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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014_0121 MACFEA minutes APPROVED1 Meeting Minutes Mayor's Advisory Committee For Equal Access ( MACFEA) Tuesday, January 21 , 2014 Mo` ikeha Building , Meeting Room 2A-2B 4444 Rice Street, Lihu `e, HI 96766 Members Present: Rita Manriquez — State Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board (STBIAB ) ; Dr. Lucy Miller ( 1 : 07 p . m . ) — DCAB ( Disability and Communication Access Board ) Board Member; Kathy English — Hawai ' i Disability Rights Center; Ellen Ching — Easter Seals Hawaii ; El Doi — Kaua'i Developmental Disability Council ; Roberta Eiben , Consumer; Suzie Woolway — 'Ohana Home Health Care ; Kathy Sheffield — National Alliance on Mental Illness Members Excused : Elena Costales , Consumer, HCIL — Kaua ' i Volunteer; Betty Bell — Kaua ' i Federation for the Blind ; Keri Russell — American Red Cross Staff members also present: Linda Nuland -Ames — ADA/EEOC Coordinator; Cherisse Zaima — Commission Support Clerk; Marc Guyot — Deputy County Attorney; Tamar Lani — remote ASL interpreter CALL TO ORDER Chair Roberta Eiben called the meeting to order at 12 :40 p . m . with 7 members present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • Regular Open Session Minutes of November 19 , 2013 Action : Ms . Ching moved to approve the minutes as circulated . Ms . English seconded the motion . Motion carried 7 : 0 . BUSINESS • Vice Chair for 2014 Action : Ms . Woolway moved to volunteer for the position of Vice Chair for 2014 . Ms . Ching seconded the motion . Motion carried 7 : 0 . • Subcommittee on Increasing Emergency Preparedness 1 . Selection of members 2 . Outline scope of work • Subcommittee on Increasing Employment of Persons with Disabilities in the County 1 . Selection of members 2 . Outline scope of work Ms . Manriquez stated she thought the subcommittee had already been made , and Ms . Ching stated a bunch of people had volunteered at the last meeting . Ms . Ching asked whether the subcommittee must be made of MACFEA Committee members or if other people can be members . Staff explained that the subcommittees must consist of current MACFEA members , but they can consult/collaborate with other agencies and organizations . Ms . Manriquez stated it is the American Red Cross' responsibility to inform and educate the public about emergency preparedness , and asked if the subcommittee could hold off until Ms . Russell can participate in the discussion as it is her kuleana . Ms . Manriquez noted that the minutes reflect the subcommittee would be taking over that area , and she recalls several members wanting to create their own subcommittee to discuss having care homes and other people in the community have their own setup situation . Ms . Manriquez reminded the Committee that the American Red Cross encourages people to shelter at home . Action : Ms . Ching moved to defer this item to the next meeting . Ms . Woolway seconded the motion . Ms . Nuland -Ames stated Keri Russell is a member of MACFEA, though she has been unable to attend meetings due to her busy schedule . Ms . Nuland -Ames expressed her appreciation for Ms . Manriquez's explanation , but pointed out that should people be injured from lack of assistance during an emergency, the State and County would be liable , not the American Red Cross . She stated that the County has a right to speak out about their concerns . They know their populations better than many of the people involved in the Red Cross because they have day-to-day hands on involvement with people with various challenges , and are more likely to be able to reach those populations . Ms . Woolway asked if Ms . Nuland -Ames is willing to volunteer to be on the subcommittee as a representative of the County. Ms . Nuland -Ames replied that due to her County position , she in unable to be a member of the subcommittee ; however, she will certainly attend every meeting . Ms . Woolway mentioned a meeting with Kauai Medical Reserve Corps ( KMRC ) , stating her interest in incorporating them , and requested that each member come up with one name for possible collaboration . Ms . Manriquez provided an overview of the services KMRC provides , and suggested they be invited to one of the Committee meetings to talk about that process . Ms . Woolway agreed , and stated she would contact them . Ms . Eiben asked Ms . Manriquez if the Red Cross needs more nurses , and stated that her sister is a registered nurse . Deputy County Attorney Guyot reminded the Commission that the motion currently on the floor is whether to defer the item on subcommittees to the next meeting , and asked the Committee to keep the discussion related to the motion . MACFEA — January 21 , 2014 2 Ms . Ching asked Ms . Nuland-Ames whether she had suggestions about how the Committee might move forward to prevent this item from being put on hold for another two months . However, without any volunteers , she does not feel there is room to move forward . Ms . Nuland-Ames agreed that she would not like to see this put on hold any longer, and suggested a subcommittee draw up what the concerns and resources are in the community, and what the lines of the chains of command are . She does not feel that MACFEA's subcommittees is stepping on anyone's toes as they would not be directing anyone , and noted the importance of locating people who the outreach efforts are not getting to . Ms . Nuland -Ames commented on the miscommunication with both the community members , as well as our emergency response people . There are numerous issues to look at, and she feels if the subcommittee can define those issues better, other organizations can come in and have discussions with them . Ms . Ching asked for volunteers for the subcommittee on Increasing Emergency Preparedness. Ms . Woolway volunteered , as well as Ms . Sheffield . Action : Ms . Ching withdrew her previous motion . Ms . Doi seconded the withdrawal . Motion carried 7 : 0 . Ms . Doi asked whether they will be moving forward with the subcommittee , and how they will proceed . Mr. Guyot noted that they are missing four members , who are the only hope in creating the subcommittee since no one else has volunteered ; they are unable to proceed at this meeting without a third member of the subcommittee . Ms . Woolway asked if she could have a list of the MACFEA members' emails so that she can keep Committee members informed about information she receives on subcommittee issues . Ms . Ching asked for clarification on the number of subcommittee members to which Mr. Guyot replied they must have at least three to enable majority recommendations . There was discussion on whether or not they could appoint or designate someone to be on the subcommittee just to move forward , and if that person does not wish to participate , they can ask for another volunteer. Mr. Guyot stated no , but suggested a member could volunteer now in order to form the committee , and should someone else volunteer, they can take that person 's place . Ms . Woolway noted she had faith that they would get a third person , and moved to create the committee with two people as she would rather have someone who wants to be a part of it rather than someone who has been voted in because they were absent. She also feels having just two people on the subcommittee would work as long as they have guests or consultants participating . Mr. Guyot reiterated that they need three people to start. Ms . Woolway moved to appoint Dr. Lucy Miller to the subcommittee , stating that if she does not want to do it, they will ask for volunteers at the next meeting . Ms . Ching suggested appointing Ms . Russell for now so they can move forward , and if she cannot participate , they can ask someone else . Ms . Woolway moved to appoint Keri Russell to the subcommittee . Ms . Ching added that her thought was for this subcommittee to consist of Betty Bell , Keri Russell , and Dr. Lucy Miller. MACFEA — January 21 , 2014 3 ( Dr. Lucy entered the meeting at 1 : 07 p . m . ) Ms . Woolway provided Dr. Lucy with a recap of the recent discussion on subcommittees. Dr. Lucy agreed to volunteer for the subcommittee . Action : Ms . Woolway moved to accept Suzie Woolway, Kathy Sheffield , and Dr. Lucy Miller, and tentatively appoint Keri Russell to the subcommittee on Increasing Emergency Preparedness . Ms . Ching seconded the motion . Motion carried 8 : 0 . Ms . Manriquez stated she would be seeing Ms . Russell , and stated she would inform her of her nomination . Ms . Woolway asked Mr. Guyot to provide an explanation of the rules for emailing and communications between members because she would like to be able to forward information to the rest of the members . Mr. Guyot stated that communication between subcommittee members is fairly unlimited , and once they agree on recommendations, that will be presented to the group as a whole for discussion and adoption . He further explained that for communication among the regular Committee members , it is allowed as long as they are not trying to solicit votes , or put forth a specific, personal point of view to other members in an attempt to secure commitments . He stated the example of discussion of what to include on the agenda would not be a problem , whereas discussion on whether to vote on a particular item becomes problematic. Staff provided information on the upcoming Boards and Commissions training sessions, and informed them that Sunshine Law Training is no longer offered by the Department; however, there is online training available at the OIP website . ( Flyers for the training sessions were previously distributed . ) Ms . Manriquez suggested the subcommittee ask Keri Russell to come to a meeting , and give an emergency preparedness presentation . That way, everyone can ask her questions . Mr. Guyot advised Boards and Commissions to include an item on the next agenda for Discussion with Keri Russell on Emergency Preparedness . • Subcommittee on Increasing Employment of Persons with Disabilities in the County 1 . Selection of members 2 . Outline scope of work Ms . Ching , Ms . Doi , and Ms . English volunteered to be on the subcommittee . Ms . Ching noted the scope of work is already outlined in the goal , and is satisfied with that. Action : Ms . Sheffield moved to accept Ellen Ching , El Doi , and Kathy English for the subcommittee on Increasing Employment of Persons with Disabilities in the County. Ms . Woolway seconded the motion . Motion carried 8 : 0 . MACFEA — January 21 , 2014 4 Ms . Ching asked for the link for the Sunshine Law to be emailed to her, as well as a list of all members' email addresses . Mr. Guyot advised the Office of Boards and Commissions to send out the email list, and informed the Committee that the information on the Sunshine Law is on the State of HawaiTs Office of Information Practices website , and have a variety of formats in which the information is provided . REPORTS • DCAB DCAB report for December Dr. Lucy noted that everyone has received a copy of the report, and that she will be happy to answer any questions . • ADA Ms . Nuland -Ames reported on the following : Agency on Elderly Affairs' Aging and Disability Resource Center Boards and Commissions 2014 Training Seminars Medical Reserves returning to Kauai on June 14 (for ten days ) to provide free dental and vision care to anyone who shows up Ms . Ching asked for clarification on the Agency on Elderly Affairs' Aging and Disability Resource Center, asking what kind of services and resources they are providing for people with disabilities . Ms . Nuland -Ames stated what they are doing for adults with disabilities is to help them find resources they are entitled to receive , and other programs that may benefit them . Ms . Ching asked if they had a brochure to which Ms . Nuland-Ames replied yes , but it is not specific to Kauai as it is a Statewide program . She suggested the website as a better resource . Ms . Ching requested some brochures , noting it would contain information to direct someone to the website . Ms . Ching asked for a follow up on the motion made at the last meeting regarding the closed captioning issue . Ms . Nuland -Ames reported that a letter was sent to the Mayor, and will now involve the contract which is being worked on ; however it will take some time . Ms . Ching asked for tentative benchmarks and timeframes on getting that done . Mr. Guyot stated he is unsure how the contract is being re-written , which will determine how long the process takes . He stated they could hope for something within 90 days , which is speculative . Ms . Ching asked who handles the contract to which Staff stated the Granicus contract is under the Office of Boards and Commissions . Ms . Ching asked whether Mr. Guyot would be amending the contract to which Mr. Guyot stated it would be the attorney assigned to Boards and Commissions ; it has not come to him yet. Ms . Ching wants to be certain that it is assigned to someone , and is being worked on . Mr. Guyot noted the Boards and Commission 's Administrator is aware of it. MACFEA — January 21 , 2014 5 Ms . Eiben asked where the Medical Reserve programs will be located to which Ms . Nuland-Ames replied it will be set up at KCC in the Nursing building , at the Hanapepe Armory on the Westside , the North Shore location has not been finalized yet. Ms . Ching noted Kapa `a Middle School is usually the site for specialty or mobile clinics . Ms . Manriquez reported that a concussion study was done by the University of Hawaii who have been going around the State to determine the prevalence of concussions on each island . She provided statistics for Kauai . She noted there will be a higher instance of concussions now due to football season despite the use of helmets . The question of whether a concussion is a mild head injury has not yet been defined by the medical field . UH has been working with the coaches , and providing information to those who sign up for football . Ms . Sheffield commented that NAMI is also very aware of the brain injury component, and had professional athletes as guest speakers at the National Convention to speak about those injuries , and how they are often accompanied by depression and suicide . ANNOUNCEMENTS : The next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 18 , 2014 at 12 : 30 p . m . , Mo' ikeha Building , Meeting Room 2A/2B Adjournment: Chair Eiben announced the meeting was adjourned at 1 :49 p . m . Respectfully submitted by: Cherisse Zaima , Support Clerk (X) Approved as circulated ( ) Approved as amended MACFEA — January 21 , 2014 6