HomeMy WebLinkAbout032105 Retreat Notes
JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH
2005 Retreat - Notes
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Board Members:
Phil Johnson, Member - County Commissioner District #1
David Sullivan, V't-e Chairman - County Commissioner District #2
Pat Rodgers, Member - County Commissioner Distzict #3
Geoffrey Mas<;, Chairman - Port Townsend City Council
Jill Buhler, Member. Hospital Commissioner Distzict #2
Sheila Westerman, Member- Citizen at Ult;ge (City)
Roberta Fnsse!1, Member - Citizen at Large (County)
Sta(fMembers:
Jean Baldwin, Health & Human Services Director
Mike McNickle, Environmental Health Director
Julia Danskin, Nursing Services Director
Thomas Lacke, MD, Health Officer
Board members present were Phil Johnson, David Sullivan, Pat Rodgers, GeoffMasci, Jill
Buehler, Sheila Westerman and Roberta Frissell, Staff members in attendance were John
Fischbach, Tom Locke, Jean Baldwin, Mike McNickle, Julia Danskin and Veronica Morris-
Nakano. There was a quorum.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
. Mission and name of agency: "Jefferson County Health and Human Services" is not
necessarily recognizable as the name for public health services. The mission statement was
also reviewed. Suggested by Board for staff to return at next meeting with name and mission
revised and to come forward with suggestions for adoption.
. 2004 Performance Measures: reviewed end-of-year summary of all HHS Board of Health
reporting programs. Discussion followed on if we are measuring the right things; can we
measure outcomes and not just activities; can we move toward measuring public health value
to the community and the individual- if not, at what point do we look at discontinuing
programs. Benefit is thought to be invisible yet performance measures continue to look at
services being provided towards a goal, so we might want to talk about redefining the goals
more. There was also discussion about best practices and measuring best practices.
. The invisible messages of public health: the need to increase marketing and get the
community to appreciate services and there was a need for an ongoing outreach to keep
people interested in public health. There was discussion about press releases, web sites and
entire issues of communication. Also feedback forms following up from customers so that
positive and negative feedback could be heard and acted on.
HEALTH BOARD RETREAT NOTES - April 21, 2005
Page: 2
. General Fund & Jefferson County HHS programs: how each program met the Public
Health standards and what percent each program's expense is funded by County general
fund. This graph allows all to see the cost of each program and how much general fund
money supports the five key areas. The actual dollar amounts of general fund are available
and will be provided at the June meeting.
PRIORITIZATION
The Board discussed prioritization (notes were made onto a flip chart). Themes included:
. Statewide funding of public health as a system: issues that this Board needed to address
were policy making and having the budget conform to policy.
. Family planning and environmental health are big issues for Board in times of decreased
revenue and increased demand. Public health staff may need to be more vocal to promote
public health.
. Communicating with the public and staff to show support - maybe an annual newsletter
in order to educate the public.
. Safety of staff and looking at the most impact for and benefit for the limited resources.
. Best practices and retaining best practices for long-term benefit. i.e. Best Beginnings, Big
BrotherslBig Sisters, Project Alert, Peer-in and other programs.
. Substance abuse prevention.
. Community needs; health access and senior health issues should be addressed by the
BOH throughout the year - these are health impacts to citizens.
. Prevention and community marketing remained consistent themes.
. There was support to continue with direct services.
. Work force development and retention. There was concern about infrastructure and
maintaining workforce.
. Public health standards - after the State finishes the report it will come back to the BOH.
. Safety and the Latimore report - threat and violence and how to train staff; involving staff
in communication; having a zero tolerance with the BOCC support and some type of
statement; a need for systems change around weapons, but since that may be impossible
there's a need for ongoing discussion about safety training for people as they work in the
field, the buildings or other places.
. Substance abuse - the State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse contracted
formerly with the County for treatment and prevention services. Now that treatment
services are privatized, a Commissioner thought that planning for prevention and
treatment are not aligned in the community. The Substance Abuse Board is currently
providing advise to the Commissioners on substance abuse treatment and prevention yet
few of them attend the BOH or know about the other prevention services going on in the
community under the BOH direction, either in JCHHS or other community services
through funding that comes through JCHHS. There was a minimum amount of discussion
to actually look at the substance abuse RCW, meet with David Alvarez and see if the
HEALTH BOARD RETREAT NOTES - April 21, 2005
Page: 3
Substance Abuse Board as it currently stands appointed by the Commissioners, is the
appropriate way to handle and ongoing community health problem.
. Emergency preparedness was briefly discussed, reviewing the 3 day activation of the
joint Emergency Operation Center and JCHHS Emergency Coordination Center to
combat an infectious disease.
Discussion was tabled for another meeting to talk about the legal powers and duties of BOH and
assessment capacity for JCHHS.
JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH
~1 ~? j?//
~'
Commis i~~van, Vice-Chairman
,
,- L)~l, \J___ \.\_ ( '~"v \'...-'
Roberta Frissell, Member
~~
Patrick M. Rodgers, Member
Sheila Westerman, Member
tJ7)l~
Phil JOhnso(1~ember
;
,