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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004/06/03 - Board of HealthBOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS June 3, 2004 Chairperson Commissioner Jayni Kamin called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Attendance: Cmmr. Dist. 1, Herb Baze; Cmmr. Dist. 2, Wes Johnson; Cmmr. Dist. 3, Jayni Kamin. ATTENDANCE Steve Kutz, Department of Health Director _ Debbie Riley, Environmental Health Manager CORRESPONDENCE None APPROVAL OF MINUTES Cmmr. Baze/Johnson moved and seconded to approve the Board of Health meeting minutes for May 6, 2004. Motion carried unanimously. B-aye; J-aye; K-aye. ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES Health Officer's Report: Mr. Steve Kutz, Health Department Director presented the Health Officer's report for Dr. Trucksess. The STD cases reported for May 2004 are five cases of Chlamydia and one case of Herpes. The total STD cases reported for the year are forty one cases of Chlamydia, one case Gonorrhea, one case of Herpes Simplex, three cases of Herpes Simplex Genital, one case of Latent Syphilis and two cases of HIV positive for a total of forty nine case this year. The Communicable Diseases reported for May 2004 are three cases of Pertussis, two cases of Chronic Hepatitis C, one new case started on Latent Therapy. Mr. Kutz stated there are a total of nineteen people currently on Latent Therapy. There was one Measles investigation that ended up being a Kitsap County Case. Physicians rarely see Measles among their patients. The Physicians Assistant that had seen the patient didn't think it was Measles but had seen Measles in the past. After the investigation began it was realized the patient lived a half of mile out of the Mason County line and into Kitsap County. The work on the investigation has been turned over to Kitsap County Health Department. Mr. Kutz stated that the three cases of Pertussis are linked by close contact. Two adults and one teenager contracted Pertussis. The teenager was fully immunized and was not as sick as the two adults. After about five or six years the antibodies from the immunization start to dwindle off and people are at risk. Mr. Kutz believes that both the adults had been immunized but he is not positive. One of the adults has been sick with Pertussis since March 2004. It is a significant disease but usually not fatal like it can be with young children. Cmmr. Kamin questioned if Pertussis was treatable with antibiotics. Mr. Kutz replied the Pertussis organism damages the lungs. With early treatment it limits the damage but if it is treated later in the process it gets rid of the bacteria so it is no longer infective but the damage to the lungs is already done and the cough continues. The cough then continues until the lung heals itself. Cmmr. Kamin questioned Mr. Kutz how the number of STD cases for 2004 compares with other years. MASON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS June 3, 2004 - 2 Mr. Kutz stated his staff is looking at the numbers and comparing them but he didn't bring that information with him. He does know there is an increase statewide and nationwide of Chlamydia. Chlamydia is very hard to follow up on with contact, because the patients are not very cooperative. Mason County is showing an increase in Chlamydia along with Washington and the United States. Mr. Kutz stated in 2003 there were no HIV positive cases and this year there are two. One of the HIV positive cases is from the Washington Correction Center. PERSONAL HEALTH ISSUES Proclamation: Mr. Ben Johnson, Public Health Educator, presented a proclamation for National HIV Testing Day, proclaiming June 27, 2004 as HIV Testing Day to encourage people to voluntarily be tested for the HIV antibodies. Mr. Johnson stated Mason County Health Department designated Tuesday June 29, 2004 as the day individuals may be tested at no cost. There are 1,000,000 people living with AIDS and 40,000 new cases are reported every year in the United States. The Washington State Department of Health estimates that over 10,000 people are living with AIDS in Washington. Cmmr. Johnson/Baze moved and seconded to proclaim June 27, 2004 as National HIV Testing Day in Mason County. Motion carried unanimously. B-aye; J-aye; K-aye. ENVIROMENTAL HEALTH ISSUES Staff Presentation: Ms. Debbie Riley, Environmental Health Manager introduced Mr. Jess Mosley. Mr. Jess Mosley, Environmental Health Specialist, presented a press release for safe summer food handling. The highest incidence of food borne illness occurs during the summer months. Many food borne illness cases have been linked to home barbecues and picnics where food was undercooked or improperly stored. Mr. Mosley presented ten ways to safely prepare food for summer events. Cold foods need to be kept at or below 45 degrees. Hot food needs to be kept at or above 140 degrees. Use your thermometer to verify hot and cold food safety temperatures. Cook fish until it flakes usually about 140 degrees. Cook Beef except ground beef to 140 degrees and Pork to 150 degrees until all the pink is gone. Cook Ground Beef to 155 degrees, and use the thermometer to verify internal temperature. Poultry needs to be cooked to 165 degrees, until there is no red in the joints and the juices are clear. Leftovers must be reheated to 165 degrees before serving. Use a clean plate to carry cooked foods and a separate cutting board for raw meat and vegetables. Mr. Mosely stated the most important tip is to always -wash hands before preparing food items. He commented that the public can call the Environmental Health Department or the Co-op for questions concerning food safety and preparation questions. Cmmr. Baze asked if there had been any food borne illness cases this year. Mr. Mosely replied there are sporadic cases that come in. For a food borne outbreak to be identified it takes two or more unrelated events that implicate the same restaurant or the same food. He gets a lot of individuals that call and complain about a restaurant or a food source or food handling practices. Those are for the most part the calls he receives. In order to link a complaint the individuals have to a restaurant or a food they must first have a laboratory test to identify the organism. Once the organism is identified then a comparison is made between other individuals that had the same test to see if the organism is the same. Then a case would be opened as a food borne illness. Most of the tests are done forensically after the fact. MASON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS June 3, 2004 - 3 Mr. Mosely stated there has not been a major outbreak in Mason County since the late 90's where there was a Hepatitis outbreak. Cmmr. Baze commented the Health Department is doing a really great job for not having any food borne illness cases for so long. Mr. Mosely replied, it means there are really good professionals at our restaurants that are preparing food with safe food handling practices. There are also supervisors that are training the young kids in the fast food industry properly. The co-operative extension is also training and educating the individuals that get their food handler permits in the knowledge of safe food handling. Mr. Mosely stated it is a team effort among everyone in Mason County. Environmental Health Waivers/Variances: Mr. Kutz presented the Environmental Health Waivers/Variances. The waivers and variances are provided for information only. OTHER Fee Hearing: Mr. Steve Kutz, Health Director, stated the last fee adjustment was made in January 2002. Mr. Kutz presented the proposed fee schedule, policy and fees for issuing Birth Certificates, and policy for refunds of fees. Mr. Kutz stated there has never been a formal policy for issuing refunds from the Health Department. He based his policy on the policy that the Community Development and the Building departments follow. The birth certificates are an exception to the policy for refunds of fees because there are certain fees that the WAC and RCW states must be refunded. Mr. Kutz stated that two or three refunds are processed each month, which is why there was a need to implement a refund policy. Cmmr. Johnson asked about the vital record fees that would be non-refundable Mr. Kutz stated people pre -pay seventeen dollars for a birth certificate and of that only five dollars would be refunded. There are times that a birth certificate is searched for and is not found. Reasons the birth certificate are not found could be that it was applied for to early after the child was born and it isn't in the database yet, they had forgot they were born in another state, or because the there is an incorrect spelling on the certificate. Mr. Kutz presented a complete list of the proposed fees for the Personal Health Department. Mr. Kutz stated he based most of the proposed changes on the determination of what the costs were then added a twenty five percent increase for administrative costs and rounded it up to the nearest whole dollar. Some of the fees are based on a sliding fee scale based on the poverty level, which means there may be no charge for the service. He noted that the fees could change at any time to reflect changes in acquisition costs or reimbursement rates. This would occur if the costs of the product had an increase or decrease in pricing. Mr. Kutz reviewed the fees that changed and the notations at the bottom of the fee schedule in detail. Cmmr. Johnson questioned Mr. Kutz if the medications and immunization supplies were ordered as needed or are they in stock. Mr. Kutz replied the Personal Health Department has mini pharmacy under lock in the vault. Dr. Trucksess and the Nurse Practitioner are the only people who write the prescriptions for these medications or immunizations to be administered. MASON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH PROCEEDINGS June 3, 2004 - 4 Mr. Kutz stated there were no proposed fee changes for the Environmental Health Department. Those changes would if any come after the advisory committee reviews and proposes changes. Cmmr. Kamin asked if there were any fees that were being discussed with the committees to be changed. Ms. Riley commented that the on -site permitting is being discussed for change. Currently when a permit is paid for it is good for three years. The proposal for the end of the year is for a two step permit process. A smaller amount would be paid for the soil evaluation done and the permit itself reviewed. Then when it is installed during the three years the rest of the payment would be due. The money would then be received during the year the work is being performed. There would be a three-year window to process the permits that have already been paid for. Mr. Kutz commented there was a significant issue around septic permit fees whenever there is a change in regulations. Many people will come in and pay for a permit and then not perform the work for three years if at all. PUBLIC COMMENT None Cmmr. Baze/Johnson moved and seconded to adopt Resolution number 02-04 that adopts the fee schedule, Policy and Fees for Issuing Birth Certificates, and a Policy for Refund of Fees as shown in attachment "A" as the Mason County Department of Health Services Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2004. Motion carried unanimously. B- aye; J-aye; K-aye. Mr. Kutz questioned if there was a need to hold the July 1st meeting. He requested unless there was an emergency the meeting be cancelled. Cmmr. Kamin commented there was another meeting that was a conflict with the Board of Health meeting time. The Commissioners all agreed unless there was an emergency the July 1, 2004 Board of Health meeting be cancelled. The next meeting would be held August 5, 2004. ADJOURNED The meeting was adjourned at 11:02 a.m. due to no further business. HEALTH OFFICER ark Trucksess, Health Officer BOARD OF HEALTH MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON Wesley E. ohns , Commissioner Herb Baze, Commissioner