1999/11/06 Minutes, CHADD of Northern California

We had a great meeting Saturday before last, worked hard and got tired! And now we are on our way to doing the final steps of establishing the chapter/branch structure.

We are not including Sacramento and Butte at this time, but we are:

• Contra Costa/Alameda
• Marin
• Mid-Peninsula
• San Francisco/North Peninsula
• Sonoma

This meeting was graced with

• Lisa Alexander (Mid-Pen)
• Bill Alexander (Mid-Pen)
• Peggy Goodman (Mid-Pen) (Thanks for house)
• Karen Grossman (Mid-Pen)
• David Harris (Sonoma)
• Mike Hinckley (Mid-Pen)
• Judy Marshall (C.C./A.)
• Doug Miller (Sonoma)
• Lew Mills (S.F.)
• Eileen Barry (S.F.)
• Nobody could come from Marin today

New postal address for CHADD of Northern California is (previously CC/A's PO Box):

(since changed)

We don't have an official telephone for the whole chapter, but of course there is one for each branch. I hope that will suffice for National's requirements.

We are working on getting everyone to have Microsoft Office 2000 (including the database program "Access") in the branch. Contact Judy Marshall for info if you don't have it up and running. This will make it easier to exchange information between branches and it is a great deal at $25.

We need a VAN rep. One role that they could take up right away is to work with Dabney Day in Sacramento, who is real close to the movers and shakers.

We will soon have up forms that are specific to our chapter and if you like for branches. They will also be at the website address at http://www.CHADDNorCal.org/ExecBoard/Forms/index.htm. The attendance sheet with e-mail is already there.

Judy showed us the forms for reports from branches. Contact Judy if you have more questions. The forms may become available soon at the above address on the web.

We are getting close to staffing our program committee and VAN reps. I am still open to names, but I have a few interested folks too.

Judy asked that if you want the fastest reimbursements from her for Branch expenses, you need to have your receipts to her by the 20th of each month. I don't recall a deadline for expiring receipts, but after a few months, you cannot expect to get reimbursed. We need to know what our expenses are in the current and recent months, and our planning process is hurt by folks sitting on receipts. Besides, you might lose them. Put them in an envelope to the PO box address as soon as you have them in your hand, along with the form.

I suspect that by now Judy has the new bank account set up. Yeah!!

A report on our discussion so far on the Professional Resource List is pending, as well as the official launch of that committee. I will post it soon.

All memberships should go through this Membership Committee and Judy Marshall. They should not be sent by the new member to National, nor be sent by the branch to National. This will make it make easier to keep track of our money and our memberships.

This membership committee is still being formed. Judy Marshall should be on it to keep up with how we keep track of who has paid to national and not gotten in database.

We brainstormed about what the Professional Resource List can do for us, and how it does it.

Things that it does:

• A benefit of membership
• A service, to help find help
• A requirement from National
• Addresses people's feelings of isolation
• Offers Hand-holding in crises (Not a hot-line)
• Shares access to other organizations
• Is a network for CHADD
• A revenue source, from members and/or from professionals listed
• Helps connect professionals with CHADD

Ways it does these things:

• By endorsing particular professionals, using National's criteria
• Harvesting membership's opinions as way to evaluate professionals
• Needs to be kept up-to-date
• Give free access to Medi-Cal, low fee providers

Professional Resource List committee will be:

• Lew Mills
• Deb Farber
• Peggy Goodman
• Lisa Alexander
• Judy Marshall
• Eileen Barry
• (Added later)- David Mancini
• (Added later)- Josephine Cilluffo

I have set up a Yahoo!Group (like ncregion) for the PRL Committee and we can begin meeting there. I will also add the names of the committee members and anyone else who wants to join the committee. It will not be accessible by web to non-members, since I want to use the same group for requests for the PRL. People need a little bit of privacy.

Send questions using our inquiries form.

http://groups.yahoo.com/list/cncprl/ for archive.

Additional Minutes

• Newsletter Mailing list will be handled by Doug Miller.
• Memberships will be processed by Contra Costa membership person, Karen Webb, so that there will be communication between Doug Miller & Karen Webb.

Resource list - Discussion highlighted some differences & common goals:

• Beverlee Kell of Marin (not present) has a one-page list of Doctors that she sends out for free. She has spoken to each doctor before placing them on her list.
• Judy said that their list of 66 professionals all have professional memberships in CHADD, and names are only given out 3 at a time to members.
• There is a fear that a printed list could be easily reproduced and given to non-members.
• There are two parts to most of our resource lists: professionals and organizations. Most of us felt fine about sharing info about other organizations and agencies withour requiring membership.

We didn't set a date for the next meeting...