HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Health Board Mar 3 2020Whatcom County
Council as the Health Board (Special)
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Minutes - Final
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
1PM
Council Chambers
COUNCILMEMBERS
Rud Browne
Barry Buchanan
Tyler Byrd
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Carol Frazey
Kathy Kershner
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council as the Health Board (Special) Minutes - Final March 3, 2020
Call To Order
Council Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 1 p.m. in the
Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Roll Call
Present: 6 - Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Todd Donovan, Carol Frazey, Ben Elenbaas and
Kathy Kershner
Absent: I - Rud Browne
Special Presentation
1. AB2020-1 16 Update on COVID-19
The following people reported to the Councilmembers and answered
questions:
• John Wolpers, Health Department
• Anne Deacon, Health Department
• John Gargett, Division of Emergency Management
They reported on the following:
• The Health Department met today with representatives from the
schools including K-12 and Higher Education. Schools asked about
plans for school closures but this meeting was just to discuss it and
not to make that decision. The Health Department will look at it
situationally if they need to.
• The Health Department has created a policy group which will include
Councilmember Buchanan and Health Department staff.
• There have currently been nine deaths in Washington State from the
virus.
• There is currently one person under investigation (PUI) and under
quarantine in Whatcom County. Test results should come in the next
24 hours. Both the Bellingham Herald and KGMI radio station have
been .informed.
• Several local meetings have been scheduled with stakeholder groups
including one this afternoon with healthcare providers in the
hospital, one on Wednesday with skilled nursing facilities, one on
Thursday with childcare facilities and one on Friday with faith -based
groups.
• They are working on informing people who work with vulnerable and
homeless people in the community.
• Wolpers stated he has been contacted by Congressman Larsen's and
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Council as the Health Board (Special) Minutes - Final March 3, 2020
Congresswoman Delbene's offices and have kept them up to date.
• Meetings are planned with County department heads to help them be
prepared with contingency plans.
• They are working on plans for how to continue business and public
meetings for County Government and addressing the legality of
alternative forms of public meetings. They are also working with
first responders to move medic units so that no two medic units are
in one building. That way if one becomes contaminated the other can
still operate.
• Emergency Management is looking at next steps to support the
Health Department.
• The National Guard was activated to provide support and are in the
State Operations Center.
• There is now a State incident number and agencies, departments and
special districts should be tracking costs against that number. All
resource requests should be coordinated through the Division of
Emergency Management office.
The presenters answered questions about:
• How Whatcom County is informing the people who work with the
most vulnerable people in our community.
• If there are mandatory closings should the Council acting as the
Health Board need to be involved with that or have to vote on that
• If the Health Department is working with the Prosecuting Attorney's
Office about the legality of virtual meetings.
• How the Health Department and Emergency Management would
determine who should be quarantined or whether a business should
be shut down if an employee tests positive for the virus.
• How Whatcom County is being proactive to protect and create plans
for first responders.
• Whether there are any mechanisms for paying for the COVID-19
tests and whether people who are being billed for the tests can be
reimbursed.
• How to communicate with the public so that there is not a lack of
information and how to communicate preparedness measures of the
County.
• Whether the County has buildings outside of the hospital ready in
case they need to separate people who are sick.
• How many beds Peace Health has and how prepared they are.
Satpal Sidhu, County Executive, spoke about and Councilmembers
discussed that they are seeing a run on supplies in stores and the need to
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Council as the Health Board (Special) Minutes - Final March 3, 2020
Other Business
Adjournment
inform the community to slow down; how to use radio, school and elected
officials, and faith -based communities in communication efforts; a need to
regulate price gouging and sales quantities; and at what point a state of
emergency should be declared in the County.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 1:39 p.m.
The County Council approved these minutes on June 16, 2020.
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