STAFF: Tim Callahan, Director of Health

OTHER: Mayor Alex Knopp, Ed Schmidt, Mayor's Assistant;
Police Chief Harry Rilling

CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Rivas called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.

PROPOSED ORDINANCE ON DISTRIBUTION OF ALCOHOL TO MINORS

The mayor greeted the committee and discussed the proposal about Norwalk joining other municipalities that prohibit the distribution of alcohol to minors. He added that alcohol is a big problem in Norwalk, in association with car and motorcycle fatalities. Mayor Knopp stated that there is an ordinance needed in Norwalk to fill the gaps in the stated statutes. He added that there are no laws that prohibit adult social hosts from serving alcohol to other people's children. Also, in the handbook it states that no individual under the age of 21 can possess alcohol without a parent, as specified in the handout.

Mayor Knopp further stated that the city of Norwalk is taking steps to curb keg parties and that they want to regulate how social hosts treat other people's children. He said that the " Q & A" handout titled, "Questions and Answers on Reducing House Parties," would be good for the committee to look at. He said that city regulation cooperates with the state's Consumer Affairs and thanked Chief Rilling.

Chief Rilling greeted the committee and stated that he takes underage drinking seriously. He answered the question of whether the disturbance of keg parties in residential neighborhoods would create greater police presence of people's property, by saying no. He then stressed the importance of probable cause. He added that there needs to be a bonafide reason to enter on private property.

Chief Rilling went on to further stress that he is entering this project in three capacities: as a police chief, a parent, and a grandfather. He said that he wants to know that his kids are not being subject to distribution of alcohol.

Mr. Callahan said that dangerous behaviors often start at a young age in children and that the longer drinking can be postponed in a child, the least likely they are to start drinking alcohol. He said that he cannot believe that kids are being served alcohol at such a young age and that he hopes to somehow play a part in curving that activity.

Mayor Knopp stated that nicotine and alcohol are the entry way drugs to other more dangerous substances and that there needs to be prevention from access to these other drugs.

Mr. Schmidt addressed the committee and stated that the ordinance is an educational tool and that adults need to be spoken to about what is appropriate behavior. He added that the talking interventions are more beneficial than fines.

Mr. Schmidt also stated as a side note that in section 12-16, four lines down of Article IV "Possession of Alcohol by Persons Under 21 Years of Age" there is a typo: the word "is" should be after the word "or."

Mr. Wien stated that the problem of alcohol is getting worse and that he appreciates what Mr. Schmidt said about educating parents instead of putting them in jail.

**MS. HUDGINS MADE A MOTION TO SEND PROPOSED ORDINANCE TO
COMMON COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL
**MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF APRIL 15, 2003

**MS. HUDGINS MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES
**MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

HATCH & BAILEY NEIGHBORS

Ms. Rivas stated that Hatch & Bailey were unable to attend the meeting because it was too early. She said that they would be in attendance at the next meeting.

HEALTH DIRECTOR'S REPORT:HEALTH DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC PLAN REVIEW

Mr. Callahan greeted the board. He stated that each year the senior management sits down and looks at the public health in Norwalk. He said that they get together with members of the board of health and the health department to look at strengths and weaknesses.

He stated that the mission of the Norwalk Health Department is to prevent disease, assure a healthy environment, and promote the highest quality of life within our community, and that during this fiscal year (7/1/03 - 6/30/04) there will be a focus on improvements in four areas.

Mr. Callahan further stated that the major focus would be on Homeland Security and that all efforts will be aimed at promoting greater regional cooperation around emergency response to biological and chemical-related terrorism activities.

He stated that another major focus will be on coordinating efforts with others to provide better healthcare. This effort will be pursued primarily through joint efforts with the Norwalk Community Health Center, Norwalk Hospital, University-based Public Health programs, and the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Mr. Callahan said that the city of Norwalk would be conducting a "Physical Challenge" which will give citizens opportunities to become more physically fit. He stated that there is a lack of physical activity in Norwalk is similar to what is going on around the whole country. He added that he wants to reduce obesity especially among young children and that there is a poster on the back wall that represents the campaign to promote health. He said that the challenge will be to increase physical activity.

Mr. Callahan said that access to healthcare is also another issue that needs to be addressed in Norwalk. He said that Norwalk continues to be involved in health centers, hospitals, and the United Way. He said that he wants to look at the strengths of all of the organizations. He also said that there is a walking program that is run with state funds and that there is an intern from Hunter College. He stated that the program would be primarily focused on neighborhoods.
Mr. Callahan stated that he wants to get patients involved with public health and that the people of Norwalk need to benefit from what is available to them.

Mr. Callahan said that the last focus will be around making greater use of technology to serve the health care needs of the community in two ways. One way will be to use the Department's web page to provide more information about the Department's services and conduct more automated transactions with members of the community. He stated that the second area of attention will be on exploring ways to gain a greater voice in the City of Norwalk's information technology planning efforts. He added that hopefully they would be able to have transactions conducted over the web.

Mr. Callahan stated that according to a survey done of the ratings of food establishments, 60% thought it was a good idea, but that a "number" rating is not enough. He said that other restaurants have rating systems combined with other criteria. Mr. Wien stated that there are restaurants in San Diego where you can view the ratings as soon as they walk in. Mr. Wien stated that food handling is a very important issue in the restaurant business.

Mr. Callahan explained to the committee that the goals would be broken up into four parts and that they will continue to manage grants and look to collaborate with others. The first goal is "Financial," which would continue grants, emergency response and cardio-vascular, obtain one additional grant (i.e. cancer, cardio-vascular, and tools for schools, update costs of services, explore new fee-for-services, and increase fee-based revenues.

The second goal is "Operational," which would develop a strategic plan for Homeland Security, refine performance management systems, meet the standards for inspections, and continue to expand the knowledge of department services, continue monitoring customer service levels, and continue educating the staff on performance goals.

The third goal is "Customer Satisfaction" which would survey two external customers groups: seniors and young mothers. Mr. Callahan said that he would be asking the young mothers what programs they like best, as well as asking HIV patients about how they are treated. Mr. Callahan said that these to groups are reluctant at answering he survey question. Mr. Wien asked what types of questions are being asked of these two particular groups. Mr. Callahan said that there were question pertaining the degree of availability of the initial services provided and staff treatment etc. He stressed that there is a fatal flaw to the surveys because nurses, for instance are administering surveys about them to their patients and or clients. Mr. Wien stated that people fear that the surveys will put them in a bad light. Mr. Callahan said that the participants need to have some sort of an incentive to take part in these surveys.

And lastly "Innovation and Learning" is the final goal. Mr. Callahan explained that the goal here is to get more information about the department on the web page, explore how to collaborate with hospital residents and MPH students, and have representation on the city of Norwalk Information Technology Committee.

Ms. Rivas said that she is quite impressed with the efficient participation and effort that has been put into this initial project. Mr. Callahan said that the staff is more comfortable with challenging things.

Mr. Wien asked Mr. Callahan that if they worked as a regional health concept, would there be any thought about using City Hall. Mr. Callahan said that there is a room in the basement called the "Hospital Room" that used to have cots down there and that in 1967 when building was constructed, it was a bomb shelter, and that if a bombing situation were to occur, the building would service the people on this particular side of town. Mr. Wien stated that he had just wondered if City Hall would accommodate the need for rooms and beds if the situation ever presented itself.

Ms. Hudgins whether the performance management system evolving into a rating management system would be a big jump. She also considered other forms of reward. Mr. Callahan said that he is aware that this proposed plan is further down the line. He added that if an employee is working hard, and another is not, both should not get the same reward. Ms. Hudgins stated that the slackers in the workplace can just simply be let go. Mr. Callahan stressed that the initial goal is to offer positive rewards and set goals to create an incentive to work hard. He said that good employees should be recognized for their hard work.

Ms. Hudgins questioned nuclear activity and the fact that it was not at all mentioned. Mr. Callahan said that it has not come up and probably will seeing as how this is a rapidly evolving area. He said that they have gone and tried to recruit people for smallpox vaccinations and have gotten nowhere because people are afraid to vaccinate.

Mr. Callahan suggested the possibility of doing a mock disaster in order to educate and prepare people for dangerous situations. Mr. Wien stated that he took part in a mock accident where they created a scene that made it look like he had lost his leg. In the mock accident he was told what type of pain he was in, as well as the possibility of his survival. He stated that the experience was very insightful and is definitely a great idea.

**MS. HUDGINS MADE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT'S STRATEGIC PLAN
**MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

Mr. Callahan directed the committee to the green flyers on the table and told the committee that it is advertising a "Health and Awareness Fair" and that all are welcome to attend.

As there was no further business to be discussed, the meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Michelle Joseph
Telesco Secretarial Services

Back to Previous Page	Back to Home Page

Business & Ecomomy

City Departments

City Services

Government

Living in Norwalk

City Calendars

How Do I ?

Job Openings

Tourism & History

Other Sites

Feedback

Site Outline