ORDER-2015-33 : Acceptance of DPH Mini Grant to be used for Strategic Planning Purposes; Fund #4103

Transcript (~5 min @ 5:51)

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▶ 5:37 Robert A. Boisselle: Motion to close public participation. Motion to close public participation, seconded Alderman Medeiros. Okay, we have one order on the agenda this evening. We have order 21-5-33, acceptance of DPH, Department of Public Health, mini-grant to be used for strategic planning purposes. This will be put into fund number 4-1-0-3.

▶ 5:59 Speaker 6: And we.

▶ 6:00 Speaker 7: Motion to suspend the rules.

▶ 6:01 Robert A. Boisselle: We have suspension of rules already this evening, so we'll just continue on with that. The director from public health, Ruth Clay, would you like to explain DPH

▶ 6:12 Speaker 8: mini grant is sure this is a fifteen hundred dollar mini grant that we applied for as a regional health group with morrow's wakefield and reading and actually the money is going to be used for reading as an initial strategic planning project it's something that we wanted to do with all the boards over a period of time we felt like this was the right time the reading health department is a little bit in crisis right now and so we felt like we would start with reading my initially I was going to have all three boards to be doing it at the same time and then I realized that that was completely ridiculous so we're going to start with reading and actually their first meeting is Monday night the money is being used towards paying for a facilitator to go through the process, and then once we've done it with Reading, then the intent is to replicate it in Melrose and in Wakefield.

▶ 7:14 Robert A. Boisselle: Any questions from the board? Alderman McAteer-Margolis.

▶ 7:18 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Thank you, Ms. Clay. Thank you for continuing to pursue these opportunities and bring us these funds, even though this time it's going to Reading. We know it'll eventually work its magic around here. My only question is the order indicates it's a DPH grant and in the language it says it's the Department of Mental Health. Is that, should that be corrected? Yeah. It's the Department of Public Health.

▶ 7:44 Speaker 7: Yes. Okay, that's all. Just wanted to clarify.

▶ 7:47 Speaker 8: Any other questions? I had somebody do it for me because I wasn't in the office the day that this was due. So I think it was just a typo mistake. Yep, it's fine.

▶ 7:54 Robert A. Boisselle: Sorry. Thank you. Any other questions? Alderman Byrd.

▶ 7:59 Jaclyn L. Bird: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Clay, just a question. Strategic planning sounds very general. Is it targeted strategic planning for the town of Reading? Can you just describe a little bit? Sure.

▶ 8:15 Speaker 8: Well, the Board of Selectmen in Reading are kind of looking at all the departments and in reference to the budget and what services they want to keep and what services they don't want to keep. And we have a vacancy with a public health nurse right now within the health department. And they don't want to fill the position until we can more justify our need. So I felt like considering that was going on at the same time. So the strategic planning is going to be looking at the national standards of the 10 essential public health services, And then looking at starting with who provides these services. It doesn't have to be the local health department. Some of them are provided by other groups or other agencies or the state health department. And what do we want to provide as a community? And then operationalize it structurally as to how we would go about staffing to provide that.

▶ 9:21 Jaclyn L. Bird: Excellent. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

▶ 9:23 Robert A. Boisselle: Thank you. Any other questions? Alderman Daryls?

▶ 9:25 Monica C. Medeiros: Thank you. Is there any matching, are there any matching funds required for this? And would they have to come through Melrose if they're?

▶ 9:33 Speaker 8: Well, no. The $1500 is not enough, but we're using other funds in Redding to pay the balance. But it's not a matching one.

▶ 9:42 Speaker 9: Thank you.

▶ 9:45 Speaker 4: Alderman Mortimer? Matching was my question, thank you.

▶ 9:48 Robert A. Boisselle: Okay, very good. I have a question, Ruth, in the concept of the grants coming to Melrose for the city

▶ 9:54 Speaker 10: of Redding.

▶ 9:56 Robert A. Boisselle: Are all grants being siphoned or pushed to Melrose and then distributed to the appropriate regional public health aspects?

▶ 10:05 Speaker 8: Well, I wasn't sure exactly how to write the grant, but I'm an employee of Melrose, and Melrose is really the lead because Redding contracts with Melrose for the services. So I thought logistically that was probably the way to do it, although I don't know, I could have written it with Redding, it was kind of awkward because we're not a formal health district. It could have been done either way, they kind of know me more as that.

▶ 10:37 Robert A. Boisselle: I was just wondering if there's any problem with the accounting aspects of it upstairs. No, they were okay with it. They're all set with it. Okay, very good. I have a motion. Motion to recommend. Motion to recommend. second by Alderman Medeiros. All those in favor? Aye. Against? Thank you, Ruth. This will be for the October 6th meeting, correct? Yes. Okay. Motion to adjourn. I have a motion to adjourn from Alderman Medeiros. Second? Second. Second from Alderman