Needs Assessment Committee Meeting July 16, 2019

Meeting of the
NEEDS ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE
Amanda Lugg and Marcy Thompson, Chairs
July 16^th, 2019, 10:00AM -12:00PM
LGBT Center, 208 West 13^th Street, Room 301, New York, NY
By Conference Call – 1-866-213-1863, Access Code 3587454#

Present: Randall Bruce, Billy Fields, Tim Frasca, Leo Ruiz, Rob Walker, Paul Carr, Graham Harriman, Julie Lehane, Jan Carl Park, John Schoepp, Marcy Thompson (chair)

Ms. Thompson led introductions, including pronouns, and an icebreaker about spring. Mr. Fields led the committee in a moment of silence. Ms. Irwin asked for a clarification of the minutes regarding a robust discussion on the date of the planned forum.

None.

The committee continued editing the recommendations for PLWH with Disabilities resulting in a final document for presentation to the Executive Committee. Following are bulleted points that guided the edits:

• Something like Yelp would be beyond the grantee’s capacity to manage. A fully descriptive and publicly available guide to services would be a better solution. Sticking point is making DOHMH evaluations available to the public.
• A compromise is for PHS to make available the more easily captured access features – i.e. elevators, ramps, etc. Addressing hidden disabilities is more difficult.
• Desire to keep evaluation point in hopes a future compromise is possible.
• Put accessibility in the quality management program to better address it across the system
• Consumer forums meant to improve dialogue between PLWH with disabilities and the grantee were moved to the Consumers Committee
• Want to ensure the recommendations address a larger conversation that should be happen with regard to Universal Design – thinking about people with disabilities in all situations.
• Removed continuously from updated resource guide and replaced with as needed to ensure that the guide is kept current as staff changes.
• Separate housing and facilities with regard to universal design.
• To fund a gap in assistive technologies, a service directive would have to be developed based on what is fundable through RWPA
• The Consumers Committee could hold events that provide sounding boards for PLWH with disabilities. These must be focused on people with disabilities
• Consolidated the QI recommendations
• Removed seriously mentally ill from the document.

Mr. Carr motioned that we accept the recommendations. It was seconded and approved unanimously.

None