HomeMy WebLinkAboutM121318 BOHJEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH
MINUTES
Thursday, December 13, 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, Chair, Port Townsend City Council
Sheila Westerman, Citizen at large
Kees Kolff, Hospital Commissioner, District #2
Denis Stearns, 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
Pinky Mingo, EH Manager
Jenny Matter, Clerk of the Board
Chair Ariel Speser called the December 13, 2018 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of
Health to order at 2:30 p.m. A quorum was present.
Members Present: David Sullivan, Kathleen Kler, Ariel Speser, Sheila Westerman, Kate Dean,
Kees Kolff, Denis Stearns
Staff Present: Thomas Locke, Vicki Kirkpatrick, Jenny Matter
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Chair Speser asked for approval of the agenda of the December 13, 2018.
Member Kees Kolff motioned to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by
Member Kathleen Kler. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chair Speser asked for approval of the minutes of the October 18, 2018 meeting of the Jefferson
County Board of Health.
Member Kees Kolff requested to add clarification to the last sentence in Item 1 under Old
Business and Informational Items.
Member Kathleen Kier motioned to approve the minutes as amended. The motion was
seconded by Member Kate Dean. No further discussion. Member Denis Stearns abstained
from voting. All others voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed.
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PUBLIC COMMENTS
Chair Speser opened the public comment period.
Peter Harrison from Port Hadlock said he has spent $85,000 to clear his land of items illegally
dumped there by Eric Holm, construct a 12' fence, and put in concrete barriers. He said the land
adjacent to his is owned by the county and is littered with wrecks, abandoned boats and trailers.
He requested the County enforce the code and clean up the neighborhood so it is safe again and
he and others can live there without feeling threatened. While some departments have been
helpful during this process, others he feels, have failed him. Mr. Harrison thanked the Sherriff s
Office under Art Frank and Dave Stanko and Public Health Environmental Health Director
Stuart Whitford.
After finding out the 2019 county budget had passed and included funding for a code
enforcement officer and increased capacity at the Prosecutor's Office, John Tevis from Port
Hadlock thanked the Commissioners, John Austin, Ariel Speser, Public Health, and others. The
Board thanked him for sharing his concerns and bringing civility to a contentious issue.
Chair Speser closed the public comment period.
OLD BUSINESS AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
1. Jefferson Healthcare (JHC) Update
Kees Kolff reported that: 1) JHC's budget for 2019 is based on 9-10% growth, 2) the Board of
Hospital Commissioners approved a I% option for raising revenue from local property taxes,
which will give them an additional $3000 per year, 3) the Port Ludlow Pharmacy has a projected
revenue of $2M, 4) JHC will continue to work on addressing social determinants of health in
2019, 5) JHC now has a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, 6) JHC has hired 1 full-time
dentist, 3 per diem dentists, and 3 hygienists, 7) Natalie Grey has been hired as the executive
director for behavioral health at Discovery Behavioral Health and JHC, 8) JHC is hoping to
partner with Olympic Medical Center and Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe to establish a Medically
Assisted Treatment (MAT) center in Sequim, and 9) JHC is affiliated with WSU Medical School
to mentor medical students who are interested in rural health.
Kathleen Kler thanked JHC for remodeling the Quilcene Clinic and said Elizabeth Olinger,
ARNP is working there full-time.
The Board had questions about the I% option for raising revenue from local property taxes,
details of the WSU program, the number of beds that would be available at the MAT center in
Sequim, and if Natalie Grey could attend a future BOH meeting.
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2. The Leader's Reader's Choice Award for Best Health Clinic
Dr. Tom Locke, Health Officer, said the staff at Jefferson County Public Health were very
pleased to receive the award. Vicki Kirkpatrick, Director of Public Health, thanked the clinical
and support staff for their service.
3. Fentanyl Deaths Increasing in WA
Dr. Locke informed the Board that there has been a 70% increase in deaths in Washington State
over the last year due to fentanyl overdose. Dr. Locke explained how fentanyl affects the
respiratory drive centers of the brain and can cause someone to stop breathing. He also provided
information on where fentanyl is produced (China) and how it is smuggled into the US, including
use of the US Postal Service. Dr. Locke said testing kits are now available for IV drug users to
test for fentanyl.
4. Holiday Hazards
Dr. Locke reminded us of some of the hazards to be aware of during the holiday season.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Appreciation for Departing Board of Health Members John Austin and Kathleen Kler
Dr. Locke thanked John Austin for his many years of service on the Jefferson County Board of
Health as a Commissioner and Citizen at -large, and as a State BOH member. Vicki Kirkpatrick,
on behalf of Public Health, also thanked him for his service. John Austin said he remembered
when he first started serving on the BOH and how impressed he was with all the programs (e.g.
vaccination promotion, drug disposal, family planning, Nurse Family Partnership, environmental
health, food safety, water and waste, smoking cessation, school clinics, etc.). He also thanked
Jean Baldwin, Vicki Kirkpatrick, Yuko Umeda, Lisa McKenzie, Julia Danskin, Tom Locke,
Linda Atkins, Mike Dawson, Dennis Langlios, Tami Pokorney, Susan Porto, Margie Boyd,
Denise Banker, Jenny Matter, Anna McEnery, Karen Obermeyer, Stuart Whitford, and especially
Veronica Shaw for all their work. Although he was sad to see Kathleen Kler also leave, he felt
very good about Ariel Speser serving as the Chair of the Board and said he would miss the banter
he had with Sheila Westerman.
Vicki Kirkpatrick thanked Kathleen Kler for her service and participation in many of the
behavioral health and health care transformation programs. Kathleen Kler thanked the staff at
Public Health for their years of skill, education, and knowledge as they have quietly and
extensively served some of the most vulnerable people in the county. In addition to people
thanked by John Austin, she also thanked Pinky Mingo. Ms. Kler shared some of the things she
learned as a commissioner that differed from her background and education as a nurse and
expressed her gratitude in being able to serve on the Board and Health. She also thanked John
Austin for encouraging her to run as commissioner.
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Ms. Kler was pleased to announce that medically assisted treatment (MAT) would be offered to
inmates at the county jail.
2. Gun Violence Prevention as a Public Health Issue — Initiative 1639 and other updates
Dr. Locke said the American College of Physicians published a very detailed set of
recommendations and supporting evidence in the Annals of Internal Medicine to help reduce
firearms -related injuries and deaths. Negative comments from the NRA prompted a strong and
ongoing response from doctors who treat gun violence victims.
Dr. Locke reviewed co -factors leading to gun violence and what a public health response would
incorporate. He predicts more attention will be devoted in the medical field to counseling
patients on gun safety issues.
Dr. Locke also informed the Board about legislation to prevent access to guns by those with
suicide ideation and highlighted some of the restrictions in initiative 1639, which recently passed
and will take effect July 1, 2019.
3. Climate Change and Public Health
Dr. Locke said the most recent reports on climate change show that climate change is affecting
public health now and will rapidly accelerate in the next decade. Effects include changes to food
production, migration of populations, an increase in heat related deaths and extreme weather
events (e.g. droughts, flooding, etc.), and spread of tropical diseases. Dr. Locke gave examples of
diseases originally confined to tropical areas (e.g. Zika virus, malaria, and cryptococcosis gattii)
that have spread to northern ecosystems as they become warmer where pathogens or their vectors
can survive.
The Board had comments about addressing income equality as a contributing factor to climate
change, localizing climate issues to identify where Jefferson County can make the most
substantial improvements, reducing greenhouse gases, and the increasing impacts to the health of
local residents due to warmer weather and poor air quality.
4. Olympic Community of Health (OCH) Update
Dr. Locke informed the Board that: 1) Debra Swanson, from Port Hadlock, has been recruited as
an administrative coordinator at the OCH, 2) change plans signed by organizations who intend to
transform health care services are being funded, 3) Elya Prystowsky, executive director, will be
resigning as of March 1St and they are actively looking to recruit her replacement, and 3) Dr.
Locke will co-chair a steering committee to implement oral health initiatives funded by a three
year grant from the Arcora Foundation. Dr. Locke discussed his special interest in medical -
dental integration, a national effort to promote greater coordination between dental and medical
providers.
Page 4 of 6
ACTIVITY UPDATE
Denis Stearns, Citizen at Large, and Apple Martine, Community Health Director, each
introduced themselves and were welcomed by the Board.
Karen Obermeyer, Community Health Educator, said Public Health recently received a two year
grant from the Health Care Authority to fund a full-time position to lead a coalition for drug
prevention in Port Townsend, similar to the one lead in Chimacum by Denise Banker. Because
Port Townsend was identified as a community with higher than average youth drug and alcohol
use, Public Health was eligible for the grant. In addition, two student assistant professionals will
also be hired through the Educational Service District to work with youth at Blue Heron Middle
School and Port Townsend High School. Ms. Obermeyer invited Board members to participate
in the coalition once it starts. Vicki Kirkpatrick thanked Ms. Obermeyer and Denise Banker for
their work on applying for and getting the grant.
Pinky Mingo, Environmental Health Manager, said Public Health has received a small grant
from the FDA to internally evaluate the food safety program.
Vicki Kirkpatrick provided a brief update on the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)
and possible implementation of a crisis triage facility.
Dr. Locke said a high potency flu vaccine is available for those over 65 and increased flu
outbreak activity is expected in January.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
AGENDA PLANNING CALENDAR
Vicki Kirkpatrick said she is hoping to make a Foundational Public Health Services presentation
since there will be a legislative ask for funding at the next legislative session.
NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING
The next Board of Health meeting will be held on Thursday, January 17, 2019 from 2:30 —
4:30p.m. at Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend, WA.
Page 5 of 6
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Speser adjourned the December 13, 2018 Jefferson County Board of Health meeting
at 4:22 p.m.
JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH
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Ariel Spes , Chair Kate Dean, Vice -Chair
Kees Ko f, Memb Kat een Kler, Memb r
llavi u liva„ aer Sheila Westerman, Member
, Member
Respectfully submitted
J. Matter
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