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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-04-05 BOH BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS August 4, 2005 Chairperson Lynda Ring Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Attendance: Commissioner, Lynda Ring-Erickson; Commissioner, Jayni Kamin; Commissioner, Tim Sheldon. C O R R E S P O N D E N C E – None APPROVAL OF MINUTES Cmmr. Kamin/Ring Erickson moved and seconded to approve the regular Board of Health meeting minutes of April 7 and May 4, 2005. Motion carried unanimously. S-aye; K-aye; RE-aye. ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES News Release: Mr. Kutz presented a news release to remove the closure of the swimming advisory at Twanoh State Park. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is not removing the recreational shellfish harvesting closure at this time because of the episodic and unpredictable bacterial elevations that are occurring in the creek mouth at the park. Mr. Kutz stated that Walker Park has also been tested for swimming and the water there is also approved for swimming. The State Department of Health has been giving information out about contaminated shellfish in Mason County but failed to pass the information on to the Mason County Health Department. Dr. Yu stated she would send a reminder letter to them to advise her when they have pertinent information regarding Mason County. Cmmr. Ring Erickson noted that during the summer months the population in Mason County triples, which creates a challenge to let the people from out of town know about the various health advisory issues that arise. HEALTH OFFICER’S REPORT: Dr. Yu, Health Officer gave a report on the Communicable Diseases and an update on West Nile Virus (WNV). There was outbreak of whooping cough among the staff at Mason General Hospital. It has been contained and everyone that was exposed has been treated. Cmmr. Ring Erickson questioned if whooping cough was at one time very rare and if it had resurfaced recently. Dr. Yu stated that about sixty years ago whooping cough was widespread until people began getting vaccinated, which decreased the amount of cases, but it hasn’t ever completely disappeared. Even people who have been vaccinated as they get older can get sick again with whooping cough because the vaccine wears off. Many of the recent cases have been seen in adolescents. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a teen and adult version of the whooping cough vaccine. It is now recommended that everyone eleven years old and up get vaccinated and then get a booster as they get older. Many of the cases are misdiagnosed as bronchitis, but the treatment is the same. FLU VACCINE PROGRAM UPDATE: Dr. Yu gave a report of the flu vaccine program and talked about the issue of the shortage of vaccines available last year. She said that there is always a problem with the flu shot deliveries because it is made each year. In the past two thousand doses have been ordered, so this year the order was split in half and ordered from two separate vendors to try and alleviate the delay in delivery. The flu vaccine is not a guarantee from the getting the flu. Health care workers, healthy people who are working in the community and healthy children are the people who respond best to the flu vaccine. Dr. Yu would like to change the strategy for how the flu vaccination is recommended to the community. Flu vaccines would not be denied to anyone but a plan will be in place for when the vaccine is ready for distribution. BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS August 4, 2005 - PAGE 2 Dr. Yu stated in Asia there have been sixty-three deaths this year from avian influenza. It is expected to become a pandemic influenza strain sometime in the very near future. When the pandemic hits there will be no vaccine and not enough treatment available. Cmmr. Ring Erickson stated that an influenza educational piece early on could prevent some serious problems later on. Mr. Kutz noted that in the disaster preparedness committee meeting with Mason General Hospital they prioritized preparation for disasters and listed the flu pandemic as the number one priority. HEALTH OFFICER APPOINTMENT: Cmmr. Kamin/Sheldon moved and seconded to approve Resolution No. 03-05 re-appointing Dr. Yu as the Health Officer for the period of August 1, 2005 through July 31, 2006. Motion carried unanimously. S-aye; K-aye; RE-aye. PERSONAL HEALTH ISSUES TOBACCO PROGRAM Mr. Kutz stated Mason County is the eighth highest county for use of cigarette smoking. Ms. Heidi Iyall Community Health Education Specialist presented reference material that the Board requested in the July 7th meeting. She presented the tobacco use data by county and sample policies from other counties. Work place and community issues were presented with several policy options for each issue. Ms. Iyall asked for support and direction from the Board. Cmmr. Ring Erickson asked how many of the five issues were addressed or corrected by the potential passage of Initiative 901. Ms. Iyall stated if the voters passed initiative 901 in November it would prohibit indoor-designated smoking areas in all county-owned, leased, and operated buildings and there would be 20 feet of designated space around entrances of the buildings. Cmmr. Ring Erickson asked what the current policy was. Ms. Iyall stated the current employee policy states that smoking is prohibited by employees in all County facilities, including County-owned buildings and offices or other facilities rented or leased by the County, including individual employee offices unless a location has been designated as a smoking area. Cmmr. Kamin noted that the City of Shelton and Kitsap County both have a very elaborate no smoking policy which includes penalties, enforcement and duties. Ms. Iyall stated that there is a designated smoking room in the basement of the courthouse. Dr. Yu commented that the issue around indoor smoking rooms is that the smoke goes through the entire ventilation system exposing everyone in the building. She would like the Board to make a policy, which designates no smoking in any of the county buildings. The Board agreed they would like to have all county buildings be smoke free and was unaware of the break room in the courthouse. Cmmr. Ring Erickson asked Mr. Rutter how many indoor smoking rooms are there in the county buildings. Mr. Mike Rutter, Facilities and Grounds Manager stated that smoking is allowed in a Sheriffs’ Office break room in the basement of the courthouse. He said he would also like to see smoking banned in all of the county buildings. BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS August 4, 2005 - PAGE 3 The Facilities & Grounds staff that have to clean the smoking room get very annoyed with the smoke and the smell that doesn’t vacate the room. Mr. Rutter stated there have also been problems with the people smoking at the entrances of the buildings. Building 8 is partially leased to a dentist office. They continually have problems with groups of people smoking in the front and when the doors open the smoke comes into the dentist office. He would like to put no smoking signs at all entrances of the county buildings to support the healthy aspect of coming into the buildings. Cmmr. Ring Erickson asked if smoking was allowed on the fairgrounds. Mr. Rutter stated smoking is allowed on the fairgrounds. Cmmr. Ring Erickson requested that Ms. Iyall get a copy of Mason General Hospitals no smoking policy, because they recently made changes to ban smoking on the entire grounds. She questioned if a broader statement such as no smoking on any of the grounds and not just a room or two would better serve the county. Cmmr. Kamin questioned who would enforce the no smoking policy. Mr. Rutter felt a lot of it would be educational, not so much as enforcement. He would like to see the policy be made for the entire campus not just certain buildings. Cmmr. Ring Erickson would like a staff report showing the properties that are owned and leased, an analysis of how many people would be impacted, how it would be enforced, how much would it cost, and how would the people be educated if a no smoking policy was made. There was a discussion of Initiative 901 and what exactly it covered. The Board agreed that there needs to be a policy on no smoking and would like to take more time to prepare a policy that would fit the entire needs of the county. There was a discussion regarding tobacco sponsorship of events in Mason County. Mr. Doug Micheau, Director of Parks Department stated there is not currently any restrictions on tobacco use in any of the parks. He would like to see a range of options for the various parks so an impact analysis could be done. He would also like to know who would enforce it at the parks, because there is only a limited amount of staff running all of the parks. Cmmr. Ring Erickson would like to see a policy prohibiting advertisement of tobacco products on any county rented, leased or owned properties. Mr. Kutz commented that some of his staff couldn’t attend meetings in the Memorial Hall because of the residual smoke smell that is left from the regular scheduled bingo sessions. Cmmr. Sheldon/Kamin moved and seconded to table the discussion of the no smoking policy until the October 2005 regular meeting of the Board of Health. Motion carried unanimously. S-aye; K-aye; RE-aye. There was brief discussion about the NACo Prescription Drug Discount Card Program. Cmmr. Sheldon asked if Mr. Kutz would inquire into which local pharmacies would participate in the discount drug program. Dr. Yu stated that Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, and Safeway would all participate in the program. BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS August 4, 2005 - PAGE 4 Cmmr. Ring Erickson requested that additional information on the program be discussed in the October or November meeting. Cmmr. Sheldon excused himself at 11:10 a.m. ENVIROMENTAL HEALTH ISSUES POLICY CHANGE Mr. Kutz reviewed the proposed changes for the variance and appeal procedures. The proposed changes would streamline the permitting process by allowing certain onsite sewage system waivers to be processed in a more timely fashion than once a week during the Health Officer’s scheduled time in Mason County. The more complex or unusual requests would still be sent to the Health Officer. The change in the appeal process would be for all appeals to be heard by the Hearing Examiner rather than the Board of Health. Cmmr. Ring Erickson requested that a few changes be made to the policy in regards to the staff that would potentially attend a variance conference, and that a corrected copy be resubmitted to the Board. Mr. Kutz will make the changes and forward a copy to the Board and the Clerk of the Board. Cmmr. Kamin/Ring Erickson moved and seconded to approve the revised Environmental Health Waiver Policy as recommended. Motion carried unanimously. K-aye; RE-aye; S-absent. Dr. Yu stated she attended a Health Officer meeting on August 3, 2005 and they had announced a joint meeting with Mason, Jefferson, and Kitsap Board of Health. Cmmr. Kamin stated that the meeting had been suggested in regards to the Hood Canal closure but a date had not been confirmed yet. The meeting would be to set up an oversight committee for the shellfish closure, in anticipation that the Annas Bay closure may be the first of several closures. ENVIROMENTAL HEALTH WAIVERS/VARIANCES: Submitted to the Board by Health Director, Steve Kutz. ADJOURNED The meeting adjourned at 11: 28 a.m. due to no further business. HEALTH OFFICER _______________________________ Diana T. Yu, MD MSPH Mason County Health Officer BOARD OF HEALTH MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON _______________________________ Lynda Ring Erickson, Chairperson _______________________________ Jayni Kamin, Commissioner _______________________________ Tim Sheldon, Commissioner