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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth Board - Minutes - 8/14/2018BAYFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING Tuesday, August 14, 2018 – 5:00 PM Bayfield County Annex Building EOC Present: Fred Strand, Jeremy Oswald, Ellen Braddock, Elaine Kopp, Jeff Silbert, Tom Gordon, David Zepczyk Absent: Deb Dryer Staff: Amy Jarecki, Sara Wartman, Michelle Simone (left at 6:05), Kelsey Latimer (left at 5:44) 1. Call the Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Chairman Oswald. Introductions done. 2. Approval of June 12, 2018 Meeting Minutes: A motion to approve the June 12, 2018 minutes was made by Strand; motion seconded by Silbert. Motion carried. 3. Public Comment: None. 4. Presentation on Environmental Health Program Michelle Simone, Environmental Health Sanitarian gave a presentation on the programs that the Environmental Health sanitarians provide for the county. Simone explained the different types of licensing that are available. The beach monitoring program provides funding for bacteria testing at the county’s coastal beaches; beaches will get “posted” if the water sample comes back positive, which means that citizens are encouraged not to swim at that beach. Human health hazards such as mold and garbage are the most common complaint. Last year, a grant for carbon monoxide was written for by the Environmental Health summer intern. The grant was awarded and it allowed the department to purchase detectors and distribute them through such programs as Bay Area WIC, Human Services (through their meals on wheels program) and the Veterans Service office. Detectors were also given out to be used in hunting shacks and ice fishing shacks. Sanitarians also test for lead in the home in conjunction with the Childhood Lead grant, which also funds child blood lead testing through the Bay Area WIC program. 5. Review 2018 Health Department 2nd Quarter Budget Amy Jarecki, Office Manager presented the board with a review of revenue and expenses as of June 30, 2018. Revenues were at forty-four percent (44%) and expenses were at forty-six percent (46%), which is right where we should be at this time of the year. Motion to accept and place on file made by Braddock; motion seconded by Kopp. Motion carried. 6. Review of 2019 Health Department Budget Proposal Jarecki presented the proposed department budget for the 2019 fiscal year. The department is expecting either level grant funding or reduced grant funding; loss of Sawyer County water sampling program revenue; possibly not receiving the beach monitoring grant for 2019 due to political trends; increase in employee health insurance costs; costs of inflationary raises. Bottom line is that the gap between the revenue and expenses for 2019 is bigger than in the last few years, keeping in mind that we are estimating revenues very conservatively and could wind up receiving more in revenue than planned. While the department is always looking for grant revenue to offset expenses, there is no guarantee of receiving the grant. Motion to accept proposed 2019 budget and move it on to the full County Board made by Gordon; motion seconded by Kopp. Motion carried. After the motion, Wartman presented the capital improvement budget. Items being considered are new lab equipment for testing nitrate water samples, new kitchen equipment for the Annex kitchen, new office chairs and offering the Health Infrastructure grant to townships again. 7. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Budget Resolution to Accept Wisconsin Beach Monitoring Grant Funds were awarded to Bayfield County Health Department for fiscal year 2018 in the amount of $8,000 for the beach monitoring program. Motion to accept resolution and forward on to the County Board was made by Gordon; motion was seconded by Strand. Motion carried. 8. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Budget Resolution to Accept STR Opioid Reduction Grant Funds Funds were awarded to Bayfield County Health Department for FY 2018 in the amount of $6,575 for the opioid reduction program. Motion to accept resolution and forward on to the County Board was made by Kopp; motion seconded by Braddock. Motion carried. 9. Update on Health Department Staffing Tony Bondioli, Public Health Nurse, has accepted another position and has given his two (2) week notice. An ad has already been posted to fill the position quickly. 10. Update on Summer Flood Event The immediate response was good, but there will be meeting led by Emergency Management to discuss what could of been improved upon in the weeks following the main road closures. Wartman realized that it is important to have multiple methods of communicating with the Health Department staff in the case of an emergency. Staff members assisted in fielding phone calls from the public on alternate driving routes around the county. Information on detours was also posted on the county’s website. Our department offered well water test kits at no cost for those whose wells had gotten flooded. While there were a few residents who took advantage of this, not as many as the previous flood event. Some of the local beaches were closed initially. There was a concern brought to our attention by the park services of birds dying of what was thought to be botulism, however, we can’t be certain that was associated with the flood event. 11. Update on Health Department Programs and Services The beach monitoring program ends the week before Labor Day. The Carbon Monoxide grant is done; three hundred and ten (310) kits were distributed throughout the county. Red Cliff is writing for a tick grant and our department has provided a letter of support since the grant will benefit Bayfield County as well. A crow in the Washburn area was found to be positive for West Nile disease. The majority of people who become sick with West Nile won’t even realize they are sick; however, for some people, it is very serious and can even be fatal. Everyone should still take preventative measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites. The Health Department will be starting a new management project which is designed specifically for public health departments. This program will help get the department accreditation ready, improve the overall efficiency and provide a visual look at where the department is in regards to meeting goals. 12. Overview of 2018 WIC Audit Kelsey Latimer, WIC director/nutritionist provided information on the audit that was performed by the state WIC office. There was a clinic audit, which consisted of the state representative observing the job duties of the employees of WIC during an actual clinic. The program policies and procedures were audited as well. The official report will be available within thirty (30) days. 13. Update on Radon Information Center Due to the political climate, the funding for the Radon program is decreasing state wide and it would not be in the best interest to form a new radon information center at this time. Other radon grant opportunities were explored, 14. Update on Bayfield County Health Infrastructure Grant All six (6) townships that were awarded grant monies have accepted. Wartman will be attempting a site visit to each one to take pictures of the progress. While the grant gives them a whole year to finish the proposed projects, most of them have timelines that will run through the summer months. 15. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Environmental Health Inspection Fees Wartman and Simone shared with the board the proposed changes in some of the inspection fees. After completing a study on how much time it took to complete certain inspections, certain fees were adjusted accordingly. Also to be included in the inspection fee is the required annual water sample, which eliminates the need for separate billing. Motion to approve changes in inspection fees was made by Silbert; motion seconded by Gordon. Motion carried. 16. Other Issues or Concerns None 17. Next Meeting Date: The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 5:00 pm in the EOC. 18. Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 6:46 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Amy Jarecki Amy Jarecki, Office Manager