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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth Board - Minutes - 4/11/2023Bayfield 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, April 11, 2023 – 5:00 PM Present: Jeremy Oswald, Madelaine Rekemeyer, Jeffrey Silbert, Terri Kramolis, Fred Strand, Mary Dougherty, Dr. Deb Dryer (left at 5:51 p.m.) Absent: Elaine Kopp Staff: Sara Wartman, Amy Jarecki, Peter Morrissette, Nathan Hauber, Michelle Crowell 1.Call the Meeting to Order : The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Chairman Oswald. 2.Approval February 14, 2023 , Meeting Minutes : A motion to approve the February 14, 2023 meeting minutes was made by Kramolis; motion seconded by Strand. Motion carried. 3.Public Comment : No Public Comment. 4.Presentation by Peter Morrissette on the DNR Transient Non-Community Well Water Program : Peter Morrissette, Public Health An overview of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Transient Non-Community Well Water Program. Bayfield County Health Department acts as an agent of the State DNR to conduct the TNC Well Water Program for Bayfield and Washburn Counties. There are one hundred forty-seven (147) wells currently in the program that need to be tested and monitored each year. Our department has assisted Washburn County with their DNR program for the last eight (8) years. They currently have one hundred twelve (112) wells to be tested and monitored. Morrissette doesn’t only collect water samples in each county, but he performs a sanitary survey which is an inspection of the well system. 5.Review and Possible Action Regarding Resolution in Recognition and Appreciation of Elaine Kopp ’s Years of Commitment and Service on the Board of Health : A motion to accept the resolution and present it to the full County Board was made by Kramolis; motion seconded by Dryer. Motion carried. 6.Discussion and Possible Action Regarding the YTD Health Budget: The department is on target with expenses and as expected, revenues are delayed due to the lag on the state side. A motion to approve the resolution and place it on file, was made by Strand; motion seconded by Silbert. Motion carried. 7.Review and Possible Action Regarding 202 2 Health Department Annual Report: Presentation of the proposed 2022 Health Department annual report. As the 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 report has not been finalized to date, there will need to be a special meeting to vote on the finished report. 8.Review Updated Health Department Chain of Command/Organization Chart: The department chain of command and organizational chart is typically reviewed by the department director on a yearly basis - or more frequently as staffing or position changes occur. This year, the one marked difference includes the addition of a full-time nursing manager. This changes the relationship between the nursing staff and their direct supervisor. The nursing manager position is also responsible for overseeing any limited term employees (for example, LTE vaccine staff) and health department interns whose internships are related to public health nursing or general public health programs. 9.Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Medication Disposal and Sharps Collection Sites in Bayfield County : We have had medication disposal/sharps collection events for many years and permanent medication disposal sites for over five years. There has been steady use of the Sharps Collection Program. The Health Department does not have dedicated funding to collect sharps but does continue to act as a collection site because the risks of having unwanted, used syringes or sharps in communities is a far more serious a threat than the cost of disposal. Discussion included a review of the existing collection locations and whether to expand on the program or increase outreach efforts. A motion to accept the resolution and allow the Health Department to conduct a feasibility and cost study on what to do with the sharps in our community was made by Dougherty; motion seconded by Kramolis. Motion carried. 10.Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Resolution 2023 Health Department Budget Amendments: Adjustments to the 2023 Health Department Budget regarding increases/decreases in grant funding. Accuracy in actual 2023 funding amounts versus estimated grants as determined in Summer 2022 will assist with better budget forecasting. WIC Peer counseling grant received an additional $5,120, ELC Enhancing Detection Grant has approximately $90,000 remaining, whereas WIC Grant and Title X Grant came in underbudget for revenues/expenditures. This budget adjustment does not affect the amount of tax levy requested by the department. A motion to approve the amendments and forward on to the full County Board was made by Kramolis; motion seconded by Strand. Motion carried. 11.Update on Health Department Staffing: We have one vacancy currently in the health department. There is an opening for a 0.6 FTE Reproductive Health/Public Health Nurse for the Family Planning Program. This position has been posted several times with minimal interest. We are considering contractual in place of permanent part-time or reposting and emphasizing remote capabilities and flexible work schedule to make the position more appealing. We have one vacancy for the Board of Health citizen/committee 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 member. In May, we will have two vacancies. We have one applicant at this time. Update on Health Department Programs and Services: Nathan Hauber, PH Nurse, is the new coordinator for the Employee Wellness program; Hauber is working on an AED program to ensure there are units available around the county buildings. The Health Department Wellness committee continues to host blood drives in the community. We continue to follow up on cases of those who are 65 years of age or older or those hospitalized with COVID illness. With staffing considerations and reverting time into other Public Health programs, it is likely that this will need to be re-evaluated. Additionally, we follow up on nursing home outbreaks – for both flu and COVID illnesses. Demand for COVID testing at the health department has been minimal. Off-ramping for the Community Testing Support Program has been initiated and funding for the program phased out. Our LTE employee working in the COVID testing program has found other employment. We do have a good supply of COVID tests available – but we are uncertain if we will be able to get additional tests for free once we run out. AODA and MH continue to be priority focus areas based on the Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). Our CHIP Steering Committee met to discuss plans for a 2024-2026 CHIP with a new survey being implemented in Summer 2024. Health officers in the CHIP Steering Committee plan to apply for an Area Health Education Center (AHEC) internship for next summer to gather data, feedback, and do canvassing of areas with low levels of feedback/input. We have had many individuals and organizations request Narcan, and have run out of supply at the Health Department. Unclear when we will be able to have our order refilled. Wartman will be meeting with the Director of Zoning to discuss short-term rentals and possible changes to Bayfield County Zoning ordinances. Funding has remained relatively level despite increases in caseload. We expect a much tighter fiscal year for the 2023 WIC budget and we plan to meet regularly between the WIC Director, Office Manager, and Health Director to keep an eye on expenditures. Continue to build capacity for telehealth. Onboarding staff to the Patagonia system add-ons for Communicator App, Telehealth app. Staff participated in a refresher training for calendar use and a new training for staff on running reports. The HVAC construction work is underway in the Annex building which has affected the department. 12.Committee Input : None 13. Next Meeting Date : Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 5:00 pm, in-person in the EOC Room of the Annex Building and/or remotely via Teams or phone-in option. 14.Adjourn : The meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, 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 Amy Jarecki Amy Jarecki, Office Manager