Orange County NC Website
Lisa Napp thanked the County Commissioners for everything that is happening in <br />Orange County -the conservation efforts and the Grumet report. She is a parent of an OCS <br />student and has often wondered and reflected on the two school systems. She believes that <br />when we look at the budget, the poverty level of same of the children should be considered. <br />She said that the 2004 ABC report showed that OCS had double the amount of children in <br />poverty enrolled than the CHCCS. She hopes that the citizens get a chance to vote on a district <br />tax, but this is not possible for this fiscal year. She liked the tier 3 option and she would like to <br />add social workers to this. This year they had a social worker far three days a week at her <br />school and it has changed the lives of many children. <br />Ellen Manning spoke in support of full funding for the CHCCS and OCS budgets. She <br />spoke about the importance of teacher assistants. She came to Frank Porter Graham as a <br />second grade interim teacher and said that she could not have done this without her teacher <br />assistant, who had taught the class by herself before she came in as the teacher. She said that <br />without teacher assistants, she does not know how the teachers would be able to do reading <br />assessments and running records. <br />Matt Cox is a member of Club Nova and has been a member since 1988. He has been <br />employed far five years as van driver for Club Nova. He has his own apartment. He also joined <br />the faculty of the International Center for Clubhouse Development, and he has traveled to other <br />countries and around America helping to develop and certify Clubhouses International. He said <br />that Club Nava has improved his quality of life and is doing so for many others. He said that <br />Club Nova serves about 45 members a day, and there are 120 active members. All of the <br />members are part of the target population -people with serious mental illness. He said that <br />they are cost-effective, participant driven, community based, prevention focused, recovery <br />outcome oriented, and reflect best practice. <br />Shiro Belovicz has been a member of Club Nova since February 2002. She said that <br />members of Club Nova really help each other out. She said that some of their goals for the <br />future include continuing to provide quality service to people with mental illness in Orange <br />County. They are eager to renovate and expand their space to serve more members. They are <br />currently bursting at the seams. They are concerned about whether they will be able to pursue <br />their goals. She said that they heard from Judy Pruitt at the last OPC Board meeting that some <br />programs may have to be downsized. They want to know if Club Nova is one of those <br />programs. <br />Anne Jackson is a member of Club Nova. She said that they need to continue receiving <br />Medicaid funds. They currently receive $9.35 an hour for the services they provide -the lowest <br />reimbursement rate in mental health services. They need to continue receiving State dollars for <br />services provided to non-Medicaid eligible members. They also need to receive the full County <br />subsidy that they have received over the past few years. She thanked the County <br />Commissioners for their support over the years. She gave an example of community service <br />and said that during Hurricane Fran, Club Nova became part of the Orange County disaster <br />relief site for the Red Cross and were open 24 hours for the first few days for emergency crews. <br />They believe that they should give help as well as receive it. They served 1,500 meals a week <br />to emergency crews and Orange County citizens during this time. She said that Club Nova has <br />given her an affordable place to live. <br />Ken Perry thanked the County Commissioners for their support of Club Nova. He said <br />that they need continued funding from the County in the form of the subsidy. They also need <br />transitional funding to help them in their three months of operating independently of OPC Mental <br />Health. They are hoping that Verla Insko will help them to secure the money for the transition. <br />They need a backup in case this does not work out. They are estimating $200,000 in transition <br />money. Thirdly, they need more transitional monies to help them get their computer system <br />ready for new responsibilities. They also need to know that there is a safety net in case State <br />funding is held up or if there are other transition issues. <br />