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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOH minutes 012507MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 25, 2007 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 1 January 25, 2007 ORANGE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT: To enhance the quality of life, promote the health, and preserve the environment for all people in the Orange County community. THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MET ON January 25, 2007 at the Government Services Center, Hillsborough, North Carolina. BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS PRESENT: Matt Vizithum, Chair; Chris Harlan, Vice-Chair; Jessica Lee; Moses Carey, Jr.; DeWana Anderson; Tim Carey; Jim Stefanadis; Anissa Vines; Ernie Dodson; Sharon Van Horn BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS ABSENT: Sharon Freeland; meeting conflict STAFF PRESENT: Rosemary Summers, Health Director; Wayne Sherman, Personal Health Services Division Director; Tom Konsler, Environmental Health Services Division Director; Donna King, Health Promotion and Education Services Division Director; Anne Miles Cassell, Administrative Assistant; Angela Cooke, Dental Health Services Division Director; Leticia Burns, Central Administrative Services Business Director GUESTS PRESENT: Ann Purcell, Orange County School System I. Welcome and Introductions Matt Vizithum called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. II. Orientation Session: Understanding the Work of the Board of Health Required of all members for accreditation Rosemary Summers gave a slide presentation that focused on the achievements of public health during the last century. III. Approval of January 25, 2007 Agenda The motion to approve the Agenda of January 25, 2007, was made by Tim Carey, seconded by Jim Stefanadis, and carried without dissent. IV. Public Comment for Items NOT on Printed Agenda None V. Action Items on CONSENT Agenda A. Minutes approval of December 14, 2006 meeting. Motion to approve the minutes of December 14, 2006 was made by Tim Carey, seconded by Jim Stefanadis, and carried without dissent. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 25, 2007 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 2 January 25, 2007 VI. Reports and Discussion with Possible Action A. School Based Health Center Presentation Rosemary Summers gave a presentation on the topic in the absence of Dr. Shirley Caraway, Superintendent. Anne Purcell, Director of Student Services, from the Superintendent’s office was present to answer questions from the Board. At the request of the Orange County School Superintendent, Wayne Sherman and Rosemary Summers have been meeting with a group of Orange County School staff and other community agencies to explore the possibilities of starting a school based health center in the Orange County School District. Anne Purcell provided some background information on this project noting that School Health Advisory Task Force or Council would be formed to provide direction for this project. A special Task Force or Council would be comprised of school board representatives, school staff and administrators, local physician, county agencies, community members and parents. Sharon Van Horn volunteered to be on the advisory committee for the Board of Health. This would be a planning year. The District has received a small planning grant that will help the group get started. There is a direct link between students’ physical and mental health and their academic success. Healthy students have better attendance, learn better, are more academically successful, more likely to graduate, and are better able to make a smooth transition to young adulthood. Tim Carey noted the increasing need for availability of mental health services to adolescents and inquired if mental health services were included in the services under consideration. The working concept is to have a single place where students feel comfortable receiving services. Motion to support the School Based Health Center planning year was made by Jim Stefanadis, seconded by Sharon Van Horn, and carried without dissent. B. 2007 Board Committee Charges and Assignments The Board’s Operating Procedures call for an annual review of standing committee charges and member assignments. The charges are similar to that approved last year. Staff has made an attempt to even out committee assignments to ensure that all areas of the department have adequate Board input. It is anticipated that committees will meet every other month at a mutually agreed upon time and place as business dictates. Motion to approve the 2007 Committee Charges and Assignments as presented was made by Chris Harlan, seconded by Jessica Lee, and carried without dissent. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 25, 2007 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 3 January 25, 2007 C. Space Study/Facility Information At the November meeting, the Board discussed the Space Study Report and Recommendations that were presented to Commissioners by County staff. There was a great deal of concern expressed by Board members about the recommendation for a single clinical site at SHSC. Since that meeting the Health Department staff has been working with state consultants on alternative scenarios for current and future clinical needs. A report was distributed to Board members detailing the assumptions and associated space and staffing needs for the personal health and dental health clinical functions if a single facility or two facilities are considered. Moses Carey, Jr. advised the Board to compare the report to the Space Needs Report that was given to the Board of County Commissioners in the fall and to advise the Commissioners of their preferences for facilities. Many Board members preferred a new single centrally located site to house both the dental and healthcare clinics. However, when the issue of accessibility to care was raised, it was felt that clients in the northern part of the county would have more difficulty accessing care than those in the southern part of the county. There was a great deal of discussion about what the county could “afford” versus what was needed for safety net services. The Board agreed that it was the Board’s responsibility to present what is needed and not to make assumptions about affordability. The consensus of the Board was that two full-time dental and personal health clinics are needed, co-located at each end of the county. However if Commissioners feel that is not possible a single, larger dental facility should be located in the northern part of the county. Medical facilities should remain at both locations. Either scenario will need additional dental staff to accommodate the needs of the population. It was felt that there existed more alternative sources for dental care in the Chapel Hill area. A single dental clinic would optimize efficiency by utilizing current staff and operating 4.5 days per week. Currently the dental clinic at Carr Mill Mall operates 2 days per week and the Hillsborough clinic operates 2.5 days per week. D. Proposal for Loan Repayment Program The Health Department has had difficulty recruiting and retaining dental and medical professionals over the years. The difficulties can be attributed to salary level, professional shortage, and private market conditions. The most recent difficulties that the department experienced were in recruiting a dentist and a dental assistant. The department recruited multiple times for nearly a year before being able to make an offer to a dentist. The dentist accepted another offer made locally that assured a higher salary and a loan repayment option. North Carolina has some additional recruitment barriers for dentists in the limited availability of licensure by credentials for dentists with valid licenses in other states. In an effort to offer a more attractive package, the Department explored the MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 25, 2007 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 4 January 25, 2007 options associated with various loan repayment programs currently being offered at the state and/or federal levels. Because Orange County has a medical and dental school located in the county, the county does not qualify for federal or state funding to offer this reimbursement for new hires. Dr. Christine Lathren, a Preventive Medicine Fellow on assignment with the Department conducted a special research project that outlines various loan repayment options across the country. Staff met with the Personnel Director and the County Attorney to discuss a draft proposal to develop a local loan repayment program that would be available for “hard to recruit” professionals and they were receptive to the concept. The County Attorney advised that this should be a part of the overall county personnel ordinance in order to assure fairness to all county employees. The Personnel Director will be drafting an amendment to the ordinance for consideration by county commissioners. Staff is proposing that the department’s annual Medicaid cost settlement funds received for dental services be delegated/used for the purposes of this loan repayment program. Cost settlement funds vary in amount according to the costs and numbers of services provided in programs that earned Medicaid revenues in a previous year (we received funds in mid-2006 for services rendered in 2004-2005). Generally the Department receives between $7000 and $11,000 each year for the Dental Health Program. This would enable the Department to fund one position’s loan repayment amount annually. Staff is currently in discussions with the Finance and Budget Departments to ensure that this is procedurally possible as well. Board members suggested a verification of debt requirement be included in the policy. Motion to approve and forward the proposal to the Board of Commissioners for action was made by Tim Carey, seconded by Ernie Dobson, and carried without dissent. E. Water Resources Update: Jessica Lee and Matt Vizithum The joint committee composed of three Board of Health and three Commission for the Environment designees have met three times with Andy Sachs from the Dispute Settlement Center. The last meeting was held January 18. Jessica Lee reported to the Board that no agreement has been reached and that limited progress had been made. Each group developed a separate job description. A final report will be sent to the County Commissioners by the Manager. The Facilitator’s Report should be available by the next meeting. F. Comprehensive Plan Update: Ernie Dodson Ernie Dodson attended the initial meeting of the Planning Board’s kick off for Board liaisons for the Comprehensive Land Use Plan development. The purpose of the Plan is to guide growth and development in the County through 2030. Although the Board of Health is not responsible for a particular element, there were several areas of interest that the Board was able to offer comments for consideration. The Board of Health has been designated as a Liaison to four advisory boards under this plan; Data Element (County MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 25, 2007 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 5 January 25, 2007 Profile), Land Use, Natural and Cultural Systems, and Services and Community Facilities. Mr. Dodson distributed a detailed report to the Board covering Comprehensive Plan Update and Process and timetable. It was suggested that a Board liaison be appointed or delegated to each element. It was suggested that the Environmental, QA, and Preparedness Committee take this on. No decisions were made. G. Informational Items 1. Quarterly Financial Report: Letitia Burns Letitia Burns, Administrative Officer, provided the Board with a Quarterly Financial Report for the quarter ending December 2006. 2. “Yogurt Project”: Wayne Sherman Wayne Sherman reported that the Department would support a program with UNC Department of Maternal and Child Health to study the benefits of probiotic products for children’s health and reducing absenteeism. Research has shown positive effects of taking probiotic products in preventing diarrhea, alleviating lactose intolerance symptoms, and treating acute diarrhea, and pouchitis. The use of probiotics is new to the U.S. pediatric population although it has been used for some time in most other Western countries. The Department’s role will be minimal. We will furnish a space for the project to locate a refrigerator to store the yogurt that the research staff will distribute to childcare centers. After the project is over the Department will keep the refrigerator. 3. Board Educational Schedule: Rosemary Summers A schedule of 2007 educational topics was provided to Board members. 4. 2006 State of the County Health Report: Donna King In a review of current health data by the State Center for Health Statistics on Orange County it is clear that Orange County remains one of the healthiest overall in the State of North Carolina. In 10 of the 16 key health indicators over the past 15 years, rates of death or other factors have decreased in Orange County and are lower than at the state level. Orange County has already achieved the Healthy Carolinians 2010 goal to reduce deaths due to heart disease. Disparities remain however. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) shows that the number of Orange County residents that are overweight has increased to 32.2% in 2005 and the number of obese residents is up to 19.4%. The rates have been steadily increasing about 1% per year since 2002. The combined total of overweight and MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 25, 2007 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 6 January 25, 2007 obese persons is now at 51.6%. This is one of the lowest rates in the state with some counties having as many as 60% or more. This report is required annually by the state. The data is used by many agencies in preparing grant applications. H. Tracking Form Review The purpose of the tracking form is to help Board members identify upcoming agenda items. Several items were delayed until February. The following items will be scheduled for the February agenda: Strategic Plan Annual Review; Operating Procedures for the BOH; Preview of New Positions and Capital Requests for 2007-2008 Budget. V. Board Comments/Announcements None VI. Adjournment Motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 pm was made by Jim Stefanadis, seconded by Chris Harlan, and carried without dissent. The next Board of Health meeting will be held on February 22, 2007 at the Southern Human Services Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina at 7:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Rosemary L. Summers, MPH, DrPH Health Director Secretary to the Board