Members Present:
George Irizary, Arlene Irizary, Ann Walker, Gloria Stubbs, Kathy Osbun, Art Rosenblum, David Getzoff, Suzanne deKozan, Davis Brown, Sandy Grant and Barbara France
Members Absent:
Dana May Casperson and Marc Alexander
Guests:
Davida and Ed Brautman
Call to Order:
The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Parkinson’s Support Group of Sonoma County (PSGSC) was called to order by Chair, Kathy Osbun at 10:10 a.m.
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes of the June 18, 2014, meeting were approved with the following addition: Arlene added the Adult Protective Services provides many services to the elderly which were covered in the brochure she provided to each board member. These are services that we could suggest to those we think may be in need of them. There are no minutes for July as the meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum.
Treasurer’s Report:
Sandy Reported income for the Month of June was $334.25 for the Donation Jar from the June meeting, $350.00 for the Kathryn O”Brien Lawrence Memorial. The Johnny Garlic’s fundraiser raised $484.20, $256.60 for the Round Table Pizza fundraiser, $13.80 for tulip pins and $.74 earned from interest. Expenses were: Rent $125, Guest speaker was given $100.00, $50.00 for meeting set up and take down, meeting supplies were $15.20 and printing costs for the meeting were $3.92. Suzanne made the motion to accept the June Treasurer’s Report, Gloria seconded the motion which was passed with a voice vote. The report for July was largely unchanged except for earning $.79 interest. There was no meeting in July.
Art made the motion to accept the July Treasurer’s Report and Gloria seconded the motion which was accepted on a voice vote. Art has verified that the June and July Treasurer’s Report match the bank statements for June and July. Sandy added that going forward sales tax will be paid only once a year in July.
Programs:
At the August meeting Dr. Finkbeiner had projector problems. John Hamilton who is our videographer tried to help work through the problems. This is not the first time that there have been projector problems with our speakers so John Hamilton suggested to Kathy that we pursue purchasing a projector to have on hand that can be used in cases where the speaker has projector problems. Toward this end he did price and quality research. He told Kathy that we could purchase a mid range projector with a recommended price of $450 before taxes. He is confident that we could find this projector at a lower price. Kathy asked for discussion on the need and advisability of purchasing a projector.
It was agreed that it would be good for the group to have our own projector and we should purchase the one suggested by John Hamilton after checking to be sure that the projector would be compatible with the various devices that the speaker might be using and checking with the Church that the near by Fire Station signals were not the cause of electronic problems.
Art moved that we authorize John Hamilton to spend up to $500.00 to purchase an appropriate projector after the above questions have been considered. Sandy seconded the motion which was passed on a voice vote.
Singing Group:
Kathy said the $50.00 for Room 8 at the Church has been paid for four weeks. The question is whether the Board should continue paying for the practice room or should the fee to group members be increased to cover this cost. Arlene suggested that we check with PANC, who carries our insurance to be sure that this additional meeting at the Church is covered. George will check on this. There has been a good response and attendance at practices is consistent. It was agreed that such a group is one PSGSC should support as singing is beneficial to PD patients who typically have voice projection problems. Sandy made the motion that we continue to pay the rent for the practice room through December when we will revisit the usefulness of such a project. Ann seconded this motion which was passed on a voice vote. Kathy continues to work with Cheryl Lambert to include music and exercises appropriate for the group. Cheryl is committed to working with the group and Kathy will continue to help her develop a program that is suitable to the needs and abilities of the group.
Publicity:
Susan Swartz who writes for the Press Democrat on health and fitness contacted Kathy to see if there were any dance or exercise groups for PD patients that she could write about. Kathy responded to Susan that she would bring this up before the Board. The board agreed that an article by Susan would be a good thing so Kathy and Arlene will respond with ideas for an article.
Data Base:
Gloria reported that there were 78 people at the August meeting. This number included 15 new people, 8 of whom were patients.
Fundraising:
October 8 has been confirmed as the next fundraiser at Mary’s Pizza on Summerfield.
There are 92 tulip pins left to sell.
Long range planning:
Several national Parkinson’s research groups are working on the telemedicine model to provide specialist care for PD patients. We will continue to follow these developments for ways our members can benefit. Specialist care is a great need, especially in our area.
Strategic planning for the future:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation sponsors meetings titled Partners in Parkinson’s all over the state of California. We have such a large active community in PSGSC that we should look into having the MJF Foundation put on such a meeting here. The Next Parkinson’s World Congress will meet in Portland, Oregon, on September 20-23, 2016. Since this is relatively near by we should encourage interest and attendance. Suzanne reported on her visit to the last Congress about how much information was available to attendees and how beneficial she thought it was.
Other:
Arlene has talked to several people lately who have fallen through the donut hole in their drug cost coverage lately. She reported that HiCap (California Health Advocates) provides information about how to deal with supplemental insurance and donut hole problems. They are a non profit organization funded by the state. She thought a HiCap speaker would be a good addition to our calendar.
Clinical Trails:
Suzanne reported that a friend in the Women’s Group has undergone a very experimental surgery to have genes implanted in her brain. This surgery has had wildly varying results, from successful to very unsuccessful and was undertaken after long deliberation. The surgery, which lasted 9 1/2 hours, implanted genes which, it is hoped, will enable the brain to again produce dopamine once again. The surgery was performed quite recently but so far so good for Suzanne’s friend.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m. by Chair, Kathy Osbun. The next meeting will be Wednesday September 17, 2014, at 10 a.m. at Brush Creek Senior Living.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara France, Recording Secretary
George Irizary, Arlene Irizary, Ann Walker, Gloria Stubbs, Kathy Osbun, Art Rosenblum, David Getzoff, Suzanne deKozan, Davis Brown, Sandy Grant and Barbara France
Members Absent:
Dana May Casperson and Marc Alexander
Guests:
Davida and Ed Brautman
Call to Order:
The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Parkinson’s Support Group of Sonoma County (PSGSC) was called to order by Chair, Kathy Osbun at 10:10 a.m.
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes of the June 18, 2014, meeting were approved with the following addition: Arlene added the Adult Protective Services provides many services to the elderly which were covered in the brochure she provided to each board member. These are services that we could suggest to those we think may be in need of them. There are no minutes for July as the meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum.
Treasurer’s Report:
Sandy Reported income for the Month of June was $334.25 for the Donation Jar from the June meeting, $350.00 for the Kathryn O”Brien Lawrence Memorial. The Johnny Garlic’s fundraiser raised $484.20, $256.60 for the Round Table Pizza fundraiser, $13.80 for tulip pins and $.74 earned from interest. Expenses were: Rent $125, Guest speaker was given $100.00, $50.00 for meeting set up and take down, meeting supplies were $15.20 and printing costs for the meeting were $3.92. Suzanne made the motion to accept the June Treasurer’s Report, Gloria seconded the motion which was passed with a voice vote. The report for July was largely unchanged except for earning $.79 interest. There was no meeting in July.
Art made the motion to accept the July Treasurer’s Report and Gloria seconded the motion which was accepted on a voice vote. Art has verified that the June and July Treasurer’s Report match the bank statements for June and July. Sandy added that going forward sales tax will be paid only once a year in July.
Programs:
At the August meeting Dr. Finkbeiner had projector problems. John Hamilton who is our videographer tried to help work through the problems. This is not the first time that there have been projector problems with our speakers so John Hamilton suggested to Kathy that we pursue purchasing a projector to have on hand that can be used in cases where the speaker has projector problems. Toward this end he did price and quality research. He told Kathy that we could purchase a mid range projector with a recommended price of $450 before taxes. He is confident that we could find this projector at a lower price. Kathy asked for discussion on the need and advisability of purchasing a projector.
It was agreed that it would be good for the group to have our own projector and we should purchase the one suggested by John Hamilton after checking to be sure that the projector would be compatible with the various devices that the speaker might be using and checking with the Church that the near by Fire Station signals were not the cause of electronic problems.
Art moved that we authorize John Hamilton to spend up to $500.00 to purchase an appropriate projector after the above questions have been considered. Sandy seconded the motion which was passed on a voice vote.
Singing Group:
Kathy said the $50.00 for Room 8 at the Church has been paid for four weeks. The question is whether the Board should continue paying for the practice room or should the fee to group members be increased to cover this cost. Arlene suggested that we check with PANC, who carries our insurance to be sure that this additional meeting at the Church is covered. George will check on this. There has been a good response and attendance at practices is consistent. It was agreed that such a group is one PSGSC should support as singing is beneficial to PD patients who typically have voice projection problems. Sandy made the motion that we continue to pay the rent for the practice room through December when we will revisit the usefulness of such a project. Ann seconded this motion which was passed on a voice vote. Kathy continues to work with Cheryl Lambert to include music and exercises appropriate for the group. Cheryl is committed to working with the group and Kathy will continue to help her develop a program that is suitable to the needs and abilities of the group.
Publicity:
Susan Swartz who writes for the Press Democrat on health and fitness contacted Kathy to see if there were any dance or exercise groups for PD patients that she could write about. Kathy responded to Susan that she would bring this up before the Board. The board agreed that an article by Susan would be a good thing so Kathy and Arlene will respond with ideas for an article.
Data Base:
Gloria reported that there were 78 people at the August meeting. This number included 15 new people, 8 of whom were patients.
Fundraising:
October 8 has been confirmed as the next fundraiser at Mary’s Pizza on Summerfield.
There are 92 tulip pins left to sell.
Long range planning:
Several national Parkinson’s research groups are working on the telemedicine model to provide specialist care for PD patients. We will continue to follow these developments for ways our members can benefit. Specialist care is a great need, especially in our area.
Strategic planning for the future:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation sponsors meetings titled Partners in Parkinson’s all over the state of California. We have such a large active community in PSGSC that we should look into having the MJF Foundation put on such a meeting here. The Next Parkinson’s World Congress will meet in Portland, Oregon, on September 20-23, 2016. Since this is relatively near by we should encourage interest and attendance. Suzanne reported on her visit to the last Congress about how much information was available to attendees and how beneficial she thought it was.
Other:
Arlene has talked to several people lately who have fallen through the donut hole in their drug cost coverage lately. She reported that HiCap (California Health Advocates) provides information about how to deal with supplemental insurance and donut hole problems. They are a non profit organization funded by the state. She thought a HiCap speaker would be a good addition to our calendar.
Clinical Trails:
Suzanne reported that a friend in the Women’s Group has undergone a very experimental surgery to have genes implanted in her brain. This surgery has had wildly varying results, from successful to very unsuccessful and was undertaken after long deliberation. The surgery, which lasted 9 1/2 hours, implanted genes which, it is hoped, will enable the brain to again produce dopamine once again. The surgery was performed quite recently but so far so good for Suzanne’s friend.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m. by Chair, Kathy Osbun. The next meeting will be Wednesday September 17, 2014, at 10 a.m. at Brush Creek Senior Living.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara France, Recording Secretary
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