HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-2020 SEPTEMBER 23 PHAB Minutes
Deschutes County Health Services
Public Health Advisory Board
MINUTES
MINUTES
September 23, 2020
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
via Zoom videoconferencing
Facilitator Keith Winsor, Chair
Staff Coordinator Tom Kuhn, Community Health Manager
Scribe Lisa Michael
Next Meeting October 28, 2020, via Zoom
Topic and Lead
Introductions and Approval of August Meeting Minutes
Keith started off the meeting by asking for a motion to approve the August minutes and noted
there was no need for introductions this time. Peter motioned to approve the minutes as
submitted, which were seconded by Tanya.
Updates and Unfinished Business
Alison mentioned that she heard from Still Serving Counseling Services about a new policy they
recently implemented. There are no in-person appointments being offered at the VA right now
due to COVID; only via telehealth. If a patient chooses not to utilize remote services, the VA
has the right to deny any/all services under this new policy. Alison also stated she is currently
offering PTSD services outside at the ranch. Peter mentioned that Mosaic Medical is picking up
some new clients being seen for mental health and anxiety disorders. Telehealth is working for
them and the no-show rate has been almost eliminated entirely. Alison said some veterans are
using this service depending on their level of trauma; however, some are challenged by
technology and want to be seen in person. Tom mentioned that telehealth has been going well
for DCHS although some high risk clients are still being seen in person.
Jim mentioned that he spoke with Kathryn Tucker (Executive Director of End Of Life Liberty)
about a new initiative coming in 2020 pertaining to the use of Psilocybin. Psilocybin is
classified as a Schedule I controlled substance and Oregon has been targeted as a “right to try”
state on a limited basis in a regulated environment. Jim said allowing one state to try will open
up the door to allow opportunities for several other states. The sidebars are pretty loose and
have the same latitude as marijuana and is not as benign as it appears to be. There was a
short discussion about revisiting this topic at a later date. Tom said he would like to address
the BOCC about it first to stay on task with their priorities.
Central Oregon Health Data Site:
Rebeckah gave a quick overview of the inner workings of the health data site, which will launch
next Tuesday. She said this site has been in the making since January. Rebeckah also noted
the geographic areas covered will be Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson and part of north Klamath
Counties, along with several census tracts/places and zip codes. This platform is a way to
monitor community health improvement through various trackers and tools and is a source of
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 1/26/21
best practices and funding opportunities. Health and quality of life indicators & measures are
selected by HCI (Health Communities Institute) and used to construct the dashboard. Data will
be made publicly available from state and national sources, but will be reported at a county
level. All objectives currently align with Healthy People 2020 and will be updated to show
Healthy People 2030. Two hundred fifty demographic elements will be available on a state,
county and zip code level, including population, housing, transportation, education, economics
and occupation, etc. This data can be used to write reports, seek funding opportunities,
partner collaboration, track measures, etc. Rebeckah said the data will be updated yearly. In
the “What We’re Learning” section, 8 out of 116 funded projects have already been loaded,
and new projects will be added every month. There is also a community calendar showing
health related opportunities. Three tutorial webinars will be offered to help people navigate
the site. Rebeckah also mentioned they will be tracking how much time is spent on each page
and a survey about the site will be sent out regarding its usage.
Smoke Update:
Tom gave a brief update on the smoke situation. The air quality today was in the “unhealthy
for sensitive groups” range, although, it has improved recently with the little bit of rain we had.
Tom said the smoke won’t necessarily go away because of the rain, but it did help with all the
regional fires and opened up the opportunity for air support to dump water and retardants.
There may be more smoke in the area in the following weeks coming from the local and
California fires. Tom noted that BlueSky Daily Runs is a great website to view the maps of fire
locations and smoke. Tom will send a link to the website. Keith chimed in and said he uses
purpleair.com, which is a real time air quality monitoring website that is updated every 10
minutes.
PHAB 2020 Priorities Discussion
Tom asked the Board if they would like to roll over the 2020 priorities into 2021 and if any
other items should be added. The BOCC has not had the chance to see our priorities list due to
the pandemic. All the PHAB priorities continue to align with the goals of the RHIP. Dave asked
why the Board is not discussing pandemic related issues. Keith brought up the fact that it is
such a large national and global issue he was wondering what PHAB could do. Could PHAB do
some marketing once a vaccine is made available? Dave thought maybe PHAB could
underscore the need for masks and physical distancing in our messaging. Could PHAB bring
this up to the BOCC? Durlin was interested in knowing where the infections are actually
coming from so we can reduce the spread. Tom said many cases are popping up from people
gathering for holidays, personal events, etc., tourists coming into the area, and our own
residents leaving the area and returning bringing it back with them. Jim asked if Jenny has this
information available. Tom noted there is a lot of information on the county website and will
include the link in an email to the board. Peter mentioned that PHAB should connect with the
BOCC to offer expertise in their decision making and whatever other help they might need with
pandemic related issues. Tom suggested we start a workgroup then discuss on a localized
level with the entire PHAB board possibly in October. If any board members are interested in
joining the workgroup, please let Tom know through emailing him. Peter said he would sign
up.
COVID 19 Update
Jill gave the latest update on the local COVID situation. On Friday there were 16 new cases, 8
or 9 on Saturday and Sunday and 5 new cases today. Jenny created a new dashboard that
displays the most current data, which is located on the website. Anyone can request to be on
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 1/26/21
the email list to receive notifications when the dashboard updates. Currently there are 787
cases in Deschutes County of which 701 have been released from isolation. The death rate
remains at 12. Last week there were 45 new cases that stemmed from firefighters, inmates
coming back to Central Oregon, workplace outbreaks, tourism and residents traveling back and
forth. Labor Day festivities saw a spike due to an increase in tourism and more social
gathering amongst family and friends. Jill also mentioned that the benchmark for K-3 has not
been met due to the recent rise in cases. The highest case counts reported are those aged 20
to 49, which have mainly been caused by social gatherings and family clusters.
Hospitalizations are down considerably from 29% in March to just 3% in September so far.
Some cases have also been linked to travel history. Testing is still at approximately 1,500 a
week. Approximately 34% of cases were first identified through contract tracing, while 59%
were identified through some other method. At the moment, there are 2 cases on ventilators
in the hospital. Flu vaccinations are now available to ages 6 months and up and the state is
providing 500 doses for free to vulnerable populations. Jill will email her PowerPoint
presentation to Tom to forward to the board. There was a brief discussion about the specifics
of where cases are coming from and why they are not being publicly shared. Jill said we must
comply with HIPAA laws; however, reports could probably be a little broader without being too
specific. She is open to suggestions on how to report. Durlin commented that the cases
should be publicly known on all media sources. He asked if rates were adjusted by population
age. Jill mentioned that Jenny has that data and she will also forward that to Tom to include
with her presentation.
Adjourn at 1:19 p.m.
Action Items:
Send out Webskies and Deschutes County COVID
Schedule workgroup around COVID priority: Dave, Peter
PowerPoint from Jill and Jim Powell
Board Members Present: Keith Winsor, Rebeckah Berry, Tanya Nason, Jason Jundt, Peter
Boehm, Dave Huntley, Jim Powell, Charla DeHate, Robert Ross, Steve Strang, and Alison Perry
Staff Members Present: Tom Kuhn, Lisa Michael
Presenters: Jill Johnson (staff)
Guests: Durlin Hickock
VA – Veteran’s Administration PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
DCHS – Deschutes County Environmental Services HCI – Healthy Communities Institute
BOCC – Board of County Commissioners RHIP – Regional Health Improvement Plan
PHAB – Public Health Advisory Board
HIPAA – Health Information Portability & Accountability Act
“To promote and protect the health and safety of our community.” Updated 1/26/21