HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08061985 - 1.32 a. �. :.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: Mark Finucane, Health Services Director Contra
By: Elizabeth A. Spooner, Contracts Administrator CWIQ
DATE: July 25,1985 @ C"nty
SUBJECT: Approval of Facility Use Agreement 424-305-2 with
Concord,Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve and authorize the Chairwoman to execute on behalf of the County, Facility
Use Agreement #24-305-2 with Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association for the
period August 18, 1985 through August 22, 1985, at no cost to the County, to pro-
vide facilities for the East County Mental Health Services' annual Therapeutic
Riding Camp for mentally disturbed children.
II. FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of this agreement will require no additional County money. County Mental
Health Treatment Specialist Staff will conduct the camp. Expenses such as food for
the campers and staff, feed for the horses, tack, and camping equipment are either
donated or covered by funds which were appropriated to the Department's Director of
Children's Services for treatment of adolescents. Camp counselors and cooks work
without pay as volunteers.
III. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS/BACKGROUND:
This is the third year for the Therapeutic Riding Camp, a project of the Children's
Staff of East County Mental Health Services and of the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail
Ride Association.
The Therapeutic Riding Camp is an extension of the County's out-patient treatment
for severely disturbed children between the ages of 9 and 15. It provides nine
weekly activity group meetings in preparation for camp and one week of residential
treatment in a setting which is highly appropriate for children in this age group,
particularly for our patients who come from poor families and do not usually go to
camp or have access to horses.
The social interaction between the children offers opportunities for therapeutic
intervention. Disciplined physical activity promotes the re-ordering and re-
structuring of the child's internalizations. Animals as representations of certain
attributes of the child and of members of his/her family open a new avenue for
mastering the conflicts between the child and his/her family.
Professionals from the Mental Health Clinic conduct the weekly activity groups and
the riding camp. In both phases they are assisted by teenage and adult volunteers.
Friends in the equestrian community lend horses and tack. The Concord Mt. Diablo
Trail Ride Association lends its entire facility. Thus, an added value of the
Therapeutic Riding Camp is that it creates community involvement, understanding,
and support.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: ,
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDAT O OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE S :
ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
;� - 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT .AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ORIG: Health Services (Contracts)
CC: County Administrator ATTESTED �. /
Auditor-Controller PHIL BATC ELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
Contractor SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
M382/7-83 BY ,DEPUTY
lBoard Order
Agreement 24-305-2
Page 2
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Activities with horses have a somewhat higher risk of injury than our other summer
activity .programs for our child patients.. However, this camp has not experienced
any injuries in the. previous two years of operation. '
The horses, lent ' by members of 'the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association, are
selected carefully for their reliability in the hands of inexperienced riders.
This year there will be three mental health professionals at the camp, two of them
overnight. In addition, there will be one counselor for every two children. These
counselors are excellent riders. The County treatment staff include experienced
horsemen and horsewomen, and a registered nurse.
Safety rules for being around and on horses are stressed in the nine preliminary
meetings of the prospective campers, as well as during camp. Staff believes they
have done everything possible to make the experience as risk-free as possible and
that the therapeutic benefits outweigh the risks of physical injury.
The Facility Use Agreement ("Application for Use of Facilities") is in the same
form, containing a standard indemnification clause, that was approved by the County
Counsel's Office for the 1983 camp. Last year's agreement was therefore approved
by the Department's Contracts and Grants Administrator, as is this year's, in
accordance with the guidelines approved by the Board's Order of December 1, 1981
(Guideline Dor contract preparation and processing, Health Services Department).
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