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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth Board - Minutes - 10/11/2023Bayfield 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 Wednesday, October 11, 2023 – 5:00 PM Present: Jeremy Oswald, Madelaine Rekemeyer (5:02 pm.), Jeffrey Silbert, Terri Kramolis, Fred Strand, Mary Dougherty, Dr. Deborah Dryer (online at 5:07 pm), Kathleen Carlson, Dr. Kathryn Stolp (online at 5:10 pm) Staff: Sara Wartman, Amy Jarecki, Michelle Crowell, Gus Guenther, Nathan Hauber (5:14 pm) 1.Call the Meeting to Order : The meeting was called to order at 5:01 p.m. by Chairman Oswald. 2.Approval of August 8 , 2023, Board of Health Meeting Minutes : A motion to approve the August 8, 2023 meeting minutes was made by Kramolis; motion seconded by Stolp. Motion carried. 3.Public Comment : No Public Comment. 4.Update on Health Department Staffing: The Health Department is experiencing several changes: We have filled the vacant WIC Director position with our very own, Sara Wartman! She will be sadly missed as our Director/Health Officer, but she will still be with us and sharing her vast Public Health expertise! We now have the challenge of filling the Director/Health Officer position. The position is posted and closes in one week. We have contracted with a nutritionist to cover main WIC clinics through the month of October. This gives Sara some flexibility in her work week to cover the Health Director responsibilities. We received a resignation letter from Theresa Foley, Clerk II. She has been with the department for six years and has contributed tremendously to the entire operation. We have posted for a Clerk I position, which closes in one week. Contracting billing out OR post for LTE to do billing – We are looking for a company or individual with billing experience to take on our PH and EH billing. For PH we need someone with Medicare/Medicaid and private insurance billing experience. Experience with Patagonia, our Electronic Medical Records system, would be preferred. 5.Review of Third Quarter Health -YTD- Budget: As of the end of September 2023, revenues were at 62% and expenses were at 91% of what had been budgeted. Revenues are lower than the expected 75% due to the lag at 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 state level for reimbursement. If the monthly grant billing is sent to the state later than the 8th of the month, the reimbursement will happen one to two months later. Some of the grant expenses appear to be running high for the 3rd quarter. However, this is based on what was budgeted for the 2023 fiscal year, which was done mid- 2022. There have been changes and additions to grants that will skew the numbers. There are a handful of grants that traverse over multiple fiscal years; for example, the Title X grant starts on April 1 and ends on March 31 of next year. This does make it a bit harder to budget for as we don’t always know how much of the grant is going to be utilized during the next fiscal year. Expenses will not exceed the amount of the grant. This is the time of the fiscal year when we are keeping a closer eye on the grants/programs and the expenses being posted. There may be a budget amendment at the December BOH meeting. 6.2024 Health Department Budget Update: Presented is a condensed version of the 2024 Health Department Budget showing Department figures and Administration figures and/or changes made to the input budget. Nothing approved in the final County Board column. The last column reflects differences between County Admin and Health Department budgeting (Admin- Dept.=Difference). Only a few of the line items have been adjusted by the Administration. 7.Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Amendatory Ordinance Title 9- Chapter 2:. As discussed at our last BOH meeting, the proposed ordinance revision has removed existing definitions and cited Wisconsin State Statutes and Code definitions. This means we will not have to change our local ordinance every time the verbiage changes at the state level. Appeals process language set to include the State Statutes and Wisconsin Administrative Code that surround the appeals process in regard to food protection, lodging, pools, campgrounds, recreational/educational camps and tattoo/body piercing establishments. A motion to accept the resolution and recommend to the full County Board to add the language was made by Strand; motion seconded by Kramolis. Motion carried. 8.Update on Health Department Programs and Services : Remodel Project: We have reviewed the latest draft with Mark Abeles-Allison. The final plan is hoped to be submitted for bid before the end of the year. Notable highlights include a new foyer/entrance, safety enhancements including locking doors with magnetic key fob access, clinic room improvements including a sink for hand hygiene, and air handling specifically for the vaccine storage/prep area. Environmental Health Programs Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Contract Program: Environmental Health staff have over 40 vendors to inspect during Applefest which is up by almost 20 vendors from previous years. 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 DATCP has changed how pools and children’s camps are assessed for risk. Pools and camps will be reassigned based on new state categories and we will need to update the fee schedule to accommodate the state changes. Staff will be meeting with Zoning Dept. next week to help them align zoning definitions with state definitions. This should help reduce confusion and discrepancies in the types of licensing needed between the two departments. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Contract Programs: Staff are closing out final water sampling. Quarterly sampling is yet to be done from October– December for facilities on quarterly monitoring. DNR is starting to utilize our nitrate testing services for state owned campgrounds. Beach program work has increased over the last year along with an increase in funding. The NEHA program intern submitted a presentation to share with the BOH. (Attached) Human Health Hazard Investigations: Staff continue to work with two senior housing facilities on bed bug infestations. Prevention and control technique guides were created and sent to both facilities. Offers to help inspect were also provided. Both facilities have pest control companies treat regularly, but flare ups continue. The demolition of the old Johnson fish processing facility in downtown Port Wing was completed. EH staff referred concerns of unsanitary conditions to DSPS commercial building inspector who inspected and contacted owner to have building demolished. Staff are seeing an increasing number of children with elevated lead levels that need follow-up and case management. Caloney provided the nursing case management. Will need to work with Sara to identify who will be taking over this role. Final report submitted for Radon Outreach to our Radon Information Center based out of Taylor County. Public Health Programs Mobile Immunization Clinics: Mobile clinics are in full swing. We were at all five school districts for open house offering childhood vaccines. We were able to immunize several children that were behind and others that have special needs. Next week we will be heading back to all the schools for flu clinics. We are experiences challenges with RSV and COVID vaccine shipping, cost and billing delays. We continue to be on the road for 2-4 clinics per week. Communicable Disease Surveillance and Follow-Up : There are COVID outbreaks in Northern Lights and at the Oaks Assisted Living Center. We are also seeing tickborne illnesses and gastrointestinal disease this time of year, as usual. We are seeing Influenza B earlier this season. 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 Public Health Lab oratory Testing: This week we started mobile lab testing. We were able to test the residents and staff and provide real-time results. This type of testing will help reduce the number of cases and the length of the outbreak. We also were able to test an individual at a flu clinic and give results that lead to treatment without a doctor’s visit. Home Visiting P rogram s: The department is seeing complex high-risk cases being enrolled into the Prenatal Care Coordination (PNCC) program. We have been able to join forces with several other providers to help with additional services. There is a growing number of homeless expectant mothers. We are also seeing a growing number of referrals for the Maternal & Child Health (MCH) program coming in from hospitals, clinics, WIC, schools, and other community agencies. Wellness Program : The department/Bayfield County hosted a blood mobile this past week, gave several employee wellness tours, and recently held an Employee Wellness event with the Wellness on Wheels (WOW) trailer. Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Program: The department collaborated with Emergency Management Department for an outreach event in Grand View. Our School Flu Clinics are documented as Mass Clinic Exercises and after action reports will be completed later this autumn. Reproductive Health Program: We are seeing an uptick in Sexually Transmitted Disease reports. We also are beginning to get calls for STI testing. We attended a conference on Title X requirements. The State is anticipating a change in funding for 2024. We are becoming more proficient at our electronic documentation and have learned about more revenue potential. We plan to focus on mobile service offerings in the next few months. Public Health Vending Machines Grant : Two machines and supplies have been ordered. We have met with members of the Red Cliff Health Care Clinic, and they are appreciative of us offering to provide the machines and supplies to be located on the Red Clif Tribal land. This is an exciting new collaboration. Harm Reduction: We have reapplied for the NARCAN Direct program and requested a much larger quantity for the grant period this time. We have also applied for and been accepted into the Department of Health Services (DHS) Fentanyl Test Strip Program. We have renewed our membership with the Northwoods Coalition. Women, Infants, and Children Program: We are back seeing clients in person! Enrollment continues to grow as do the needs of the families. Staff are working diligently to provide additional services to meet those needs. Farmers’ Market program will wrap up at the end of October – this is a program that promotes use of vouchers at local Wisconsin farmers’ markets for purchasing fresh produce. Staff involved with the Fit Families Program are in the process of reporting to the state our 2023 participant enrollment and success stories. We hope to offer immunizations and reproductive health services on a regular basis in the near future. 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 9.Committee Input : None 10.Next Meeting Date Next scheduled Health Board meeting for Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 5:00 pm, in-person in the EOC Room of the Annex Building and/or remotely via Teams or phone-in option. 11.Adjourn : The meeting adjourned at 6:01 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Amy Jarecki Amy Jarecki, Office Manager