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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023/03/28 - BOH Packet MASON COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES Building,Planning,Environmental Health,Community Health MASON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH March 28,2023 ' PUBLIC 3:00 PM Commission Chambers HEALTH411 North 51h Street Shelton,WA 98584 Meeting ID: 834 8034 3274 Passcode: 721009 DRAFT AGENDA 1. Welcome and Introductions Cmmr. Shutty 2. Approval of Agenda—ACTION Board Members 3. Resolution—National Public Health Week—ACTION Board Members 4. Approval of Minutes—January 2023—ACTION Board Members 5. Health Officer Report Dr. Keri Gardner 6. Administration Report Dave Windom a. Workforce Report b. County Health Rankings c. Fiscal 7. Environmental Health Report Ian Tracy a. 2022 West Nile Virus Surveillance Report b. Onsite Sewage Advisory Committee By-Laws 8. Community Health Report Melissa Casey a. Behavioral Health Systems Update by Christina Muller-Shinn 9. Other Business and Board Discussion Board Members 10. Public Comments 11. Adjourn If special accommodations are needed,please contact McKenzie Smith at(360)427-9670 ext.589 or msmitha,masoncountywa.gov Mason County Public Health 415 N 6t'Street,Bldg. 8, Shelton WA 98584, Phone(360)427-9670 ext.400 ❖ Fax(360)427-7787 Proclamation National Public Health Week April 3-9, 2023 WHEREAS, the week of April 3-9, 2023 is National Public Health Week and the theme is "Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health"; and, WHEREAS, since 1995, the American Public Health Association, through its sponsorship of National Public Health Week, has educated the public, policymakers, and public health professionals about issues important to improving the public's health; and, WHEREAS, a person's health status can differ drastically due to differences in the built environment, environmental quality, community context, access to healthy food,access to education, and access to health care; and, WHEREAS, there is a significant decrease in health status among persons who are more likely to face social determinants that negatively impact health, such as racism, poverty, adverse childhood experiences, transportation barriers,and lack of economic opportunity; and, WHEREAS,public health professionals help communities prevent,prepare for,withstand, and recover from the impact of a full range of health threats, including disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, tuberculosis, natural disasters, and disasters caused by human activity; and, WHEREAS,public health action,together with scientific and technological advances,has played a major role in reducing and eliminating the spread of infectious disease and in establishing todays' disease surveillance and control systems; and, WHEREAS, studies show that relatively small strategic investments in disease prevention can result in significant savings in health care costs; and, WHEREAS,efforts to adequately support public health and the prevention of disease and injury can continue to transform a health system focused on treating illness into a health system focused on preventing disease and injury and promoting wellness; and, NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED,that the Board of Mason County Commissioners hereby proclaims April 3-9,2023 as National Public Health Week and encourages all county officials, employees, schools, and residents to observe this week by celebrating the value of public health in improving the quality of life for all its communities. Signed this day of March 28,2023. MASON COUNTY,WASHINGTON BOARD OF HEALTH MASON COUNTY,WASHINGTON Darrin Moody,Hospital District#1 Kathy McDowell,City Council Kevin Shutty,Commissioner Randy Neatherlin,Commissioner Sharon Trask,Commissioner Peggy Van Buskirk,Hospital District#2 Gary Plews,Fire Commissioner Keri Davidson, Shelton School Board MASON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS 411 North 511 Street,Shelton,WA January 24,2023 Attendance: Randy Neatherlin,County Commissioner;Kevin Shutty,County Commissioner; Sharon Trask, County Commissioner;Dr.Keri Gardner,Health Officer;Darrin Moody,Hospital District No. 1;Peggy VanBuskirk,Hospital District No. 2;Kathy McDowell, City of Shelton;Keri Davidson, Shelton School Board; Ian Tracy,Environmental Health Manager;Melissa Casey,Community Health Manager;McKenzie Smith, Clerk of the Board;and Dedrick Allen,MasonWebTV 1. Chair Peggy VanBuskirk called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m. 2. Approval of Agenda Cmmr. Shutty/Cmmr. Trask moved and seconded to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried. 3. Resolution to Set 2023 Meeting Dates Cmmr. Trask/Cmmr. Shutty moved and seconded to approve the Resolution setting the 2023 meeting dates. Motion carried. 4. Elect Officer Positions Peggy/Cmmr. Trask moved and seconded to appoint Cmmr. Shutty as Chair. Motion carried. 5. Approval of the September 27 and November 29,2022 Minutes Peggy/Keri moved and seconded to approve the September 27 and November 29,2022 Minutes. Motion carried. 6. Health Officer Report Dr. Gardner shared that it is a rough season for Influenza A,Respiratory Syncytial Virus(RSV),and COVID. Influenza A is a strain of H1N1 which the flu vaccine covers. The number of cases has tapered,but flu season is not over. There have been several serious Tuberculosis cases and two deaths over the last few months and the Department of Health and Mason Health have been doing contact tracing. More resource allocation is needed for communicable disease. Screening is needed to help identify Tuberculosis cases in the community to avoid it spreading. For Hepatitis C,an individual needs to be hired to do case management and treatment. Mason Matters shared that 50%of cases in Mason County are 55 years old and older. The rate of treatment in Mason County is less than 10%even though it is a largely insured population. Assistance is needed to get patients treated. Most treatments are a pill taken every day for 8 weeks and allows the patient to avoid liver damage,liver cancer,and death. The Human Papillomavirus(HPV)vaccine recommendation has been lowered from ages 12+to ages 9+. Xylazine,a veterinary tranquilizer also known as"Tranq",is linked to an increasing number of overdose deaths and is being used both intentionally and unintentionally. This drug can cause severe wounds and even amputation. Xylazine is a sedative that lasts a long time,is addictive, and does not respond to Narcan. Broad themes to consider for strategic planning include homelessness,fresh water, and substance use and treatment. Homelessness—while Public Health cannot provide housing, it can help with the coordination of service for sanitation assessments for homeless camps. The City of Shelton has taken lead on the Homelessness Task Force. Fresh water—assessment of water quality in fresh water needs to be done. Substance use and treatment—the County has limited services to address this problem. Mason County is in the top 30%of Washington counties for smoking rates. Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C screening and vaccinations need to be focused on. There is also an emergence of infectious diseases such as polio,measles,mumps, and rubella due to an uptake against childhood vaccinations. Unity is needed and there is room for improvement of the coordination of care services in both health care and social services. COVID put a huge strain on healthcare services. There is also a lack of value of Public Health. The Public Health department protects the safety of the community, drinking water, shellfish, air,waterways, sewer,and more. The value needs to be highlighted. On a positive note,life expectancy has gone from below the State average to being at the State average and is projected to exceed the State average in the next ten years. The current life expectancy is 79.6 years. Peggy VanBuskirk added that children need to be vaccinated and COVID gave a negative view on vaccinating. The HPV vaccine can prevent cancer. Fresh water is also important. Keri Davidson shared that the schools have high rates of vaping in the Junior High and High School. Highlighting the value of public health to the community is important. Cathy McDowell added that both freshwater and saltwater are important. Cmmr. Shutty shared the importance of partnership opportunities. The City and County are both facing homelessness issues,need substance use prevention and response, and need to know how to best deploy the opioid settlement funds. Staff need to have resources available to them. 7. Administration Report Dave Windom shared that it is still flu season. There are positions open on the Board of Health for representatives from the Squaxin Island and Skokomish tribes and for underserved communities. The American Indian Health Coalition is helping to find members. The Public Health Strategic Plan was last completed in 2018 and was through 2020. Staff has worked to identify strengths,weaknesses, opportunities,and threats. The work plan will be done every year and reviewed in December. The focus is to move away from COVID and more towards preventative care. $104k is set aside for Hep C. Mason County ranks 5'worst county in the state. Over 25%of constituents work outside of the County. The healthcare community is not as focused on latent Hep C care. The medical system, staff, and financial system are stressed. The hope is to coordinate people and physicians interested in tackling Hep C. State legislature is in long session and the budget looks good compared to previous years. A lot of public health work is hinged on Foundational Public Health Services(FPHS)funding. Unfortunately contracts were not signed until late in the season which limits the use of funds. New funded positions include a Health Educator and an Epidemiologist. Public Health is partnering with Mason Health and the YMCA for WIC services and is funded for training and facility prep. The goal is to open around June or July. The opioid settlement funds have come in and the County is partnering with the City of Shelton to decide how best to use those funds. There has been discussion with the CEO of Cascade Pacific Alliance regarding the State's funds. Cmmr. Shutty added that this is also an opportunity to look at other opportunities and services such as childcare. 8. Environmental Health Report Ian Tracy shared that FPHS funding added an additional food enforcement position and on-site code enforcement position. Ian worked with the On-Site Sewage Advisory Committee(OSSAC)regarding the Environmental Health Building Permit Policy and Environmental Health On-Site Sewage Requirements Based on Location of Proposal Policy. The original policy was set in the 1990s and revised in 2001. Changes include requiring treatment level B for existing septic systems. Drain fields such as dry wells or seepage pits are very harmful to the environment and difficult to detect. Effluent needs to be treated to a higher standard. There was a change in the law that when you sell your home you must get a septic inspection instead of just getting your septic pumped. Peggy/Kathy moved and seconded to approve the updates to the septic regulations. Motion carried. The County has a county-wide Clean Water District that covers all areas which drain into Hood Canal or South Sound and is supported by a$5.06 fee applied to all parcels. Funds cover surveillance and investigations for pollution sources. This is primarily focused on marine shorelines; lakes are fairly limited due to state regulations. Anna's Bay and Oakland Bay are the focus. Staff walk shorelines to collect samples and monitor major rivers and creeks. A live web map was created to allow the view of monitoring results from monthly samples. The Clean Water District meets quarterly. 9. Community Health Report Melissa Casey highlighted the strategic planning process. Grant cycles are ending and a request for proposals is moving forward for different programs. Health Educator,Emily Laymen,creates the reports and infographics and will be working on video. Large strides have been made to get the Mason County Health Coalition running. The Community Health Assessment has been updated; however,there are gaps due to COVID. Quantitative data tells half of the story while qualitative data tells the whole store. Positive social norms are a focus. Funding dollars for this project are focused on tobacco,vaping,alcohol,and marijuana. Education needs to be increased around fentanyl as well. Youth voices allow them to target intervention and engage youth as well as increase positive childhood experiences. Ben Johnson, Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Coordinator, added that part of the discussion is prevention and works Choice,Cedar, and North Mason schools. Students have done a community neighborhood survey regarding a community norm mapping project. Listening sessions allow time for a question and answer group on where substances are from,how students are sneaking substances, what places don't ID,all without identifying specific individuals. Schools are struggling to prevent vaping. The County provides funding for youth groups for these types of projects and prevention services. Nieves Villa,Choice student representative, shared it is crucial to target youth to educate on the consequences of substances which are often romanticized by social media and advertisements. A group of students walked around the community where such substances are sold and looked at the establishments and advertisements. The industry attracts youth and young adults. Substance abuse is very common and it is important to have conversations and questions around it. Students were able to point out areas that have issues such as the Huff n Puff trail. It is important to understand how youth gets ahold of these substances. Social media,music,etc.pressures youth to use substances. The goal is to promote better decisions. Posters were put up around school and presentations were given in advisory and homeroom classes. Students know where they can go for help. Nieves is trying to make this program more bilingual. Jack Lommel sees a lot of promotion around drugs and cigarettes being adorable or cool. Friends and parents are providing these substances. Kids need to be taught from a young age about substance abuse. Scott Bowen added that social media plays a key role. Posts show individuals with cigarettes and the viewer thinks that it is cool and wants to try it out. Stores attract youth with cool decorations and flashing lights and don't always as for an ID. Social norms are classifying this as a normal and cool thing to do. There are a lot of syringes laying around. 10. Other Business and Board Discussion Dave shared that him and two staff are going to the Agents of Change Conference to learn how to better communicate looking at demographics and micrographics. Ben shared that the Mason County Prevention Summit will be April 14 at the Skokomish Tribe Community Center. Cmmr. Shutty encourages setting aside time for substance abuse topics,funding,grants,etc. A bigger discussion is needed around Narcan and the ability to push it out to the community. Treatment Sales Tax funds can help purchase additional Narcan kits. There may be broad protections around the Good Samaritan laws regarding Narcan. Cmmr. Trask would like to store these kits with AED kits. Emily Laymen,Health Educator, introduced herself. 11. Public Comment Constance Ibsen,Co-Chair of Lower Hood Canal Watershed Coalition and member of the On-Site Sewage Advisory Committee,receives a lot of questions regarding individual septic. Currently,many questions are centered around the king and continuous high tides and what individuals should do about their septic systems. Wells along the shoreline have debris in them and individuals do not know what to do. Constance encourages Environmental Health to make a local video or website and target people to come to a local meeting. Other questions are regarding funding match amounts,the difference between state and indirect federal monies,discretionary money amounts from the County,why certain grants were applied for,what is a priority,what is required by the state or federal government,etc. It is integral to community health that these topics are discussed. 12. Adjourned at 4:37 p.m. ATTEST MASON COUNTY,WASHINGTON BOARD OF HEALTH MASON COUNTY,WASHINGTON McKenzie Smith,Clerk of the Board Darrin Moody,Hospital District#1 Kathy McDowell,City Commissioner Kevin Shutty,Commissioner Randy Neatherlin,Commissioner Sharon Trask,Commissioner Peggy Van Buskirk,Hospital District#2 Gary Plews,Fire Commissioner Keri Davidson, Shelton School Board From the Director I Desk 7AI March 2023 Where is Spring? Things have been calming down across the COVID-19 front. A year ago, we had our worst month during the pandemic. Since the beginning of the year, we've seen a flat rate which may well become the background rate for COVID going forward. We hear anecdotally that cases are increasing but the data is showing little change since the end of last year. With the number of people using take-home tests or not testing at all, the data is not as specific or as accurate as earlier in the pandemic. 7-Day 14-Day} 53.3 tan 202Z ju 2OZZ Jan 2u23 We are moving to a new focus with the implementation of the 2023-25 Strategic Plan. Environmental health will always be a focus but solid waste will be getting more attention in the coming months. We hope to allocate more funds and staffing to working with property owners to alleviate the hazards to the public and the environment. We'll be focusing on housing, mental health/substance abuse, and chronic disease. We are in the process of hiring an epidemiologist to ensure we have accurate data to support the focus areas. We have renewed a long dormant account with InsightVision to continue to build a system that accurately measures what we are doing in public health to support decision-making. We want a solid baseline to reveal areas where we are making progress and highlight those areas that either need more attention or a different approach. A From the Director Is Desk I will be in Spokane helping to host the NW Rural Health Conference as the chair of the Washington Rural Health Association which means I will miss our BOH meeting. Jacob Ritter will also be going along to start building those connections with hospitals, clinics, FQHCs, and EMS across the state and region. There was funding available from WRHA to support this conference attendance and we're excited to be able to participate. We also sent three people to the Agents of Change Conference to learn about the science and technology of behavior change. This conference has been one of the very best at learning how to communicate with people in all demographics across a broad variety of mediums. In the future, we will be rotating staff through this excellent conference. With the legislature still in session, it's a bit early to be projecting the financial support from Olympia until the legislature is further along in the process. There haven't been too many pieces of legislation of great concern to public health this year. We do continue to follow growth management legislation because it does affect public health in community development. Lastly, I sent the current workforce report which highlights the critical state of the public health workforce. This will be a topic that WSALPHO will be dedicating time and resources to address. David Windom, MSHS Director WflSHinGTon STATE FISSOCIFITIOfl OF LOOK PUBLIC HEHLTH OFFICIHLS Table of Contents Introduction 3 Overview of Local Health Jurisdictions 5 Foundational Public Health Services 7 and System Transformation Current Challenges and Contexts 9 National Perspective 12 State/Local Perspective 14 Challenges to Building a Local Workforce 16 LHJ Workforce Survey 19 Recruitment Trends 21 Recommendations 23 Current Workforce Efforts 27 References 29 Appendices 30 Survey Raw Data (including salary information) 30 Survey Questions 30 This report provides an overview of what is needed to maintain our local public health workforce and workforce development needs, including those that are most critical to local health jurisdictions. Introduction The Washington State Association of Local Health Officials (WSALPHO) is pleased to share its first-ever local health workforce report. We thank local health jurisdiction leadership and staff, who contributed and supported this effort during a time of intense workload, demanding public pressure, and tumultuous uncertainty. Thank you for prioritizing this effort and sharing the realities each of your agencies are facing. We are grateful for your openness and vulnerability. Our appreciation extends to other public health partners who have shared data, provided feedback, and have worked with WSALPHO in addressing this complex and multi-faceted issue. We are grateful for your partnership and continued commitment to building and maintaining a robust local public Ohealth workforce in Washington State. Capable and qualified Workforce challenges are not new phenomena in public professionals health. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, local health are needed to jurisdictions (LHJs) faced budget cuts which led to the loss fully actualize of job positions and staff. Rural counties have struggled to fill modernization positions like nurses or sanitarians for years. In many respects, and innovation efforts. the infrastructure that is most in need of modernization and strengthening in public health is not data or technology but the people behind these tools. Capable and qualified professionals are needed to fully actualize modernization and innovation efforts. This report will provide an overview of the larger bucket 3 Introduction areas needed to maintain our local public health workforce and workforce development needs, including those that are most critical to local health jurisdictions. Recognizing that local health jurisdictions are part of a larger state and federal public health system, the report will also identify federal, state, and local strategies and policy recommendations that can support and enhance local workforce infrastructure. Our report includes a variety of sources of information. Local health jurisdictions completed a workforce survey in the Spring of 2022. We're also using national survey data where Washington LHJs provided input. While not representative of just Washington State, these surveys reflect many local experiences among LHJ leadership and staff. Many of the recommendations in the report have been informed from feedback and discussions with LHJ leadership, WSALPHO subject matter committees, and WSALPHO partners. _ •x. * 'G 4 There are 35 local health jurisdictions in Washington State, serving all 39 counties. Overview of Local Health Jurisdictions Local health jurisdictions are a critical part of Washington's public health system. LHJs have several statutory duties that direct them to investigate disease outbreaks, prevent illness and injury, respond to emerging threats, and control health hazards. LHJs provide a range of essential public health services such as: Administering immunizations, implementing opioid response taskforces, conducting restaurant inspections, ensuring clean water systems, and connecting people to healthcare. Each of these programs has a wide-reaching impact on communities, helping create vibrant and thriving places to call home. Washington State's governmental public health system is LHJs provide decentralized and comprises the Washington Department of essential Health, Washington State Board of Health, tribes, and local public health health jurisdictions. In addition to these four parts, many services, with community-based organizations also work to reach and wide-reaching support communities and populations in Washington. impacts on Washington There are 35 local health jurisdictions in Washington State communities. that cover the 39 counties. 22 of these LHJs are under county governance as either a health department or a health and community services agency. 11 LHJs are districts, 3 of which are multi-county health districts. Districts are semi- autonomous to county government and operate outside 5 Local Health Jurisdiction Overview of county organization and budget. The two largest LHJs in Washington are combination city-county health departments, representing both the largest cities (Seattle and Tacoma) as well as the counties (King and Pierce, respectively). San °an`t Skagit Okanogan LHJs are primarily funded Island with local revenue (local tax Snohomish revenue and fees collected for Kitsa Seattle- Spokane services), state appropriations, King Grant and state and federal grants. Adams Tacoma PierceWhitmanLHJs are governed by a local Garfield board of health which includes Yakima Wahkiakum Asotin membership of local elected officials, medical professionals, community members, and tribal ■ County Health & Human Services representatives. ■ County Health Department ■ Multi-County District Single County District City-County District SUMMARY - 2020 EXPENDITURES BY FUNDINGSOURCE; ALL LHJS SOURCE: 2020 LHJ EXPENDITURE REPORT 0 38.6% 26.3% ■ Local Government Licenses, Permits, Fees ■ Revenue from State Federal Revenue ■ Misc/Fund Balance/Other 14.9% — — 19.0% Source:WA Department of Health, 2020, Local Health Jurisdiction Public Health Expenditure Report 6 FPHS funding has been a historic investment for local public health. Foundational Public Health Services and System Transformation Workforce development is intimately linked to Washington's effort to rebuild and transform its governmental public health system through the Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS). FPHS and modernization began a decade A 2018 ago in 2010 with an initial call to action titled Agenda for baseline Change.'The first action plan was published in 2012 and assessment further refined in 2015 and 2o18, respectively. This action identified plan outlined recommendations and a plan to ensure that all $450 M Washingtonians, regardless of where they live, will have access per biennium to a core set of public health programs and services - the FPHS. needed to fill current The system has reached several milestones in the last five FPHS gaps in years toward fully funding and implementing FPHS. A 2o18 programs and baseline assessment identified $4S0 M per biennium needed services. to fill current FPHS gaps in programs and services. Since 2017, FPHS funding has slowly increased over time, with the 2022- 2023 biennium appropriation totaling $175 M. In 2019, the State Legislature codified FPHS into statute, as well as a funding decision-making process that requires agreement between state and local public health agencies as well as tribal consultation. Foundational Public Health Services and System Transformation FPHS funding has been a historic investment for local public health. It has empowered LHJs to bring back positions cut from budget recessions and add new capacity and programming. There is a system-wide need to address the workforce needs of incoming staff that are new to public health, new to Washington's public health system, or filling new roles within LHJs. However, as much as FPHS has been transformative for LHJs in strengthening the local workforce, it is one facet of a very complex issue. 4. - Overall, public health funding has been on the decline for years and has created an insufficient public health system at all levels. Current Challenges and Contexts • Ongoing patterns of decreased public health funding • Funding that is inconsistent, intermittent, and reactive instead of proactive • Funding that is categorical • Increased demands from emerging threats and emergencies • Politicization of public health issues • Post-COVID workforce attrition Overall, public health funding has been on the decline for „ years and has created an insufficient public health system The last three at all levels. Cuts to federal funding are challenging in two years have ways: Local health jurisdictions experience the trickle-down highlighted effect where federal and state programs absorb the bulk of the the increased funding, and funding becomes more and more categorical. demand for This means locals receive less federal funding over time, and public health that funding is more rigid in scope. For example, post 9-11, to be nimble Congress began bioterrorism and public health response and adaptive funding. Initially, this provided a half-time to a full-time to emerging threats and position in local health and additional regional support emergencies. officers to conduct several activities, including planning around mass vaccination, extreme weather events, mass casualty and fatality, and all-hazard response. However, over time, this funding has eroded to the point where most local 9 Current Challenges and Contexts departments have funding to cover only a small portion of staff but are still required to maintain all the federal deliverables. In Washington State, dedicated state public health funding was cut in 2009 and has remained stagnant since (apart from FPHS funding). Local funding is also volatile and subject to economic environments and competing local government operations. Fluctuating and categorical funding has had a negative impact on LHJs over time, forcing a scarcity and jurisdictional-focused mindset. Categorical funding that "boxes" funding into specific program areas, such as maternal and child health, HIV case management, or tobacco prevention, often inhibits an LHJ's ability to make cross-programmatic investments like new technology or communications staff. It also creates situations where local needs and priorities identified through community health assessments do not align with funding requirements, creating challenges in meeting local needs and having the appropriate resources. The last three years have highlighted the increased demand for public health to be nimble and adaptive to emerging threats and emergencies. Concurrently with the COVID-19 panic, LHJs also responded to three wildfire seasons, massive flooding and extreme winter events, the monkeypox pandemic, and an increasing behavioral and mental health crisis. All of these are above public health's "normal" book of business, putting further strain on resources and capacity. Often, emergencies and crises do come with some relief, as evidenced by the influx of COVID- response funding, but this funding is short-lived and reactionary. LHJs received support to ramp up staff efforts, but rather than maintain a proactive readiness, they are experiencing a funding cliff when resources are divested from the system. Further, public health is emerging as the convening leader for several social issues, from climate change to evolving chronic disease trends and eliminating health disparities and inequity. Public health has a long history of taking on controversial and political issues, from the early days of tobacco control and the AIDS/HIV epidemic of the 198os and 9os, to the public outcry over masking and vaccination 10 Current Challenges and Contexts policies of the pandemic. However, the politicization of public health issues has become more polarizing in recent years. Opposition to long-standing public health strategies such as isolation and quarantine or vaccination has permeated and hindered LHJs ability to work with communities. While this certainly existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, LHJs experienced this in a new magnitude through public protests, personal threats, and social media misinformation and disinformation campaigns. This has created challenges in working with communities where government involvement might clash with individual choice or political issues. Last, we are entering a make-or-break point for the public health workforce. The stress and high intensity of responding and working through the last three years have taken their toll on the physical, emotional, and mental well- being of public health professionals. Many LHJ staff have left their positions, either by taking early retirements, seeking employment in the private sector, or pursuing new professional opportunities. These departures exist in all levels of LHJs, from front-line staff to executive leadership, and from staff hired within the last five years to long-tenured public health staff. While not always the single factor for leaving, burnout is certainly a recurring factor in nearly all departures. Since January 2020, over 6o% of LHJ leadership (administrators and health officers) have left their positions. While it is normal to have a couple of local leaders leave each year, this high number is alarming. LHJ LEADERSHIP San Juan O o Ska t N rtheast VACANCIES & 9' Tri County Island TURNOVER SINCE Clallam JANUARY 2020 Seattle Grays UPDATED: 12/8/22 Harbor Kittitas Grant Tacoma Adams - Pierce Whitman Administrator/Director Pacific ■ Health Officer Covert: Wahkiakum Skaman'a ■ Both Positions Clark 11 Local public health departments across the United States have scaled up rapidly in the past three years as they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. National Perspective Local public health departments across the United States have scaled up rapidly in the past three years as they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in new and expanded responsibilities while maintaining the core programs and services that keep their communities healthy. The pressures placed on local public health departments during the COVID-19 pandemic caused intense stress and strain on a workforce system that was already experiencing underfunding, staffing shortages, and an aging workforce. The number of employees in local public health agencies has declined by more than 15% in the last decade. Federal, State, and local elected officials alike have not responded proactively to requests The public for additional funding to bolster the shrinking workforce health and stabilize public health infrastructure.z In addition to the workforce in current shortage of staff and strained infrastructure, it is the United estimated that the public health workforce in the United States States will will need to grow by 8o% to provide a minimum set of health need to grow services to the country, which includes by 80% to 54,00o additional FTEs to local health departments.3 provide a minimum The 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs set of health services the Survey (PH WINS) was conducted between September 2021 country and January 2022 and surveyed over 137,000 state and local governmental public health workers. Results from this survey 12 Current Challenges and Contexts: National Perspective indicate that 72% of governmental public health employees participated in the COVID-19 response in some way which has demonstrated a significant impact on workforce trends. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to increased stress and burnout, as well as post-traumatic stress symptoms. Nationally, 32% of state and local public health employees said they are considering leaving their organization in the next year, S% to retire, and 27% for another reason. 44% of state and local public health employees said they are considering leaving in the next five years. Among those who said they're considering leaving, 39% said the pandemic has made them more likely to leave. As well as the pandemic, other reasons for leaving their organizations included pay, work overload/burnout, lack of opportunities for advancement, stress, and organizational climate/culture.4 %- . r � - s — !W ' ka 13 In Washington state, the landscape of how local public health agencies fit into the structure of each county varies significantly. State/ Local Perspective In Washington state, the landscape of how local public health agencies fit into the structure of each county varies significantly. Washington's 35 local health jurisdictions (LHJs) are structured as follows: A district separate from the county (11, some districts include multiple counties), a department of the county government (22), or a city/county department (2) (see map on page 6). Each composition of LHJ presents unique challenges and benefits. For example, districts must cover expenses that are Training was absorbed by county functions in those LHJs that are county identified departments, including, but not limited to, HR, IT servers as an area and support, and fiscal management. Districts can pull of potential city funding into their budgets, which is something county improvement for the local departments cannot do. County departments are subject public health to county prioritization and more intense scrutiny but are workforce typically more financially stable. Multi-district counties also with 23.7% of navigate competing local government interests but are better respondents poised to serve mobile populations who move across county reporting borders regularly for services. that they do not feel their In addition to the national PH WINS survey, WSALPHO training needs are assessed accessed Washington LHJ data for agencies that participated in partnership with the University of Washington's Northwest 14 Current Challenges and Contexts: State/Local Perspective Center for Public Health Practice (NWCPHP). Staff from 16 Washington LHJs participated in the 2021 PH WINS survey, including 12 that are classified as small or medium LHJs.S Washington's local public health workforce is somewhat new to public health practice, with 37.9% of respondents reporting their tenure in the field as between 0-5 years. 67.1% of respondents also reported that they have been in their specific public health role less than 5 years. Training was identified as an area of potential improvement for the local public health workforce with 23.7% of respondents reporting that they do not feel their training needs are assessed and 24.3% of respondents reporting that they do not feel that they have sufficient training to fully utilize the technology needed for their work. Compared to the national data, the percentage of respondents who were considering leaving their position in the next year was slightly higher in Washington at 33%. The top reasons for considering leaving included; stress, work overload/burnout, organizational climate and culture, lack of opportunities for advancement, and pay. For those respondents intending to stay at their organization, the top reasons for staying included; benefits, job stability, flexibility (e.g. flex hours, telework), job satisfaction, and pride it organization and its mission. . . 5 Reasons . . 5 Reasons . Organization Staying at Organization Work overload/burnout 15.9% Benefits 47.1% Stress 13.2% Job Stability 36.2% Org. Climate and Culture 12.2% Flexibility (e.g., flex hours/ 35.3% Lack of Opportunities for 11.1% telework) Advancement Job Satisfaction 33.4% Pay 9.6% Pride in Org. and its Mission 33.0% Additional information related to the Washington-specific PH WINS results can be found in the Appendix. 15 LHJs cannot compete with state agency salaries and are often limited in their ability to offer incentives or restructure salaries to retain staff. Challenges to Building a Local Workforce Many LHJs are housed in aging facilities that do not have enough space to accommodate the staff they already have, resulting in LHJs having to be strategic about what positions they do recruit for due to limited facility space. County governments often prioritize programmatic operations over capital improvements, so investments in improved, more spacious facilities for LHJs take a long time to achieve. Safe, modern, and spacious working spaces contribute to ti recruitment and retention issues. LHJs are also experiencing The cycle recruitment and retention issues due to the rising costs of of continual employee housing in their communities. There are also inconsistent turnover and limited remote/hybrid workplace policies amongst makes it LHJs, preventing some LHJs from being able to capitalize challenging on a broader recruitment pool while others do not have this for LHJs to opportunity. advance their work Another barrier that LHJs report experiencing (especially and sustain within the past three years) is the trend of employees leaving capacity and LHJs for state agency employment. During the COVID-19 expertise in pandemic, many state agencies instituted remote work their agenc policies, which increased the ability to recruit employees from around the state rather than just the Olympia area. LHJs 16 Challenges to Building a Local Workforce cannot compete with state agency salaries and are often limited in their ability to offer incentives or restructure salaries to retain staff. There have been many examples of state agencies hiring staff from LHJs, particularly in rural communities that already struggle with recruitment. A common trend LHJs have encountered is that when new graduates without work experience are hired, they then dedicate resources to train and orient them, only to have a state agency recruit that individual after a few months of work. The cycle of continual employee turnover makes it challenging for LHJs to advance their work and sustain capacity and expertise in their agencies. While this cycle has always existed, it has become particularly exacerbated in recent years due to state agencies' remote work policies. Similarly, there is a long-standing pattern where smaller, more resource- strapped LHJs hire inexperienced individuals and invest heavily in their training, only to have them be recruited by more resource-rich LHJs or system partners after a few years. This is especially relevant on the eastern side of the state, where LHJs echo the sentiment of feeling like a "training ground" for LHJs and system partners in western Washington. This pattern is especially relevant to be aware of now due to the limitations it imposes on ongoing efforts to build and strengthen the local public health systems. When resources are spent in a cycle of recruitment, training, and vacancy, it severely hampers the ability of local health to improve their capacity and services to keep up with the demands of increasing populations and emerging public health threats. This includes holding back the potential of the state's Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) efforts, which provide funds to the entire governmental public health system intended to "both reinforce current governmental public health system capacity and implement service delivery models allowing for system 16 stabilization and transformation. Another challenge that LHJs face is limiting the pools of qualified individuals available for hire through their own restrictive hiring criteria. Many LHJs are attempting to be more intentional in their hiring practices so 17 Challenges to Building a Local Workforce that the demographics of their staff represent and reflect the communities and populations they serve. Urban LHJs are doing great work in analyzing and evaluating how to recruit and retain staff who represent BIPOC and LGTBQA+ communities. A number of rural LHJs are focusing on a "grow our own" framework, building their own workforce and future leadership by hiring people who want to commit to the agency mission and the communities they live in, regardless of education. While urban and rural LHJs are approaching diversifying their workforce in different ways due to variations in recruitment pools and community demographics, there are common efforts to improve the diversity of their workforce that are hindered by standardized hiring practices and strict qualification criteria. 18 WSALPHO surveyed LHJs to collect information including staffing numbers, salary ranges, pay scale structure, recruitment practices, and benefits offered. LHJ Workforce Survey • There is a good deal of concern over losing staff and being unable to adequately replace them. • Administrators recognize some key reasons they have a hard time hiring, but frequently are stymied by their local government's staffing policies or unwillingness to fund practices that would attract quality staff. • The positions that have been most difficult to hire consistently included public health nurses and Nearly two- staff with management or leadership experience. thirds of . Most felt that their inability to pay enough compensation respondents is and will continue to erode their retention. identified inadequate In spring and early summer of 2022, WSALPHO conducted a salary or survey of LHJs to collect information related to employment compensation numbers, salary ranges, pay scale structure, recruiting among their practices, and benefits. LHJ administrators received the online greatest survey and, as appropriate, worked with other department or concerns county staff to complete it. With 32 of 35 LHJs responding, the related to staff retention over response rate was approximately 91.4%. the next five When asked about which types of staff positions have been years. most difficult to hire, nearly all respondents identified nurses or public health nurses, and about half identified people with management and leadership experience. In several follow-up conversations, administrators emphasized the difficulties their 19 LHJ Workforce Survey LHJs faced when experienced managers were lost due to the inability to compete with benefits or salaries offered at other agencies or organizations. The detriment of leadership turnover was compounded by being unable to recruit equivalent replacements. Gaps in management create a bloated span of responsibility, increasing the workload on those individuals who must take up the slack. The other most common staff categories that had been difficult to hire included: Environmental health specialists, administrative support, fiscal/ accounting support, epidemiologists, and mental/behavioral health professionals. Nearly two-thirds of respondents identified inadequate salary or compensation among their greatest concerns related to staff retention over the next five years. The other top concerns included burnout, the cost of housing, and anticipated retirement of tenured staff, and the loss of institutional knowledge. With data from the survey, WSALPHO produced a salary survey report to share back to the LHJs. This report included salary ranges, medians, and averages for nine common role categories for public health staff. Several administrators found it helpful to compare their pay scales to other LHJs to help make the case for budgeting competitive salaries. 20 LHJ WORKFORCE SURVEY Recruitment Trends The prospect of remote work has come to the forefront in the past couple of years.' Workers and employers have gotten used to operating in a remote or hybrid capacity. Employers with policies that allow or encourage this are more desirable to many job-seekers, particularly new and young professionals. When asked about whether their agency would continue to provide mobile or remote work options over the next few years, nearly half had very limited or no options for remote work. About a fifth of the respondents indicated they would continue to have partial or full remote work options, and a third indicated that "select members" of their staff would have a partial or full option. Some LHJs and associated county governments have embraced remote work as a successful cost- saving practice through COVID-ig. Others are reverting to traditional on-site, mostly from the direction of their county leaders, who are uncomfortable with newer, less traditional approaches. • Nearly three-quarters of responding LHJs put the full range of what a person in each role could make, regardless of the actual amount or range that a successful candidate would be offered. • Only five LHJs show the salary ranges a candidate could realistically expect for their offer. LHJ Workforce Survey: Recruitment Trends • Advertising of new position postings mostly happens on a passive, convenience basis, shared on the agency or local government websites, with about three- quarters of responding LHJs also posting to a third- party website such as Indeed, Linkedln, or Craigslist. • About half also do some outreach to local affiliates or partners. • Several rely on county HR to recruit and are not involved. • Two LHJs reported that they used professional recruiters. • Those respondents who commented on recruitment practices cited not having the time, personnel, or money to do more for recruitment. 4 L ., r PP- 1 .ter �� , ■ WSALPHO hopes that they may help establish a case for county leaders and boards of health to better understand the needs of their public health workforce and take action to support it. Recommendations Recognizing that not all LHJs have control over all the actions identified here, WSALPHO hopes these recommendations will help establish a case for county leaders and boards of health to better understand the needs of their public health workforce, and take action to support it. NetworkThe National -alth Institutes identifies these - broad recommendations - the public health Increase & diversify recruitment Provide needed training Improve retention Create staff reserves to augment the workforce during public health emergencies Develop leaders who exemplify Public Health 3.0 principles WSALPHO's General Recommendations: Evaluate options for recruiting and carefully analyze the impact that their current recruiting practices are having on LHJs Continue FPHS investments and expand FPHS funding to continue to support the public health workforce, development of pipelines for staff and careers, and creation of commissions and task forces. 23 Best Practices & Recommendations Create system-wide strategic workforce development plans that include hiring practice and salary incentive needs and enhancements. Share successes like policies, job descriptions, workforce development plans, etc. through WSALPHO and other forums. Recruitment & Retention Develop pipelines for staff and career advancement. Expand internship and fellowship opportunities Establish a loan repayment program for public health staff dedicated to working in the public sector. Create opportunities for leadership development (potentially using FPHS funds). Evaluate staff salary scales to ensure the organization can be competitive with neighboring counties and like-sized agencies. Take steps to reduce or eliminate cumbersome, bureaucratic hiring processes that might unintentionally be reducing or turning away applicants/candidates. Increase transparency about actual on-hire salary ranges on job postings and during the recruitment process. Establish policies that allow for remote/hybrid work. • Consult other existing policies for inspiration/proof of concept. • Educate decision-makers by showing examples, and demonstrating where cost savings come in by updating their hiring policies. Engage more directly in the recruitment process 24 Best Practices & Recommendations by moving away from passive recruitment. • Post and advertise positions out-of-state. • Utilize Washington State Public Health Association's new tool for sharing public health job opportunities. • Ensure space in the county or department budget to accommodate active recruitment. Develop guidance on career ladders for public health. 9 Provide scholarships and paid internships with diversity, equity, and inclusion as priorities. 9 Identify the supports needed for the optimal mental health of public health staff. 9 Training Develop peer networks and communities of practice (FPHS). Encourage and provide leadership development (FPHS). Succession Prepare plans and taking pro-active steps to be prepared for staff members' departures. Encourage work sharing, so there is no single point of failure in institutional knowledge when one person who is the only one that knows a job leaves it. Best Practices & Recommendations Equity in Workforce Evaluate hiring practices that may be hindering efforts to recruit a workforce that is more representative of the community served.10 Engage with local colleges to discuss their public health curricula, and collaborate to identify opportunities. to demonstrate what career paths in local public health could look like.10 Develop and leverage partnerships with local community-based organizations. Assess organizational culture and make changes as needed to ensure the workplace is culturally competent and supportive of all staff.10 ra ?6 The local public health system anticipates that workforce development will be one of the most critical issues for LHJs in the next ten years. Current Workforce Efforts The local public health system anticipates that workforce development will be one of the most critical issues for LHJs in the next ten years. Recognizing this was an emerging issue Mi&M back in 2021, WSALPHO began identifying opportunities Y An additional and target areas of focus, pulling in several state and effort to private partners into a larger collective effort. This includes onboard and a coordinated system approach with our partners at the orient new Washington State Department of Health (DOH), deepening and incoming connections and relationships with higher and secondary local board education institutions, and leveraging private partners with of health members was other associations such as the Washington State Public Health implemented Association (WSPHA). in late summer of 2022 with Already, there is work underway. A job posting site was plans to developed in 2021 with DOH and WSPHA to provide a continue an "one-stop" place for job seekers pursuing government or annual and community-based public health employment. WSALPHO virtual training provided input into DOH's CDC Workforce Development program. grant application, ensuring that local needs would be prioritized with dedicated workforce funding. Student intern opportunities are evolving through improved relationships with higher education programs including the UW School of Public Health and Washington State University's new public health program. 27 Current Workforce Efforts Through FPHS funding, several workforce efforts are also underway, including; a large-scale system assessment of workforce skill needs and training gaps, the development of a training curriculum and virtual platform, and the development of communities of practice to strengthen peer networks. These efforts aim to address multiple target areas simultaneously, including employee retention, mentoring and training, and succession planning and leadership development. An additional effort to onboard and orient new and incoming local board of health members was implemented in late summer of 2022 with plans to continue an annual and virtual training program. These efforts come at a pivotal time for our system. It indicates large support for building and strengthening the local workforce from elected officials, state policymakers, our partners, and LHJs themselves. It is a sign of hope that through partnership, coordination, and additional resources, LHJs will be able to remain an effective force for modernization and positive health outcomes for our communities. 28 References 1. Department of Health. (2010). An Agenda for Change. https://doh.wa.gov/sites/ default/files/legacy/Documents/1200/A4C-Agenda.pdf?uid=63cb0e7318dl5 2. Castrucci, B, Valdes Lupi, Monica. (2020). When We Need Them Most, the Number of Public Health Workers Continues to Decline. https://debeaumont.org/news/2020/when-we-need-them-most- the-number-of-public-health-workers-continues-to-decline/ 3. De Beaumont Foundation. (2021). Staffing Up: Workforce Levels Needed to Provide Basic Public Health Service for All Americans. https://phnci. org/uploads/resource-files/Staffing-Up-Research-Brief.pdf 4. De Beaumont Foundation. (2022). Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (WINS) National Summary Report. https://debeaumont.org/wp- content/uploads/2022/11/National 2021 PH-WINS Summary Report.pdf 5. Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. (2023). PH WINS - Washington-specific Data Set. 6. Public health system—Foundational public health services—Intent, RCW 43.70.512 (2019). https://app.Ieg.wa.gov/rcw/defauIt.aspx?cite=43.70.512 7. Owl Labs. (2022). The State of Hybrid Work, Remote Work, and Office Work. https://owllabs.com/state-of-remote-work/2022 8. National Network of Public Health Institutes, Texas Health Institute. (2021). The Future of Public Health:A Synthesis Report for the Field. htt s: drive.google.com/file/d/lhkHkzxSHCDZR--XSMraedDMWkZ HtSJ1 9. Lights, Camera, Action: The Future of Public Health National Summit Series, Summit 1. (2021).Achieving a Diverse and Effective Public Health Workforce. https://futureofpublichealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ LCA-Summit-1 Workforce -Summary-Report 02.07.2022.pdf 10. Armooh, T, et al. (2021) Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp- content/uploads/2021/12/BPC Public-Health-Forward R01 WEB.pdf 29 Appendices WA PH WINS Additional Information ■ General Demographics ° 836 respondents from 16 LHJs ° 77.4% of respondents identify as female ° 13.5% of respondents identify as Hispanic/Latino • 21.2% of respondents stated that they were very dissatisfied (5.6%) or somewhat dissatisfied (15.6%) with their level of pay. RespondentsRacial Category With Which - . White 77.2% Asian 8.1% Two or more races 6.0% Black or African American 5.4% American Indian or Alaska Native 1.4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 0.5% Age of Respondents Tenure in Position Tenure in Public <21 0.2% 0-5 years 67.1% Health Practice 21-30 12.0% 6-10 years 11.8% 0-5 years 37.9% 31-40 25.7% 11-15 years 6.6% 6-10 years 16.1% 41-50 23.1% 16-20 years 4.1% 11-15 years 11.6% 51-60 17.2% 21 or above 7.3% 16-20 years 8.9% 61+ 11.1% 21 or above 19.7% WSALPHO 2022 Workforce Survey Raw Data (including salary information): https://www.dropbox.com/s/nlg64omOz5ew251/Survey%20Raw%20Data.xlsx?dl=0 WSALPHO 2022 Workforce Survey Questions https://www.dropbox.com/s/31gg9ildexlgaaf/WSALPHO%20Workforce%202022%20 Survey%20Questions.pdf?dl=0 30 Environmental Health Report For Board of Health March 28, 2023 From Ian Tracy, Environmental Health Manager Staffing update We recently filled 3 vacancies on our team. Andrea Tubens and Dave Anderson started on February 1 st. Andrea's work focuses on Sewage code enforcement and septic maintenance. Dave is a new Onsite Septic permit specialist with work focusing on Septic Permits, 2 Party Well permits and EH review of building permits. Randi Ocean has accepted a position in our Food Program and her start date is May 16th. Randi is coming to us from Larimer County CO where she is currently a food inspector. We have shifted funding to allow us to hire a second EHS to work in our Solid Waste code enforcement program. The position will be posted soon and we hope to fill within the next few months. This shift was driven by increased need in the County and we have FPHS funding available to accommodate. Solid Waste We are exploring funding mechanisms for County abatement of major solid waste accumulations. We have several properties where typical code enforcement tools are ineffective. These situations often involve a property owner who is physically and financially unable to clean-up their property. Many of these landowners have stated that they would be willing to allow the county to clean-up the property and then lien the costs. We also encounter vacant properties with significant solid waste accumulations where the owner lives out of state and does not communicate or respond to notices. Hearings Examiner judgements and fines do not result in the property being cleaned up until there is a real estate transaction or the property is developed which can often take 10-20yrs if not longer. Water Quality We will be receiving two grants with billable work expected to begin July 1 st and run for 2yrs. We have yet to receive the scope of work for either grant but we have a rough idea. The first grant comes to us through Mason Conservation District which will allow our staff to send out educational mailers and host public meetings. This outreach work will focus on South Sound and Oakland Bay. The second grant comes to us through Peirce County and the South South Partnership to which Mason County is a member. This funding is focused on Pollution Identification and Correction work and will likely drive the need to hire a third Water Quality FTE. Mosquito Surveillance in Washington, 2022 February 2023 zd@doh.wa.gov Mosquito Trapping and Testing Each year, mosquito surveillance in Washington State relies heavily on a network of partners, comprised of mosquito control district agencies, local health jurisdictions, academic partners, volunteers, and tribal, federal, and state partners; to trap and speciate mosquitoes and perform testing on mosquitoes for agents of human disease, such as West Nile Virus (WNV). Results of trapping, speciation, and testing, are reported to WA DOH through a variety of mechanisms. This document summarizes reported data generated by these activities. In 2022, 18 mosquito control, military, academic, and DOH partners collected adult mosquitoes from 304 trap site locations in 18 counties, primarily using carbon dioxide traps. Trapping began on Apr 07, 2022, and concluded on Nov 10, 2022; trapping start and end dates varied among partners conducting surveillance. A total of 4,179 trapping events occurred, with 720,858 mosquitoes collected, and 235,920 identified as Culex tarsalis or Cx. pipiens, the WNV vector mosquitoes in WA. Figures 1 and 2 show the species breakdown of mosquitoes collected in Eastern and Western Washington. Figure 1.Mosquito Species Reported from Collections in Eastern Washington,2022 Culex tarsalis Aedes vexans Culex pipiens Aedes dorsalis Anopheles freeborni Culiseta inornata Aedes increpitus Aedes sp. Other Coquillettidia perturbans 0 25,000 50 000 15,000 Number of Mosquitoes Collected * "Other"includes Unknown,Aedes flavescens,Aedes melanimon, Culiseta incidens,Aedes nigromaculis, Culiseta particeps,Aedes fitchii,Anopheles sp., Anopheles punctipennis, Culiseta sp.,Aedes campestris,Aedes cinereus,Aedes excrucians, Culex territans,Aedes sierrensis, Culiseta impatiens,Anopheles earlei. 1 Figure 2.Mosquito Species Reported from Collections in Western Washington,2022 Aedes vexans Aedes sticticus Culex tarsalis Culex pipiens Coquillettidia perturbans Aedes sp. Other Culiseta inornata Culiseta incidens Aedes increpitus 0 50 000 1p0,000 Number of Mosquitoes Collected * "Other"includes Unknown,Aedes aboriginis,Aedes sierrensis,Aedes fitchii, Culiseta impatiens,Aedes melanimon, Culiseta particeps, Culiseta minnesotae, Aedes flavescens,Anopheles punctipennis, Culiseta sp., Culiseta morsitans, Anopheles sp.,Aedes dorsalis, Culex erythrothorax, Culex territans, Wyeomyia sp.,Anopheles freeborni,Aedes cinereus,Anopheles earlei. Variation in the abundance of vector mosquitoes collected over the course of the season differed by geography. Abundance is calculated as the number of mosquitoes collected per trap night for a given period of time. Each night a trap is set is counted as one trap night. Figures 3 and 4 describe the seasonal abundance patterns for Eastern and Western Washington, respectively. 2 Figure 3.Vector Abundance in Eastern Washington State by MMWR Week,2022 75- — Culex pipiens Culex tarsalis a> 50- d 25- 20 30 40 MMWR Week Figure 4.Vector Abundance in Western Washington State by MMWR Week,2022 200- Culex pipiens 150- — Culex tarsalis a> U 100- Q 50- 0- 20 30 40 MMWR Week Vector mosquitoes were speciated and separated into pools of 12-50 mosquitoes for WNV testing. Testing was performed using either the Rapid Analyte Measurement Platform (RAMP) or with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 3 techniques. RAMP values of 100 are negative, 100-299.9 are indeterminate, and > 300 are positive. Some specimens tested by PCR were also tested for St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE) or Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), depending on the type of PCR used. Of the 235,920 Cx. tarsalis and Cx. pipiens that were collected, 82,990 were separated into 2,483 pools and tested for WNV (Table 1). RAMP testing was performed on 1,348 vector pools. PCR testing was performed on 1,135 vector pools. In addition, 349 vector pools were also tested for SLE and 367 were also tested for WEE. Table 1: Proportion of Culex pipiens and Culex tarsalis Tested for WNV in Washington State, 2022 County Species Total Collected Total Tested Proportion Tested Benton Culex pipiens 5760 2787 0.48 Culex tarsalis 6626 3553 0.54 Clallam Culex pipiens 0 0 0.00 Culex tarsalis 2 0 0.00 Clark Culex pipiens 22468 11192 0.50 Culex tarsalis 48283 9527 0.20 Cowlitz Culex pipiens 426 0 0.00 Culex tarsalis 96 0 0.00 Franklin Culex pipiens 16159 1398 0.09 Culex tarsalis 18675 2189 0.12 Grant Culex pipiens 18775 8257 0.44 Culex tarsalis 29659 13013 0.44 Kittitas Culex pipiens 29 22 0.76 Culex tarsalis 184 33 0.18 Klickitat Culex pipiens 15 0 0.00 Culex tarsalis 90 34 0.38 Mason Culex pipiens 6 0 0.00 Culex tarsalis 1 0 0.00 Pierce Culex pipiens 1003 959 0.96 Culex tarsalis 174 94 0.54 Skagit Culex pipiens 741 726 0.98 Culex tarsalis 172 146 0.85 Snohomish Culex pipiens 537 483 0.90 Culex tarsalis 215 116 0.54 Spokane Culex pipiens 283 262 0.93 Culex tarsalis 1073 1048 0.98 Thurston Culex pipiens 1 0 0.00 Culex tarsalis 465 87 0.19 Walla Walla Culex pipiens 0 0 0.00 Culex tarsalis 61 0 0.00 Whatcom Culex pipiens 379 306 0.81 Culex tarsalis 51 19 0.37 Yakima Culex pipiens 23446 10191 0.43 Culex tarsalis 40065 16548 0.41 Total Culex pipiens 90028 36583 0.41 Culex tarsalis 145892 46407 0.32 4 Figure 5.Reported Numbers of Mosquitoes Collected and Proportion Tested for West Nile Virus in Washington State,2022 Numbers of Mosquitoes Collected Culex pipiens Culex tarsalis Total Collected �� Q6 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 Proportions of Collected Mosquitoes Tested for West Nile Virus Culex pipiens Culex tarsalis Proportion Tested 0.75 0.50 0.25 0.00 Six mosquito pools tested positive for WNV, with no positive detections for either SLE or WEE. The first positive WNV detection was collected from Kittitas County on Jun 28, 2022. This finding was actually in a pool of Aedes vexans that one partner tested for research purposes. Aedes vexans is not considered to be directly involved in the maintenance of WNV in the bird-mosquito cycle. The remaining positive WNV mosquito pools were samples of Cx. tarsalis and Cx. pipiens collected on Jul 28, 2022 through Aug 23, 2022. (Figure 6) 5 Figure 6.West Nile Virus Surveillance Sites and Positive Detections in Washington in 2022,by County Whatcom ON Skagit Clallam n Snohomish Spokane Mas Grant Kitt' hursto pierce Frankli Yakima Cowlitz nt alla Wal Klickitat Clar Trap sites without WNV detections WNV positive mosquitoes detected Trap data not available 6 Mosquito Surveillance by Agency Mason County Public Health & Human Services performed mosquito surveillance in 2022, with trapping beginning on Jun 09, 2022, and concluding on Sep 15, 2022. During this time, the agency set up 15 overnight traps, collecting 197 mosquitoes. Of these, 7 were identified as Cx. tarsalis or Cx. pipiens. Figure 7 shows the breakdown of mosquito species collected by Mason County Public Health & Human Services. Figure 7.Mosquito Species Reported from Mason County Public Health&Human Services,2022 Unknown Aedes sp. Coquillettidia perturbans Culex pipiens Culiseta inornata Aedes flavescens Anopheles punctipennis Culiseta incidens Culex tarsalis 0 30 60 90 Number of Mosquitoes Collected No testing was conducted due to lack of sufficient numbers of vector species. 7 Acknowledgement We gratefully acknowledge the following partners for submitting data for inclusion: Benton County Mosquito Control District Clallam County Health & Human Services Clark County Mosquito Control District Columbia Mosquito Control District Cowlitz County Mosquito Control District Franklin County Mosquito Control District Grant County Mosquito Control District #1 Grant County Mosquito Control District #2 Island County Public Health Klickitat County Health Department Dr. Kristzian Magori, Eastern Washington University Mason County Public Health & Human Services Skagit County Public Health and Community Services Snohomish Health District Spokane Regional Health District Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department US Army Preventive Medicine Department, Joint-Base Lewis McChord and Yakima Training Center Whatcom County Health Department 8 Resources Links to West Nile virus resources WNV surveillance maps and statistics for the current season WNV surveillance sites and activity (VectorSurv) WNV surveillance maps and statistics, historical WNV surveillance reports Additional tools, including a video on how to set up an EVS trap (bottom of page) and tools for mosquito surveillance partners (links below): Local Health Resources - WNV Tools for DOH mosquito surveillance partners: 1. Mosquito Trapping Reporting Form (WORD) to track a trapping event's field, identification, and test data 2. Trap Equipment Checklist (PDF) helps ensure that necessary EVS trap equipment is on hand before leaving to the field 3. Protocol on Transporting, Packaging, and Shipping Mosquitoes (PDF) provides instructions on how to safely transport, prepare, pack, and ship mosquitoes to DOH 4. WNV-Positive Mosquito Pool Reporting Form (WORD) for surveillance partners testing mosquitoes to timely report positive findings to DOH. 9 • MASON COUNTY Public Health & Human Services West Nile Virus Monitoring 2022 Lake Linden Cushman Salvage • Sand Hill Olympic Ball Field tional Forest 006 3 106 Eels Hill l Transfer Station • Legend Shelton Ball Field She 0 0 County—Boundary 0 Squaxin Island WNV Active Sample Walker Park eservation Sites • WNV Inactive Sample Sites WA State Parks GI , Esri, HERE,Garmin,SafeGraph, FAO,METI/ 101 NASA, GS, Bureau of Land Management, EPA, NPS 0 2.5 5 10 Miles I l l l l l i i l N MASON COUNTY ON-SITE SEWAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE BY-LAWS I. PURPOSE The On-Site Sewage Advisory Committee (hereafter referred to as the Committee) is established by the Mason County Health Department and shall work towards the following objectives: Provide technical expertise to the Mason County Health Department in the development of ordinances, policies, procedures and priorities that will protect the public health and be consistent with state and local regulatory mandates. Provide perspective for the Mason County Health Department to assure that wherever possible, on-site sewage programs ordinances, policies, procedures, and priorities are practical, understandable, functional, and sensitive to the county's economic base. Provide support to the Mason County Health Department by educating represented constituencies concerning Committee findings and recommendations. II. REGULAR MEETINGS The committee shall meet regularly on a monthly basis, and no less than quarterly, at the date and time set by the Committee at their first meeting of the year, unless otherwise notified by the President.The location for each meeting will be arranged by the Mason County Health Department. III. RULES OF ORDER The proceedings of the Committee meetings shall be governed by and conducted according to the latest edition of Robert's Manual of Parliamentary Rules, except when State Law takes precedent. IV. AMENDEMENTS These By-Laws may be amended by simple majority vote of the Committee members present at any regular meeting of the Committee, if notice of the proposed amendment is contained in the agenda of the meeting. V. QUORUM Six members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum and shall have authority to transact Committee business.A quorum shall be established at roll call and shall not be affected by member departures during the course of a meeting. VI. MEMBERSHIP A. Committee Makeup: Committee members will consist of up to 13 persons selected as follows: One representative of the Mason County Homebuilders Association One representative of the Mason County Realtors' Association One representative of the shellfish industry Three citizens of Mason County Three Licensed On-Site Wastewater Designers One certified Installer One certified Pumper One certified Operations and Maintenance Specialist One representative of the Mason County Health Department B. Selection of Members:All members shall be appointed by the Mason County Board of County Commissioners per the Mason County Boards and Commissions Handbook. C. Terms of Membership: Committee membership shall serve three year terms, although nothing contained herein shall prohibit the Board from re-appointing Committee members for more than one (1) consecutive term. Initially, one third of the membership will have one year terms, and one third of the membership will have two year terms, so that vacancies will be staggered. Initial designations of terms shall be determined randomly. D. Ad Hoc Member: In addition to the membership delineated in Section VI.A. of these by- laws, a representative from Washington Department of Health On-Site Program will be considered a non-voting ad-hoc member of the advisory committee. VII. OFFICERS A. The officers of the Committee shall include a President and Vice-President.The President and Vice-President may be removed by a simple majority of the Committee. B. Elections shall be held at the first regularly scheduled meeting after January 1 each year. C. The President shall preside over all meetings of the Committee.The Vice-President shall preside over all meetings at which the President is not in attendance. Should both the President and Vice-President be absent, an Acting President may be selected by the member in attendance. D. The term of office for President and Vice President shall be one(1)year.The President and Vice-President may not serve more than two(2) consecutive terms. VIII. AGENDA, MINUTES, CORRESPONDENCE,AND NOTIFICATIONS A. The President and/or the Mason County Health Department Staff shall determine the agenda for each meeting and notify each member of the Committee. B. Minutes, notifications and correspondence shall be the responsibility of the Mason County Health Department. C. Minutes shall be written summary of the proceedings and shall be kept by the Mason County Health Department. Copies shall be transmitted to each member prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.A copy shall be filed in the Health Department office and shall be available to the public as a matter of record. IX. ORDER OF BUSINESS A. Call to Order B. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum C. Introduction of Guests D. Approval of Minutes E. Public Comment Period F. Committee Business X. ATTENDANCE Committee members are required to attend all regularly scheduled meetings. It is the responsibility of the members to contact the President or the Mason County Health Department prior to any known absence from a regularly scheduled meeting.Three unexcused absences may result in the On-Site Sewage Advisory Committee formally submitting a petition to the appropriate party requesting that the member be removed from the Committee and a new appointment be made. XI. PUBLIC MEETINGS AND NOTICES All meetings of the Committee shall be open to the public. ADOPTED this 9th of June, 1995. REVISED on 17th of July, 2019. (Not signed by BOH) REVISED on 13T" of October, 2020. (Not signed by BOH) REVISED on 28th of March, 2023. MASON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH Kevin Shutty, Chair of Mason County Board of Health Date P UG ET S OU N D r Washington State Department of � H E A LT H National Estuary Program Funding List for Shellfish Beds FFY21-22 Investment Priorities A-C: To Reduce Fecal Pollution to Increase Harvestable Shellfish Acreage in Puget Sound More information about this Investment Priority is available in the FFY2021-2022 Strategic Initiative Lead Investment Plan. Proposals are funded through the Shellfish Strategic Initiative with EPA Puget Sound Geographic Funds. The applicant, short description, geography, and recommended funding level for successful proposals are described in Table 1 below. Applicant Title and Description Geography Implementation Funding Strategy King County King County Pollution Identification &Correction Priority Actions for OSS Management and Puget Sound WRIA 9 and 15 Shellfish Beds $455,000 Water Quality Improvements (King County) Partially fund King County proposes to expand pollution identification and correction(PIC)and onsite sewage system (OSS) with intent to management in Poverty Bay Shellfish Protection District(SPD)and Vashon Maury Island (VMI),which have high risk of fund in full fecal pollution impact on Puget Sound water quality and high potential to maintain and upgrade harvestable shellfish contingent on beds.The primary objectives are to: future funds • Expand source tracking and pollution identification to high impact areas not yet surveyed in Massey Creek sub- available, up to basin and areas on VMI. • Continue freshwater monitoring in Poverty Bay SPD to support long-term water quality management and $910,000 upgrades to harvesting areas. • Reach new audiences-property owners on sewer and inland Vashon residents, providing financial and technical assistance for inspections and repairs. • Strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations(CBOs)that serve disadvantaged communities. • Improve OSS inspection enforcement and prepare for sea level rise impacts by expanding marine recovery area (MRA)to all of VMI. Mason Mason County Partnership for Clean Water WRIA 14, 15, and Shellfish Beds $438,807 Conservation Local partners participating in the Mason County Clean Water District have organized to protect and promote water 16 Fund in full District quality. Partners include Mason Conservation District, Mason County Environmental Health,and The Squaxin Island (Mason County) Tribe. Key outcomes of this project are aimed at reducing fecal pollution impacts on shellfish growing areas.Seven of the eighteen identified 2022 Threatened Shellfish Growing areas exist within Mason County.With 25,365.50 total shellfish growing acres it is imperative to our local industries and tribal partners to mitigate water quality concerns that threaten a tribally and culturally significant resource,the local economy including many jobs,and recreational opportunities that draw people from around the region.The objective of this proposal is to continue to provide Technical Assistance to cooperators in the affected watersheds,and to continue the education and outreach campaign through mailers,workshops,and public meetings. Pierce County South Sound Shellfish Recovery WRIA 13, 14, 15, Shellfish Beds $501,767 Surface Water The South Sound Shellfish Recovery Project is a multi-partner effort to reduce bacterial pollution sources to Shellfish and 16 Partially fund Management Protection Districts in Mason,Thurston,and Pierce counties. Partners will perform planning,water quality monitoring, (Pierce,Thurston, with intent to on-site Pollution Identification and Correction(PIC)work,agricultural PIC work,address point sources,and perform and Mason fund further education and outreach with the intent of upgrading shellfish growing areas acreage in South Puget Sound. Counites) contingent on future funds available, up to $1,185,000 Skagit County Samish& Padilla Bay Pollution Identification &Correction WRIA 1 and 3 Shellfish Beds $587,111 Public Works Skagit County has been reducing pollution in Samish Bay since 2010.All large sources of pollution have been (Skagit County) Fund in full addressed.We are now working to find and fix smaller and dispersed sources.This proposal supports source ID work using a combination of lab testing,cheaper and faster Coliscan testing,and water level loggers to use with our existing equipment to identify illicit discharges. Skagit County will also collect storm data in the Samish River watershed and in Samish Bay.WDOH needs marine samples to assist them in reclassifying the bay.Storm data from the watershed tells us where we should focus our efforts. Many sources are hard to pinpoint with source ID work,so outreach is a critical part of our work.A root cause analysis identified several barriers for residents.We will address these barriers by: • Providing residents temporary solutions while we work on permanent ones. • Providing cost share for permanent solutions. • Reducing fear of engaging with regulators by providing opportunities to meet us and learn. • Normalizing pollution-reducing behaviors so that it's just"what we do". We will also continue our successful PoopSmart campaign with advertisements that remind residents about the importance of managing pollution sources. Skagit County and Skagit and Whatcom County Joint Pet Waste Outreach Project WRIA 1 and 3 Shellfish Beds $99,687 Whatcom County Seasonal closures of shellfish harvest due to fecal bacteria pollution affect Samish Bay, Portage Bay,and Drayton (Whatcom and Fund in full Harbor.Skagit and Whatcom County have established Pollution Identification and Correction programs which include Skagit Counties) effective outreach campaigns based on social marketing techniques. Dog waste is a preventable, non-point source of fecal bacterial pollution that has been identified as a key source of fecal bacterial pollution affecting these areas.Skagit and Whatcom County are proposing a collaborative regional outreach campaign to decrease the amount of bagged, and un-bagged,dog waste left behind at parks and trails,as well as yards. This regional campaign will ensure consistent messaging around proper dog waste management among the recreational and dog-owning community in northwest Washington.The campaign will: • Identify behavioral motivations and campaign messages using root cause analysis and social marketing techniques. • Host pop-up events at parks and trailheads promoting messages and incentives. • Provide scooping kits to dog adoption and training centers to promote messages with new owners. • Partner with trusted messengers to promote key behaviors. • Reach broader audiences through social media and ads. Snohomish County Savvy Septic Program WRIA 5 Shellfish Beds $425,000 The Savvy Septic Program in Snohomish County aims to empower residential On-site Sewage System (OSS)owners to (Snohomish Fund in full engage in a collective Puget Sound water quality solution through outreach,education,and finical aid for OSS County) maintenance, repair,and replacement.The Stillaguamish watershed is our focus area for this funding,which is a predominantly low-income, rural community that contains threatened shellfish growing areas,including port Susan and Skagit Bay South. Key outcomes are to: 1. Increase homeowner knowledge of proper OSS maintenance. 2. Provide financial incentives to help homeowners with OSS maintenance,repairs,and replacement. 3. Reduce the overall impact of failing OSS on water quality and public health,including reducing the potential health risks for shellfish consumption and reducing the threat to shellfish growing areas in the Stillaguamish watershed. Swinomish Indian Swinomish Indian Tribal Community PIC Program WRIA 3 Shellfish Beds $599,815 Tribal Community The Swinomish Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)would develop and implement a Pollution Identification (Swinomish Fund in full and Correction(PIC) program with the following areas of focus: Reservation, 1. The section of shoreline in the Swinomish Growing Area currently classified as prohibited.The PIC program would Skagit County) track sources of fecal pollution,support outreach to homeowners, provide financial assistance for inspections or pumping,and work with Swinomish Utility Authority to initiate ongoing BMPs for homeowners.These actions would improve water quality so that ultimately the entire section of shoreline would achieve approved status. 2. The unclassified section of shoreline located north of Kukutali Preserve and south of Turner's Bay in the Similk Bay Growing Area.This area is currently being classified by DOH with Swinomish DEP assistance.There are 2-3 years of data collection left prior to classification.The PIC program would initiate additional pollution source-tracking and correction to ensure that this area will achieve approved status. 3. Current locations of active shellfishing and special concern for Tribal Treaty Rights to ensure that fecal pollution sources are identified and corrected and that they can continue subsistence,ceremonial and commercial harvest in these areas. Tulalip Tribes of Shoreline OSS: Education &Assistance for Tulalip Reservation Residents WRIA 7 Shellfish Beds $278,986 Washington Tulalip will focus on five(5)shoreline neighborhoods on the Tulalip Reservation,a part of Puget Sound:Sunny Shores, (Tulalip Fund in full Spee-Bi-Dah,Tulare,Tulalip Shores and Priest Point.These neighborhoods are adjacent to tidelands and in some cases Reservation, encroaching on tidelands along the Reservation.A second focus is building Tulalip's Pollution Identification and Snohomish Correction(PIC) program on the Tulalip Reservation through foundational research and community meetings. County) Washington State Reducing Manure Impacts to Water and Building Climate Resiliency on Livestock Farms WRIA 1, 3, and 5 Shellfish Beds $750,000 Department of Through trusted partnerships,the WSDA Dairy Nutrient Management program and partners will improve nutrient (Whatcom, Partially fund Agriculture Dairy management planning,develop adaptive management strategies,and build flood preparedness on livestock farms to Skagit, and with intent to Nutrient support clean water WSDA proposes a three-yea project focused in north Puget Sound shellfish watersheds.The Snohomish fund in full Management frequency and intensity of precipitation events in Puget Sound in increasing.The changing climate impacts shellfish Counties) contingent on Program harvests. Livestock farmers who manage manure must adapt to farming conditions involving shorter periods of intense future funds precipitation,increased flood frequency,and must plan to be prepared to make real time management decisions during the rainy season to prevent pollutions. This project will equip manure managers with long term planning solutions,adaptive management practices, available, up to preparedness resources and will build off and directly support multi-agency and ongoing efforts to monitor water $1,500,000 quality,educate landowners to produce results in shellfish priority watersheds. WSDA and its partners will provide inspections,application monitoring, runoff source IS investigations,climate focused technical assistance,and updates to the design and scope of plans to support manure management. Washington State Collaborative Strategy to Reduce Pollution in Shellfish Growing Areas WRIA 1, 3, 13, Shellfish Beds $624,330 Department of Ecology proposes to fund three Ecology Water Quality Nonpoint and Shellfish Specialists to work collaboratively with 15, 16,and 18 Partially fund Ecology Pollution Identification and Correction(PIC) partners in Whatcom,Skagit, Pierce,Thurston, Mason,Jefferson,and (Whatcom, Clallam counties to address sources of fecal coliform and other pollutants on agricultural lands. Ecology staff will focus Skagit, Pierce, on non-dairy livestock operations and other sources of pollution,with a goal to protect,restore and upgrade Thurston, Mason, commercial (including Tribal)shellfish growing areas in these counties. Ecology will implement the following activities Jefferson, and to identify and correct discharges of runoff polluted with manure-contaminated water: Clallam Counties) 1. Employ social science principles to develop effective education and outreach tools. 2. Conduct watershed assessments to identify high risk to water quality priority areas. 3. Contact and engage landowners and operators to address identified water quality concerns. 4. Provide technical assistance to landowners and operators. 5. Respond to referrals and report environmental concerns from local partners and the general public. Whatcom County Whatcom County PIC Program WRIA 1 Shellfish Beds $739,497 Public Works Adapt the successful Whatcom County Pollution Identification and Correction(PIC) Program to address fecal bacteria (Whatcom Partially fund sources during critical environmental conditions and in hot spots still impacting areas with tribal,commercial,or County) with intent to recreational shellfish harvest closures or declining water quality. fund in full • Participate in Whatcom Clean Water Program (WCWP)and coordinate field staff and seasonal plans. contingent on • Coordinate, manage,and map data collected by WCWP partners and community groups. future funds • Engage community members in long-term water quality protection through social marketing campaigns and focused messaging based upon root cause analysis and community metrics. available, up to • Provide community workshops and events with focused messages and tools for addressing bacteria sources. $1,478,994 • Provide technical assistance through farm planners to enhance management practices. • Provide financial incentives to expand community knowledge,make behavior changes easier to implement,and engage residents in stewardship pledges and actions. • Implement a regulatory backstop for violations and discharges that are not controlled through incentive-based programs. • Share data and information with transboundary partners to help identify and address fecal bacteria sources. Total11 111 This work has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC-01189801 to the Washington State Department of Health. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. 11 • MASON COUNTY Public Health&Human Services . j, ' jk ' • COMMUNICABLE DISEASE & HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS NOTIFIABLE CONDITIONS* 290 cases of COVID-19 PQ� Point-In-Time Count 26 cases of Chlannydia The Point-in-Time Count event took place in 54 Contact TB tests Mason County on January 27th in both Shelton and Belfair. Below is the unofficial count results from collected PIT surveys and HMIS: *CD rates are suppressed for all nonzero counts which are<10 SUBSTANCE USE Where they #of #of E1 slept on 1.26.23 households individuals MOBILE OUTREACH # • RV/Boat 13 Households 21 individuals Abandoned 3 Households 8 individuals 30,970 Building L _ Vehicle 62 Households 106 individuals ExchangedSyringes Mi Outdoors 139 Households 158 individuals OVERDOSE DATA TO ACTION PF Type of #of #of W Homelessness Households Individuals (OD2A) f � Unsheltered 217 HH 293 individuals nuusxu�,_ Sheltered 88 HH 184 individuals -'�-� Successful Overdose Reversals with Naloxone 477 Note that as of November,we are now collecting all Total 305 HH individuals overdose reversals that occurred since the last time we saw that participant. Previously we collected one overdose reversal per refill engagement,so it is not accurate to compare this report with previous reports. There was increased outreach to people sleeping in vehicles • 411 Naloxone Kits distributed and encampments than in the past, accounting for the • 42 new people trained on overdose increase in the 2023 PIT count.The 2022 PIT Count was a prevention, recognition, and total of167 HH and 238 Individuals. response For additional previous results: • Re-engaged with 54 participants to https://deptofcommerce.app.box.com/s/ek9pu2wO7oz8d77g give refills g6clrlpxuwcw0515 • MASON COUNTY Public Health&Human Services . • MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & ^ RECOVERY SUPPORT TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM MCPH participates in the School Medical Autism This program provides transportation to Review Team to help diagnose children saving substance use and mental health related families a 1 1/2-2 year wait for specialty hospitals. medical appointments, inpatient and outpatient substance use and mental health treatment, SMART Team of Mason County recovery support meetings, UAs,jail re-entry c 120 100 services, and other necessary support services a lm for Mason County residents in substance use and $° mental health recovery. u 60 41 4 40 31 20 `2 1 2 1 ': �� a 278 transports by the Patty Wagon (in ° � 2020ratei 2jD2Lrote1 xoZxTaeal zo23eodale county) 0=amebyYear • 22 transports by Gethsemane Ministry w Rsfarels ■41esnosed with Autism ■Ui$not matt<r.iaeria (out of county) RURAL COMMUNITIES OPIOID RESPONSE PROGRAM (RCORP) Mason Health's Peer Navigator has seen a sharp increase of referrals from ED, ICU, and Birthing Center staff during this reporting period. She also continues to go on outreach in partnership with MCPH's Behavioral Health Navigator. The jail SUD RCORP team has seen great successes in getting clients furloughs into treatment, or providing seamless transitions to treatment upon release. The team works diligently with clients after they are released into the community during the re-integration period, securing housing (often recovery housing) and employment for many, and helping break down all barriers for treatment and recovery support services. The team worked with 25 unique individuals in January, and 28 in February (including duplication), but had 85 encounters with those individuals in January and 93 in February. MASON COUNTY /\ HEALTH COALITION On March 21st, we hosted the Mason County Health Coalition Kickoff at the Alderbrook Resort & Spa in Union.This was an incredibly successful event with over 85 participants from a variety of sectors and disciplines. We are excited to maintain the momentum of enthusiasm from our kickoff event as we move forward into the next steps.The 2023 Community Health Assessment will be developed and released by mid-April, and additional Coalition workshops will be scheduled through the spring to develop our 2023-2025 Community Health Improvement Plan. HealthMelissa Casey, MPH I Community Manager COMMUNITY HEALTH JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2023 MASON COUNTY PREVENTION SUMMIT 2023 ENTRY FEE: NONE WORKSHOP SCHEDULE Registration is Required 9:00 AMWelcome Introductions & Blessing WHEN: ♦ I Shelly Willis&Abe Gardner ♦ O FRIDAY, APRIL 14 - - 9:30AMWorkshop Mr. Jason Kilmer ♦ Cannabis/Marijuana and Recent Science: 9:OOAM — 3:OOPM ' ,♦ Prevention Opportunities and Lessons Learned WHERE: 10.40 AMWorkshop 2Megan Moore &Alyssa Pavitt Using Your Voice for Prevention Skokomish Tribe 11:30 AMPick-Up Lunch Community Center 19731 North U.S. Highway 101 11.50 AMWorkshop 3Sarah Ellsworth -ESD 113 Skokomish Nation, WA 98584 Student Assistance within a Multi-Tiered System of Support Framework 12.50 PMWorkshop 4Alyson Rotter 4 D REGISTRATION CONTACT: Handle with Care:A Trauma-Informed W Community Strategy n (360) 427-9670 x406 1.50 PMWorkshop SChristina Muller-Shi p 0elayman@masoncountywa.gov Fentanyl101 and Local Trends 2:40 PMClosing Statements . . —. ■. — —. . . . a— — .—. —. . — . . . -. 4 Gr w—OONAL NEgerr�y o. Illi o � n � Sir Z n s v a�JL6 4nFrc A�„o Behavioral Christina Muller-Shinn Health Specialist Health Behavioral Health Response Systems cmuller-Shinn@masoncountywa.gov Desk: 360-427-9670 ext. 410 Update Work Cell : 360-463-7949 III loday— • Brief history to ground us • Use the 2016-2019 Opioid Response Plan to guide us through our Behavioral Health Systems Update • Note: change in language, previously "Opioid/Substance Use Response:' Broadened focus to encompass all BH in recent years instead of just opioid. • Review Strategies for each Goal, then share progress and relevant data to each Goal • End with final thoughts and next steps Where did we start ? A look back in time . . . • No OD or SUD related data was collected by County before 2016 • scope of problem unknown • One of the highest death rates in the state due to opioid overdose • No harm reduction programming—lots of pushback from community • Community began mobilizing • MCPH receives first opioid related grant in 2017—overdose prevention • Begins acting as backbone to the behavioral health (BH) community response • Begins tracking SUD related data • Opioid Summits (Shelton and Belfair) • Opioid Stakeholder Group • Opioid OD notifiable condition (2017) • Developed Opioid Response Plan • Grant based programming for specific strategies • Millions of grant dollars into the community for SUD and broad BH across many sectors • Opioid Response Plan with goals in Prevention, Access to Treatment, Reduce Death, and Data Use MASON COUNTY OP1 1D RESPONSE PLAN 201 -201 COALS STRATEG I E . REDUCE 3.1 Increase 3.2 Increase Naloxone 3.3 Consider 3.4 Track non- 3.5 Increase access 3.6 Establish DEATHS aarenesand access public fatal overdose to harm reduction support groups for education about distribution (OD) information & families$friends benefits of program for strategies Naloxone Naloxone 3.1.1 Outreach to people in 3-2-1 Community Efforts 3.3.1 Mason County Public ?,AA Mason County Health 3.5.1 Increase access to 3,6.1 Facilitate support groups active use Obtain funding and Naloxone for Health PDO Officer made OD reportable in syrienge servicesfor IDU's for family&friends -FdD Pro.- distribution ram Outreach -PDO Program began March 2417 "hr1CPH started the Substance Encourage family&friends -Path/STR Recovery Supply obtained from E3H0,DOH&UW ADAI Programs distribution in 3/2017-see -MCPH has been tracking Use Mobile Outreach to join together forsupport VSubstnate Use Mobile Community Training&Distribution 3.2.1 Community Efforts overd oses si nce March 2017 Program in November of 2018 -Encourage Basic CPR Outreach of Mason Efforts County -PDO Program Workshops&.Transit table 3.5.2 Consider strategies to deal 3.6.2Provide Naloxone Kits training and distribution began 32018 with discarded syringes in -Naloxone Rx to any family& 3.1.2 Information& "Distribute Naloxone to locations where drug public Places friends interested-Standing Education to public about overdoses are taking place -Pub .c campaign about haw orders in Shelton &Deifair Naloxone "Encourage family,friends how to to safely pickup and dispose Pharmacies administer -PDO Program Workshops "Standing Order Naloxone RX at local of syringes- Training in Naloxone use &Transit Table pharmacies obtained for Neils'and QFC healthymasoncounty.com and SUf-PDD program -Mason County pharmacies in 92017 Community Forums "Naloxone distribution at Substance Use -Mason County Mobile Outreach of Mason County Substance Abuse "OD Prevention workshop and naloxone take Resource Guide home program at Mason County Jail in U2018 -Cammunitysupport 3.2.2 Increase number of physicians groups prescribing Naloxone for patients on Vhealthmasoncounty.com Opioid R ~MCPH social media "MGH? ca m pa igns/accou nts/ra d i 0 3.2.3 First Repsonders Partnerships "Law enforcement,EMT's,DOC Field office, Court security are all trained and carry Naloxone Goal 1 . • Expand SUD prevention efforts in school • Implement Prevention Coalitions Prevention • Coordinate, sponsor and host prevention activities Strategies • Decrease opioid supply • Prescription Drug Takeback Boxes • Change opioid prescribing practices • Decreased opioid prescriptions • Increase PDMP participation • Long-term Drug Free Communities grant recipient for sustainable programming • Participate in state-wide prevention legislation Goal 1 Prevention • Work on creating protective measures in our communities progress • 1 Coalition in 2014 expanded to now include all over the county • LGBTQ+ Coalition at at Cedar High Expand SUD • Projects throughout year include: National Kick Butts Day, Mental Health Month, Suicide Awareness, Rx Take Back Month, assisted in prevention in listening sessions for Drug Free Communities Grant schools • Youth SUD Community Forum in 2022 • Drug education classes, future goals to include more harm reduction in prevention programming Goal 1 : Prevention ' Medication Drug Take Back boxes first located at Sheriff's Office in Shelton, North Mason Regional progress Fire Authority in Belfair • Year-round take back program vs. National Take Decrease op ioid Back Day supply Y • Expanded through Med-Project pharmacy program • 13 year-round locations currently (as of 3/2023) • Working on adding a location with Squaxin Island Tribe in newly renovated pharmacy 9 Average monthly total of 153.17 lbs. Goal 1 : Preventionprogress Change opioid prescri i ng practices Top line:Mason Prevalence of prescription opioid 100 prescriptions in population tto n • (Number of patients per 1,000 with at least one opioid so prescription submitted into PDMP): • 2016 Quarter One : • WA rate : 95.0 per 1,000 40 • Mason rate: 105.0 per 1,000 20 • 2022 Quarter One : • WA rate : 49.5 per 1,000 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 Calendar Year-Quarter • Mason rate: 55.9 per 1,000 Source: Washington Department of Health, Prescription Monitoring Program. https://doh.wa.gov/data-statistical-reports/washington-tracking-network-wtn/opioids/county-prescriptions-dashboard Goal 2 : Access to Treatment • Reduce recidivism, increase partnerships within criminal justice system • Increase access to MAT/MOUD • Increase community capacity for SUD treatment • Increase community capacity for integrated MH and SUD treatment, increase peer recovery workforce Goal 2 : Access to Treatment * Therapeutic Courts Re-entry services progress * Jail Mental Health, Trueblood Crisis services Jail MAT re-entry program Increase 13H * Behavioral Health Navigator services within ' Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Jail SUD team criminal * Youth CJP programs justice s stem y Behavioral Health Transportation Program March 2022-Feb 2023 • Patty Wagon: 1522 trips (one individual may have more than one "trip") • Gethsemane: 157 trips Goal 2 : Access to 0 Navigator Program March 2021-March 2023 Treatment 0 Approximately 710 contacts *low estimate progress 0 LEAD 2020-March 2023 Total referrals: 396 Increase 13H 0 Jail MAT Re-entry January 2022-January 2023 services within 0 Total individuals: 20 criminal justice st i ce ' RCORP Jail 7/2021-9/30/2022 J Total individuals: 84 a 854 engagements) ( gg ) syst e m 0 Mason Health SUD Peer Data coming soon • Behavioral Health Resource Guide, healthymasoncounty.com Goal 2 : Access ' Significantly increased access to MAT/MOUD • All Mason Co. treatment providers accommodate MAT patients to Treatment 0 Several programs are low barrier, harm reduction based progress 0 Peer led • Targeted programs to reduce rural barriers, many are innovative Increase 0 Program/agency collaboration and network strong integrated service • Crisis network continues to grow, identify cracks and fill them capacity • New inpatient E&T facility OD Awareness Event and Mobile Resource Fairs Goal 3 : Reduce Death • Begin OD prevention awareness and education, implement low barrier naloxone access • "Consider public distribution of naloxone" • Naloxone distro was one of the first ways MCPH built partnerships • Track non-fatal overdose • Increase access to harm reduction and information strategies • Implement local syringe services for injection drug users • Establish support groups for families and friends who have lost a loved one Overdose Prevention Education and Naloxone Distribution (OPEND) program (data from 2017- G oa 3 : Reduce 2022) • 1709 unique individuals trained or engaged Death p about overdose prevention, response, and how n I x n to use a o o e • There were 893 re-fill engagements • 4,106 naloxone kits distributed within Mason OD prevention County • 407 reported successful overdose reversal events and naloxone • Prior to November2022, only one overdose event would be captured per re-fill event. distribution Now we capture all reversals since participant last saw us. Goal3 : Reduce eatD h -N n Ioverdose o ata data Non-fatal Opioid Involved Overdoses Through Emergency Systems 244 200 150 26 40 55 63 60 M M 0 0 0 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 5-year Total Note: Took several years for reporting system to work well (don't compare early years to later years). Still a work in progress to get all systems reporting regularly. Substance Use Mobile Outreach of Mason County, 11/8/2018-12/31/2022 "Unduplicated" participants: 592 (with some duplications, though) 1,689 encounters GoallReduce Average number of people participants are exchanging for: 3.77 (range 1- 100) Death progress 238 encounters had experienced or knew someone who had experienced an OD in the past 30 days 114 (19.26%) unique participants received behavioral health referrals Increase harm Grant goal of 20% 109 (18.41%) unique participants received recovery support referrals reduction strategies Grant goal of 10% # Syringes exchanged: 953,692 670 encounters received naloxone 55% request fentanyl test strips (started January 2020) 70% requested wound care supplies Goal 3 : Reduce Death progress • Establish support groups for families and friends who have lost a loved one • Have not done this—anyone interested in spearheading this? • Encourage use of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Goal 4 . • Implement opioid overdose data surveillance Data • Make opioid overdose notifiable condition • Collect data around substance use (see: COSSAP Use Report, ADAI) • Provide annual status report to community Goal 4 : Data Use progress PDMP, data to stakeholders • MCPH no longer focusing on increasing PDMP usage • Medical providers: how common is PDMP usage at your agency? • MCPH provides data regularly to stakeholders • Note: would be helpful to see non-MCPH program data to assess how the system is working as a whole Goal 4 : Using Data progress Opioid OD Surveillance Fatal Opioid Involved Overdoses 90 01O�1 80 70 60 50 '° 31 3° 15 21 20 12 0 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 5-year Total *pending * pending Goal 4 : Using Data progress Opioid OD Surveillance 2022 All Drug Overdose Data 45 40 40 35 31 28 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2022 All drug overdose 2022 Opioid involved 2022 Fentanyl involved deaths overdose deaths overdose deaths "No Wrong Door Approach to Tackluig the Goal 4 : Using Data Opioid Crisis in Mason County CunTrehenmw Collect data around substance Discharged and rclvmed a[ Mason County Public Health{MCPH}identified a twofold problem least once{Jr1y 2M-June Facing the community: 2021� i Need to understand the scope of epidemic in Mason County—what Msucce ^ is the numberof individuals impacted,what are the types of 0t substances contrasting to the thigh overdose robes? /1 2 How are the Mason County Behavioral Health Services System C stakeholders coordinating their efforts to tackle the epidemic—what does the network of service and treatment providers look like? COWAP Findirg9 •2104 unduplicated individuals interacted with community stakeholders who are tackling the opiate epidemic;from July 2618 to R..o. nnw.M June 2021� •On average participants were referred to 1.3 recovery support provide—coordination is essential,agencies must work together to r: provide the needed support C O A P C O S S A P Final Research Report •Only 252%of participants are effectively referred to recovery support services ��";!'. `"�1t •Multiple substa nce use is prevalent—in add ition to opicids, participants report using alcohol,marijuana,heroin,meth;often Mason County Public Health (M C P H) identified a two-fold problem simultaneously t) C' •Challenges such as COVI D-19,turn over,and limited agency resources facing the community: - fords stakeholders to prioritlue established relationships,as result the network tightens,and community responses bemme'smaller" Die...d.n W—rk •4796 individuals in our dataset;987 our of 2104}seek help but might be finding the network unresponsive In their needs 1. Need to understand the scope of epidemic in Mason County — Nex ps •Better coordination between agencies is necessary:agencies know who has re who has resources,discussion networks are smaller and more what is the number of individuals impacted, what are the types of conrerrlsaaoralsac substances contributing to the high overdose rates? Ci •gefentfororJy]2X of discharges •There is a need for sustained and improved data collection •Supportfor agencies doing the work will improve the data that informs polirydedsions 2. How are the Mason County Behavioral Health Services System stakeholders coordinating their efforts to tackle the epidemic — LachexarG.Anguelov,PhD—LGAConsultingLLC what does the network of service and treatment providers look like? ***A big THANKS to all partners who took on the significant burden of detailed data collection!*** COAP/COSSAP Final Research Report • 2104 unduplicated individuals interacted with community stakeholders who are tackling the opioid epidemic (from July 2018 to June 2021) Goal 4 : • On average participants were referred to 1.3 recovery support services — coordination is essential, agencies must work together to provide the Data needed support • Only 25.2% of participants are effectively referred to recovery support services Collect • Multiple substance use is prevalent — in addition to opioids, participants report using alcohol, marijuana, heroin, meth; often simultaneously around • Challenges such as COVID-19, turn over, and limited agency resources forces stakeholders to prioritize established relationships, as a result the substance use network tightens, and community responses become "smaller" • 47% individuals in our dataset (987 out of 2104) seek help but might be finding the network unresponsive to their needs Goal 4 : UsingData Collect data use • UW ADAI and MCPH naloxone program findings 5/2017-9/2021 Race Counts and % Gender Counts and % Housing Status 11,2ro o Number 9,1% 112,18% 99,17% 129,21% 16,3% 278 47% �9,1% 310,52% 468,75% 374,62% ■ ■ ■ ■American Indian/Alaska Native Female Male Transgender ■ Homeless Permanent ■Temp/Unst ■ Black/African American ■ Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ■White ■Asian ■Other Goal 4 : UsingData Collect use • UW ADAI and MCPH naloxone program findings 5/2017-9/2021 Number of Overdoses Experienced in Past 12 Was Naloxone Used in an Overdose? Where Did Overdose Occur? Months 22,10% 20, 10% 16,9% 4,2% 12,7% 216,37% 21,12% k1k, 1 363,63% 14b 125,72% 164,78% ■ Don't know ■ Inside: Hotel/motel ■0 1 ■2 ■3+ ■Yes No Inside: Private Residence ■Outside(park,street,car,camp) Goal 4 : Using Data Collect data around substance use UW ADAI and MCPH naloxone program findings 5/2017-9/2021 Substance Used Past 30 Days Alcohol 64 Benzos / downers 40 Rx pain medication 48 Methadone / buprenorphine 65 Heroin by itself 152 Meth & Heroin together 121 Meth by itself 132 Cocaine & heroin together 18 Crack cocaine by itself 14 Powder cocaine by itself 22 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 Results from the 2021 WA State Syringe 00 ADAI Service Program Health Survey Susan XMgmn Aiken Newmon,01PF1;[eleb8aneo--Gmn,PhD,MPM,INSW,Sere Ghek,PhD,MPH Key Findings agm / #f 1 1 f 1 1 1 1 • 1n September-C AW 2I121,955 parbn mats W Washing0. 5tatrsyrirye aervicepr grams earroeled a survey dl health Ire&i:. %and health t—needs. • Mmereepdnd—hadosed oxthampheurrineby itsdhihan heroin hy-49{d69e veri.rs OM drncat half Goal 4 : Data Use le894 had used bnhdtaed tegatner(Ath'gdd&All'}Gd FbAll w rhlthird Moir oewrmrn•msr;drv;:2 H?: eher Herein[479Q and rrrtHiarrphereminr i2g961. }larl _ Q7 three quarter{T99b}af eesppntlene rapertnd using more Han one wbaanee n the paseweek Strategic Response uldtanee uae rr& [ high anron rhxe,,h ae maindr as an t fm �M P���r �§ § �9 w 4� naa. progress AJMtmt MIF4R96]reported using tentarryl in the pace theeernor&LTw thkds 01 rhese respendeln said they had IssL toed fmvrvl'ems wrpae'fdost open 1ha14r1eerryl xas tt pill form lFae rerrreirlirq third repdrKd thr feeuanyi they useQ wirmed4onalhf,u-�m6sL otter rriaed krwiar anodser dvg. -MMi,whb had used KaMfti M the ya it th/ m ffd s ee rYalre likely E have had A i 6pitid M rddie ie e.•r pea 12 r Mha then sae w11e had adr uMd kmeayd a?%A 2M p,0,95y. 1tatei of drug smoking watt higtL Abau three in lour respondents%#M had ir4mud any drug in the peat RM- -wha a1a6 reported smoking a drug in the same period.hates of drug irrjcarg and irmkitg varied widely Md�ry�" Collect data u+,•qal.a.za,e Freud ap tea«/aaaeLb.�4 I Zane t.KAren LOOS.Colton M3Trs.Qt1mrMegLer around A Ow zlLA a.d k L r substance use L3 LJ1cvlu-c rnrrr � Marrstewerwalt ii L—.%1.Yk ft. 4 Evans StbDDI DfFublle Mky imd Gwrernam 2-P toe.1.1,Srd.Lk.,—ddva�av 0 2 SM.W.lder kaerarr.rChLefBeimBakken 10 Ztl lm.f LErrr-Lu, 10 'aljk rh Mrt]hodc5lrrrwry. 1L tMason.F t e O7pMr-nr6k MA1*W ar3.JMronnwsM Cssrh 4wdW 37ram--t--k— 12 S L 711-um twu rim.rad4m UV" 12 .tL2 S7rfQ1- 17 1mr ru*Y.hVra tmvR Na rib I'm raLSrr 2L L1mriIWr1 L*A,EiWMAL 2A itmrslud.tl•I.nr4 upre r2 rawwwrq•Cer12�n.ek�prtt'� 21 Update Opioid Response Plan • Workgroup coming soon Focus on sustainability Expand MOUD services and access o Mving No methadone • Jail MAT services improvement forwa rd . . Adolescent SUD services Still difficult to engage with most rural pockets of community • Still difficult to access the most tucked away Also: Get involved with state work! Work groups guide priorities for the state and in turn funding. Big gaps still exist. Need rural voice! Attach SOORP leads sheet. Use Treatment Youth as an example. 7 4'R % O�Yew A�pwMr•ery AV FULO k .� Mason County Overdose Awareness❑Csy �' o`i .a IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY r 'f J. '� t To SAVE LIVES wl _