HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-2021 March 24 PHAB MinutesDeschutes County Health Services
Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB)
MINUTES
March 24, 2021
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
via Zoom videoconferencing
Facilitator
Keith Winsor, Chair
Staff Coordinator
Tom Kuhn, Community Health Manager
Scribe
Lindsay Seibel
Next Meeting
Aril 28, 2021 - Zoom
Introductions and Approval of February Meeting Minutes
Robert Ross motioned, Sharity Ludwig seconded, and all board members voted to approve the
February meeting minutes.
Keith Winsor asked Tamarra Harris and Meghan Sable to introduce themselves. Tamarra is the
Pediatric Program Manager for Mosaic Medical. Meghan is the Central Oregon Manager for
Boost Oregon.
Announcements and Unfinished Business
Group Updates
o Robert asked the group to contact him if they are interested in contributing to the
Central Oregon Health Council's project to improve general vaccine uptake and
decrease vaccine hesitancy for children and adolescents. He is working on
transferring some money to the County for this effort. Additionally, he is
facilitating the hiring of a County employee to coordinate the delivery of vaccines
for children and adolescents in Central Oregon. Currently, the vaccine compliance
at 24 months of age is at 78 percent. This new County position will help identify
and contact those who need vaccination or follow up. In previous years, we
collaborated with clinics to have clinical staff reach out to families. Robert hopes
to implement something similar in order to improve our vaccination rates and
create a sustainable program.
- PHAB Priorities and BOCC
o The PHAB priorities are postponed to the first or second week of April. The group
is working on what topics make the most sense to discuss with the BOCC,
especially with COVID-19 topics changing quickly.
Brief legislative update
o Tom Kuhn mentioned that this year is one of the slowest legislative sessions he
can remember, most likely due to the virtual (Zoom) format. The maiority of the
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bills that Tom was supporting or opposing are no longer active due to missing the
deadline for scheduling a hearing.
o Senate Bill 587 regarding Tobacco Retail Licensure is moving forward and is
currently in the House Committee on Rules.
o House Bill 2261 bans online sales of inhalant delivery systems (i.e. vaping). There
was a public hearing on 3/23/21 and a work session scheduled for 3/25/21 for
this bill.
o House Bill 2237 is the antiracism bill designed to help demonstrate how racism
leads to poor health consequences and disparities. This bill is moving forward
with the support of Public Health officials. One clause proposes that Public Health
departments operate mobile outreach vans. Public Health hopes to remove this
clause since our community already implements this outreach.
o Tom will keep the PHAB posted if he needs a letter of support or testimony.
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
Meghan Sable, the Central Oregon Manager for Boost Oregon, provided a presentation on
Boost Oregon's approach of addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
Introduction to Boost Oregon
- Boost Oregon empowers people to make science -based vaccine decisions for
themselves, their families, and the community by providing information and answering
questions. They do not accept donations from pharmaceutical companies. Boost Oregon
supports vaccination education through education to the public, supporting medical
providers, and encouraging advocates. Their goal is to change the culture from fear to
love by promoting autonomy, providing evidence -based information without judgement,
eliciting positive emotions, and sharing stories. They do this work to create a social
consensus for pro -vaccination, protect the most vulnerable, and to ultimately save lives.
Common Concerns in the Community
- Meghan explained that most people are looking for more vaccine information regarding
what to expect, how to schedule appointments, and possible side effects. People also
seek information about how the vaccines work, their ingredients, effectiveness, and
details about the clinical vaccine trials. Boost Oregon also helps identify perceptions and
beliefs that affect attitudes about vaccines.
Addressing Concerns in the Community
- Boost Oregon offers provider trainings, community workshops, and community leader
trainings to address community concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines.
o The provider trainings are 90 -minute seminars to provide information on vaccine
safety and its development. The seminars also focus on strategies for effective
communication for addressing patient concerns around the COVID-19 vaccine.
o The community workshops aim to help community members understand basic
information around the COVID-19 vaccine such as safety and effectiveness. These
workshops last for one hour, with 30 minutes dedicated for Q&A.
o The community leader training is a one-hour train the trainer offering run by a
medical provider that acts as a hybrid between the provider training and the
community workshop. It aims to inform community health workers, peer
advocates, and other grassroots community workers about COVID-19 vaccines so
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they feel confident in providing education to their constituents and peers.
- Boost Oregon provides fact sheets and FAQs in both English and Spanish targeted for
pregnant and breastfeeding individuals. They target this group since there are many
questions about whether or not this population should receive the vaccine. These
resources also include a risk assessment between COVID-19 and vaccination.
- Meghan is also involved in the Central Oregon Vaccine Confidence Coalition to
collaborate and share resources with community members.
Contact information
- Meghan welcomes any questions through email at meghanCci)boostoregon.org
- www.boostoregon.org
- Facebook.com/boostoregon
- Twitter: @boostoregon
- Instagram: @boostoregon
Keith thanked Meghan for the presentation.
Reproductive Health at School Based Health Centers
Tamarra Harris, the Pediatric Program Manager for Mosaic Medical, provided an overview of
reproductive health at School Based Health Centers (SBHC). Timely and opportunistic
reproductive health services are essential for the best outcomes in youth. However,
reproductive health can be a controversial and political topic that influences the type of services
allowable at SBHC. Tamarra's mission is to provide whole person care while respecting the
delicate nature of reproductive health services.
Keith and Tom thanked Tamarra for the presentation.
Adjourn
1:15 pm
Action Items:
• None.
Board Members Present: Peter Boehm, Charla DeHate, Dave Huntley, Sharity Ludwig, Tanya
Nason, Robert Ross, and Keith Winsor
Staff Members Present: Tom Kuhn, Lindsay Seibel
Guest Presenter: Tamarra Harris, Meghan Sable, Durlin Hickock
BOCC - Board of County Commissioners
COVID-19 - Coronavirus Disease of 2019
PHAB - Public Health Advisory Board
"To promote and protect the health and safety of our community. "Uraatea611/21