Glove City Coalition AGENDA and MEETING MINUTES
(Paul Meher, Note Taker )
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021
10:00 am Zoom
Promoting healthy futures through collaboration and education. GCC strives to reduce youth substance use by engaging and supporting the community through education and collaboration to promote and sustain healthy lifestyles.
Attendance: Bonnie Peck (Project Coordinator Glove City Coalition), Lashawn Hawkins (I can breathe and I will speak), Rich Wilkinson (Free Methodist Church, Gville/Center of Hope), Laura Sturgess (FC OFA), Brandy Richards (Northeast Problem Gambling Resource Center), Paul Meher (HFM Prevention Council), Vanessa Carey (CCFMC), Tony Clay (Chief of GPD), Chad Brown (FC District Attorney), Theresa Austin (Rob Constantine Recovery Community and Outreach Center), Kelsey Carpe (Cancer Prevention in Action), Dr. Matt Vittucci, Shannon Endsley (FC Public Health), Sally Baker (CDTF), Christine Stegel (1st Congregational Church), Tricia Hillock (FC Probation Dept), Cassandra VanNostrand (Planned Parenthood of Greater NY), Tricia Terlecky (Catholic Charities), Dr. Richard DeMallie (GESD).
| TOPIC | DISCUSSION | Notes |
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Welcome/ Introductions Note Taker: |
Kelsey Carpe Paul Meher |
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| Approval of May minutes | Cassandra VanNostrand – motioned Paul Meher – seconded |
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| Spotlight Speaker: Cassandra VanNostrand |
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York is seeing patients in the center as well as offering appts via telehealth/telephone. Virtual services include birth control, emergency contraception, trans/nonbinary hormone therapy refills, STI screenings (with testing at a nearby lab if needed), and more. In-person services include annual exams, primary care, birth control, emergency contraception, trans/nonbinary hormone therapy, abortion services, STI testing and treatment, HIV testing, adoption services, insurance enrollment, PrEP and more. Make an appointment online at: www.ppgreaterny.org, by calling at 1-800-230-PLAN or the direct number to your local center. Johnstown We continue to help enroll people in health insurance and implement a sliding fee scale for those who need it. Educational workshops are available both virtually or socially distanced in person; topics include birth control, STIs, reproductive and sexual health updates, and PPGNY services. To schedule a workshop, email at: cassandra.vannostrand@ppgreaterny.org or call 518.495.7655 Our outreach dept is in the community for tabling events and other opportunities- please contact if you would like to collaborate! PPGNY is available for any LGBT concerns/questions as well as provide staff training to orgs on a variety of LGBTQ+ centered topics- contact Rachel for details: rachel.marcey@ppgreaterny.org or 518.605.4664 Our LGBT Navigator is in office and connecting clients to services such as housing, legal assistance, nutrition, etc. Safety kits are available and include a cloth mask, hygiene items, lip balm, pens, info on PPGNY services, etc. these can be dropped off at an agency for food distribution events and/or use as needed. A few LGBT resources: https://ahihealth.org/resources-for- supporting-lgbtq/ https://www.plannedparenthood.org/get- care/our-services/lgbt-services |
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Old Business: Action Team Reports |
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| Youth Coalition Update (Paul): | Nothing new to report | |
| Media Committee Update (Cassandra): |
Cassandra is sending out a Doodle Poll to schedule the next media subcommittee meeting |
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| Parent Engagement Committee (Paul): |
Subcommittee met last week. We’re going to try and get parents to come to NEU (by posting to GESD Facebook and website, and possible All-Call) to learn more about GCC and possibly recruit some parents to join GCC. |
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| Bylaws (Bonnie): |
Composed of Brandy Richards, Rich DiMallie, and Sally Baker. Will meet on July 7th at 10am at the High School. |
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| Capacity Building (Bonnie): |
The purpose of the committee is to build the capacity in the community for the coalition to prevent the problems identified in it’s assessment. The assessments we have done so far are as follows: Coalition Capacity Ratings Survey that I reported on last month. Youth Prevention Survey that I will be reporting on in July. Tri-Ethnic Survey on Community Readiness for Change (which was started, but has not been completed) Members will be Cassandra VanNostrand, Tony Clay, Lisa Cimo, Sally Baker, and Lashawn Hawkins. We still need a chair for this committee. They will be meeting June 22, 11am at the Gloversville Police Dept. This subgroup will be looking at the surveys and brainstorming what additional community members |
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| GPD & NEU Updates (Chief Clay): |
We’re set with Little Huskies. Talked to Ed Strugess and made sure we’re not conflicting with anything. Talked to Steve Santa Maria, the county Emergency Management Officer about DOT traffic signs to put out on Main St./5th Ave and Main St./2nd Ave directing people to Littauer Field for the event. Has not yet inquired about an ice cream truck. Bill Rowback was looking into contacting someone at Smullen and Senator Tedisco’s office to see if they wanted to be represented at the event. He hasn’t heard anything back yet. |
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| Coalition updates (Bonnie): |
– Cultural Competence Training One of the action steps that will help our entire Coalition and Community at large build capacity for change is to have some training in Cultural Competence (Cultural Humility). I attended a webinar by CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) that I thought would be perfect. There is a recording of the Web Training and I have gotten permission to show it to you in place of hiring a trainer. I would like to schedule that for August. I can do a doodle poll for a date, but wanted input on how many would be interested in participating. – Youth Survey Instead of trying to cover it in a regular meeting, I would like to do a full presentation on the results of the 2020 youth survey on Thursday, July 22 at 10:00am This will be in lieu of a regular meeting for July. However, if there is time at the end, we can still have member reports. Presentation will be Thursday, July 22 at 10:00 am to report on the results of the youth survey. A zoom link will be sent out with the minutes. – Tri-Ethnic Survey The sub-committee that worked on this met and decided that some of the data was not complete and therefore we are extending it to include a couple more people. The plan is to have that finished and data interpreted by the end of July. – Community Talks Stipend We applied for and received a $750 Stipend from SAMHSA to plan and implement an event/activity in the community to talk about preventing youth substance use. Our stipend is being used to implement a Parent / Community Survey on Underage Drinking at the NEU Community Wellness Sweeps. We will pay for an ad in the Leader Herald to promote the Darling Field NEU in August and are purchasing tamper-resistant labels to give to parents to use on their liquor bottles to send a message to youth that they do not condone underage drinking. – Retailer Education/Compliance A collaboration between the Gloversville Police Department (Lt. Schaffer), Tricia Terlecky from Advancing Tobacco Free Communities. Tricia and I are editing a Guide for Retailers who sell alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes, and CBD. We will be visiting retailers in the coming weeks to educate them on the harms of substances to youth and remind them of the laws restricting the sales to minors. We will be offering then information and in the case of tobacco, informing them of the laws that were passed last summer. In a few weeks there will be a compliance check either officially or using a method similar to secret shopper. The focus in the coming year will be on retail compliance and community events rather than trying to do party patrols which have shown limited success. Note: I have been much more observant when reading the local paper since starting this position, and I notice some of our community partners are doing things that are relevant to this coalition that I hadn’t heard about. Please, when you are giving reports.. if you are doing anything that is related to alcohol and drug prevention, treatment, recover etc. in the City of Gloversville, or that might have an impact on the youth that go to school in Gloversville, please tell us about it. If your agency is, but you are not directly involved but are representing your agency… please share. One example I can give that I didn’t previously know about was the drug disposal kiosk at the probation department, or the program of Family Peer and Youth Peer Advocates program at the Family Counseling Center or their Building a Healthy Community campaign. These are fantastic resources in our community that are instrumental in helping us reduce substance use by young people. The more we can collaborate and offer a wide spectrum of interventions, the better. |
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| New Business:
Video– The Science of Risk Factors Focus: Risk Factor: Accessibility Protective: Community rewards for pro- social behavior (Bonnie) |
Going to hold off on showing the video on the Science of Risk Factors, due to the weak wifi signal. A link will be sent out to coalition members. Also, not sure if many of you if many of you have had a chance to talk about some of the things that are involved in the coalition grant and some of our expectations of the what we’re supposed to be moving forward doing in the course of the 5 year grant. The survey is what’s giving us the data to decide what we (coalition members, organizations) need to do: projects, activities, etc to help reduce the risk factors that kids have for alcohol and drug use and increase the protective factors. We’ll be showing a new video each month. An example: One of the risk factors is accessibility, based on our 2018 youth survey. Even though the survey results are better for 2020, we still have the perception that alcohol and tobacco products and drugs are accessible. Kids find ways of getting them and we have an idea of some of the ways they’re getting it. That risk factor would be something we could really focus on. In regards to protective factors: One of the best protective factors we have right now is community rewards. Rewards for pro-social behaviors, which are kids getting recognition for doing things well in the community. Not just in school, but also in the community. 31% of students report that they know that there are community rewards for pro-social behavior. That’s something we want to expand and make even better. To increase those protective factors. |
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Spotlight Speakers for remainder of year (Kelsey) Note-takers for remainder of year (Kelsey) |
Bonnie will be sending out two sign up sheets. One for Spotlight Speakers and the other will be for Note Takers. Please sign up and volunteer. If you’re a spotlight speaker, please send us your notes of info that you share with the coalition, so we can get it to the note taker for minutes. Send it Kelsey or Bonnie. |
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Next Meeting/WHEN: Thursday, July 22, 2021 Note Taker: Spotlight Speaker: |
WHERE: Zoom
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TIME: 10:00 am |
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Member Reports:
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Vanessa Carey:
I am a Community Resource Navigator/Community Coordinator/Manager for rapid re-housing for Catholic Charities Fulton Montgomery Counties. We did get rapid re-housing. Just hired a new case manager. They do have to go through DSS first, but we have a lot of funding for that. We received our second set of funding for that program a couple months ago. So we’re partnering with DSS to get everybody on the list. As far as emergency assistance goes, we have a bunch of money for rental arrears, as well as National Grid arrears. The eviction moratorium is set to end August 31st. If you know of anybody (they don’t necessarily need an eviction) but they can certainly come see me and we can help with the back rent and if there’s mediation, we can send them upstairs for mediation. Laura Sturgess: The Youth Bureau is seeking a FC youth to apply for the Governor’s Youth Council. The Youth Council influences positive role models and mentors. Becoming an advocate for our county. Bonnie will send out the info and application to the coalition. Rich Wilkenson: Food Pantry: Numbers down from 300 pre-pandemic to 150 now. Code Blue: – Still in litigation to house here (Center of Hope) – 40 bed, 3 shower facility – Kitchen Homeless: – Two women working to identify homeless in FC If you know of anyone that may be homeless, please reach out Steps To Success: – Helping homeless get off the street Rich DeMallie: Have 2 members for Paul’s Youth Coalition. Send out later today. Thank you to Joyce Royal for her part in the Baccalaureate ceremony yesterday at the Church of the Holy Spirit. Thank you to Kelsey, as well because I’m working with her and Ginger on Sun Safety at the school. Graduation is next week, Friday at 7p at Husky Field (Robert E. Gould Stadium). Each graduate is bringing 4 people. This coming Monday, June 21st, Seniors Walk at the elementary schools. This coming Tuesday, June 22nd, there will be a Senior parade at 6:30p. Students will be riding in cars…a way to honor our seniors. Joyce Royal: North Main Street United Methodist Church Free Lunch Every Monday from 11- 12:30 Call my cell phone 518-774-5849 Christine Stegel: First Congregational Church – Nancy Edwards is our church’s Administrative As- sistant office hours: Tuesday-Friday 8am – 11:30am. Our Church houses the Captain’s Program (https://captaincares.org/ ). The program helps youth who find themselves homeless. Currently, the Captain’s Program sponsors a gathering of youth served by their program for a meal and activity time on Friday afternoon from 2-5pm. The meal is provided by community volunteers and occurs at our church upstairs meeting room. Food Pantry last Saturday of each month 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Call our church office 518-725-4304 or my cell phone 518-593-2767. Howard Wilson: NY Connects/Independent Living Center of Hudson Valley, (ILCHV) Outreach Specialist – NY Connects and the ILCHV work with persons of all ages and disabilities to provide information and assistance in receiving services tailored to their individual needs and issues. We provide support and advocacy to help individuals live a productive and independent life no matter what the issues may be, (Housing, Food, Employment, Health Insurance, Transition to community living to mention a few. We have an extensive list of resources spanning the 19 counties we oversee as well as the New York State Data Base system. Look for us tabling at neighborhood events. Call 518-703-0770 or email hwilson@ilchv.org Kelsey Carpe: Cancer Prevention in Action at St. Mary’s Healthcare for Fulton, Montgomery & Schenectady Counties we have launched our new quarterly newsletter highlights our work with Royal Mountain Campground and Granny’s Ice Cream for sun safety policies – ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at Granny’s Ice Cream on 7/30/21 from 6pm-9pm with live music from the Weaver Brothers. All are welcome to at- tend. www.takeactionagainstcancer.com kelsey.carpe@nysmha.org |
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