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Home My WebLink About05 May JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES May 20, 1999 BOARD MEMBERS Dan Harpole, Member - County Commissioner District #1 Glen Huntingford, Member - County Commissioner District #2 Richard Wojt, Chairman - County Commissioner District #3 Geoffrey Masci, Member - Port Townsend City Council Jilt Buhler, Member - Hospital Commissioner District #2 Sheila Westerman, Member - Citizen at La>;ge (City) Roberta Frisselt, Vice-Chairman - Citizen at La>;ge (County) STAFF MEMBERS David Specter, Health Department Director Jean Baldwin, Nursing Services Director Larry Fay, Environmental Health Director Thomas Loclu, M.D., Health Officer Chairman W ojt called the meeting to order. All Board and staff members were present with the exception of Commissioner Harpole. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Member Masci moved to approve the minutes of April 15, 1999 as corrected (spelling of name clarified.) Commissioner Huntingford seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. PUBLIC COMMENT Barbara Blowers commented on the proposed Onsite Sewage Regulations. She is concerned that Jefferson County will adopt regulations that are different from the rest of Washington State. She feels that the amount of land required to install a septic system is too large. She will provide a report for the Health Board members at the next meeting. OLD BUSINESS COMMUNITY HEALTH REPORT CARD-UPDATE: David Specter reported that the Health Department has formed a task force that has been working on three (3) elements of the community health report card: 1. 2. 3. Trend Data: Chart & Graph Five (5) Questions What does it mean? Why is it important? How does Jefferson County compare to other Counties? What else do we know? What could make a difference? Letter Grade: A, B, C, D, F HEALTH BOARD MINUTES - MAY 20, 1999 Page: 2 Member Frissell asked on what basis will the letter grades be assigned? David Specter replied that the letter grades are not meant to be scientific, but a way to show trends in the community. The task force has identified seven (7) categories of indicators: 1. Employment/Income 2. AlcohollDrug 3. Health/Health Care Access 4. Housing 5. Education 6. Domestic Violence 7. Mental Health A final set of indicators will be selected at a joint meeting in August comprised of Board of Health Members and Hospital Commissioners. Jean Baldwin asked the Health Board members to let her know ifthere are any indicators that they feel are important which are not listed. Vice Chairman Frissell suggested that the grades be based on what the local community does with the data or perhaps how it compares to other counties in terms oftreatment, services, etc. David Specter handed out a development schedule for the final report card with an estimated distribution date of January, 2000. Discussion ensued regarding dates for ajoint meeting of the Health Board and Jefferson General Hospital Commissioners with the possibility of inviting the State Board of Health Secretary, Mary Selecky. David Specter will contact Mary Selecky regarding her schedule. OLDS PROJECT UPDATE: Jean Baldwin reported on the OLDS project designed to provide home visits to high risk expecting parent(s) and families. She said that the Maternity Support Teams will receive advanced training in Colorado and at the University of Washington. Jean Baldwin stated that high risk families who receive home visits through the OLDS Program save taxpayers approximately $30,000 to $40,000 per family. The goal is to continue to aim an intensive program at the higher risk families and offer some services to lower risk families. Jefferson County was only one of a few Counties chosen to participate in this project. Jean Baldwin said that the State is asking the Counties to provide accountability studies and report their findings to other maternity support staffs. She reported that a small grant was awarded from the March of Dimes; funding from the network will be applied for; and she is working on a statewide committee to locate additional funds. NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAM: Dr. Tom Locke reported that there is a growing need for a needle exchange program due to a clause in the pharmacy laws. The clause states that pharmacists only give needles for the legal use intended. Recently the State Board of Pharmacy passed a resolution that says distributing needles for purposes of controlling communicable disease transmission is a legal use of a syringe. HEALTH BOARD MINUTES - MAY 20,1999 Page: 3 Dr. Locke stated that there are three ways for needles to be legally distributed: 1) Pharmacies can give out needles under the interpretation of the law; 2) The Brockett Decision grants local Boards of Health, through the Health Officer, permission to distribute needles for a legitimate public health reason or a public health emergency; 3) Under the same law that prohibits distribution of drug paraphernalia, a new clause was added in 1999, which states, "nothing in this subsection prohibits legal distribution of injection syringe equipment through public health and community based HIV prevention programs." Chairman W ojt asked that if needles are purchased at a co-op or veterinarian office, is it presumed they are going to be used on animals? Dr. Locke replied that the laws regarding the sale of syringes are not specific to pharmacists. Retailers fall under the same law. Dr. Locke said that last year congress voted to prohibit any kind offederal funding for needle exchange programs. A bill has been introduced to add the word "Indirect" which would prohibit all public agencies from being involved in a needle exchange program. Discussion continued regarding the need for an exchange program in Jefferson County. Dr. Locke said from the research conducted there are two conclusions: 1) Restricting access to needles promotes disease transmission; and 2) Needle exchange programs discourage disease transmission, while not increasing substance abuse. Dr. Locke stated that the cost of a needle exchange program is a factor for Counties when considering adopting a program. King County spends approximately one million dollars a year on a needle exchange program. Dr. Locke said the next step is determining if there is a problem locally, specifically for pharmacists and veterinary supplies. Member Westerman asked how that would be determined? Jean Baldwin said she will survey local pharmacists regarding the current situation on the sale of needles. TOBACCO FORUM: David Specter updated the Board on the tobacco forum held last week. The forum is funded by a program called the American Stop Smoking Intervention STudy (ASSIST). Jefferson County is one of 18 counties awarded funding on an ongoing basis for tobacco coalition support. Jean Baldwin reported that Jefferson County receives $3,000 from Washington State Department of Health for Youth Prevention. Vice Chairman Frissell stated that if any funds are available for anti -smoking commercials, she has access to an award winning anti-smoking commercial done for the American Cancer Society. Chairman Wojt said it could be shown on Channel 42 at no charge. ACCESS GROUP: Member Buhler updated the Board on access issues and goals the Access Group has identified. The Access Group is made up oflocal physicians, medical community members, and representatives from the Health Department, Community Action Council and Jefferson County M.A.S.H. HEALTH BOARD MINUTES - MAY 20,1999 Page: 4 Member Buhler discussed the solutions and goals of the nine major issues (see handout) the group identified. Member Masci pointed out that issues such as alternative medicine are not listed. Member Buhler said that the Access group has had only one meeting and these items were the first of many problems to be worked on. Commissioner Huntingford noted that out of 58 nurses, only 4 work full time. He thinks the Health Department is providing the service that needs to be provided, however, he feels it makes)t difficult to manage, and creates staffing problems. Member Buhler stated that the Access Group is looking into effective ways to address staffing needs. ONSITE SEWAGE REGULATION REVISIONS BRIEFING: Due to time constraints, the Board concurred to hold a workshop concerning Onsite Sewage Regulations revisions on Tuesday, May 25, 1999 at 6 p.m. at the Health Department. AGENDA/CALENDAR: The June Health Board meeting was canceled due to a majority of the Health Board members attending a WSAC conference in Chelan. Meeting adjourned. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, July 15, 1999 at 2:30 p.m. y .r0AR~ltE~. .H '/~7' 17t/1! . . " ,/'~ ....//~./<-- ---.- / r-J! an Jill Buhler, Member 5t~L,~ u,~ ~4u~ Sheila Westerman, Member , (Excused Absence) Dan Harpole, Member