HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-04-19 Nurse Advocacy Task Force MinutesRECEIVED
Nurse Advocacy Task Force - Meeting C - E A K
I . P S S.
Town Hall, Berger Conference Roo
April 19, 2006 2001 JUN 12 A It: 42
Present: James Bonazoli (Chairman), Lyn White, Carol Patterson, Anne Marie Bourque, Patty
Chinetti, Dawn Folopoulos (Staff), Paula Koppel (Observer), Betty Cronin (Observer), Marcia
Dresser (Observer).
James called the meeting to order at 8:15am
Motion to accept the minutes of April 5, 2006 and April 6, 2006 with rewording of Anne Marie's
motion and the addition of Betty to the attendance on April 6.
After some discussion the group decided to cancel our regularly scheduled meeting for tonight.
James will provide a 5 minute presentation about the Task Force on April 27, at the 2nd night of
Town Meeting.
The May 17th meeting has been rescheduled to May 23 at 6pm just before our presentation to the
Board of Selectmen.
Kathy Urquhart, COA Director from Andover, was our guest speaker. Kathy came to speak to us
- about Andover's experience with Nurse Advocacy. In Andover, the nurse position provides
"Social/Psychological and Health Services." There is a Social worker on staff who provides short
term care. The nurse provides more ongoing case management. The task force provided Kathy
with a list questions in advance of her visit. That list is provided here along with her answers in
brief.
James explained the purpose of the task force to Kathy.
How long has your Town had a Nurse Advocate (NA)? 15 years
How many hours a week does the. NA work? 14 hours per week in Andover and 5 hours in
Methuen. Is this enough or is there more need?
How many staff members are associated with the Nurse Advocate position? Two. The social
worker who meets with the nurse 4-5 hours a week and clerical support. What is the total
number of hours for each staff member (i.e. nurse, clerical support, supervision etc.) The nurse
works 14 hours per week and the clerical support and social worker are full-time.
How is the position funded? The Town's budget. Has it been difficult to sustain funding over
time for the program? Yes. Funding has been decreased by $10, 000 over the past few years.
Have program costs grown? Unanswered
How does the program rank on a list of priorities--in other words, if you had to make cuts in your
budget would this be one of the first things to go? This position is a line item for Andover. In
Methuen it is paid with and incentive grant. At a time of cutbacks, this would not be one of the
first services to go because the nurse meets the core service of "health and wellness. " `In
Andover, social services tend to get cut first. A nurse is a little safer.
If contracted, what is the cost to the Town? $14, 000. The nurse service is contracted with Family
Services. She is their employee and they provide her benefits The position does not need to go
to bid each year. Are there any services that you don't/can't offer that you wish you could
provide? Kathy would like to serve more people and address more mental heath concerns. Paula
asked Kathy if she sees any downside to the contractual relationship and if she would prefer the
nurse to be an employee of the town? Kathy said they have been very lucky in that the nurse is
only working for Andover and Methuen COAs and not providing any other services for Family
Service.
Who does the NA report to? The social worker supervises this position.
Where do referrals come from? Referrals come mostly from nursing homes and rehabilitation
facilities.. other times from hospitals, police, firefighters, families or self-referral. The nurse
has also gone door-to-door in the senior housing complexes.
What services does the Nurse Advocate provide? Discharge planning; post care; nutrition;
blood pressure; assistance following doctor's orders; liaison between doctor & patient;
dispenses medical equipment; helps families understand medical conditions. The nurse rarely
goes to doctor's visits. What services are most often requested? Telephone counseling. Where
are services conducted? The nurse has a floating desk at Family Services and no office or
designated space at the senior center. The nurse see people at the senior center and conducts
home visits. In FY2005, 54% of the nurse's hours were spent conducting home visits.
What are the criteria to be eligible for NA services? Participants must be at least 60 years old
and be a Andover resident. There is no income criteria.
Is there a fee for services? No. Is the fee based on services received, length of time of the visit, or
something else? Not applicable.
Do you ever find seniors reluctant to use the services because they don't want the town
involved? No. What have you done to address this concern/problem? Not applicable.
About how many clients were served at the onset and about how many are currently being
served? Current there are 10 seniors receiving services for a combined total of about 40-50 units
of service per month.
How does this program fit into your COA mission? What is the mission of your COA and what
do you consider your core services? Kathy feels that the community views the nurse as a staff
person of the senior center rather than Family Services Is nurse advocacy part of your core
services? Unanswered
Have there ever been any problems related to liability? No. HIPPA? No. The COA shares
information among its staff. There may be a problem with Family Services sharing information.
Do you feel this has been a successful program? Yes. Kathy feels that the program has helped
seniors age in place.
How do you track the effectiveness of the program? If a senior was able to follow through and
the nurse is able to back away in 6 months then that is considered a success. No formal tracking
of effectiveness.
What are some of the most challenging aspect of the position? Outreach. It has been dicult for
Andover to find seniors to take advantage of the program.
Additional information:
- The nurse has a psychology background and was a parish nurse in her previous job.
- Kathy feels that seniors are more receptive to a nurse than to a social worker.
-There is no formal job description. There is a contract in place with Family Services.
-Kathy asked the task force what barriers they foresee
Finding the right person fro the job
-We want someone who is accessible and able to gain the trust of the seniors
-Reaching those who don't want help or don't think they need any help.
Building good relationships with community providers.
Next meeting: May 3'a - 6pm Berger Conference Room-Town Hall