Human Services Director Hits the Ground Running

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
July 11th 2023

RICHMOND – Kate Schimmel, the town’s new Human Services Director, stood outside the Town Hall on Monday afternoon with Chariho Community Health Worker, Amy Neilson. On a table in front of them were shopping bags full of fresh produce, free to anyone who asked.

Schimmel, who was hired about three months ago, is still assessing residents’ needs, but she has already found one issue: accessing fresh, nutritious food. Some people don’t have transportation to get to a store or farmers market and others don’t have the money to buy it.

“One of our goals is to bring fresh produce, especially because we are living in a farming community, in a farming area,” Schimmel said. “A lot of people have private gardens, or there are a lot of larger farmers in the area, and so, we’re just trying to connect people who may be dealing with food insecurity to get fresh produce.”

This was the town’s first produce popup, with vegetables donated by Our Kids Farm in Exeter. A second produce giveaway will take place in mid-August. Partially funded by a grant to the Chariho Youth Task Force, the event coincided with the twice-monthly visit by the United Way Rhode Island 211 van, which parks for three hours in the Town Hall lot. United Way personnel provide information on a wide range of services such as job training, veterans’ assistance, transportation, health care and housing.

The van began coming to Richmond in February, at the invitation of Town Council member Samantha Wilcox.

“When I reached out to the Director of 211 back in January, he was so excited to come to Richmond that he returned my call when he was on vacation,” Wilcox said. “He stressed to me this was not a replacement of the Human Services Director and that the position would work with 211 to expand services. We are already seeing that happen since Kate is working on getting various programs in and they are changing the 211 Bus location to Chariho Plaza in the near future.”

Schimmel was hired after the town’s Wellness Committee, formed in 2021, recommended improved health facilities for residents, particularly seniors, and an administrator who could help people access the services they needed.

Town Administrator Karen Pinch said Schimmel had been chosen from a field of four candidates.

“Kate is a registered nurse with extensive experience in public health, federal government health clinics, and corporate health and wellness,” she said. “She has a great personality that will be conducive to success with the position, and she also happens to be a Richmond resident.”

Schimmel is paid $30 per hour and works 15 to 20 hours per week. Her salary is paid with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

“There is a total of $225,000 set aside for her salary and operating expenses over a three-year period,” Pinch said.

Schimmel and her husband, a diplomat, are originally from South Kingstown and travelled extensively before settling in Richmond. They have one child.

Schimmel holds two degrees, a bachelor of kinesiology with a concentration in disability studies from the University of Maine and a bachelor of nursing from Rhode Island College. Her new position, as she sees it, is to support members of the community who may be experiencing difficulties, especially after COVID.

“I also think, building our community and creating connections between our residents, in a positive way,” she added.

Loneliness: a major issue in Richmond

Schimmel believes it is important to help residents connect with each other. She noted that feelings of isolation and loneliness are not unique to seniors, but are felt “across the board.”

“I think we’re one of the towns who doesn’t have a truly accessible community center or senior center, and so bringing a few more activities, positive activities, where community members can meet and enjoy each other’s company, especially coming out of COVID,” she said. “I’ve been in the position three months now, and I hear a lot from residents that they are just lonely, and I think it’s coming out of COVID, people were in lockdown and people are just starting to get back out there and they’re not really sure where to go. And that’s similar for people who might find themselves in a difficult situation. They might be going through food insecurity or housing insecurity. They’re just not sure where to turn. I think Richmond doesn’t have a lot of resources, per se, in town, so finding those resources, maybe in the greater Washington County, can be tricky.”

Being available to residents, Schimmel said, was essential.

“So, for this position, it’s really being a contact person for community members to reach out and say ‘I’m going through difficult times, do you know of where I can seek the resources that I need to get back on my feet or maybe, where can I go to get a free meal?’ even, and then, ‘where can I go to just meet other people? Meet other residents and connect with people?’”

Residents of rural towns like Richmond are stoic and self – reliant, and sometimes reluctant to accept services.

Schimmel said she lets people know the services are there and that they are welcome to use them.

“The service is here, regardless of whether you’d like it or not. You certainly deserve it, and these services are specifically for you, if you would like,” she said.

While the need for services is not limited to senior residents, Richmond’s seniors face a special set of challenges, among them a lack of public transportation and a senior center on the top floor of the police station that is difficult to access for people with limited mobility.

Schimmel is in frequent touch with Senior Center Director, Dennis McGinity.

“She will be a big asset for the town of Richmond,” McGinity said. “I’ve spoken with her, she’s come to my office, offered some suggestions, which I thought were pretty good, and she’s accepted some of the words that I had to give to her. She just seems to be very level-headed. After the first two hours that we talked, I really get the impression that she not only knows what she’s doing, but she can do what the town expects, and even more.”