Columbia receives grant to help smokers quit

A $118,293 grant to help people quit smoking has been awarded to the Health Department.

The Public Health and Human Services Department plans to use the grant money to help smokers at two public housing buildings and eight area companies kick the habit. The goal is to get 25 percent of people who sign up to quit smoking.

The Columbia City Council must first review and accept the grant before the Health Department can begin the program. If the council accepts it, the grant would start in October and last through September 2013.

The Missouri Foundation for Health awarded the grant on July 21.

People with low incomes are more likely to be smokers, health planner Linda Cooperstock said. That's why the Health Department plans to focus on residents of Paquin Tower and Oak Towers, which are managed by the Columbia Housing Authority, and workers at eight area companies who make low wages. The companies have not been selected.

“Those are areas at greater risk of having more smokers,” Cooperstock said.

About 135 of the 345 residents of Paquin Tower and Oak Towers smoke, resident services coordinator April Steffensmeier said.

The program would last four weeks, Cooperstock said. People would wear nicotine patches supplied by the Health Department and meet in groups to talk about their attempts to quit and to help each other.

The Health Department learned in a 2007 study that group meetings are more successful than one-on-one sessions in helping people quit.

“When you provide smoking cessation in an environment where people work or gather frequently together, you increase the quit rate,” Cooperstock said. “The moral support you get at work or at home is helpful.”

At the end of the four weeks, the Health Department would call participants to learn how to improve the program, she said. The four-week cycle would be repeated during the two years of the grant.

Cooperstock spoke passionately about helping people quit smoking.

Smoking and obesity are "the two big things that kill people," she said.“If we could make great strides in both of them, we would really reduce the premature death rate by a significant amount."

Steffensmeier said smoking was allowed in all rooms at Paquin Tower and Oak Towers until recently.

“We made a couple floors smoke-free to better accommodate people with disabilities,” she said. “It went well.”

Steffensmeier said she would welcome the grant.

“We tried a smoking cessation class with a very small number of participants,” she said. “It was difficult at first, but residents changed. This will help on a larger scale.”

The Missouri Foundation for Health was formed from the former Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Missouri. Its mission is to distribute 5 percent — or about $50 million — of its assets every year to “health-focused” nonprofits in 84 counties in Missouri and the city of St. Louis, foundation spokeswoman Bev Pfeifer-Harms said.

The foundation also paid for the study in 2007.

Source:
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/08/23/grant-help-smokers-quit/

Attacking the stigma of mental illness, program by program

What if the stigma associated with seeking mental health care could be eliminated and such a step were perceived as a sign of strength, rather than a sign of weakness?

Then, campaigns could present mental health care as just a step toward making oneself healthier, more capable, even more professional.

Sally Spencer-Thomas’ foundation is preparing to launch an education campaign in the fall that will use “menspeak” and dark humor to reach the at-risk groups.

The Carson J Spencer Foundation has also put together a program called Working Minds, which teaches businesses ways to be proactive about mental health issues. The idea is to address suicide prevention for men in the workplace the same way it was addressed for youths in schools.

Spencer-Thomas said that often, business owners and managers will take action only after something has already happened to an employee. When business owners call her foundation, they are unsure of what to do from there and wondering, “What did I miss?”

The Working Minds toolkit offers a DVD and script so workplaces can at least start conversations about suicide prevention and mental health. The goal of the program is an overall more efficient workplace, achieved with more happy, healthy workers.

By making suicide prevention and mental health commonplace in the office, the stigma around asking for help can be lessened.

Informing workers of mental health help options available to them could also make them feel more comfortable reaching out for help. Managers can be trained as "gatekeepers" to recognize signs of distress in workers and more effectively offer help and resources.

The program was added to the National Best Practices Registry in June 2010 and has been used with several thousand employees.

To learn more about Working Minds, go to the program's website at workingminds.org.

Source:
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/08/21/sidebar-suicide-prevention-program-working-minds/

CHA retains its high rating with HUD

The Columbia Housing Authority has been designated a “high performer” for the second consecutive year.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development evaluated the local housing authority on the condition of its properties, resident satisfaction, finances and management. It earned a score of 91 out of a possible 100 points for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2010, the same score it received for fiscal 2009.

Agencies that receive a score of at least 90 are given the “high performer” designation.

CHA operates 719 public housing units at four sites, including the downtown and Bear Creek family sites, Oak Towers and Paquin Tower.

Source:
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/aug/17/cha-retains-its-high-rating-with-hud/

Justice Department Signs Agreement to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities in Maryland

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Montgomery County, Md., and Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities. The agreement was reached under Project Civic Access (PCA), the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“Access to public programs and facilities is a civil right, and individuals with disabilities must have the opportunity to participate in local government programs, services and activities on an equal basis with their neighbors,” said Roy L. Austin Jr., Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division . “Montgomery County has made significant progress towards achieving ADA compliance, and this agreement sets out a realistic plan for the county to accomplish its goal. Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission officials will be evaluating all of its parks for ADA compliance. I commend county and park officials for working with the Justice Department to provide equal access to all of its programs, services, and activities.”

As part of the PCA initiative, Justice Department investigators, attorneys and architects survey state and local government facilities, services and programs in communities across the country to identify the modifications needed for compliance with ADA requirements. Based on these surveys, agreements are tailored to address the steps each community must take to improve access. This agreement is the 194th under the PCA initiative.

Under the agreement announced today, Montgomery County and MNCPPC will take important steps to improve access to county programs for individuals with disabilities, such as:

Making physical modifications to facilities surveyed by the department so that parking, routes to buildings, entrances, service areas and counters, restrooms, public telephones and drinking fountains are accessible to persons with disabilities;

Implementing plans to survey all other county and MNCPPC facilities and programs and to make modifications wherever necessary to achieve full compliance with the ADA;

Providing effective communication;

Ensuring that county programs for victims of domestic violence and abuse are accessible to persons with disabilities;

Posting, publishing and distributing a notice to inform members of the public of the provisions of Title II and their applicability to the county’s programs, services and activities;

Administering a grievance procedure for resolving complaints of violations of Title II of the ADA;

Planning and preparing emergency management procedures to include individuals with disabilities, including emergency preparedness, notification, evacuation, sheltering, response, clean up and recovery, and making modifications to ensure equal and integrated access;

Ensuring that the county’s official website and other web-based services are accessible to people with disabilities; and

Implementing a comprehensive plan to improve the accessibility of the county’s sidewalks and pedestrian crossings by installing accessible curb ramps throughout Montgomery County.

Montgomery County was founded in 1776. Rolling land and small hills make up most of the county’s 497 square miles, with 15 square miles of water, including rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs and 28,435 acres of parkland. Montgomery County is now the most populous county in the state of Maryland. According to census data, more than 107,000 Montgomery County residents have a disability. MNCPPC operates more than 53,000 acres of parkland, offering a variety of facilities, recreation and sporting fields. Their facilities include nature centers, conference centers and community centers. Historic sites, recreation buildings and group picnic areas are also found on the parkland.

Today’s agreement was reached under Title II of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by state and local governments. The agreement will remain in effect for six years from Aug. 16, 2011. The department will actively monitor compliance with the agreement until all required actions have been completed.

For more information on the PCA initiative or the ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments, please visit the ADA website at www.ada.gov or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY). People interested in finding out more about today’s agreement with Montgomery County and MNCPPC, please visit www.ada.gov/montgomery_co_pca/montgomery_co_sa.htm

Source:
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/August/11-crt-1053.html

New 911 Service Available in Boone County

A new 911 service launched Monday, making it easier for emergency responders to get critical information during an emergency, according to the Columbia/Boone County Office of Emergency Management.

The Public Safety Joint Communications Center (PSJC) has partnered with the Massachusetts-based Rave Mobile Safety to offer the free service. The service is called "Smart911".

Brian Maydwell, a PSJC Systems Support Analyst, said the system is pretty simple.

"Residents can log on at a secure website and register information that they want to make available to 911 telecommunicators during an emergency. That information can include medical conditions, the home addresses of mobile phone callers, and disabilities or other rescue-related information," said Maydwell.

Authorities stressed the information entered is kept completely private and secure. Residents have the option to choose what information to share, and what not to share, according to officials.

Zim Schwartze, PSJC Director, said the introduction of the new service will be essential in shortening the amount of time needed to respond to emergencies.

"Simply put, Smart 911 can shorten response time in a critical situation," said Schwartze. "Smart911 can make information about you and your family readily available to emergency responders at a time when seconds count."

Information that can be shared includes:

Photo
Calling location
Physical description, age & gender
Family profile
Photos of children
Pet informaton
Emergency contacts
Medications
Medical conditions
Psychiatric conditions
Allergies
Special needs
Disabilities
Disorders
Impairments
Non-english
Information on restraining orders


Source:
http://www.komu.com/news/new-911-service-available-in-boone-county/

Main sign up site:
https://www.smart911.com/

Price tag on the City Of Columbia ADA Transition Upgrades/Updates

This is a letter that I have sent to City Council,the Mayor and the City Manager concerning the total cost of the City of Columbia ADA Transition Plan and Update/Upgrades.
===================================================
Dear Mayor, City Manager and City Councilmen. Greetings.

The issue I bring before you by this letter is the subject of the study performed by Mr. Gerald Morgan in conjunction with the City Of Columbia ADA Transition Plan.

I have received copies of the initial reports that state the overall price tag of all upgrades relating to this transition plan upgrades to come into compliance with the ADA regulations is just over $1 Million Dollars over a 5 year plan but the bulk of these costs and upgrades are mainly centered in the Columbia Parks and Recreation System with their share of this $1 Million Dollars being roughly $850,000.00. That means roughly 75% of the fixes required fall upon the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System. That is a lot of fixes for one department one would come to a sound conclusion about.

Now for the point of my presentation here. Being the City of Columbia has a Park Sales Tax that was voted into place by the citizens of Columbia and was pushed by those whom in my humble opinion just had to have this tax in place/renewed for maintenance, upgrades, buying of lands, building of new facilities and improvements to existing facilities I feel myself as a tax paying citizen of Columbia that ALL of the roughly $850,000.00 price tag for ALL of the ADA upgrades and fixes to ALL City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department facilities and or system should ONLY come out of the Park Tax Funding that we the voters of the City of Columbia voted/renewed into place.

In doing the above this entire ADA Transition Update/Upgrade WILL not impact the City of Columbia General Fund as radically as it could if the above suggestion/plan were not to be followed.

The ADA is over 21 years old now and over those 21 years ALL of these fixes that are now needing to be done just did not happen overnight.

The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department both present and past management has long been aware of ADA guidelines and requirements when it comes to ALL facets of construction, maintenance and upkeep but obviously there has been poor management enough to go all around since the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department was formed and properly notified in 1990 of the ADA and ALL of its guidelines and various title agreements.

I do not believe that the City of Columbia General Fund should be burdened by any of this roughly $850,000.00 price tag when it has been the total lack of attention to upkeep, maintenance and building practices according to ADA Standards by the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System.

I am sure there will be the argument by Mr. Hood that "Oh I already have that money spent". To that I call FOUL because NO budget is ever set in stone. Ever. Projects get put on the back burner until later dates all of the time. All Federal, State, County and Cities do it ALL of the time. Major corporations do this ALL of the time. There should be no difference in the upgrading that has been found to be needed by Gerald Morgan and be in FULL compliance with the City of Columbia ADA Transition Plan when it comes to the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System in performing these updates/upgrades and using ONLY funding from the Park Sales Tax. The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System failed to keep their facilities properly updated/upgraded per ADA guidelines so let the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System pay for this roughly $850,000.00 out of their own Park Tax and NOT out of the City of Columbia General Fund.

I am sure many citizens of Columbia might just agree with me.
Thank you for your time and your understanding.
Charles E Dudley Jr.
1201 Paquin Street
Columbia Missouri

City's bus fund faces serious finance problems

On Thursday evening, the 101 South Loop bus was almost empty. Only nine passengers got on and off during the one-hour trip around the Providence-Green Meadows-Forum Boulevard area.

Elbert Williams, an MU student, relies on the bus every day to reach his two part-time jobs.

"I have to depend on the bus to get home or have to get a ride from friends," he said. A taxi is too expensive, and it's too far to walk.

"There might be a few passengers," Williams said. "Still some people do need transportation. The city should find a way to increase the budget."

For at least five years, the city's bus system has been running a deficit — spending more money than it takes in. Unless something is done, the system would drain what's left in its saving account in 2012.

To prevent falling into the red, City Manager Mike Matthes said Friday the Public Transportation Fund must come up with $600,000 by raising fares or spending less to get through fiscal year 2012.

In his July 29 budget proposal, he recommended bus service reductions and fare increases, as well as taking $200,000 from the parking fund to run a free trolley service downtown and to the parking garages.

Regular fares would go up from $1 to $1.50, student passes would jump from $60 to $100 and discounted fares for the disabled and elderly would climb from 50 cents to 75 cents. Thursday through Saturday evening service also would be eliminated.

Matthes said the suggested cuts to services are based on impact to passengers, and the evening hours were dropped in the proposal because there were only 12,000 riders a year.

Buses don't run Monday through Wednesday nights, and Matthes said that may be a factor in the low volume. They can't "commit to this way of transportation," he said.

In a meeting last week, Matthes told Ian Thomas, executive director of the PedNet Coalition, that he didn't want to cut the city's transit system.

"Unfortunately, we're running out of money," Matthes said.

The proposed changes will only postpone the "inevitable," he said. "The inevitable is that we have to find equilibrium in this fund."

The city must find another $900,000 for public transportation by fiscal year 2013. More cuts, including the elimination of Saturday service, are possible if the city is unable to find additional revenue sources.

The dilemma is not new. Last year, former City Manager Bill Watkins brought up the matter during budget work sessions. He said that running the transit system would dip into the general fund unless changes were made.

"For the last three years, we have been spending a lot more than we have each year," Matthes said of Columbia's public transit system.

The financial picture began to look bleak during fiscal year 2007. That year, the fund started with over $2.5 million in working capital and wrapped up with $1.9 million.

The decline continued in subsequent years, and less than $1 million is projected to remain in the account this fiscal year. In 2012, only $66,699 is expected to be available.

Despite the financial picture, ridership is growing. Columbia Transit won its third straight award from the Federal Transit Administration for improved ridership. The bus system saw a 5.5 percent increase from 2009 to 2010 — the largest in Missouri.

Transportation Supervisor Drew Brooks said this year's increase is expected to be about 13 percent.

Current ridership is more than 2 million passengers per year — four times as much as it was five years ago. That generated over $1.6 million in revenue this fiscal year, more than twice the revenue for 2005.

Brooks said the proposed budget changes would slow the growth of ridership.

"I think there is going to be some reduction in ridership," he said.

Funding for public transit comes from fares, federal and state government subsidies and the transportation sales tax.

A surge in diesel fuel prices prompted the city to increase bus fares in 2008, but that only partially covered the higher fuel costs, according to a previous Missourian article. Columbia Transit also has a fleet that includes buses that have outlived their use cycle, resulting in added maintenance costs, the Missourian reported in 2008.

The transit system depends on funds from the transportation sales tax to help support operating expenses. The amount of the subsidy has not kept pace with ridership; the bus system is receiving less than it did in 1998.

Before 2007, the tax added about $1.6 million to the transit budget, but the subsidy dropped that year to $1.4 million despite increasing fuel and maintenance costs.

It remained at $1.4 million for fiscal year 2008, rose to $1.7 million in 2009 and fell back to $1.6 million in 2010. Only $1.4 million is budgeted for 2011 and 2012.

The transportation sales tax also subsidizes street- and sidewalk-related projects, as well as airport projects, and the subsidies for both have been increasing since 2002.

During Friday's meeting, Thomas said he understood that the city must make cuts, but he wanted to see a long-term vision "bringing transit as a major component of Columbia's transportation policy" in the future.

Matthes said a City Council work session will be held on Aug. 22 to discuss the public transportation issue, and public hearings will be scheduled, as well.

"We'll lay out every idea we have...and we'll ask for new ideas," he said.

"We have to change, and it's a perfect time to figure that out."

Source:
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/08/08/citys-bus-fund-facing-serious-finance-problem/

Justice Department Sues City of Joliet, Illinois, to Preserve Affordable Housing for City Residents

The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against the city of Joliet, Ill., alleging that the city violated the Fair Housing Act and the Housing and Community Development Act by taking a series of actions, culminating in the taking through eminent domain a federally-subsidized affordable housing development, that would displace more than 750 residents with low incomes, more than 95 percent of whom are African-American.

The complaint, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that the city of Joliet violated the Fair Housing Act when it took actions to condemn the Evergreen Terrace apartment complex, which provides 356 units of affordable housing in Joliet. Due to the lack of affordable housing in and around Joliet, and because the city has failed to produce a meaningful plan to counteract the effect of eliminating 356 units of affordable housing, many of the residents would be left with nowhere in the city to live if the condemnation action is successful.

The complaint alleges that the effect of the city’s actions and proposed actions is “to limit or reduce the number of Black or African-American residents residing within the city of Joliet. Such actions, if carried out, would have a disproportionate adverse impact on African-Americans and operate to perpetuate segregation in Joliet.”

“Particularly in today’s economy, the city of Joliet’s proposed actions would have a devastating and unacceptable impact on Evergreen Terrace residents, who are disproportionately African-American,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. “Today’s action is a reminder that when local governments take unjustified actions that reduce opportunities for affordable housing, they risk violating federal anti-discrimination laws.”

“The city of Joliet continues to try to condemn Evergreen Terrace while neglecting to propose any realistic plan for relocating its residents within the city, making it necessary for the federal government to take steps to protect the housing rights of these residents,” said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

The rents at Evergreen Terrace are subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Section 8 program. Approximately 731 of 764 residents, or 95.6 percent, are African-American, while approximately 16 percent of Joliet’s 147,433 residents identified themselves as Black or African-American in the 2010 census.

Beginning in 2001, the owners of Evergreen Terrace applied to HUD to restructure the mortgages under the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act (MAHRA), in return for a commitment to continue providing affordable housing at Evergreen Terrace over the life of the mortgage. MAHRA, a statute enacted in 1997, established a process by which the secretary of HUD was to evaluate whether to approve restructuring of loans for Section 8 complexes like Evergreen Terrace. Consistent with MAHRA, HUD’s contractors, the Illinois Housing Development Authority and a private consulting firm, conducted an independent assessment of Evergreen Terrace and considered the input of interested third parties, including the city of Joliet.

Although the city contended that the property was blighted, HUD’s contractors determined that the city’s objections lacked merit and that there was a critical need for affordable housing in Joliet that would not be met if the restructuring for Evergreen Terrace was not approved. Based on these conclusions, HUD approved the restructuring in 2005. In response, the city filed an action to take Evergreen Terrace by eminent domain.

Due to the mortgage restructuring, HUD is a defendant in the condemnation action, which is currently pending in the Northern District of Illinois. The United States will seek to consolidate today’s lawsuit with the pending condemnation action. A tenant of Evergreen Terrace filed a fair housing complaint with HUD in 2009, alleging that Joliet’s actions violated the Fair Housing Act. HUD referred the complaint to the Department of Justice, in accordance with a provision in the Fair Housing Act that authorizes the department’s enforcement when HUD refers a complaint alleging discriminatory zoning or land use practices by a local government.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the city’s actions violate Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act (HCDA), which prohibits unlawful discrimination in any program or activity funded in whole or in part by HUD through HCDA programs. The United States alleges that the city’s Department of Economic and Community Development, which in 2010 received more than $1 million from such programs, has been and will continue to be involved in Joliet’s actions to condemn and Evergreen Terrace.

The lawsuit seeks a court order that would, among other things, enjoin the city from proceeding with the condemnation action without ensuring that there will be sufficient and adequate affordable housing for those persons who would be displaced from Evergreen Terrace and require it to take steps to prevent the recurrence of any similar discriminatory conduct. The lawsuit also seeks monetary damages for persons harmed by the city’s actions and a civil penalty.

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. Fair housing enforcement is a priority of the Civil Rights Division. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt . Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, email the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov , or contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.

The complaint is an allegation of unlawful conduct. The allegations in the complaint must still be proven in federal court.

Source:
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/August/11-crt-1014.html

Service Animals according to the ADA

The Department of Justice published revised final regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for title II (State and local government services) and title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) on September 15, 2010, in the Federal Register. These requirements, or rules, clarify and refine issues that have arisen over the past 20 years and contain new, and updated, requirements, including the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards).

Source and More and a MUST READ:
http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm