May 24, 2000 Work Group Meeting Minutes
Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, Maine
Present: Chandra Murphy, Dixie Leavitt, Tonya Labbe, John R. Baillargeon, Drew Bolduc, Deb Parker Wolfenden, Lora Perry, John Shattuck, Helen Bailey, Alice Conway, Susan Wygal, Margaret Forbes, Kat Douin, Deborah Williams, Pat Ellis, Sawin Millett, Ronald Welch, Nat Hussey, Stephen Maxwell, Howard Wright, Dee Wright, Christine Bartlett, Kathryn Kazenski, Chris Zukas-Lessard, Stuart Bratesman (Muskie School staff), Eileen Griffin (Muskie School staff).
Not present: Mike Arenstam, Jane Gallivan, Chris Gianopoulos, Joanne Ogden, David Stockford, Diane Towle, Jude Walsh.
Chris Zukas-Lessard chaired the meeting.
1. Introduction to the Work Group’s
Purpose
The chair reviewed the key points
of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead v. L.C. decision, and the Work Group’s role and
responsibilities. The Olmstead decision requires that a state offering community-based
services must provide those services when the state’s treating provider
believes that such placement in appropriate, the affected person does not oppose
placement, and the placement can be reasonably accommodated, within the meaning
of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Work Group is asked to assist the Steering Committee to develop a single coherent vision for community-based services across all state agencies; to systematically identify and address opportunities for improving the programs already in place; and to assist the Steering Committee in developing a comprehensive and coherent plan for home- and community-based services.
In response to a question about the State’s degree of commitment to developing a comprehensive plan for community services, members of the Steering Committee replied that the five departments are committed to working together to address the inter-departmental problems that they face. It was also noted that any need for additional funding depends upon the Legislature but that a plan developed with the support of five departments and consumer input would likely generate favorable support in the Legislature.
2. Timing and Process for
Future Meetings
The Work Group agreed to meet, initially at
least, on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Dates were scheduled through September and
this schedule will be revisited at that time. Each meeting will be scheduled to last three
hours. The work before the Work Group is likely to require at least a one year commitment.
A request was made to provide members with tabletop name cards and access to microphones.
A request was made to provide speakerphone access for Work Group members who are unable to
attend sessions in-person. It was also suggested that the meetings be held in a location
with better acoustics, since it was difficult to hear others speaking with a meeting going
on in the next room.
Responsibility to chair meetings will rotate between different members of the Steering Committee.
3. Communication
The Work Group will disseminate
information about its meetings and findings via a publicly available
website and by other means. The Work Group staff will establish an e-mail
listserv to enable group discussions via the Internet during the time
between meetings. Any e-mail message addressed to the single listserv
address would be automatically distributed to all the members of the
Work Group. Any recipient of a listserv message can send a reply to the
entire group by using the REPLY command on their e-mail software. Members
who do not have access to e-mail can request to receive printed copies
of all e-mail listserv messages by mail.
4.
Introduction to Work Group Work Book
Eileen
Griffin reviewed the contents of the "Work
Book," noting that it is a work-in-progress. Some of the Work Book tabs
are empty, and are left for Work Group members to fill as the project goes on.
Work Group members are asked to make suggestions, corrections, and additions
to the Work Book. Work Group members are also asked to comment upon how accurately
the Work Book describes the systems of services for persons with disabilities.
The content of the Work Book will be reviewed more carefully at future meetings.
New and revised material for the Work Book will be sent to members by mail. For
the next meeting a revised Work Group member list will be sent to members with
corrections and identifying Steering Committee members. Agendas and meeting minutes,
and any other materials that might be retained in the Work Book will also be
distributed on three-hole punch paper.
5. Legislators
The Work Group agreed that the Legislature would play an
important role in its work but that legislators should not be brought into the process
until the Work Group was closer to meeting its objectives.
6. Steering
Committee Meetings
Meetings of the Community-Based Living Steering Committee will be
open to Work Group members who wish to attend as observers. Notice of the place and time
of upcoming Steering Committee meetings, and the minutes of former meetings, will be
mailed to all Work Group members. Work Group members who plan to attend a Steering
Committee meeting will need to notify Joannie Connor (287-2674) in advance so that an
adequate meeting space can be arranged.
7. Decision Process
The
Work Group members agreed that the group would not try to reach consensus on
all aspects of their work since some members wanted to reserve the option to
dissent from the Work Group’s final plan.
8. Agenda for Next Meeting
The group agreed that it would focus on two items at the next
meeting and discussed several other that would be addressed at subsequent meetings.
It was suggested that once the group had agreed upon a shared vision, each subsequent meeting should begin with a reading of the Vision Statement.
9. Other Agenda Items
10. Future Meeting Dates