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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM062118 BOHJEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES Thursday, June 21, 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 Kler, County Commissioner, District #3 Ariel Speser, Vice -Chair, Port Townsend City Council Sheila Westerman, Citizen at large Kees Kolff, 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 June 21, 2018 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health to order at 2:33 p.m. A quorum was present. Members Present: David Sullivan, Kathleen Kler, Ariel Speser, Sheila Westerman, John Austin Members Excused: Kate Dean, Kees Kolff Staff Present: Thomas Locke, Stuart Whitford, Michael Dawson, Vicki Kirkpatrick, Jenny Matter Chair John Austin introduced Jill Buhler as a long-time past member of the Board of Health. Member Sheila Westerman motioned to accept Jill Buhler as the temporary representative for Jefferson Healthcare and review the by-laws at the next meeting in order to possibly modify the policy for allowing member alternatives. The motion was seconded by Vice - chair Ariel Speser. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Austin asked for approval of the Agenda of the June 21, 2018. Member Kathleen Kler asked to add National Asking Saves Kids (ASK) Day to New Business. Member Kathleen Kler motioned to approve the agenda as amended. The motion was seconded by Member Sheila Westerman. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. Page 1 of 6 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Austin asked for approval of the minutes of the May 17, 2018 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health. Sheila Westerman requested to modify paragraph three on page five by adding that she and Kathleen Kler voted in favor of the motion and strike that Ariel Speser abstained from voting. Member Kathleen Kler motioned to approve the minutes as amended. The motion was seconded by Member David Sullivan. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENTS Chair Austin opened the public comment period. Rebecca Taylor of Port Hadlock spoke about the progress made toward addressing the environmental health violations caused in her neighborhood by Eric Holm. She thanked her neighbors and specific county employees. She expressed her frustration over the lack of response to the complaints she initially made and the general lack of code enforcement in Jefferson County. She proposed that having a code enforcement officer to respond to complaints early on would save the county money by preventing further problems. John Tevis of Port Hadlock spoke positively of Molly Pearson, who was a code enforcement officer in Jefferson County in the early 2000s. He also spoke about his recent experience in contacting various county and state departments within the state and his concern over the lack of communication and coordination between agencies. He praised specific county employees and asked that the public be involved in the budget process when designating funding to code enforcement. Chair Austin closed the public comment period. The Board discussed the absence of a designated code enforcement officer and the possibility of having one housed at the Sheriff s office. They also discussed the budget and implications of funding. OLD BUSINESS AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1. Jefferson Healthcare (JHC) Update Jill Buhler informed the Board that Molly Parker, MD, MPH and Dunia Faulx, MPH are working on the reimbursement transition from fee for service to value based outcomes. Ms. Buhler explained the five major objectives of the 2018-2019 strategic plan and gave examples of how JHC is working to meet those objectives. Some of the examples include partnering with OlyCAP to address housing needs, offering food to clinic patients, and conducting a population needs Page 2 of 6 survey. Ms. Buhler also provided data on the reduction in appointment wait time and reviewed the current status of the dental clinic, including notification that JHC was awarded $250,000 from the Arcora Foundation for dental equipment and instruments. Sheila Westerman recognized Arran Stark, chef at JHC, for participating in Seventy48, supporting the participants in the Race to AK, and conducting lively demonstrations at the farmers market. 2. New American Medical Association (AMA) Policies Re: Gun Violence Dr. Thomas Locke, Health Officer, summarized the AMA position on gun control and reviewed one of the initiatives sponsored by the AMA, Public Health Approach for Preventing Gun Violence in America. The focus of this initiative, which was initially issued in 1995, is to support CDC research on preventing gun violence. Michael Dawson, Water Quality Manager, asked about the status of research by the CDC. Dr. Locke said there is no new funding for gun violence research for the CDC, but there is very active research in schools of public health and universities. 3. Public Praise of EHS Linda Atkins Stuart Whitford, Environmental Health Director, read excerpts from a letter submitted by a participant of one of the classes taught by Linda Atkins. Mr. Whitford also praised Ms. Atkins for her dedication and commitment to her job and the community. The Board was very pleased to hear that Ms. Atkins was recognized for her hard work. 4. WA State Attorney General Joins 16 other AGs in Motion to Intervene in Effort to Strike Down the Affordable Care Act Dr. Locke briefed the Board on the latest threat to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 19 States, lead by Texas, have sued the federal government to overturn key provisions of the ACA, including preexisting condition exclusions, life time coverage limits, and coverage for preventive services. In a highly unusual move, federal government has declined to defend the suit. In response, the Attorney General (AG) from Washington State along with 16 other AGs from other states have joined to intervene as defendants. They have requested to intervene due to the harm they believe that repeal of the ACA will have on residents of the states they represent. 5. Bat Season Advisory Dr. Locke informed the Board that Public Health has issued two press releases regarding rabid bats. Right now there is a major public education campaign to strongly urge people to not handle bats and, if exposure does occur, to trap the bat so that testing can determine whether the animal is rabid. The Board had questions and comments about human to human transmission of rabies, safety of having bat houses, and communication with the schools. Page 3 of 6 NEW BUSINESS 1. Public Hearing Re: Amendment of Case Scanning/Technology Fee to Fund Annual Maintenance of New Permit Database System, Create Dedicated Reserve Account for Modifications and Replacement, and Fund Scanning of Environmental Health Documents Stuart Whitford summarized how EnerGov was selected as the preferred provider for a new database system. He recounted the steps taken leading up to the selection and provided financial details, along with the plan for implementation over the next year. Mr. Whitford also summarized the benefits for the County and citizens. Chair Austin opened the public comment period. There was no public comment. Chair Austin closed the public comment period. Sheila Westerman thanked Mr. Whitford for providing a detailed review of the proposed amendment and for initiating the amendment so the county can provide modern technological services to the public. Kathleen Kler commented on the importance of receiving feedback from the public during public hearings and asked if any written comments were submitted. There were none. David Sullivan commented on the ability to recoup some for the costs of doing business so better services can be provided to the public without making cuts to other programs. Jill Buhler stressed the importance of adapting modern technology to benefit the public. Member Shelia Westerman motioned to amend the case scanning/technology fee to fund annual maintenance of the new permit database system, create a dedicated reserve account for modifications and replacement, and fund scanning of environmental health documents. The motion was seconded by member David Sullivan. The motion passed unanimously. 2. 2017 Syringe Exchange Program (SEP) Annual Report Lisa McKenzie, Public Health Nurse, provided information about the number of syringes exchanged, age and gender of users, new clients, and other drug related data measured over the last several years. She reviewed funding, program goals and explained the types of risk reduction strategies offered to syringe exchange participants. Some of these strategies include providing harm reduction handouts, referrals to other programs, fentanyl testing kits, and ways to cut back on use. Ms. McKenzie noted the importance of building relationships with participants as, over time, they become more open to referrals to treatment. Ms. McKenzie also informed the Board that as of February of this year, Olympic Peninsula Health Services in Port Hadlock has been offering medication -assisted treatment (MAT) to those with Medicaid. The Board had comments and questions about illicit use of prescription medications, naloxone training, reports of fentanyl or carfentanil, cost of prevention verses treatment, the upcoming MAT training for Jefferson Healthcare physicians, funding, and success of Suboxone in treating Page 4 of 6 opioid use disorder. The Board thanked Lisa for her worked and success of the syringe exchange program. 3. 2018 Washington Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO) Summer Conference Report Vicki Kirkpatrick, Public Health Director, said the primary topic discussed at the conference was foundational public health services and how to adequately determine how capabilities and services are categorized. Ms. Kirkpatrick also said the State and Local Health Jurisdictions are in the process of clarifying their respective roles so public health services are provided to those who need them. In addition, the funding request to the legislature for 2019 will be for communicable disease control and environmental health. 4. DRAFT legislative proposal to modernize RCW 70.24 in order to reduce HIV/AIDS exceptionalism and address HIV criminalization Dr. Locke explained how the legislation that was codified as RCW 70.24 came about in 1988 and why it is seriously out of date. Dr. Locke participated in the task force to rewrite the law to eliminate HIV exceptionalism and to preserve and incorporate due process for those with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Dr. Locke explained the difference between STDs and STIs, as defined by the revised legislative proposal and the importance of including infections caused by all blood-borne pathogens, not just HIV. The Board had questions about the participation of Eileen Cody, why mandatory testing for a select group of people has been eliminated, and applicability of the law to those who purposefully try to spread STIs. 5. ASK June 21 Kathleen Kler informed the Board that June 21St is annual National Asking Saves Kids (ASK) Day which was established to remind parents and caregivers about the importance of asking if there are unlocked guns in the homes where children play. More information can be found at www.askinesaveskids.org. ACTIVITY UPDATE There was no activity update. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. Page 5 of 6 AGENDA PLANNING CALENDAR When time allows, the Board would like to schedule time to discuss the policy on substituting members and schedule a naloxone demonstration. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING The next Board of Health meeting will be held on Thursday, July 19, 2018 from 2:30 — 4:30p.m. at Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend, WA. ADJOURNMENT Chair Austin adjourned the June 21, 2018 Jefferson County Board of Health meeting at 4:30 p.m. JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH Joh Austin, Chair Excused d` t r-� Kees Kolff, Member Kathleen Kler, Member UU Sheila Westerman, Member Ariel Speser, Vice -Chair Excused Kate De ember Da 1 an, er Respectfully submitted J. Matter Page 6 of 6