HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08181987 - 1.45 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ~� �®
FROM: Mark �I
Mark Finucane , Health Services Director Cwlra
By : Elizabeth A. Spooner , Contracts AdministratorCosta
DATE: August 6, 1987 CO "1
lJJl
SUBJECT: Approval of Facility Use Agreement #24-305-4 with
Concord Mt . Diablo Trail Ride Association
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
I . RECOMMENDED ACTION :
Approve and authorize the Health Services Director to execute on
behalf of the County, Facility Use Agreement #24-305-4 with
Concord Mt . Diablo Trail Ride Association for the period
August 16 , 1987 through August 22 , 1987 , at no cost to the
County, to provide 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 fifth year for the Therapeutic Riding Camp , a pro-
ject 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 attri-
butes 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.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: __ YES SIGNATURE; - �
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDA10 OF BOARD OMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON August 18, 198. PROVIZD AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERV190RS
1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X 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.
JRIG: Health Services (Contracts) August 18, 1987
cc: County Administrator ATTESTED
Auditor-Controller
Contractor PHIL BATCHELOR. CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
'R2,1-83 B ,DEPUTY
Board Order
Agreement 24-305-4
Page 2
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 .
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 pre-
vious three 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 five mental health professionals at the
camp, with a minimum of two overnight . In addition , there will
be one counselor for every two children . These counselors are
excellent riders . The County treatment staff include
experienced equestrians , one of whom is 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 and was , therefore , approved by the Department ' s
Contracts and Grants Administrator in accordance with the guide-
lines approved by the Board ' s Order of December 1 , 1981
(Guidelines for contract preparation and processing , Health
Services Department) .
EAS: gm