City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Mayor's Blue Ribbon COVID Response Task Force Committee, 15 Nov 2022

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From YouTube: 11.15.2022 COVID Response Task Force

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11.15.2022 COVID Response Task Force

A

A

So, first up we want to approve the minutes from november 1st.

A

Is there a motion to approve the minutes motion.

A

Lori is there a second second uh abby beat you too, okay, all in favor hi great. Thank you. So today's.

A

Really exciting because after all, the information gathering we're going to dive in and come up with.

A

Some using the template that abby created, which is wonderful, really get into the impact areas that.

A

We've talked about critical areas of need talking about defining the problem, the impact on public.

A

Health, some potential solutions and other agencies involved in addressing those topics we started.

A

With transportation at the last meeting, so maybe we can pick up where we left off with that one.

B

Feel badly do you want me to pull this up on google because I haven't yet let me do you want.

C

Do you want it on the screen? Yeah good? Well, I mean. Is that the best way to do it is well. I guess, is.

C

That the only way to do it, no, no, no, no, no, no well just in terms of getting what we want documented.

C

It's like we have to do it all here at the meeting right all of our ideas.

C

um I feel about having you. Oh I don't mind typing. I just okay, it's gonna. Take me a second to.

B

um Figure out how to go find it give me a second.

B

I think if I kevin might be listening, I don't want to compromise the zoom meeting view. If I do this.

D

Well, karen does that I thought.

D

I think we're gonna start thinking. um Abby can I borrow you for a second yeah.

D

I thought of another category that maybe we should consider, which is food insecurity and pull it up. I.

B

Can type you know what I'm saying I think so um I feel like that came up at one point I thought.

D

It did too and then, when I was looking at the list, it didn't it wasn't one here.

D

And I was looking at some reports um that talks about the five key social.

D

Determinants of health and their contributing factors, and we cover.

D

The five of those things but food insecurity was left out. um Do you have those five? I do.

D

You want me to read them sure: okay, um economic stability, which um the contributing factors.

D

Would be employment, food insecurity, housing, instability and poverty? The second one is.

D

Education, the contributing factors being early childhood education and development, enrollment.

D

And higher ed high school, graduation and language and literacy, three is social and community context.

D

Contributing factors are community participation, discrimination and social connection.

D

The fourth is health and health care factors are access to health care, access to primary care and.

D

Health literacy and the fifth is neighborhood and a built environment, contributing factors.

D

Are access to healthy foods, violence and trauma, environmental conditions and quality of housing.

A

So I mean I think that speaks to what we've been talking about with.

A

The overlap of all of the different things. How do folks feel about with.

A

The ones we've come came up with adding the food insecurity piece as another topic area.

A

Or maybe it'll come into play with some of the.

D

All right we could, I mean I guess we could see if it again they all yeah, there's there's a lot.

E

We need to sort out what our factors just factors now or things caused by covid.

D

Right, I think everything's been exacerbated by covid. I think, uh like the research that I.

D

Was doing indicated everything that we've talked about and I've got some really good data points.

D

um All of these things were in existence prior to kova that we were not really successfully meeting.

D

Any of these challenges, and then when covid came it just either exacerbated it or widen the lens.

D

Pulled the covers back and made it a real reality for not just the people that were experiencing it.

D

Before but then added people to those challenges, but I think you bring up a good point. Lori, though.

A

In that the way I see it is if we can come up with the solutions and the problems and all of.

A

The description stuff, then, as we're prioritizing what we might want to make for recommendations.

A

We should have that covered lens of what has been since it's a coveted response task force. There's.

E

Been um you know, coveted money, for you know food stamps things like that. That is, you know.

E

Chain, you know changed it up for people yeah.

E

um My son gets food stamps and he's got a surplus because of the coven yeah.

A

Right, um so are we ready to go back to transportation yep? Not at this moment? No, no.

F

Get from there sorry.

B

What I can do, while I'm trying to multitask, is last night at the council meeting larry, mccullough and mark will play presented.

B

The councilor bagley wanted to make sure that this presentation and the content and the activities of.

B

The group are something that the task force is taking into consideration, with the thought that.

B

Are there ways to collaborate or include what they're already doing so we can. We can consider.

B

That for an upcoming meeting we could have larry and or mark come in, but this was timely and was.

B

Presented last night, the ask from these folks is for some funding from the city of peabody, so the.

B

Council is currently considering their request at sixty thousand dollars per year for two years.

B

So you'll see I'm sorry. Can you say that again the request was for sixty thousand for what, for.

B

Support for the program for two years, um and so the question to this group was, does any.

B

Of this fit in with what we're considering the city council's weighing whether to support the.

B

This request standalone and, if so, to what kind of funding to you so andrew bagley asked that.

B

um This be shared with the group. I said great timing. What we're meeting today so.

B

Figure out as a group what to do with that. So this is from the.

D

From the foundation for seacoast health, correct in the sunset foundation for seacoast health is.

B

Already a funder slide, five of five explains that the foundation has pledged thirty thousand dollars.

B

For one year with a second year contingent on participation from the city and final piece.

B

Of what they're looking for is being sought by the new hampshire opioid abatement program? Okay,.

B

Thank you so should I be the messenger and bring it to the group and we can determine as a group.

B

If how to incorporate both efforts, so here's my question abby, this is showing.

B

In presentation mode is there am I able to type if you guys want me to type something.

C

Because you have editing right so you should be able to okay, oh goodness, okay, okay,.

A

So the request that you just mentioned karen is that a request for city covid.

B

Funds or is not specific to how the city could participate. Okay and so less for this group to.

B

Figure out where the money comes from and more to figure out, programmatically, okay,.

B

If it makes sense to coordinate with what they've already got going on with what we.

B

May be thinking about so maybe something to talk about when we get to substance misuse.

C

um Slides exactly as a program or I'm sure, larry and or mark would either join us for.

B

A meeting or zoom in at some point and participate all right sounds good.

A

All right, so we left off. We had begun talking about some potential solutions, too yeah.

C

Go to the next slide, john karen, I think we had started talking about potential solutions.

A

um Can anyone read that for the group because I can't I did not bring my glasses.

C

um Scholarships subsidies for cdl drivers um driver's ed scholarships as well city.

C

Purchases, a fleet of non-cdl vans and then the question would be how to operationalize.

A

um Does anyone have other ideas for potential solutions.

C

Well, I think one we kind of touched on was using bands that are already out there. Possibly I didn't.

C

Know if it was recreation or my other questions, were robert lister or like portsmouth housing.

C

Authority- I don't so using some of the things we already have in a different way amber you had an.

G

Idea right with some of the existing um employees are retired yeah I was just I was I had mentioned.

H

um Last week, just an idea that I I had um thought about a thinking about what we have for police.

H

Police department or the fire department and how whether it's vehicles or manpower.

H

um To somehow incorporate that into the transportation solution, and then I was thinking.

H

To another level, just if they were a retired police or fire.

H

Or people that were working part-time or maybe you could get you know that.

H

Extra overtime or something like that because I think it'd be.

H

Great for the kids to have you know someone like that driving them. I think, no matter if it's the.

B

City managing this or a private entity, there may be a liability issue or a coverage issue with.

B

Certain drivers, and would you want to make sure all the drivers are able to be supported right.

I

So from the school department we weren't allowed to put kids in our car anymore that stopped years.

I

Back so we had to have city covered buses when we went on field trips or walk right.

I

um But even to take kids home if they stayed after school with me, I'd have to have their parents come.

I

Pick them up, even though I had the right coverage, the city's insurance said that was a no-no right.

I

And that was 2018., so I don't I'm pretty sure that hasn't changed. I don't know if I'm capturing that.

B

Right, how would you say that I was trying to figure out what you were saying.

H

Public safety or opportunities for.

J

H

Yeah workforce gaps because it could be for driving other than school too.

C

It could be for medical appointments or other things too, if, depending on we're.

B

Just not sure how to capture that. So, if you tell me how to say it, I will type it. Okay.

K

um So I don't really need to type this too, then karen right.

B

I would say no, I just refer to that doctor. Okay,.

H

Tire and public safety professionals you're not scribbling. If anyone else has anything else, we can.

B

Well, I talked about the retirees or people that are um want to do some part-time work for money.

K

So it would be more like a car, not a bus, but that could get people to medical appointments.

K

And medicaid would pay for that for the people that are on it.

D

I read in exeter that they um offered some sort of discounted taxi vouchers.

A

Access to taxis.

L

Were they drivers for driving? You mean.

D

No, so that people that needed transportation, okay, received vouchers for a discounted service.

D

Which would, I would think, help the taxi industry right and it's like an uber gift card. You know.

C

Like if you could give somebody a prepaid, uber gift card or something for a certain amount of.

A

Rides or do we know the capacity of taxis in the portsmouth area? I don't even know if there are.

B

No there's one taxi uh medallion issue in the city wow. We just looked into that wow because.

A

I know in another part in stratford county, but for some of the work we were able to do that.

A

um And it worked if you have a good taxi service, that's available and able to do.

A

That, but it has to be reliable, it has to be reliable um and I think that's still one of.

A

The things we're seeing in terms of you know we have funding to help pay for ubers and things.

A

For clients and we're still finding that we can't get them or they're being dropped like.

A

They're supposed to be coming to pick up, and then they get notification that they can't come.

H

I was also thinking, just um especially after listening to the welfare department.

H

Just thinking about that population that that needs work or that needs training or.

H

Jobs and could the could we somehow uh have some support around people getting.

H

Trained to become a driver, um I mean you'd have to pass certain right. Certain protocol anyways to be.

H

Accepted, but could we sponsor the education for those people that are looking to work.

C

Well, I was just thinking even like a marketing campaign. You know like supporting some kind of.

C

Marketing campaign too, because when I went on the um the commercial driving school, the one.

C

That they have, you know even to pay to to take. All of that, I think it was like.

C

Nine thousand dollars or something so it is like you know, and it's one school and it's.

C

That much money up front to then even get trained yeah for the cdl local uh concord.

C

So it's the one place in concord, I guess is the one in the whole state, so nine thousand dollars.

H

For one, for there were like different trainings, but for like a cdl, it said nine thousand something.

C

Yeah there's like a 4 000, but that didn't get you all the right. So that's part of the issue.

C

Too yeah what we might want to do is reach out to um you know if we do this or or after the.

M

Fact, reach out to uh great bay and yeah see if they they can help put a program together. Yep.

M

Because that would be a whole lot cheaper yeah. I was also thinking about reaching out to like c j.

C

Just like a you know, like a private just to see if they I mean they obviously know who do they hire.

C

Where do they hire? How do they get people just to like you know, that might be something. That's.

C

Worth their own issues with staffing yeah totally, but if they have any ideas, that's a good uh or do.

C

They have drivers that would want to work kind of feeling more like on the public health. uh You know.

C

Two days a week, driving people to appointments would that appeal to some people? I don't know.

A

Well and when I was thinking about agencies involved, I was thinking about.

A

Figuring out what we know about the agencies that have their own transportation as well, as I know,.

A

Even agencies like art like mine, are looking at. Is that something we want to take on ourselves, and I.

A

Don't know if that's a possible solution too, in terms of even some of the non-profit sharing of.

A

Oh yeah transportation in order to help with the clients that need to get to all the places.

A

I like that idea. I know that is a good idea requires more thought.

B

But all right, what did I not write for non-profits working together as a team.

H

To actually hire their own staffing for transportation to share transportation.

B

Say that again, working uh work among yep, which would require purchasing vehicle.

E

And why not check with coast also, if you're going to talk to c j yeah, all right, maybe we.

C

Put that down in the agencies involved too didn't we have that in stratford county that oh yeah, okay,.

K

Winner forever and say that again, janet stratford county. We had this group that was going to try and.

K

Do that years ago, that was years ago yeah, because community partners have vans homemakers, had vans.

K

Just didn't: go anywhere didn't go anywhere yeah. I don't remember why.

G

It seems like money- probably it seems like the inventory.

D

Of vehicles isn't necessarily the issue. It's the drivers, it's the workforce right.

D

So I don't know that purchasing vehicles makes a dent in the issue at hand when.

D

It's actually people able-bodied people and if we're thinking about bridging.

D

Unfortunately,.

D

People that are out of the workforce.

D

The unemployment rate is so low. Mm-Hmm the age of residence is high.

D

The cost of living is high, so the people that need work- I don't know that they're gonna.

D

Be drawn to this sort of opportunity well and one of the things.

A

When we're we were looking into it, it was really looking at the liability piece of it needing to be.

A

The agency's vehicle and who would be insured and able to provide like you, so it's actually.

A

More cost effective to do it that way than it is to have staff that are transporting people with.

A

Their own vehicles with their own vehicles- and that would be my question about share you know.

A

If they were trying to coordinate, who could do that in terms of the liability piece? But I just.

A

Don't know enough about it, there's um to to abby's point earlier about marketing. I think that that's.

M

A good angle, if we can one figure out who might be available and of course we can look at an older.

M

Population who can still work- or you know one wants to work a few hours a day or whatever, but.

M

um Suffer from the perspective that you're helping to.

M

um Solve great community solve a problem, you know help non-profits any of those kinds of.

M

Things that it's not just a job, it's a job. That's you know, you're you're, really having an impact.

M

On the seacoast community, in terms of getting people from point, a to point b, which is so.

M

Critical to getting people's lives, people getting people to move on with their lives and and create.

M

Impact and badly for our communities. There has to be some sort of social humanistic angle to.

M

It I think so. Here's where I feel like I get confused and off track with our goal.

D

What who's creating the marketing like? What is the ultimate goal there, like? We.

D

Are breaking recommendations to the council about where we think funds would be best used.

D

So I don't think it's the intention that this group would be identifying marketing materials.

D

And since there's already organizations that are fully formed, just struggling right now to deliver.

D

Transportation or provide transportation to all of the people in the community that need.

D

It wouldn't it make more sense to give an opportunity to fund existing organizations.

D

Like maybe create something, that's a collaborative effort, support a collaborate, collaborative effort.

D

For non-profits but like if we already have coast and wildcat transit and task.

D

And a fleet of vehicles within the city to me it's more logical to lift them up so that.

D

They can expand the routes that they had pre-covered and maybe add opportunities for.

D

um Support to nonprofits yeah, I mean I think this is where the issues overlap, because I think.

A

When we talk about workforce shortage, that's that's really. What you're talking about is.

A

Helping them with the workforce to have the capacity to do more than they're able to do.

D

I just am not sure that, like us, trying to think of.

D

New, I I have a feeling that every organization that provides transportation in portsmouth and.

D

Surrounding communities has gone through all of these conversations over the past two years.

D

So here we are the ones with this bucket of money to try to help inform. I don't think.

D

We want to recreate the wheel, I think we want to say if funding is going to help. You here is some.

A

Well and again, the thinking about the charge of the committee is, you know, small dollar solutions.

A

To that have a greater impact, and so maybe we have to just keep reminding ourselves of that in terms.

A

Of these topics and what could be done because we're not going to solve well and that we're.

C

Just generating ideas right, ultimately, it's not up to us. We give the list over and it'll be debated.

C

Things will be crossed off and it's, and hopefully I think including the agencies, is a great idea.

C

Because a lot of it doesn't need to be recreated, it can be like. Oh, we want to do marketing. Let's.

C

Talk to code all the things these people already doing it and we'll see what they think I would.

C

Hope that's what would happen right because we aren't the experts in that, um but just generating.

C

These lists of ideas, I think, they're not going too deep, how much the state, how much governor sununu.

L

Received of the what do you call the covid-19 relief funds and how that money was distributed.

G

Any of that money was used for what this with this very topic. Well, I mean, I think,.

A

I think we've identified that this is still a major need here, so it's not a major need, but.

L

I wonder if, like we're interesting to find out how that's because a lot of that money.

E

Hasn't been spent yet like the housing money is just going out, so there could be transportation.

E

Money that we don't know about that hasn't gone out yet to inquire about that right.

K

um One of the things one of our role, though I don't think we have a very small role here,.

K

And it's just focused on what you learn from what they did in terms of right. The city may have yeah.

K

I think you know there's one of the things that ties all this together.

M

Is the issue of workforce and um the the machines, the cars, the vans that can always.

M

Come that's not the major issues. You guys said it's it's the workforce. So how do we.

M

Long term and again, this is beyond our role, but but as we make recommendations to the.

M

City council, how do we make sure that our local community college, which could have a significant.

M

Impact on all this, in terms of the direction and strategy about programming um really understands.

M

The local need in in this case, transportation, that we need to figure out ways to attract.

M

um More workforce to that area and incentivize it in a way that allows for lower cost programming.

M

Local programming under seacoast that can help train cdl people for cdl licenses. We've had.

K

Workforce housing and we need workforce housing right. We will attract them to portsmouth because.

K

Right now, it isn't right so that those are those are the two things housing and and.

M

Workforce well, unless I think we can talk about all these things. Oh we're getting the workforce.

M

Those are some slides later right, yeah so and housing. So should we try and tie this one up.

H

Yeah should a potential solution be some type of support for work, workforce housing for for drivers.

H

For new drivers, or just I think workforce is a topic in here right. It is so we've just tackled.

B

The first one we have um to go: we have mental health, workforce shortage, child care, housing and.

B

Substances and possibly food insecurity, so as we close out on the transportation one, the one thing.

A

I was thinking, though, where you brought up about taxi vouchers. I do think it would be worthwhile to.

A

Find out about the status of the taxi company that may exist here in portsmouth, because to me that.

A

Could be an opportunity if there was assistance again on workforce and looking at what their.

A

Capacity is to have something like vouchers said: all the enforcement path is one taxi company. Yes,.

E

But will was saying, should we add to the list of potential solutions.

E

To work with great bay community college to increase [music] um training opportunities.

D

How do I make this bigger my glasses? I can't you know from uber to lyft and we.

K

Pay they invoice us. So that's how we get our patients around and you're able to access this.

A

Is successful because we do both but yeah, we didn't have any luck with uber, but we seem.

K

To be having a lot less, we can make it so there's a few lifted. I don't know how many.

D

Of them actually have medallions, but there's annie's portsmouth taxi rockingham taxi banks.

D

D

D

It was organized with the exeter housing authority and the exeter parks and rec.

D

I could reach out and see how it's going.

J

E

Lift for your patients did they get a voucher? How does that work? No, they.

K

Just invoice us okay and then we pay them so lyft directly works with you, yeah, okay,.

B

Okay, sorry we're trying to make it more legible for everybody. Thank you.

A

Okay, um anything else on transportation. Before we move to mental health, we can always come back yeah.

A

Oh, I don't think we'll have a hard time defining the problem. Yeah.

B

So reminded everyone we're looking at problem impact on public health.

B

Essential solutions and agencies involved.

D

So excess access is the big problem, lack of therapists waiting list. I'm bold, abby [laughter].

B

Does anybody because then I can unbold change access, lack of.

B

Therapists through here and psychiatrist, particularly yes, professionals, you know.

D

For youth and adults, yeah mental health providers and the children is like you just cannot get kids.

A

And also insurance coverage for transportation to such mental health provider of telehealth is not.

H

An option yeah we're back to transportation. Well, telehealth is a really good option. Yeah yeah! I.

M

Expect just explosion of the number of people that right you know during covet and post-covered yeah.

K

So backed up, people are waiting for a week to get a bed in the hospital state hospital and also.

C

Individuals lost services during covet and they haven't been able to get them back right right.

B

um How would I phrase that I need to talk about the kids that, like the disabled, children, and that.

K

Will give you an older adult, so ongoing treatments were discontinued during covet and not able to be.

C

Resumed because now there aren't enough providers, child care costs, that's under no child yeah.

H

Last week the seacoast public health family stress is high. Social detriments of health have risen.

H

um Inflation are all causing mental health. Mental health say that again, family stress levels are.

H

Higher now, because of covid social detriments of health have risen due to covid inflammation, I'm.

H

Sorry, inflation has risen and caused big concerns for families who are trying to make ends meet.

A

Which leads into the impact on health yeah and posing increased depression.

C

Oh, my goodness, what happened.

K

So, like the impact yeah we're on to an impact yeah impact on I'm sorry kathy what'd, you say.

A

um The impact on the mental health on public health would be depression, increased depression.

A

um Misuse of drugs suicidality hold on less productive workforce, which a lot.

B

Of depression, what was the second one before suicidality uh misuse of drugs and violence.

E

K

Less productive workforce.

C

Family stress too, yes, parenting and.

C

K

Oh sorry, did more families um split up during coven, I don't know just to answer.

K

The question I was thinking it feels like: yes, then that means that poverty, increased poverty.

K

You have a single head of households, which then increases if there's children in the home right.

D

um Various issues that they might have forward and seacoast public health network said the.

H

Top concerns of the youth are mental health and safe alternative activities.

K

That might be a solution, safe, alternative activities, yeah we might want to switch to.

A

Solutions [laughter], so I have a so for to get through bh to be a certified by some clinical.

K

Service it's eight years which is okay, but then you have two years of supervised supervision.

K

And can they shrink that and can we bill for interns, because if we.

K

Could bill for interns? There's you double your workforce and so and it's really help.

K

Ed, how do I phrase that ability to bill for interns? Is that very specific, or is that.

B

More road license clinical social work, interns or marriage. What's the other ones, what's the.

K

Other group, marriage, counseling, marriage, family therapist, um so we would call those alternative.

E

Yeah yeah and they wouldn't like to do that because that.

E

Sort of lowers the standards for credentialing.

K

Revised but they could independently could independently credential them to.

K

Bill because right now somebody supervising them and basically.

K

So how would this, what would the recommendation be to the council.

D

Well, it's money to get that to happen, because the recommendation would be to be able to build for on.

K

To be able to bill for interns, so they still have a licensed clinical social worker working.

K

With them, but maybe not reviewing every record, how does the city of money? Oh? How does it it.

K

Would it's really not part of money, it would be changing the standards. So how does it relate back.

D

To the recommendation, right, probably not, I mean no, but it brings in more workforce right. That's where.

K

That's where it comes, but I don't know so, but it's a different strategy, do we need providing money to.

D

Seacoast mental health for advocacy to get people to the state house to lobby for a change or like.

D

I don't know we had. The money has to go uh yeah true what if the city was able this some of this.

H

Money could support mental health professionals or mental health agencies in providing group therapy.

H

Rather than individual therapies, so if they had some type of, maybe some other money could go to.

H

Like a group setting like seeing seeing clients and patients and like for kids, I'm thinking.

H

um Like if there's you know some type of I was just thinking that would be maybe a solution to.

H

That's billable, that's billable! That's therapy is billable for each individual child, but what.

J

About from guidance, counselors right like are, they met with this held to the same standards.

J

As like a clinical social well, I think they only have a bachelor's yeah, I'm not sure, like.

J

That would at least do make a dent in some of the kid issues if the kids were in school.

J

I think one of the things that's used for um like encouraging college students to like.

L

Learn more about counseling, you know being counselors or childhood care workers. I know.

M

It's long term, but I spoke with many teachers, parents and residents about these issues and.

L

That was one of the things listed that they definitely need more of these child. You know.

L

Childhood care, workers and educators that are focusing on these issues. There could just be.

L

Some additional training with teachers who are already doing it but having things, be updated and.

L

Also on a community level, people mentioned how they would like to have a host of these topics.

L

Being presented in our community, we used to have public forums on these issues well, and I think.

A

I think one of the things I know that we see is that we have some of those systems in place.

A

Where there's that peer support and what we're really trying to get as the increased mental.

A

Health needs that go beyond what those folks are able to provide so really looking at getting the.

A

Increase in the clinical availability of our folks, I'm just wondering also if there is an opportunity.

M

um Talking about short-term, if if there is more online of mental health, counseling.

M

um If, if there's a way to support that meaning you know, are there.

M

um Psychiatrists or psychologists that haven't built that system up that that may need you.

M

Know the equipment, the technology I think most everybody has- everybody- has built it out now.

M

Yeah and it's inexpensive one, one of the questions I had was, um and I don't know the answer is what.

A

The capability is, or the capacity of eap programs for local businesses and non-profits in terms of.

A

The employee assistance programs, where folks, can access short-term mental health and get referrals.

A

If needed to, I know, I know we pay into um extra health resources in order to provide that to our.

A

Staff- and I don't know what else is available for smaller organizations to address the mental health.

A

Needs of their staff, which gets into the workforce piece, and how do you want me to identify that.

K

Eap, programs that have excess capacity or give them give them money to get more capacity.

K

Our eap program is part of insurance. Your insurance.

D

Relationship, it's a separate separate. We pay for it. Some some have their like.

A

Larger companies have their own employee assistant program and then smaller ones.

A

Buy into the similar benefits, sometimes it accompanies the insurance. Sometimes it doesn't.

K

We could you know to get people into the field, give them scholarships.

E

That's such a long, a long. uh We need something, that's going to be a short.

E

Process, you know, get the help now kind of thing. One other thing I was thinking of is.

C

Having agencies coming in so provide providing agencies that already exist, like we're talking.

C

About seacoast mental health haven I know comes to the schools, but could there be um kind of money.

C

That they are funded to run programs in at the poorism is helping the housing authority. I know.

C

We talked about, you know that they need some more um programs or at the schools or different places.

C

Where they're coming in and kind of targeting a lot of people with one program so whether it's.

C

A program on like self-regulation or a program on you know healthy strategies for mental health or.

C

Something like that where they get money, they're already doing the work, but the funding to provide.

C

Their programming, but not on like the one-on-one therapy level, but maybe targeting more people at.

C

Once and using the agencies that we have so many great agencies already doing programs but yeah.

C

Well, models is one that does tools and they go in and work with girls, and you know looking at what.

G

Kind of the nonprofits that are already supported, oh yeah, which I think speaks to when you were.

A

Saying how the seacoast public health network talked about safe alternatives for kids and the.

A

Program that you have at your school yeah and yeah, I think that's. The another potential solution is.

C

Creating more um safe, you know alternatives to after school, so whether that would be.

C

um Supporting you know, like rec programs, like even giving scholarships to rec programs, so that.

C

Kids, have those opportunities after school or um different different. You know pmac or planet.

C

Rangers or some stuff that already exists, but just getting people to access it and then get.

E

Them back home again right! Well, then, there's the transportation well, and I think that that was.

G

An example early on um when this committee, when this task force got formed about you know, would.

A

Something like camp scholarships or something like that- help the mental health needs for france, yeah.

A

I was at a meeting last night at school about school school safety um and, like that alice.

J

Programming and stuff that's rolling out, but the elementary school doesn't have a school resource.

J

Officer because they lost funding for that, would that idea fall into mental health? Do you think.

C

Well, I even put just like a position for coordinating like mental health services with.

C

Community activities for kids- I don't know just because there is this disconnect between or maybe.

C

It's a social worker, I don't know, but there is a disconnect between the people who need the most.

C

And then accessing what they need and there's no bridge the other schools. They go home school and.

E

The thing is, I mean, schools already have the the whole social, emotional learning curriculums and.

E

Things like that they're sort of working on that, whereas the parents yeah that's where a lot of the.

E

Problems are so, I think you know we don't want to yeah, go two nuts on the kids when a lot of the the.

E

Source issue is the parents and home instability and stress, and that kind of thing I think within.

L

Programs in schools, where parents, when I think of the different places I've worked in where.

L

Parents would be invited for special programs like this. After school, their children were taken care.

L

Of why the parents came in and they had these workshops issuing, I mean you know a about these.

L

Major issues, you know I mean that's a long time ago. Yes, unfortunately, it doesn't happen anymore.

A

Well- and I think one of the challenges that I see that we have is knowing that there's organizations.

A

And people doing some of these programmings that we would want to increase. How do we make.

A

A recommendation around that when it doesn't make sense to create something new right. But how does.

A

That get coordinated and how does that end up happening? Well, one thing we could do is it's.

E

Like a grant application, where you know, we've decided our two priorities are: what just for.

E

Instance, child mental health and transportation, so we're offering grants to all the organizations in.

E

The area who can apply and show us that they're going to do something right, yeah. Well, that's.

C

Almost like phase two- maybe I don't know after the city council- decides what we want to do suggests.

D

That we put that in our recommendation that they consider a grant application process for all of.

D

These topics, so we do parenting programs and grandparenting programs that are raising their.

K

Grandkids and they're very successful, there's three of them that we do that are research based.

D

An organization called step up parents that focuses specifically.

D

On that second generation, that's raising their grandchildren, we're trained in yeah.

D

It's a really really wonderful group of people, but I think I'm so glad that.

D

You said this piece about the grants. I was hoping that the conversation would go there.

D

We are going to continue to have this discussion, whether the topic's transportation, child care.

D

Mental health substance misuse whatever it is, we're gonna brainstorm all these ideas and then.

D

We're going to say all right: we don't need to recreate the wheel, there's already these agencies that are dedicated to doing this work and then we're going to say right. So we're going.

D

To tell the council that here's all the groups of people and organizations that are doing this.

D

Work and you guys just open up a grant application and we can help review them and then give feedback.

D

Back to you about what organizations like look like, they have solid plants.

D

Yeah, because the few grand applications that that were sent in at the beginning of all this were.

E

Just you know sort of word of mouth that we would really go out in this in a unified way, um so we.

E

Could make sure that everybody who serves people on the portsmouth area? That's where marketing.

D

Dollars will help yeah to get the word out to all of the agencies, but it's an option to do this. Yeah.

D

That this opportunity would even exist and that's where community forums, maybe nancy, would play into.

D

The picture where we can have beautiful community public forums on these issues like and it wouldn't.

D

Necessarily be a community forum for people like members of the community that want to come. Ask.

D

Questions but a forum for the organizations to attend a meeting to learn more about what the.

D

Process is, and certainly it's available for other people to join in and listen to the public. But.

D

Maybe an opportunity for other people that want to volunteer to help lift these programs off.

D

The ground they can at least get educated about what might be happening well, and maybe this.

A

Framework of the problem, the impact of public health and the potential solutions still gets.

A

Spelled out and then anyone submitting a grant would be addressing those three things. Absolutely.

E

The thing is, it's probably a great framework, the non-profit organization, that's doing the.

E

Transportation piece yeah yeah, I mean they're all having their own little transportation things, but.

E

Who's going to solve the transportation, so we may have to split it up and say: there's going to be.

E

A grant for non-profits to do good work and then there's going to be another chunk of money. That's.

E

Going to go to transportation that we're going to, I don't know, taxi vouchers or hire new bus drivers.

E

Or whatever it is, but I don't think there's a organization: that's gonna solve that problem.

E

Unless we give it to coast, because I don't actually think the problem is the problem.

D

Goes back to workforce and the reason that we don't have a workforce is because we don't have.

D

Housing in this area for them to live in, to do these jobs, so would it make sense to continue and.

A

Try to get yes he's filled in and then he's supposed to finish. All these today.

A

As many as possible yeah, but now we know what we're meeting. Maybe our end goal is so now we're.

E

Just filling it in so when we're looking at people applying for grants there. Well, I took the liberty.

B

Of making a summary, a recommendation summary site at the end- and I heard fun- grant programs that you.

B

Touch upon these, I think lori had another one, but I missed it. You know if we were summarizing.

B

I have a grant program, a public forum. He said oh public public forum to find out how to do to.

C

Fill out the grant and find out more about it and marketing to let people know that there are these.

C

Coveted grants or whatever we're calling them so next on the list we have workforce.

C

The problem is.

L

I'm going to the next topic I was going to say I brought along some of my notes from all these.

L

Different community groups that did form if some of you might remember hearing the portsmouth.

L

Citizens alliance, where they had a group of they had a series of gatherings, and it would be.

L

On a number of places it would be in the library it would be in I'm trying to think.

L

Of which school in their auditorium, I know, and there would be all these people who showed up.

L

And they worked in little groups and they came together discussing these programs.

L

There might be six five, six seven people in one group and there might be eight groups and.

L

Then they summarized and they'd present and they participated in coming up with you know.

L

um You know whatever the results are, what they were going to do and the topics were traffic.

L

um Transportation neighborhoods economic concerns, if I can make a suggestion that could be something.

B

The council does, with this information, to kind of gut check it with the public. We could ask.

B

Them to do that again sure I think our work is to get them yeah, something to go, get reactions.

K

I think, in addition to lack of housing to support there are people not.

K

We don't have dental assistants, we don't have nurses and that's nationwide. So that's a long-term.

K

Problem, I think that certainly we need to start working with the schools immediately high schools.

K

To see because we could train for da's dental assistants and medical assistance, what about.

D

The career technical education space at portsmouth high school- maybe there could be a suggestion to.

D

um Might be a resolution yeah and just follow? Where are we putting that look at the solutions.

F

Those things which ones the workforce checking out to.

C

um Portsmouth high school, okay, the cte program, great the the dentist- is that.

A

What we're doing we're going to solutions now? Well, we kind of just did but okay, that's fine.

A

The dental program up in maine, they're, 40, full capacity, dentists or just don't exist.

K

Part of that is the the requirements of the dental board here versus our neighboring communities.

K

They have to actually do live work on people to get their boards and then the neighboring communities do not have to do what I mean.

A

Yeah- and I mean I think, it's a huge challenge in terms of we see in the nonprofit sector too, where.

A

We're not attracting if we are attracting the younger workforce, they're not staying.

A

Like others did, and so looking at kind of sustainability and opportunities for growth and.

D

The way we think about non-profits is all wrong exactly, but that's that's not for them.

B

I have about five or six months left. Do you get ready to tackle any other slides.

B

We still have child care, we haven't talked about, and housing and substance misuse. Yes,.

A

So I mean, would it make sense to just there are some potential solutions.

A

To just throw out under any of those topics to get them captured and then.

B

Yeah, did anyone come with notes that we could well? I had one for the workforce shortage. I.

K

Mean maybe great bay would get invested with money. The dental assistant program.

B

I don't know if that's a low-cost high impact. That's uh that's a that's! A significant investment.

M

Like certainly can be put on a table, foreign.

C

Before about like the cdl license scholarships or driver's ed scholarships just to increase.

C

Workforce as a solution um recruiting high school students for local jobs, because I know the teenage.

C

Population of workforce is also way down, but maybe I know flatbread pizza did it recently.

C

They went and brought pizza to the high school and said: will anyone come work for us um because.

C

My daughter yeah she did, she went and applied um so, but I think just those, how could we do some of.

C

Those kind of incentives, somersworth high school, has a poster right by the front office. Yep lists.

K

Jobs you can move there yeah. I was saying that with a public library, maybe like a job board or.

C

Something I don't know virtual too yeah they're all virtual right now well and then the retirees.

E

Some sort of one um like so many of my friends are retiring and they're, just partying they're.

E

Just having fun, they don't feel any social responsibility to good for them. But it's.

E

Just like what happened to that, you know talking about teenagers here, no people, my age and they're.

E

They're just having fun and they're it's it's. The thing we talk about at parties is wow you're.

E

Retired now you can just fool around. Do nothing, and it's just um it's just amazing to me that you.

E

Think they have experience in this, it doesn't seem well, I only I'm only. You know, because I'm.

E

Only running a non-profit, so that's what I do in my retirement, but you know when I was thinking.

L

About it, where do you get them? How do you guilt them back into working and serving their community.

E

What if there was like a mentorship, something or other this like in the moment, thinking there's.

D

Got to be- and I think this would be so important for mental health and so many other things, but.

D

There is such a disconnect in a different way that the brains of current retirees function.

D

Versus the brains of kids in high school college in the early part of their professional career.

D

It I think that would be an interesting experiment for sure it would. How would it address.

D

If perhaps someone, maybe that is not sure like they're, they don't think that they want to go.

D

Into a four-year college, they don't have um a goal within the cte program. Maybe they're working at.

D

Flatbread and they're just trying to figure out their life, they could be partnered with a mentor.

A

But all of those things do and I'm not trying to yeah, I know, but all of those things do require.

A

Coordination and somebody overseeing a program like that. That might be a good idea to add to big.

K

Brothers, big sisters, you know, have the people right, there's an organization, that's already.

D

Doing it, you know, when I think of addressing the workforce piece it overlaps with addressing the.

A

Child care piece right and I have an idea for a child care piece- all right- sure, throw it out.

K

There so subsidize businesses to provide on-site child care because you don't have to be licensed.

K

If the parents are there big ticket item, though on location- well, maybe not I mean child care. Doesn't.

K

Make money, but it's not out to make money! It's first, it's for the businesses to retain their.

K

Staff, that's really the goal. You don't need to make money at it. You just need to keep no. I'm.

B

Just thinking about the amount of money it would take to provide this. No, we did a learning center.

K

In the middle of coven, and so their parents could drop their kids over and we would get them online.

K

And do the work with them and then had fun things to do before and after school, and it really wasn't.

K

That expensive and it was a big incentive. We recruited nurses because we had that to offer.

M

You know who's doing this uh karen or harmony homes. They built a child cast yep and housing.

E

Yeah, but you know selfishly because they're thinking about right, they need their own.

K

Employees right and the turnover rates I mean it's 43 000 when you're right, when your nurse leaves.

K

So how high or new we've got we've got a time crunch. Is there anyone for the public comments.

B

um Let me um exit this abby. If I exit this, it will save right. Yes, don't laugh at me not laugh.

C

Hang at you, I don't know how to do. Google, it's okay, [music] let's find out so go back.

B

There's no one on zoom looking to give public comment. Okay, so do we need knowing we have one.

A

More meeting, how do we, I would say you have one more meeting on the books. This group could decide.

A

Yeah before the before the recommending, not recommendations, but the update can we make the.

D

Next meeting a longer longer, yes, that's easier than I think trying to. I agree with amazing.

L

So by longer, do we mean a half hour longer one hour long, I would say an.

K

Hour and if we get out a half hour early okay, so it's over 20 minutes.

A

um So we're looking at the 29th from 12 to 2.. Yes, yes, okay, affirmative eat lunch first.

L

Can I just share something folks? Well, we need to finish the meeting first, though,.

L

If you notice how many young people were voting, I work at the polls all day and they.

L

Were the most the highest number of young people touring that I've seen we have an.

A

Adjourned the meeting to adjourn young people talking to young, you know these.

L

Folks, talking to high school kids about what's important, what's the importance.

L

Portsmouth in another community that has the highest low um young age, voters, okay,.

A

So we had a motion to occurring seconds all in favor of adjourning. Thank you. Everybody.