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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth Board - Minutes - 10/19/2021Bayfield County Health Department 117 East Sixth Street - P.O. Box 403 - Washburn, WI 54891 Phone: 715/373-6109 Fax: 715/373-6307 Sara Wartman, BSN, RN, CLS Director / Health Officer BAYFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING Tuesday, October 19, 2021 – 5:00 PM Present: Fred Strand, Jeremy Oswald, Tom Snilsberg, David Zepczyk, Terri Kramolis, Mary Dougherty, Elaine Kopp, Deb Dryer Absent: Ellen Braddock Staff: Amy Jarecki, Sara Wartman 1. Call the Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:01 p.m. by Chairman Oswald. 2. Approval August 10, 2021, Meeting Minutes: A motion to approve the August 10, 2021 meeting minutes was made by Kopp; motion seconded by Snilsberg. Motion carried. 3. Public Comment: Brandon Lende, Town of Barksdale resident, voiced concerns over the length of quarantine for school-aged children in Bayfield County schools. He would like to see the Board of Health recommend that the length of quarantine be shorter for those not in a high risk group. AnnaLisa Vermel, resident of Bayfield, spoke via telephone regarding the length of quarantine for school-aged children. She would like to see the length of quarantine reduced for children attending local schools. She also shared that her personal Covid test results would not be shared with the school district, but she has since learned that is not the case. 4. Situational Update and Discussion Regarding COVID-19 Recovery Phase & COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics: COVID-19 cases across the nation are increasing, and concerns about the Delta variant are high among medical and public health professionals. Cases are on the incline in Bayfield County. Wartman explained where we gather our information from that we share each week. The numbers of positive cases in school-aged children is on the rise. This is due to the number of children not being able to be vaccinated at this time. Wartman shared some graphs and research information from a variety of different sources. She showed how the numbers of positive cases as well as the hospitalizations are trending upwards. Kopp brought up the discussion of Covid being recorded as the cause of death. Wartman explained that the County Coroner is the one who would determine the cause of death. The Health Department only has to report the death to the state. Zepczyk asked how severely the Covid-19 virus is hitting the younger population. Wartman explained that there have been cases of patients in their 20’s and even teenagers who need hospitalization or medical intervention due to contracting Covid. Dr. Dryer added some information regarding young children and how their immune system responds when they get Covid or influenza. 5. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Resolution to Accept Public Health Workforce Grant: Bayfield County Health Department has received grant funding in the amount of $64,700 from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Bayfield County Health Department 117 East Sixth Street - P.O. Box 403 - Washburn, WI 54891 Phone: 715/373-6109 Fax: 715/373-6307 Sara Wartman, BSN, RN, CLS Director / Health Officer Human Services to establish, expand, train and sustain the local public health workforce to support COVID-19 prevention, preparedness, response and recovery initiatives. This will include the rehiring of temporary employees to assist with contact tracing and disease investigation. Grant start date is July 1, 2021. Total award to be expended by June 30, 2023. A motion was made to recommend the award to the full County Board by Snilsberg; motion seconded by Kopp. Motion carried. 6. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Resolution to Accept American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus Recovery Funding: Bayfield County Health Department has received grant funding in the amount of $338,900.00 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support local health departments to meet their needs related to response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the funding purposes are COVID-19 mitigation and prevention, public health and safety staff and improving the design and execution of public health programs. Grant start date is March 1, 2021. Total award to be expended by December 31, 2024. A motion was made to recommend the award to the full County Board by Kramolis; motion seconded by Kopp. Motion carried. 7. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Resolution to Accept Immunization COVID Grant: Bayfield County Health Department has received grant funding in the amount of $44,300.00 from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services to allow the local Health Departments to provide COVID-19 vaccine in an accessible, culturally relevant manner to underserved and/or under-vaccinated communities. This is achieved by providing staffing for planning and implementing clinics, funding for communications related to vaccination clinics and outreach targeted for vaccination, and any site-specific needs and supplies. Grant start date is July 1, 2021. Total award to be expended by June 30, 2024. A motion was made to recommend the award to the full County Board by Kopp; motion seconded by Kramolis. Motion carried. 8. Update on Health Department Programs and Services: Wartman shared that the department has resumed COVID vaccine clinics, with the focus being on administering the booster doses. The department has rehired many of the temporary employees from the spring vaccine clinics to assist. The Wisconsin National Guard is still providing the testing for our communities. That service may end after December 2021. The Health Department continues to offer Covid booster vaccine clinics out of the St. Louis School. The Department has done 3 (three) drive-thru influenza vaccine clinics. The numbers were quite a bit lower than last year prompting the cancellation of some of the flu vaccine that had been ordered. The Environmental Health program continues to conduct inspections of bars, restaurants and lodging facilities as well as temporary food vendors operating at community events such as Apple Fest in Bayfield. The well water testing program is wrapping up on time. The staff is attending a training later in the week to address some of the stress and burnout we are all feeling due to the ongoing pandemic. 9. Update on Health Department Staffing: The Health Department is actively looking for a limited term employee to assist in working some of the programs that our regular staff are not Bayfield County Health Department 117 East Sixth Street - P.O. Box 403 - Washburn, WI 54891 Phone: 715/373-6109 Fax: 715/373-6307 Sara Wartman, BSN, RN, CLS Director / Health Officer able to work on due to working Covid issues. Wartman is working on the workspace issue; there are not enough offices to house all of the employees that are working right now. Confidentiality continues to be an issue as to where the staff can office. Chairman Oswald asked Wartman about the vaccine mandate and how that would affect the Health Department. Wartman explained that it does not apply to the Health Department separately, but may apply to all of the County employees, but that is a conversation for the administrator and human resources. 10. Committee Input: Dr. Dryer voiced her support for a shorter quarantine period for school aged children. Only when the number of positive cases starts to go down and it seems reasonable to shorten the length of time for quarantine. 11. Next Meeting Date: Tuesday, December 14, 2021, 5:00 pm, in the Bayfield County EOC and remotely via Teams. 12. Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Amy Jarecki Amy Jarecki, Office Manager