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Home My WebLink AboutM032119JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES Thursday, March 21, 2019 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 Member Greg Brotherton, County Commissioner, District #3 Pamela Adams, Port Townsend City Council Sheila Westerman, Vice Chair, Citizen at large Kees Kolff, Chair, Public Hospital District #2 Commissioner Denis Stearns, Citizen at large Staff Members Thomas Locke, Health Officer Vicki Kirkpatrick, Public Health Director Stuart Whitford, Env. Public Health Director Veronica Shaw, Public Health Deputy Director Michael Dawson, Water Quality Manager Pinky Mingo, Env. Public Health Manager Apple Martine, Community Health Dir Jenny Matter, Clerk of the Board Chair Kees Kolff called the March 21, 2019 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health to order at 2:30 p.m. A quorum was present. Members Present: David Sullivan, Kate Dean, Greg Brotherton, Kees Kolff, Denis Stearns, Pamela Adams Staff Present: Thomas Locke, Vicki Kirkpatrick, Stuart Whitford, Apple Martine, Jenny Matter, Pinky Mingo APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Kees Kolff asked for approval of the agenda for March 21, 2019. Member Kate Dean motioned to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by Member Greg Brotherton. No further discussion. The motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Kees Kloff asked for approval of the minutes of the February 21, 2019 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health. Member Greg Brotherton motioned to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Member David Stearns. No further discussion. The motion passed. Page 1 of 5 PUBLIC COMMENTS There was no public comment. OLD BUSINESS AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1. Jefferson Healthcare (JHC) Update Chair Kees Kolff reported that: 1) the legislature will most likely allocate $6.5 million for a medically assisted treatment (MAT) facility on the Olympic peninsula, along with an additional $7 to $8 million for a 16 -bed behavioral health facility for inpatient evaluation and treatment, 2) JHC is providing MAT as 18 practitioners have gone through the MAT training, and 3) House Bill 1523 and Senate Bill 5741 are both expected to pass. 2. Introduction: New Board of Health Member Pamela Adams Member Pamela Adams, Port Townsend City Council Member, introduced herself. Dr. Adams is a chiropractor and teaches anatomy and physiology at the Port Townsend School of Massage. 3. 2018-19 Influenza Season Update Dr. Tom Locke, Health Officer, told the Board this year's flu season is exhibiting a bimodal outbreak pattern, where the first peak was dominated by the H1N1 strain earlier in the year and the second peak is dominated by the H3N2 strain. There have been 8 deaths in the tri -county area this flu season. Dr. Locke said they are still recommending the flu vaccine although it is late in the season. The Board had questions about the efficacy rates of the flu vaccine and illness and deaths caused by the flu that go unreported. 4. Joint Resolution of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners and Board of Health regarding Regulatory Reform Stuart Whitford, Environmental Public Health Director, and Patty Charnes, Community Development Director, explained why they are in support of the resolution. Some of the reasons include the complexity and confusion of the code, high cost of complying with the code, and substantial number of people living in substandard housing. Mr. Whitford emphasized that the resolution is not a rollback of regulations, but a way to find unique ways to apply the code in a more reasonable and practical manner so people can move forward with developing their property. Member Kate Dean motioned to approve the Joint Resolution of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners and Board of Health regarding Regulatory Reform. The motion was seconded by Member Greg Brotherton. Member Denis Stearns motioned to amend the resolution by striking the third bullet on page three. The motion was seconded by Member Greg Brotherton. Discussion ensued regarding the proposed amendment. Vote taken: 2 in favor, 4 opposed. The motion did not pass. Page 2 of 5 Member Kate Dean motioned to amend the resolution by replacing the sentence following the third bullet on page three with, "Assess required professional studies to identify overly burdensome and costly barriers in the code and permit review process." The motion was seconded by Member Pamela Adams. Discussion ensued regarding the proposed amendment. The motion passed unanimously. Member Greg Brotherton motioned to amend the resolution by making a non -substantive edit to the last sentence in paragraph two, page three. The motion was seconded by Member Pamela Adams. Discussion ensued regarding the proposed amendment. The motion passed unanimously. Member Denis Stearns motioned to amend the resolution by modifying the fourth bullet on page three to read, "Allow County departments' greater flexibility in individual cases, under certain circumstances, that still retain environmental protections and public safety." The motion was seconded by Member Pamela Adams. Discussion ensued regarding the proposed amendment. Vote taken: 2 in favor, 4 opposed. The motion did not pass. Chair Kees Kolff asked for a vote for the Joint Resolution of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners and Board of Health regarding Regulatory Reform, as amended. Vote taken: 5 in favor, 1 opposed. The motion passed. NEW BUSINESS 1. 2019 Washington State Measles Outbreak — Final Report Dr. Locke told the Board two additional cases of measles have been reported in Clark County, but they are hopeful these will be the last cases as those infected were already under quarantine. Dr. Locke said it is an extraordinary achievement having contained the outbreak (although highly expensive), because of the many public venues where people were exposed. He informed the Board about related legislation in Washington State and national court cases and proceedings. The Board had questions and comments about the total cost of the containment effort, financial implications of a potential measles outbreak in Jefferson County, why vaccine rates decline after the first dose, and demographics of those infected with measles during the latest outbreak. 2. 2019 Washington State Legislature Session Update Dr. Locke said some of the legislation being considered include immunization requirements, Tobacco 21, gun safety, and opioid response. The Board had comments about New Zealand banning the sale of assault rifles less than a week after a mass shooting, the outlook for funding foundational public health services from the legislature, and details of a tax on vaping products. Page 3 of 5 3. 2019 County Health Ranking and Roadmap Report Dr. Locke reviewed select sections of the 2019 County Health Rankings and Roadmap Report. Overall, Jefferson County has dropped in health rankings to #16 statewide, where it was formerly within the top ten for the last four years. In addition, length of life, vaccine rates, and mammography rates have declined and children in poverty has increased. Dr. Locke explained what data is used to calculate the rankings and how the rates have changed over the years. The Board had comments and questions on how minor changes can have a big impact to counties with a low population and how demographics affect mammography rates. 4. 2018 Healthy Youth Survey Report Dr. Locke said the Healthy Youth Survey is given to sixth, eighth, 10th, and 12th graders and is conducted to look at substance abuse and sexual behavior. Dr. Locke reviewed response rates by grades and explained how lower response rates statistically impact the margin of error. He reviewed the results for smoking tobacco, vaping, alcohol use, marijuana use, illicit drug use, prescription drug misuse, perceptions of drug use, and sexual experiences. The Board had comments and questions about how the data compared to previous years, differences between urban and rural areas, eligibility for the community prevention and wellness initiative, the Healthy Choices class offered by JCPH, unintended consequences of legalizing marijuana, and declining suicide and depression rates. There was no activity update. ACTIVITY UPDATE PUBLIC COMMENT Chair Kees Kolff opened the public comment period. Amanda Funaro of Port Townsend said she is interested in learning more about disaster preparedness plans for Jefferson County and how sanitation needs will be met in an emergency. A citizen was concerned about drug use among pre -teens and stated that vaping is now more popular with than smoking. Chair Kees Kolff said Jefferson Healthcare recently received the highest rating of five -stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Chair Kees Kolff closed the public comment period. Page 4 of 5 There was no agenda planning. AGENDA PLANNING CALENDAR NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING The next Board of Health meeting will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2019 from 2:30 — 4:30p.m. at Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend, WA. ADJOURNMENT Chair Kees Kolff adjourned the March 21, 2019 Jefferson County Board of Health meeting at 4:30 p.m. JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH Ak� Kees Kolff, Chair Excused Sheila Wo, t&rman. V avid'Ku` n' -an Mic�iffl'@(e enis s rns Member xar�� Kate Dean, Member Gr j )erto , ember Pdi tela Adams, tuber Respectfully submitted J. Matter Page 5 of 5