Meeting opened with update by Sharon Foster on status of state funding for the Campaign for a Healthy Maine. The Legislature is expected to finalize a budget by late May, and there is no indication there will be changes in the 8% cut already approved.

Sharon Foster reported that SAD 46 has completed interviews for the first School Health Coordinator position and that a job offer will be made to the top candidate on May 15. Supt. Ray Poulin would like the SHC to begin work in Dexter on July 1, start of the next fiscal year. Due to the grant budget cut, the PPHC's original plan of hiring two more SHCs to service SAD 4, 41, 68 and Union 60 is not sustainable, and the Council will likely be hiring one additional SHC to work with the four SADs in Piscataquis County. Members agreed it would be wise to hold off on hiring that position until the state budget is finalized. There was discussion over how best the second SHC could serve the four districts: working with all four all at once, working district by district a semester at a time, etc. Sharon will check with the Bureau of Health for insight on this question.

Council members discussed the need to form an Executive Committee to oversee PPHC activities. It was agreed the committee would meet on the second Thursday of each month, at 4 p.m. Composition of the Executive Committee will be as follows: Superintendents of all five participating SADs, or the superintendent's designee; one member from Mayo Regional (Tom Lizotte); one member from C.A. Dean (Cathy Cobb); one member from North Country Healthy Communities (Susan Crippen), Community Partnership Director (Sharon Foster); one business representative (Mary Tondreau, Hardwood Products); one at-large member (Val Heal, Penquis CAP). Sharon noted that within six months, the committee will grow to 13, with three more members to be added: one youth member, and two more at-large members from the community. It was agreed that Jane Conroy, Cooperative Extension educator, would be a string candidate for one of the at-large slots.

Sharon Foster discussed the availability of Q-cards and the statewide campaign for their distribution. She added that the next Bureau of Health training session will be May 16, when there will be more information presented on the community assessment process. The assessment phase will be one of the major early steps to be taken in the grant work plan.

Meeting adjourned. Next meeting; 4 p.m. Thursday, June 14, at Mayo.

Minutes submitted by Tom Lizotte