04/25/2019 Meeting Minutes

GARRETT COUNTY HEALTH PLANNING COUNCIL

Garrett County Health Department Conference Room

April 25, 2019

MINUTES

Health Planning Council Members in Attendance

Steve Putnam                                    Robin McGill                                       Dr. Willis McGill                Robert Stephens

Larry Tichnell                                      Dr. Karl Schwalm                              Charles Wilt                        Christie Reckart

Edgar Harman                                    Regina Gearhart                               Rick DeWitt                        Kimi Scott-McGreevy

William Riley                                      Lisa McCoy

Staff and Visitors

Grace Bolyard (Hospice)                                Dr. Jenny Corder (GCHD)                              Laura Schroyer (MLMC)

Rodney Glotfelty                                              Dr. William Pope                                              Fred Polce (GCHD)

Shelley Argabrite (GCHD)                              John Corbin (GCHD)

CALL TO ORDER

HPC Chairman Steve Putnam called the meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. in the first floor conference room.

OLD BUSINESS

Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes – The minutes from the February 28, 2019 were approved as submitted.

NEW BUSINESS

Hospice – Grace Bolyard presented information on services provided by Hospice.  They serve the terminally ill and also their families.  They offer nursing care, social work services, physician’s services, counseling services, medical appliances and supplies, home health aide, drugs for palliation and management of symptoms, volunteer services and pastoral care.  The patient does not need to be homebound, in fact, they encourage patients to get out and socialize.

Hospice is not just for the last few days of life, it is for patients that have been diagnosed with a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less to live; however, there are patients that improve and plateau then become Hospice graduates or can renew their certification in Hospice.

A friend, family member, or a health care professional can make a referral to Hospice and the patients physician must make the order.  Patients must be residents of Garrett County.

Volunteers are always needed to work in the office or in the homes.  They have a “tuck-in” program where volunteers check in with patients for their weekend needs.  If anyone is interested in volunteering, please contact Grace and you will be set up with training.

They currently have 21 patients; they have had as many as 34 and as little as 8.  The numbers can fluctuate.  Please see attached flyers for more information.

Workgroup for Children and Adolescent Wellness – Due to Garrett County ranking the worst in the State for Adolescent Well checks, this group was created to address this issue and ways to get adolescents to visit their physicians for more than illnesses.  As they have met, the topics have broadened to encompass much more.  The local physicians were given a survey and Dr. Schwalm is planning to have grand rounds with Dr. Sisler to discuss the results; and also address the physicals for foster care children that are required within 24 hours of them entering foster care.  Dr. Schwalm, Dr. Sisler, and Jessica Savage from DSS will work together on creating a form that can be used by healthcare providers that address the issues these children are facing.

Phil Lauver and Rebecca Aiken from GC Public Schools attend the meetings and they are working on creating a curriculum following a model pioneered by Atlantic General to integrate health literacy into curriculum. Worchester County has offered to share their curriculum also.

Community Health Assessment – The survey assessments began at the health fair on April 13^th and there have been 418 responses to date.  The grand prize being offered is a customized mountain bike.  The information from this survey will be a great benefit to collect information on the needs of the community and to collect focus group participants.  It will also be incorporated into the surveys by the hospital and the adolescent wellness survey.   MLMC and GRMC may have different needs, but it will all come together with the focus groups.

Collectors are needed to help in getting this assessment out to the public.  A collector is a partner that puts the survey on their website and as part of their email groups.  Please contact Shelley if your organization is interested in being a collector.

Health Fair Update – The 13^th Annual Health Fair had its most successful year with over 70 vendors and almost 1000 attendees.  The Garrett County Planning Groups received the Partners in Health award in the organizational category and Teresa Friend received the award in the individual category.

Their next meeting is Friday, May 2^nd where they will do a debriefing of the fair and discuss the scholarship program.  All are welcome to join.

AGENCY UPDATES

Lisa McCoy, University of Maryland Extension Office, is conducting a Nutrition Education Research Study to test the Dining with Diabetes program in our county.   To see if you qualify to participate there is a pre-screen survey online, or contact Lisa.  The research is to determine if Dining with Diabetes helps people learn new ways to be healthy; and what ways Marylanders living in rural counties prefer to learn, i.e. information, in person, online, or both. (see attached flyer)

Health Planning Council now has a group on mygarrettcounty.com.  Please join and give us feedback.

ADJOURNMENT

With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 9:06 a.m.  The next Health Planning Council meeting will be held in conjunction with the Board of Health, on May 23, 2019 in the first floor conference room of the Garrett County Health Department.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Stephens, MS

Health Officer/HPC Secretary

Recorded by BAB