Communications and Outreach Work Group Meeting Minutes
November 8, 2001
ORRHES Members present:
James F. Lewis, Chair; David Johnson; Donna Mosby; and
Kowetha Davidson, Chair, ORRHES.
Public Members present:
Linda Gass (phone).
ATSDR Staff present:
La Freta Dalton, Designated Federal Official; Bill Murray.
The meeting was convened at 6:30 p.m. by the Chair, James
Lewis. There was some discussion whether a quorum was present
because there was uncertainty about the Work Group membership.
The decision was made to proceed with the members present.
The following items were discussed.
1.) ORRHES web site - La Freta Dalton distributed a handout
(Attachment A) showing the16 steps that ATSDR and its contractor,
ERG, Inc., must take in setting up the ORRHES website.
ORRHES and COWG have opportunities to provide input at
six (6) of these steps. To date, steps one to four (1-4)
have been completed. At step five (5), the content (maps,
links, text, etc.) must be decided by COWG/ORRHES so that
ERG can prepare the content for beta 1 quality control
testing.
James Lewis described the structure to Linda Gass. The
site will have a Home Page and 6 sub pages (roster, public
health activities, meetings, frequently asked questions
(FAQs), contacts, and related links. Three color designs
(included in the September pre-meeting mailing for ORRHES)
for the site map were considered.
Motion: Donna Mosby made a motion to
adopt the site map in olive and blue colors.
David Johnson seconded.
Linda Gass stated that she was concerned about the lack
of public involvement on setting up the website and that
she has not been able to find out about the status of developing
the web site.
James Lewis said that the lack of a web site has been
a problem as has the lack of an email/telephone hot line.
Linda Gass stated that the orchestration behind the scenes
and has been going on for many years.
Donna Mosby said that this comment is not concerned with
the motion.
Linda Gass disagreed with that since a recommendation
is being made. She stated further that the (ORRHES) web
site currently on the internet is inappropriate and it
is chilling that it is there. The web site serves as a
foundation for ORRHES.
Kowetha Davidson said that ORRHES does not as yet have
a website.
James Lewis asked what the exact address is for the web
site.
The motion was voted on and approved . (3 - yes; 1 abstain)
James Lewis said the WG recommendation would be submitted
to ORRHES and there would be further discussion at that
time. Only the Home Page recommended by COWG would be sent
out in the pre-meeting mailing.
Linda Gass requested that the information be available
in the Oak Ridge Field Office and stated that a briefing
book is needed.
2.) Outreach tools - This discussion focused on the comment
sheet and the fact sheet.
James Lewis said that COWG had developed a comment sheet.
La Freta Dalton referred to the comment sheet that had
been passed out to ORRHES at the September meeting (Attachment
B). She stated that there are specific requirements established
by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on such
comment sheets. They are regulated under the Paperwork
Reduction Act passed by Congress. The comment sheet is
similar to the one developed for the Hanford Site but ORRHES
wanted a form developed especially for the Oak Ridge Reservation.
La Freta Dalton continued that the concerns sheet developed
by COWG has specific questions on it and would require
OMB clearance. She handed out the ATSDR OMB Clearance Process
and a Paperwork Reduction Act (OMB Clearance) Fact Sheet
(Attachment C). She will take both the COWG concerns sheet
and the ORRHES comment sheet to the ATSDR expert on OMB
and get advice on how to handle this issue.
James Lewis wants the comment (concerns) sheet to be user-friendly.
La Freta Dalton suggested that the COWG concerns sheet
be redrafted using statements, not questions, as prompts
for people who want to fill it out.
Linda Gass stated that it can take up to 18 months to
get OMB approval for a questionnaire. But the public health
assessment (PHA) will go on without input from the public.
We need public input before we go on. She recommended that
ATSDR notify all eight (8) counties about the PHA by posting
notices at the court house and notifying newspapers.
James Lewis said that whether we use the present comment
sheet or develop a new one, we need a data base to register
all the concerns.
Donna Mosby said the questions on the COWG sheet should
be changed to statements.
Motion: Linda Gass made the following
motion: “An ATSDR employee will read the Oak Ridge
Health Assessment Steering Panel (ORHASP) minutes and put
concerns into present format to capture concerns for ORRHES.” This
was a long process with continuing registration of concerns.
Donna Mosby said there was a wide range of concerns.
James Lewis suggested modifying the motion to look at
the minutes and assess the work required to carry out the
task.
The motion voted on and approved. (3- yes; 1 - no) It
will be submitted to ORRHES.
Motion: Donna Mosby made a motion to
use the Community Health Concerns Comment Sheet without
the questions and to use the boxes on the reverse side
with prompts.
La Freta Dalton said she would make the changes and return
it as soon as possible.
Donna Mosby said to send it to the COWG for comments.
3.) ORRHES Fact Sheet - La Freta said she had received
comments on the Fact Sheet from Theresa NeSmith in the
Division of Health Education and Promotion.
James Lewis referred to the ATSDR Report to Congress on
Fiscal Year 1999 Activities and he thinks it is done better
than the fact sheet. He will extract the points from the
report that he thinks should be emphasized in the fact
sheet.
Kowetha Davidson said that more than one fact sheet might
be needed.
La Freta Dalton responded that we need to finish this
one first but that follow-up fact sheets would be considered.
Donna Mosby suggested that several fact sheets could focus
on different issues.
David Johnson thought a quarterly or semi-annual newsletter
would be good.
Donna Mosby wants the COWG to identify possible topics
for future fact sheets, e.g., a fact sheet for each Work
Group.
The COWG decided that the ORRHES/ATSDR Fact Sheet is the
top priority for the first Fact Sheet. They will work on
the fact Sheet to incorporate the ATSDR information from
the 1999 report and to put the ORRHES information in the
form of bullets. The mission statement would also be included.
The ORRHES accomplishments and mission statement would
be published in a newsletter.
4.) Outreach for ORRHES nominations - La Freta Dalton
described the nomination process for soliciting applications
for membership on ORRHES. She explained that there are
two (2) packets: one for general nominations and the other
for an ill worker nomination. packets. The general nomination
process will be open only for a specific period of time.
The process for nominating an ill worker will remain open
until a suitable nominee is found, or until 12/26/2003,
when the charter expires. The nomination process will be
publicized on the ATSDR web site.
Linda Gass asked how the nomination process was handled
two (2) years ago for the present ORRHES members, specifically
about the newspapers any notices were published in. She
wants to nominate someone who has had direct or indirect
contact with affected people. She is concerned about the
wording of the nomination packet.
La Freta Dalton said that the worker packet is based on
the ORRHES request for an ill worker.
James Lewis stated that we need members who can work with
people.
La Freta Dalton said that the nomination packets are the
same except that the one specifies the nominee be an ill
worker who attributes his/her illness to working at DOE.
James Lewis asked ATSDR to provide a copy of the announcement
in 2000 to Linda Gass. He also mentioned that a better
press release is needed.
La Freta Dalton said the press release will not be changed
until the COWG sees it.
James Lewis emphasized that information on the nomination
process is important to allay claims of stacking ORRHES.
Donna Mosby emphasized the need for additional members
on the Work Groups. She suggested combining the Health
Needs Assessment Work Group (HNAWG) with COWG.
Motion: James Lewis made a motion to
write a rationale and justification to combine the HNAWG
and COWG. Originally the health needs assessment work was
assigned to COWG and the HNAWG was formed to carry out
that activity. Since most of the work of HNAWG is completed,
the COWG could absorb the HNAWG and its work.
The motion was tabled until the next COWG meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm.
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