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Home My WebLink About072122M BOH (*Jason Public Hea It MINUTES Jefferson County Board of Health Regular Meeting, July 21, 2:30 p.m. Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend WA 98368 Virtual Meeting Board Members Staff Members Greg Brotherton,County Commissioner,District#3 Denise Banker,Community Health Director Kate Dean,Chair,County Commissioner District#1 Dr.Allison Berry,Health Officer Heidi Eisenhour,County Commissioner,District#2 Michael Dawson,Water Quality Manager Kees Kolff,Public Hospital District#2 Commissioner Lori Fleming,CHIP Executive Director Denis Stearns,Vice Chair,Citizen at large Alisa Hasbrouck,Environmental Health Manager Libby Wennstrom,Port Townsend City Council Apple Martine,Public Health Director Sheila Westerman,Citizen at large Pinky Mingo,Environmental Public Health Director Veronica Shaw,Public Health Deputy Director Chair Brotherton called the July 21, 2022 virtual meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health to order at 2:32 p.m. A quorum was present. Members Present: Chair Greg Brotherton, Members Kate Dean, Heidi Eisenhour, Kees Kolff, Denis Stearns, Libby Wennstrom and Sheila Westerman. Staff Present: Staff Members Dr. Allison Berry, Michael Dawson, Lori Fleming,Apple Martine, Pinky Mingo and Veronica Shaw. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Brotherton requested a motion to approve the agenda for July 21, 2022. MOTION: Member Westerman moved to approve the agenda.Member Eisenhour seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Brotherton requested approval of the minutes for the June 16, 2022 Regular Meeting. MOTION: Member Eisenhour moved to approve the minutes.Member Dean seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. PUBLIC COMMENT Chair Brotherton called for public comment. There were no in-person public comments. Respectfully submitted Page 1 of 3 G.Gilbert There were no board member or staff responses to written public comments. OLD BUSINESS AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1. Jefferson Healthcare Update Board Member Kolff addressed issues currently impacting the hospital, including the stress that COVID continues to put on the healthcare system;the availability of a full range of reproductive health services; and the costs of proposed renovation of the hospital/clinic campus,the need to pare costs and to find creative ways to fund the reconstruction (while avoiding a bond measure). 2. Jefferson County Public Health Program Reports Staff member Martine discussed staffing at Public Health,and announced plans for anti-racist training for staff. She mentioned having had follow-up meetings with Public Health Heroes subsequent to the June awards,and mentioned that reproductive health services are available through Public Health clinics. 3. COVID Pandemic Update Public Health Officer Dr.Allison Berry provided an update on the COVID-19 virus, including the high rate of transmission of the current variant without a surge in hospitalizations(in Jefferson County),and emphasized the need to continue to take preventative precautions indoors. Nationally,there is still a high rate of preventable deaths due to COVID among the unvaccinated population. Discussion ensued, including concerning wastewater collection,and medical ethics with regard to the distribution of Paxlovid prescriptions. NEW BUSINESS 1. Reorganization of the Board of Health: applicant interviews According to a change in state law affecting local boards of health(House Bill 1152),the Jefferson County Board of Health is required to recruit new board member who satisfy categorial requirements. At this meeting,candidates for two new board member categories were interviewed. The categories are as follows: "Consumers of public health,"meaning county or health district residents who have self-identified as having faced significant health inequities or as having lived experiences with public health-related programs. "Other community stakeholders,"meaning persons representing the following types of organizations located in the county or health district: (a)community-based organizations or nonprofits that work with populations experiencing health inequities in the county;(b)active,reserve,or retired armed services members; (c)the business community;or(d)the environmental public health regulated community. The following candidates(self-identifying by category)were interviewed: Janis Fisler(Consumer) Alexis"AJ"Hawkins(Consumer) George"Pat"Garrett(both categories) John Moffitt(both categories) Jane Guiltinan(Stakeholder) Brian Vervynck(Stakeholder) Amanda Funaro(Stakeholder) James Rotchford(Stakeholder) Respectfully submitted Page 2 of 3 G.Gilbert Subsequent q to the Q&A(which followed a consistent set of questions),an initial poll was taken in which each board member could vote for one candidate in each category. Voting results: AJ Hawkins(Consumer): voted for by board member(s)Brotherton,Dean,Eisenhour, Stearns, Westerman Amanda Funaro(as Consumer): Kolff,Wennstrom Amanda Funaro(as Stakeholder): Brotherton,Dean,Eisenhour, Stearns Jane Guiltinan(Stakeholder): Kolff, Wennstrom James Rotchford(Stakeholder): Westerman There being a majority of votes for one candidate in each category, following a brief discussion: Member Dean moved to appoint AJ Hawkins as the Consumer of Public Health and Amanda Funaro as Community Stakeholder to the Board of Health. Member Stearns seconded the motion,which carried by a unanimous vote. With the appointment of two new members of the Board,members Stearns and Westerman will retire from the Board. Concerning the appointment of a tribal representative to the board,Member Dean said she had been in touch with Vicki Lowe of the American Indian Health Commission("AIHC"),which is responsible for recruitment. Ms.Lowe informed all statewide commissioners that the appointment can be a slow process. It is not a"required"role,so boards that have not appointed tribal members are not non-compliant with HB 1152. Member Dean suggested two means of going forward:the Board could reach out to a particular tribe,or it could continue to wait for the AIHC(as recommended by the AIHC). Clallam County,with permission from the AIHC,reached out to individual tribes, encouraging them to apply for the available position on the Board. Dr. Berry volunteered to reach out to tribes,to encourage them to apply via the AIHC. This offer was supported by Board members. ACTIVITY UPDATE /// AGENDA PLANNING CALENDAR The Agenda Planning Meeting for the August Board meeting will be held on August 10,2022 at 1:00 p.m. The next Board of Health meeting will be held online as a virtual meeting on Thursday,August 18,2022 from 2:30 p.m.—4:30 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Chair Brotherton adjourned the July 21,2022 Jefferson County Board of Health meeting at 4:42 p.m. until the next Regular eeting or Special Meeting as properly noticed. JEFF COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH Greg Brotherton,Chair Glenn Gilbert,Public Health Assistant Respectfully submitted Page 3 of 3 G.Gilbert