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Home My WebLink AboutM041918 BOHJEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES Thursday, April 19, 2018 Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend WA 98368 Board Members Kate Dean, County Commissioner District #1 David Sullivan, County Commissioner, District #2 Kathleen Kier, County Commissioner, District #3 Ariel Speser, Vice -Chair, Port Townsend City Council Sheila Westerman, Citizen at large Jill Buhler, Hospital Commissioner, District #2 John Austin, Chair, Citizen at large Staff Members Thomas Locke, Health Officer Vicki Kirkpatrick, Public Health Dir Stuart Whitford, Env. Health Dir Veronica Shaw, Public Health Deputy Dir Michael Dawson, WQ Manager Jenny Matter, Clerk of the Board Chair John Austin called the April 19, 2018 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health to order at 2:30 p.m. A quorum was present. Members Present: David Sullivan, Jill Buhler, Ariel Speser, Kate Dean, Sheila Westerman, John Austin Members Excused: Kathleen Kler Staff Present: Veronica Shaw, Thomas Locke, Stuart Whitford, Michael Dawson, Jenny Matter APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Austin asked for approval of the Agenda of the April 19, 2018. Dr. Tom Locke recommended adding an update on influenza and removing the request for public hearing from agenda item number V.I. Proposed Environmental Health Fee Surcharge to Support Database Replacement and Maintenance — Call for Public Hearing at May 17, 2018 Meeting. Member Jill Buhler motioned to approve the agenda as amended. The motion was seconded by Member Kate Dean. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Austin asked for approval of the minutes of the March 15, 2018 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health. Member Kate Dean suggested adding the text describing Alternative 6 to her motion under New Business Item 1: Water conserving Onsite Sewage Systems — Policy Alternatives. Page 1 of 5 Member Ariel Speser motioned to approve the minutes as amended. The motion was seconded by Member Kate Dean. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENTS There was no public comment. OLD BUSINESS AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1. Jefferson Healthcare (JHC) Update Jill Buhler reported that JHC has partnered with the Mandela Center for Change to produce an educational video to help meet the needs of the LGBTQ community. The video will be available for all health care providers and professionals in the community after April 25th. She also said JHC will be hosting a Washington State Hospital Association meeting to introduce the Smooth Transitions Program, a state wide initiate to provide transition care for mom's who have been under the care of a mid -wife and are transferred to JHC. Ms. Buhler gave information about newly hired staff, positions they are looking to fill, average wait time, and new patient averages. She also reminded the Board that Merrily Mount's retirement ceremony will be on May 4th at the Quilcene Community Center from 3-5pm. The Board thanked Jill for her dedication to the Board as this was her last meeting. 2. Letter to Congressional Delegation re: Gun Violence Prevention Kate Dean said she delivered the letter written on behalf of the Board regarding gun violence prevention to the policy staff leaders at the senators' offices while she was in Washington, DC to participate in the March For Our Lives event. Although the senators were not there due to a recess, the policy staff leads said the senators were very supportive of repealing the Dickey Amendment and thanked her for the letter. Ms. Dean commented on her participation in the March For Our Lives event and noted the excellent audio and visual component to the event which showed video segments linking gun research (conducted by non -profits and other non-governmental organizations) to the call for action. 3. Dickey Amendment Possibly Nullified Dr. Tom Locke, Health Officer, clarified the restrictions on gun violence prevention research created by the original Dickey Amendment and reported on recent Congressional actions that may lessen these impacts. The effective prohibition on gun violence research by the Centers for Disease Control has been repealed by Congress but no funding for this research has been made available. Kate Dean requested Dr. Locke provide updates to the Board regarding the Dickey Amendment and other gun related legislation. Page 2 of 5 4. Influenza Update Dr. Tom Locke said there have been two peaks in this year's influenza season, known as a bimodal curve. The first peak was due to influenza A and the second is due to influenza B. As of this time, there has been 267 lab confirmed deaths in Washington State due to influenza. The Board had questions about the number of deaths and accuracy of death certificate data. NEW BUSINESS 1. Proposed Environmental Health Fee Surcharge to Support Database Replacement and Maintenance — Call for- Publie Hearing at May 17,-2M Stuart Whitford, Environmental Health Director, informed the Board that they have chosen Tyler Technologies - EnerGov as the vendor for obtaining a new permit data base that will serve the Department of Community Development, Public Health, and Public Works. Although they are all in agreement (Dept. and Central Service Directors), they recently decided to roll out the annual maintenance and replacement fee differently than previously planned. At the next meeting, Mr. Whitford will present the details of the plan and request that a public meeting is scheduled. Mr. Whitford explained how the fee was calculated and highlighted features of the system. The Board had financial questions about initial and ongoing costs. 2. Proposed Amendment to Jefferson County Code 8.15, On-site Sewage Systems, to Incorporate State Guidance and Standards for Water Conserving Wastewater Treatment Systems - Call for Public Hearing at May 17, 2018 Mr. Whitford recommended that the county incorporate the state guidance for water conserving on-site sewage systems into the local code, except for the section on pit privies. He provided information on local pit privies, the current local code and plans to address existing pit privies. The Board had questions about existing permitted and non -permitted pit privies, waiver options, specifications or definition of "limited application" for pit privies, acceptable ways to meet the state standard for pit privies, and clarity of the suggested changes for the public. Member Kate Dean motioned for Public Health to hold a public hearing on May 17, 2018 to amend Jefferson County code regarding on-site sewage systems. The motion was seconded by Sheila Westerman. The motion passed unanimously. 3. 2018 Public Health Heroes Awards Chair Austin, Ariel Speser and Sheila Westerman announced the 2018 Public Health Heroes Awards. The winners and categories included Chris Macklin (Community Health Promotion), the students of the Port Townsend School District and the Chimacum School District (Public Health Leadership), Nat Jacob (Community Based Organization), Jefferson County Public Health Syringe Exchange Program (Protection from Communicable Diseases), and Sarah McNulty (Special Recognition Award). Each recipient was named and applauded for their service to the community. Page 3 of 5 4. 2018 County Health Rankings — Jefferson County, Regional Partners, and Washington State Dr. Locke reviewed some of the regional findings in the national County Health Rankings annual report conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson foundation. He explained the methodology and accuracy of how the data was collected and factors that contributed to Jefferson County ranking number five in the state for health outcomes (e.g., high screening rates for sexually transmitted diseases, high physician density for primary care). He also reviewed some of the areas where Jefferson County were less favorable than state averages, including the high school graduation rate, unemployment rate, children in poverty, and injury deaths. The Board had questions about how rates were calculated, life expectancy differences between communities, health effects of commuting to work, and if social associations were taken into account. 5. WSALPHO (Washington Association of Local Public Health Officials) 2018 Legislative Session Wrap Up Dr. Locke summarized the 2018 legislative session report issued by WSALPHO. Dr. Locke informed the Board about areas where the operating budget was increased, along with support for opioid treatment programs. He reviewed the status of WSALPHO supported legislation, including HB 1054/SB6048 to increase the age of tobacco use, which did not pass, and HB 1047 for a state- wide medication disposal system, which did pass. He also reviewed legislation not supported by WSALPHO (i.e., on-site sewage related mandates) that did not pass. Stuart Whitford reported that he meet with other environmental health directors and offered to be on the sub -committee to review the on-site sewage code. He and others are interested in modifying the guidelines for where and when more expensive alternative systems are required. Mr. Whitford and the Board discussed the Hirst decision. Kate Dean summarized her experience during the legislative session and noted that many counties are frustrated with unfunded mandates from the legislature. There was no activity update. ACTIVITY UPDATE PUBLIC COMMENT Kees Kloff informed the Board that SoundHealth will issue reimbursements to members who participate in the Tour de Fort bicycle ride fundraiser on June 9th. He also said Jefferson Healthcare and the City of Port Townsend have donated $500 each to the fundraiser. He will ask the County at the next Board of County Commissioner meeting for their sponsorship. Paul Ruben said he is concerned with how bio -solids and domestic septage are defined and treated. He provided examples of how to meet regulatory requirements in order to apply human Page 4 of 5 waste to the land and sent a draft report to Stuart Whitford for his review. He also explained his plan for composting fecal matter in barrels. AGENDA PLANNING CALENDAR A public hearing to amend Jefferson County code regarding on-site sewage systems will be held at the next Board of Health meeting on May 17, 2018. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING The next Board of Health meeting will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2018 from 2:30 — 4:30p.m. at Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend, WA. ADJOURNMENT Chair Austin adjourned the April 19, 2018 Jefferson County Board of Health meeting at 4:28 p.m. JEFFERSON QOUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH JohnAustro, C air Vj' 0 4_� I Jill Buhler, Member ,V,athleen Kler, ember I-) k4' L4-" W Sheila Westerman, Member Ariel Speser, Vice -Chair Kate DvO, Member Davi S ll>van, Oem er Respectfully submitted J. Matter Page 5 of 5