HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-2020 MAY 23, 2018 MINUTES
Deschutes County Health Services
Public Health Advisory Board
MINUTES
MINUTES
May 23, 2018
12:00 – 1:30pm
Stan Owen, DCHS Building
2577 NE Courtney Drive, Bend
Facilitator Kate Wells, Chair
Staff Coordinator Tom Kuhn, Community Health Manager
Scribe Lisa Michael
Next Meeting June 27, 2018 - Health Services – Stan Owen Conference Room
Topic and Lead
Introductions & Approval of March & April Meeting Minutes
The Board went around the room and introduced themselves to guests. Jim motioned to
approve the March minutes, which was seconded by Sharity. Steve motioned to approve the
April minutes, which was seconded by Keith. The Board unanimously approved both sets of
minutes.
Brief Announcements & Unfinished Business
Tom announced that Peter Boehm will be interviewed right after our meeting for board
membership. He also noted that the Health Heroes presentation was on Monday and a news
release is in the works. Both recipients will attend a future PHAB meeting. Jim suggested that
for future candidate selection, we form a subcommittee to bring recommendations back to the
board as part of the nomination criteria. Two questions came up to talk about at the next
meeting: 1. Can staff nominate a hero? and 2. Can a candidate nominate themselves?
Priority Work Group updates:
Rob and Dave are still working on edits to the immunization paper and waiting to hear back
from Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward’s office.
Morgan Feld, Rebeckah and Kate met a couple times on climate change and came up with two
areas of focus: Community sustainability and a general awareness strategy. What things can
we do to make people aware? Rebeckah mentioned that a flyer has been drafted listing 30
ways to be more eco-friendly. They would like to get this flyer into the schools. Channa and
Morgan are talking to the state to put together some guidance on policies in reference to the
RHA and RHIP. The next RHA release will be in July this year and next RHIP release date will
be January 2019. Tom would like to get board input for PH accreditation. Rebeckah will give
updates on both in the future. There was talk about what other countries are doing about
climate change. Unfortunately, several Asian countries are returning to the use of coal in place
of electricity, which is a cheaper alternative, but at the same time more harmful to the climate.
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20
The EPA warns against burning wood and trash as these substances cause an abundance of
pollutants in the air. Rebeckah will send out an interesting article she found on climate
change written by Wendell Berry.
Public Health Modernization Update
Hillary gave an update on modernization and the feedback we received from clients and
partners about our services. Our mission is to promote and protect the health of all people in
our community in their lives, work, play, etc. Hillary noted that 80% of what shapes our health
is outside the doctor’s office. The feedback we have received has been great with a score of
93% in Environmental Health licensing to 100% of WIC clients. Five years ago we became
accredited through the national Public Health Accreditation Board and at that time were only 1
of 6 county health departments to do so. In Spring 2019, it will be time to go through the
process again.
Hillary made mention of some of our latest accomplishments: Over 1/3 of our reaccreditation
standards have already been met and we have improved our OHA PH modernization score in
both expertise and capabilities. We have secured an additional $1 million more in funding for a
total of $2.4 million from the general fund and several grants. The Ryan White HIV program,
HIV Intervention and CD prevention have now been regionalized.
Challenges and Realities:
DCHS is uncertain of the future of the Affordable Care Act, which may change clinic
procedures. Central Oregon has been growing at an alarming rate, but resources and funding
are still flat with several limited duration unsustainable grants in the works. High rates of
CD/STD cases are putting a strain on our resources and capacity. The CD and EH programs
were impacted by the loss of a supervisor in FY 2018, a position that will not be filled, but
rather 2 FTE positions turned into 1. Changes are taking place in RH clinic policies, utilization
and billing structure. PH modernization is mandated and not an option, so we must change
our policies.
Our priorities for the upcoming fiscal year:
DCHS will look into finding ways to reduce operating costs and increase revenue, while
attempting to create a stable and sustainable long term structure. We will also seek to run the
RH clinic more efficiently and cost effectively to promote sustainability and form a long term
plan for PCC and regional CD programs, along with re-establishing a supervisory position for
the CD program with no new resources. DCHS will continue to work on re-accreditation and
triennial review requirements and reorganize to align with new PH requirements.
Sustainability:
DCHS will constantly re-evaluate to provide a solid foundation and equitable access to all.
Accreditation will be part of the foundation and there are several ways to measure how we are
doing to become re-accredited.
Framework:
Hillary stated that the local Public Health Authority is the BOCC, DCHS is the local agency and
Dr. Conway is the local health administrator. The foundational programs as part of our
framework are CD control, prevention and health promotion, EH, and access to clinical
preventive services. The foundational capabilities include assessment & epidemiology,
emergency preparedness, communication, policy and planning, leadership and organizational
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20
competencies, health equity and cultural responsiveness and development of community
partnerships.
Hillary showed the Board our existing organizational structure chart, which does not reflect PH
modernization. We are now moving towards changes to reorganize in order to maximize use of
our resources and improve efficiencies, while centralizing “like programs” and balancing
workloads. We will also redirect resources for needed CD and STD investigations and regain a
dedicated supervisor position for the CD program with the existing resources we already have.
Work will continue on PH modernization guidelines to meet new PH requirements so we can
better position the agency for future resources and provide equitable access to all.
Smoke Management Website overview
Keith has been working with the Deschutes County Smoke and Public Health Collaborative and
other local agencies to keep the public informed on prescribed burns and area wildfires. PHAB
submitted a letter in support of the Smoke Review Committee. Keith said that the west side of
Bend is one of the most unhealthy forests in the state and also one of the worst in the entire
northwest, making it highly susceptible to a major wildfire. Prescribed burns are necessary in
reducing the risk of wildfires and produce the most smoke between the hours of midnight to 6
a.m., when most people are indoors. We are in prescribed burn season right now, which will
transition into wildfire season. Weather conditions must be perfect in order to conduct a
prescribed burn, which is usually only 6 to 9 days a year. Other members of the Collaborative
are Heather Kaisner and Morgan Feld, who are also working together to roll out a media
campaign next week. A new website has been developed (www.centraloregonfire.org) which
will go live in the next couple weeks. This website will provide information on area fires and
prescribed burns, public health and will post statewide maps showing air quality and where the
fires are located. Keith’s team also created an informational flyer. There will also be
Facebook and twitter links available on the website. Heather mentioned that this information
will also be added to DCHS’s Facebook page.
Adjourn at 1:31 p.m.
Action Items:
Ask PHAB to approve of appointing Dr. Boehm
Send group link to smoke management website
Ask staff from the modernization grant to present on their work
Board Members Present: Kate Wells, Keith Winsor, Dr. George Conway, Rebeckah Berry, Jim
Powell, Dave Huntley, Sharity Ludwig, Steve Strang, Tami Pike, Robert Ross
Staff Present: Tom Kuhn, Morgan Feld, Heather Kaisner, Lisa Michael
Guest speakers: Hillary Saraceno (staff)
PHAB – Public Health Advisory Board RHA – Regional Health Assessment
RHIP – Regional Health Improvement Plan PH – Public Health
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency DCHS – Deschutes County Health Services
WIC – Women Infants Children OHA – Oregon Health Authority
HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus CD – Communicable Disease
FY – Fiscal Year FTE – Full Time Employee
RH – Reproductive Health PCC – Perinatal Care Continuum
BOCC – Board of County Commissioners EH – Environmental Health
STD – Sexually Transmitted Disease
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20