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Minutes 11-12-03MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Ron Washam, Chairman Anna Marie Noe, Vice Chair Anne Centi Blanche Girtman Jayne Kupperman Eddie Mitchell Howard Solomon Brenda Lee Williams Sarah P. Dye, Alternate Dan DeCarlo, Board Liaison Absent Jose Rodriguez Robert Harper, Alternate I. Pledge of Allegiance Chairman Washam called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. and welcomed the members OF PATCH who were present to give an update on PATCH activities and programs. Ms. Blanche Girtman led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. II. Roll Call - Regular Members and Alternates The Recording Secretary called the roll and a quorum was present. III. Recognition of Visitors Chairman Washam requested that everyone in the audience introduce himself or herself. Members of PATCH were: Angela Girtman, Chairperson Sister Lorraine Ryan, Vice Chair Ellen Davis, Secretary Brian Edwards, Board Member Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2003 IV. Approval of October 8th Minutes Motion Ms. Girtman moved to accept the minutes. Motion seconded by Mr. Solomon and unanimously carried. V. Agenda Approval Motion Mr. Solomon moved to accept the agenda as submitted. Motion seconded by Ms. Williams and unanimously carried. VI. Correspondence and Announcements Ms. Kupperman announced that the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition initiative in the community this year is "one book - one community." Ms. Kupperman urged everyone to stop by their local Library to vote for one of the five choices of books. The deadline is before Thanksgiving. Last year over 20,000 people participated and they would like to do better this year. Ms. Centi announced that the Sister City Committee would be selling Christmas and holiday ornaments on December 6th and 7th in a booth that will be set up on the corner of Seacrest and Ocean Avenue during the City's holiday festivities. Ms. Girtman announced that the Treasure Chest Eady Learning Center would be serving Thanksgiving Dinner for the children and parents on Wednesday, November 26th. Anyone that would like to help serve would be welcomed. Mr. Solomon announced that he will be doing two shows on his radio program; one will be on PATCH and the other will be on Section 8 housing in December. The station is A.M. radio station 1420 WDJW. In December the show can be heard from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Ms. Williams announced that on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2003, St. John Missionary Baptist Church will be serving Thanksgiving Dinner between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and everyone is welcome at no cost. The address is 900 North Seacrest Boulevard, Boynton Beach. Ms. Williams noted that volunteers to serve and clean up would be welcomed. Mr. DeCarlo announced that the City's Parade is scheduled for Sunday, December 7th beginning at 3:00 p.m. The Parade is back downtown on Federal Highway and Ocean Avenue. There will be booths set up as mentioned by Ms. Centi. Ms. Williams pointed out that the Parade direction will be south this year and the staging area will be located 2 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2003 at the Senior Center. Mr. DeCarlo stated that there are events planned for Saturday and Sunday to bring people to the downtown. Brian Edwards, 629 NE 9th Avenue, Boynton Beach, who works for United Way, announced that he met with Assistant City Manager, Wilfred Hawkins, and they have come up with two partnership programs between the City and United Way. The first one is a volunteer income tax assistance program. There will be 17 sites throughout the County where people can go and get their taxes done. Mr. Edwards noted that in Palm Beach County over $11 million is still unclaimed by people who received the tax credit, but did not claim it. The amount unclaimed for Boynton Beach is over $3 million. This is due to people who want to receive their tax refund money quickly, will go to almost anyone to prepare their taxes, and pay a fee. Mr. Edwards also noted that a great many families are unfamiliar with the earned income tax credit. Therefore, they are trying to establish a partnership with the IRS to open more volunteer sites so that people can get their taxes done and receive their earned income tax credit. There will be no charge, tax returns would still be filed electronically, and people would receive their refund within four working days. It is important that the word get out that this service will be available. Mr. Edwards reported that they are trying to open up a new Share site and he is trying to spread the word that Share is available to anybody, regardless of the amount of money a person has or does not have. All that is involved is putting in some volunteer time in order to purchase good food at half-price. Ms. Girtman inquired where the Share Program is located and was informed the Boynton Beach Share is located at the Community Caring Center, 145 NE 4th Street. The distribution for the food is at the Ezell Hester Center on Seacrest Boulevard. Sister Lorraine announced that the PATCH Wellness CenterProgram would take place on November 22nd at R.M. Lee CDC, located behind St. John Missionary Baptist Church, from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon. The focus will be on domestic violence--child abuse prevention. On Saturday, December 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the same location the program will focus on asthma and will be offered in conjunction with the A.G. Holley Hospital in Lantana. It is possible that some screening will be done as well. VII. Old Business PATCH Activities Update- Boynton PATCH Presentation Mr. DeCarlo commended the PATCH representatives who were present tonight and acknowledged all their hard work and efforts for the people in the community. He would like the new Commission to have an opportunity to learn about the program and give PATCH their support. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2003 Ms. Angela Girtman acknowledged Elizabeth Jenkins, who is also a PATCH Board member, who was in the audience. Ms. Girtman thanked the Community Relations Board for their support over the years and noted that PATCH is now going into its fourth year. Ms. Girtman pointed out that many people in the community, due to lack of money, use hospital emergency rooms in place of a doctor. This puts an enormous burden upon Bethesda Hospital. Ms. Girtman said that they have been looking for a wellness center in the north area of the City to serve all of the community. Since they do not have a building, they have been using other locations that have volunteered their site. Currently, they are in the R.M. Lee CDC, but they can only perform a fraction of the work that needs to be done. They have provided mammogram screenings, immunizations for children, seminars on depression and hypertension. Ms. Ellen Davis gave a PowerPoint presentation on PATCH, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Some of the salient points of the presentation were: Seacrest Boulevard has undergone changes and there are now a lot of immigrants and poor people living in the area. As a result of all these new people, there are new diseases that the hospital is now treating. · They want to progress and serve more people. · Secure office space within the City limits in order to provide part time health care services to the residents. · By constantly moving, people cannot find them. · Their long-term goal is to secure a freestanding wellness center in order to provide fulltime health care services to the residents. · Conducted a survey of the residents in the Heart of Boynton to determine what the people wanted. · People need help in applying for health care from various agencies due to literacy and language barriers. · People are poor; people are sick; and people do not have health care services. · Zip code 33435 is the number one "hot spot" in the County for HIV/Aids. · Zip code 33435 has the highest teenage pregnancy rate. · Indigent care at Bethesda Hospital continues to rise. Mr. Edwards gave a history of PATCH. In November 2000 the Boynton Beach Community Relations Board, working in conjunction with the City's Neighborhood Specialist, Dan DeCado, addressed the hardships that many of its citizens are faced with. The Community Relations Board introduced Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH) to the City Commission. At that meeting, Ray Adams of the Palm Beach County PATCH Program gave a presentation. At that time both the CRB and the City Commission unanimously agreed to support the creation of the Boynton Beach PATCH. Board Members were selected who are volunteers and shared a vision of making things better for everyone who lives in the City regardless of their race, creed, culture, diversity, or finances. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2003 Under the leadership of Chairperson Angela Girtman, the Board has worked tirelessly to mobilize the community, collect and organize data, choose health priorities and develop a comprehensive intervention plan. Through partnerships, collaboration and caring hearts, PATCH will continue to improve their ability to make a positive impact. Through all their efforts, it has been determined that the City is in need of a wellness center and that is their purpose of being here tonight. Some of the services they provided are - Mammogram van for free screenings; blood pressure; stroke prevention; HIV/Hepatitis C testing and education; youth health fairs; immunization fairs; mental health; and depression screening. They are present tonight to seek the continued support of the Community Relations Board and to help them lobby the City leaders for a wellness center. Ellen Davis next presented their plans for 2003-2004. They would like to meet with the CRA and the City Commission. She noted that Bethesda Hospital would be willing to donate a doublewide trailer that can hold up to six to eight offices. All they need would be a piece of land to place the trailer on. They have been supported by many organizations in the community that provide the goods and services for their wellness events. They have received assistance from United Way, The Quantum Foundation, and Healthy Mothers-Healthy Babies. What they really need is space in the City. Sister Lorraine pointed out that there is an insurance health care crisis in the State of Florida and many programs have been frozen. The County's Health Care District is not providing the necessary services to the citizens and they are funded by County taxes. Their mandate is to access health care to the underprivileged and they are doing a very poor job. PATCH is very much needed in Boynton Beach to make up for the services that the Health Care District is not providing. Sister Lorraine asked that their request be addressed by the CRA as soon as possible, as well as the City Commission. They would like to give a PowerPoint presentation as well at that time. All they are asking for is a piece of land in the Heart of Boynton on which to put their trailer. She stressed that there is a need for a community center to serve the needs of the residents in that area. Chairman Washam thanked the PATCH members for their presentation and opened up the meeting to questions from the Board. Ms. Williams inquired when the CRA meets and was informed that it was the second Tuesday of every month and sometimes the third Thursday, when necessary. Ms. Williams also asked if the trailer could be placed temporarily on the parcel of land that was donated by the County to the City on MLK Boulevard until a permanent location could be secured. Chairman Washam felt that by being vocal and getting the message out things could happen. 5 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2003 Ms. Girtman echoed Ms. Williams' request that a piece of land be secured so that they could have a place to house the trailer. She noted that she has been asking for this since the middle 1980s. Boynton Beach citizens that are in need of services have to go to Delray Beach or Lake Worth and Ms. Girtman felt it was time that the City provided for its citizens. Boynton Beach is the third largest city in the County and questioned why it lagged way behind in these types of services. Ms. Centi pointed out that Bethesda Hospital is way overburdened and that there are many people out there that need help. She felt it was important that they lobby at the top to get these services. Chairman Washam applauded the PATCH Committee for their time and sacrifices. What PATCH is doing is important and it is time that the program moves forward. He also agreed that the CRA should become more involved in PATCH as well. The Board will always be there for PATCH and will use all of its resources to get PATCH what it needs. VIII. New Business 1. Community Relations Board Brochure Mr. DeCarlo distributed a draft of the proposed brochure for discussion. If any member had any changes, additions or deletions, please contact his office. He recommended that members take the brochure home, review it and come back to the next meeting with suggestions. Mr. Solomon would also like to discuss at the next meeting his suggestion about getting more publicity for the Board. Ms. Kupperman had some suggestions about the layout of the brochure, which she turned in to Mr. DeCarlo. She would also like to see this Committee adopt some outreach programs for the community. She felt if the brochure were done in "landscape" it would provide more room for comments. Ms. Girtman pointed out that the Community Relations Board came into existence in 1973, not 1992 as indicated in the brochure. Up until that time, the Board dealt with "citizen issues" and did not refer to itself as dealing with "racial issues." Mr. Solomon thought it was important that the Board move forward and more time should be spent on explaining where the Board is today and what its future goals are. Chairman Washam felt that it was important to include the history of the Board as well. Ms. Williams inquired if Mr. DeCarlo would like to receive suggestions by a certain time. Mr. DeCarlo requested that any changes or suggestions be submitted within two weeks so that his staff would have an opportunity to redo the brochure for the next meeting. 6 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2003 Mr. Solomon suggested inviting Wayne Segal to the December meeting to assist with the Board's public relations campaign. Chairman Washam felt that this would be better discussed in January after the brochure is approved. IX. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (November 14, 2003)