TRANSYLVANIA JCPC- AGENDA September 19, 2014
In Attendence: Kayla Byrd, April Owenby, John Avery, Phyllis Ennis, Cheyanna Cronan, Brian Weaver, Greg Stroup, Mandi Bentley, Lexy Aiken, Steve Pulliam, James Felty, Stoney Blevins, Gay Poor, Jake Dalton, Larry Chapman, Donna Wilde, Joseph Jamison, Jerry Stone, Massey Whiteside, Alan Justice, Robin Funsten, Marilyn Kaylor
8:05 AM Meeting called to order.
Welcome and Introductions
Old Business- Review and approval of the minutes from August 15, 2014
· Larry moved, Steve second, all in favor, none opposed
· Old Business – Conflict of Interest Forms (complete at the October meeting)
Membership-fill vacancies
· Alan suggests Kathleen Mallet for the position of Substance Abuse Professional.
· Unsure about who will replace the Mental Health Professional. Alan will reach out to a few people. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
· Alan- will contact police department and find someone to fill the Chief of Police or Designee position.
Appointments to committees for FY 2013-2014
· Allocations – James Felty, Alan Justice, and Rodney Wesson. This committee will likely meet in April.
· Bylaws – Reviewed the bylaws recently. No need for a committee at this time, but will form one if the need arises.
· Planning and Awareness – Discuss what the community needs and find ways to address the issues. Data will be available in October (the meeting has recently been scheduled for Oct 13th at 2PM). Alan Justice, Mandi Bently, James Felty, Steve Pulliam, Kayla Byrd, Rodney Wesson, Robin Funsten, Marilyn Kaylor, April Owenby.
· Nominations – Jerry Stone, Rodney Wesson, Matt Walsh
· Monitoring – Annual monitoring of programs to ensure effectiveness, providing the correct services, and that financials are in order. Training in November, meet with programs in January, and report back to the JCPC. Alan Justice (Chair), Greg Stroup, Matt Walsh, and Brian Weaver.
Bylaws:
· James Felty and Rodney have reviewed and updated the bylaws. Changes had been made and a new handout of the bylaws was passed around.
· Gay- A typo in the description of the treasurer needs to be revised.
· Jerry motions to add change to the position of treasurer in the bylaws, Greg seconds, all in favor, motion approved.
Planning Process: Review Continuum of Services and Risk & Needs Data
· Data reviewed by the Planning and Awareness Committee and they will be reported back to the JCPC at the next meeting on Oct 17.
o Potential meeting times were discussed
o Alan- Would like the committee to meet before the October meeting. The meeting tends to be longer than normal.
Report from JCPC Consultant
· Massey- the funding year was from July 2013-June 2014. All of the final accounting reports were filed for 2013. Paybacks to the state are due September 30th. A preliminary report shows that the county has $1578 to payback.
· Alan- What was the reason for that amount?
o Massey- Either not all of the money was spent or it was not spent correctly or by policy. Third quarter accounting is very important because if that money isn’t spent by the end of the year, it is gone. It cannot be reallocated. The state doesn’t like unused money and may reduce funds in the future based on what has been returned if it happens consistently.
o Jerry- We should keep a better eye on third quarter. Would rather use all of the money than return it.
o Alan- This is the first time it has happened and it is something we need to keep in mind.
o Jerry- We should collaborate to transfer the money so it is not lost.
o Matt- Funding has been a problem at Crossnor. It is $75 a night to make sure a kid can complete an entire semester. It is not good for the kids to be taken out of the program early.
o Robin- The cost is about $3000 a semester.
o 3rd from Massey- Cannot predict how much money may be needed on an emergency basis.
o Massey- If there is a therapeutic component it is important to provide services long enough so the child gets the benefits of therapy. Take a look at what services we need and what services are best when considering funding
o Matt- Crossnor is not meant to be a temporary shelter.
o Alan- how many kids are in need of Crossnor?
o Matt- 14 kids would be great. It would be better if a child could stay for half a year. The program is great, but often children have to be sent home because there is not enough funding.
o Jerry- Find a way to transfer money to where it is needed most.
o Alan- It’s important that we spend it or transfer it.
· Massey- As mentioned last meeting, funding for functional family therapy pertaining to level 2 kids is going to be announced. It has taken longer than expected, but the announcement should be coming. There may be other RFPs announced for level 2 kids. 6 million dollars have been made available, but due to delays, have not been good about spending the money. Anticipate that discretionary funds will be available- could be used to allow programs the ability to provide training, replace equipment, etc. The funds could also be helpful for the JCPC.
o Robin- When will the funds be available.
o Massey- Anticipate that the funds will not be available until 3rd quarter. May be helpful to look into training now.
· Discussion concerning the lack of family therapists and mental health services in the county. It was decided that a committee should be formed involving multiple entities, with the JCPC’s support, to come up with a proposal or services that may be helpful in solving this issue.
o Stoney- There are no family therapists in the county. Some services simply do not exist.
o Donna- This year there is no one available in our community for substance abuse counseling or general therapy. Agencies do not exist to provide onsite therapy at schools.
o Jerry- May be helpful to make a list of services that are not available
o Alan- Discuss what is lacking at the planning and awareness meeting. Who is going to fill needs? Limited by what is available.
o Donna- The list services needed is not up to date/constantly changing.
o Matt- There is no consistency relating to mental health services and programs are constantly starting over. Turnover of mental health services is out of our hands.
o Next to massey- Shift our priorities? Can focus on making these mental health services available. We don’t have money for some services.
o Jerry- It’s important to find ways to provide therapy for childen.
o Matt- Consistent stable mental health services for at least two years is so important.
o Alan- The school system has reached out but has had issues finding consistent services.
o Donna- Mediation center can provide Segway to real therapy. But there is so much turnover in mental health services it’s not beneficial to the patient. Stability is key!
o Stoney- Finding solutions to this problem is important. A proposal to hire clinical family worker at health department could be helpful. Other larger counties have the services available. The problem may be that there are not enough customers in a smaller community like Transylvania County. May need to build our own mental health services- could be county related or a private nonprofit? Can create stability!
o Jerry- Collaboration between health department and school services?
o April- A contract employee is a possibility so the position could be a combination of departments.
o Stoney- Could funnel funds, but there has to be a community desire for it to work. Private sector does not work in rural community.
o Larry- Determine costs and benefits, then get it into the budget process! Work to get community support.
o Jerry- Should the JCPC have a committee to address the mental health issue?
o April- We may need a health director to be hired first before a proposal can be made. The position should be filled by the first of the year.
o Jerry- We should not wait for the position to be filled, already present the proposal or have it ready.
o Alan- Since it’s not JCPC money, it’s county money that would need to be used, is there a more appropriate committee to address the issue?
o Larry- The JCPC offer support for the change that is needed and help move the process forward.
o Massey- Outline a plan and proposal for the county commissioner and health board. Community can identify needs
o Alan- Stoney will you start a committee, set up a meeting, write up a plan, and present it to the JCPC?
o Stoney- will work on it, but it may take time. (July)
o Matt- The services available are not working. Mental health issues need to be addressed! We cannot continue on this path, there are too many children struggling. It is only a matter of time before a child hurts himself or a family member
o Alan- Stoney, please invite the JCPC to be a part of the discussion. Two team committee. Add strength to the cause!
o Stoney- With multiple entities involved it will be much easier to identify kids with issues and what services will be most helpful to them.
o Massey- Would the Smoky Mountain Center be willing to be involved?
o Marilyn- The center would be happy to offer services.
o Alan- Offered support to the cause.
o Larry- Could we involve other areas to increase the need of mental health services?
Other Business
· Groups left to report:
o Davidson River School (Donna)- 90 day program provided by a teacher and a TA. There is a new TA this year, Joseph Jamison. The program spent all of the money provided ($40,000). 49 kids were served (required to serve 40). The school had a summer program for high school students, funded by a grant from the state. It was a great program that allowed students that were either behind or are not quite ready for school to fill credits and make new relationships. The results of the program were excellent: 18 students a day 27 credits earned. Food and transportation were provided
Challenges that the Davidson River School faces- There is no financial incentive for TAs. They work hard and are good at what they do, but do not receive the appropriate compensation for their work. As mentioned earlier, there is no onsite therapy available. Tracking kids for a year after is difficult to do because of paperwork issues. There were some problems with student surveys and parent surveys. Vocabulary was too difficult for some. New data is needed for the surveys so they will be more useful.
Overall, the school doing well.
o Mediation Center (Robin)- Over the first quarter goals. Well ahead with numbers! Confident they are on the right track.
o Project Challenge (John Avery)- There is a job vacancy in the program that needs to be filled ASAP (description was sent out to the JCPC). Cheyanna, who works directly with the kids, is only paid for 20 hours. Authorized overtime for Cheyanna will be budgeted into next report.
§ Jerry- Is there a report of the actual hours worked in TC?
§ John- Yes! The report will be provided.
Cheyanna- 8 kids active in the program. Two more to be added in the next week. 11 this year so far with 1 new intake. 10 kids signed up for a wilderness trip with a certified first responder/ guide takes them out on a trip.
· Orientation was rescheduled because not many people were available directly following the meeting.
o Massey suggests that the orientation take place before the Risk and Needs meeting.
o Alan: Reschedule orientation for Oct 7th at 8AM?
o Date will be considered and everyone notified. (actual meeting has been scheduled for Oct 13th at noon)
9:20 AM Meeting adjourned.