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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM081816JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES Thursday, August 18, 2016 Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend WA 98368 Board Members Phil Johnson, County Commissioner District #1 David Sullivan, Chair, County Commissioner, District #2 Kathleen Kler, County Commissioner, District #3 Catharine Robinson, Vice -Chair, Port Townsend City Council Sheila Westerman, Citizen at large Jill Buhler, Hospital Commissioner, District #2 John Austin, Citizen at large Staff Members Thomas Locke, Health Officer Vicki Kirkpatrick, Public Health Dir Jared Keefer, Env. Health Dir Veronica Shaw, Public Health Deputy Dir Michael Dawson, WQ Manager Denise Banker, Clerk of the Board Chair David Sullivan called the August 18, 2016 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health to order at 2:30 p.m. A quorum was present. Members Present: Catharine Robinson, David Sullivan, Jill Buhler, Sheila Westerman, Kathleen Kler Members Excused: Phil Johnson, John Austin Staff Present: Kathy Anderson, Denise Banker, Lori Fleming, Michael Dawson, Jared Keefer, Vicki Kirkpatrick, Tom Locke APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Sullivan asked for approval of the Agenda of the August 18, 2016. Member Jill Buhler motioned to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by Vice - chair Catharine Robinson. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Sullivan asked for approval of the minutes of the July 21, 2016 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health. Member Kathleen Kler motioned to approve the minutes; the motion was seconded by Member Sheila Westerman. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. OLD BUSINESS AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1. Closure of Seattle Pain Clinic Tom Locke, Health Officer, Jefferson County Public Health shared with Board members the issues connected with the closure of a chain of pain clinics serving patients from around the state. The state has taken stepsto encourage practitioners to resist leaving chronic pain patients without care. Board members had questions about prescription opiates and other medications used to treat pain. NEW BUSINESS 1. Food Fee Public Hearing Jared Keefer, Environmental Health Director, Jefferson County Public Health summarized for the Board proposed changes to the Food Fee Schedule prior to the public hearing to approve the proposed changes. Board members had questions about specific foods and which category restaurants will be placed in. Keefer reminded Board members there would be a learning curve in adjusting to the new classification system. He also explained the meaning of "Rebuttal Application", an official term referenced in the Clean Air Act. Public Hearing was opened by Chair Sullivan. There was no public present. Chair Sullivan closed the public hearing. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. Chair Sullivan asked for approval of the Fee Schedule. Member Sheila Westerman motioned to approve the Fee Schedule. The motion was seconded by Member Jill Buhler seconded. There was no further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. Chair Sullivan asked if there should be a hearing called for the approval of the Inspection Frequency policy. Locke explained the Board could approve that without a hearing because an administrative policy is an executive decision that deals with existing authority. Member Westerman was uncomfortable with that because the request to change the frequency of inspections wasn't on the agenda. After a brief discussion, it was decided to wait a month, add this to the September agenda, and approve the Inspection Frequency changes then. 2. WIC Nutrition Program Update Kathy Anderson, WIC Nutritionist, Jefferson County Public Health updated the Board on successes in the WIC program, explained what it is, who it serves, and highlighted JCPH's successful Breastfeeding Tea and annual celebration of World Breastfeeding Week. Ms. Anderson mentioned issues concerning clients in the county we may be missing and the drop in WIC clients statewide. She thought having providers seeing Apple Health clients could be enlisted to make referrals and encourage those clients to sign up for WIC. Vicki Kirkpatrick, Director, Jefferson County Public Health, suggested the growing preference for organic foods might have an impact. WIC checks do not include organic foods. Anderson suggested we 2 recognize businesses that adopt breastfeeding policies and highlighted the effectiveness of the WIC newsletter. 3. On -Site Sewage System Management Plan Fee: Pre -Adoption Briefing and Proposed Call for Public Hearing on September 15, 2016 Jared Keefer briefed the Board concerning the adoption of a new fee plan for on-site sewage management. The Legislature requires Puget Sound local health jurisdictions to implement on- site sewage management plans. Implementing comprehensive programs required by the law causes an enforcement hardship for local health jurisdictions that lack stable funding. Keefer explained the current financial information and projected revenue should his proposed plan be adopted. The proposed plan would implement an annual flat fee for septic systems that would be collected via the property tax statements. Member Westerman cautioned Keefer of the importance of being certain the proposed amount of the fee be sufficient to cover program expenses to avoid having to continually increase it. It was decided Mr. Keefer would create a more detailed rationale for the proposed fee amount and present it at the September meeting of the Board of Health, at which time a call for public hearing in October would be made. 4. 2016 County Health rankings: Strategies to Improve Rural Health Tom Locke explained to the Board national county health rankings, something that was looked at briefly in March 2016. This was an informational item and Dr. Locke emphasized the need for Jefferson County to continue to focus on social and economic factors that continue to impact Jefferson County residents' overall health. County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program helps communities identify and implement solutions that make it easier for people to be healthy in their neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. ACTIVITY UPDATE Vicki Kirkpatrick told Board members JCPH had hired a new Community Health Director, Tammey Newton, who had formerly worked in Mason County. Mr Keefer suggested Board members think about whether or not they would like to offer comments to the Department of Community Development's Comprehensive Plan as it continues to evolve. Comments are due October 10, 2016. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. AGENDA PLANNING CALENDAR There was no agenda planning. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING The next Board of Health meeting will be held on Thursday, September 15, 2016 from 2:30 — 4:30 p.m. at Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend, WA. ADJOURNMENT Chair Sullivan adjourned the August 18t', 2016 Jefferson County Board of Health meeting at 4:35 p.m. JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH Excused Phil Jo , M b Davi Sullivan, Chair na-4"1- K4 -- Catharine Robinson, Vice -Chair Excused John Austin, Member &J*Buh:16er,Member tjj Sheila Westerman, Member _kdk(f �e Kathleen Kler, Member Respectfully submitted Denise Banker El