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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSenior Advisory Board - Minutes - 07/12/1995r 0 SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD • Minutes of the July 12, 1995, Meeting CALL TO ORDER The monthly meeting of the SAB was called to order by Stan Ulrich, secretary, on July 12, 1995, at 2:07 P. M. in the Senior Center, 1200 Raintree Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526. Kay Rios and Yvonne Myers arrived a few minutes later. ATTENDANCE Members Present Kay Rios, chair Yvonne Myers, vice chair Stan Ulrich, secretary Jane Davis Jane Goodhart Ed Johnson Marjorie McTaggart Mary. Alice Spelts Jill Taylor Blanche Yakmas Council Liaison Ann Azari CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Staff Barbara Schoenberger, Jennifer Klink, RSVP John Pfeiffenberger, Guests Ruth Coberly Margaret Watts Excused Member Wayne Moellenberg SAB Representative Senior Center No one wished to speak before the Senior Advisory Board. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Several changes were made to the minutes of the June 14, 1995, minutes. Ed Johnson said that the last word in paragraph 4 on page 2 should be corrected to read sent instead of send. On the bottom of page 4, under Ed Johnson's Report, the words "and received" should be inserted after had asked for. Ed then moved that the minutes be approved as amended. Jane Goodhart seconded the motion and it was carried. CORRESPONDENCE Stan passed around a notice that had been sent to all residents of the Timber Ridge Trailer Court. Basically, the memo defended the park's strict maintenance codes and high fees. It showed very little sympathy toward the low income resident. He next read a note of thanks from Laurie Bayless for the part the SAB had taken in the cornerstone cere— mony at the Senior Center. The last piece of correspondence was a letter from the Colorado Senior Lobby with an invitation to join the organization. OLD BUSINESS Since Ruth Coberly, the guest speaker, was present, Yvonne Myers, who had assumed the chair, asked permission to change the order of the agenda and move Item F under Old Business to the first item of business. Page 2, SAB Minutes, Ji,ty 12, 1995 Single Entry Point Ruth Coberly, the guest speaker, talked about the Single Entry Point for Long Term Care Options. The program, she said, was created by an act of the Legislature in 1992, but it was not initiated in Larimer County until July, 1993. It is managed by the Department of Human Services because that department historically administers the Medicaid Program. The Single Entry Point Program has several responsibilities: (1) assessing people who need long term care and then determining what benefits they qualify for under the program; (2) providing on —going case management for its clients; and (3) providing private case manage— ment for clients who are not eligible for Medicaid. Each Single Entry Point must have an advisory board, which offers advice and help in squiring resources. The office in Larimer County screens approximately 300 calls a month, but unfortunately, many of the callers have to be turned down because of the limited funds in the Medicaid Program. The assessment form determines whether or not a person qualifies for ser— vices. If a person does not qualify, he is usually referred to another agency. Senior Center Use Philosophy The Senior Center policies . and philosophy were discussed. The concensus was that the philosophy was fine and the fees and charges were reasonable with several exceptions: the gym use fee, the walking track fee and the pool fee._ Network Luncheon Kay reported that the Network Luncheon plans are going well and then mentioned some of the activities that she and Shelley McGraw had already agreed upon. Dial —A —Ride Jane Goodhart reported that Dial —A —Ride is conducting a survey to determine how it can improve service. The next meeting of the Advisory Board is scheduled for September. Kay added that two lawsuits , one by Care —A —Van and the other by Shamrock, are still pending. Transfort now has an interim director, Tom Frazier. A long discussion about transportation in general ensued. Kay brought the discussion to closure by stating that all suggestions should be written down and then she would forward them to Tom Frazier. Senior Advisory Board Bylaws Revision of the bylaws was considered next. Before discussion started, Marjorie, the committee chair, recommended several changes that had been suggested at the last meeting. Two paragraphs, & and h had been added to Section 2 in Article II on Page 1: "g. To act as advocate for seniors on issues and activities in our community" and "h. To bridge the generation gaps and work to dispel stereotypes about aging through education and awareness activities." Under Article IV, Section 1, Paragraph a., the word appointed was changed to "elected." The last change, she said, was that the words "selected by the Board or a Page 3, SAB Minutes 16uly 12, 1995 • committee chairperson" were substituted for the words approved by the committee chairperson or Board and will serve at the Board's pleasure in Section 2, Article VI. After several other changes from the floor, Ed moved that the amended bylaws be approved as corrected. Jane seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. New West Fest Kay verified that the SAB will be assigned a booth at the New West Fast and she then asked the members to sign up for booth duty on August 19 and 20, 1995. Housing Authority Letter Barbara mentioned that a senior had written that some mobile home parks are becoming very restrictive in allowing owners to move into the park. Evidently, some homeowners can qualify for the purchase of a mobile home, but cannot qualify for a space in the park. One park, in partir_— ular, requires that a home owner must be earning a salary of $2,000 a month before he/she will be allowed to move into the park. Since such a condition seems extremely unfair, Kay and Barbara suggested that the Housing Authority should be made aware that such a problem exists in at least one mobile home park. Kay said that she would write the letter. Paint—A—Thon Barb reported that the First National Bank had screened 63 applications and picked 13 homes to be painted. No mobile or modular homes were included in the total. The selection committee was composed of young, inexperienced bank personnel, and some of the more needy homes had been bypassed. The minor home repairs, Kay added, were supposed to be completed by Senior Job Match, which no longer exists. The letter from a mobile home owner had not been discussed, Barb added, until she asked about it. Yvonne then read Mr. Driscoll's reply to the letter in question. NEW BUSINESS Grand Opening Barb announced that the ribbon —cutting ceremony for the Senior Center is scheduled for July 25, at 3:00 P. M. A volunteer garden party is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, August 30, at 7:00 P. M. On Wednes— day, September 6, a breakfast will be held for members of the Senior Center in appreciation for their work on the building. Norwest Bank will sponsor a big celebration dinner on Friday, October 20, as a fund—raiser for the Friends of the Senior Center. Tickets will be $20.00 per person. Outreach Meeting No Outreach meeting has currently been set up, Kay stated, but she had talked with officials of a trailer park on North College to set up a meeting there. The concensus of the Board was to hold the outreach meeting in October. It could not be scheduled for September because Jill had asked the executive director of the Health Care Access Coalition to speak before the Board at the September meeting. Page 4, SAB Minutes, J-1y 12, 1995 esentations to Past Members In appreciation for her work on the SAB, Kay presented a certificate of appreciation to Jane Davis, who had served on the SAB as the represen- tative of the Senior Center Advisory Board, Margaret Watts was also presented a certificate of appreciation and a small gift for twelve years of devoted service on the Board. Kay then introduced Blanche Yakmas, who will be replacing Jane on the Board and added that Fran Ward will be replacing Margaret on the Board, but she was unable to attend the meeting. SERVICE REPORTS RSVP. Jennifer Klink reported that Pat Sherwood, the director, had resigned and Bob Rankin had been appointed as the interim director. RSVP has also moved into its office in the Senior Center. Christina Ulrich had also duplicated the Time -Share Dollars video, and it will be available to those who would want to borrow it. Jennifer added that RSVP is putting together an Adopt -A -Pet for mobile home residents. Aspen Club. The Aspen Club is now involved in the budget process, Jill reported, but it still has many activities scheduled for the summer months. City Council. Ed reported that Council has not acted upon any legis- lation thataffects seniors. Seniors Airborne. Kay reported that she will host a future broadcast of Seniors Airborne, and Barbara added that the Senior Center is working on the possibility of Seniors Airborne broadcasting from the Senior Center. Concerned Seniors. Marjorie had no report. Senior Center Council. Mary Alice Spelts reported that the Senior Center Council held a recognition luncheon at which out -going members were recognized and new members were introduced. Friends of the Senior Center. Kay reported that the Friends will be hosting a social in August and is planning many other activities throughout the year. Office on Aging. Stan reported that Shelley McGraw reported that Care - A -Van is struggling financially and filed an appeal when Shamrock was awarded the transit service. Care -A -Van has been granted the opportunity to reapply. Last month, the Legislative Protocol Committee had presented a draft of advocacy protocol for consideration. Elizabeth Kelly, the ombudsman, said that the Legal Service Guide that had been out on con- tract was finished and will be available during the summer. Elizabeth also announced that Gov. Romer had signed a bill that will increase the license fee for nursing homes from $30.00 to $150.00 a month. Shelly stated that the I & R Consortium was still negotiating with Helpline, but some concern was expressed about Helpline's role when it will no longer be the crisis number. Ann Watson, Latimer County Health Depart- ment, explained the Elder Home Safety Audit Project, which targets the over 60 group. The project was necessary because of the many injuries that occur in the senior population. She stated many alarming statistics Page 5, SAB Minute July 12, 1995 • about unintentional injuries, but added that thg good news is that many injuries in the home can be prevented by a safety audit. OTHER BUSINESS Under Other Business, Yvonne remarked that the traffic light at the intersection of Shields and Center Streets is very short. She said that she had to hurry to be able to cross during the "Walk" cycle. Kay stated that she would call the appropriate person to see if it could be lengthened. Marjorie announced that she is now the editor of the Front Range Forum newsletter and will sent a copy to the Senior Center. She also wondered what happened to the concept of diagonal parking at the Senior Center. That topic had been discussed in the early stages of the planning. Her final comment was that she had been interviewed for World News Tonight, but did not know if, or when, it would be aired. Ed stated that he was going to give his final report on the Senior Center. Landscaping is now complete and Parker GC, the general con— tractor for the Senior Center is now out of business. Mary Alice stated that 36—punch cards are now available for use in the Senior Center. Barbara mentioned two items that she thought should be on the next agenda: an evaluation of the Vet Pet Program and that the SAB should write an article for Pathways each month to improve communication between the Board and the general public. Marjorie added that discus— sion of the Volunteer Credit Bank should also be included. ADJOURNMENT Since there was no further business to conduct, the meeting was adjourned at 4:46 P. M. Stan Ulrich, secretary Kay Rios, chair Approved INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTRY REGARD MEDICAID HEALTH SERVICES • State Waiver er Activity • Minnesota has received approval of its two waiver requests. One waiver will integrate MinnesotaCare with Medicaid and General Assistance Medical Care. The second waiver, the Long -Term Care Option Project, will consolidate all services and items now paid for by Medicaid and Medicare into one integrated system for elderly Medicaid managed care recipients. Maua h�g' statewide demonstration project, MassHealth, which is designed to enhance that state's Medicaid managed care program and address the needs of the uninsured was recently approved. MassHealth will cover approximately 400,000 persons who currently are not enrolled in Medicaid including uninsured persons, unemployed individuals, and low-income workers who are at risk of losing their insurance. Components of MassHealth include providing tax credits for employers contributing at least 50% of the cost of purchasing a state -defined basic benefit package for their low-income employees, Subsidizing the employee share of the premium, covering low-income, long-term unemployed persons below 133% of the federal poverty level (FPL), eliminating categorical restrictions to coverage and streamlining the eligibility process for the current Medicaid population, maintaining the current CommonHealth Program for the low-income working disabled, and maintaining the Medical Security Plan for the short-term unemployed. Delaware's statewide demonstration project, Diamond State Health Plan (DSHP), has been approved and becomes effective October 1995 through the year 2000. The Plan will offer a basic benefit package, including medical and mental health services. Delaware seeks to improve and expand access to health care to more than 8,000 adults and children with incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level throughout the state, create a managed care delivery system that emphasizes primary care, and control the growth of health care expenditures for the Medicaid population. Those receiving long term care in institutional or home and community -based settings and those eligible for Medicare will not be eligible to participate in the program. These recipients will remain in the state's fee -for -service Medicaid program. Delaware will incorporate all other state programs into the DSHP. Mental health services beyond the. basic benefit package will be reimbursed on a fee -for -service basis. Upon completion of the demonstration, Delaware intends to have created a single mental health system that will provide services on a capitated basis. Louisiana does not expect HCFA to approve their Section 1115 Medicaid waiver request, which would move Medicaid recipients into public health maintenance organizations. HCFA indicated on June 2, 1995, that it will not approve the waiver, which was submitted in April 1995. This proposal is the third request submitted by Louisiana - HCFA turned down the first two requests. This waiver would have converted the state's charity hospital system into a pug Ile managed care plan and moved Medicaid recipients into the plan. The state also would have charged HMOs upfront fees that would have been used to draw matching funds from the federal government. HCFA indicated that the upfront fee was a tax and that therefore the proposal would be rejected. Nebraska has received numerous questions from HCFA about its waiver requests for two Medicaid managed care demonstrations. The questions involve Nebraska's plans to move Medicaid recipients into two new managed care programs, one for primary care and the other for mental health and substance abuse. Both waivers would require a "freedom -of -choice" waiver under Section 1915(b) of the Social Security Act. The mental health and substance abuse program would be initiated statewide, and the primary care program would start in a limited number of cities before being initiated in the rest of the state. HCFA has extended the 90 days to approve a state's waiver request until Nebraska answers their questions. Nebraska is working with HCFA in order to ensure the waivers are approved by the anticipated start date of July 1, 1995. If a delay does occur, Nebraska hopes to begin the programs in August. Copyright 1995 by the Anterlcan Health Care AJSOClation Page 16