HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-2020 APRIL 24, 2019 MINUTES
Deschutes County Health Services
Public Health Advisory Board
MINUTES
MINUTES
April 24, 2019
12:00 – 1:30pm
Stan Owen, DCHS Building
2577 NE Courtney Drive, Bend
Facilitator Keith Winsor, Chair
Staff Coordinator Tom Kuhn, Community Health Manager
Scribe Lisa Michael
Next Meeting May 22, ,2019 – Stan Owen Conference Room
Topic and Lead
Introductions & Approval of January & March Meeting Minutes
Introductions were made and Steve motioned to approve the minutes for January, while Jim
seconded the motion. Jim motioned to approve the minutes for March and Keith seconded the
motion. Both sets of minutes were unanimously approved.
Brief Announcements & Unfinished Business
General Announcements –
None at this time.
Legislative Updates –
Rob asked where things stand on the immunization bill. Tom said that Jill Johnson was giving
public testimony in support of HB 3063 today in Salem. Karen Ard testified against SB 639,
which died along with HB 2233. Keith and Tom testified back in March in a Ways and Means
Committee hearing supporting Public Health Modernization, while Dr. Ross and Dave drafted a
letter to legislators in late March pertaining to the immunization bill. Jim provided testimony as
a private citizen on the importance of immunizations and school board alertness. Pamela
announced that SB 526 (home visiting postnatal bill) is going through the Ways and Means
Committee with a $4 million dollar placeholder budget. The total budget will be $8 million,
with another $4 million coming from Medicaid. Deschutes County is the first in the state to
implement this program. The State wants to know how we are doing on our perinatal program.
The RHIP group donated $200k; however, $700k is still needed to extend the program for 3
more years. Home visiting nurses are conducting 2 hour visits to screen mom and baby, check
out the home environment and connect these families to other services.
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Bend La Pine Schools April 9 Board meeting -
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On April 9, Dave Huntley attended a school board meeting in support of HB 3063 and
Representative Cheri Helt gave her support as well. HB 3063 was referred to the Ways and
Means Committee and the outcome is yet to be determined. Tom said it may be a simple
majority vote, but will update the Board when he hears more.
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20
Brief Priority Work Group updates –
Tom asked the board members to recap what project they are working on. Keith, Dave and
Stacey are working on local homelessness, while Pamela is working on MCH, although her
project has shifted more toward the RHIP. Jim is working on senior health and LTCFs.
Charles, who was also working on senior health with Jim before he left the board, was in
contact with Carrie Edwards from SCMC to discuss LTCFs, so Jim will connect with her. Tom
spoke about having Charles come for a meeting to thank him for all his hard work. Rob and
Dave have been working diligently on the immunization campaign. Steve piped up and said he
was thrilled how much more active the board has been over the past year.
Hillary asked Tom to organize a meeting between the PHAB and the BOCC in order for PHAB to
reintroduce themselves sometime in late May or early June after the budget is complete.
Commissioner Adair asked if PHAB could write a letter in support of SB 27 increasing the fees
for public drinking water systems since fees have not been raised since 2007. Tom drafted a
letter for PHAB’s review. He asked the Board to contact him with any thoughts on the matter.
RHA Feedback Request –
Rebeckah spoke about the RHA/RHIP feedback request. Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson and
North Klamath Counties, as well as Warm Springs, are collaborating on the assessment.
Rebeckah noted that this is the third time this has been done. The 2015 assessment was 90
pages and has now grown to over 250 pages with the 2019 plan. Rebeckah asked if PHAB
could review and make any recommendations by next Friday, when the draft is due by 10 a.m.
There is an option to download and track changes in Word, which is the preferred method.
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The final draft will be ready for review on May 16 with a published version available sometime
in August. Tom sent out the draft to PHAB for those members who want to review the plan.
Any revisions need to be sent back to him. Jim asked if PHAB should concentrate on any
specific areas. Rebeckah said the hope is to have the next version of the RHA (2023) online
only, with data updated as it becomes available.
Veggie Rx
Hannah Brzozowski, Veggie Rx Program Director, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the High
Desert Food & Farm Alliance (HDFFA). Their mission is to support a healthy and thriving food
and farm network in Central Oregon through education, collaboration and inclusivity. HDFFA is
focusing on fresh food drives, free 6-week long cooking classes, agricultural support and
produce prescription. Veggie Rx is a fruit and vegetable program designed to improve the
health of food insecure clients by providing them with vouchers for produce to increase their
consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Hannah showed the Board the model for the
Veggie Rx and explained that 50+ providers participate in the program serving over 300
clients. So far to date, almost 150 clients filled out the enrollment application and 94 were
eligible. Close to 90 of those clients participated in the program with a graduation rate of
approximately 80%. The majority of the clients who participated were mostly those who
reported an annual income of less than $25k and were between the ages of 55 and 65.
Several of these clients had some kind of health issue like diabetes, heart disease and/or
obesity. The HDFFA targets those clients who are on OHP, Medicaid and SNAP and are food
insecure. The Rx program provides clients with a $20 a week voucher for fresh fruits and
vegetables at local farmer’s markets and $185 worth in total for completion of the entire 8
week program. The program has proven to increase participant consumption of fresh produce
by 1.3 cups per day and change the mindset of most clients that fruits and vegetables are an
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20
important part of a balanced diet. The program reported a significant impact by providing
fresh food to those who typically can’t afford it. Ninety-seven percent of the vouchers were
redeemed and 33% of participants reported being less worried about food insecurity or having
the funds to buy food. Hannah spoke about the impact on nutrition education and cooking
classes. Clients were taught how to stretch their budget and make meals for an entire family
and 95% of those who participated, valued the classes, while 33% increased their knowledge
of cooking, food safety and storage. Participants also said their overall health went from poor
to good and even excellent for some, after two months on the program. Clients reported that
having access to fresh produce, receiving education on cooking and proper food safety, along
with the social aspect of shopping at local farmer’s markets, has been quite helpful in achieving
their goals of reaching a healthier lifestyle. Hannah said the impact locally has drawn over
$11k into the Bend famer’s market, which in turn has circulated over $20k back into the
economy. Approximately, 95% of farmer’s participating in the program found it to be quite
successful. Hannah also noted there were some gaps in the program that need addressed
such as sustainable funding, the need for a flexible model to meet community needs,
recruitment and retention of more men into the program and more flexible eligibility criteria.
Recommendations for funding involve statewide collaboration and established metrics. Another
suggestion was to talk to providers to see exactly who needs help and adapt to those needs.
Since more women than men are graduating the program, the HDFFA wants to work more
closely with providers who engage with the male patient population in order to recruit more
men into the program. Hannah said they also need to define a clear target audience with more
concise eligibility criteria with practitioners.
The objectives for 2019-2020 are to provide eight sessions of fresh food access, 1-on-1 support
and tips for eating healthy from a registered dietician, referrals to health care providers and
community partners, and provide a direct tie to locally grown produce. The Mobile Market
Model is a program that will run year round starting in June with an enrollment target of 100
participants. Participants can shop the Fresh To You Truck at Mosaic Medical in Prineville and
everyone receives a biweekly Fresh Harvest Kit for 4 months. The Fresh Harvest Kits consist of
seasonal produce, staple ingredients, recipes and 2 meals, which provide 4 servings per meal.
Health Heroes Award
Tom mentioned that almost all the nominations were cast from someone within their own
organization, so this year we are going to allow it. Tom said we may revise this rule to allow it
for future nominations as well. There were 3 individual nominations (Jessica LeBlanc from
Mosaic Medical, Wendy Jackson from COPA, and Laurie Slye from Partners in Care), and 2
group nominations (Pacific Crest Affordable Housing and St. Charles Volunteer Services). Tom
gave the Board the option of reviewing the candidates and voting now at the meeting with
limited Board members present, or he could send out a survey monkey so the entire Board
would have the opportunity to review and make their choices. The Board members who are
familiar with the nominees briefly discussed their experience with them. It was then decided
to vote via survey monkey. Tom will send out the survey as soon as possible.
Adjourn at 1:29 p.m.
Board Members Present: Keith Winsor, Rebeckah Berry, Steve Strang, Jim Powell, Robert Ross,
Kate Wells, Charla DeHate
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20
Staff Present: Hillary Saraceno, Tom Kuhn, Pamela Ferguson, Lisa Michael
Guests and Guest Speakers: Hannah Brzozowski (HDFFA), Jennifer Geisen (BMC), Irene Dudley
(COPA)
HB – House Bill SB – Senate Bill
RHIP – Regional Health Improvement Plan MCH – Maternal Child Health
LTCFs – Long Term Care Facilities SCMC – St. Charles Medical Center
PHAB – Public Health Advisory Board BOCC – Board of County Commissioners
EPIC – Electronic Privacy Information Center Rx – Prescription
OHP – Oregon Health Plan SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
COPA – Central Oregon Pediatric Association
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 8/4/20