Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-03-05 BOH BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS November 3, 2005 Attendance: Commissioner, Lynda Ring-Erickson; Commissioner, Jayni Kamin; Commissioner, Tim Sheldon. 1. Chairperson Lynda Ring Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. 2. Cmmr. Sheldon/Kamin moved and seconded to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously. K-aye; S-aye; RE-aye. 3. Correspondence - None 4. Cmmr. Kamin/Sheldon moved and seconded to approve the regular Board of Health meeting minutes of September 1, and October 6, 2005 as presented. Motion carried unanimously. S-aye; K- aye; RE-aye. 5. Administrative Issues 5.1 Health Officer’s Report – Dr. Yu presented facts about Influenza. Influenza is a respiratory illness. The Avain Flu that is being talked about is a new strain and there isn’t a vaccine to protect people from it. Healthy young people may be able to fight off the bacteria. The population may be affected differently based on their immune system. Dr. Yu stated she is working with the Health Department to be prepared in the event a pandemic arrives in the county. She talked about the basic steps that can be taken to avoid the regular flu, but a pandemic influenza is a sudden outbreak and typically is not just during flu season so there is no advance protection to avoid it. A complete copy of Dr. Yu’s presentation on Influenza facts is available from the health department. Mr. Emmett Dolby, Department of Community Development Director, questioned Dr. Yu if there should be a routine cleaning or wearing of masks to protect the employees from getting the flu. He said the front counter employees see about 150 people per day there. Dr. Yu stated that during the flu season there should be Kleenex, hand sanitizer, and restrooms available for the public to protect the spread of germs. She said preventing the spread of germs is the best way to stay healthy. Cmmr. Ring Erickson requested that during the planning for preparedness of a pandemic influenza the communication plan be done to accommodate and include the Spanish speaking population and the schools. She also suggested the communication plan identify how it would broadcast to the community. Dr. Yu said there are plans in place but Mason County is not prepared and would not be able to vaccinate everyone with the current staff. She said that it might be identified that other county employees would be needed to assist in the emergency. Prevention is the best method. During a pandemic outbreak staying home would be the safest, but keeping the public updated and informed of the situation will be the important part of the communication plan. Cmmr. Ring Erickson said that she would like it if the Health Department staff would work with the other Department Heads to educate them on internal prevention and keep them up to date on the development of the community plan that will be in place. Dr. Yu stated the Sheriff’s Office and jail staff are the most threatened by the pandemic because they could be exposed to the influenza by a person taken into custody so there is a greater need to be pro active and educated. BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS November 3, 2005 - PAGE 2 5.2 Mason County Employee Health Challenge – Dr. Yu said Washington State accomplished the million miles challenged in the Governor’s Health Bowl. She said that Mason County was in the top ten counties that contributed to the challenge. Dr. Yu stated the Health Department employees have come up with a fun way to continue to motivate the employees after the New Year. There will be a health challenge from January 1st to March 31, 2006 among the county employees to promote healthy living. She requested the Commissioners participate by having a team. The winning team will get a potluck by the other teams. The top two participants will each be awarded a fifty-dollar gift certificate. The other details will be worked out and passed onto the team captains. 5.3 December Board of Health – Mr. Kutz stated the next Board of Health was scheduled for December 8, 2005. The only item on the agenda is the policy proposals for smoking on county grounds. He let the Board know that if they need to cancel the December meeting the policy proposals could be moved to January for review. The Commissioners agreed to have the December meeting. 6. Personal Health Issues 6.1 Influenza Vaccine Program – Mr. Kutz stated he is working with his staff and the hospital staff on emergency preparedness for a influenza pandemic. Currently 600 doses of flu vaccine have been given out and of those 120 were too county employees. Throughout the county there have been 3000 doses given out, which covers about 20% of the population. 7. Environmental Health Issues (10:30 – Public Hearing) 7.1 Title 6 Sanitary Code – Ms. Riley stated the changes to the Title 6 Sanitary Code section 6.72 and 6.73 are being proposed to remove some areas of ambiguity from the regulations. Wording changes and omissions have been proposed to clarify who will be held responsible for violations, which authority will hear appeals of this regulation and to reword some descriptions within this regulation. FINDINGS OF FACT 1) To move wording from 6.72.030(4) under solid waste permit agreements, to 6.72.010(b) to make clear that the Title 6 Sanitary Code applies to both residential and commercial enterprise under Mason Country authority. 2) To change wording to indicate that the Hearing Examiner and not the Health Officer shall hear cases of appeal. 3) To change a sentence in 6.72.040(1) to read “Allowable hulk vehicles shall be removed from public view by a Health Department approved means”. Also under this section the word “stored will be omitted as well as the option for ornamental display. The word “damaged” will be added to this section. These changes clarify confusion over what defines a hulk, “storage” or “ornamental display” and that if any hulk vehicle is allowed according to current regulation (by the size of a property) that the vehicle must be removed from public view. 4) Wording will be added where the regulation mentions “person/s” to include other potentially responsible parties, as listed: companies, corporations, trusts and other business entities. 5) A portion of 6.72.040 is being deleted as it is repeated in section 6.72.030(3). BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS November 3, 2005 - PAGE 3 6) In the current regulation covering contaminated properties (6.73) the violation sited was inadvertently stated incorrectly; it is not 15.11. It will now read 15.13. CONCLUSIONS From the preceding findings, the Mason County Board of Health and the Mason County Board of Commissioners finds that the Title 6 additions and revisions are consistent with county-wide policies and finds that the amendments do comply with Washington State law and do clarify and remove ambiguity from the regulations for the enforcement of solid waste violation’s. Cmmr. Kamin stated she would like to propose a change in the future in regards to the illegal dumping and charging the property owner if the illegal dumper could not be identified. Ms. Riley replied that it was a state regulation and currently there is not a way to change it. Charging the property owner is the only avenue to enforcement when the person who has done the dumping can’t be found. There is also a regulation that allows a property owner, if the dumper is found, to charge double the clean up costs. Cmmr. Kamin stated she was aware of that regulation but she would like to change that in the future. Ms. Riley stated she had taken the wording directly from the state regulation because it is the only recourse the county has to these properties and also has recourse for the property owner if they can catch the illegal dumper. She said the changes would need to be addressed through the Department of Ecology and the Legislature. Cmmr. Sheldon asked if the codes pertained to fee land within the two tribal reservations. Ms. Riley stated that the codes do apply to fee lands located within the reservations boundaries. If there is a concern for property that is held in trust on the reservations it is passed along to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There was no public comment Cmmr. Sheldon/Kamin moved and seconded to accept the findings of fact regarding proposed changes to Title 6, Sanitary code and adopt Resolution number 04-05, “Adoption of Changes to Mason County Title 6 Sanitary Code Recommended by Mason County Department of Health Services”. Motion carried unanimously. S-aye; K-aye; RE-aye. 7.2 Environmental Health Waivers/Variances were submitted to the Board. Ms. Riley said there have been many waivers submitted. 8. Public Comment 9. The meeting adjourned at 10:57 a.m. due to no further business. BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS November 3, 2005 - PAGE 4 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