Agenda - 12-07-2020; 8-a - Minutes

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5 1 Victor Orija, Ombudsman Program Specialist, Autumn Cox, the Regional Ombudsman 2 with TJCOG who is assigned to Orange County, and Kim Lamon-Loperfido and Janice Tyler, 3 Department of Aging Director, were available during the meeting. 4 Autumn Cox said according to state statute the ACHCAC should have 8 members, with 5 the BOCC being able to appoint up to an additional 5 members, which is what happened in 6 Orange County. She said NHCAC should have 7 positions, which would mean the current 7 County NHCAC is full. She said the ACHCAC has 6 candidates, with 3 ready for training, which 8 has been put on hold due to Covid. 9 Chair Rich asked if the committees were to be combined would the membership 10 numbers be 15. 11 Autumn Cox said no. She said a joint committee would require 13 members, with the 12 BOCC being able to add up to 5 additional members, if so desired. 13 Vibeke Talley, Chair of the NHCAC, she said there are 5 nursing homes in Orange 14 County. She said she does not recommend combining the 2 commissions, as the proper level 15 of attention will not be applied to the details of the work, and advocacy for the care facilities' 16 residents would be compromised. 17 Victor Orija agreed with Vibeke Talley. 18 Autumn Cox said if the groups merge, all members would have to go through additional 19 training, which would take a fair amount of time. 20 Commissioner Price asked if there are committee members waiting for both groups. 21 Autumn Cox said no, there are only pending candidates for the ACHCAC. 22 Commissioner Dorosin said the number of vacancies on these commissions motivated 23 this conversation. He asked if the impact of those vacancies could be described. 24 Vibeke Talley said as long as there are 7 people on her committee, it can work 25 effectively. She said more people would be helpful, but 12 are definitely not necessary. 26 Autumn Cox said the ACHCAC is also doing well, and would be even better if the 3 27 pending members could be brought in. 28 Commissioner Dorosin said his primary concern was seeing all of the vacancies, and he 29 wanted to ensure these committees were able to still do their work with limited members. He 30 asked if there is any benefit to combining the two groups. 31 Vibeke Talley said more work will be created if the two groups are combined, and likely 32 less people to do the work. 33 Janice Tyler said she defers to Vibeke Talley, and would recommend keeping two 34 groups, but reducing the numbers slightly. 35 Vibeke Talley agreed, and recommended 10 members for the NHCAC. 36 Chair Rich asked if 10 would be a good size for the ACHCAC. 37 Autumn Cox said yes. She said a current member has to leave due to a conflict of 38 interest due to a family member being in a care facility. 39 Commissioner Greene said she is glad to be having the conversation, and it sounds like 40 a merger is not a good idea. 41 Commissioner Price asked if there has to be a quorum for these boards to work. 42 Autumn Cox said yes, there must be a quorum for business meetings. 43 Commissioner Price said a spot must be kept for a nursing home administrator on the 44 NHCAC, even if the numbers are reduced. 45 Autumn Cox said she works in several counties, and other counties do not keep track of 46 the specific position designations. 47 Thom Freeman-Stuart, Assistant Deputy Clerk I, asked if it would be acceptable to fill the 48 positions with people who do not fit the designation. 49 Victor Orija said no, and the most important detail is to avoid any conflicts of interest.