HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth Board Dec 1 2020Whatcom County
Council as the Health Board
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Minutes - Final
VIRTUAL MEETING - VIEW ONLINE
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
10 AM
Virtual Meeting
COUNCILMEMBERS
Rud Browne
Barry Buchanan
Tyler Byrd
Todd Donovan
Ben Blenbaas
Carol Frazey
Kathy Kershner
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council as the Health Board Minutes - Final December 1, 2020
Call To Order
Roll Call
Council Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m. in a
virtual meeting.
Present: 6 - Rud Browne, Barry Buchanan, Todd Donovan, Carol Frazey, Ben Elenbaas and
Kathy Kershner
Absent: 1 - Tyler Byrd
Public Comment
Buchanan opened the Public Comment period and hearing no one, closed
the public comment period.
Director and Health Officer's Report
Erika Lautenbach, Health Department Director, stated that she had nothing
new to report.
Greg Stern, Health Department, updated the Councilmembers on the
following:
• A surge in cases of COVID-19 as reported by the Department of
Health
• The Health Department's work with the school superintendents
concerning school operations
He answered when he thinks a vaccine will be coming to Whatcom County
and described the prioritization of administration. He also answered a
question about the risk of an adverse side effect of the vaccine and the risk
of vaccinating one entire segment of the population with the same vaccine.
Public Health Advisory Board 2021 Priorities
AB2020-567 Update by Public Health Advisory Board on 2021 Priorities
Chi-Na Stoane, Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB), briefed the
Councilmembers and spoke about the members of the board and how they
contribute to the ideas of the board.
She described two of the topics they will focus on:
• Children and family well-being, including the Child and Family Task
Force
• Racial inequities
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She spoke about the Resolution affirming racism as a Public Health Crisis
that was recently approved by the Council and the Health Board's role in
supporting its action items.
Sterling Chick, PHAB Vice Chair, spoke about the focus on child and
family well-being, the history of a movement to make children and families
a priority on the State and County level, the Child and Family Task Force,
and the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on children and adults compared to
other disasters.
Stoane stated the other issues the PHAB will be covering are the impacts of
COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, post-COVID-19 recovery, and public
funding and support.
Lautenbach spoke about the desire to make progress on the Community
Health Improvement Plan, she stated that the county has fallen backwards in
a lot of health indicators in our community, and spoke about work with local
jurisdictions to make a case for sustained funding for the future to deal with
challenging problems that the community faces.
Kershner spoke about the issue of seniors in the community and Lautenbach
and PHAB members including Stoane, Chick, and Steve Bennett answered
questions about what other issues came up as potential priorities, and what
Council support for resources in relation to the racial equity priority might
look like.
Kershner moved to accept the priorities that the PHAB has identified for
2021. The motion was seconded by Donovan.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 5 - Browne, Buchanan, Donovan, Frazey, and Kershner
Nay: 1 - Elenbaas
Absent: 1 - Byrd
This agenda item was DISCUSSED AND MOTION(S) APPROVED.
Update on Well-being of Young Children and Families
AB2020-569 Update on Well-being of Young Children and Families
The following people gave a presentation (on file):
• Astrid Newell, Health Department
• Judy Ziels, Health Department
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• Debora Haney, Bellingham Public Schools
• Amy Hickel, Opportunity Council
• Chris D'Onofrio, Health Department
• Sterling Chick, Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB) Vice Chair
They answered questions about whether there is data for tracking the origin
of families in the school districts that are falling behind to know if they
were based here or have moved here, an estimate of how many people are
behind on rent and by how many months, whether those people are
negotiating on their own with their landlords or whether there is a process
in place to assist them, and how many months of CARES Act help there has
been for renters.
This agenda item was PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
Browne spoke about emotional exhaustion and burnout and asked whether
there has been discussion regarding burnout among the County Health
Department staff and what can be done about it.
The following people discussed with Councilmembers and described what
they have been doing in that regard:
• Erika Lautenbach, Health Department Director
• Astrid Newell, Health Department
The meeting adjourned at 11:42 a.m.
The County Council approved these minutes on January 12, 2021.
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ATTEST:,
"IX VI
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Kristi Felbinger., Minutes Transcnption
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Barq Buchanan -via email 1/29/2021
Barry Buchanan, Council Chair
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