COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Health Services Agency

DATE:

September 6, 2002

BOARD MEETING DATE:

September 24, 2002

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Margaret Taylor, Director of Health Services
Charlene A. Silva, Director of Aging and Adult Services

SUBJECT:

Approval of the Submission of the Year-End Report for 2000-2001 and the Area Plan Update for 2001-2002

Recommendation

Adopt a resolution authorizing the President of the Board of Supervisors to:

1.

Approve the submission of the Year-End Report for 2000-2001 and the revised Area Plan Update for 2001-2002 to the California Department of Aging (CDA); and

2.

Execute the Commission on Aging submittal letter as required by the CDA to complete the processing.

Background

In August 2001, you approved the FY 2000-05 New Beginning Coalition Strategic Plan for Services for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities. The completed plan, the product of several years of collaborative work by Aging and Adult Services, other county programs, community-based organizations, and consumers, serves as the umbrella plan for all other plans regarding older adults and adults with disabilities in San Mateo County. The plan is the product of a comprehensive process, which included research, community forums, public hearings, a baseline conference, and a strategic planning conference. Priorities that were identified fall under seven goals--consumer involvement; the continuum of community-based services; accessible communities (housing, transportation, etc.); access to information; diversity; improving physical and mental health; and preventing violence, abuse, and neglect.

Discussion

Each Area Agency on Aging Planning and Service Area in the State submits an Area Plan every four years, with updates of the Plan for years two, three, and four, as a condition for receiving Title III, Title V, and Title VII Older Americans Act funding. Year-End Reports are submitted after the close of each fiscal year. The Strategic Plan is a multipurpose document that fulfills CDA's requirement for the annual submission of an Area Plan/Area Plan Update and Year-End Report.

The workplan section of the Strategic Plan contains the activities that will be undertaken under the proposed Area Plan Update, as well as the status report on objectives for the previous year. The activities reflect a comprehensive picture of the services provided, as well as the program development, advocacy, and coordination efforts that will be undertaken by San Mateo County's coordinated network of services and supports for seniors and adults with disabilities. The workplan also contains the respective workplans of the Commission on Aging and Commission on Disabilities, which were developed at their respective annual retreats. The Commission on Aging has approved the submittal of the document containing the 2001-2002 Area Plan Update and the 2000-2001 Area Plan Year-End Report to CDA. A transmittal letter signed by the President of the Board of Supervisors is required to complete the processing.

The complex internal review process of the completed document added to the delay in its submittal. The comprehensive scope of San Mateo County's Strategic Plan for Services for Seniors and Adults with Disabilities far exceeds the state's requirements for local Area Plans. In order for this plan to truly function as an umbrella plan for all other plans involving seniors and adults with disabilities in San Mateo County, extensive time was spent on obtaining provider input on activities for the update and status information for the Year- End Report.

Vision Alignment

The Area Plan Year-End Report and Area Plan Update keep the commitment of ensuring basic health and safety for all and goal number 8: helping vulnerable people - the aged, disabled, mentally ill, at-risk youth and others - achieve a better quality of life. The Year-End Report and Area Plan Update are both contained within the Strategic Plan for Services for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities, which contributes to this commitment and goal by providing a countywide blueprint for a coordinated system of care for those two populations.

Fiscal Impact

There is no fiscal impact to the county General Fund associated with the submittal of the Year-End Report to CDA.