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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOH minutes 030404MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH March 4, 2004 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 1 March 4, 2004 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 March 4, 2004 at the Government Services Center, Hillsborough, North Carolina. BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS PRESENT: Alice White, Chair; Alan Rimer, Vice-Chair; Tim Carey; Chris Harlan; Jessica Lee; Sharon Van Horn; Lee Werley BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS ABSENT: Moses Carey, Jr. due to a conflict with BOCC meeting; Matt Vizithum; Kate Wilder STAFF PRESENT: Rosemary Summers, Health Director; Letitia Burns, Central Administrative Services Division Director; Wayne Sherman, Personal Health Services Division Director; Angela Cooke, Dental Health Services Division Director; Ron Holdway, Environmental Health Services Division Director; John Sauls, Animal Control Services Division Director; Anne Miles Cassell, Administrative Assistant GUESTS PRESENT: Ginger Thompson Guidry, UNC School of Public Health I. Welcome and Introductions Due to inclement weather, the regularly scheduled Board of Health February 26, 2004 meeting was rescheduled for March 4, 2004. Alice White called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. and introduced the guest present. II. Approval of March 4, 2004 Agenda Several changes were made to the original February 26, 2004 agenda under “V. Reports and Discussion with Possible Action” due to rescheduling conflicts with presenters. The motion to approve the Agenda of March 4, 2004 was made by Alan Rimer, seconded by Jessica Lee, and carried without dissent. III. Public Comment for Items NOT on Printed Agenda None IV. Action Items on CONSENT Agenda A. Minutes approval of January 22, 2004 meeting. B. Fee and Eligibility Policies In fall of 2003, the PHEADS committee reviewed a Dental Cost Study to determine the percent of cost recovery from fees. A larger discussion ensued relative to fees resulting in a reassessment of OCHD’s Eligibility and Fee Policy. Staff attended a State sponsored workshop in the Fall regarding establishing Eligibility and Fee policies and used the information from that workshop to make recommendations to update our current policy. The PHEADS committee also discussed and recommended a method for the Health Director t o adjust fees annually (Section III.G.) MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH March 4, 2004 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 2 March 4, 2004 The recommended revisions to the Eligibility and Fee Policy were presented to the Board for approval. C. Dental Clinical Services Fees At the July 24, 2003 Board of Health meeting, the Dental Cost Study was presented for review and approval. It was determined, from the activity based cost study that certain dental fees need to be increased. At that time, the Board of Health’s recommendation was for staff to determine a cost recovery procedure that would be applied to the dental cost study. The Health Director along with staff and the county Budget office recommendation is for a 75% cost recovery for clinic fees for several that are treatment related. The Board was given a list of dental fees to be increased to the 75% level and preventive services that need to be increased to the 60% level. Preventive services were only increased to the 60% level, which were more in line with the market value and wee judged not to present a barrier to seeking services. The Board was asked to approve the increase in dental fees effective with the 2004-05 budget. D. Additional Immunization Funds The Health Department was notified that additional one-time funds in the amount of $2,259 are available for the immunization program. Staff is recommending utilizing the funds to replace the commercial refrigerators at both locations. The refrigerators were purchased when Southern Human Services Center opened in 1998. The old refrigerators will first be offered internally for use, then to the animal shelter for their use if no one internally needs them. The Board was asked to accept the one-time immunization funds from the state and to authorize the expenditure of the funds for the purchase of equipment and/or supplies for the immunization program and to forward this recommendation to the Board of Commissioners. Motion to approve the minutes of January 22, 2004 and items on the Consent Agenda was made by Lee Werley, seconded by Alan Rimer, and carried without dissent. V. Reports and Discussion with Possible Action A. Water Quality Discussion The Board of Commissioners established the Commission for the Environment (CFE) in 1999. It annually produces a “State of the Environment Report” that outlines progress toward environmental goals that the Commission establishes and advocates for. One area that is being presented by the Commission for the Environment to the Commissioners is establishment of a Water Resources Initiative and a position associated with this initiative. The CFE presented this to the Commissioners at their annual planning retreat at the end of January. Commissioner Jacobs requested that the CFE discuss this proposal with the Board MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH March 4, 2004 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 3 March 4, 2004 of Health since the Board has proposed environmental education in the past as well and has expressed interest and concern over water quality issues for many years. The CFE has also looked at issues of air quality, greenhouse emission standards, exhaust from cars coming through, and what can be done to improve the air quality. Orange County is in one of the high ozone areas in the state. Included for the Board’s review was the last educational plan that was presented to commissioners in 2000-2001 from the Health Department and not funded. This plan has been updated to include an environmental education component for local residents who have both septic tanks and wells. Alan Rimer suggested that the Board of Health establish where the Board stands on whether this position belongs in the Environment and Resource Conservation Department or Health Department. Alan recommended this issue be put on the agenda for discussion at the next ACEH meeting and a recommendation presented at the March Board of Health Meeting. B. Oak Grove Community Biosolids Update Ron Holdway reported that staff has been working with the Oak Grove Community to facilitate answers to their questions regarding biosolids and whether they pose a health risk to the community. Environmental health has conducted water sampling of individual wells in the community at owner’s requests and OWASA has cooperated by conducting surface water analysis as well. The biosolids are from the city of Burlington. The area lies within one-half mile of the Cane Creek watershed. A meeting was held by local residents and attended by Ron Holdway of the Environmental Health Services Division of the Orange County Health Department, representatives of the City of Burlington, OWASA, and the State. The biosolids application is contracted out to a private company who also was represented. The Health Department offered to do a water quality study in that immediate area as well as surface water. Dr. Summers has contacted the North Carolina Cancer Registry and they have agreed to consider doing a statistical or GIS study of the area the Department is awaiting. Alan Rimer reported that all biosolids face rigorous state mandated testing on a daily basis and especially prior to land application for heavy metals and other harmful contaminants. Board members agreed to formulate their recommendations on biosolids application standards for the county and forward this as a decision to the Division of Water Quality and the EPA or forward the same recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners and ask that the Commissioners join the Board of Health in advocating for those things to happen. C. Board Vacancy The Board currently has a vacancy in an at-large position. The Nominating Committee met with two highly qualified candidates last week to prepare to make a recommendation on one of these individuals to be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners for consideration. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH March 4, 2004 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 4 March 4, 2004 After further discussion, Board members recommended Reverend Sharon Freeland for the at -large position. The Board directed the Health Director to contact Reverend Freeland and reaffirm her interest in serving on the Board prior to submission of her name to the Commissioners. Motion to forward the recommendation of Reverend Sharon Freeland for the at- large Board of Health position to the Board of County Commissioners for consideration was made by Alan Rimer, seconded by Tim Carey, and carried without dissent. D. Animal Services Task Force Report The Animal Services Task Force has met three times to date. Dr. Wilder is the Board’s representative on the task force. John Sauls provided the Board with an update draft of the options discussed by the task force in Dr. Wilder’s absence and requested the Board’s direction for further input to the task force. The next meeting of the task force will be March 23, 2004. The Board of County Commissioners will hold a “listening session” on March 17, 2004 at Southern Human Services Center from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. This will precede the final task force meeting on the 23rd for this first section, the management and structure, a report that is due to the Commissioners in April. Additional meetings will be scheduled after April. E. Joint BOCC/BOH Meeting Topics The joint BOH/BOCC meeting has been scheduled as a dinner meeting on April 1, 2004 at the Government Services Center. The meeting and dinner will begin at 5:30. Commissioners have a work session scheduled for 7:30 and have a full agenda for that evening. Suggested topics for discussion include: • Primary care program at the health department (completes one of our strategic plan high priorities) • Community health assessment results and priority areas chosen by the community • Public Health Task Force 2004 Recommendations • Non-regulatory educational programs Board members agreed that the topics be limited to the listed suggestions due to time constraints of the commissioners. F. UNC Norovirus Outbreak Final Report A report of the details of the outbreak that occurred in January was given to the Board for review. The NC Communicable Disease Branch requires health departments to submit a final report at the end of an outbreak that details the public health investigation and actions. VI. Board Comments/Announcements None MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH March 4, 2004 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 5 March 4, 2004 VII. Adjournment Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Alan Rimer, seconded by Jessica Lee, and carried without dissent. The next Board of Health meeting will be held on March 25, 2004 at the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina at 7:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Rosemary L. Summers, MPH, DrPH Health Director Secretary to the Board