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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021/01/26 - BOH PacketMason County Public Health 415 N 6th Street, Bldg 8, Shelton WA 98584, Shelton: (360) 427-9670 ext 400  Belfair: (360) 275-4467 ext 400  Elma: (360) 482-5269 ext 400 FAX (360) 427-7787 MASON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH REGULAR MEETING Jan. 26, 2021 3:00 PM Via Zoom 411 North Fifth Street Shelton, WA 98584 DRAFT AGENDA 1. Welcome and Introductions Peggy VanBuskirk Chair 2. Approval of Agenda – ACTION Board Members 3. Resolution: Set Meeting Dates - ACTION Board Members 4. Elect Officer Positions - ACTION Board Members 5. Approval of Minutes of November, 2020– ACTION Board Members 6. Health Officer Report Dr. Dan Stein 7. Administration Report Dave Windom a. Vaccine Rollout b. Phased recovery c. Health Officer search d. Fiscal 8. Environmental Health Report Alex Paysse 9. Community Health Report Lydia Buchheit a. COVID Report b. Presentation by Ben Johnson 10. Other Business and Board Discussion Board Members (Presentation by Commissioner Trask) 11. Public Comments Mason County Public Health 415 N 6th Street, Bldg 8, Shelton WA 98584, Shelton: (360) 427-9670 ext 400  Belfair: (360) 275-4467 ext 400  Elma: (360) 482-5269 ext 400 FAX (360) 427-7787 12. Adjourn Draft Meeting Dates for 2021 January 26 March 23 May 25 July 27 Sept 28 Nov 23 is Thanksgiving week; the following week is the 30th. If special accommodations are needed, please contact McKenzie Smith, 427-9670, Ext.589. From the Belfair area, please dial 275-4467, Ext. 589; from the Elma area please dial 482-5269, Ext. 589. RESOLUTION NO. _____ A Resolution setting the 2021 meeting dates for the Mason County Board of Health WHEREAS, the Department of Community Services supports the administrative requirements of the Mason County Board of Health and provides public notice; and WHEREAS, the Board of Health meets regularly to address the public health needs of Mason County; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mason County Board of Health that the meetings for 2021 will be held at 3:00 p.m. on the following dates: January 26 March 23 May 25 July 287 September 28 November 16 DATED this 26th day of January, 2021. ATTEST: ________________________________ McKenzie Smith, Clerk of the Board MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON BOARD OF HEALTH ___________________________________ Scott Hilburn, Hospital District # 1 ___________________________________ Kathy McDowell, City Commissioner ___________________________________ Randy Neatherlin, Commissioner ___________________________________ Kevin Shutty, Commissioner ___________________________________ Sharon Trask, Commissioner ___________________________________ Peggy VanBuskirk, Hospital District # 2 ___________________________________ Gary Plews, Fire Commissioner ___________________________________ Keri Davidson, Shelton School Board Ordinance No. _______ An Ordinance Amending Board of Health Ordinance No. 03-16 Concerning the Composition of the Mason County Board of Health WHEREAS, RCW 70.05.030 allows the board of county commissioners/board of health, at its discretion, to expand of the size and composition of the board of health to include elected officials and persons other than elected officials as members so long as persons other than elected officials do not constitute a majority. WHEREAS, the Board of Mason County Commissioner s believe that having officials representing other governments within Mason County will enrich the Mason County Board of Health through discussion of public health policy to ensure that the public health needs of the citizens of Mason County are being met. At the September 27, 2016 meeting the Board of Health added school district representatives to the composition however an ordinance was not signed and this item was re -visited and affirmed at the May 23, 2017 Board of Health meeting; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED by the Mason County Board of Commissioners as the Board of Health that the composition of the Mason County Board of Health shall consist of twelve (12) members as follows : Three (3) elected members of the Mason County Commission One (1) elected member of the City of Shelton Commission One (1) elected member of Mason County Hospital District 1 One (1) elected member of Mason County Hospital District 2 One (1) elected member of the Mason County Fire Commissioners Association One (1) representative of the Squaxin Island Tribe One (1) representative of the Skokomish Tribe Two (2) representatives from Mason County School Board Districts; one from the south end and one from the north end of Mason County . One (1) active provider in good standing of the Thurston-Mason Medical Society practicing in Mason County. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that all members of the Board of Health shall have the ability to vote on all issues pertaining to public health policy and priorities. However, any Board of Health supported issue requiring additional funding from the County will be forwarded as a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for final action, and BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that a quorum shall consist of at least one County Commissioner and at least three other members. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the members of the Mason County Board of Health shall serve terms consistent with the terms of the entity they represent, and BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that members will serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel expenses approved by the Mason County Board of Health . FINAL adoption this 26th day of January, 2021 ATTEST _______________________________ McKenzie Smith, Clerk of the Board APPROVED AS TO FORM: _______________________________ Tim Whitehead, Chief Civil Deputy Prosecutor MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON BOARD OF HEALTH ______________________________ Randy Neatherlin, Chair _______________________________ Kevin Shutty, Commissioner _______________________________ Sharon Trask, Commissioner MASON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS 411 North 5th Street, Shelton, WA November 17, 2020 Virtual Attendance: Randy Neatherlin, County Commissioner; Kevin Shutty, County Commissioner; Sharon Trask, County Commissioner; Peggy VanBuskirk, Hospital District # 2; Dave Windom, Mason County Community Services Director; Lydia Buchheit, Mason County Community Health Manager; Alex Paysse, Environmental Health Manager; Scott Hilburn, Hospital District # 1; Keri Davidson, Shelton School Board; Kathy McDowell, City of Shelton Council Member Seat # 2; Dr. Dan Stein, Health Officer; Gary Plews, Fire Fighters Association; McKenzie Smith, Clerk of the Board. 1. Chair Peggy Van Buskirk called the meeting to order at 3:06 p.m. 2. Approval of Agenda – Scott Hilburn/Gary Plews moved and seconded to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried. 3. Approval of Minutes – Cmmr. Trask/Kathy McDowell moved and seconded to approve the September 22, 2020 minutes as presented. Motion carried. Clerk is approved to sign for Board members. 4. Environmental Health Report – Alex Paysse reported permitting activity has been busy. Not many changes since the September Board of Health meeting. His team is still assisting with COVID response. The On-Site Sewage Advisory Committee updated their bylaws and future vacancies will be sent to the County Commissioners. The report shares a summary of Group B Water System Regulation updates and proposed changes. 5. Public Health Resolution & COVID-19 Report – Dave Windom shared a Resolution Supporting Public Health Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions to help prevent increase in COVID-19 cases. This resolution was created last week before the Governor released new regulations over the weekend, however there should be no major changes. Cmmr. Shutty/Gary Plews moved and seconded to approve the Resolution # 20-05 Supporting Public Health Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions to Prevent Increases in COVID-19 Cases. Motion carried unanimously. Clerk is approved to sign for Board members. Latest COVID report shows where Washington State currently stands. As of 11 o’clock the Governor announced Dr. Umair A. Shah as the new State Secretary of Health. Dr. Shah will begin his new position December 14, 2020. Kathy Lowe, current State Health Officer, is leaving and at this time there is no replacement for her. The interim prioritization analytic framework for the va ccine lays out the vaccination plan in four phases. For the Health Officer recruitment, there have be en some very highly qualified individuals apply however they are not a medical doctor. Across the state, we are down about 1/3 of Health Officers due to resignations. At the January meeting, Dave is hoping to have a list of backup Health Officers for the Board of Health to vote on for the backup Health Officer. Kathy McDowell inquired about hotspots. Dave answered, for example Pierce County is getting about 230 cases per day which makes them considered a hot spot. Thurston County is getting about 130 cases per day which also makes them also a hot spot. The more metropolitan counties that have almost logarithmic increases will most likely be in the first round of vaccines . The latest Governor’s orders had 16 areas that were addressed as well as a travel advisory recommendation to voluntarily quarantine for 14 days. We are waiting to see the actual policies which should come through soon. Restaurants will be closing indoor seating tomorrow and indoor gatherings are now limited to just the household while outdoor gatherings are a limit of five members of a family. With the indoor closure for restaurants, Dave would like to get the Board’s feedback regarding restaurants renewing their food permits and if it is possible to push that out to January or February to give restaurants a chance t o get back on their feet. This will need to go to the Commissioners at the next briefing and then be brought forward as an agenda item. 6. Community Health and Human Services Report from Lydia Buchheit Today’s positive COVID count is up to 683; our 14-day rate per 100,000 is 94; and the positivity rate is 145%. The cases are not primarily outbreak or cluster related but between individual families. A couple weeks ago a school COVID liaison training was done asking the schools to have a COVID liaison to work directly with Public Health to help staff be less overwhelmed with phone calls regarding individual positive cases. If there is a positive, it can take up to 2-3 days to be recorded due to cases going up. Individuals need to follow the 10 rules of COVID safety. 3 staff have been hired strictly for COVID work. Long-term care facilities are accepting new inpatients again. Kathy asked if numbers are going up because more people are being tested? Lydia answered no, transmission is faster. Symptoms seem to go in cohorts, right now it is cold-like symptoms while two weeks ago it was loss of taste and smell for most cases. More cases are landing in the hospital. Dave added there is no Influenza A or B so far, masks a nd social distancing are helping reduce that. Dr. Stein shared an important distinguishing factor besides the increased testing is the rate of positives which is also going up. Keri gives her thanks on behalf of the Shelton School District for sharing the case rate per 100,000 on the daily report since it is one of that major points they have to look at to allow students back to school. Lydia reminded the Board that at the end of her report there is a p icture of one of the graphs that comes from the Risk Assessment Dashboard with the link to see the data yourself. The data is delayed by about one or two weeks. 7. Report – Dr. Stein shared COVID is the main concern at this time and helping aid schools on thei r decision to reopen whether in person or virtual. The Governor’s orders do not apply to school recommendations or guidelines. The Governor did not recommend schools close, but the Secretary of Health noted it is not the best time for schools to reopen due to the spike in cases. Schools throughout Mason County have excellent plans in place to keep youth safe and get the best education possible. 8. Other Business and Board Discussion Scott Hilburn shared the hospital is going through the same issues as e veryone else. Staff is working hard to stay positive and work through this but it is difficult. There are early retirements and it is hard to recruit new nurses and costs are ridiculous. There is great leadership though. Dr. Stein shared that this is probably his last Board of Health meeting, however he will be following along from afar. 9. Public Comments No public comment. 10. The meeting adjourned at 3:50 p.m. ATTEST _______________________________ McKenzie Smith, Clerk of the Board MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON BOARD OF HEALTH ____________________________________ Scott Hilburn, 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’s Desk January 2021 It’s not too late, get your flu shots! This past month has been incredibly busy with the continuing response to COVID and other public health related issues. As you know, the governor’s Roadmap to Recovery plan has Mason County grouped with Jefferson, Kitsap and Clallam counties with a starting point of Phase 1. As a region, we are closest to moving into Phase 2 compared to other regions but there are some significant hurdles. We still have a relatively high positivity rate and case count in Mason County. The numbers for the correction facility are rolled into our numbers which push them upwards although the corrections numbers are coming down recently. Getting our numbers down and into Phase 2 will help our economy and I think our community mental health as well. Our local providers have received initial shipments of vaccine and are nearly through with Group/Phase 1a. By the time the board meets, we hope to be in Group/Phase 1b tier 1. The definitions of those groupings are still being revised as logistical concerns and medical resources are being reviewed. The goal of public health and area command is to protect the most vulnerable populations first. This includes some permutations of groups that were not anticipated or addressed within the current framework such as oncology patients. We are working with DOH to get clarification/permission to make some adjustments to safeguard the most at risk residents of Mason County. We expect vaccinations to take most of this year to complete. This past year, the state has seen a lot of drama in the relationships between boards of health, commissioners, health officers and directors. Almost 1/3 of health officers have been removed, quit, or retired and many senior public health administrators have left. In response to this, several bills have been written to address various aspects of governance. Commissioner Trask has joined a workgroup to look at public health governance and will be briefing the BOH on the most current efforts and legislation. As the legislature moves forward in this long session, I will keep the BOH informed of those issues that might impact public health in Mason County. Being this close to Olympia is an advantage for us to speak out when needed though COVID restrictions will limit our effectiveness from years past. Dr. Umair Shah, the new Secretary of Health visited Mason County on the 13th to introduce himself and listen to our concerns as a health department and as area command in COVID response. We were impressed with his responses and look forward to working with Dr. Shah to improve the working relationship with the Department of Health. David Windom, MSHS 1 November-December 2020 Communicable Disease & Notifiable Conditions (3 programs-CD, TB, STD) Staff: Audrey O’Connor, Back up: Elizabeth Custis & Lydia Buchheit November-December our communicable disease (CD) program nurse received 49 reports requiring data entry into the State database, and/or investigation and follow-up. * Hepatitis C cases being directly entered into new WDRS database by DOH. This does not include their work in COVID-19 case investigations. Year total for COVID-19 included in this update. Disease Nov-Dec Total to date COVID -19 * 1,207 Campylobacteriosis 1 38 Cryptosporidiosis 0 0 Giardiasis 0 1 Shiga Toxin 2 0 0 Shigellosis 0 2 Mumps 0 1 Haemaphilus Influenza 0 1 Hepatitis B- Acute 0 0 Hepatitis B-Chronic 0 0 Hepatitis C- Chronic * * Hepatitis C- Acute 0 0 Hepatitis D 0 0 Lyme 0 3 Pertussis 0 2 Salmonellosis 0 20 Coccidiodmycosis 0 2 2 Anthrax – Ruled out 0 0 Hepatitis A – Ruled out 0 0 Meningitis-Ruled out 0 0 Vibrio- Ruled out 0 0 Listeriosis- Ruled out 0 0 Q – Fever- Ruled out 0 0 Mumps- Ruled out 0 0 Tuberculosis- Ruled out 0 1 Tuberculosis-Latent 0 0 Tuberculosis-Active/open cases 0 0 Vibriosis (non-cholera) 0 0 Listeria 0 1 Yersiniosis 0 0 Chlamydia 41 248 Gonorrhea 6 70 Syphilis 1 5 Herpes 0 10 HIV 0 0 Totals 49 389 Hepatitis C Screening Staff: Christina Muller-Shinn Mason County received funding through the Department of Health to pursue increasing screening and access to treatment for Hepatitis C (HCV), as part of the governor’s Hep C Free WA plan, which aims to eliminate Hepatitis C in the state by 2030 (previously discussed in the OD2A section of the July-August report). During this reporting period, Public Health assessed Mason County’s HCV prevalence and current screening and treatment capacities. Although the guidelines in WA changed in July of 2019 to allow non- specialists to treat HCV with no needed prior authorization from insurance, very few providers in Mason County have been treating HCV—the most common bloodborne disease in the United States. Public Health staff have been working with DOH, HCA, and AbbVie (the pharmaceutical company that was awarded the state contract) to learn and strategize what needs to happen in Mason County. Staff hope to provide HCV testing at the Substance Use Mobile Outreach by the end of 2021 to increase screening to high-risk individuals, many of which are not getting tested at traditional medical establishments, and have already begun the process to obtain the necessary certifications to do so. For treatment of high-risk individuals, Public Health has secured a relationship with a Specialty Pharmacist and the resident program from Providence in Centralia to treat Mason County residents who 3 actively use drugs if they are tested at the Mobile Outreach. Many specialists require abstinence, although that is not considered best practice and is not a requirement of the pharmaceutical company nor insurance providers. Additionally, Public Health staff has met with the County Clinic’s provider who has begun HCV treatment with their patients and have agreed to treat people without an abstinence requirement as well. This is a major milestone for our community! Currently, the major medical providers in Mason County are not treating HCV locally, but refer patients out of county to specialists. Public Health plans to facilitate and provide academic detailing to agencies and providers in 2021 with the hope of increasing accessible and equitable access for the treatment of this curable disease. Maternal Child Health Staff: Elizabeth Custis Providing work in this grant via approved COVID case and contact investigations. Assisting with guidance to childcare agencies when there is a positive COVID. Maternal Child Health Parenting Program Contract with DCYF. Providing individual zoom parenting classes to CPS clients, usually only one client at a time due to COVID priority work. Currently planning group zoom class. ABCD Dental Program Elizabeth continues to provide telephone assistance for families needing a dental home. All other work is on hold during COVID. Breastfeeding Coalition of Mason County Breastfeeding Coalition meetings and support group are on hold during COVID. Early Learning Coalition of Mason County Meetings have resumed via zoom and looking at opportunities to support online learning during COVID. Immunization Improvement Grant Most work in this grant has been on hold due to COVID priorities. Elizabeth continues to encourage parents to apply for online access to their child’s Immunization Information System records and provides guidance via phone to assist families in getting their child’s immunizations up to date to attend school. Children with Special Health Care Needs Elizabeth continues to provide some consultation and care coordination via phone to families with children that have special health care needs in the Mason County area. Outreach has been on hold during COVID, but referrals continue to be submitted to RN. Continue to participate in monthly Pediatric Care Coordination Meetings with: Mason Health Pediatricians, Birth to Three Early Intervention, School and Mason Health Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy, and Developmental Preschool and Special Services staff. 4 Social Service Programs Housing ($2,434,817 Annually: 12 funding sources – grants, tax, local recording fees, 12 subcontracts, and 20 programs) Staff: Todd Parker Updates on the newer grants: Covid-19 Outbreak Emergency Housing Grant ($505,000) originally awarded from March 15 – September 30, 2020 to establish isolation and quarantine beds for people experiencing homelessness, are displaced from housing or due to a loss of shelter space due to physical distancing. Update: The contract with Commerce has been extended through June 30, 2021 although no new funds have been added. 24/7 operations have been approved through March 31 under this grant and for additional hours of housekeeping for cleaning and sanitation at Crossroads emergency family shelter through June 30, 2021. Cares Act Emergency Solutions Grant (Round 1 $165,874: July 15, 2020 – September 30, 2022; Round 2 funds Oct. 2020 – Sept 2022) funds are to be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Covid-19 pandemic among individuals and families who are homeless or receiving homeless assistance. Update: Round 2 subcontracts are in place with Crossroads Housing, Shelton Youth Connection and Turning Pointe to expand non-congregate temporary emergency shelter, additional case management and rental assistance funds. Shelter Program Grant ($344,428: August 2020 – June 2023) to develop or expand shelter programs and bring people inside with a goal of exiting participants to permanent housing quickly. Update: The program is operational with Community Lifeline. Eviction Rent Assistance Program (ERAP): ($500,876 effective August 1 – December 31, 2020). Update: A total of 150 households have been assisted with this grant with Crossroads assisting 126 or 84% of the households throughout all of Mason County. Commerce extended the grant end date through June 30, 2021 however Mason County has spent down all funds. There is a possibility of additional funding to be awarded to counties. Location HH Served Allyn 5 Belfair 22 Hoodsport 6 Shelton 95 Union 2 Tahya 3 Grapeview 2 In addition, Shelton Youth Connection has served 15 households under the age 25 with funding directly from the Office of Homeless Youth at the Department of Commerce. Behavioral Health ($900,000 Annually: 4 subcontracts and 8 programs) --Treatment Sales Tax (TST) Funded Staff: Todd Parker, Lydia Buchheit The following entities continue to operate through Covid-19 restrictions and are doing an excellent job in client recruitment and services during these challenging times. Therapeutic Courts , Consejo 5 Counseling, Northwest Resources Care Coordination program ,Olympic Health and Recovery Services Jail re-entry. The recent challenge is finding isolation and quarantine for people impacted by Covid-19 with Behavioral Health conditions. There are limited beds available for persons with high level needs and places to house people with appropriate behavioral health care. The hospitals remain a first line of admitting people in this situation while other solutions are needed at the state level. Mason County Opioid Response (5 programs) Staff: Abe Gardner, Christina Muller-Shinn, Audrey O’Connor Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) Staff was able to secure 400 more naloxone kits to distribute throughout the community from the Department of Health, in addition to the kits procured through University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute’s, which are earmarked for syringe service programs. Christina gave an overdose recognition and response training to the case managers at Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP), an organization that works with pregnant and parenting mothers with substance use disorder, as well as to the Moving Mason Forward virtual meeting. In November and December, 4 new individuals were given naloxone kits. Staff also reconnected with and gave refills 31 times. Additionally, the case managers from PCAP were also given gits (unclear how many were new or refills). In total, 86 naloxone kits were distributed throughout Mason County. In December, staff was alerted to a spike in opioid overdoses by reporting partners and by participants who were getting refill naloxone kits at the Mobile Outreach. Participants report successfully reversing 11 overdoses in December, and 1 in November. Staff has been alerting high-risk individuals to be especially cautious during this time. Substance Use Mobile Outreach of Mason County Mobile Outreach continues to serve locations throughout Mason County each week. The Shelton Park and Ride location is still on hiatus due to construction, so outreach stays at the Kamilche location all day on Thursday (11 am-1 pm, and 2-4 pm with a break from 1-2 pm). Participation continues to increase, with 27 new people coming during November and December (and 26 new participants during last reporting period). According to the monthly state-wide syringe service program calls, this is a trend programs are seeing throughout Washington. Although substance use may be increasing, it is also likely that due to social distancing, people are exchanging for themselves who were previously getting supplies from others. During the reporting period of November and December, Mobile Outreach had 85 interactions between 65 unduplicated individuals, exchanged 46,875 syringes, distributed naloxone during 35 visits (including to 4 new people), and gave 9 referrals for treatment, recovery supports, navigation, medical, or dental. 10 people reported experiencing or knowing someone who has experienced an overdose in the last 30 days. COAP/COSSAP (Community partnerships, Systemic change, Program coordination) The COAP/COSSAP program is continuing to work of the coordination and facilitation of Mason County’s behavioral health system. As this program enters its last year of grant funding, there will a focus on how to support this work through other funding, so as to not lose what has been a valuable asset to the 6 community. The program coordinator will also be working on a final report as well as a white paper with our research partner, to highlight the work being done in Mason County. The program coordinator has also continued to provide support to the Mason County Sheriff’s office, in their efforts to build a navigator program. This program is to support law enforcement in coordinating resources and support for individuals needing recovery or mental health supports. They hope to have something in place in February 2021. The COAP/COSSAP program continues to collect data from the local SUD provider partners and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. This data has helped inform decisions that impact programs and funding and has also helped in supplying data for other grant applications. MCLEAD (Mason County Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) Mason County’s LEAD program is continuing to run smoothly. The policy coordinating group (PCG) meetings have now been reduced to quarterly meetings, as most of the heavy lifting for that group has been completed. The operation work group (OWG) will continue to meet at least twice a month to make sure that the day-to-day operations are running well. The community referral mechanism will be fully implemented by the end of January, allowing for agencies other than law enforcement to refer individuals to the LEAD case management team. There has been incredible progress made over the last 6 months to get LEAD up and running in Mason County. Each partnering agency has been fully invested and supportive of the local program, and we all look forward to its positive impact in the months and years to come. RCORP (Rural Communities Opioid Response Program) The RCORP Consortium of Public Health, Mason Health, Peninsula Community Health Services, and North Mason Regional Fire Authority met mostly weekly during November and December to plan program implementation. PCHS has two of their Certified Peer Recovery Coach/Community Health Worker (CPC/CHW) FTE positions filled (the SUDP position is still vacant), and Mason Health has their job position for their CPC/CHW posted and will be conducting interviews in January. Public Health is supporting this grant as the Project Director, and as the Program and Data Coordinator. Substance Use Prevention Staff: Ben Johnson & Melissa Casey Community Prevention Wellness Initiative The Shelton and North Mason Substance Abuse Prevention Coalitions have continued to meet via zoom the past few months. Both the North Mason and Shelton youth prevention groups/clubs’ contracts have been completed and signed. The Shelton and North Mason PEER2PEER youth groups will begin student training and presentations in Jan and Feb 2021. As of now all prevention activities will be conducted by zoom unless schools begin to open in the spring. Both groups are committed to continuing outreach messaging that focus on social norms campaigns, drug take bake boxes and the North Mason Safety Days event. The Shelton and North Mason Substance Abuse Prevention Coalitions are assisting a Washington State project called Prevention Voices to develop policies that would not extend temporary rule changes on alcohol and marijuana retail sales during the COVID pandemic. Currently curbside alcohol and marijuana pick up along with allowing minors to frequent licensed marijuana stores are two example of temporary 7 changes that are being discussed at this point. The goal is to work with decision makers to ensue these temporary allowances are not made permanent. A second Class of Strengthening families parenting programming began the first week of November. Although was not completed due to lack of participation. The class will be attempted again in Jan or Feb 2021. We have scheduled a “Hidden in Plain Sight” Training that is scheduled for Wednesday Jan 27, 2021 6:30PM-8:30PM. Registration will be out soon. Community Health Education, Assessment and Data Staff: Melissa Casey, Lydia Buchheit The Health Coalition held its last Executive Committee meeting of the year in October. Most work groups are continuing to restructure and rebuild membership ahead of the next Executive Committee meeting planned for mid-January. We intend to establish a regular meeting schedule for 2021. The Healthy Living work group continues to develop a work plan for activities targeting food insecurity. We invite community members interested in joining the coalition, to get more information and to be added to the coalition contact list, please contact: Melissa Casey at 360-427-9670 ext 406 or mcasey@co.mason.wa.us . Emergency Preparedness Staff: Lydia Buchheit, Alex Paysee, Sunni Evans (plus all Public Health Staff) COVID-19 Response Case and contact investigation staff continue to work to cover 7 days a week. Cases increased in November and December with December having the most positive cases (393) since the pandemic began. The graph below can be monitored at DOH’s Risk Assessment dashboard https://coronavirus.wa.gov/what-you-need-know/covid-19-risk-assessment-dashboard showing Mason County’s positive cases since the beginning of this pandemic. Environmental Health Report For Board of Health January 26th, 2021 EH Manager Updates: Environmental Health staff continues to serve Mason County residents with its various programs throughout COVID - 19. Billings for our licensed professionals and facilities were mailed out in late December. This equates to about 400 licenses including; Onsite Sewage System (OSS) Installers, OSS Pumpers, OSS O/M Specialists, Food Establishments (fixed and mobile), Water Recreation Facilities (public pools and spas), and Solid Waste Facilities (permitted and exempt). In December, the Board of County Commissioners approved a 2-month extension of Food Establishment permits extending their end date from Dec. 30th 2020 to February 28th, 2021 in light COVID-19 impacts. End of the year staff and management are busy collecting data and information for various grant and DOH reporting. Environmental Health received 1,562 permits in 2020, an increase of 22% from 2019. This does not include “EH Review” of DCD permitting, such as building permits and plats (over 500 permits prompting EH review in 2020). Food Safety Program: (Kayla Hamme) COVID-19 restrictions continue to impact the county food service industry and therefore our food safety program. While less inspections did occur, there were less establishments open and/or in limited capacity. Many establishments have moved to take out service, while others have decided to close and wait for restrictions to be lifted. While Labor and Industries remains the enforcement agency for concerns related COVID-19 restrictions, Kayla has spent a lot of time educating establishment owners on applicable guidance to reduce transmission. The lack of large community events such as Oysterfest, Allyn days, and Taste of Hood Canal heavily impacted our inspections for temporary permits. 126 95 64 117 103 113 181 157 154 159 120 135 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 July August September October November December Environmental Health Permits (mo/yr) 2019 EH Permits 2020 EH Permits Task/Permit Description 2019 2020 Food Establishment Permits 360 365 Food Worker Cards issued 3139 2301 Routine Inspections 323 241 Re-Inspections 14 14 Temporary Food Establishment Inspections 52 1 Foodborne Illness Complaints 6 5 Sewage Program: (Jeff Wilmoth, Rhonda Thompson, Luke Cencula) Onsite Sewage System (OSS) permits saw a 30% increase, mostly related to new construction. Staff continued with letters to homeowners regarding septic failures reported through OnlineRME. Annual maintenance reminders were put on hold due to COVID-19. WSU extension office initially postponed the homeowner education classes due to COVID-19, but recently held its first class by zoom, where 13 residents attended. Task/ Permit Description 2019 2020 New Construction/ Upgrade OSS Permits 343 486 Repair/ Replacement OSS Permits 165 180 Total OSS Permits 510 669 Property Evaluations (ahead of permitting) 10 7 OSS Installation approvals (finals) 242 279 Letters to homeowners in response to unsatisfactory maintenance reports 668 869 Reminder letters sent to homeowners for OSS maintenance 1,114 0 WSU Homeowner Classes 3 1 Drinking Water Program: (Jeff Wilmoth, Wendy Mathews, Luke Cencula, Ian Tracy) Task/ Permit Description 2019 2020 Well Construction Permits (Construction and Decommission) 157 209 Sanitary Surveys for Group A Water Systems 37 31 Group B Water System Permits (New or upgrades) 5 4 Water Adequacy Review 306 393 Water Quality Program: (Ian Tracy) In September, the Hood Canal Coordinating Council provided additional funding to support Phase 4 of the Hood Canal Regional Pollution Identification and Correction. In December we applied for additional funding from the HCCC to increase our sampling budget and replace broken/outdated water quality equipment. Our Water Quality staff has continued their PIC work as normal except for parcel surveys, where we have tried to reduce our contact with the public. Discussion of water quality funding and program updates are continuing into 2021. Task/ Permit Description 2019 2020 Samples Collected 137 210 Parcel Surveys 126 70 Miles of Shoreline Sampled 10 11 Solid Waste Program: (Wendy Mathews, Luke Cencula) Staff continues to struggle with enforcement of violations related to residents living full time in RVs. These sites are time consuming and violations sometimes transfer from one site to another. Staff prioritizes enforcement efforts on overt public health threats (like surfacing sewage) and gross violations of solid waste regulations. Use of the solid waste vouchers in 2020 was very helpful, as it provided additional motivation for residents to take immediate action on cleanup. Task/ Permit Description 2019 2020 Solid Waste Facilities 7 6 Facility Inspections 7 6 New Complaints/ Enforcement Cases 81 77 Disposal Vouchers Used 0 278 Waste disposed by use of vouchers 0 70.7 tons + 16 cu yds Vector Program: (Ian Tracy) Task/ Permit Description 2019 2020 Vector calls (mostly rabies related) 24 47 Rabies specimens (tested) 5 7 Rabies Positive specimens 0 0 Water Recreation Program: (Kayla Hamme) Many public pools were impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, some choosing to remain closed for their part time season. Inspections only occurred on those who chose to open with required mitigation measures. Task/ Permit Description 2019 2020 Pools Permitted 15 15 Spas Permitted 4 4 Total Inspections 13 6 1. Relaxed regulations are associated with increased availability of substances. 2. The public health effects of these changes increase social and health care costs, which erase the tax revenue gained from product sales. 3. Permanent policy changes are not the answer. Teens use substances to cope. Youth see adults in their lives modeling the use of substances to cope with their own stress. Social isolation is increasing youth mental health risk and suicidal ideation. Fear Anxiety Social Isolation Access to Trusted Adults BACKGROUND To support economic recovery, relaxed regulations are in place for cannabis and alcohol licensees until phase 4 of the Governor's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order . Despite COVID- 19 business challenges, cannabis and alcohol revenue has grown 46% and 81%, respectively,between Feb-Aug 2020. CONSEQUENCES Industry leaders as well as State decision- makers are advocating for permanent policy changes to address temporary economic relief. PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN Long-term impacts to our youth of making these allowances permanent will cost much more than the temporary economic benefit. WA Youth Prevention Voices Youth are under immense stress Quarantine’s Impacts on Youth: Youth Substance Use & Mental Health Relaxed Cannabis & Alcohol Regulations and Youth Coping With This Stress: COVID-19 has shown us that addressing youth substance use & mental health is essential, now more than ever. Permanent Policy Changes to a Temporary Problem Youth substance use and social isolation are associated with increased risk of depression. Substance use and suicidal ideation are linked, especially for high-risk groups. 2020-2021 WSLCB TEMPORARY ALLOWANCES DUE TO COVID-19 CHANGES TO CANNABIS RULES AND CONCERNS CHANGES TO ALCOHOL RULES AND CONCERNS Minors Allowed to Frequent Licensed Cannabis Business Licensed producers and processors can bring children or grandchildren under age 16 to work. Children may not engage in any business-related activity. Creates an environment that contributes to the perception that cannabis is harmless for youth Possible lack of supervision and increased access to product Few other essential businesses allow children to work with employee Possible safety hazard to child from industry machinery and farm equipment Curbside Pick-up and Cannabis Sale from Building Window Licensed retailers have permission to sell cannabis curbside and from a pass-through windows to customers provided certain restrictions are met. Concerns with fidelity of ID checks, especially of minors in the car at pick-up Minors Allowed to Frequent Previously Restricted Areas Licensees can bring children or grandchildren under age 16 to work provided certain restrictions are met. Children may not engage in any business-related activity. Creates an environment that contributes to the perception that alcohol is harmless for youth Possible lack of supervision and increased access to product Few other essential businesses allow children to work with employee Possible safety hazard to child from industry machinery Alcohol Deliveries and Curbside Pick-up Licensees can make curbside and/or delivery sales of alcohol provided certain restrictions are met. Delivery of large quantities of alcohol, including bottles and growlers, is allowed. Concerns with fidelity of ID checks, especially of third-party delivery services Sales and delivery of large quantities allow for direct access of alcohol to youth Pre-Mixed Cocktails for Sale and Delivery Restaurants with a Spirits, Beer, and Wine (S/B/W) license can sell pre-mixed alcoholic drinks for consumption off the licensed premises, provided certain restrictions are met. States that allow for cocktails-to-go have increased rates of Driving Under the Influence violations and fatal crashes due to intoxication. Creates an environment that contributes to the perception that alcohol is harmless for youth PREVENTION VOICES WA About Mission To foster statewide collaborations that assure prevention professionals are active, consistent, and credible voices in policy discussions at all levels. Who We Are Members include Public Health Professionals, State Agency Leaders, WA Tribal members, Coalitions, Non-Profits, Community Members, and other substance use prevention experts. Everyone Has a Role in Advocacy Advocacy is considered education if there is no specific policy ask. Most substance use prevention grant programs promote policy-maker outreach and allow your participation in this group. POLICY PRIORITY 2020-2021 Prevent the LCB Temporary Allowances due to COVID-19 from becoming permanent. Read for more: https://lcb.wa.gov/covid19/covid-19_update Now is not the time for laxity in laws that increase availability and access of substances to youth. The COVID-19 Pandemic and Youth SUCCESSES SO FAR… Talking Points “There is no doubt that our small businesses are suffering… … but using permanent policy changes to address a temporary economic problem will not benefit Washington youth in the long run. Here’s why…” Infographic Make sure to email infographic to the legislator (and cc’ legislative assistant) prior to your meeting. Permanent policies should not be used to solve temporary economic problems. Pandemics impact substance use and mental health. Youth are under immense stress. NOVEMBER 5 12-12:30pm Julie Peterson: Meeting with Your Legislators NOVEMBER 18 12-12:30pm Conducting Advocacy During Session DECEMBER 2 12-12:30pm Ramona Leber: Analyzing a bill OCTOBER 21 12-12:30pm Advocacy 101 Meetings with Policy-Makers PV members met with Governor’s Office to express concerns of possible legislation regarding permanent relaxed sales accommodations. PV members continue to meet with legislators and local policy-makers. We need your help amplifying this message. Reach out to your policy-makers. Together we can make an impact, unified as one voice! NEXT STEPS Keep a Lookout LCB requested legislation (no bill # yet): “An Act relating to extending certain privileges granted to liquor licensees to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.” Other bills related to the allowances and/or bills that are in response to COVID-19. HB 1062: Concerning the creation of a limited spirits retail license. In response to COVID-19, this bill would remove the 10,000 sqft qualifier to hold a spirits license. This means that both small grocery stores and convenience stores will be able to sell spirits. 2021 Legislative Session Dates to have on your calendar (Draft): Jan 11 –Start of Session Feb 15 –House Policy Committee cutoff Feb 22 –Fiscal Committee Cutoff Mar 9 –House of Origin Cutoff Mar 26 –Opposite House Policy Committee cutoff Apr 2 –Opposite House Fiscal Committee Cutoff Apr 11 –Opposite House Floor Cutoff Apr 25 –Last day of regular session *Expect Special Session* Committee Alerts Subscribe to: Senate Labor & Commerce Committee House Commerce & Gaming Committee https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WALEG/subscriber/new Senate Health & Long-term Care Committee House Healthcare & Wellness Committee GET INVOLVED Activities range depending on your capacity. We’re here to support you! Send a letter to your legislator during session. Meet with your legislator during session. Report stories from your local community to be used during legislative activities. Participate in LCB Rulemaking Sessions (TBD). These allowances may be good for the local economy— educate about youth use and perception of harm. Educate your community. Questions?