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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAUGUST 30 2017 MINUTES Deschutes County Health Services Public Health Advisory Board MINUTES MINUTES August 30, 2017 12:00 – 1:30pm Stan Owen, DCHS Building 2577 NE Courtney Drive, Bend Facilitator Keith Winsor, Vice Chair Staff Coordinator Tom Kuhn, Community Health Manager Scribe Lisa Michael Next Meeting September 27, 2017, Health Services – Stan Owen Topic and Lead Introductions & Approval of June Meeting Minutes Introductions were made to guests and Sharity motioned to approve the minutes, while Rebeckah seconded the motion. The Board unanimously approved as submitted. Brief Announcements & Unfinished Business Tom announced that we now have a new board member, Tami Pike from the Bend La Pine st School District. He also mentioned that Susan Keys’ term is officially up August 31and she has decided not to come back; however, she will be joining us for the retreat in October. Charla and Steve end their term tomorrow (8/31) but both have been reappointed to serve another term. Tom created a member matrix to pass around to the Board for any input. The September meeting will be a combination meeting with BHAB. Channa will attend to speak about the health assessment she is working on integrating into the RHA. th The PHAB retreat is scheduled for October 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the location yet to be determined. Tom said we should have a good turnout. Dr. Conway mentioned that a combination meeting with BHAB would be a great idea as they disbanded for some time and are now reconnecting and would like to see PHAB in action. Eclipse Experience follow-up Environmental Health Supervisor, Eric Mone, gave a presentation on the activities surrounding the eclipse event. A multi-agency incident command center called the MACC was set up at the thrd fairgrounds and Eric was stationed there from the 16 through the 23 for the eclipse. He and several others were constantly monitoring the air quality of all the area fires, which seemed to overshadow the eclipse. There were no CD outbreaks reported or any other major medical issues. Between 200,000 and 400,000 visitors were expected to come to Central Oregon to view the eclipse. Eric spoke about all the festivals taking place in the area and the MOU agreement drafted between Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook Counties to help with health “To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20 inspections at these events. Two inspectors from Jefferson County were able to inspect all the food booths at the major events in Madras and Prineville. Eric also spoke about the setup for staff at the MACC. Eighteen meals were prepared for staff and other agencies staying there for the week from the Fairgrounds kitchen. Eric inspected the kitchen every day and had daily briefings with the Director. He gave a slideshow presentation of the Symbiosis event in Prineville that inspector John Mason created while there. The event was fairly well organized providing the necessary fresh and gray water systems, portapotties, refrigerated trucks, hand and dish washing, etc. Eric also went to Sisters Middle School to inspect the food and sleeping quarters as the school was set up as an evacuation center for residents escaping the Milli Fire. He monitored the daily activities and CD reports from local hospitals and clinics and also inspected the Salvation Army kitchen as they were making meals for evacuees. George mentioned he had attended several town hall meetings in Sisters to discuss the fires. Local residents and visitors have been asking about the health effects and seeking face masks to protect themselves. Homeless Outreach at Bend Church Stacey Witte, Director of the Bend Church, spoke to the Board about the church’s outreach program for the homeless. Bend has seen an influx of homelessness in recent years with over 2,000 plus people living on the streets, in their cars, in shelters, and motels. Stacey and her staff decided to develop a program called the Back Door Café and Day Center to help the homeless with basic needs and hopefully move to create independence and self-sufficiency. On Wednesdays the church provides breakfast and an array of services from hot showers, medical services, a needle exchange program, bus tickets, laundry soap and vouchers, to case management, employment referrals, clothing donations, and a lot more. The church operates as a low barrier behavior based program so everyone can participate without prejudice. Another program designed specifically for women and children is The Open Door, a cold weather shelter, which opened in December of 2016. The church partnered with Shepherd’s House and New Hope Church, along with numerous community agencies and volunteers to open this shelter. The shelter operates nightly from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. during the months of December to March and can accommodate 92 visitors. Their mission is to provide a safe, warm home where women and children who are homeless are protected from sleeping in cold weather conditions and to help these people become more stable and independent through building relationships and connecting them to available resources. Stacey provided some interesting statistics about services used, number of meals served and age of the guests. Eric mentioned that he could teach a food handler class to help people with employment in the restaurant industry. Stacey spoke about how some homeless choose this lifestyle while others are desperate to be saved from it. What can we do to alleviate the problem with tent cities popping up and what are other cities doing about it? Tent cities take a big toll on city services. The church is looking for a shelter to either purchase or rent to provide more space for people to go. Stacey asked the Board to let her know if anyone hears of such a space. PHAB Membership Review The Board ran out of time to discuss membership and will revisit this topic at a later date. Action Items:  Air Quality info sent to PHAB  Coordinate EH food handler class with Bend Church  Complete PHAB member matrix “To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20 Adjourn- 1:40 p.m. Board Members Present: Keith Winsor, Rebeckah Berry, Jim Powell, Charles Frazier, Steve Strang, Charla DeHate, Sharity Ludwig, and Tami Pike Staff Members Present: Dr. George Conway, Tom Kuhn, Pamela Ferguson, Morgan Feld, Lisa Michael Guest Speaker: Eric Mone (staff), Stacey Witte (Bend Church Director) BHAB – Behavioral Health Advisory Board RHA – Regional Health Assessment PHAB – Public Health Advisory Board MACC – Multi-Agency Command Center CD – Communicable Disease MOU – Memorandum of Understanding EH – Environmental Health “To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20