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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12 December County Health & Human Services HEALTH BOARD MINUTES December 22, 1994 BOARD MEMBERS: STAFF MEMBERS Robert Hinton, Chairman Richard W ojt, Member Glen Huntingford, Member David Specter, Health Department Director Jean Baldwin, Director of Nursing Services Larry Fay, Director of Environmental Health J. Peter Geerlofs, M.D., Health Officer Chester Prudhomme, Director of Substance Abuse CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND REPRESENTATIVE: Bob Sokol The meeting was called to order by Chairman Robert Hinton. The following Board and staff members were present: Commissioner Glen Huntingford, Commissioner Richard Wojt, Larry Fay, David Specter, Jean Baldwin, Chester Prudhomme, and Judy Morris. Bob Sokol and Peter Geerlofs were not present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Commissioner Huntingford moved to approve the minutes of November 22, 1994 as presented. Chairman Hinton seconded the motion. The motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: There were no public comments. DIRECTOR'S REPORT FINANCIAL REPORT: David Specter reported that 92.9% of the budget has been expended and 91.3 % of budgeted revenues have been collected as of November 30, 1994. At year end expenses will be over the budget projection, however, it is expected that enough revenue will come in to offset the overage. PROGRAMS/GRANTS UPDATE: David Specter stated that the State Department of Health has $200,000 in funding available to assist local Health Departments with updating their computer capabilities such as data analysis, assessment and tracking. A proposal has been to submitted to the State requesting a portion of that funding. The goal is to link local Health Departments to each other and to statewide and national databases. HEALTH DEPARTMENT 206/385-9400 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 206/385.9444 DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 206/385-9400 ALCOHOWDRUG ABUSE CENTER 206/385-0650 FAX 206/385-9401 HEALTH BOARD MINUTES - DECEMBER 22,1994 Page 2 PUBLIC HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN: It is unknown what implications this plan will have on the Health Department. David Specter encouraged the Board to review the executive summary of the plan. The document outlines 88 public health core function capacity standards. These are functions that local Health Departments and the State Department of Health need to be performing to establish a public health infrastructure. When the State passed the Health Reform Act it was decided that not only would health insurance be reformed but changes would be made to improve public health using the core functions: prevention; promotion; and assessment. The plan will be implemented through the contract with the State Department of Health in 1997. A local management team has been formed to review the plan and the impacts it will have on the Health Department. The State Department of Health is paying for core function training of 18 Health Department employees. The 4 days of training will take place over a period of 8 months. David Specter stated the 1995 budget reflects an increase in training to compensate for the down time while these employees are away. David Specter reported he has been asked to join the Port Townsend School District Long Range Planning Committee to help them define their role in dealing with health issues related to students. He has also been asked to serve on the Hospital's Long Range Planning Committee to define their role and address the needs of the community. NURSING DIRECTOR'S REPORT In response to a question from Commissioner Wojt regarding services provided by the Health Department duplicating and competing with those of the private sector, Jean Baldwin stated that one program is now gone as a result of such competition and as of January 1, 1994 the Health Department will no longer be providing the Well-child program. As a result of health care reform, Medicaid eligibility was increased effective July 1, 1994. Only one-quarter of the children in the State have actually received insurance coverage. A large amount of individuals who do not have health insurance for their children are now eligible for it through Medicaid but they don't know it. The Health Department is doing everything they can to inform and educate the public on what is available to them. Discontinuing this program was a very difficult decision to make, but now that insurance is available and there is a~cess to physicians, the Health Department can no longer afford to provide these servIces. There are no other nursing programs that are duplicated in the private sector. The State realizes that private physicians do not want to take on services that lose money. Therefore certain programs such as HIV, TB, and STD prevention, Family Planning, and immunizations, are not included in basic health packages and will be funded with the aid of State and Federal Governments. Jean Baldwin added that the Health Department will continue going to Quilcene/Brinnon once a month to provide services on a out-clinic basis because the area has very poor access to health care and poor utilization of the Well-child program and immunizations. It is hoped that the new hospital/clinic will open soon in that area. Regardless of whether it does or not, the Health Department will still abandon the Well-child program. HIV/AIDS COMMUNITY PLAN: Jean Baldwin reported that the Columbia Olympic Aids Service Task Force (COAST) is a community non-profit group that is working on a community plan. The Health Department is Joining Kitsap and Clallam County Health Departments in a group called the Bridge Consortium. Jefferson County will receive a small amount of funding that will go to Kitsap County to pay for a staff person to come here to provide HIV training. HEALTH BOARD MINUTES - DECEMBER 22, 1994 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR'S REPORT Page 3 , Larry Fay reported that last year a Food Service Advi.sol)' Committee was esta?l~shed to get input on the food program to enhance the level of samtatlon and to develop policIes. Some good suggestions have come from this committee. The committee would like to see some recognition of food service establishments that are doing a good job. Environmental Health Specialist Gwen Howard has been working with the committee to establish sanitation criteria for food service establishments and a certificate for outstanding achievement that would go to those establishments that have met the criteria throughout a period of one year. Larry Fay will be doing a presentation during the next Health Board meeting in January. He stated that there are approximately 15 establishments that have met the criteria. Larry Fay added that the Health Department has had some problems with one food service establishment and after inviting the owner to attend the meetings of the Food Service Advisory Committee, the performance of this particular establishment has improved considerably since the owner was given the opportunity to discuss and compare ideas with other individuals in the food service business. There is a workshop scheduled for Thursday, January 12, 1994 to discuss the draft Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO). Larry Fay reported that two Environmental Health employees attended a National conference on onsite sewage systems. The Health Department will be reviewing the research and information that was presented at the conference and comparing it to a critical analysis of the density provision of the CAO in order to make a recommendation from a public health standpoint. Commissioner Huntingford asked about the cost of implementation? Larry Fay answered that the density and onsite sewage sections are policies so there is not a lot of costs involved in the implementation. The Health Department needs to review the existing list of approved technology and make a decision on what constitutes best available alternative technology. Again there are not many costs involved. This review also ties in with the Coordinated Water System Plan which involves making recommendations on individual wells after properties have gone through a utility service review procedure. Larry Fay stated there has been some discussion in the past regarding the Health Department approving well sites. There may be some funding available through the Department of Ecology to assist in establishing some type of system to do this. DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE DIRECTOR'S REPORT Chester Prudhomme reported that he attended a meeting of the Port Townsend City Council on December 5, 1994 to discuss the funding that the City is withholding from the Health Department for drug and alcohol abuse services. It appears that there was some misunderstanding. There are ongoing negotiations between the City and County regarding recreation services that the City is taking over. The local paper labeled this funding as a "bargaining chip" in these negotiations. Chester Prudhomme stated the problem is that the $12,500 that has been available for these programs and services in the past is no longer available and will have an impact on the services provided. Chester Prudhomme added that the City Council members were very apologetic for not providing the funding, but they still want to wait to see what the County is going to do during their negotiations with them. The City Council members stated they will revisit the issue some time next year. HEALTH BOARD MINUTES - DECEMBER 22, 1994 Page 4 . . At the meeting, City Council member Bob Sokol made a motion to give the Health Department the funding. The motion was seconded, but voted down. The money is there. The City is not questioning the drug and alcohol abuse services, they are questioning the overall system that brings the City and County together with regard to shared funding of certain programs. Commissioner Hinton asked if the Teen Center is a reward for school drop-outs, and if so, he is concerned about the County funding such a facility? Jean Baldwin stated the Teen Center is not open during school hours. Chester Prudhomme added that kids will be drop- outs whether there is a place for them to go or not. The Teen Center was a response to the complaints of the business owners in Hadlock. It has been his observation that most of the teens that go there are kids in school but have no place to go after school because of absentee parents or parents who do not have good parenting skills. Larry Fay stated Celia Kadushin will be resigning the first week of February. The Health Department will be advertising for her replacement. The next meeting will be held on January 24, 1995 at 1:30 p.m. MEETING ADJOURNED NOTICE CJifXliGE IN HEALTH BOARD MF;l!T!"'O Q~TE The Jefferson' CountY Board of Heallh.WilI"meeiing on Thu!'Sday, ~mber2l!. 1911<11l1J;30p,I1).~tthe CO!lQho!lll!l. .In. ,.the.. CqUJ'lcly ~~'C~mPll(l!, 1111~OOr, 1820JeffersonStl'eeI. PMTown~, WA 98368. ~ mQl1I".tilltr~at 1iooeeule lor Ih~meettngwiUl!ere$Ulll9(\,which is lhelourth Tueac;lay 01 ~ 'lIonth'at l;aQ.p.'lI.. '.' .,' ..... '... JellersonCC!lintY~. ol'~1\h 8oQl!r1t1inlon, Chairman J 0041 ~14 Affidavit of Publication STATE OF W ASIllNGTON) SS COUNTY OF JEFFERSON) FRANK W, GARRED. being sworn. says be is the publisber of the Port Townsend Jefferson County Leader. a weekly newspaper wbicb bas been established. publisbed in the English language and circulated continuously as a weekly newspaper in the town of Port Townsend in said County and State, and for general circulation in said county for more than six (6) months prior to the date of the flrstpublication of the Notice hereto attached, and thatthe said PortTownsend Jefferson County Leader was on the 27th day of June 1941 approved as a legal newspaper by the Superior Court of said Jefferson County and that annexed is. a troe copy of the Health Board Meeting Date Change as it appeared in the regular and entire issue of said paper itself not in a supplement thereof for a period of one consecutive weeks. beginning on the 14 th dayof December .19..2.!.. and ending on the 14th day of December .192i-.and that said newspaper was regularly distributed to its subscrib. ers during all of this period. That the full amount of $14 . 00 bas been paid in full. attberateofS7,80 ($7.00 for legal notices received electronically. modem or disk) per column ine or eacb insertio ~~ Publisher Suhscrihed and sworn to before irte..this 14t.h day of December ~ .19 94, C' /. . ,. '/,}( Notary ~blic:r(~~;;~;S~:~;v{:'~~;;o;: 1!(' ~; /residing at Port Hadlock. Please Bill: Publish: December 14, 1994 Jefferson County commissioners P.o. Box 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368 NOTICE CHANGE IN HEALTH BOARD MEETING DATE The Jefferson County Board of Health will be meeting on Thursday, December 22, 1994 at 1:30 p.m. at the Courthouse in the County Commissioners' Chambers, 1st floor, 1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368. Next month the regular schedule for this meeting will be resumed, which is the fourth Tuesday of each month at. 1:30 p.m. "'. -----.~ -....' ..l____. Rober., inton, Chairman Jefferso County Board of Health