AG 2001 12 17 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Blair Bennett From: Sent: To: Subject: Mike Murphy Monday, December 10, 2001 5:09 PM Blair Bennett HCCBG Committee Hi, Please accept this e-mail in response to our earlier conversation regarding the composition of the Home and Community Care Block Grant Committee. I am aware of the recent policy revisions by the Board of Commissioners requiring Cabarrus County residency for all appointed board delegates. I have discussed this briefly with Richard Suggs and he had asked me to schedule a meeting with Bob Carruth and him to discuss this at a later date. As we discussed earlier, I believe that the HCCBG Committee should be considered for a possible exception for the new county residency policy. The reason is that this committee is required to make recommendations regarding the most efficient allocation of funding for all HCCBG funds (currently over $660,000). This committee normally meets once or twice a year when we receive the amount of funding from the NC Division of Aging. Although it is vital to have representation by older adults and consumers of some of these services, it is also vital that the members of this committee fully understand the scope of all of the services and/or resources available in Cabarrus County. It never was our intention to overload this committee with non-county residents. We have traditionally asked for appointments from the services that directly receive funding, the Centralina Aging Advisory Board, the Senior Tarheel Legislative delegates, etc. I have always been appointed to serve on this committee because the Board of Commissioners have designated the Department of Aging as the Lead Agency for HCCBG. As the Director, it is my responsibility to oversee the HCCBG process and make sure that we comply with all federal and state policies. Susan Donaldson serves on this committee because several specific responsibilities associated with the administration of the HCCBG 'are listed as "Essential Functions" on her job description. She is responsible for all of the monthly, quarterly and annual repods. She and I collaboratively develop the funding plan that is presented to the Board of Commissioners after the committee makes their recommendations. Susan also serves as the chairperson of the Transpodation Advisory Board (BOC Appointed) and represents transpodation needs. Chasity has been added because she is responsible for the administration of the Cabarrus Aging Network. At the suggestion of the NC Division of Aging and the Centralina Area Agency on Aging we plan to make the HCCBG Committee a sub-committee of the Cabarrus Aging Network. We hope to do this in an effort to promote better communication between the HCCBG Committee and all of the agencies that provide services to older adults in Cabarrus County. Aisc, we are going to be required to develop a new committee (Long Term Care Committee) next year. If we combine the two existing committees, we will meet all of the requirements of the new committee. (The NC Division of Aging. is looking at our structure as a model for the state.) Chasity's representation will provide us with a knowledgeable liaison between these two committees. Sandra Russell serves on this committee because she is the coordinator of Adult Services for the Department of Social Services. If any of these employees leave our current positions, we will request that they be replaced by the person that is hired to fill their position. It is important that these agencies and these positions are represented, regardless of where each individual lives. Regarding your question concerning representation for the Coltrane LIFE Center. The Board of Commissioners removed Thelma Freeze from the HCCBG Committee several years ago because she was the Executive Director of a "contracted service provider". As you know, I sent Susan Caudle, the new Executive Director of Coltrane LIFE Center an application last Spring and suggested that she submit it for consideration by the Board of Commissioners. When she did not respond by the time we needed to submit our proposal to the Board of Commissioners, I contacted Gall Linker and asked her if she would represent Adult Day Services. She is a past Executive Director of the LIFE Center, the Alzheimer's Association and currently is a caregiver for several older adults. One of her parents is a Coltrane LIFE Center client and Gall is a huge advocate for their agency. I personally do not have a problem with the LIFE Center having representation on the HCCBG Committee. However, I do believe that it is very important that the staff from the direct service providers are given consideration to serve on this committee. I hope there can be an exception that will allow the staff currently occupying our positions to serve on this committee. I am convinced that we will have more consistent and better informed decisions regarding funding allocations. Lastly, it does not matter if the Centralina Area Agency on Aging has an appointed representative or not. They will have representation at the meetings because they have the money. However, their staff has not served in a voting capacity on this committee. If I can offer any further assistance, please let me know. Thanks, Mike