9/29/05 KEYS Forum – Closing Discussion Session Notes

Discussion Session after three rounds of table conversations:

1. How does all that we’ve talked about get done?
2. Need more information
3. Communication is key
4. Foundation for Seacoast Health 2000 needs assessment for the Seacoast Region, including KEYS : the #1 need identified was information and communication
5. Funders don’t tend to fund communication pieces
6. Calendars are needed, so that we know what is going on
7. Newspaper for the KEYS region is needed
8. Involve youth in the newspaper/communication work
9. How to keep youth in the area?
10. Using what’s here, use the knowledge that parents have, ‘recycle’ the knowledge of retirees to utilize their expertise; ex: first response teams could get nurturing from senior citizens
11. We’re not prepared for a disaster, we don’t have the communication in place, we need drills to “get scared”
12. The schools have disaster plans, Portsmouth Hospital has a disaster plan, they are there but we don’t know about them
13. The fire departments cooperate, and each town has an emergency group, but public safety was not represented here today
14. Get United Way York County disaster info onto KEYS website
15. There is a TV in every home that gets Channel 22, public access TV, with scrolling announcements; we should use this [note: York has this, Kittery has a limited Ch. 22 resource, Eliot and S. Berwick don’t have Ch. 22]
16. Comcast and Verizon both will offer cable service here soon
17. Meetings at each hospital for disaster planning, in Oct./Nov.
18. Combating fear – our dialogue is limited by fear of personal loss
19. This Forum is intended to feed and connect what is already out there. KEYS Coordinating Council will do a report, but that is secondary to those of you who are here giving feedback and encouragement to works already in progress, and continuing to be involved.