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Home My WebLink About2026_05_21_BOH_Minutes_Executed~ JJ{ruon PublicH~ REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Jefferson County Board of Health Thursday, May 21, 2026 @ 2:30 p.m. Jefferson County Courthouse - Commissioners' Chambers 1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA Hybrid Meeting Board Members Greg Brotherton, County Commissioner, District #3 Heather Dudley-Nollette, County Commissioner, District #1 Celeste Dybeck, Tribal Representative Heidi Eisenhour, County Commissioner, District #2 Amanda Grace, Vice-Chair, Community Stakeholder Dr. Kees Kolff, Public Hospital District #2 Commissioner Monica MickHager, Chair, Port Townsend City Council Gabrielle Vanwert, Consumer of Public Health Staff Members Denise Banker, Community Health Director Dr. Allison Berry, Health Officer Lara Cittadini, CHIP Manager Michael Dawson, Water Quality Manager Carter Erickson, Environmental Health Manager Apple Martine, Public Health Director Pinky Mingo, Environmental Public Health Director Jenn Mitchell, Finance Manager Veronica Shaw, Public Health Deputy Director Vice-Chair Grace called the May 21, 2026 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health to order at 2:30 P.M. Members Present: Vice-Chair Amanda Grace, Members Greg Brotherton, Heather Dudley-Nolette, Celeste Dybeck, Heidi Eisenhour, Dr. Kees Kolff and Gabrielle Vanwert. Staff Present: Staff Members Denise Banker, Dr. Allison Berry, Lara Cittadini, Michael Dawson, Carter Erickson, Apple Martine, Pinky Mingo and Veronica Shaw. PUBLIC COMMENT Vice-Chair Grace called for public comment. There were none. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Vice-Chair Grace called for a motion to accept the agenda for May 21, 2026. MOTION: Member Eisenhour moved to approve the agenda. Member Dybeck seconded the motion, which carried by a unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted G. Gilbert Page 1 of3 APPR O V AL OF M IN U T E S Vice-Chair Grace requested a motion to approve the minutes of the April 16, 2026 meeting. MOTION: Member Kolff moved to approve the minutes. Member Dudley-Nollette seconded the motion, which carried by a unanimous vote. OLD BUSINESS AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1. Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) Report Staff member Martine mentioned the positivity manifested in the previous meeting where Public Health Heroes were celebrated. JCPH has been contributing data and refining objectives for the county's five-year strategic plan, which includes goals ranging from community outreach to environmental health and disease prevention. The department is also responding to significant statewide funding cuts, with JCPH facing a reduction of about $556,000 in state foundational public health dollars, and an almost equal reduction of funding from county general funds for the upcoming fiscal year. Despite the setback, leadership is focused on absorbing the cuts thoughtfully while keeping current staff whole and maintaining essential services. 2. Jefferson Healthcare Report Member Kolff also led with positivity as Jefferson Healthcare had a large presence at the Rhody Parade, where the new dental/medical van was displayed. Also good news is the new neurology practice at Jefferson Healthcare. Concerning financials, the hospital district is considering a potential lid lift but won't decide how much to request until a June 8 retreat clarifies which essential services need support amid funding cuts and rising uncompensated care. Leaders emphasize that current property-tax support is extremely low and doesn't cover critical services like dental care or 24/7 OB, so they aim to craft a proposal the community can understand while balancing residents' financial pressures. 3. Infectious Diseases Update Dr. Berry reported that public health funding is being cut simultaneously at the federal, state, and local levels, and even the grants that once filled gaps "don't really exist right now," creating a severe strain on services. These reductions now reach critical infrastructure-such as outbreak-tracking systems and the state public health lab - leading to dangerous delays in testing that ultimately increase downstream costs and worsen outcomes. Many problems originate with large federal cuts that forced states to divert funds to backfill Medicaid instead of supporting preventive health programs. The good news in infectious diseases is that, concerning the outbreaks of Hantavirus and Ebola, there are no cases of either in Washington, and there are unlikely to be any. There are no mild versions of these diseases so, unlike Covid, they are unlikely to be mistaken for other illnesses, and they are not transmitted pre-symptomatically. Measles is still spreading and it can be severe, but there is good preventative vaccine available. NEW BUSINESS 1. Update to JCPH Fee Schedule According to Community Health Director Banker, the clinic, fiscal, and management teams revised sexual and reproductive health fees by using the median of their cost analysis and comparable local pricing, which resulted in some fee reductions; these will be updated annually. They are creating a comprehensive fee schedule for all public health services, a transparent policy, and a financial-assistance process-including an attestation form and committee-reviewed approvals-to ensure clients who cannot pay can still access services. Donations managed Respectfully submitted G. Gilbert Page 2 of3 thr ough the Comm uni ty Foundation help cover unm et costs, and staff are tra ined to guide cl ients thr ough sliding-scale, insura nce, and assistance options so fees never becom e a barri er to care. 2. Alternative Enforcement Program Updates and Success Stories Environmental Health staff member Becca Maurer introduced the program, which focuses on helping residents with environmental code-compliance issues by connecting them to services, rather than penalizing them, leading to improved safety, better quality oflife, and fewer repeat violations. Its strong outcomes, including increased voluntary compliance and interest from other jurisdictions, show how supportive, service-oriented enforcement can reduce strain on courts, staff, and the community. Effective code-compliance work depends on using nonjudgmental, compassionate language and understanding the personal challenges - such as mental health issues, abuse, or substance use - which often underlie property conditions. Such an approach allows staff to address root causes first, helping people stabilize so they can eventually meet cleanup goals. 3. Community Health Improvement (CHI) - Program Update Staff member Cittadini provided a presentation which described Community Health Improvement ("CHI", which is being phased in as a replacement for "CHIP" (Community Health Improvement Plan) and "CHA (Community Health Assessment)), its goals, and its process. Historically, the county's last two community health improvement cycles followed a multi-year process of assessing past work, gathering data and community input, and producing a CHA and CHIP. The CHI concept emphasizes relationships, shared priorities, and coordinated action rather than just producing documents. This current cycle will use the MAP 2.0 framework and a new public-facing Health Indicators Dashboard to guide collaborative, data-driven planning across partners and internal programs. Tools to center equity in the process were described. ANNOUNCEMENTS Tabled due to time. FUTURE POTENTIAL AGENDA TOPICS Tabled due to time. AGENDA PLANNING CALENDAR The Agenda Planning Meeting for the next regular meeting of the Board will be held on June 11, 2026 at 10:30 A.M. The next regular Board of Health meeting will be held as a hybrid meeting on Thursday, June 18, 2026 from 2:30 P.M. -4:30 P.M. ADJOURNMENT Vice-Chair Grace adjourned the May 21, 2026 Jefferson County Board of Health meeting at 4:30 P.M. until the next Regular Meeting or Special Meeting as properly noticed. OARD OF HEALTH Respectfully submitted G. Gilbert Page 3 of3