April 16, 2008 Meeting
Nurse Study Task Force
Lincoln Town Offices
Present Joe Cavanaugh, Arthur Cotoni, Diane Haessler, Joanna Hopkins, Rob Loud, Tricia McGean, Phyllis Mutschler, Maureen Richichi, Beth Ries, Karen Santucci, Peggy Schmertzler
Introductions Peggy assumed the role of Chairman for the meeting and asked that each of the members of the Task Force introduce herself or himself.
Goals and Needs Joanna reviewed the goals of the Task Force and asked the members what they perceived as the town’s needs for a nurse. Karen, as COA Director, spoke to the needs of seniors and what the COA has been doing in that regard. Trish reported on her observations when conducting home visits. Joe described what Public Safety personnel provided as services and what they saw as needs. Maureen noted the needs of family members living at a distance from their elders and the need for dissemination of information.
Role of a Nurse The discussion then turned to what the role of a nurse might be. Diane commented that a nurse serving the town would most likely be doing social work about half the time. It was noted that a nurse would have to be a public health nurse as opposed to a visiting nurse. Joe felt that a nurse would need to counsel residents, saying “This is what needs to happen.”
Karen wondered if a nurse would be hired on a contract basis or as a town employee. The discussion touched briefly on the program in operation on Beacon Hill, but the model would not seem appropriate for Lincoln.
Emergencies Joanna expressed her concern about the possibility of a pandemic. Joe said that the Fire Department has been doing research in this area and is compiling a list of medical experts in town and general information on the subject. The results will be distributed and put on the town website.
Needs Assessment Peggy raised the question as to how best to conduct such an assessment. After an informative discussion, the following actions were taken: 1) Joe agreed to review Fire Dept. incident reports and check with IT Director Chuck Miller regarding setting up a blog on the town website. 2) Maureen volunteered to draft a needs questionnaire, which she will circulate by e-mail. 3) Karen will canvas other COA directors. 4) Peggy volunteered to serve on a needs subcommittee. 5) Robert Stuart Vail and Adeline Naiman were mentioned as individuals who could assist with the development of a questionnaire.
Next Meeting The next meeting will held at 3 p.m. on May 1, 2008 at the Town Offices.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Ries
April 16, 2008 Meeting
Nurse Study Task Force
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