Maine Occupational Research Agenda (MORA) Meeting
Minutes

Bureau of Labor Standards

Third Floor Conference Room

September 8, 2004

 

 

Staff Present: Ted Bradstreet, Terry Hathaway, Desi-Rae Mason, & John Rioux.

 

Members Present: Sharon D’Orsie (USM), Peter Doran (MIOHE), Saskia Janes (Maine Public Health Association), Jonathan Lepoff (Consultant), Kim Lim (Bureau of Labor Standards), Dwight Littlefield (Maine Bureau of Health), Ivan Most (Strategic Occupational Health), & Leslie Walleigh (Workplace Health).

 

Members Absent: Brad Brown (Bureau of Insurance), Valerie Carter (Bureau of Labor Education), Peter Crockett (MLGH), Denise Dumont (U.S. HealthWorks), Ron Dyer (DEP), Carol Eckert (MIOHE), Ruth  Lawson-Stopps (Occupational Health Associates), Jeff Levesque (Maine Workers’ Compensation Board), Heather Mason (Maine Safety Council), Steve Minkowsky (Maine Workers’ Compensation Board), Louise Morang (MAOHN), & Pat Philbrook (Maine State Nurses Association).

 

Guests:  Andy Spaulding and Beth McCallum, Medical Care Development (MCD)

 

 

Ivan Most, Chair, opened the meeting at 9:00 A.M.

 

 

Approval of August 11, 2004 Minutes.  Jonathan Lepoff made a motion to accept the minutes. Dwight Littlefield, seconded. Vote, unanimous.

 

Cost Effective Strategies to Address Employee Health – Andy Spaulding and Beth McCallum. MORA members received a handout, “Maine Cardiovascular Health Program”. Andy explained in the Fall of 2000, Maine received funding from the CDC for seven (7) years 1.2 million dollars per year for the Maine Cardiovascular Health Program Worksite Pilot Project. The purpose of this project is to facilitate development of a wide variety of policy and environmental strategies employers can use to support employee health. The developed strategies will be used to assist other employers, public health agencies, and service providers in their efforts to manage employee health.

 

Beth McCallum explained the “Good Work” kit, which provides assistance in creating health lifestyles in the workplace and is available from Medical Care Development. There will be an update to the “Good Work” kit in the Spring of 2005.

 

Andy explained the “Inventory of Research Relating to Worksite Health Promotion”.

 

MORA can use this information in the research priority, cost drivers.

 

Also, John Rioux will speak with Bill Peabody regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Data Collection and Injury Work Group inviting Andy to speak at a future meeting.

 

Conference 2005 Update – Kim Lim. Kim Lim and Ivan Most met with Leslie Ingraham at the University of New England (UNE), Biddeford, to discuss the conference. Kim handed out the Call for Abstracts for the conference; the due date for the Abstracts is October 31^st. So far, over 400 have been mailed out. One Abstract has already been received from NYCAM.

 

Kim asked members to find speakers from Maine for the 2005 conference. Currently, the budget for the conference is $7,000. UNE is handling the registrations and the Bureau of Labor Standards (BLS) will pay the printing costs. David Parker will not be doing a photo exhibit, but will be doing a presentation at lunch.

 

Peter Doran mentioned that Earl Dotter would be willing to do a digital photo display on disc. Leslie Walleigh suggested that it could be ongoing during registration. Tabled to the November meeting.

 

Leslie Ingraham, UNE, will be invited to the December meeting.

 

Peter Doran suggested contacting Kim Chrichton, Health Access Foundation, as they have money for conferences related to their mission. Ivan Most will contact her for further information.

 

Governance Subcommittee Update – Ivan Most. Ivan Most has met with Medical Care Development; they are willing to act as fiscal agent. MIOHE will be dissolving in November and they want to turn over funds and MORA would need a fiscal agent to receive those funds. Ivan suggested that it might be possible to hold the November meeting of MORA at Medical Care Development as they are in Augusta.

 

The Operative Document will be finalized at the October meeting. Members are encouraged to look it over and bring comments to the October meting.

 

Ivan Most will invite Bill Peabody, Director, Bureau of Labor Standards, to attend this meeting.

 

Ivan Most announced that Jonathan Torres will not longer be able to serve on MORA, but will be a friend of MORA. Discussion followed regarding MORA membership; representation from unions, companies, and insurance. If any members have any thoughts on this, please let Ivan know. Ivan will check with Dan Cote, MEMIC. It was also suggested that there be a staff person, Deborah Friedman, Labor Committee. Also, perhaps representation from the Muskie Institute or the Margaret Chase Smith Institute.

 

Sharon D’Orsie will check to see about representation from the Safety and Health Council of Greater New England (formerly the Maine Safety Council). Ivan Most will then mail a letter asking for a representative.

 

At the January meeting, there will be nominations and voting for the chair and vice chair of MORA.

 

Calendar of Inviting Research Presenters.  The following is a list of MORA meeting dates and research presenters.

 

            October 13, 20004    -    Bill Peabody, BLS

 

November 10, 2004   -    Steve Laundrie, BLS – Occupational Injuries in Home Health Care

        John LaCasse, Medical Care Development

 

            December 8, 2004   - Meredith Tipton, UNE – MPH Program

       Leslie Ingraham, UNE – 2005 Conference

 

            January 12, 2005      - John Wise, USM, Toxic Center

        Laura Fortman, Commissioner, Department of Labor

 

            March 9, 2005           - Peggy Filios, NIOSH

 

Also, Peter Doran suggested Ann Backus, Harvard School of Public Health, for an update on the lobstering study, as a future presenter. Peter will be seeing her October 1^st and Ivan will follow-up with a written invitation, with a cc to Peter Doran and Jonathan Lepoff.

 

Ivan announced that his Harvard RFP on Health Experience of Workers Receiving Lump-Sum Payments from the Maine Workers’ Compensation System has been funded. There will be two (2) focus groups, Bangor and Portland , for people who have received lump sum payments in preparation of the survey.

 

Open Forum – All.

MORA Contact	Title of Event	Sponsoring Organization	Location & Date
Kim Lim	Conference on Improving the Safety and Health for Immigrant Workers	UMass Lowell & NIOSH	Umass Lowell Sept. 28th & 29th
Sharon D’Orsie	2004 Maine Fall Conference	Safety & Health Council of Northern New England	Augusta Civic Center Sept. 28th-30th
Saskia Janes	MPHA Annual Meeting	MPHA	Augusta Civic Center Oct. 29th

 

Next Meeting – October 13, 2004 – Agenda – Ivan Most. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, September 8, 2004 from 9:00 AM to Noon, Third Floor Conference Room, Bureau of Labor Standards.  Agenda items are as follows:

 

I.                      Approval of September 8, 2004 Minutes

II.                     

III.                   Prevention Data Advisory Group Update – John Rioux

IV.                 

V.                  Organization

A.     Operative Document – Final

B.     Personal Affirmations

C.    Bill Peabody

                                                                  i.      Original Tie to BLS

                                                                ii.      Commitment to 2005 Conference Fund

                                                             iii.      Future relationship – Commissioner Advisory

 

VI.                MCD – Memorandum of Understanding Draft

 

VII.              Open Forum

 

VIII.            Next Meeting – November 10, 2004 – Agenda

 

Chair Ivan Most adjourned the meeting at 11:20AM.

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

Terry M. Hathaway