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>Past Conference Minutes
Conference minutes, March 30-31, 2004,
Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation Institute, Warm Springs, GA
Present:
Lynn Centa (MI), Richard Luck (VA), Barbara Ostrander (VA),E.C. Towsend (MD), Howard Ruttenberg (AR),
Sonja Scholl (WV), Barry Newill (KY), Donald DEW (GWU), Jack Diller (GWU), Ralph Pacinelli, (RSA), Darlo Koldenhoven (RSA),
Sue Rankin-White (RSA), Diane McCuen (RSA), David Holmes (RSA), Cindy Murdock-Elliott, (TN), Frank Ruzycki (GA),
Carolyn McKinley
Absent:
Al Reynolds (PA)
Welcome and Agenda Review
Vice
Chair, David Holmes, welcomed the group to Georgia and called the meeting to
order and announced that he was chairing the meeting due to Chairman Tim
Milligan’s recent retirement. Afterintroductions, the meeting agenda was reviewed and affirmed.
Frank Ruzycki indicated that those interested in tours of the Roosevelt Rehabilitation Institute
would be between 11:00 am and Noon.
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RSA/Recruitment/Retention Initiatives
Chairman Holmes recognized Dr. Dew who introduced Ralph
Pacinelli Ph.D., RSA Commissioner for Federal Region’s III and IV and
thanked Dr. Pacinelli for his support for the NCSOCRC over the years.
Dr. Pacinelli thanked Dr. Dew for his kind words and
introduced the Region IV staff that accompanied him to the meeting.
Dr. Pacinelli then reviewed and discussed the following topics:
- RSA
work plan
- The
reducing amount of federal resources
- More
states are going to an order of selection which would seem to give
additional impetus to comprehensive centers
- A
review of the history of funding of the National V. R. Program
- A
review and comparison of the Senate Bill and House Bill which would
reauthorize the Vocational Rehabilitation Program and the advantages and
disadvantages of each bill, including the funding ramifications
- Links
that exist between VR and Sp. Ed. Regarding “Transition” and the
lack of funds to support that authority
- Provisions
of the TANF Super Waiver
The Consortium thanked Dr. Pacinelli for all of
the information that he provided in his report.
Dr. Dew then discussed and described a GWU survey
that is being developed that will focus on identifying the issues and
significant factors involved in the recruitment/retention topic.
He also indicated that the Centers might be interested in doing
something similar as they plan for their future staffing needs.
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Individual Center Review/NCSOCRC Roundup
Chairman Holmes asked Barry Newill to facilitate the
Center Roundup so that each director can give an update report of activities
at each Center:
West Virginia:
- The
focus at the present time is on Vocational/Education Programs and the
Medical Programs and Services
- The
Center is now offering a new training program for CNA’s through a
cooperative agreement with a community college
- Marketing
efforts are is being increased to
the VR field staff
- Community
colleges are now accepting Center training courses for credit hours
Arkansas:
- The
Center is going through and administrative transition with Tim
Milligan’s retirement. A
new director will be hired on or before July.
- Vocational
training programs are now being evaluated and in some cases restructured
George Washington University RRCEP:
- GWU
has recently established a Center for Rehabilitation Counseling,
Research and Education
- One
hundred and four individuals will be involved in a Learned Optimism
Training Program in two groups for research purposes to determine if
Learned Optimism can be taught effectively
- GWU
is involved, with a private consulting group, in the development of a
proposal to build a comprehensive rehabilitation center in Afghanistan
- The
staff is working with Dr. Pacinelli in developing the upcoming National
Employment Training Conference
Georgia:
- The
Institute has received approval from the RWSIR Development Board to
resurface the CTR track ($19,400), resurface the inside of the CTR pool
($8,600) and to repair the crack in the outdoor pool at Camp Dream
($8,571)
- A
study is being conducted to reduce the falls in cognitively impaired
patients in the neurological program
- The
Goizueta Business School at Emory University has chosen RWSIR’s
Diabetic Foot Care Clinic as their project for marketing strategy
competition
- The
Center has just hired an internal medicine specialist and a physical
medicine and rehabilitation specialist.
They should be on board in the next few months
- Interviews
have been completed and a Chaplain position has been filled.
They started work on March 21, 2004
- The
Department of Community Health approved RWSIR’s Diabetic Foot
Center’s proposal to provide a diabetic education program for
prevention and management of diabetes along with free foot screenings to
medically underserved persons in Meriwether County.
The focus of the program will be to increase diabetes awareness
to promote early detection of diabetes and treatment of its
complications, increase awareness of the impact of obesity, to identify
the high-risk foot, and to provide specialized services by the foot
clinic director
- The
2004 Georgia Hall Society Ball was an overwhelming success with over
$97,000 being raised for the Development Board’s activities
Kentucky:
- Census
continues to run close to capacity
- Client
and sponsor satisfaction is at 3.4 on a scale of 4.0
- A
new sewage treatment plant is being installed this week ($265,000)
- New
roof is in the Governor’s budget for FY 2005-2006 ($1,200,000)
- Governor
Fletcher ( R ) has been elected governor.
He is the first republican governor in 38 years
- The
Center has added Retail Sales and Merchandizing as a new training
program that started in January with Hotel and Motel Cleaning scheduled
to open in the summer
- The
new program for the deaf and hard of hearing is going well with 15 new
staff being trained in sign language
- The
security staff will be trained in the new future in the use of ballistic
stream pepper spray
- One
half day training programs have been instituted with special education
students from the local high school as part of their transition program
Maryland:
- Census
is a capacity in most programs with waiting lists.
Bench marking census will begin this year
- An
employment assessment specialist was hired to assess employers needs for
employees
- The
pre-employment program is expanding with an emphasis on transition
- A
review is being completed to determine if the structure of the
residential services program should be modified operationally
- The
governor is moving to make government more efficient
- State
employees will get a raise next year for the first time in 3 years
- NFB
is lobbying heavily for a separate non-state blind agency.
If successful, through state legislation, it would reduce VR’s
budget by 18%
- ACB
wants a separate agency but one that would operate within state
government
Tennessee:
- The
Tennessee budget problem has begun to stabilize, however the governor
continues to push his “live within our means” protocol with no new
growth until we bring expenditures in line with revenues.
State employees will receive a pay increase in July.
- Census
continues to stay at high utilization
- Tennessee
continues on a order of selection
- The
Center has realized a shift in population with LD dropping out of the
top 3 disabilities served. The
top three disability groups are mental retardation, emotional disorders
and TBI
- Mobile
evaluations have been increased
- Vocational
Training Programs are full with a 2 to 14 month waiting period.
Looking for ways to expand each class
- Attempting
to bring more industrial related machine operation jobs to work
adjustment programs
- TBI
vocational evaluation capacity has been doubled
- Personal
Care Attendant training has been added to the Transitional Life Skills
Training Program
- The
building that houses our jobs program is being completely refurbished
- Dormitory
renovations project has been put on hold until the new fiscal year in
hopes that funding will be provided
- Security
surveillance cameras will be added to a number of locations throughout
the campus
- Approval
has been granted to build two new community training facilities to
replace one damaged by a tornado and one that is very old and
deteriorated
- An
assistant director has been hired whose name is Cindy Murdock-Elliott
Virginia:
- A
reduction of 2 million was expected during the fiscal year.
As of January, all but $600,000
had been realized
- A
leadership development program was initiated inviting all leadership
within the Center to participate with a consultant who focused on
renewal and based on a set of values.
A new vision and mission statement was or will be developed
Michigan:
- As
of December the VR agency is part of the Department of Labor and
Economic Growth
- A
spending freeze last year at the Center has positioned it well this year
- The
60th year anniversary will occur this summer with the Kellog
Foundation contributing funding toward the cost of the celebration
activities
- A
Certified Nurse Assistant program was developed and implemented last fall
- Census
is currently at capacity
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Business Meeting
Vice Chair Holmes called the Business Meeting to order at 10:10 on
Wednesday, March 21, 2004.
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Nominating Committee Report:
David Holmes appointed a Nominating Committee composed of
Barry Newill, Donald Dew and himself to select a vice-chairman since he moved
into the chair’s opposition with the retirement of Tim Milligan.
The Nominating Committee chaired by Don Dew proposed that Frank Ruzycki
be the Vice Chair and David Holmes be the Chairman of the NCSOCRC since the
previous chair has retired from his position at the Arkansas comprehensive
Rehabilitation Center.
Action: Motion to accept the
Nominating Committee’s report made by Donald Dew, seconded by EC Townsend.
The motion passed unanimously.
Dr. Dew requested names from
the members of the NCSOCRC to serve on a panel that will present at the
National Employment Conference in August of 2004.
Dr. Dew indicated that he will provide additional information after the
call for papers is issued.
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Secretary's Report:
Discussion was help regarding
the NCSOCRC’s Web Page and The Hiram G. Andrews Center’s (HGA) capacity to continue to provide the technical
support to keep it updated.
Action: David Holmes will contact Dr. Reynolds to determine HGA’s capacity to maintain and update the consortium’s web
page as well as to determine if HGA has the capacity to develop the web site to accommodate “list serve.”
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Treasurer's Report- 501 C (3) Status:
A conference call was conducted via teleconference with Patty Miller-Cramer, the Executive Director
of the Michigan Center’s 501 C (3) not for profit organization, in which the necessity, reasoning,
advantages, disadvantages, obligations and responsibilities of establishing a 501 C (3) corporation
for the NCSOCRC was discussed.
Action: As a result of the discussion, the membership determined that they would like additional time to consider all of the
information obtained during the teleconference and discuss this topic at the organization’s next meeting.
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SOCRC By-Laws Update:
Dennis Hart is in the process of reviewing the bylaws and will make recommendations to the membership at its next meeting in
September Dr. Dew indicated that he will send copies of the bylaws and the documentation regarding the
establishment of NCSOCRC’s federal employer identification number to all of the members following his return to the
GWU.
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Next meeting:
The next meeting date was established for September 21, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. to
Noon.
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Respectfully submitted,
Barry H. Newill,
Secretary
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