services) Ms. Stroh called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. 1. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Chair. H. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FEBRUARY 12 AND MARCH 24, 1998 Nis. Gavin moved and Nis. Wiebe seconded a motion to approve the meeting minutes of February 12 and March 24, 1998. Motion approved unanimously (6 aye - 0 no). In response to a question, Mr. Saver said the working notes of the April 9, 1998 Nm meeting did not need to be approved because there was no quorum present at the meeting. Ms. Stroh said she was going to reorder some agenda items for consideration because Ms. Helt- Gavin was going to have to leave the meeting early. Ill. COMMUNITY EDUCATION Mr. Saver reported that Vi Orr, President of the Alliance for Mentally Ill -Cook County North Suburban (AMI-CCNS), invited the MHB to co-sponsor a community education workshop later in the Summer. She is arranging for a video and presentation about Gould Farm, a therapeutic community for persons with mental illness in Berkshire, Massachusetts. Mr. Saver said AMI- May 14, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved CCNS sponsored this presentation earlier in the year and got a very positive response from mental health consumers and family members, He said that group would be the target audience again, so arrangements would probably be made for an evening presentation. If there is enough interest, he said he would also like to arrange a presentation during the day for professionals. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said the MHB has not worked closely with AMI-CCNS, but that organization has been a member of ELAN for at least six years. As a co-sponsor the NM would agree to help publicize the event, mail out information and host the event. He said he and Ms. Orr had already spoken about other groups which might be interested in being involved. If the MHB is not interested in co -sponsoring the workshop, it will probably be presented in the Rogers Park area. Nis. Wiebe said she thought it would be a good opportunity for the MHB to co-sponsor this program. In response to Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein's question, Mr. Saver said the purpose of the presentation would be to provide educational information about another alternative for living with mental illness. He said after ANQ-CCNS's last presentation about Gould Farm there were a number of people from this area who visited. There was a consensus on the MHB to co-sponsor and plan the presentation with AMI-CCNS. IV. MULTI PROBLEM FAMILY FUNDING INITIATIVE: DISCUSSION WITH RICE COMMUNITY COUNSELING SERVICES Barbara Glosny (Executive Director), Cate Grund (Assistant Director), Maurice Menaschek and Dr. Deidre Hicks of the Rice Community Counseling Services (CCS) joined the MHB. They introduced themselves and gave a brief background about their duties at CCS. Nis. Glosny mentioned that she has been working with Children's Home and Aid Society for twenty-five years. Ms Glosny mentioned that working with multi -problem family issues is not new to her agency. Prior to the closing of Family Counseling Services, what was then the Early Childhood Development Center was a participant in the CAFAE program. The original intent of CAFAE was to provide home visits and to help take people around to appointments when necessary. That part of the program became less manageable financially when there were no additional funds available in the later years of the CAFAE program. GIs. Wiebe asked if being a pan of the MHB's multi -problem family funding initiative has made any difference in the way in which CCS does its work? Nis. Glosny said it has not changed who their clients are. But the agency is paying closer attention to how many multi -problem families they are seeing, and sometimes working with them in a way that they haven't always been able to do. They are doing more outreach and working more in the community. This is done through home visits or appointments in non -clinic based settings, e.g. child care centers. They got away from this under CAFAE. The multi -problem family funding initiative has brought CCS's focus back to this. May 14, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved (Mr. Kerns joined the meeting at 7:55 pm.) Ms. Stroh asked how CCS deals with its clients, and how much is therapy versus case management. Ms. Grund responded that CCS approaches any family with many components of a treatment process. There is always some reluctance to engaging in the process, and some clients have a difficult time coming to the agency. So they must have a number of different ways of trying to help connect the family to the services. Ms. Grund added that they provide case management for almost all of their cases, and have increasingly been providing outreach and going in to family's homes as a result of the MHB's funding initiative. During the process of the client's assessment and intake, Rice takes a systems view in looking at the child and family within the context of the community. When it is needed, they develop wrap around teams or help with day care, in addition to providing therapy. All of these are components of the therapeutic process. Mr. Menascek stated that most of the clients he sees would be considered multi- problem. Generally, they have financial, health, housing and medical problems, as well as mental health concerns. Ms. Hicks said that when she gets a referral she first assesses their needs. Families which are more chaotic they require more case management, and a more -hands- on approach. While working with these families and their kids, she said she often needs to get more directly involved with the schools and other systems in the families' lives. Ms. Grund added that home visits are now offered to any family for which an assessment is provided. This is one change which came about as a result of the NIHB's funding initiative. Many of those cases subsequently turn into home counseling cases. Ms. Wiebe asked if the cost were greater in providing home visits? Ms. Hicks said the total additional cost was not clear. It does take more time seeing clients on home visits rather than in a therapeutic hour in the office. But the service is important because many of the families are not always able to get in to the office. Ms. Gavin asked whether pairs of counselors visited clients? GIs. Hicks said this might be the case if a counselor were to be going in to a family situation where there was a safety issue. It is also helptul when there are going to be a lot of members in the family who are going to be present, or where the family situation is chaotic. She provided some examples where she has teamed with another counselor in dealing with a chaotic family situation. Ms. Pearson asked what approach CCS tries when dealing with a family when they are regularly "no shows", or are difficult to engage." Ms. Glosny said they will call by phone to find out if anything has changed in the family's situation, if they suddenly stop coming. CCS also will talk with the school social worker to see if tehy can provide assistance in getting in to the family's home. Ms. Glosny said if the original referral is from the school district, CCS will try and visit at the school if the client feels more comfortable there. Mr. Kerns asked for a description of wraparound services, and an example of a typical plan.. Ms. Glosny stated that all of the CCS staff present are involved with wraparound services as part of a May 14, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Child and Family Team. They are involved with multiple service providers for the entire family. Ms. Grund provided an example of a child who was in a family with two kids and two adults, and a number of issues to address. The Child and Family team changed over a period of time, and at one time had ten people on the team who were service providers. Teachers and the family's Reverend were pulled in to the planning process. One problem they encountered was creating time and having so many people in one room at one time. Ms. Grund discussed the complexity of the planning process, and the number of agencies which were involved. She said it was especially important for the participation of the family. Ms. Grund explained that the wrap -around approach is one that focuses and builds upon the strengths and good things about the family, and what the family hopes to accomplish. It is the parent who actually decides who they want on the team. They can also bring in friends to assist as family advocates.. Mr. Kerns asked if the wrap -around services are successful? Ms. Glosny said overall, among most of the plans for Evanston' agencies, they have seen progress. She added that the "warp teams" have made the entire planning process for cases more efficient. Ms. Stroh asked how CCS provides feedback that a family has been engaged when a school makes the referral? Ms. Glosny said legally, unless a family gives permission in advance to release information, the cannot provide any information to the agency which made the referral. She added that they try to secure those releases from the families with whom they work as a matter of course. Mr. Kerns asked how the NM's funding has specifically helped out for CCS? Ms. Glosny said CCS would have to close their doors without the NM's funding. Mr. Kerns asked how the MHB's funding for multi -problem families has helped out? Nis. Glosny said that as a staff they have been focusing more on their work with multi -problem families. She stated that they have always done work with multi -problem families and they would have continued to do so. However, without the funding they would not have been able to increase their home visits, and their off site services in schools and day care centers Ms. Glosny added that CCS would not have had the impetus to do as much in this area if the NM had not emphasized multi -problem families as a funding priority. Nis. Pearson said, as one who has been critical of their efforts in the past, that she appreciated and applauded GCS's efforts in increasing the diversity of their staff over the past year. Ms. Stroh thanked Rice Community Counseling Services for their presentation. V. AGENCYIACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Review Agency Liaison Assignments and Responsibilities. Nis. Stroh started a discussion about the status of be Agency Liaison assignments. She reviewed the information provided by staff, and said she thought that it would not be worth making new assignments until the MHB gets two new members. She suggested doing something in the interim to deal with the agencies May 14, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded -not yet approved which did not have a liaison assigned. She said another issue is deciding whether the MHB appoint a liaison in its relationship with the City Council. Ms. Wiebe stated that the MHB needs a temporary decision and a long term decision regarding the Liaison role. She said she thought the MHB might need a Committee to look at the liaison situation. She said she agreed with Ms. Stroh in postponing the assignment of liaisons until new members have been found. Ms. Stroh appointed a committee of herself, Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein and tits. Heft -Gavin to review the liaison assignments and responsibilities, and to suggest recommendations for change, for the next MHB meeting. Ms. Wiebe said she would also like to assist. Ms. Helt-Gavin volunteered to act as liaison to Evanston Hospital in the interim. Mr. Kerns made a correction to the information distributed and indicated he should be listed as the Liaison for The Family Institute. Agency Liaison Reports. Ms. Pearson reported that both Family Focus and PEER Services, as well as herself and both staff have been working very hard relative to the agency hearings before the Human Services Committee. (Ms. Helt-Gavin left the meeting at 8:25 p.m.) Center for Public Ministry. Mr. Kerns said that he is working with David Myers at CPM on their hearing with HSC, which has been continued to June. NTSW, Mr. Saver reported NTSW very quickly replaced Jim Stavish with Peter Illing, who was previously the Director of Thresholds' Partial Hospitalization Program. There was a question as to whether this individual was hired by NTSW's Board of Directors, or by Thresholds to take over NTSW. IMr. Saver said when he was informed of the hiring it was not clear whether Mr. Illing would continue to manage the Partial Hospitalization Program. He said he and Ms. Stroh — were going to try to meet with Mr. Illing to clarify what the role was going to be with NTSW. Mr. Terry said if this is a new role, and Mr. Illing is heading up a division for Thresholds which includes the NTSW programs, when the MHB conducts the agency budget hearings, NTSW's name should not be placed on the forms, but Thresholds. Mr. Terry said NTSW's Board seems to be serving as more of an advisory board while the Thresholds Board of Directors governs. Asked if there was any changes in program at NTSW, Mr. Saver reported he was not aware of any. V1. PLANNING FOR FALL DISCUSSION GROUPS Nis. Stroh said last Summer, in discussions about the agency allocation process, the MHB raised the issue of joining together with the Evanston United Way to convene discussion groups about community needs and emerging issues. Mr. Saver said he recently talked with Tom Jager who May 14, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved indicated that the United Way was still interested in working together on this. Ms. Stroh referred to the material provided by staff and asked whether the MHB wanted to implement the discussion groups in the fall, before the budget hearings? Ms. Wiebe said she thought this would be a good way to get information about community needs. She suggested having two group meetings early in September. She said the focus group format which had been used two years ago was too demanding, and not an extremely useful or productive use of staff time. Mr. Kerns said that the funding and allocation should be separate from the discussion group process. If the people come to talk about what the community needs are while not, at the same time, seeking funding, this information can help the MHB do a better job when in the allocation process. Mr. Kerns and Ms. Pearson volunteered to work with representatives from the United Way. Mr. Saver will follow up with Mr. Jager regarding sharing responsibilities. VII. HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE REVIEW OF AGENCIES Ms. Wiebe reported that she, Ms. Pearson, and Mr. Saver have been in attendance at the Human Services Committee meetings for the review of agencies. These meetings are very time consuming and a lot of work for both staff and MHB members and she looks forward to this being over soon. She reported that May 18 the HSC is meeting and Family Focus and Metropolitan Family Services. Mr. Terry said that the meeting will start early, at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Kerns said he planned to attend this meeting because Ms. Pearson will be out of town. VIB. MHB/MHAE COMMUNITY EDUCATION INITIATIVE Ms. Wiebe read Ms, Helt-Gavin's report about the participation in the April 25 Child Care Fair. She said information packets about the civility initiative were distributed, along with materials related to children's mental health. Mr. Saver said the report he received was that there were a lot of activities and events which competed for people's attention. As a result, there were not a lot of people that were soliciting the MHB/MHAE information. He said he discussed this with Karen Vroegh, and they thought there might be a need to Iook at how the materials are organized. LY. REPORT OF NOMINATING COMMITTEE Nts. Pearson reported that she and Ms. Helt-Gavin interviewed NM members and developed a slate of officers. The Nominating Committee is nominating the following slate: Chair Mike Kerns Vice Chair Lonnie Wiebe These nominations will be voted on at the June meeting to serve one year terms beginning July 1, 1998, May 14, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved VII. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry reported he met with Dorothy Lloyd -Still from Housing Options. He said the Gainey House and the Keeney House were originally funded through a three year HUD grant. Ms. Lloyd -Still told him the agency will be seeking HUD renewal funding as the third year of a three year grant will begin in September, 1998. Ms. Lloyd -Still also indicated the Keeney House is going to be renamed the Claire House to honor Claire McCarthy -Peterson. Housing Options' proposal will have to be consistent with the City of Evanston's Continuum of Care which was developed last year. The City staff will have to determine whether there is any need to update this plan. Mr. Terry stated David Myers and he met with a group known as the Downtown Group, which reviews the Good Neighbor Initiative and reviews the work Center for Public Ministry does in the downtown area. The Police Department surveyed twenty nine businesses in the downtown area and reported that the majority stated that things had improved regarding the homeless. Overall, there was a lot of positive feedback. Mr. Myers described their new project to do outreach initiative. There was some opposition expressed for the new funding at the meeting. Mr. Terry said some participants expressed concern about whether 607 Lake was going to be a site for the most problematic individuals in the community. Mr. Terry said he thought this could become a more vocal concern in the future. Mr. Terry said he met with two representatives of the Evanston Community Foundation (ECF). The foundation is talking about becoming a much larger, visible force in the Community. They have an endowment of approximately $ i million, and they have embarked on a major fund raising campaign to raise an endowment of $6-$7 million. Mr. Terry reported that Children's Home and Aid Society has contracted with Child Welfare League of America to develop options for the future of all of CHASI's Evanston programs. He said both he and Mr. Saver have been contacted. Mr. Terry said he thought that CHASI has been struggling with the number of Rice Center admissions. He said he thought they have been trying to determine what their market niche is. Mr. Terry said he spoke with Ron Rozensky of Evanston Hospital who informed him that Dr. Ira Sloan had retired. Mr. Rozensky is taking a new job and will be relocating in Florida. It appears that there are structural changes at Evanston Hospital. Mr. Terry said the City Manager has instituted a new practice of Ward briefings. The City Department heads met with the individual Aldermen and discuss issues pertaining to their respective Wards. May la was the first Ward meeting with Alderman Bernstein regarding the Fourth Ward. Alderman Bernstein reported no significant problems with either Albany Care or Greenwood Care. He complimented both Dennis Tossi and Del Rychener. May U, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Saver reported that he had spoken to Kathy Brenniman in the Law Department to follow up to the letter requesting information as to the jurisdiction, authority and purview of the Evanston Mental Health Board. She indicate she will have a response for the MHB for the June I 1 meeting. Meeting was adjourned at 9:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott May 14, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page a Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Lonnie Wiebe, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, Ellen Reynolds, Nicki Pearson, Susan Stroh Presiding: Susan Stroh, Acting Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Alexander Brown, (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services); Linda Wolter, John Sykes, Tana Paul, Sandra Stumme, Kristen Lietz (Metropolitan Family Services); Peter Illing (NTSW); Karen Vroegh (Mental Health Association of Evanston); Harriett Levy, Jill Mesirow (Center for Enriched Living) Ms. Stroh called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The guests introduced themselves and Peter Illing introduced himself as the new director of NTSW. All were welcomed by the Chair. Mr. Saver stated that Louis Rowitz, the newest member of the MHB, was out of town for a previously scheduled event and was unable to attend the meeting. H. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MAY 14, 1998 Ms. Pearson moved and Ms. Reynolds seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the May 14, 1998 MHB meeting. Motion approved unanimously (5 aye - © no). III. MULTI PROBLEM FAMILY FUNDING INITIATIVE: DISCUSSION WITH METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES Sandra Stumme (Executive Director), Linda Wolter, John Sykes, Tana Paul and Kristen Lietz from Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) joined the Mental Health Board, Ms. Stumme provided a brief history of MFS, and of the agencies move to Evanston. June 11, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Pape 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved there is the flexibility to cross over programs, which is very helpful. As an example, in working with a disturbed child, the Mental Health Program could ask for assistance from the Counseling Program for the child's mother. Typically, MFS sees the family in the office or they go out to the home, whichever is in the best interest of the family. Usually the family stays with a program until they have achieved their goals, or if the family feels they are on the path to obtain their goals. But the program will work with them since they want assistance and are on that path. Ms. Wiebe asked what MFS has found that has worked and has not worked in trying to reach multi -problem families? Mr. Sykes said these families have been involved with many systems. Many of these they have not necessarily liked. Some have had bad experiences. MFS first makes sure that the kids in these families are safe. Then they help the families with counseling, and assist them to learn how to work with the systems. What has been successful is meeting the families in their homes, via appointment, if they are not able to come into the office. This helps the staff to connect with the families. It also enables them to evaluate the environment and the families' stressors. An important component has been consistency in the relationship, which leads to trust. Ms. Pearson asked what techniques were used when the family was inconsistent in coming to meetings? Ms. Paul said if the family cannot come in, the staff will go out to the home. MFS also can arrange to bring the family to the office. The agency also will come to the schools or after - school programs to meet with the family and child. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein asked which schools their families were from? Mr. Sykes replied he had clients at Chute, Willard, Haven, ETHS, and other schools from all over town. Ms. Stumme said one of MFS's initiatives in the schools was the FAST program (Families and Schools Together). This year this was offered at both the Nichols and Haven Middle Schools. Both programs recently had graduations for their first groups. Ms. Paul said this was a new effort to reach out to families. The schools identify the kids. MFS gives the schools a checklist to help them identify the children. The checklist items identify issues related to failure in the school setting and are about issues more than just acting out behavior. The families who are selected for FAST come into the schools in the evening, have dinner together, and are provided an opportunity to bet to know each other in a special way. Families are also provided the opportunity to support each other. Ms. Paul explained that the groups do some type of ritual to introduce themselves, e.g., songs, skits. Then they break into groups, with parents in one room and kids in another. The parents have an "adult buddy time" where they are divided into pairs. Then there is a parent support group. The parents can discuss with each other issues like dealing with behavioral problems or methods of discipline. Afterwards the children join the parents and they have one-on-one time together as a family. Ms. Lietz added that in her group at Haven the parents gave each other suggestions on how to relax from stress, how to help with each other on an ongoing basis, and how they can better use the community resources to help themselves. Ms. Stumme said FAST is supported by the Family Centered Initiative funds from the C&A LAN. The program model is a national one. In the evaluation of the program nationally, 60% of families ask for support and counseling services after the FAST Program concludes. June 11, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein asked if MFS provides a lot of support for parents? Ms. Stumme said MFS is a fanuly agency. They have to support parents to help the family and to create change in the family situation. Ms. Stroh thanked the MFS representatives for their presentation. Mr. Saver said he wanted to recognize Ms. Lietz for her active participation with the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Council (ESAPC). He reported she was one of very small group of individuals who assisted in organizing the ESAPC Essay Contest this year. He said, beyond other responsibilities, she solicited and recruited most of the prizes for the contest for the winners. Ms. Stroh indicated that she requested Lonnie Wiebe and Ellen Reynolds to meet and analyze the information which was discussed and provided by the three agencies in the MHB's review of the multi -problem families funding initiative. She asked them to put it into some type of framework for the MH.B to assess. IV. NEW AGENCY REQUEST TO APPLY FOR FY99-2000 MHB FUNDING Ms. Stroh reported that the MHB had a new request from the Center for Enriched Living (CEL) to make an application for MHB funding. Harriet Levy, CEL's Director of Development, and Jill Mesirow, Assistant Director of Development, joined the Board. Ms. Levy thanked the MHB for their time and indicated that she was an Evanston resident. She said the agency has been around for 30 years. CEL is a community center for the entire area for children with mild and moderate levels of developmental disabilities. She said people with developmental disabilities are lonely. CEL gets them into the community and gives them opportunities to enrich their lives, and to fulfill their potential. They offer a parenting program for persons with developmental disabilities who are bringing up kids. For adults, there are after - work, evening and weekend programs provided. Ms. Levy described the programs being offered by CEL. She said the agency is dedicated to giving choices to people disabilities. (Mr. Kerns joined the meeting at 8:10 p.m.) Nis. Levy said they have a total of approximately 400 members, of which 30 are being served from the Evanston area. These consist of both adults and children, and they live both at home or in facilities like Shore Homes. The agency provides transportation to and from its facility in Deerfield. There are no geographic boundaries for CEL's services. They also have an outreach person to help find the people who are not connected to supports. Ms. Levy reported that CEL has approximately 400 members, of whom 30 are being served from the Evanston area. CEL believes that this figure will double within the next five years due to the need for these types of June 11, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded -not yet approved programs. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein asked where their members go? Ms. Levy responded that the supports are provided in Deerfield. CEL provides transportation from Evanston to their facility for activities, or parents car pool. CEL tries in every way possible to get people to the services by making arrangements for rides. Ms. Stroh asked whether the agency plans to stay in Deerfield? Ms. Levy said presently CEL leases its facility, but they have outgrown the space. CEL is building a new facility in Riverwoods which is just a little west of Deerfield. The transportation time is approximately the same. This will provide the agency room to grow. The new building will also have a gym on -site. Ms. Levy added that the agency's budget for 1998 is $650,000. Their budget for the next year will be well over $700,000. closer to $800,000. CEL does not receive any State of Federal funding, and they rely on communities for support, by way of donations from foundations, individuals and corporations. Ms. Pearson asked where the Evanston individuals are from? Ms. Levy said about half are from residential programs and half live in their own homes. Ms. Wiebe asked what CEL provides to SHORE'S residents that they don't otherwise receive at that agency? Ms. Levy said CEL clients meet people from outside their own communities and develop relationships with other individuals. They don't just stay at home. Ms. Levy added that CEL serves a number of other residential providers on the North Shore, like Lambs Farm and Glenkirk. CEL gets these individuals out in the community to access recreational resources. In response to Ms. Wiebe's follow-up question, Ms. Levy said most of their members are considered low income. Subsidies are provided for 100% of their members. CEL wants to be able to include as many individuals as they have space available. Ms. Stroh thanked the representatives from Center for Enriched Living for their presentation. Mr. Terry reminded the MHB that they would need to make a decision either at this meeting, or by the July meeting, whether to allow CEL to submit a proposal in the fall allocation process.. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought the NM had a limited amount of dollars. Although CEL gave a wonderful presentation and appeared to be a worthwhile agency, she said she thought the MHB should focus on the agencies already funded. She added that she thought this would be a move away from the focus on high risk families. Ms. Stroh said that the issue of developmental disabilities is also under the MHB's purview. She said, however, that she was concerned that CEL was not an Evanston agency and they only serve 30 Evanston residents out of a client base of 400. June 11, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Ms. Wiebe reminded the MHB that they recently decided not to continue to fund Neighborhood Services when they moved from Evanston, even though they continued to serve two Evanston residents out of a client base of 16. Ms. Reynolds said she thought Riverwoods was too far away to go. The services won't really be community -based for people from Evanston. Mr. Kerns said to the extent that CEL wants to submit a proposal the MHB really does not have enough information to evaluate them. He said he was concerned about the agency not being in Evanston. But he said if they want to participate in the MHB's funding process with out any funding commitment it would not hurt to review their full proposal. Mr. Kerns added that, if the MHB does go in the direction of identifying funds for program areas, the agencies involved are not as critical at this point. If the MHB decides to fund priorities rather than programs, staff will be making allocation recommendations. More agencies submitting proposals will not be a problem. With no funding commitment in advance, it will be up to CEL if they want to go through a long allocation process. Mr. Kerns said it also raised concern for him that CEL served so few Evanston residents, and that they were so far away. Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Pearson seconded a motion to allow Center for Enriched Living to submit a funding proposal to the Mental Health Board for FY1999-2000 funding. Ms. Pearson said if the proposal passes she would like to have communicated to the agency that the MHB has had a focus on agencies serving multi -problem families, and that this might continue. Motion approved S aye (Kerns, Wiebe, Stroh, Reynolds, Pearson) - I no (Cofresi- Silverstein). VI. RESPONSE BY CITY ATTORNEY TO MHB'S LEGAL INQUIRY Mr. Saver said that at the April MHB meeting Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that the discussion at the Human Services Committee raised some questions about the MHB's authority. She indicated she thought the MHB should ask the City's Corporation Counsel for a legal opinion about a list of legal questions she prepared. The Board members present at the April meeting agreed to submit the questions for legal clarification. Mr. Saver said the response in the MHB's packet was for the first 2 questions which were submitted. He said Ms. Brenniman would need to locate additional documents to respond to the other questions. He indicated he would be helping her find that information. They will attempt to provide the additional information at the next meeting. VII. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES Agency Liaison Reports Family Focus. Ms. Pearson reported that she had attended a Family Focus Board meeting this June 11,1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved past Saturday. The agency advisory board has been working hard on budget issues, given the possible $10,000 reduction from the City. A Northwestern University Suit Case Party identified Family Focus/Evanston as the recipient of their fundraising efforts. The Executive Director of Family Focus Inc., Barbara Bates, was present at the meeting. She read a that expressed her support for Family Focus/Evanston, and characterized the local program as the strongest arm of Family Focus, Inc. Ms. Pearson said both Ms. Bates and Ms. Holmes discussed their frustration at their presentation with the Human Services Committee. Ms. Bates reported that she was surprised at the total focus of the HSC on budget and the relationship with the parent agency, and their was no discussion about programming. NTSIV. Mr, Saver reported NTSW is planning to expand their space on the third floor of the Family Focus building. In response to Ms. Stroh's question, Mr. Saver said First Step would likely be expanding the number of clients they serve as a result of new funding through the Office of Mental Health's CONNECT98 funding for psychosocial programming. The new services will target people coming from either Greenwood Care or Albany Care. Center for Public Ministry. Mr. Kerns stated that he was working with David Myers to prepare for the June 15 Human Services Committee review of CPM. He said CPM has submitted the information about their programs, but is not going to seek restoration of the funding lost from the City. CPM is expecting a budget shortfall for the current year. They are going to increase their private fundraising to try to fill the holes in their budget. North Shore Senior Center. Ms. Wiebe reported Alexander Brown now has three new staff persons: one speaks Russian, one speaks Chinese and one is African. The agency has been awarded a grant for a support group for grandparents supporting grandchildren. Work Group Report on Liaison Assignments and Responsibilities. Ms. Stroh reported that she and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein met with Mr. Saver to discuss the liaison assignments and responsibilities. The proposed changes are included in the packet. Ms. Wiebe stated it would be helpful to know what the MHB liaison's responsibilities and duties have been regarding the ICF facilities, before eliminating that assignment. Ms. Stroh responded that the she was not aware of any particular responsibility. Ms. Pearson, who had been the liaison to one of the facilities, said that she made calls every month and everything was running smoothly. Both she and Mr. Kerns said there had not been an occasion to pay special attention to either facility for some time. Ms. Pearson and Ms. Wiebe both asked when they would be receiving the Long Term Care Annual Report regarding incidents in the facilities. Ms. Pearson asked what the work group's thinking was about not requiring attendance at agency board meetings? Ms. Stroh said they thought it should be up to each liaison about how to monitor an agency. The work group thought the MHB members already had too many responsibilities. June 11, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Ms. Wiebe said she was concerned about not directing attendance at agency board meetings. She also expressed concern about not requiring the liaison to review financial reports. She added that the recommended changes in the guidelines for the liaison have eliminated important information to use in monitoring the agencies' use of local mental health funds. Ms. Stroh said the work group thought the liaison role was one which was done in good faith, and that the agencies had been providing correct information about what is going on in their programs. Ms. Stroh said she thought to go over the financial statements of the agency would require more financial training on the part of the MHB. Ms. Stroh added that she sees the MHB's liaison role as more of an informal role. Ms. Wiebe said she thought that it was the role of the MHB to be on top of these types of issues. Mr. Kerns said he thought this issue should be Ieft to the discretion of the particular board member with reference to the financial statements. Mr. Kerns moved and Ms. Stroh seconded a motion to approve the revision to the Board -Agency Liaison Guidelines (MRB Procedure 8-95-A). Motion passed unanimously (6 aye - 0 no). VD9. FALL I998 FUNDING PROCESS Ms. Stroh said the MHB would need to decide whether to use the same funding process and budget forms as in 1997. She said Mr. Saver had talked with Tom Jager of the Evanston United Way about the issue. He said the United Way was interested in using the same joint hearing process, but they were not going to be able to meet until they had identified new people for their allocation and review process. Mr. Saver said the MHB should move quickly if it wanted to change the procedures or forms. He said he was working with a timetable of getting materials to the agencies in late July. Mr. Kerns suggested that the MHB decide what it wants to do, then present this to United Way. Ms. Pearson commented that the MHB had earlier agreed that they wanted to try a different process in making allocations this year. Mr. Terry said if they were not able to meet with the United Way right away, the MHB members call the United Way members whom they know to discuss the issues. He said it got too confusing for staff of the NM and United Way to be in the middle and try to figure out and represent all of the various points of view which are involved in the funding process. Mr. Kerns said the MHB had already agreed to again convene discussion groups with the agencies. He said the hope was that this would provide additional information about emerging needs and priorities in the community. Mr. Kerns said this should be communicated to the agencies so they are aware when they are submitting their proposals that this information will be used to set priorities in making funding decisions. He said the MHB wanted to make funding recommendations and priorities about areas of need. Ms. Co&esi-Silverstein said she was concerned about continually setting new priorities without giving things a chance to work. She added that she would not like to see a new priority established each year, but once every two or three years. It takes time to set up a program and give it an opportunity to work. Ms. Stroh said she thought the continual priority changes affect June 11, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 8 Minutes recorded - not yet approved the agencies in that they lose their momentum and try to catch up with what the MHB is designating next as a priority. Ms. Wiebe reminded the MHB that she and Ms. Reynolds were reviewing the presentations by the agencies funded to provided services for multi -problem families, e.g., what has been provided, what has worked and what hasn't worked. This will give the MHB an opportunity to reflecting on this initiative before the funding process. Ms. Wiebe said she was also interested in having the discussion groups with the community and getting their feedback. Mr. Kerns said he thought the discussion groups served more than one purpose. In addition to helping identify new priorities, they provide information about what unmet needs there are. Ms. Stroh said that out of the earlier discussion groups and focus groups came the priority of multi -problem families. She said it took a considerable amount of time and wasn't sure the MHB would have enough time to do it this year. Mr. Kerns said the N= had repeatedly talked about handling the allocation process differently this year. He asked if there were no discussion groups, and there was no new information provided about community needs, would the MHB continue to identify multi -problem families as the priority? If so, was it going to allocate the entire amount of funding to this priority? If this were the case all the MHB would have to do is decide it wanted to make allocations to services for multi -problem families and ask staff to return in October with a list of the agencies which are best addressing this issue. He asked how this would change the allocation process? He asked whether anyone was prepared to just fund the agencies identified as serving multi -problem families to the exclusion of the other agencies the MHB has funded historically? Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she wasn't prepared to make that type of commitment. She said if the MHB thought the discussion groups could be useful then it should proceed with them. Ms. Wiebe stated it had been a two year process of gathering information through the discussion groups and focus groups tp initially determine new priorities. She said she and Ms. Reynolds, in discussing the multi -problem families initiative, thought what has come out of this has been very successful. There have been changes in the ways high -risk families are worked with, and in different types of techniques which are used with them. The agencies which were funded for the initiative were the most likely to fit. Ms. Wiebe said, however, the Board should keep moving and not get stuck on the same thing every year. After taking a straw poll, Mr. Kerns said there seemed to be agreement about convening the discussion groups. He said he and Ms. Pearson would work together to develop a plan to implement them in early September, 1998. IX. INVITATION FROM MHAE TO PARTICIPATE IN MENTAL HEALTH COALITION FOR FOURTH OF JULY PARADE Mr. Saver reviewed the request from the Mental Health Association of Evanston (MHAE) to join in a Mental Health Coalition to march in Evanston's Fourth of July Parade. Karen Vroegh, June 11, 1998 MH8 Meeting Minutes --page 9 Minutes recorded - not yet approved President of MHAE, explained the logistics of participation in the parade. She said one of MHAE's Board members participated in this type of parade entry last year and found it very worthwhile. There was a consensus that participation would be left up to the individual Board members. The MHB requested that Mr. Saver get the information and notify Board members about how to proceed if they wanted to participate. X. REPORTS Haman Services Committee Review of Agencies. Mr. Kerns reported that the HSC had heard from Family Focus at the last meeting. He said, as was reported in the agency liaison reports, that the hearing was a frustrating one for the agency. Mr. Terry said the HSC will begin the discussion about the allocation of the $50,000 reserve fund at the July 6 meeting. CPM is scheduled to have their hearing on June 15. This will be the last agency to be heard. ESAPC Essay Contest. Mr. Saver reviewed the results of the ESAPC Essay Contest. In response to a question, he said the first place winners would receive mountain bicycles; the second place winners would receive portable CD Players; and the third place winners would receive a selection of items from a list which includes Chicago Bulls' pen and pencil sets, Chicago Fire shirts, and tickets to the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium. Presentation of the prizes will be done before the City Council . The presentation will be done in concert with Chief Kaminski, who will also present the contest winners with a special citizens' recognition award from the Evanston Police Department. XI. ELECTION OF MHB OFFICERS FOR I998-1999 Ms. Stroh reviewed the Nominating Committee's report for MHB offices for 1998-99, Ms. Reynolds moved and Nis. Pearson seconders a motion to elect Michael Kerns, Chair and Lonnie Wiebe, Vice Chair for the 1998-99 program year of the Mental Health Board. There were no other nominations from the floor. Motion approved unanimously 6 aye - 0 no. Xll. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry reported that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a Super NoFA for an annual allocation of federal dollars for the homeless. This year Housing Options will begin the third year of their HUD grant and they have decided to apply for renewal of that funding. Mr. Terry said he anticipated that CPM would also seek additional funds through this process. This is the first time the Homeless Task Force may need to rank proposals from the community in terms of relative priorities. Mr. Terry said he will probably also need to work on updating the Community Continuum of Care for this process. Mr. Terry reported that the Department of Children Family Services has issued a request for June 11, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 10 Minutes recorded . not yet approved proposals for an administrative agent for wraparound services. The Child Adolescence Local Area Network has been asked to make a recommendation to DCFS for this. The position will provide arelatively small amount of money for the responsibilities involved. He said the proposals would be coming into his office in the beginning of July. Mr. Terry said he received a call from Les Inch, from CHASI's Behavioral Health Division, to notify him that they have worked out agreement with DCFS to house older children, I5 and 16 years old, at the Rice Children's Home. These are kids who have previously in other areas. He said Mr. Inch indicated they would expect to be utilizing a number of community resources. Mr. Terry said he would update the MHB as more information develops. Mr. Terry said he was notified by the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) that effective October 1, 1998, Metropolitan Family Services is giving up their Information and Assistance grant. They primarily will be an elder abuse agency. The AAA asked for comments because the other agency which applied for this grant a year ago was NSSC. Mr. Terry said he strongly recommended NSSC to AAA for the contract. Mr. Terry said Joe Kestnbaum reported that the Adult & Child Guidance Center at St. Francis had a portion of their Medicaid program temporarily suspended for reimbursements. Mr. Saver reported that the Carlos Hernandez, the MHB's intern from the University of Chicago, had completed his internship with the MHB that day. He said Mr. Hernandez was sorry he was unable to attend the meeting that evening because of a death in his extended family. Mr. Saver said Mr. Hernandez had been very busy, right up to the last moment, finishing the job of updating the mental health services directory. Mr. Saver reported that Helen Lome just announced she was retiring from NTSW/First Step at the end of June. She has been with the program from its very beginning. Meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott June 11,1998 MHB Meeting Minutes —" page 11 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, JUNE 11,1999 1. Agreed to allow Center for Enriched Living to submit a funding proposal to the Mental Health Board for FYI999-2000 funding. 2. Approved the revision to the Board -Agency Liaison Guidelines (MHB Procedure 5-95-a). 3. Elected Michael Kerns, Chair and Lonnie Wiebe, Vice Chair for the 1998-99 program year of the Mental Health Board June 11,1996 MHB Meettng'Wnutes Page 12 1,0 Wnutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Lonnie Wiebe, Louis Rowitz, Ellen Reynolds, Susan Stroh, Nicki Pearson Presiding: Michael Kerns, Chair Staff: Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Alexander Brown (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services) Delores Holmes (Family Focus), Kate Mahoney (PEER Services) Michael Kerns, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. 1. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMI WMTY CONM ENTS The guests introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Mental Health Board. They introduced and welcomed Louis Rowitz as the newest member of the Board. Mr. Rowitz provided a brief overview of his background. It RECOGNITION OF RETIRING LNIHB MEN®ER: NICIQ PEARSON h[r. Kerns said this was Ms. Pearson's last meeting as a Board member. She was ending her tenure with the MHB that evening, and had completed a full eight years as a Board member. (Ms. Pearson pointed out that by her account it had been eight years and five months.) Mr. Kerns recounted Ms. Pearson's accomplishments on the Board. He particularly thanked her for stepping in when the Board lost its Chair for six months, and for providing continuity and leadership. Mr. Kerns invited individuals to address any comments they might like to make to Ms. Pearson. Kate Mahoney, Executive Director of PEER Services, presented the following: „On behalf of the board, staff and clients of PEER Services uve are here to honor the contributions of Mcki Pearson in her two terms on the Mental Health Board. Nicki is a strong advocate for the individuals and families of Evanston. She has a unique ability to help our community honestly aclazowledge our needs svilhout losing sight of our gifts and strengths. She demonstrates a willingness to struggle to find solutions to community issues July, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 1 Ir t Minutes recorded -not yet approved and to roll up her sleeves to work to ensure that Evanston remains a community of caring. IAs PEER Services' liaison from the Mental Health Board Nicki has always made a high priority to be familiar with the most recent trends and developments in substance abuse prevention, early intervention and treatment. She has honored the Mental Health Board's mission to serve individuals vulnerable to substance abuse problems as one of your priority populations. She has been a strong advocate for our client population which is a group that, in many communities, is often overlooked or ignored. Nicki has challenged our agency to strive to be creative and untiring as we work to prevent and treat substance abuse problems within the Evanston community. She has always asked us tough questions but has been willing to help us find solutions. "Certainly, Nicks has not been alone in her commitment to meeting the mental health needs of our community. As her colleagues on the Board, you have shared a vision. It has been the work of the entire Board and the outstanding staff that have helped to develop and maintain the neAvork of high quality mental health services that is currently in place far our residents. "Wejoin evervone here tonight in wishing Vicki the best. We feel torn, because on a personal level we hope that having completed her two terms on the Mental Health Board she will have more time to herself and yet we also hope and know that she will find new projects to work oil and new ways to serve our community. Vicki has enhanced the lives of each of us who live in Evanston. We'll end with a simple thank you which we know is being echoed throughout Evanston. " Delores Holmes, Executive Director of Family Focus/Evanston, presented the following statement: "In Cooley High there is a line in a song that says, It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.' Nicki, 1 am reminded of that song and that line when 1 think of your leaving the !Mental Health Board. It's nice to know who the players are and that they play fair. Your presence on the Board has made areal impact and it has made a difference. Never afraid to ask the hard questions. To make the hard decisions, to become involved -- to give support. Yes, it's hard to say goodh.ve to that kind of presence on a Board "Family Focus was very fortunate to have you as our liaison. You visited the center. You attended the auxiliary meetings --you attended our activities and f unctions. You supported our f tndraising and program efforts. You took the tine to get io know us Yes, it's hard to sm goodbye to that kind of support and caring. "Vicki, you will he missed for all of your hard work —for the extra efforts you've made, for Your insight and sensitivity, for,vour caring and sharing. It is very hard to say goodbye to July, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved someone as special as you. But, as the song says, 'I'll keep with me the memories after you're gone. Yes, It is so hard to say goodbye to yesterday. "' Ms. Wiebe thanked Ms. Pearson for the leadership she provided for the Board. She presented the following comments to Ms. Pearson: "For years I have thought that Nicki Pearson Is the Mental Health Board, and that the Evanston Mental Health Board is Nicki Pearson. Consequently, it feels like the Board I knew (both before I came and after I came) disappears with you. ti MNicki's contribution has been enormous -- contributions from a warm heart, a sharp intellect and a generous spirit, As recipients of these gifts the Board begins anew. MI have personally gained from Nicki's teaching and friendship beginning at MHAE and now nearly four years together at MHB. 1 happened to see Mcki as she was preparing far her first month on this Board. She said there was a tremendous amount of printed material to read. We all latow that was the tip of the iceberg, Now through the thousands of pages, hundreds of meetings and so marry personal relationships Nicki continues to say in many ways how rewarding her work was. That inspired me to emulate you, Nicki. Thank you for all you have given to me and so many others. " On behalf of the I4[ental Health Board, Mr. Kerns presented Ms. Pearson with a gift and introduced the foIIowing resolution: "Whereas, Nicki Pearson served as a Director of the Evanston Mental Health Board; . Whereas, Mcki Pearson has successfully and tirelessly served the Evanston Mental Health Board and its constituents with vision and wisdom; "Whereas, Nicki Pearson has served the Evanston Mental Health Board with inspired leadership and steadfast commitment; and "> i'hereas, Nicki Pearson has contributed valuable time, energy and guidance to the Evanston Mental Health Board and its constituents. NO r 1, THEREFORE, BE 1 T RESOLVED, that Nicki Pearson is recogni: ed for her cowrihutimrs to the Evanstmi Nfewal Health Board and is hereby unanimously extended the gratitude and respect of the Evanston Mental Health Board for her leadership cued declicated service to the goals and mission of the Evanston Mental Health Board." The N11M adopted the resolution by acclimation. For the staff to the Mental Health Board, Mr. Terry expressed appreciation for the active role played by Ms. Pearson in the Board's activities. He said she routinely kept in touch with staff to share information or to ensure that issues were being followed up with. He added that she was July, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved always willing to lend a hand with a project, and was a constant source of support for staff. Mr. Terry also thanked Ms. Pearson for having filled a leadership role when the Board was without a Chair. Ms. Pearson thanked everyone for their good wishes and their praise. She expressed her appreciation to the Board for their work for the populations that they represent in their mandate. She said they had marked her tenure on the MHB by a great deal of change and difference of opinion. She thanked the MFIB staff for helping her maintain her perspective. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JUNE 11, 1998 Nis. Pearson moved and Nts. Wiebe seconded a motion to approve the June 11, 1998 minutes as corrected. Approved unanimously. IV. NIULTI-PROBLEM FAMILY FUNDING INITIATIVE: Conwr EE REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT Ms. Wiebe reported on the work of the subcommittee to review the multi -problem families funding initiative. She said it became clear very early in the committee's work that they could not do an evaluation because the NIFIB had not set up definitions and criteria. The subcommittee did an analysis of the written materials and presentations from the three funded agencies. They also developed an overview and comparison of what was accomplished as a result of the funding. One of the subcommittee's findings was that the NEFIB has to be more clear in establishing or agreeing to objectives, and in setting expectations for projects in the future. Nis. Wiebe said the overview of the funding initiative provided in the Board packet did reveal the impact upon the agencies, and what they learned about working with the population. It provided the *va-IB with the opportunity to learn considerably more about the agencies. It also provided the %, M with some important information about its own process. Ms. Wiebe added that she thought the Ng [B should accept the analysis and materials provided, and be prepared to move on and consider other priorities. She said the decision to fund the multi -problem families initiative was made more than two years ago, but was never intended to be a long term project. The 'NM should now move ahead with the planned discussion groups, and be prepared to look at other priorities at this time. NU Kerns said he agreed the NM should continuously review priorities. He asked Ms. Wiebe whether she thought that meant that the NfHB could not continue to fund services targeted for multi -problem families. Nis Wiebe responded that the members of MI-iB should be open to shifting their view based upon the information received in the discussion groups. In response to Nlr Kerns' question, Ms. Wiebe said multi -problem families could continue to be a focus. It's July, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved possible that the community still sees this as a program priority. Ms. Pearson said the NM will have to be more clear about what it wants from its funding priorities in the future. She said the MHB could continue to fund the multi -problem families issue while considering other priorities at the same time. Ms. Pearson thanked Mr. Saver for the comprehensiveness of the report provided. Ms. Stroh provided several examples where she had encountered a student in a "multi -problem family" at her job. She said she found agencies funded to work with the problem responded very quickly. Ms. Stroh said she thought the MHB funding had a significant impact upon making the service more responsive. Mr. Kerns thanked Mr. Saver for organizing the analysis of the funding initiative. Ms, webs said she thought the report would be a part of the NM's overall analysis for future thoughts about funding. IV. REPORT FROM SUBCONLN TPEE ON FALL DISCUSSION GROUPS his. Pearson reviewed the subcommittee's recommendations for the discussion groups. She said the plan was to convene the groups on Thursday, September 10, the regularly scheduled NM meeting date. The INM will then meet Thursday, September 17. This will provide the MI-iB an opportunity to discuss the information provided in the groups. INN. Pearson said the Evanston United Way has been contacted and agreed to participate again. Mr. Kerns suggested that, in Iieu of an August meeting, the NM use that time to complete the planning for the discussion groups. He said the subcommittee would be expanded to include any NM members who were interested. The group will meet with the representatives of the United Way to prepare for the discussion groups. Mr. Kerns said he would encourage Ms. Helt-Gavin to participate as one of the facilitators. Ms. Wiebe suggested inviting representatives from the larger community, and not just agency representatives. She said she thought there was a need for broader participation. She also questioned whether it was going to make sense to have people from the United Way and MHB sitting in the room as observers. She said she thought it might hinder or effect the groups' dynamics to have monitors as non -participants, to response to a question, fir. Saver said that during the 1995 discussion groups MHB and United Way members were invited to monitor the discussion. While other agencies asked to sit in on the group, there were no other observers permitted. Nlr. ltowitz said he thought the MHB should be present as non -participants. He said it was an opportunity to be an active listener. The MHB and United Way should be involved without interrupting, and be at the groups to team. He said the individuals who are invited should be allowed to have their say without having their comment evaluated during the meetings. July, 1998 MHB Meeting Mlnutes page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved V. REVIEW FALL i998 FINDING PROCESS Mr. Kerns provided an overview of the Board's funding process, and reviewed the proposed meeting schedule. He said he would Wce to have the discussion groups convened in the spring next year, rather than September. Due to other activities and priorities this past year it was not possible. Doing it much earlier would enable the MHB to identify priorities earlier, and to publish those priorities in advance, when the funding packages are sent out. Mr. Kerns said the NM will develop funding priorities this year after heating the information from the discussion groups and reviewing agency funding proposals. Mr. Rowitz asked how NM handles the differences between what agencies say should be the MHB's priorities and what the citizens of the community say should be the MHB priorities? Mr. Rowitz said he thought citizens should be included in voicing their opinions. Mr. Kerns said the NIHB did want to hear from other representatives of the community. The discussion groups are intended to solicit this input. The N 11B will initially consider this information at the September 17 NM meeting. Mr. Kerns reviewed the issues raised by staff about questions to be asked of agencies in the analysis of their proposals. Mr. Saver said the questions identified in the packet were the ones the agencies had to respond to in writing. Mr. Rowitz said it might be worth asking the agencies what are the emerging issues that they feel need to be addressed. It was suggested that the following two questions be dropped off the list: "What services, tf ait , does your agency provide for multi problem families? ' Vhal is your policy and practice when you discover that your client and or another member of your client's family are being served by another agency " Mr Rowitz suggested that the one question be rewritten to read, '`What services if any does your agency provide for families°" Mr. Terry said there have been a number of changes in the community's service system. There have been an increasing number of large, metropolitan agencies which are being funded to provide services locally. He suggested that a question be asked of the agencies regarding how budgets are developed, where budgeting decisions are made, and where are the revenues actually spent. Nir. Kerns said the NiI-IB would revisit the issue at the September meeting and decide what additional questions would be asked of the agencies. Nlr Saver said he was preparing to provide the NM an overview of the agencies' performance on their FY97-98 reporting criteria, similar to the report that was requested last year. He asked whether there were additional reports which were going to be requested. his. Wiebe said she would like to see the how the ),M's funds were allocated in relationship to demographics and service populations. Mr. Saver said it would not be an easy report to generate because the information is not collected that way. He told Ms. Wiebe he would meet with her to identify the categories in which she was interested July, 199E MHB Meeting Minutes Rage 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Kern reminded the NM that Human Services Committee would be meeting July 20 to allocate the $50,000 reserve fund for FY98-99. VI. AGENcy/AccouNTE►sti Ty Isstrt~s St. Francis Hospital ACGC. In Ms. Helt-Gavin's absence, Ms. Wiebe presented her report. She indicated that things were going along fine with the ACGC programs. Effective August 3, St. Francis will be changing the names of their behavioral health programs. Mr. Kestnbaum reported the changes were an internal decision, and not imposed. It was felt that the old names did not reflect what services were being offered. Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that Mr. Kestnbaum has a vacancy for a bilingual English/Spanish social worker. He requested that if anyone knows of an interested individual they should have them apply. Evanston Hospital. Mr. Saver pointed out that Evanston Hospital's quarterly report discussed training mental health consumers to use computers. This was the result of resources made available from the Metro North Network. He said he it was reflective of some changes which are being made by the Office of Mental Health (01N,". There has been a much more aggressive attempt to promote a consumer focus. This was emphasized in recent funding initiatives, and a consumer advocate/representative was hired by OiVIH to work with the agencies and individuals in the Network. Welfare Reform. INIr. Terry reported he participated in a meeting convened by the First Church of God and First Presbyterian Church related to a joint project on welfare reform. There is an attempt being made by representatives from the religious community to get church communities to become active in welfare reform issues. The format of the initial meeting was that 17 agencies gave five minutes presentations about what services they provide. Mr. Terry said he found the Family Institute's presentation to be of interest because they reported having a need for clients. The agency reported having a surplus of services versus clients and unused therapeutic hours. The agency extended an invitation to everyone in the audience. Evanston Community Defender. Mr. Terry noted that on the City Council Agenda there were three new proposals for the Families in Transition program. The sponsoring agency for all of them is the Evanston Community Defender. Mr. Terry said it was a major new area for the agency to get into. fir. Terry said staff would follow up to find out the details of the agency's funding and staffing for this program. Rice Community Counseling Services. his Pearson stated that Barbara Glosny reported having a waiting list at Rice. However, she anticipated that an intern coming in July would help cut down the waiting list. July, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved VQ. ODDS AND ENDS LTC Annual Report. Ms. Pearson inquired as to when the Health Department will be releasing the LTC Annual Report. She said she hoped the MHB would follow through with this. Mental Health Association. Ms. Stroh said she was impressed with the turnout of individuals to walk with the Mental Health Association of Evanston, the Alliance for the Mentally Ill and Albany Care in the 4th of July Parade. She said their entry was very well received. Family Education Initiative. Ms. Wiebe said she had an example of coordination between the MHAE and MHB. She provided Ms. Helt-Gavin's report on the Family Education Initiative. Family Education Initiative is about to enter a stage of transition. Karen Vroegh attended a meeting of a newly formed subcommittee of the Task Force On School And Community Safety. Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that people on the subcommittee "loved" the civility document and wanted to adapt it for grade schoolers, e.g., make it into a book cover. She indicated that Ms. Vroegh thought it provided an opportunity to provide more exposure for the project. One way would be for the NMA1 1HAE initiative to merge with that subcommittee, or have the sub- committee merge with the initiative. Another way would be to disband as a joint working committee and have one 1NIHAE and one N111B member join the subcommittee. In INIs. Helt-Gavin's report she indicated that she is the Co -Chair for the Family Education Initiative. She will be meeting with his. Vroegh to plot out a future direction. She asked the NM for direction about what the future public forum should be for this activity (e.g., book covers, posters, a workshop); names of individuals who were interested in working with the Initiative; and whether the Initiative should continue or merge with the other group. VIII. PLANNING hIEETING REPORT: MENTAL BEALTH SERVICES & THE ELDERLY 4Is. Wiebe reported that Alexander Brown, Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services, convened a meeting of providers and community groups who work with seniors. The meeting was well attended. The purpose of the meeting was to brainstorm ideas for an educational forum on mental health issues and seniors. She said both she and Nir. Saver were in attendance and would be working with the planning group. There is a working group which will begin to meet on Friday, July 24. VIII. AUGUST NIEETING 4Ir Kerns reminded theNM that there will be a working meeting on August 13 instead of the .august Board meeting. The focus of the meeting will be to plan the discussion groups. It will be held in conjunction with United Way representatives. He said September 10 will be the July, 1998 MH8 Meeting Minutes page 8 Minutes recorded - not yet approved proposed discussion groups. The September MHB meeting will be on Thursday, September 17. IX. DI1tECTOR's REPORT Homeless Task Force. Mr. Terry reported there are HUD funds for homeless services available to the community. Applications are due at the beginning of August. Housing Options is the only Evanston agency which indicated they would be applying for these funds. This will be for renewal funding for Keeney House and Ganey House. This will require a update of the HUD Homeless Continuum of Care. That document will be reviewed by the Human Services Committee at the July 20 meeting. C&A LAN. Mr. Terry said DCFS issued a request for proposal to C&A LANs to provide administrative services for wrap -around funding for some children who will be returning to the community from other placements. Twenty-eight children are in settings outside of Evanston, and for whom DCFS will be looking for agencies to provide some type of wraparound plans. There was one Evanston agency which felt this was worth their while due to the small amount of money involved. The only agency which has expressed and interest is the Kenneth Young Center (KYQ in Elk Grove Village. They are considering taking on the wraparound administrative planning for a number of communities' LANS, combining the services into one larger region. This may be the only way the costs for the planning will be able to be covered. There should be some indication by next Tuesday as to whether KYC will submit this plan to the State. Agency Funding Concerns. Mr. Terry said he and Mr. Saver met with the Director of one of the Board -funded agencies who indicated for the second consecutive year the agency will have a deficit. It is likely that the agency will have depleted its discretionary fund balance by the end of the fiscal year 1999 The director was concerned enough to want to discuss reallocating the costs of some of the things which the City funds. Mr. Terry said that speaking with this Director made visible the troubling extent to which private fund raising has not been growing, and that, in many cases, private agencies are not seeing a spill over from the growth in the stock market. Mr. Saver reported that recent reports in the Chronicles of Philanthropy indicated that charitable giving was actually up. But this was largely for everything but social service agencies, e.g., education, religious organizations, the arts. United Way Funding. ,\,Ir. Terry said that the Evanston United Way reported reductions in funding for a number of their agencies this year. He said some question have been raised about the way the United Way made their decisions. Nlr. Terry said he spoke with one agency which reported that the United Way stated they were cut because they receive money from the City. Mr. Terry said, at some point during joint meetings, the LNM might be interested in asking the United Way how they made their decisions. Mr. Terry reported that United Way funding is up. However, this appears to be because there is an increase in donor -designated funds which are collected and have to distribute to specific, designated organizations. July, 1898 MHB Meeting Minutes page 9 minutes recorded - not vet approved Adieu. Mr. Terry stated that the City Manager has appointed a new Citizens Advisory Committee for Compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Committee will provide guidance to the City on compliance issues with the ADA. Mr. Terry said that in addition to this new committee he has been assigned to staff a number of additional committees. As a result, in discussion with the City Manager he concluded that his personal involvement with the MHB will have to be reduced. He said that after the July meeting he will not be directly involved with the activities of the MHB and directed the Board to contact Mr. Saver. On a day-to-day basis on the Board's issues, Mr. Saver will be the lead staff person. Prevention Funding. Mr. Saver reported that the ESAPC has been meeting to plan its Activities for the 98-99 program year. Recently they received an RFP from the State for new prevention funding. The grant applications can only be submitted from community coalitions. He said be was meeting with a subcommittee from the ESAPC to determine which agencies in the community are interested in participating, and what type of program grant might be submitted from the community. Community Presentation. Mr. Saver reminded the MHB about the presentation the Board was sponsoring with the Alliance for the Mentally III -Cook County North Suburbs on August S. There will be two presentations about Gould Farms, an alternative therapeutic community in Massachusetts. Flyers are being distributed broadly. Trilogy has agreed to have their clients organize the mailing as a work training activity. Mr. Terry complimented Mr. Saver for his report on the multi -problem families funding initiative. He said he thought it was outstanding, and should be carefully considered by the MHB as it reviews its funding. Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted Joan M. Barott July, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Rage 10 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Louis Rowitz, Ellen Reynolds, Susan Stroh, Mary Helt-Gavin Presiding: Michael Kerns Staff- Jay Terry, Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Alexander Brown, Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center); Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services) 1Mr. Kerns called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS A,YD CONU*WMTY CONM ENTS The guests introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Mental Health Board. ylr Kerns asked iti1HS members, to submit their Fall Meetings and Allocation Process Forms to tiir. Saver for scheduling purposes for hearings. U. APPROVAL OF MINUTES JULY 9, 1998 Ms. Stroh moved and ivlr. Rowitz seconded a motion to approve the July 9, 1998 MHB meeting minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously. M. RESPONSE FROM CITY A TTORIYEY TO N1HB'S QUESTIONS 1Ir Saver reported the Citv's attorney, %Is. Brenniman, had not yet completed her response to the questions that were submitted by the XM. He said 1kis. Brenniman expected to have completed the final response by September 25. Mr. Saver said the delay was due, in part, to difficulty in finding information, and the legislative intent, regarding an ordinance that was passed in the early 1980's having to do with the consolidation of all of the City's various levies under the General Revenue Fund, September 17, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page f Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Rowitz said he spoke with a contact in McHenry County who was very familiar with the state statutes related to 708 boards and levies. He said at the time of passage of the 708 board legislation, every area that passed a 708 board referendum designated a levy which would be raised against property. While the local governing authority could decide not to allocate or spend all of the money which was raised in a given year, they could not use those funds to support other activities or services. The levy was established at a maximum . I % (l mil) on the assessed value of the City's property. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said that there is no longer a separate line item on the tax bill for a separate MHB levy. The Board's budget is based upon the City's annual budget policy, and has been running far below what it would be at I mil for at least 15 years. Mr. Saver added that in the late 1980's the State statutes for 708 boards was amended to allow for a maximum local levy of 1.5 mil. The State Attorney General issued an opinion in 1990 that concluded local communities could increase their mental health levy to the 1.5 mil level without conducting another referendum to amend their local ordinance. Mr. Rowitz said the MHB's questions to the City Attorney were an attempt to discover whether there are any issues under the local 708 Board enabling ordinance with the way the City collects its mental health funds, and whether they get used for any other purposes. IV. AGENCY/AccouN--ABILITY ISSUES Metropolitan Family Services. L*vlr. Kerns reported he would be attending the Metropolitan Family Services Advisory Board meeting on September 24. He said this would be the first time he was meeting with the agency. NTSW. Mr. Rowitz said he met with Peter Illing, the new Executive Director at NTSW. He said he discussed some of the questions the NM has raised about what the agency's relationship was with Thresholds. He said Nlr [fling reported that the relationship is more of a sharing of administrative services and supports, rather than the actual running of NTSW by Thresholds. NTSW has not changed internally, but its financing and business office activities are being handled by Thresholds. St. Francis Hospital ACGC. Mr. Rowitz reported he visited with Joe Kestnbaum, Director of St Francis Hospital's outpatient programs. He reported that there is a smooth transition underway with the change in the names of their mental health program names. Evanston Hospital. Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that she recently met with Evanston Hospital's new psychiatrist, Dr Liz Brumfield. She will be providing leadership the hospital's outpatient programs. Mr Saver said the Dr Brumfield is the psychiatrist who will be working under contract in CPNI's shelter Family Focus. Nis Helt-Gain said that Family Focus reports everything is going along smoothly September 17,1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved PEER Services. Ms. Reynolds said she has talked twice with Kate Mahoney on the phone. Family Institute. Ms. Reynolds reported she had met with Family Institute. Housing Options. Ms. Stroh reported she had attended the annual meeting of Housing Options. She said she also got a tour of some of Housing Options living units. The agency is conducting a retreat in November, where they will be considering what projects they will do next. SHORE. Ms. Stroh said she had visited with SHORE that afternoon. V. REPORT ABOUT FAIL DISCUSSION GROUPS Mr. Kerns pointed out that all of the members of the N1HB in attendance that evening had also attended one of the Discussion Groups the previous Tuesday evening. Mr. Saver said that there were 39 individuals from different organizations who had called in advance and committed to participate in the Discussion Groups. Of those, three people did not show up. However, there were an additional seven or eight people who participated and did not call in advance. Overall, there were 40-42 people who participated in the two groups. ,Nls. Heit-Gavin reported in the group she facilitated there had been a good representation of interests from all ages, and across a broad spectrum. She said the participants provided good, candid information. %Is. Helt-Gavin said she thought one of the most positive things that came out was some pretty candid talk about the problems that the agencies can't deal with because there is no funding: families torn apart because of substance abuse; homeless families; increasing number of kids who need mental health se"'ices for early childhood issues (there is no therapeutic treatment in a school setting in Evanston), affordable housing in Evanston is at the root of problems for many; more on -site treatment needed at day care centers. Ms. Helt-Gavin said there was no consensus in her group about what should be done about substance abuse. She said Dr. Liz Brumfield discussed some service models which she worked in that were more consumer friendly for persons with mental illness. They were less formal than outpatient psychiatric clinics People could drop in on their own terms to get services and therapy. Individuals who used these drop in centers were more inclined to take their medications and were more receptive to changing their behavior. his Helt-Gavin commented that Norma Lara, the Latino Outreach representative. stated language barriers still seem to be an issue for accessing services %Is Helt-Gavin said the participants spoke candidly, but she did not think that there was enough group interaction in the discussion. .%Ir. Kerns said that he took notes for the same group. He said the group discussed the shortage of affordable housing for individuals with mental illness. in some cases, over the years what were September 17, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved affordable rooms have been converted into more expensive housing. He said he was surprised at the interest in some type of drop -in center. Mr. Kerns said there was concern raised about no inpatient treatment available in the community for substance abuse. He wasn't sure from the comments whether the issue was the cost of service, or a lack of services. One of the problems is that managed care and government sponsored programs are not paying for sufficient inpatient care. Referrals have to be made outside of this community. Mr. Kerns added that the group also raised concerns about literacy, and the lack of evening child care as issues. Ms. Stroh commented that the group reported the issue of substance abuse is very dramatic in the way it affects families and teenagers, and the appropriate care is often not available. In the discussion it was pointed out that single parents with substance abuse problems are very resistant and unwilling to go into inpatient substance abuse treatment because they don't want to leave their kids or leave the community. There are no real inpatient options in Evanston. In addition, there is no funding to support inpatient treatment. Ms. Reynolds said over the years there has been a dramatic diminution in all payments for substance abuse inpatient treatment. Mr. Kerns asked whether the problem was that there is no accessible inpatient treatment program, or is it that no one wants to pay for inpatient substance abuse treatment? He asked whether there was also a problem with sufficient treatment available on an outpatient basis? He said the v[HB needs further clarification regarding this issue. GIs. Stroh said she heard a loud message for outreach services, and counseling that was offered in non -clinic types of settings, either at the individual's home or at a day care center. These are the places where people are willing already at, and are more comfortable. GIs. Stroh said there was also testimony about the need for affordable housing for women with children. Nlr Rowitz said he observed the other group discussion. That group was more oriented to developing a "t�,ish list " Some of the items %01ch were strongly pushed were transitional housing for ex -offenders in Evanston, and short term housing for abused kids. 1VIr. Rowitz said multi -problem families was still one of the most important concerns. He said the people in his group were not concerned about duplication of services because they thought it creates a choice for the consumers. In addition, there was an increasing concern with the problem of a dual diagnosis of mental disorders and substance abuse. Mr Rowitz said several members of his group expressed concerns with the difficulty in doing collaboration. He indicated that what the agencies were describing may not have been a true collaboration model. However. the thought was expressed that it is difficult to collaborate with the «ay mental health services are set up in Evanston. and it is difficult to share resources. Mr. Rowitz said the participants were critical of case management They thought it was overpowering and not as important as funding actual treatment. There was also the thought expressed that the needs of the individual becomes lost in the case management function. There should be a more appropriate balance between case management and sm-ice �Ir Rowitz said the concern was expressed that there should be mental health based programs to help people deal with violence September 17, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Rowitz said the following issues were also discussed: train teachers and providers how to be more nurturing and how to create more supportive environments; resistant clients are falling through the cracks; need new programs related to grandparents raising grandchildren; training for citizens about how to get help; how to instill community responsibility; more businesses and services in southeast Evanston; training for people in the community regarding understanding mental disorders and the need for treatment; shift in focus from youth -based to family -based programs; housing for people with special needs. There was also an interest expressed in conducting more focus groups to see if consumers are satisfied with services in the community.. Mr. Kerns and Mr. Rowitz summarized the comments and issues from the two discussion%groups. W. Saver said that in addition to the information from the two discussion groups, the Health Department is beginning its Community Needs Assessment process far the community iPLAN. He said he and the Commission on Aging's Ombudsman are conducting three focus groups for the Health Department on the community key informant part of the process. In the first two groups which were convened that week there were two issues raised which mirrored comments from the discussion groups: substance abuse treatment and housing for special needs populations. Mr. Saver said C. Louise Brown, Director of the Health Department, expressed interest in considering the comments from the %M/L; nited Way Discussion Groups in developing the community public health priorities. ,%Ir. Kerns said he thought the %M needed more information about the need for inpatient substance abuse treatment. He asked whether it was always essential that inpatient treatment be available before receiving treatment, or was it only necessary for the purposes of detox? He also raised concern about whether those individuals who have a substance abuse problem and have difficulty getting access to care find that it is only available to them on a limited basis, and they really never get adequate treatment. %Is Reynolds commented that many people with a substance abuse problem generally do not wish to be in rehab, but they are there because the courts told them their treatment was mandatory. They are not necessarily there for treatment to change their behavior. Nfr. Kerns asked if the problem with accessibility to services was that the programs were not widely available, or that individuals with substance abuse problems find it difficult to deal with the expectations and to keep in the program? He also questioned whether there was a problem with the actual programs" NIr. Kerns said he thought that the NLRB should not be funding programs that the population is not using. GIs Reynolds said one problem � ith inpatient treatment was that most hospitals were interested in the financial end of things, and were not able to get payment for those services. She also said that there are two churches in the community that are very involved with aiding people with substance abuse problems. NIs. Reynolds added that one of the participants in the group she monitored was interested in more public educated about mental health issues, and about the signs and symptoms to look for in someone needing help September 17, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved There was discussion about concerns raised regarding housing needs. From the discussion groups it wasn't clear whether the issue was actual housing or support services. Ms. Stroh said she thought the UM's focus should be along the lines of respite for families and for special populations. The NM discussed concerns about the clinical services that were expressed as missing or unavailable for day care providers. Mr. Kerns asked whether it was therapeutic day treatment that was an issue, or actual clinical services to be provided for kids in the centers? He also asked what impact the NM thought it could have for the day care population? He said the MHB needed additional information needed about what type of specialized services were unavailable. Mr. Saver questioned whether the problem might be that the services were available for the Q - 3 population, but were not being accessed? He said the MHB already funds services through Rice Counseling Services which are supposed to be provided for this population, and that The Family Institute has been reporting that has been trying to expand into the day care center population. In addition, Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) has an intensive C&A Mental Health Program for kids with serious emotional disturbances. He deferred to Sandra Stumme, Executive Director of NIFS, who was in the audience, who confirmed that the program would serve younger children, as well Mr. Saver said that Child & Family Connections, run by Clearbrook Center, also provides services for the 0-3 population who are at risk. He said from his recent conversation with a child care agency it was not clear whether the latter services were very visible, or easy to access. Nlr Rowitz commented that with limited funds the MI-lB should be somewhat selective in making sure that it was getting the highest quality service for the dollars that it was providing to agencies. He said if agencies were not providing a high level of service, or were not providing the services they said they would be providing, then he did not think that they should be funded. Nlr kerns discussed the comments which were raised in one discussion group about having a community mental health center (CMHC). Mr. Saver said that the absence of a CNIHC in Evanston was based upon the history of and competition of program development in Evanston, and not because of an oversight. Mr. Rowitz discussed the history of CNIHCs under federal legislation. He said that while there was no single point of service, he thought that a number of agencies were providing the various programmatic pieces of a center. He added that the funding issues have been complicated with C1%1HCs as managed care has taken over the mental health programs Nlr Kerns suggested that the NM could ask the agencies to come up with a true community mental health center Nir Saver reminded the %M that the context for the comments about a "community mental health center" in the discussion groups was as a new, softer term to use for a "drop -in center." In the discussion group the issue was raised as an alternative to clinic -based services, and as a more consumer friendly place for people to drop -in when they were ready to accept services on their own terms He said he thought the model that was presented had been an effective one at the La«son YMCA in Chicago. but, based upon recent history. a drop -in center would be difficult to September 17, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved sell in Evanston. Ms. Reynolds commented that, as has been discussed before, there is still not a single point of contact for information, or a hotline office for mental health in Evanston services in Evanston. Mr. Rowitz suggested that it might be useful to begin to look at building a partnership among agencies to provide mental health services at one site in Evanston. Mr. Kerns said that the NM would need to develop funding priorities for FYI999-2000. The information from the Discussion Groups will help the MHB in this consideration. The priorities will be used to direct staff to develop recommendations for the MHB's consideration in allocating funds for agencies. He said the MHB will meet after the hearings on October 24 to develop priority allocations. He added that the difficulty this year is if the MHB changes its priorities after having already received proposals from the agencies. He said he thought, from what had been said, that specific issues should be discussed regarding multi problem families. He also thought that the NM should get additional information about substance abuse treatment issues, and about treatment and intervention for kids in child care. VI. FALL 1998 FUNDL,NG PROCESS fir. Saver provided background information on questions submitted to the agencies for the funding process. He said the boilerplate questions were to be addressed by every agency, while other questions were agency -specific. The boilerplate questions were to be addressed in writing. The NM considered staff and Board recommendations, and agreed to submit the following list to all agencies: I. Are there wit other organizations in Evanston iduch provide the services for which you are requesting funds? ;irhich ones? In what ivays are your services similar? How are your services unique'' it. What services, if any, does your agency provide for families? iii. Please describe the accessibility and availability of your services. Discuss any specific steps and actions you have taken to make your services more accessible. iv. Is your agency a part, or art affiliate, of a larger, statewide or Chicago metropolitan area social service agencyIf '' so: a. Is there a local board? How much decision making authority does the local board heave? How much decision making authority do the local staff have? b. Describe the flow of revetrues benreen your programs/ and the larger, parent orgaru:ation. C. Is the local program enuty expected to be self supporting? If it is not self supporting, to what extent is the parent organisation supporting the local programs" d. Are dollars raised in Evanston, or far the Evanston -based programs, used to September 17,1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved support the parent organization? If so, what is that current amount? V. In what wcV(s) does your agency monitor the performance of your programs? vi. For each program for which f unding is requested: What were the specific outcomes you achieved for the objectives in your FY97-98 contract with the MW What are the objectives you are working on in your FY98-99 contract, and what outcomes have you achieved to date? (Please provide it fonnatlon which is specific and quart liable ) Mr. Saver said that the City Manager and the Budget Office had convened the Budget Kickoff for 1999-2000. He said instructions were given to again develop budgets with no increases. If there were any increases projected, they would have to be thoroughly documented and justified, V11. CONSIDERATION OF ADVOCACY LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR Mr. Kerns said he was going to take an item out of order because Nis. Helt-Gavin had to leave the meeting early. GIs. Helt-Gavin reported that the State of Illinois was prepared to execute a man the following Wednesday who had been convicted of murder under the Illinois Death Penalty. The man was said to have an I.Q. of 51. She pointed out that an editorial which was distributed pointed out that his I.Q was lower than the lowest recorded I.Q. of anyone executed in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Nis. Helt-Gavin indicated that, based upon,the information, the condemned man had a developmental disability. She questioned the State's criminal justice system with regards to developmental disabilities, and asked the Ni M to consider taking a stand to oppose the impending execution. She said some states do not allow the death penalty for persons with developmental disabilities. After discussion the NM agreed to send a letter to Governor Edgar asking him to stay the execution and give further review to the matter. Nis, Stroh volunteered to draft the letter with Nis. Helt-Gavin. (!ay Terry joined the meeting at 9:10 p.m.) vID. RESPONSE TO HUNIAIN SERVICES COhLNuT-'EE Mr. Kerns reviewed his memo to the Human Services Committee (HSC} updating them about the IVM's revisions in its review and allocation process. The Committee received the information. The HSC expressed interest in having the %, M discuss agency funding issues in early October. r. Kerns indicated that the Board would not be through its own funding fireviews by that time, so the HSC invited the %M to meet on November 3. Mr, Kerns asked staff to indicate that representatives from the NiI-IB would be there that evening. L`C. Eti`DORSEXEN7 OF CONFERENCE: MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND THE ELDERLY September 17, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page $ Minutes recorded - not yet approved Mr. Saver reported that he and Ms. Wiebe had provided some information at the July M B meeting about a group they had begun to work with to provide a conference or workshop on mental health needs of the elderly. He said it would be held in May, 1999, in conjunction with Older Americans Month. Mr. Saver referred to material submitted by Alexander Brown, from Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services, who has been providing the leadership for the initial planning activity. Mr. Saver said he spoke with Ms. Wiebe, and she indicated that she would like the MHB to consider being a sponsor for the event. Mr. Terry reported that the Commission On Aging voted to support the conference. Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Stroh seconded a motion for the MHB to best sponsor for the conference on mental health services and the elderly, to be held in spring 1999. Motion approved unanimously. , X. STAFF REPORT Children's Home and Aid Society. Mr. Terry reported that he and other City staff and Aldermen had met with representatives from Children's Home and Aid Society (CHASI). They reported they were unable to secure a commitment from the State to place older children into the Rice Center. Earlier, the State made a decision to discontinue to institutionalizing as many young children. N fr. Terry said the City Manager wrote the Director of DCFS asking that the City be notified of any changes in the types or ages of kids who would be placed in the facility. Mr. Terry discussed some of the options which CHASI talked about, and laid out some of the implications for the community. United Way Funds. itir. Terry said the United Way had to cut some agencies' funding levels for FY98-99. One of these was the hlcGaw YMCA. Mr. Terry reported that, in response, the i%icGaw Y sent out a fundraising letter last week to all of its members asking them to designate the NAICA for their contributions this year to the United Way. Mr. Terry said this is liable to stir up some controversy, and that he had spoken with several agency directors who had strong concerns about this approach. ESAPC. Mr. Saver reported the ESAPC did submit a proposal for prevention funds to DHS. It was a collaborative effort among a number of organizations. The community should hear about the request in early October vir Saver said that one part of the proposal was to put on a Family University He said there was strong interest in doing this, even if the proposal was not funded. This concept was implemented in the New Trier last year. A number of Evanston residents went to observe the event. The objective was to provide information and skill training for parents on ho« to deal «ith a wide range of contemporary issues with their kids ivir Saver said he came across a group of parents involved with the ETHS PTA who were discussing and planning a Family University at the same time the ESAPC was considering it. He said he invited a representative from that group tot the MHB Discussion Groups, and invited her to join the ESAPC to look at ways the groups could work together to put this on in the Spring.. September 17, 1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes Page 9 Minutes recorded - not yet approved ,fob Resources far the Disabled. Mr. Saver said he recently had contact with a relatively new agency in the community. Job Resources for the Disabled is located at the 828 Davis building, and has been providing local services for approximately 3'/2 years. They receive State funding through the Office of Developmental Disabilities in DHS. They have a small case load and provide some case management. Their major focus is to provide skiff training for jobs, and to help individuals with developmental disabilities find competitive employment. To date, they have had very little visibility in the Evanston community. Mr. Saver said that the MHB might be interested in hearing a presentation about the agency during the winter. Candidates Forum. Mr. Saver reminded the MHB about the Gubernatorial Candidates Forum on disability issues on Saturday, September 19 at the Evanston Civic Center. The MHB is sponsoring the event with I l statewide disability groups. Mr. Saver said they were expecting 150-175 people. Meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott September 17,1998 Manta! Health Boar _ . _.. _ d Meeting Minutes page 10 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, SEMMBER 17, 1999 1. Agreed to be a sponsor for the conference on mental health services and the elderly, to be held in spring 1999. September 17,1998 Mental Health Board Meeting Minutes _" - - ._ . page 11 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Lou Rowitz, Lonnie Wiebe, Susan Stroh, Paula Cofresi- Silverstein Presiding: Michael Kerns Staff: Jay Tent', Harvey Saver, Joan Barott Community Representatives: Alexander Brown (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services); Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services); Bill Pinsoff, Bill Russell, Don Jefferson (Family Institute); Stephanie Wright, Gilla Davis, Carolyn Fetterman, Lynn Barnett, Beverly Sternstein, Leslie Kaplan -Wellington, Liz Brumfield, Hank Schneider (Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Outpatient Psychiatry) Michael Kerns, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS The members of the audience introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Board. Mr. Saver distributed the following information: summary of requests for MHB funding; two year review of purchase of service agency performance outcomes; 3 year history of demographic data from MHB-funded programs; schedule of assignments for MHB allocation process. Mr. Kerns encouraged the Board members to confirm their assignments on the pink sheet. He reminded the MHB about the importance of the October 29 meeting. He said the Board would use that meeting to develop priorities and allocate funds to those priorities. This will provide direction for the staff in developing recommendations for program funding allocations. The Board will then review, revise and adopt funding recommendations at the November 12 meeting. Mr. Kerns commented about the MHB's letter to Governor Edgar regarding a stay of execution for Anthony Porter, an individual with a developmental disability. He said that along with letters from other organizations and individuals across the State the effort was successful. A temporary stay was granted by the Governor to further review issues involved. n. APPROVAL OF MINUTES SEPTEMBER 17, 1998 Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Stroh seconded a motion to approve the September 17, 1998 MHB October 8,1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved meeting minutes with minor corrections. Motion approved unanimously (5 aye - 0 no). M. AGENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES NTSW. Mr. Saver pointed out that NTSW received a three-year accreditation from CARF. Rice Community Counseling Services. Mr. Kerns asked staff for an update on Rice Community Counseling Services. Mr. Terry reviewed information provided by Rice in their correspondence to MHB members. He said the State changed their policies regarding placement of kids shortly after Children's Home and Aid Society open their newly remodeled residential facility. As a result CHASI was struggling financially with the status of the Rice Center. In order to make the operation a break even operation CHASI had to look at a number of options to restructure. One step the agency decided to take was to stop providing outpatient counseling services in the spring of 1999. This was an operation which CHASI always had to financially subsidize. As a result Rice Community Counseling Services elected not to seek funding from the Board. The MHB currently funds that program in the amount of $57,000. Mr. Kerns pointed out that in the MHB/United Way Discussion Groups there were a number of people who expressed concern about lack of therapeutic programs for young children. He said the MHB will have to consider whether to look to other agencies to provide the types of services which were provided by Rice. Mr. Terry said that one day care director he spoke with commented that she didn't think any service of for families of young children would be effective if it was not provided on site at the day care center. She said there was very little ability to get parents to go to another location to receive a social service. This provide barriers to accessibility. IV. AGENCY FUNDING HEARINGS Presentations by agencies requesting funds from the Mental Health Board for FY 1999-2000 were held in the following order: - Evanston Northwestern Healthcare / Department of Psychiatry - The Family Institute (The Working Notes from these hearings are available upon request from Mental Health Services. Contact Joan Barott at 866-2919 to obtain copies.) V. RESPONSE FROM CITY ATTORNEY TO MHB'S QUESTIONS Mr. Rowitz said he was disappointed that there was no attempt by the City Attorney to tie the October 8,1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 2 .1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved responses to the MHB's questions to State Statutes related to Mental Health Boards. He said the response seemed to focus on home rule serving as the mechanism to enable any city or town which has it to do what they want. Mr. Terry said it was his understanding that when the issue had previously been raised, the legal position of the City of Evanston was that Home Rule did allow the City to consolidate a number of the separate levies into the general revenue fund in the early 1980's. He said he understood that this was one of the Library Board's issues in their meetings with the Human Services Committee regarding the FY98-99 budget. This legal opinion was previously restated by the Corporation Counsel. Mr. Terry said the City Council indicated that they were very supportive of this. Mr. Rowitz said he thought the City was not acting in accord with the State statutes for establishing funds for Mental Health Boards. In response to questions, Mr. Terry said that he didn't think the MHB had received a legal opinion from the City Attorney. He said he thought the response was a historical review of a number of decisions and steps that have been taken by the City. He added that a number of the historical documents came from the MHB's files and were provided to the Corporate Counsel. Mr. Rowitz said he was concerned that the way the City develops the budget for the MHB does not seem to be related to the original 708 Board referendum. He indicated that he thought there were additional questions that needed to be answered, and said it appeared that the City was not in compliance with the State statutes for 708 Boards. V1. STAFF REPORT Mr. Saver reported the Gubernatorial Candidates Forum on Disability Issues went well. Approximately 175 people attended. People came from several counties to hear the presentations. Mr. Saver said plans are progressing with Aging Well Conference. It is currently scheduled for the second or third week of May, 1999. Mr. Terry reminded the MHB that, based upon Rice Community Counseling Services' decisions, it had $57,000 what was not allocated to an agency. He recommended that the MHB begin to think about how those funds would be allocated to priority areas in advance of the October 29 and November meetings. Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. October 8,1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Barott Page 3 .lb Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Ellen Reynolds, Susan Stroh, Mary Helt-Gavin, Lonnie Wiebe, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein Presiding: Michael Kerns Staff: Harvey Saver, Joel Kurzman Community Representatives: Alexander Brown (North Shore Senior Center); Sandra Stutnme, Mary McCormick (Metropolitan Family Services); Dorothy Lloyd -Still (Housing Options); Jennifer Moroz (Medill School of Journalism) Mr. Kerns called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. Mr. Kerns said the meeting was a special one called to enable the MHB to discuss the agency hearings regarding the funding requests, and to review and establish priorities for funding. He reminded the MHB that the latter step was a new one established to provide direction to the staff about how to develop recommendations for the allocation of funds by priority areas to agency programs. In the past, the MHB members did this. Mr. Kerns pointed out that they had already reviewed the information from the MHB-United Way Discussion Groups. Staff had provided the MHB the working notes from both of those group meetings in their packets. AGENCY BUDGET PRESENTATIONS Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought the presentations were, overall, clear and useful. She said she thought the NM and United Way should consider shortening the time for presentations by five to 10 minutes. Some presentations seemed to drag at the end. Ms. Wiebe said if the M1HB followed through on its plan to hear each agency only once every two years the hearings might not seem so long and might be more focused. Ms. Reynolds said there was a wide range in the length of time each of the hearing panel members had participated in the hearings. In particular, the United Way representatives were new to the October 24,1998 Mental Health Board Page 1 Special Meeting Minutes 41 Minutes recorded - not yet approved process. All of the panel members did not have the same background information about the agencies, During the hearings, some panel members had to spend more time reviewing basic information about what each agency did. As a result some hearing time probably seemed to drag or was repetitive for those members who had heard the agency funding requests for several years. FINDING PRIORITIES In response to Mr. Kerns' questions, Mr. Saver said the City Budget Office provided direction to develop FY99-2000 budgets with no increases. As a result the MHB should expect no increase in its community purchase of service funds, which are $421,000. Mr. Saver said this was the same amount the NM has had for the past six years, and approximately $20,000 less than was available eight years ago. Mr. Kerns asked what would need to be done to increase the total allocation? Mr. Saver said the Budget Office said that if there was a request for a new program or additional funds, the need would have to be thoroughly documented and justified to even be considered. He added that if the MHB chose to submit a budget with additional funds allocated for purchased services, they might want to consider developing two separate purchased service budgets: one that identified how additional funds would be allocated if they were available, and one that allocated the $421,000 to priorities. Ms. Helt-Gavin said the NM might want to consider how it might collaborate with the Human Services Committee (HSC) in funding human services. Mr. Kerns said this was something that they could discuss at the HSC meeting on November 2. The MHB will have an opportunity to express their priorities for the next fiscal year, how the dollars will be divided by priority area, and information from the discussion groups. Mr. Kerns asked the NM to consider how it wanted to establish its priorities? Ms. Wiebe said she looked at how the MHB had previously allocated its funds. She said she added up how much money that had been allocated to each of the MHB's core populations and thought this reflected what were the MHB's funding priorities. Based upon her calculations she thought the MHB's priorities in order were severe mental illness, substance abuse and developmental disabilities. Ms. Wiebe suggested that those should be the priorities, and that the programs known through the funding process be reviewed in context of those priorities. She said the MHB should be looking at what programs are serving which priorities, and are they meeting the needs. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she would suggest the same categories. She added, however, that she thought they were all of an equal priority. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the amounts funded in the past reflected historically the MHB's priorities. She reviewed her calculations and commented that this reflected the historical wisdom of the MHB in setting funding priorities. Mr. Saver said that it would be difficult to accurately categorize all of the NM's program allocations under each of the Board's core populations. In addition, the way in which the Board historically allocated October 24, 1998 Mental Health Board Page 2 Special Meeting Minutes Minutes recorded - not yet approved their funds was reflecting the programs for which the agencies asked for funding. This was because the MHB typically had not solicited specific program funding requests in response to established priorities. Mr. Kerns said the MHB also needed to consider the issues that the participants in the discussion groups raised. He said one area that received much attention was substance abuse. He said the comments from the groups raised the question for him about whether the current funds are having a sufficient impact and being spent in the right way. He added that they raised concerns about the lack of accessibility to medical detoxification. Ms. Wiebe said there were also many comments concerning the need for services for people with a dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental illness. In response to a question, Mr. Kerns said he did not want to focus on dollar allocations initially. He directed the MHB to focus upon priority concerns. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein raised concern about the need for medical detox in the community. She said if it were only available in places outside Evanston then people would not take advantage of it. She thought this might be the case particularly for youth. Ms. Reynolds expressed concern about any priority that would withdraw funds from existing substance abuse programs. This would create a gap. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought there were many substance abuse issues to which the N HB was not prepared to respond. It was not clear, for example, about how much need there was for detox, but concern was expressed that it was a problem area. She suggested that the MHB convene a meeting in the Winter or early Spring with substance abuse providers to get a better handle on what the unmet needs and problem areas are for substance abuse in the community. While the NM wanted to follow up on issues from the discussion groups, it was not clear what pieces are missing. As a follow-up to the discussion groups, there was a consensus for the ?#IHB to convene a round table discussion about substance abuse issues sometime in early 1999. Mr. Kerns said one issue raised during the hearings was the waiting list at PEER Services. He said he asked the Director of the agency what services they could purchase and at what cost to begin to deal with the waiting list. Ms. Wiebe asked whether enough services were being provided by PEER Services? Nis. Reynolds said she thought the agency was doing what it was capable of doing with the existing levels of funding. Ms. Wiebe said if the problems are not currently being met the rVM may want to consider putting more funds into the substance abuse area. N1r. Kerns said the MHB would have to first agree that substance abuse was a priority area this year. The other question was whether the MHB was spending its dollars on the necessary services for substance abuse. October 24, 1998 Mental Health Board Page 3 Special Meeting Minutes Minutes recorded - not yet approved In response to a question from Ms. Helt-Gavin, Mr. Saver provided information about the expanded resources being developed at CPM. He said the agency was trying to expand the Substance Abuse Case Manager to a full time position. In addition, their new outreach services funded through their HUD grant will have staff who are certified substance abuse counselors. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought the MHB should focus upon substance abuse because it is at the root of so many other problems, including dysfunctional family issues. Ms. Wiebe asked the MHB to consider funding for those populations which fall outside the traditional services, as well. Ms. Wiebe moved and Ms. Reynolds seconded a motion to adopt as a priority adult substance abuse, with a special emphasis upon people who are homeless, people who have a dual diagnosis, and low income families. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she was concerned that the priority would exclude youth who are substance abusers. She said she thought it was imperative that the MHB continues to support early intervention efforts and intervention with adults. Ms. Wiebe and Ms. Reynolds agreed to amend the motion to include all individuals with a substance abuse problem, and not just adults. Motion passed unanimously 5 aye - 0 no. Ms Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought the MHB should maintain its focus upon multi -problem families. She added that no matter what its composition, the family was still the focus of so many interventions clinically that the MHB needed to support families. Mr. Kerns said the issue encompassed many different issues. He said he thought the MHB could address the issues of multi -problem families in other priorities that might be considered. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought there was a strong need to set as a priority those efforts that deal with engagement around therapeutic issues in non-traditional, creative ways. She said the services had to be prepared to deal with and provide needed services to clients, whether or not the clients are necessarily receptive. She added that the emphasis should be upon specific problems that were not substance -abuse related. Ms. Reynolds said services were needed which reach out, as opposed to those that are office -based. The target population should be those who are fearful, resistant and cannot understand why they have to go to an office for help. (Ms. Stroh joined the meeting at 8:30 p.m.) Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought there was a need to provide family support and counseling, especially for youth who are high risk, and for parents who are dealing with multiple problems including health issues. The concern would be especially for those who have some degree of mental illness. Ms. Wiebe said she questioned whether the MHB's efforts to support outreach have been very successful. She added that she thought the focus should be to set priorities to shift funds away from psychotherapy and outreach, and provide more skill training, support for daily living skills and more causal, drop -in services for people with mental illness. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she did not agree, and thought there was a continued need for outreach October 24,1998 Mental Health Board Page 4 Special Meeting Minutes Minutes recorded - not yet approved and counseling. Ms. Wiebe said her priority would be support and training for persons with chronic mental illness. This would also include services that provide information and referral functions, and help the individual deal with accessibility issues. Ms. Reynolds said if the priority is chronic mental illness then the services needed may be those that help the individual to be maintained in their community setting, and help them avoid the need for more clinic -based services and hospitalization. An important part of this is education for the individual's family members, both to help them understand the disease and how they can support the individual. Ms. Wiebe said the services for individuals with chronic mental illness have to be easily and readily accessible, with no institutional barriers, and "on the streets." She said her preference would be to have something like a drop -in center model, which allows people to reach the services they need on their own terms. The model itself encourages people to come for the supports. Ms. Reynolds moved and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein seconded a motion to adopt as a priority families who have members who have a chronic mental illness. In discussion, Ms. Wiebe pointed out that this would exclude individuals with a mental illness who did not have any family. Without family supports the services are needed even more. Mr. Kerns made an amendment that was Accepted by both Ms. Reynolds and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein that the priority be individuals with chronic mental illness and their families. Motion passed unanimously 6 aye - 0 no. Ms. Stroh suggested that housing for all special populations be identified as a priority, especially individuals with developmental disabilities or mental illness. Ms. Wiebe said she thought housing for seniors who have chronic mental illness should be included in that. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought that housing as a priority should be something that gives the individual a long-term future, and not just a place off the streets. Ms. Stroh said housing should stand alone as a priority. There was discussion that housing as a priority was too inclusive. Mr. Kerns said he thought the MHB should see housing as a service that might be provided in context of the priorities that the MHB is adopting. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she was also concerned about the needs in day care settings for kids. She added that the MHB should have as a priority both support and special services for the population. Ms. Stroh said she would support services to children as a priority. Mr. Kerns said this area should include both mental illness and developmental disabilities. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said this should include kids with a severe emotional disorder (SED). Nis. Cofresi-Silverstein moved and Nis. Stroh seconded a motion to adopt as a priority area service to children with a developmental disability, developmental delay or severe emotional disorder. In response to Ms. Wiebe's question, Mr. Saver said that the category "high risk" was a priority that the MHB had adopted for use in funding its guidelines from about 1986 to 1992. The Board dropped the use of those guidelines for the 93-94 fiscal year. He said the MIM researched the term "high risk" extensively. They adopted it to describe individuals or families who had not October 24,1998 Mental Health Board Page 5 Special Meeting Minutes Minutes recorded - not yet approved received a formal mental health diagnosis. The thought was that this group needed services to avoid deterioration of their well-being in the community. They saw them as a group that might be seen later in the emergency room, a police lockup or a hospital unit if they did not receive any supports. The NM intended the priority to be preventive in its nature. Mr. Saver said that, while those funding guidelines were no longer being used, the MHB could choose to identify that area as a priority. However, other than in the funding guidelines, he did not think the category "high risk" had been adopted, Ms. Reynolds said the way they had made the motion, the population that they identified would have already received a formal diagnosis -- either SED, developmental disability or some type of developmental delay. Mr. Kerns said there were many comments in the MHB's discussion groups about the need for services for these populations in preschool and day care settings. Ms. Wiebe said she did not think this should be a priority. She thought what was being described was a. service problem. She said she did not want to sort out children separately from other high risk populations. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she thought it was a priority because it identified kids who might grow up to have more serious mental health problems later in life. Mr. Kerns added that the proposed priority identified children at an age when they could be helped the most. Motion passed 5 aye (Stroh, Kerns, Cofresi-Silverstein, Helt-Gavin, Reynolds) - 1 no (Wiebe). Ms. Wiebe asked for information about the area of developmental disabilities. Mr. Saver said the number of providers was limited. He provided an overview of some of the comments made at SHORE's funding hearing. He said that the agency reported that they had a waiting list for housing which someone could be on for a very long time. However, priority is placed on Evanston residents, so they go to the head of the list except in cases of emergencies. SHORE's housing programs are not growing, largely because the State has not made available new CII.A slots. SHORE reported that their school program continues to see kids with increasingly severe levels of disability as school districts carry out inclusion plans in their classrooms. The agency reported that their financial situation in the school had stabilized a bit from the previous year. They are still having difficulties with the State's two-year delay in adjusting reimbursement rates. Mr. Saver said the other agency the MIM relates to that works with persons with developmental disabilities is St. Francis. Their clinic has been providing counseling for this population. Some of these individuals have a developmental disability and who also have a mental health problem. Ms. Wiebe moved and Mr. Reynolds seconded a motion to adopt developmental disabilities as a priority. Motion passed unanimously 6 aye - 0 no. There was a consensus decision to expand the priority identified for individuals with chronic mental illness to include all services. Mr. Kerns took a straw poll of the MHB and determined that there were no additional priorities that individuals wanted to identify. October 24,1998 Mental Health Board Page ti Special Meeting Minutes Minutes recorded - not yet approved PRIORITY FUNDING ALLOCATIONS Mr. Kerns reviewed the four priorities identified by the MHB. He said they would have to allocate their funds to each of the priority areas to give staff direction. The staff will then develop recommendations for individual program allocations. Mr. Kerns proposed to allocate funds in the following manner: #1 Individuals with Substance Abuse Problems S160,000 #2 Individuals with Chronic Mental Illness and Their S160,000 Families #3 Children with Developmental Disabilities and $50,000 Delays, and Severe Emotional Disorders #4 Developmental Disabilities $50,000 Total $420.000 Ms. Reynolds said she thought more funds should be allocated to #1 because it is such an encompassing problem. She recommended increasing the allocation for #1 to $200,000 and decreasing the allocation for #2 to $120,000. Ms. Stroh and Ms. Reynolds said they favored allocating more money to #2. Ms. Stroh suggested that the allocation for Chronic Mental Illness be increased to $200,000. Ms. Helt- Gavin said she would support that move, and thought $160,000 was the minimum she could support for that category. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she was also in favor of increasing the allocation for Chronic Mental IIlness. Ms. Wiebe suggested that the figures be adjusted to allocate $100,000 to Substance Abuse; $250,000 to Chronic Mental Illness; $50,000 to Developmental Disabilities; and $20,000 for Children with DD and SED. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she could not support an allocation that low for Children with DD and SED. Ms. Stroh moved and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein seconded a motion to allocate funds to priority areas as follows: October 24,1998 Mental Health Board — Page 7 Special Meeting Minutes Minutes recorded - not yet approved #1 Individuals with Substance Abuse Problems $120,000 #2 Individuals with Chronic Mental Illness and Their 5200,000 Families #3 Children with Developmental Disabilities and 550,000 Delays, and Severe Emotional Disorders #A Developmental Disabilities 550,000 Total S420,000 In discussion Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein expressed concern that the allocation for Children was insufficient. Ms. Stroh made an amendment to her motion and changed the allocation for Substance Abuse to $100,000, and for Children with DD and SED to $70,000. Ms. Cofresi- Silverstein accepted the amendment. In response to a question about how to respond to the closing of Rice Community Counseling Services, W. Kerns said that staff would have to review the priorities and develop funding recommendations. They will need to factor in the Rice closure in developing recommendations for allocations. Motion passed unanimously 6 aye - 0 no. Respectfully submitted, 46"C71L L Harvey D. Saver Assistant Director October 24,1998 Mental Health Board Special Meeting Minutes Page 8 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1999 In separate motions, the Mental Health Board adopted the following global priorities and allocations for FYI 999-2000: Priority Area Individuals with Substance Abuse Problems (special focus upon persons with a dual diagnosis, people who are homeless, families affected by substance abuse) Individuals with Chronic Mental Illness and Their Families (All services, but an emphasis upon outreach, accessibility to services, psycho educational services, training and support in daily activities; less emphasis upon psychotherapy) Services for Children: Developmental Delays, Severe Emotional Disorders, Developmental Disabilities Services for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Allocation $100,000 $200,000 $70,000 $50,000 Total $420,000 October 24,1998 Mental Health Board page 9 Special Meeting Minutes Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Louis Rowitz, Lonnie Wiebe, Mary Helt-Gavin, Susan Stroh, Ellen Reynolds, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein Presiding: Michael Kerns Staff: Harvey Saver, Joan Barott, Joel Kurzman Community Representatives: Sandi Johnson, Alexander Brown (North Shore'Senior Center); Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services); Bob Roy (Evanston Community Defender); Dorothy Lloyd -Still (Housing Options); Lucinda Nieto (League of Women Voters) Michael Kerns, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:50 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS Mr. Kerns ask the guests to introduce themselves and they were welcomed by the Mental Health Board. 11. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OCTOBER 29, 1998 GIs. Wiebe moved and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the October 29, 1998 meeting. Approved unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). M. ADOPTION OF NIHB FY99-2000 BUDGET Mr. Kerns reviewed the decisions the NM made in establishing priorities at the October 29, 1998 NM meeting. He said the Board directed staff to recommend funding for programs based upon the following allocation of funds to priority areas; Substance Abuse (S 100,000), Chronic Mental Illness ($200,000), Children's Mental Health Services ($70,000), and Individuals with Developmental Disabilities ($50,000). Mr. Rowitz said the agencies did not write their grant proposals with those priorities in mind. He November 12, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not yet approved asked how the MHB can justify applying those priorities after the proposals were written? He pointed out that, as a result of those priorities, there were three programs which were not being recommended for funding. Mr. Kerns explained that the MHB had hoped to kick off the new allocation process earlier in the year. The Board was not able to convene the Discussion Groups and follow up discussion until September. As a result the agencies submitted their proposals without the benefit of what the MHB's priorities would be. Mr. Kerns said, however, that the MHB did indicate in a memo to the agencies that the MHB was trying to make some changes, and that they were considering new priorities. He acknowledged that the agencies did write their proposals without knowing specific priorities. Mr. Rowitz said he thought the MHB couldn't hold the agencies responsible for not being able to read the Board's mind. He said he did not want to punish those agencies which did not fall under a priority area this year. He suggested adding another category in fairness to the agencies which submitted grants. Ms. Wiebe said, based upon the material provided by staff for the meeting, the category "high risk" would be a relevant priority to include. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she was in agreement and recommended that the MHB adopt that category at this meeting so allocations could be made to programs under that priority. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein moved and Ms. Wiebe seconded a motion to adopt the category High Risk as a fifth funding priority for FY1999- 2000. In response to a question, Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she was using the term "High Risk" as it was defined in Nif-IB Procedure 8-87-C. Mr. Rowitz requested that the following definition be included as a part of the motion so that all who read the Minutes will know exactly what the MHB means by "High Risk". High Risk is defined as: "Individuals orfamilies who have received no formal mental health diagnosis, and for whom a lack of services may lead to deterioration of emotional, physical and psychological well-being, or threaten one's ability to be independently sustained in the community. Situations may include problems in parent - child and/or family relationships, impaired social functioning and/or emotional problems." Mr. Kerns said he thought the priorities already established were not very different from what the MHB had historically funded. He said the Board's initial recommendations still funded close to what were the NIIIB's mandated populations. He added that the agencies did have some notice that the NM was going to make changes Motion passed unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). Ms. Cofresi Silverstein said the Board's priorities should be used for several years, rather than changing them every year There was a consensus in the discussion that the NM would need time to see how the priorities are working. Ivis. Cofresi-Silverstein moved and Mr. Rowitz seconded a motion to use the rive funding priorities for two fiscal years, FY1999-2000 and lyY2000-2001. Ms Wiebe said she was concerned that other issues might arise which the tVM would need to deal with. She said she wasn't sure that a two year period would work in all cases. Ms. Cofresi- November 12, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Silverstein said the MHB could still be flexible, while not having to work on generating new priority issues every year. Mr. Rowitz said he thought one additional area of concem to be dealt with was adolescent mental health, but said this could be covered under Childretfs Services. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein suggested reclassifying the priority "Children and Adolescents." Ms. Wiebe said she did not want to add "Adolescents" to the category because the information provided in the discussion groups was regarding specific groups of young children. Ms. Reynolds said she was in agreement because the MHB was trying to take up the slack from a closing program that specifically was dealing with young children. She said she thought the category should remain youth who were 0-8 years of age. Mr. Saver said the information Mr. Kurzman had been receiving about Rice's current case load indicated that over 40% of the children being served would fall into that age category. He indicated that specific population could be handled through an RFP, if the MHB chose to move in that direction. Mr. Kerns said he was concerned that the Board was looking at the issue from the perspective of agencies and programs, rather than from what the priorities should be. He said he thought the MHB could later change how funds were allocated to the priorities, or could add an additional priority in response to changing issues. He said he was concerned, however, that the discussion about priorities seemed to be about making sure no agency or program was eliminated from the funding mix rather than what the priorities were. Mr. Kerns said the new funding process was intended to insure that populations and priorities were protected Motion passed unanimously (7 aye - O no). Mr. Kerns said the NM had initially allocated its entire amount of $421,000 to the original four priorities. He asked the MHB how they proposed to fund programs under the High Risk category' Ms. Wiebe proposed to use some of the balance of funds which staff had not yet recommended for allocation. Mr. Rowitz said he thought that was a good idea, but indicated he wanted to reserve a portion of those funds for some new initiatives. 1vfs. Stroh said she was concerned that the NM needed to respond to the closure of Rice. The program had received $57.000 from the iViI-iS, and this supported a program which provided a lot of service for children. She said she wanted the staff recommendation of $28,000 to respond to the "Rice gap" be retained for children's mental health services. Ms. Wiebe said she could agree but didn't want the money identified under a priority area which was tightly constrained by who could be served with the funding She suggested that the money be identified under High Risk and be allocated for young children's services. Ms. Wiebe also said she thought the Board could allocate the funds at this meeting rather than issuing an UP. Ms. Stroh said she thought the Board should solicit proposals from the community to be able to see that a new service was being provided, rather than an existing program being more fully funded. In response to Ms Wiebe's question, Mr. Saver said the NM would need to decide at this meeting if it wanted to do an UP for children's mental health services as was being described. He said he thought the NM would need to be able to identity an agency to receive the funding and provide the services during the City's budget process. Mr. Saver said he had already spoken with a November 12. 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not yet approved number of agencies about the possibility that the MHB might be looking for some targeted children's services. Ms. Stroh said she thought that if an UP was pursued it should be for services that were able to be provided at both the home and school. She said she was aware that St. Francis Hospital, Metropolitan Family Services and The Family Institute were all going in that direction. Mr. Saver said that he had spoken with the Director of Metropolitan Family Services about services for the nursery school -population. She said that up until this point her agency had not pursued services in day care centers because they would have been duplicating services and stepping on the toes of Rice Community Counseling Services. Ms. Wiebe said she thought the MHB would need to be specific as to what their wishes were if they requested proposals to provide a service for young children. In response to Ms. Helt-Gavin, Mr. Saver said there were some programs that the MHB does not fund that might have an interest in providing these services. He said Childcare Network of Evanston already has received some one-time funding from the State under a Quality Enhancement Grant to purchase special'services for children in the day care centers. Ms. Wiebe added that Metropolitan Family Services has a program for children's mental health services that the MHB does not fund. She said she did not know if it was fully funded. Mr. Kerns asked for a motion regarding the proposal for children's services. NIs. Wiebe moved and Mr. Rowitz seconded a motion to move a total of S73,000 to fund High Risk, tatting S28,000 from Children's Mental Health Services and S45,000 from Chronic Mental Illness. Mr. Rowitz said his interest was in using S50,000 of this amount for services under High Risk and reserve the remaining 523,000 for a children's service initiative as was being discussed by the Board. Ms. Reynolds said she was concerned about putting such a large amount into a safety net category like High Risk. She explained that it would mean that the NM had made no change in the way it was funding. ti1r Rowitz said he was in agreement with Ms. Reynolds, and indicated that he thought the High Risk category was intended to be used for only one year to avoid punishing any agencies. He added that he thought it was a very nebulous category. Ms. Helt- Gavin said she thought it would be easier to determine what to do about High Risk after making some initial funding decisions about other priority areas. At Ms. Helt-Gavin's request Ms. Wiebe and 1Ir. Rowitz agreed to table the motion. Nir Kerns reviewed the staff recommendations for the priority of Substance Abuse. Ms. Stroh said she would like to see more new funding given for adolescent treatment that adult treatment at PEER Services Mr. Saver said that the staff recommendation was that all the new handing for treatment services at PEER Services be for :adolescent Treatment. He said based upon his discussions with the agency director, the additional funding for that program would enable the agency to provide sufficient, additional clinical time to greatly minimize the waiting list for Evanston kids for treatment :Mr. Rowitz moved and INIs. Stroh seconded a motion to allocate funds for the Substance Abuse priority as follows: November 12, 1998 MH8 Meeting Minutes Page 4 r Minutes recorded - not yet approved _.. _ Agency . CPM Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services Metropolitan Family Services PEER Services PEER Services PEER Services St. Francis Hospital St. Francis Hospital Pmrram Allocation Substance Abuse Case Manager S9,000 Senior Case Management S2,000 Family Support and Prevention S5,000 Early Intervention S18,000 Adult Treatment S47,500 Adolescent Treatment S10,000 Addiction Recovery Center S7,500 Adult & Child/Adolescent OP Cotuiseling $1,000 TOTAL 3100,000 Motion passed unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). Mr. Kerns reviewed the staff recommendations for funding under the category for Developmental Disabilities. In response to Ms. Wiebe's question, Mr. Saver said that all of the funds were being recommended for allocation to SHORE in this category because that was the only priority under which those programs could receive funding. There were two or three other programs which also provide support or counseling services for individuals with developmental disabilities in their array of services. However, all of those programs were able to be fully funded through the other priorities under which they fell. Mr. Rowitz moved and Nis. Helt-Gavin seconded a motion to allocate funds for the Developmental Disability priority area as follows: Agency I SHORE: Community Services SHORE: Community_ Services Program Residential Services Shore School / Dav Services TOTAL Motion passed unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). IAllocation $26,000 S24,000 S50,000 Mr. Kerns reviewed the staff recommendations for funding under the category for Children's ,dental Health Services. Nls. Cofresi-Silverstein said she wanted to allocate additional funds to the Evanston Community Defender under this category. She said she wanted to reward their outreach activities with adolescents. Nir. Rowitz said additional funding could be provided under the High Risk category. November 12, 1998 MHO Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not yet approved In response to Ms. Helt-Gavin's comments, the MHB discussed the possibility of trading funding for different programs based upon priorities. Ms. Helt-Gavin said it was too late in the process to try to coordinate that type of an effort. However, it was something which occasionally happened during the UBP Process. She said there were some programs which the Aldermen or the United Way aright be more likely to want to fund. The NM could trade the funding of those programs and pick up funding for programs which were more specifically mental health functions. Mr. Rowitz moved and his. Stroh seconded a motion to allocate funds for the Children's Services priority as follows: Arenev Evanston Community Defender Metropolitan Family Services St. Francis Hospital Program Atlocatim Social Work Services $2,000 Family Support and Prevention $32,000 Adult & Child/Adolescent OP Counseling S8,000 TOTAL S42,000 Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein made a friendly amendment to allocate S4,000 for the Evanston Community Defender. The amendment was accepted by both Mr. Rowitz and Ms. Stroh. Motion approved unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Wiebe seconded a motion to shift the balance ofS26,000 in the Children's Services priority to the High Risk priority. Ms. Stroh said she was in support of the motion. She said she wanted the balance of the funds available specifically for children's mental health services which did not have the strict guidelines of SED, DD or developmental delays which were used in the Children's Services priority. Motion approved unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). .vlr Kerns reviewed the staff recommendations for the Chronic Mental Illness priority. Ms. Helt- Gavin suggested increasing the proposed allocation for Housing Options by S5,000. There was a consensus on the NM to increase that allocation. Mr. Rowitz moved and Nis. Helt-Gavin seconded a motion to allocate Funds for the Chronic tMental illness priority as follows: Agencv Evanston Community Defender Program Social Work Servtccs Evanston/Skokic Valley Senior Services Senior Case Management E%anstotvSkoktc Valley Senior Servtces Senior Counseling Cvanston Hospital ACCESS IAllocation $2.000 S8,000 $17,000 S4.000 November 12. 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Evanston Hospital Evanston Hospital Evanston Hospital Housing Options Housing Options Housing Options NTS W St. Francis Hospital/Comp. M 4C St. Francis Hospital/Comp. MHC Crisis Intervention S46,000 Outpatient Psychotherapy S22,000 Catalyst S4,000 Residential Services - Home First S6,500 Residential Services - Bell House S3,500 SHIP Independent Living S13,000 First Step S8,000 Psych Care - Mentally III S16,000 Adult dt Child/Adolescent OP Counseling S12,000 TOTAL S 162,000 Motion passed unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Wiebe seconded a motion to shift the balance of $38,000 in the Chronic Mental Dlness priority to the High Risk priority. Motion approved unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). Mr. Saver pointed out that the MI IB had a total of $65,000 available for the High Risk priority.' This included $64,000 which was shifted from other priorities, and $I,000 which was not allocated to priorities at the October 29 meeting. Mr. Kerns said the High Risk priority under which the programs which had not received an allocation would be most likely to be considered. iVlr Rowitz talked about the strong services provided by Family Focus. However, the program seems to not be mental health -related in its focus. He said for that reason he did not think the MHB should allocate funds to the program. Mr. Kerns said he was in agreement with the comments and thought this was important to consider if the MFM was going to be able to make changes in its priorities and target specific mental health priorities. He said he thought Family Focus was worthy of support. but ought to be more generally focused upon by the United Way and the Cite tits. Wiebe said she was in agreement, but thought it was fair to the agencies to not cut any of their programs entirely without their having been able to respond to the Board's priorities in their proposals. In response to Ms. Wiebe's question, Mr. Saver said there was no information yet about the United Way's allocations. They will not develop their allocations until they complete their Winter allocation process in 1999. He said the City Council would be developing their funding allocations the following Monday evening. Nis Stroh said she wanted to fund services under the High Risk priority to partially replace what services were being provided by Rice Community Counseling Services. She suggested that the November 12. 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorded - not yet approved MHB set aside funds for an UP with community agencies to provide those services. Ms. Stroh moved and Ms. Belt -Gavin seconded a motion to allocate $26,000 for broad mental health services for children and their families. Ms. Stroh said that there had to be a strong emphasis upon accessibility to services. She said the services would have to be available at schools or at homes. She suggested that the population be defined through the age of 15. Ms. Wiebe said she was in support of the motion but wanted the emphasis to be upon a younger population. She said that, based upon the comments in the Discussion Groups, the focus should be upon the preschool population. She added that she thought the amount of money was not going to be able to cover a Iarge group, and that there were more services already available in Evanston for adolescents. Mr. Rowitz suggested that the work should be with children before the age of 7, in order to get them before they have been labeled in the schools. There was a consensus of the MHB to target children younger than 7 years of age and their families for this initiative. Motion passed unanimously (7 aye - 0 no), Mr. Kerns asked Ms. Stroh to chair a task force to put together a request for proposals for the mental health services for children and their families. Mr. Kerns said there was a balance of S39,000 to allocate in the High Risk category. Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Reynolds seconded a motion to allocate funds in the High Risk priority to each of the programs which had yet not been recommended for funding as follows: ,...,,, _,. _ _.... Arncv ._.,...._,.., ... „ . ,,.._ Program ....._ _._ .,..., _,�, _Allocation Family Focus Pregnant & Parenting Teen Program S13,000 1 The Family Institute Therapy Services S 13,000 Metropolitan Family Services Family Development 513,000 TOTAL 539,000 N1s. Wiebe said she wanted to recommend changing the proposed allocation. She said she wanted to take the funds from The Family Institute and allocate them to Evanston Hospital to encourage the work they are doing at CPy1's homeless shelter by providing psychiatric services on site. She added that it was encouraging to see the hospital have a more community -based focus to their services, and wanted to see the INIH13 provide more support to mental health services in community -based settings NIs Helt-Gavin said she was in support of Is Wiebe's comments regarding Evanston Hospital's work at the CPNI shelter. She said she was impressed to hear the comments at the Discussion Groups about bringing services to the shelter. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought Dr. Brumfield's work was exciting, and was pleased to hear that Evanston Hospital was being responsive. Nis. Helt-Gavin said, however, it might be premature for the Nm to fund the service. Nlr Saver said he was concerned about allocating additional funding to Evanston Hospital for their shelter services at this time. He said the arrangement is based upon contract work provided by one of the hospital's staff in their individual practice. He said CPI's contract is with Dr. November 12, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes page 8 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Brumfield for a specific number of hours of service on -site. Some of the individuals are later picked up at the hospital's outpatient clinic after they leave the shelter. In addition, Dr. Brumfield will be supervising two psychiatric residents who will be doing a training rotation at the shelter. Their time will be paid for by the hospital, while Dr. Brunfield's time is being fully funded through the McKinney funds received by CPM. Mr. Saver said that the program was only 3 months old. Everyone who is involved has expressed a great deal of satisfaction with the effort, but Mr. Saver said he has not heard anything about attempting to expand the service yet. He said he thought it was an effort worth watching and seeing how it develops. He said, however, that CPM has the contract for the services. It is not clear that there would be any additional services provided by giving additional funds at this point to Evanston Hospital. Ms. Wiebe said she wanted to encourage the process that has developed between CPM and Evanston Hospital. She said the most encouraging thing was to see one of the psychiatric services in town provide services for the population with chronic mental illness in a setting which was community -based rather than clinic -based, and more easily accessible. Ms. Wiebe said she was looking for ways to support and encourage mental health services which had a community - based thrust. Ms. Wiebe asked whether Mr. Saver had any suggestions about how encourage the initiative between CPNI and Evanston Hospital without allocating dollars, and how to recognize services which were easier for clients to access.. Mr. Saver said the NM has already allocated significant new funds to CPM to help make sure that the Substance Abuse Case Manager can be fully funded as a full-time position. In addition, CPNI is preparing to start up their HUD -funded program which will provide extensive outreach services from the shelter. This program will start at the beginning of January. The staff have been hired and they are meeting with all the psychiatric agencies in the community. Mr. Saver suggested that the NM send communications to both CPNI and Evanston Hospital to Iet them know that the NiI-1B supports their new relationship in providing psychiatric services in community -based settings, and to eccourage them to continue in a direction of providing additional services in a more accessible fashion in the community. There was a consensus of the NIHB to send letters of support to each organization. In response to NIr Rowitz's original motion, Ms Cofresi-Silverstein said she wanted to allocate additional funds to Family Focus. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she was in agreement and did not want to allocate that balance of High Disk funds evenly to the three programs. %Ir Kerns suggested that the funds be split between The Family Institute and Family Focus. He said he was anticipating that the Metropolitan Family Services' (NIFS) Family Development Program would benefit from the set aside of $26,000 NIs Stroh said she was concerned about not recommending funding for %IFS's program. She said last year the 11-M was critical of the program and reduced funding. %IFS did what the Board requested and revised their program to respond to the MHB's concerns. They have provided the community with wonderful services and done everything the Board asked of them. She said the %IHB should not be indefinite in responding to their funding request at this point She urged the Board to make a specific commitment of funds at this meeting. November 12. 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 9 Minutes recorded - not yet approved Ms. Heft -Gavin said she was in favor of allocating S20,000 to Family Focus and S 19,000 to NOS. Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein said she was concerned that The Family Institute would not be supported at all. Mr. Rowitz also questioned the lack of support for The Family Institute. He said he thought that agency was doing what the UM was looking for in its definition of High Risk. He added that he was not sure Family Focus was dealing with mental health issues specifically, while The Family Institute seemed to be. Thby are providing mental health services for an at risk population. Ms. Wiebe said she was not in agreement with the comments about The Family Institute. She added that she thought the consideration should be about dividing the funds between programs dealing with High Risk priorities, and not how well programs compare with each other under a strict mental health category. Ms. Reynolds offered a friendly amendment to the initial motion, which was accepted, and recommended the allocation of funds in the High Risk priority as follows: Agency Family Focus The Family institute Ivtetropolitan Family Services Program A1locatlon Pregnant & Parenting Teen Program $17,000 Therapy Scmices S11,000 Family Development $11,000 TOTAL S391000 Motion approved 4 aye (Rowitz, Reynolds, Wiebe, Cofresi-Silverstein) - 3 no (Heft -Gavin, Kerns, Stroh). %fr. Kerns directed staff to develop correspondence to all of the agencies explaining the MHB's funding process and allocations. fir. Saver provided a revised budget for FY1999-2000 for Mental Health Administration.' Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Helt-Gavin seconded a motion to adopt the FY1999-2000 budget for Mental Health Administration. Motion approved unanimously (7 aye - 0 no). `ieeting was adjourned at 1010 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joan &f. Barott November 12. 1998 MHI3 Meeting Minutes Pape 10 Minutes recorded - not yet approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, NOVEM 3ER 12, 1998 1. Agreed to adopt the category High Risk as a fifth funding priority for FY1999-2000. Ktgh Risk is defined as: "Individuals or families who have received no formal mental health diagnosis, and for whom a lack of services may lead to deterioration of emotional, physical and psychological well-being, or threaten one's ability to be independently sustained in the community. Situations may include problems in parent -child and/or family relationships, impaired social functioning and/or emotional problems. " 2. 3 4 Agreed to use the five funding priorities for two fiscal years, FY1999-2000 and FY2000- 2001. Allocated funds for the Substance Abuse priority as follows: Agcnizv __.....Profram Allocation CPM Substance Abuse Case Manager S9,000 Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services Senior Case Management $2,000 Metropolitan Family Services Family Support and Prevention S5,000 PEER Services Early Intervention S 18,000 PEER Services Adult Treatment S47,500 PEER Services Adolescent Treatment S10,000 St. Francis Hospital addiction Recovery Center S7,500 St. Francis Hospital Adult & Child/Adolescent OP Counseling S 1,000 TOTAL S100,000 -\llocated funds for the Developmental Disability priority area as follows: SHORE- Community Scrvtces SHORE: Community Services November 12, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Program Residential Services Shore School / Day Services TOTAL 4 Allocation S26.000 S24,000 S50,000 Page 11 Minutes recorded - not yet approved 5. Allocated funds for the Children's Services priority as follows: Q 7 8 Airencv Prorram Allmattion Evanston Community Defender Social Work Services 54,000 Metropolitan Family Services Family Support and Prevention 532,000 St. Francis Hospital Adult & Child/Adolescent OP Counseling $8,000 TOTAL S44,000 Agreed to shift the balance of $26,000 in the Children's Services priority to fund the High Risk priority. Allocated funds for the Chronic Mental Illness priority as follows: Agenev Propimm Evanston Community Defender Social Work Semites Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services Senior Case Management Evamton/Skokie Valley Senior Services Senior Counseling g Evanston Hospital ACCESS Evanston Hospital Evanston Hospital Evanston Hospital Housing Options Housing Options Housing Options VTSW St. Francis HuspitaKomp MHC St Francis Huspital/Comp %WC Crisis Intervention Outpatient Psychotherapy Catalyst Residential Services - Home First Residential Services - Bell House SHIP Independent Living First Step Patch Care - Mentally 111 Adult & Child/Adolescent OP Counseling TOTAL Allocation $2,000 58,000 S 17,000 54,000 546,000 $22,000 54,000 $6,500 53,500 S 13,000 58,000 S 16,000 S 12,000 S 162,000 Shined the balance of 533,000 in the Chronic Mental illness priority to the High Risk priority 9 :allocated S26,000 for an RFP for mental health services for children and their families. November 12, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 12 Minutes recorded - not yet approved 10. Allocated funds for the High Risk priority as follows: Ara" Family Focus The Family Institute Metropolitan Family Services Profane Pregnant & Parenting Teen Program Therapy Services Family Development TOTAL Alleeaflon $17,000 S11,000 $11,000 S39,000 11. Adopted the FY1999-2000 budget for Mental Health Administration as amended. November 12, 1995 MHH Meeting Minutes page 13 .: Minutes recorded - not approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1998 Members Present: Michael Kerns, Louis Rowitz, Mary Helt-Gavin, Susan Stroh, Marsha Mehen, Paula Cofresi-Silverstein Presiding: Michael Kerns Staff: Harvey Saver, Joan Barott, Joel Kurzman Community Representatives: Marguerite Adelman (School District #65); Sandi Johnson (North Shore Senior Center); Sandra Stumme (Metropolitan Family Services) Mr. Kerns called the meeting to order at 7:45 p.m. I. INTRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY COMMENTS Mr. Kerns introduced the newest MHB member, Marsha Mehen, who gave a brief history of her personal and business background. The MHB members introduced themselves to Ms. Mehen and gave a brief history of their backgrounds. The members of the audience introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Board. 11. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OCTOBER 8 AND NOVEMBER 12, 1998 Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Gavin seconded a motion to approve the October 8, 1998 minutes. Motion approved unanimously (6 aye - 0 no). Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Gavin seconded a motion to approve the November 12, 1998 minutes. I'vlotion approved unanimously (6 aye - 0 no). III, REVIEW PROPOSED RFP FOR CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Mr. Saver said the proposed RFP in the packet was a working draft. He said Mr. Kurzman has been organizing the materials. Mr Saver said he talked with Dr. Peter Nierman, Director of Office of Mental Health's (OMH) Metro C&A Network about Rice's OMH funding. He said Dr. Nierman was willing December 10, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 1 Minutes recorded - not approved to work with the MHB in the allocation of fitnds for children's mental health services. Dr. Nierman indicated he would accept a recommendation from the MHB for how Rice's $22,O00 allocation in State funding could continue to be utilized for children's services within the Evanston community. Mr. Saver said, as a result, the RFP was being written to coordinate the OMH and MHB funding. The OMH's funds will not be available until July 1, 1999, while the MHB's funds will be available March 1, 1999. Mr. Kurzman reviewed the structure and purpose of the RFP. He said, based upon the MHB's earlier decisions, the focus was upon children younger than seven years of age. He said he spoke with staff at Rice, the Childcare Network and other Evanston agencies to identify the needs and potential gaps in services after Rice's closing. Mr. Kurzman said the source of the funding would determine who could apply for the funds. However, an agency could apply for either or both sources of funds. The MHB dollars will be for counseling and therapeutic services. The OMH funds will provide for diagnostic and assessment services. In response to a question, Mr. Saver said Dr. Nierman indicated the OMH funds would have to be specifically for agencies which are already funded by OMH to provide services for children and adolescents in Evanston. There are four agencies which fall into this category. They are all Medicaid - certified and accredited by one of the organizations that the State has identified. The MHB funds would be available to any agency that would otherwise be eligible for MHB funding. Mr. Rowitz said he thought there was a problem with the way the RFP was written. He said the MHB made a decision the services should be family centered, and wasn't sure that came across in the document. He added that if the services are intended to family centered then "play therapy" should be taken out. Mr. Rowitz said it should also be clarified about who was eligible for funding if only the OMH-funded agencies could apply for both funding sources, or in partner with another agency. He indicated that part of the proposal lacked focus. Ms. Stroh said she and Nis. Cofresi-Silverstein had a meeting with Cate Grund from Rice this past week. They were collaborating on work with a family whose kids had grown up using ECDC's - and later Rice's - services. She said it made her realize how Rice's services were going to be missed. There are families with children currently being seen at Rice that the MHB should also be concerned about. Ms. Stroh asked whether Rice has designated agencies that their current caseload will be turned over to. Nis. Gavin also expressed concern regarding this. She asked whether the MHB was looking at agencies specifically to provide those programs? She said she thought the existing funds should follow these existing families. Ms. Stroh said that once Rice started with a family, if there were several siblings they also tried to assist them. Mr. Saver said that there were going to be limitations on what could be accomplished through the RFP. He said the MHB had only set aside about 40% of what they previously allocated to Rice. Even with the OMH funds, the total was substantially less than what the services actually cost CHASI to operate Rice. That was one of the reasons that the agency decided to close the counseling program. Mr. Saver December 10, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 2 Minutes recorded - not approved said that the MHB should not have the expectation that the same range of services was going to be provided, when the total amount of money available in the RFP was about 15% of Rice's total operating budget. He said he was not yet aware of Rice's transition plans, but he was aware they were being discussed. Rice will continue to do intake until mid -February, 1999. Their doors would then close for good in May. The RFP was not being written with the idea that the funded agency would accept all of Rice's current caseload. If that were the case, the entire "new program" would be taken over by Rice's caseload. In addition, the MHB's focus for its RFP was children younger than 7 years of age. Rice's current population includes kids who are older an this. Regardless of the MHB's funding plans, Rice would still have to work with their clients and with other agencies to develop a transition or termination plan. Mr. Saver added, however, the RFP would indicate that the MHB expected the funded agency(s) to coordinate with Rice regarding their transition plans. Mr. Rowitz said that the description of the use of the $22,000 from OMH was creating a case management approach that will facilitate the schools and the agencies working as partners with the family. He said he thought there were ways to create the linkages, but did not see this in the draft RFP. He made some suggestions for additional language in the document to ensure that the services were family focused. Ms. Stroh said it seemed that the RFP was not creating much of a change from what services Rice was currently offering. She thought it was appropriate that the MHB was concerned about the gap created by the loss of that agency's services, but said she still thought there was a need for an older upper age boundary. Mr. Rowitz said the MHB's $26,000 for child therapy was appropriate. He suggested that the types of treatment not be stipulated, and that be left up to the agency as it was appropriate. He pointed out where the language in the proposed UP was inconsistent. He said he wanted to be sure that parents were to be considered as members of the treatment team, and that family sessions might be used prior to beginning the therapy as a means to evaluating the situation. Mr. Rowitz said he had some difficulty understanding; how the agency receiving the OMH funding, which focused upon assessments and evaluations in class setting, would link with the services funded by the MHB. He said he thought there was a way to do this, and that extensive outreach to create partnerships with schools and day care centers was a good way to provide an integrated program of care for kids with sever emotional difficulties. He wanted to be sure that the RFP emphasized that the MHB was encouraging linkage between the schools and agencies. Mr. Saver said the RFP document in the packet was a working draft, and that some of the issues mentioned had already been dealt with. He said it was ONIH's prerogative about how their funds were to be spent. Mr. Saver said Dr. Nierman indicated that he would be willing to fund the consultation and assessment services. This would allow all of the MHB's funds to provide direct, therapeutic services. Mr. Saver said, however, language was being included to indicate that if an agency was applying for only one source of funds, they would have to indicate how they were going to coordinate their services with the agency receiving the other funds. Mr. Saver said the intent of the UP was for there to be December 10, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 3 Minutes recorded - not approved active coordination between the consultation and evaluation services with the therapeutic and counseling component. Based upon the MHB's review of the proposals, QMH was asking the MHB to recommend which agency should received the state funds. Mr. Saver said he had already talked with a number of agencies to let them know about the RFP. He said given the holiday season he wanted agencies to begin to plan their responses even before receiving the final RFP document. He indicated that a preliminary document was also sent to the agencies to identify some of the planning principles which would be included in the RFP. He said he emphasized that services were to be provided through outreach and made available in non-traditional settings and out of clinics. The MHB discussed the timing and review of the proposals. Mr. Saver said the final RFP would be revised and sent out by December 14. Mr. Kerns said, given the holidays and vacation schedule, the deadline for responses be Wednesday, January 13. He appointed Ms. Stroh and Ms. Cofresi-Silverstein as a subcommittee to review the responses and make recommendations for funding. The Board meeting will be put off one week, until January 21, to enable the subcommittee time to develop its recommendations. He asked staff to let all of the Board know when a review date was established with the sub -committee, fie also asked that the RFP indicate the agencies should be prepared to be available to discuss their proposals at the January 21 MHB meeting if it is requested. IV. FY1999-2000 ACTIVITIES Mr. Saver presented a proposed 1999 MHB Work Plan. He said the plan was developed so the MHB could see when their various activities, and the planning for them, would occur. He said he wanted the Board members to have a better idea about what their work load was going to Iook like throughout the year. He said some of the acitivities were dependent upon adoption of the MHB's FY99-2000 objectives. with the MHB members. Mr. Saver reported that several items on the calendar were based upon decisions which the MHB made at earlier meetings. The "Aging Nell " conference had been endorsed and the MHB agreed to be a sponsor for it during the summer. It will be held the second or third week of May 1999. He said he and Ms. Wiebe had been working on the planning for that conference. Mr. Saver commented that it had been a long time since the MHB had contact with either Albany Care or Greenwood Care. He said the N1FiB might want to have a meeting at one of this facilities and focus upon issues for persons with chronic mental illness in the IMDs. Mr. Kern said the mental health discussion groups were omitted from the calendar. He said the feedback from these groups was helpful and important in establishing priority and funding levels this past year. He said the MHB wanted to have these annually in the spring. Mr. Kerns added that he liked the idea of having a community education initiatives included as an objective. In response to Mr. Kerns' questions, Mr. Saver said lie had some ideas for a community education event which would December 10, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 4 Minutes recorded - not approved focus on consumer issues in mental health. He said he thought it would be valuable to offer educational events which target consumers and their family members. Mr. Rowitz commented upon the objective to get additional information about substance abuse. He said it appeared the MHB was considering a modified focus group technique to find out what the need is. Mr. Saver said a format had not yet been discussed. The decision had come about during the funding process when the MHB felt unprepared to respond to substance abuse issues which had been raised in the 1998 discussion groups. Mr. Kerns said the MHB thought there were some issues related to substance abuse that they needed to become more familiar with. Mr. Rowitz made some suggestions for a facilitated process similar to what Mr. Saver had used for the Health Department's IPLAN focus groups. Mr. Saver asked Mr. Rowitz to assist with the planning for that meeting. Mr. Saver said the review of the Board's policies and procedures were a staff recommendation. He suggested that this be coupled with Mr. Kerns' interest in reviewing the Board roles and responsibilities. Mr. Rowitz suggested including in this some type of annual training or more structured Board orientation for MHB members. The MHB agreed to include a new objective to have a revised version of the Mental Health Board Policies and Procedures by December, 1999. Mr. Rowitz moved and Ms. Helt-Gavin seconded a motion to adopt the FY1999-2000 MHB Objectives as amended. Motion approved unanimously (6 aye - 0 no). Mr. Kerns said that the MHB members should think about which objectives you would like to participate in planning. Mr. Saver said the most immediate concern will be the implementation of the objective to do intensive monthly reviews of agencies during MHB meeting. Mr. Kerns suggested inviting one agency starting in February. He asked staff to develop an implementation plan for this objective for the MHB to consider at the January meeting. V. AGENCY UPDATES Family Focus. Ms. Helt-Gavin reported that she took a tour of Family Focus's facilities. She said the agency knew that they might not fit well with the MHB's priorities as they were structured this year. She thinks the agency will be looking at what they provide that is more in line with the Board's priorities. She said she anticipated having an ongoing discussion with the agency about this. Evanston Hospital. Nis. Helt-Gavin said she was invited to have lunch with all of the members of the Psychiatry Department at Evanston Hospital. She said they appreciate the MHB funding and were interested in hearing comments from other Board members. They extended an invitation to to all of the Board members to meet with them and tour their facilities. Nis. Helt-Gavin reported the Catalyst Program has expanded quite a bit. She asked Mr. Saver to distribute some new, written materials from Catalyst in the next Board packet. Nis. Helt-Gavin said she raised the question as to what happens to patients that need detoxification with Dr. Lynn Barnett. She said Dr. Barnett assured her that detox for December 10, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 5 Minutes recorded - not approved substance abuse is a medical condition. Any one who really needs detox at the critical stage is seen by a physician and will not be turned away. This is treated as a medical emergency. She said Dr. Barnett thought both Evanston Hospital and St. Francis Hospital would treat it that way. Ms. Helt-Gavin asked if the MHB was interested in pursuing more information about Evanston's relationship with CPM and the psych residency program, and other drop -in center services for persons with mental illness? Mr. Saver said that neither CPM or Evanston Hospital has a drop in center for this population. Mr. Kerns said that CPM's program with Evanston Hospital was to provide a psychiatrist on -site at the shelter one or two days a week for purposes of their homeless clientele in the shelter. They will also be providing a psych residency training program with one or two residents being available at the shelter. Ms. Helt-Gavin said she thought that she and Ms. Wiebe were going to meet with CPM to discuss those services in greater detail. CPM. Ms. Mehen was assigned as the liaison for CPM. She said she was concerned about the numbers she has seen from the shelter for the low number of Evanston people being served. She also said she was concerned about the parameters the MHB uses when it discusses the issues for this population, and what it thinks constitutes success. She said she would be interested in hearing more from the Board about its long term objectives with the shelter. Mr. Kerns said he thought staff should provide Ms. Mehen with background on CPM and copies of their funding proposals so that she can see the goals and objectives which they have set. Mr. Saver invited the MHB to the ELAN meeting Tuesday December IS. The new Director of CPM's federally funded outreach program will be discussing their new services and outreach efforts. NTSW. Mr. Rowitz said he made his second visit to NTSW in November. They have centralized their program evaluation component from Thresholds. That agency is beginning to deal with individuals with a dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental illness. They have been encouraging the various agencies that are affiliated with them to begin to look at the issue. NTSW has added two Connect98 staff who will be involved with the development of employment opportunities for their clients. The agency hired a new director for development, and they have added three new board members. Three more are planned. The Development Director will work with the board to add diversity. He said Mr. Illing indicated that marketing for their programs is still a problem. NTSW is working with other programs on developing partnership activities. They are beginning to develop a program between the Skokie Park District and Great Opportunities. NTSW also has a new contract with the State of Illinois to clean a State office in Des Plaines. VI. LONG TERM CARE REPORT The MUIB reviewed the Health Department's 1996 and 1997 reports on long term care violations. Mr. Kerns said part of the MHB's focus is upon the facilities identified in the LTC Report for persons with mental illness or developmental disabilities. Those are Albany Care, Greenwood Care and Shore Homes East. Mr. Kerns said the MHB might want to consider reconstituting the LTC Facilities December 10, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 6 Minutes recorded - not approved Committee. He asked Board members to let him know if they were interested in serving in that committee. V11. STAFF REPORT Aging Well: Choices and Myths Conference. Mr. Saver reported planning for the conference was proceeding very well. Plans for presenters and conference topics are being firmed up He said he thought by the January Board meeting he could provide conference details and topics. Group Housing. Mr. Saver said he had recently been in contact with representatives from L'ARCHE. This group made a presentation to the MHB about 2-2'/2 years ago about their interest in providing housing for persons with developmental disabilities. Mr. Saver said L'Arche has been keeping in regular but infrequent contact about their plans. The group is closely affiliated with individuals in the Reba Fellowship. Mr. Saver said Julius Belser indicated that L'Arche has found a home that they are considering for use for their project. They have a tentative commitment from the State for CILA funding for their housing. Mr. Saver said the number of individuals L'Arche will want to serve will probably trigger the provisions of the City's Residential Care Home Licensing Ordinance. The licensing ordinance has been in the City's code since 1985, however, no one has applied for a license since the ordinance was adopted. There are a number of outstanding questions about whether the ordinance is enforceable. However, L'Arche will have to show that they have attempted to comply with the provisions of the licensing ordinance in order to be eligible for State funding. The leadership of L'Arche has already spoken with the Alderman in the area. Mr. Saveusaid he was informing the NiHB at this time because the issue of residential care home licensing might come up in front of the Human Services Committee very quickly. City Budget. Mr. Saver reported that the City is currently operating under a hiring and spending freeze for FY98-99 because of an anticipated deficit. In addition, it is expected that there will be some difficulty balancing the FY99-2000 budget. The City Manager will release his budget recommendations at the end of December. Ms. Helt-Gavin said that the MHB has allocated the $26,000 for the RFP for children's mental health services. She asked whether this money could be taken away? Mr. Saver said that everything in the Budget is vulnerable until it is adopted by the Aldermen. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Joan M. Baron December 10, 1998 MHB Meeting Minutes Page 7 Minutes recorder! - not approved EVANSTON MENTAL HEALTH BOARD DECISIONS OF MEETING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1998 1. Adopted the 1~Y1999-2000 MHB Objectives as amended. December 10, 1998 MH8 Meeting Minutes Page 8