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HAAB Minutes 12/12/1991 Minutes Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board Meeting December 12, 1991 COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HISPANIC AFFAIRS ADVISORY BOARD Minutes of Meeting December 12, 1991 6:40 p.m. Members Present Nelson A. Munoz Gloria E. Dominguez Zac Lucio Jorge Perez Avila Bernardo Garcia Eduardo Galvan Members Absent Antonio Perez-Benitoa Jaime Gutierrez Staff Present Ramiro Manalich Staff Liaison to Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board Jennifer J. pike Assistant to the County Manager The meeting of the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board was held at 6:40 p.m. on December 12, 1991 in the east half of the boardroom, third floor, Building F, Collier County Government Center. Mr. Zac Lucio, Chairman of the H.A.A.B. called the meeting to order. He welcomed all present including our guest speaker Mary W. Morgan, Supervisor of Elections. The Board members approved the minutes of the November 8, 1991 meeting. Chairman's Report: Mr. Zac Lucio stated that anyone addressing the H.A.A.B. will have five minutes to present his or her concerns. He also presented a letter from Mr. Perez Benitoa requesting to be excused from this meeting and a letter of resignation from Mr. Alex Castro as Vice Chairman of the H.A.A.B. Staff Report: Mr. Ramiro Manalich welcomed our guest speaker Mary W. Morgan, Supervisor of elections and informed the H.A.A.B. that he will try to get Thomas Whitecotton to address the group. Mr. Manalich distributed copies of Resolution 91-37 which states that we should provide a periodic report to the Board of County Commissioners. Mr. Lucio suggested that we have a workshop to prepare the periodic report. Guest Speaker: Ms. Mary Morgan, Supervisor of elections requested our assistance in understanding the Hispanic culture. There are -1- two major Hispanic groups in Collier County: 1) Mexican American and 2) Cuban American. Ms. Morgan explained that to be a registered voter you must be 1. A U.S. citizen 2. Eighteen years of age 3. A resident of Collier county. The public was concerned with the demographic reports. The problem appears to be how to address the various Hispanic groups. Mr. Galvan stated that the farm workers in Immokalee should also be considered with the difference in the Spanish language. Mr. Lucio thanked Ms. Morgan for her presentation to the group. A representative of the Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. informed the group about the services offered to Collier County and she believes that the program will be more successful if more people will take advantage of the services. Subcommittee Reports: Mr. Ed Galvan presented a subcommittee report regarding CHSI health care issues in Immokalee. Mr. Galvan informed the group that on November 18, 1991 the Health subcommittee for the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board met with Mr. Richard Akin, Chief Executive Officer of Collier Health Services and Ms. Sharon Aragona, Personnel Director at the clinic. At the beginning of the discussion Mr. Akin said he would like to have the names of the patients with complaints regarding services provided at the clinic. This we refused to do out of respect for our sources' confidentiality. Instead we suggested better and more professional education for the staff, particularly lower level staff. Mr. Akin suggested that prolonged waits are a common occurrence in clinics because of limited medical resources available but that discourteous staff is inexcusable and would not be tolerated by him or Mrs. Aragona. Mr. Munoz and Mr. Aguila suggested he take more proactive measures to address discourtesy and allegations of breech of confidentiality by lower staff. Mr. Akin said he felt that in the long term the problem of long waiting periods by patients would be alleviated somewhat by better facilities scheduled to be built in a year. For a short term solution he would appoint a patient advocate to investigate and resolve some of the complaints by patients. He invited us to consult with him whenever the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board has a problem it wishes to address. Likewise, we invited him or his designee to attend our next meeting. Housinq Committee: Mr. Jaime Gutierrez, Chairman of the Housing Committee, was absent; therefore, no report on housing was presented at this meeting. -2- Education Committee: Mr. Bernardo Garcia, Chairman of the Education Committee indicated the need to learn more about consumer education. He also stated the roles of the 4-H Club and that other extension services can provide some services to the community. Law Enforcement: Mr. Jorge Avila presented a report of the Hispanics employed at all levels in the Sheriff's Department. Health Committee: Ms. Gloria Dominguez, Chairman of the Health Committee reported on information received from the public regarding the closing of the clinic located on 41 South and about concerns by the public that the Naples Clinic is not receiving any more patients. Economic Development: Mr. Nelson A. Munoz, Chairman of the Education Committee had no report to present at this meeting. However, he stated that we should continue to focus our attention on Collier Health Services, Inc. in Immokalee. Mr. Ramiro Manalich reminded the Board about the functions of the Health Committee which are 1. To research the services and treatment of patients served by Collier Health Services, and 2. To present the information gathered to the Collier County Board of County Commissioners. Government Affairs Committee: Mr. Zac Lucio, Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee had no report to resent at this meeting. Emplovment Opportunities: Mr. Alex Castro, Chairman of the Employment Opportunities Committee resigned from his position. Therefore, no report was presented at this meeting. Old Business: A motion was made and seconded to elect a Vice Chairman at the next scheduled meeting. New Business: Mr. Manalich stated that members of the public will comment on the agenda and minutes before they are discussed or approved. Mr. Frank Rodriguez, editor of "EI Hispano" newspaper addressed the minutes of the November 8, 1991 meeting. He presented the Board with new documents to refute the information stated on attachments and exhibits which portrayed him in an unfavorable -3- manner. Ms. Melinda Paniagua Riddle representing Mr. Rodriguez requested that this new information be part of the minutes in order to clear Mr. Rodriguez' name but did not want those documents to be made a public record. Mr. Manalich stated that when documents are presented at a meeting, they become public records. Some members of the H.A.A.B. and the pUblic were unhappy with the personal problems of Mr. Valdes and Mr. Rodriguez and requested that their personal problems and differences should not be heard by this Board. Mr. Jose Gomez, a member of the public, stated that the Valdes/Rodriguez matter should be closed and resolved in an amicable manner. Mr. Edwin Aguila a member of the public disapproved of the behavior displayed at the H.A.A.B. meeting and stated that in order for this Board to be effective it is imperative that the order of the agenda be observed. Mr. Bernardo Garcia made a motion not to accept any more documents from Mr. Rodriguez or Mr. Valdes. The motion passed with a 4 - 2 vote. Mr. Manalich stated that he will check with the County Attorney to find out if a 4 - 2 vote is enough to carry the motion. Mr. Ramiro Manalich will keep in his possession all documents presented at this meeting by Mr. Valdes until it is known whether Mr. Garcia's motion which passed by a 4 - 2 vote is official. Ms. Gloria Dominguez made a motion to have a prayer offered before and after each meeting of the H.A.A.B. by anyone present. It was seconded and passed. She also requested assistance from Board members in the preparation of the H.A.A.B. minutes. She stated that it would be very helpful and expedite preparation of the minutes if all reports made by the Chairman, staff, subcommittees and public speakers be presented in writing to the secretary of the H.A.A.B. after each meeting. Mr. Nelson Munoz stated that at our next meeting we should be prepared to address the needs of the Hispanic community of Collier County and hopefully seek solutions to the problems. -4- Next Meetinq: The next meeting is scheduled for January 1992. The date and time will be decided by the Chairman and members will be notified in writing. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Gloria Dominguez, Secretary Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board Approved by the Board on , 1992. Zac Lucio, Chairman Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board -5-