After a holiday hiatus, HJC members came together to review progress within subcommittees and hear from special guests involved in coalition and volunteer activities that are relevant to HJC and might impact committee functions in the future.  Given the recent merger of our two local United Ways, the coming together of our two local hospitals through formation of the West Virginia University Hospital - East, and creation of a new Health & Human Services Collaborative, questions have been raised about how HJC members can use their time and energies most effectively.  A somewhat complicated set of trade-offs is involved, since many members are active with one or more of these groups and a good number are also participating in Healthier Berkeley County.  At the same time, there is concern about being caught up in merger dynamics and/or losing our focus and ability to affect actions in Jefferson County.

Once members had introduced themselves, Judy Jones called on Curt Bury and Barbara Miller to provide a brief update on Emergency Preparedness activities.  Curt noted that the LEPC continues to meet and has set up a new Committee to plan for our next Jefferson County Emergency Drill.  The next LEPC meeting will be held Wednesday, February 15th at 7:30 AM at the Mountain View Diner.

Barb then noted that the Office of Homeland Security, at the request of County Commissioners, will be hosting an Emergency Preparedness Night on January 26.  At that meeting, local residents can learn more about steps being taken by relevant agencies and organizations in the community, and how individuals and families can get better prepared themselves.  This Emergency Preparedness Night will take place on the same day that Behavioral Health Services of Shenandoah Valley Medical System conducts an open house at its new facility in Charles Town.  The Open House will run from 3 - 7 at the new facility at the Hill-Dale Shopping Center; the evening County Commissioner event will run from 7 - 9 or later at the Independent Fire Hall.  HJC members have been invited and are encouraged to attend both.

Curt also explained that he continues to make upgrades to the LEPC web-site which links to the HJC web-site that he developed and maintains.  Organizations represented at HJC are encouraged to provide information and links to their programs so that this can be included on the HJC web-site and readers can learn more about the individual's activities, volunteer needs, etc., of member agencies.  In closing this portion of the discussion, Curt noted that he now has email information for most members but we still have to decide whether to make this available on the web-site.  Virtually all persons present seemed to indicate that - since much of the information is already available elsewhere - they see no problem posting our list.  But just to be sure, the chair indicated that a mailing will go out to everyone requesting specific permission to be included or an indication of any names or portions of information that should be omitted.  (If you don’t contact us, we will have to contact you, so please help by replying.)  In our list, name, organization, phone number and e-mail address are to be included.

Lisa Dunn then reported on activities of the Fitness and Nutrition subcommittee.  She said that Maintain, Don't Gain experienced significant growth in the number of participants.  The after-holidays weigh-out will take place Jan 2 through 8 and she is hoping that the success rate of participants will be as good or better than last year.  The celebration party will be held at the Clarion Hotel on January 9th .  Lisa told us that Unicare has approved payment for participation in Weight Watchers.  However, some details still need to be worked out.  Nevertheless, this is something that should prove helpful to many.  (Curt Bury is adding the “Maintain Don’t Gain” document to our web site.)

Lisa also mentioned the new WV Kids in Action Campaign that HJC has joined as a way to implement and support Dr. David Didden's initiative to reduce obesity among children.  (This paper is available on the HJC web site.)  Aimed at having physicians screen all children between the ages of 7 - 11 and then referring those at risk to fun-filled ways to prevent weight-gain, the program will start with pilot activities at SVMS and Harper's Ferry Family Practice.  To date, a broad range of other groups have begun coalescing around this effort, and another meeting is planned for January 11 at the WVU Extension Service office in Martinsburg.  Dana DeJarnett, who has also been working hard on this, noted that the effort is bringing together people from the school systems, various athletic facilities, a range of health professionals, etc.  Dana is pulling together information to support a proposal for funding from the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation to underwrite further developmental activities.  While the meeting on the 11th is to flesh out the kinds of program activities that will be offered to young people and their families, Dr. Didden is continuing to inform local physicians about the program.  Susan Walter, Dana DeJarnett and Judy Jones are working with Dr. Didden as he contemplates forming steering committees (perhaps with one focused on clinical concerns and another focused on curriculum activities for the children/parents) and develops a time-table for the pilot activity.  Susan has reached out to the Benedum Foundation and they also may be open to providing funds.

The groups then turned to a discussion of activities being undertaken by United Way that might buttress some of the work going on through HJC and/or by the organizations represented through its membership.  Jan Callen, Director of the now-combined Berkeley-Morgan and Jefferson United Ways, henceforth to be known as United Way of the Eastern Panhandle, led off.  He talked about what motivated the merger and the recent concern among many United Ways across the country about how to have greater impact.  In this, he noted that mergers are seldom easy, that staff and boards may come together relatively quickly, but very often it is differing cultures that have to be blended for success and this can take time.

Jan also commented that, as he sees it, United Way should be more than a vehicle for distribution of dollars, and truly involved in community impact and improvement.  As such, he described how our local UW has come to develop and support a new Health and Human Services Collaborative, one that will have three working groups: affordable housing, self-sufficiency, and access to health care.  As an example of new activity undertaken through the Collaborative, Jan described Warming Hands and Hearts; so far it has identified and helped some 55 individuals and families unable to pay their energy bills.

Still, the Eastern Panhandle is not unique in having a number of people or families with multiple problems.  While there are a number of agencies that can help, most are focused on only one of these problems.  The Health & Human Services Collaborative is meant to be different; it is an effort mounted by a variety of agencies to address problems of broad concern through collaboration of government agencies, non-profits and the faith-based community.  In further discussing this new approach, HJC members talked about the importance of also maintaining support for existing agencies, so that even as new needs come into view and new efforts are mounted, long-standing needs and efforts do not get short shrift.

With help from Trina Bartlett, United Way of the Eastern Panhandle Director of Community Impact, the group then moved to discuss other activities being undertaken by United Way, including recruitment of volunteers and the development of an information and referral service (I & R).  Trina’s role at United Way is to support the agencies.  Trina described her responsibilities here and especially her role in recruiting volunteers for each of the agencies which need them.  Trina has come to the Eastern Panhandle from Charleston where she oversaw information and referral services; in fact, she is Chair of the 211 I & R Collaborative being sponsored by the state.

A software system called IRIS allows information and referral centers across the state to operate in similar fashion and to share information with one another.  However, the service in our part of the state is limited because there is no central Information and Referral Service and many organizations have not been able to provide the data and information required.  Also, the previous systems in our area worked off other software and some translation of data is required.  The current efforts to develop I & R services tie into efforts of the HJC Access Subcommittee.  HJC members wishing to continue working on I & R were encouraged to join the Health & Human Services Self-Sufficiency Work Group.  It is working to: 1) identify and address barriers and help agency clients obtain a higher level of self-sufficiency; 2) establish an I & R Center of the Eastern Panhandle; and 3) identify and/or establish more individuals and resources, such as the Regional Resource Connection (a partnership with DHHR and other agencies), to help consumers navigate “the system.”

At the close of the meeting, various HJC members announced activities or events of their agencies.  Katherine Dunbar from the Red Cross noted that blood donations are at a low right now; on the last Friday of the month, the 27th, a blood drive will be held at the Health Department, from noon until 6 pm.  And on Saturday, Feb. 4, GSIVC will be hosting a fund-raiser lunch at Outback Steakhouse, with proceeds to benefit the agency.  Susan Walter invited HJC members to participate in the February 3 Health & Human Services Collaborative meeting, 8:30 - 11:30 am at Berkeley DHHR.  The three work groups will hold break-out meetings (Affordable Housing, Self-Sufficiency - including I & R, and Health - including Dr. Didden’s obesity initiative, prescription assistance, and other items of concern to members) and then report out to the full group.  It is hoped that Beverly Walter of the Benedum Foundation will address the group.