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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth Board - Minutes - 8/9/2022Bayfield 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, August 9, 2022 – 5:00 PM Present: Jeremy Oswald, Madelaine Rekemeyer, Jeffrey Silbert, Terri Kramolis, Fred Strand, Ellen Braddock, Dr. Deb Dryer (on at 5:08) Absent: Mary Dougherty, Elaine Kopp Staff: Amy Jarecki, Sara Wartman 1.Call the Meeting to Order : The meeting was called to order at 5:02 p.m. by Chairman Oswald. 2.Approval June 14, 2022, Meeting Minutes : A motion to approve the June 14, 2022 meeting minutes was made by Kramolis; motion seconded by Strand. Motion carried. 3.Public Comment : None 4.Presentation & Overview of Public Health Spending : Wartman presented a brief overview of the Health Department budget spanning the last ten (10) years. During the last couple of years, the department has been able to keep the Public Health tax levy down due to having a large amount of grant monies to utilize during the Covid-19 pandemic. The majority of Health Department staff had been dedicated to providing Covid-19 response during 2020 and 2021. While it may look like a large increase for the 2023 budget, the department is just going back to running normal programming and services, some of which we do not receive grant funding for. 5.Discussion and Possible Action Regarding 2023 Health Department Budget : Wartman presented the proposed 2023 department budget. The contract for Taylor County water sampling has not been renewed for 2023, so the revenue for that program will be down. However, with the increase in short term rental inspections and licensing, the revenue for the Environmental Health program will increase. The budget includes the cost of adding additional staff to assist in running all of the services we provide. Mark Abeles-Allison, Bayfield County Administrator, asked Wartman about needing funds to provide free flu vaccinations to those residents who are not insured and who have a hardship paying for the vaccination. While funds will most likely be asked for, the amount will not be as large as in the past years. The budget for the AODA (alcohol/drug program) was discussed, as there currently is no grant to cover those expenses. A motion to recommend the proposed 2023 Health Department budget, with potential modifications, to the full Bayfield County Board for approval was made by Kramolis; motion seconded by Rekemeyer. Motion carried. 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 6.Update on Health Department Staffing: The department has filled two (2) Public Health Nurse vacancies. Michelle Crowell, RN, has prior experience in Public Health and was employed with the Bayfield County Health Department prior to 2010. Crowell fills the full time nursing position. Nathan Hauber, RN, fills the part-time nursing position. Hauber will be taking over the employee wellness program along with assisting in other nursing programs. We continue to employ a couple of Covid-19 contact tracers for support. 7.Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Environmental Health Staffing: With the growing trend in short-term rentals across Bayfield County, we are facing additional workload issues. Currently, there are two (2) full time Environmental Health Sanitarians on staff. One inspects the northern part of the county and the other inspects the southern part of the county. As of the middle of July, there are over six hundred eighty (680) establishments in Bayfield County. Each sanitarian is recommended to carry a caseload of no more than two hundred twenty-five (225), per the recommendation of the state. At this time, each sanitarian is carrying more than the recommended level. They are carrying between two hundred eighty (280) and two hundred ninety (290), with another one hundred ten (110) establishments being handled by our full-time Environmental Health Water Program Specialist, who also spends the summer months water sampling for Bayfield County, Washburn County and Taylor County. This creates a challenge to complete one hundred percent (100%) of inspections each year. Wartman is looking at possibly hiring a limited term employee part time to assist with the number of tourist rooming house (TRH) inspections. The Taylor County water sampling program is being dropped so that more time can be spent on licensing and inspections in Bayfield County. 8.Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Public Health Nurse Staffing: One area that the Health Department has struggled to maintain and expand has been the Reproductive Health/Family Planning Program (RH/FP). The main issue has been staffing capacity. The nursing staff that we currently have do work in a variety of other programs so that the RH/FP program is not being run as it should. Wartman feels that without a dedicated staff member to work the RH/FP program, it will never be successful. At this time, Wartman is advocating for another full time nurse position to work this program. Much discussion on how best to staff the RH/FP program and how to promote the program throughout the county. The Board of Health voiced their full support in hiring a full time RH/FP nurse. A motion to designate a permanent nursing position for the Family Planning/Reproductive Health Program and present to the Bayfield County Personnel Committee was made by Rekemeyer; motion was seconded by Strand. Motion carried. 9.Update on Health Department Programs and Services : Although the Health Department is trying to resume normal programming, we are still providing Covid-19 testing which is supported with grant funding. The Health Department has signed up to become a Monkeypox vaccinator to eligible/at-risk persons. The department has invested in an electronic medical record program, which will take time for staff to be 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 trained, but will make billing and charting easier. Immunization clinics are being planned for the schools in Bayfield County. This is both flu vaccine and childhood vaccines, but not Covid-19 vaccine. Covid-19 vaccinations in the schools will take place into November. The Women, Infant & children (WIC) programs are doing well. The numbers of clients are starting to go up since a slight decrease during Covid. There are remodeling plans in progress for the Annex building, which houses the Health Department along with other departments. This project has not yet started and is slated to start this winter. Health Department staff has voiced concerns over general safety and signage for the department. 10.Committee Input : None. 11.Next Meeting Date : Tuesday, October 11, 2022, 5:00 pm, in the Bayfield County EOC and remotely via Teams. 12.Adjourn : The meeting adjourned at 6:53 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Amy Jarecki Amy Jarecki, Office Manager