Sacramento County Mental Health Services Act Steering Committee Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services 7001A East Parkway, Sacramento, CA 95823 Conference Room 1 August 19, 2010 MEETING MINUTES Interested members of the public are invited to attend MHSA Steering Committee meetings and a period is set aside for public comment at each meeting. If you wish to attend and need to arrange for an interpreter or a reasonable accommodation, please contact Mary Nakamura one week prior to each meeting at (916) 876-5821 or Nakamuram@saccounty.net. Members: Michaele Beebe, Laurel Benhamida, Mary Ann Bennett, Lois Cunningham, Rob Edmisten (alternate for Probation), Jane Fowler, Angela Grey, Marilyn Hillerman, Bill Johnson, Ben Jones, Michael Lazar (alternate for Service Providers Adults), Al Lipson, Hiep Ma, Stephanie Ramos, Marbella Sala, Dave Schroeder, Frank Topping, Joyce Wright (alternate for Education) TIME 1. 6:10 pm Welcome and Member Introductions Steering Committee (SC) members introduced themselves. 2. 6:12 pm Comfort Agreement Stephanie Ramos read the Comfort Agreement. No changes were suggested. 3. 6:14 pm Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes Minutes approved with one change tort changed to court in agenda item 5. 4. 6:16 pm Additional Agenda Items No additional agenda items were proposed. 5. 6:17 pm Announcements Frank Topping: Sacramento County Mental Health Board (MHB) is preparing a position paper similar to the one recently released by NAMI and is soliciting public input. Frank Topping: First 5 Commission has a grant opportunity designed to aid parents with children under 5 years old to form collaborative groups that support the children, their families, and the communities in which they live. 6. 6:20 pm Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee (cont d from 7/15/10 and 8/5/10) Dave Schroeder, SC Co-Chair, Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee Member Michelle Callejas reviewed the reasons the Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee (CRC) was formed. A SC member added that the role of the SC had changed over the last 2 years from a deliberative body to one that was a rubber stamp for what the county wanted to do. Michelle noted that one suggestion received had accidentally been left off the document and would be reviewed at the end. Michelle asked for public comment at the beginning of the review process to enable SC members to consider it when casting their votes. Public Comment Patty Gainer: 1) Representatives from the military service (veteran with lived experience) and the spiritual faith community should be added even if the size of the committee means Questions? Email us at: MHSA@SacCounty.net or call (916) 875-MHSA
letting go of administrators from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2) All Steering Committee members should apply for selection by the same panel of leading clients and family members. Nominations from current appointing bodies would be optional and included in the application process. Treating clients and family members as a separate class is stigmatizing and discriminatory. 3) Immediately remove the BHS Director from the Steering Committee, not replacing her with anyone else working for DHHS. This is principally based on Mary Ann Bennett s admission that she has a serious conflict of interest regarding the lawsuits against the county and that she disallows discussion amongst the Steering Committee because she works for lawyers now. 4) Under Membership, insert designated for in paragraph 3, so that it reads Fifty percent of the SC members shall be designated for mental health clients, consumers, or family members. Full integration into all aspects of community life is the ultimate goal. 5) The SC and the MHSA program should conduct robust community outreach efforts to recruit applicants who are clients and family members to represent each stakeholder group. Selection of SC members would be based on proven leadership potential. She hopes the disparity in the Charter was an accidental oversight that the intention was that at least 50 percent of the entire SC would reflect the culture and diversity of Sacramento. Eva Nuñez: Wondered if there was any funding available to assist Linda Bradshaw of TLCS and her committee in opening up a thrift store to provide employment opportunities for TLCS clients. Member Discussion Vision Mission Statement Values Purpose Role A proposal requested that language be changed from effectively engage clients, to effectively and respectfully engage clients, Proposal accepted without comment or vote. Membership First proposal: SC Mental Health provider representatives be identified by service provider as well as by name. Noted that this is already current practice. Decided that during Introductions at the beginning of SC meetings, SC members would also state the organizations they work for. This should be a process change rather then add to Charter. Additionally noted that SC service provider representatives do not represent the agency they work; they represent all service providers who serve the same age groups. Questions? Email us at: MHSA@SacCounty.net or call (916) 875-MHSA 2
Second proposal: make the co-chair positions on the SC non-voting. Concern expressed by several members that if a co-chair represents a constituent group those stakeholders lose their vote on the SC. Joyce Wright moved that this proposal not be adopted. Stephanie Ramos seconded. [Note: Community members stated that they did not have an opportunity to provide input on all proposed changes and that the process was not following Robert s Rules of Order. The SC decided all Charter changes made during the meeting would be provisional pending additional public comment after all the changes had been reviewed and voted upon. The motion on the floor was not voted upon. The next several Membership proposals involved adding additional representatives to the SC: 1 from the Spiritual Community, 1 from Military Veterans, 1 from the Office of the Public Guardian/Conservator, and 1 to increase the representative number for Education from 1 to 2 (1 for grade school through secondary school and 1 for community colleges/universities). Noted that the SC Charter requires at least 50% of the membership be consumers and family members, so any increase in SC membership must consider this. Ben Jones moved that all 4 proposed additional representatives be added to the SC, each of which must concurrently represent consumers/family members and someone from the Spiritual Community, a Veteran, a person from the Office of Public Guardian/Conservator or a second representative from Education. Joyce Wright offered a friendly amendment that the size of the committee be capped at 30 and that these new categories be filled by individuals representing more than one group. The motion was re-amended that the maximum size of the SC should be capped at 31. Joyce Wright seconded. Next proposal: SC Membership be at least 50% consumers, with family members not counted in that total. Several members affirmed the value and relevance of family members in making mental health-related decisions. Suggested; the Charter be revised to require a minimum of 50% of the SC be consumers and 25% be family members. Noted: MHB has language in its Charter requiring that at least 50% of its membership be consumers or family members, with no less than 20% of the total being consumers. Michael Lazar moved that the SC revise its Charter using the same language used by the MHB regarding minimum consumer/ family membership representation. Stephanie Ramos offered a friendly amendment that no less than 25% of all members be consumers. Joyce Wright seconded. Discussion of four proposals amending an identical section of language in the Charter regarding the SC status of the Mental Health Director and the SC co-chairs. Mary Ann Bennett suggested that the second proposal be adopted with one change: the SC will have two elected co-chairs and that that both, not just one, should be consumers. Dave Schroeder moved that the second proposed change be accepted with Mary Ann Bennett s suggested amendment. A consumer member said he didn t see the necessity for two consumer co-chairs. Another SC member said that if the SC wants to elect two consumer co-chairs, the Questions? Email us at: MHSA@SacCounty.net or call (916) 875-MHSA 3
proposed language as it stands, before amendment, would not prohibit it. Motion died for lack of a second. Al Lipson moved that the second proposal be adopted as written. Lois C seconded. The role of Mental Health Director as a standing member on the SC was clarified to include voting privileges. Member Roles and Responsibilities The first two proposals were discussed together. The first stated that co-chairs shall receive training in facilitating meetings and the second stated that the term limits of SC members will be clearly delineated in the SC meeting minutes and on the member roster. Mary Ann moved that both proposals be adopted as committee practice and be added to a document detailing committee practice, with the exception of the requirement that term limits be delineated on the member roster. Michael Lazar seconded. Several proposals changing the Charter language concerning SC member term limits were discussed. Opinion expressed that term limits eliminate people who are capable and have leadership capability. Objection raised that, without term limits, someone could serve ten years on the SC. An Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee (AHCRC) member explained that the intent behind instituting term limits was to open up the SC to the community to provide opportunities to people who have an interest in providing leadership on mental health issues. Mary Ann Bennett moved that the Charter language crafted by the Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee regarding term limits be retained. Marilyn Hillerman seconded. Michael Lazar offered a friendly amendment that a member s two-year term may be renewed once (should the appointing body so wish) without an intervening one-year break. Former SC members would be eligible for consideration for future terms after they had spent a year off the SC. Amendment accepted. A proposal regarding selection criteria for Steering Committee members was moved to the MHSA Consumer and Family Member Selection Committee Guidelines section of the Charter. Three minor changes were approved without debate. 1) Change Alternates will have staggered two-year terms to Alternates will serve staggered two-year terms, 2) Change Regularly communicate Steering Committee updates and decisions to the stakeholders you represent to Regularly communicate Steering Committee updates and decisions to stakeholders, 3) Change Update Committee members to Inform Committee members. Meeting Process Guidelines and Ground Rules Proposal to add a 5-member Administration Committee to the Steering Committee to develop meeting agendas three members would be elected by the SC and two would be the co-chairs. Suggestion made to call it an Executive Committee all agreed. Questions? Email us at: MHSA@SacCounty.net or call (916) 875-MHSA 4
Mary Ann Bennett made a friendly amendment that this panel be expanded to 6 members with the Mental Health Director being the sixth member because the MH Director sometimes has items to bring before the SC. Jane Fowler moved that the proposed change be made incorporating both of the aforementioned changes. Michael Lazar seconded. Mary Ann Bennett moved for approval of proposal that SC meetings be governed by Robert s Rules of Order. Marilyn Hillerman seconded. No debate. Proposal stating that SC members may request presentations by guest speakers/subject matter experts. It was decided this was an agenda setting detail best handled by Executive Committee of SC. Discussion of proposal that the decision of whether to remove an SC member who misses three consecutive meetings or two thirds of meetings over a six-month period will be made by the stakeholder body that appointed that member, rather than the co-chairs. Mary Ann Bennett moved approval of this proposal. Marilyn Hillerman seconded. Proposal that SC members will receive training in identifying conflicts of interest. Member noted it is unclear where this training would come from it would be counterproductive to require something without a way to provide it. Marilyn Hillerman moved that the conflict of interest language in the Charter remain as it was. Hiep Ma seconded. Meeting Schedule Member Selection Committee Guidelines Stephanie Ramos moved to adopt a proposal that Selection Committee shall include a former Steering Committee member. Mary Ann Bennett seconded. Proposal to fix typo in name of Consumers Self Help Center accepted without debate. No vote seen as necessary. Mary Ann Bennett moved acceptance of proposal to clarify the range of stakeholder groups SC candidates would be drawn from. Stephanie Ramos seconded. The next two proposals modified the Charter language about the seventh member of the Selection Committee. Mary Ann Bennett moved approval of the first proposal, which stated that the seventh member will reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity from historically underserved and unserved communities. Stephanie Ramos seconded. Questions? Email us at: MHSA@SacCounty.net or call (916) 875-MHSA 5
Michelle noted that, as stated at the beginning of the meeting, one proposal had been inadvertently omitted from the charter revision document: Upon approval of the revised charter, any changes would take effect immediately. Frank Topping moved approval of this proposal. Mary Ann Bennett seconded. Public Comment Community member: Regarding Roberts Rules of Order, a staff member should be available to guide committee. He also thinks co-chair positions should be non-voting, except as tie breakers. Questioned whether vocational schools and private schools would have their own representative or go under community colleges and universities. Patty Gainer: All members serving on SC should have the identical criteria for selection. It is discriminatory to treat consumers and family members differently. Further, the entire committee, not just the consumers and family members, should reflect the diversity of the community. She observed that members do not represent agencies, but instead represent larger interest groups. Action Mary Ann Bennett moved that the proposed Charter changes tentatively accepted throughout this meeting be accepted as a group. Stephanie Ramos seconded. 7. 8:00 pm Upcoming Meeting Agenda Items Dave Schroeder, SC Co-Chair; Mary Ann Bennett, SC Co-Chair Health Care Reform Presentation (September 2, 2010) Student Mental Health and Wellness Collaborative (September 16, 2010) 9. 8:01 pm Upcoming Meetings (1 st and 3 rd Thursday of each month, from 6:00 8:00 pm) 11. 8:02 pm Adjourn September 2, 2010 September 16, 2010 Questions? Email us at: MHSA@SacCounty.net or call (916) 875-MHSA 6