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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOH minutes 012998MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 29, 1998 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Patsy L. Bateman 1 January 29, 1998 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 THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1998 AT THE GOVERNMENT SERVICES BUILDING, HILLSBOROUGH, NORTH CAROLINA. BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS PRESENT: Timothy Ives, Brenda Crowder-Gaines, Melvin Hurston, Beverly Foster, Barbara Chavious, Barry Adler, Jonathan Klein, Margaret Brown, Ronald Cammarata, Richard Marinshaw BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS ABSENT: Janet Southerland STAFF PRESENT: Rosemary Summers, Interim Health Director; Elaine Holmes, Personnel Director; Eileen Kugler, Personal Health Services Division Director; Cornelia Ramsey, Health Education Supervisor; Patsy Bateman, Administrative Assistant. 1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Dr. Ives called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Rosemary Summers introduced the staff and guests present. 2. APPROVE AGENDA OF JANUARY 29, 1998 The January 29, 1998 agenda was amended, adding 6.6 Work Activities and 6.7 Health Check Program Update and was approved. The motion to amend the agenda of January 29, 1998 was made by Beverly Foster, seconded by Barbara Chavious and carried without dissent. MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 25, 1997 AND DECEMBER 18, 1997 Corrections were made to the November 25, 1997 minutes and approved. There were no corrections for the December 18, 1997 minutes. The motion to approve the minutes of November 25, 1997 and December 18, 1997 was made by Jonathan Klein, seconded by Beverly Foster and carried without dissent. 3. CLOSED SESSION: PERSONNEL MATTER (Authority G.S. Section 143-318.11 (a) (6)) The motion to move into a closed session regarding personnel matter (Authority G.S. Section 143-318.11 (a) (6) was made by Timothy Ives, seconded by Beverly Foster and carried without dissent. 4. JOB DESCRIPTION FOR HEALTH DIRECTOR, PRESENTED BY BRENDA CROWDER-GAINES The job description for the Health Director was included in the agenda packet. The description contains the qualities we would like in a Health Director. Comments received from individuals at other meetings have been incorporated into the job description. The motion to approve the job description for the Health Director was made by Jonathan Klein, seconded by Margaret Brown and carried without dissent. SEARCH COMMITTEE PROCESS, PRESENTED BY BRENDA CROWDER-GAINES There is a pool of 53 applicants and personnel is in the process of reviewing those applications. The Committee would like staff to be informed on a regular basis about the process of searching for a Health Director. 5. RECEIVE: HOME VISITING PROPOSAL, PRESENTED BY EILEEN KUGLER The legislature made available funding for six intensive home visiting demonstration projects. Twenty-four counties have been invited, including Orange County. This will range between $100,000 - $150,000 per year for two years and the funding will come through the Health Department. The proposal abstract was included in the Board packet for this meeting. APPROVE: POTENTIAL CONTRACT WITH UNC FOR TEENS IN POWER GRANT PROPOSAL, PRESENTED BY EILEEN KUGLER The Community Based Public Health (CBPH) Consortium through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is applying for a grant from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation which would support, through contracts with the university, activities in all four CBPH counties. Orange County’s part would include $25,000 each year for two years for the Teens in Power Program. (Prior to the Board of Health meeting, the amount was $50,000 each year for two MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 29, 1998 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Patsy L. Bateman 2 January 29, 1998 years). The money would be used for partial support for the Teens in Power Coordinator, a Program Assistant, operational expenditures and program support. This funding would enable the Teens in Power Program to expand to the Cedar Grove Community. With the change in the amount of money to be received, the Board of Health has requested further research regarding the budget issues and report back to the Board at the February meeting. Can the Health Department meet their obligations with the reduced funding? The motion to authorize the Health Department to enter into a contract with the University of North Carolina to receive funding for the Teens in Power grant proposal, with the assumption that the Health Department meet obligations with the reduced funding was made by Brenda Crowder-Gaines, seconded by Beverly Foster and carried without dissent. APPROVE: POTENTIAL CONTRACT WITH ORANGE COUNTY COALITION OF THE COMMUNITY BASED PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM FOR A PROSTATE CANCER PREVENTION PROGRAM, PRESENTED BY EILEEN KUGLER The Orange County Coalition of the Community Based Public Health Program (CBPH) with the assistance of the Health Department staff has applied for a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. The grant amount if awarded would be $149,951 for the first year and $150,000 for each of two successive years. The grant would fund a prostate cancer prevention program and include a contract with the Health Department in the amount of $26,000 for the part-time services of a project advisor, nutritionist and nurse. Also included in this amount is funding for prostate cancer screening tests. After lengthy discussions regarding the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening tests, it was decided to table this motion and review the full proposal at the February meeting. Cornelia Ramsey, Jonathan Klein, and Eileen Kugler will also gather information regarding the pros and cons for distribution with the agenda packet for the February meeting. The Board requested that a copy of the proposal be sent to Cleon Currie and that a community representative be invited to the next Board of Health meeting. The motion to table and review the full proposal at the February meeting regarding the potential contract with Orange County Coalition of the Community Based Public Health Program for a prostate cancer prevention program was made by Brenda Crowder-Gaines, seconded by Margaret Brown and carried without dissent. APPROVE: RECEIPT OF TANF FUNDS FOR FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES, PRESENTED BY EILEEN KUGLER The North Carolina General Assembly during its 1997 session allocated $1.6 million in TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to local family planning programs to reduce the number of out-of-wedlock births which occur in the state. Orange County’s share of this, based on the county’s number of out-of-wedlock births for calendar years 1995 and 1996, is $12,178. The motion to approve the receipt of TANF Funds for Family Planning Services was made by Barbara Chavious, seconded by Brenda Crowder-Gaines and carried without dissent. 6. RECEIVE: ORANGE COUNTY WORK FIRST PROPOSAL, PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS The Department of Social Services (DSS) was directed to develop a plan that would meet state requirements for welfare reform. The Work First Plan is the culmination of that effort. The DSS called together a task force that developed the document in the agenda packet. The goal of “Work First” is to enable welfare recipients to be employed at a level to meet basic needs, within two years of qualifying for welfare. Two major areas of concern are the safety net of services and a tracking and monitoring system for following clients in the post two-year period. Further definition of these areas would provide the Board with a more clear set of responsibilities for the health department. The motion to approve a letter to the Board of County Commissioners expressing the Board of Health’s concern regarding a safety net for the Work First Program needing more clear definition and tracking and monitoring that needs to be in place to follow clients at the end of the two years was made by Beverly Foster, seconded by Brenda Crowder-Gaines and carried without dissent. APPROVE: PROPOSAL FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS, PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS The Board of Health / Staff Strategic Planning Retreat will be held on Friday, February 13, 1998 from Noon to 4:30 pm in the Orange County Public Library Conference Room in Hillsborough. Lunch will be provided. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 29, 1998 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Patsy L. Bateman 3 January 29, 1998 Albert Kittrell, Assistant County Manager; Elaine Holmes, Personnel Director; and Donna Dean, Budget Director have been invited to attend lunch and to present an overview of what the county is expecting in the future. There will also be a short presentation on the State perspective of the future of public health and where it’s going. The staff has been working on compiling a current service inventory list. Services provided by the Health Department are listed in a “current service inventory table.” Services have been sorted by mandated services, services that are not mandated but should continue to be provided, and services that are not mandated and could be discontinued. Another column for new services was also included. The Core Functions and Essential Services list that CDC and NACHO have adopted will form the working base for the retreat. Bill Herzog will be the facilitator of the retreat. The motion to approve the proposal for Strategic Planning Process was made by Barbara Chavious, seconded by Brenda Crowder-Gaines and carried without dissent. RECEIVE: INFORMATION ON SOUTHERN HUMAN SERVICES MOVE, PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS The Southern Human Services Center will be open for business on March 16, 1998. The furniture will be ordered after the Commissioner’s approve that package, which is on their agenda for Tuesday, February 3, 1998. There will be other county departments located in the Southern Human Service Center. An orientation to building security has been completed. Eileen Kugler and her staff have worked very hard to develop a plan for moving where service interruption is minimized. There will be minimal furniture moved from Carr Mill to the new building. The renovations to Carr Mill for Dental Health will not be started until after the move is completed to Southern Human Services Center. In regard to bus service to Southern Human Services Center, the Board would like to send a letter to the Chapel Hill Transit Authority requesting extended service to the front door of the building. This would accommodate clients who are disabled, pregnant, sick, elderly, etc., who are unable to walk the long distance from Homestead Road to the front door. RECEIVE: INFORMATION ON BUDGETING PROCESS, PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS The Board will receive a draft of the budget at the February meeting. A department head meeting was held today on outcomes/measures and objectives. Division head meetings have been held to review their six-month budgets from this year in anticipation of projections for next year. New position descriptions have been submitted. The Commissioners are slated to adopt the budget at their June meeting. APPROVE: CONTRACT REVISIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS This is a receipt of funds to Environmental Health for restaurant inspections. The Division achieved a 99% rate of inspection, which qualified them for the funds. These funds will be added to the operating budget in Environmental Health. Addendum: Please pass on Board thanks to the Environmental Health staff for a job well done. The motion to approve the contract revisions for Environmental Health was made by Jonathan Klein, seconded by Beverly Foster and carried without dissent. WORK ACTIVITIES PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS Rosemary has visited individual departments and divisions learning what she needs to do, as Interim Health Director. The County Manager’s Office has been warm in their welcome and willing to help in any way. She would like to spend more time outside the walls of the health department, with field trips in Environmental Health and Animal Control. Individual meetings have been held with the outposted professional contracted individuals, Dr. Sandler, the Dental Health Director and Dr. Angle. Meetings have also been conducted with Joy Reed and Leah Devlin at the State office to get their input in regard to the direction we need to be going. She has also attended a two-day conference for local health directors. A lot of attention has been focused on the final details of the Southern Human Services Center. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 29, 1998 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Patsy L. Bateman 4 January 29, 1998 HEALTH CHECK PROGRAM INFORMATION PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS The health department had been granted a waiver to receive Medicaid reimbursement for the Health Check Program services. That waiver will disappear on July 1, 1998 and will not be renewed. Dr. Bruton, who is one of the driving forces behind this change, believes in providing each child a primary care home that will provide a full range of services. His message to health departments is, unless you can provide primary care services for these children, they will need to find a primary home. The health department can become an ACCESS provider by qualifying as a primary care provider. We meet all ACCESS requirements except for three. They are: • 24 hour coverage for patients • Physicians must have admitting privileges to hospitals in the area • You must have a 30 hour practice The first two concerns can be fixed with a contract for physician service for 24-hour coverage. Dr. Bruton briefly talked about a new insurance program that will be going forward to the legislature called Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This is an insurance plan for children who don’t qualify for Medicaid, but are between Medicaid and 200% of the poverty level. The estimate in North Carolina is 71,000 children in that category. Rosemary Summers and Eileen Kugler are holding an exploratory meeting with Family Medicine to talk about the possibilities of a contract expansion. This meeting is exploratory only. The Board requested the number of clients served through pediatric health check and the financial implications for the health department. 7. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES REVIEW BY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, PRESENTED BY MARGARET BROWN Goals and objectives are to be presented to the Board of County Commissioners on February 10, 1998. We need to decide tonight whether we want to let these stand, add new ones or update these in any way. The first listed are the Healthy Carolinians goals and objectives which are still being reworked. Cornelia Ramsey and Beverly Foster met today to put together the working group report on preventive services. The objective is to develop strategies for promoting healthy lifestyles to improve morbidity and mortality in the areas of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. The other two groups are also in the final initial stages. One goal of the Interim Health Director is to combine the Healthy Carolinians and CBPH processes into a single community-based approach. There will be pieces that don’t overlap as communities choose to work on different priorities. There needs to be more linkage both within our department as well as those externally. Another Board-adopted goal is the development of a crisis preparedness plan for a variety of public health emergencies. Mr. Reimer contacted a consultant who indicated she would be available to work with Health Department staff to create a plan after the first of January, 1998. Rosemary Summers still needs to contact her as to specific availability. The motion to delay report to the Board of County Commissioners pending a Healthy Carolinians Steering Committee meeting was made by Margaret Brown, seconded by Beverly Foster and carried without dissent. A motion was made by Brenda Crowder-Gaines and seconded by Barbara Chavious to adjourn the meeting. The next regular Board of Health meeting will be held February 26, 1998 at OWASA in Carrboro, N.C. Respectfully submitted, Rosemary L. Summers, MPH, DrPH Interim Health Director RLS:plb