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DRIS Local Coordinators
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Pat Brady
Lompoc Valley
Local Coordinator, DRIS Initiative
As the Local Coordinator for the DRIS project in Lompoc, I have found the past nineteen months to be exciting, frustrating, exhilarating, stressful and extremely educational. The concept of bringing together the local hospital, providers and community has been a challenge. Convincing the community that DRIS is an important project while still learning about the project myself was challenging. The process of coming together and deciding the direction the community wanted to pursue was also a learning process for the Lompoc Valley Healthcare Council (LVHC) members. Understanding new terminology, various healthcare services and the different personalities involved all had to be negotiated.
My duties encompass many areas. I take care of all clerical duties such as recording meeting minutes for the Council and all its committees, mailing meeting notices and filing the Council's records. In addition, the Local Coordinator office answers inquiries from the public on health issues. I act as the Council's public relations officer educating the community through speaking engagements at service clubs and general networking, and continue to solicit membership on our Council. Some of my original duties included expanding the Council membership and its diversity. We now have representatives from most sectors of the community. Tasks such as conducting an inventory of all providers in the community took time, perseverance and, at times, extreme commitment. This inventory now serves as a valuable resource. The interaction and outreach I do are very fulfilling, and I feel extremely fortunate that the Lompoc community is so willing to volunteer. Healthcare is so important to everyone.
Facilitating the LVHC committees as they struggled with choosing their DRIS goals was very rewarding because the enthusiasm of the Council members never waned. They chose three goals: (1) a community-based single accountable entity; (2) community pathways for substance abuse; and (3) a healthcare information system.
The single accountable entity has been established and incorporated as the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization. Feasibility studies and a business plan are being created. An inventory of systems used by local providers has been done and a report is being compiled. The Prevention/Early Intervention Committee is beginning a community/provider education process dealing with substance abuse issues. Being a part of this process as the Local Coordinator is exciting, and I feel it has been important to have a Local Coordinator available for committee meetings, both as a resource and to keep things on track.
Local Coordinators are fortunate because we see the formation of goals, the implementation of a vision and the developing outcomes. Local Coordinators provide the continuity necessary for the DRIS project to work. We are an important part of the DRIS process. We are on site at all times, learning along with the community and accessing resources the DRIS consultants might not have. The Systems Consultants utilize our native knowledge of the community and its citizens in their decision making and planning. Some community members find it easier to deal with someone they know rather than a stranger. Certainly, in our community, the Systems Consultant is no longer a stranger, but a respected and valued asset to our goal of “developing a rural integrated system of healthcare.”
Rural communities are different from their urban relatives. We are a closer-knit group who tend to take a little longer to accept outside ideas and concepts. Having a Local Coordinator who is a part of the community makes implementation of the DRIS goals a smoother and speedier process.
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| Lompoc Valley Healthcare Council-Executive Committee Meeting, July 1998 |
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Jan Franssen
Siskiyou County
Local Coordinator, DRIS Initiative
Acting as the Local Coordinator for Siskiyou County has been a unique and exciting experience. Not only do I work on the DRIS Initiative, but I have had the opportunity to provide support to the Community Health Plan of the Siskiyous (CHPS) which has been established as the cooperative vehicle within the DRIS project.
CHPS is a small three year old health plan which recently received a grant to strengthen and expand its current provider panel to include providers from Redding and Medford, Oregon. Supporting the board members of CHPS and its Executive Director, I have the opportunity to assist in the development of board policies on recruitment and orientation of new board members as well as initiate personnel policies for this non-profit corporation.
Since CHPS is not large enough to sustain an insurance license, it needs to seek out a licensed health plan that would be willing to jointly manage and administer health plan products in Siskiyou. I have been in initial conversations with two health plans whose mission, vision and values are consistent with CHPS, especially its commitment to community health improvement through health promotion. I have also assisted in CHPS' appeals process to the IRS for their 501(c)3 by obtaining a copy of another non-profit health plan's application from the IRS. I have set up a database of foundations for possible future funding and I am maintaining a database of providers that are currently on CHPS' panel. I am also researching network management software programs to aid with claims administration, medical cost and data information, case management, and member services for implementation in Siskiyou County.
The role of Local Coordinator has been frustrating at times, especially in the beginning given my lack of knowledge about the healthcare field. But by attending workshops, conferences and reading health related articles and books, I am obtaining the knowledge and educational background that will be needed in future years. I look forward to the challenge and opportunity in helping CHPS accomplish its mission to Siskiyou County by being involved in improving the community's health status, increasing access to healthcare, and hopefully, contributing to local economic development.
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Brian Mau
Humboldt~Del Norte
Local Coordinator, DRIS Initiative
In Humboldt-Del Norte there are Community Health Committees in six medical service areas from Crescent City to Garberville. These committees send representatives to the Regional Health Council which oversees the DRIS project on the North Coast. The Council has several of its own committees which work on specific project tasks.
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| Humboldt Del Norte Regional Council Meeting, August 1998 |
As the only paid staff person supporting all of these groups, the job of coordinating this project can prove challenging. The Council and each of these committees has its own meeting style and way of getting things done. Most of the volunteers who participate in this project also work full time and serve on other boards or committees in the community making it difficult to schedule a meeting for such busy people.
The key to keeping the project alive is staying organized. Every meeting results in a new list of tasks that need to completed before the next meeting. Following up on these tasks and finding the right person to help requires a positive attitude, friendly persuasion and a good database of contacts.
Because I am present at nearly all of the meetings of these various committees I have learned that one of the most important contributions a Local Coordinator can make in this project is helping each of the groups understand what others are doing. It also helps to keep in touch with other community health groups. In Humboldt-Del Norte there are dozens of health-related collaboratives and committees, apart from the DRIS Initiative, which meet regularly around community health issues.
As the project moves into studying the feasibility of a community-owned Administrative Services Organization, more of our work is focused on the business of designing a product for potential purchasers. This involves a detailed and realistic view of the healthcare marketplace and careful negotiation. At a time when there is increasing anxiety about changes brought by managed care, it has become increasingly important to keep project participants involved while sustaining their interest in what we hope will result in a positive step toward a community-based health plan.
© CIRHM