Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth Board Feb 1 2022Whatcom County Council as the Health Board COUNTY COURTHOUSE 311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105 Bellingham, WA 98225-4038 (360)778-5010 Minutes - Final Tuesday, February 1, 2022 10 AM Virtual Meeting VIRTUAL MEETING - VIEW ONLINE COUNCILMEMBERS Barry Buchanan Tyler Byrd Todd Donovan Ben Elenbaas Carol Frazey Kaylee Galloway Kathy Kershner CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C. Council as the Health Board Minutes - Final February 1, 2022 Call To Order Roll Call Health Board Chair Todd Donovan called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. in a virtual meeting. Present: 7 - Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Todd Donovan, Carol Frazey, Ben Elenbaas, Kaylee Galloway, and Kathy Kershner Absent: None Announcements Public Comment Donovan opened the public comment period and hearing no one, closed the open comment period. Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB) Update Bitz Work 2022 Steve Bennett, Public Health Advisory Board, updated the Councilmembers on the following: • A new chair of the board • The board's continued work on implementing the racism resolution requirements • The continuing work of other task forces and boards Erika Lautenbach, Health Department Director, updated the Councilmembers on the following three main categories of work for 2022. in the Health Department (strategic, operational, and work force): Strategic • Work on a COVID-19 Strategic Plan • Re -engagement with the overall Strategic Plan at the Health Department • Work on the Community Health Improvement Plan • Staffing for the Child and Family Well -Being Task Force and providing data support for a ballot measure this fall • A continuation of racial equity work in department operations and within boards and commissions • The need to make changes to the Public Health Advisory Board structure and/or the Health Board membership composition • A revision of the performance management system Whateom County Page I Printed on 211112022 Council as the Health Board Minutes - Final February 1, 2022 Operational • The receipt of a number of extensions for re -accreditation given the Health Department's work with COVID-19 • A plan to work with the Health Board as the Health Department engages in reorganization • Re -envisioning how the Health Department does their work and supports employees with flexible and hybrid work options • A need to move staff in order to make way for the construction project of the Way Station • Work to develop updated data dashboards on various data they are tracking and the data modernization project to better track contracts, deliverables, and outcomes in the community • Work on a website change • Implementation of the Health Department's part of the EnerGov permitting system to streamline the permitting processes Work Force • Succession planning, mitigating for burnout, and learning and leadership development • An update to the Workforce Development Plan • Onboarding of permanent staff positions adopted in the budget and anticipated additional funding in 2022 • Integration of the GRACE/LEAD and crisis intervention teams into the Health Department She answered where staff may be moved to make way for the Way Station construction, whether she could send this report to the Councilmembers, what EnerGov is, how much of the staffing was already included in the two year budget they approved a year before last, whether she has a document that lays out the funding for staffing, whether a ballot measure this fall would be an initiative or an ask for the Council to place it on the ballot, whether she has a sense of the timing for that, and what that funding would be used for. Health Board Composition Erika Lautenbach, Health Department Director, briefed the Councilmembers on legislative changes regarding the Health Board composition. She answered a question about the specifics that are missing in looking at the Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB) bylaws and the Code in order to Wbatcom County Page 2 Printed on 211112022 Council as the Health Board Minutes - Final February 1, 2022 meet what is required by the State law. She then outlined three options available to the Health Board: Option 1: The Health Board could remain the County Council and the PHAB would make changes. Option 2: The Health Board could adopt the State guidelines and the PHAB would remain the same. Option 3a: Both the Health Board and the PHAB could change. If the Health Board decided to adopt the State guidelines that would give the opportunity to revise what the PHAB could look like and potentially more fit into a different body to create new value in a different way. Option 3b: Both the Health Board and the PHAB could change. The County Council could pass legislation to change the makeup of the Health Board. They could adopt the State guidelines and move forward with those or do something in between and not adopt the State guidelines all the way. Frazey stated that she was under the impression that they have to go by the State guidelines if they do any change. Lautenbach stated her understanding is that Whatcom County does not have to change because you have an advisory body. You could, however, change all the way to meet the State guidelines or somewhere in between as long as you retain that community advisory body. But that said, if you do not go all the way to the State guidelines the community advisory needs to change in order to meet the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). That means you would create some role confusion. Option 2 and Option 3b above have some of the same role definition murkiness. Councilmembers and Lautenbach discussed the options, having more time to work through them and maybe having a special meeting, waiting to get the report from the COVID-19 pandemic response review consultant in July, seeing what other counties are doing first, an update from the kick-off meeting for the COVID-1.9 pandemic response review, and where challenges exist in the current Health Board and what the opportunities might be if they change it. Steve Bennett, Public Health Advisory Board, stated if the Health Board is going to research over the course of the next year to determine a course of action then PHAB is going to have to change while that occurs. Whatcom County Page 3 Printed on 211112022 Council as the Health Board Minutes - Final February 1, 2022 Councilmembers and Lautenbach continued to discuss the timing, whether the PHAB would come back to the Health Board with some more fleshed -out information about what the options would look like or whether they have to address the PHAB now, whether they would like Lautenbach to come back with policy options to consider, what changes to the Code or bylaws would require action by the Council or Health Board versus what can be done independent of that by the PHAB, and getting more information from legal regarding whether they have to go exactly by the State requirements if they change any part of the Health Board. Kershner moved that they ask Director Lautenbach to explore options and alternatives for what changes would need to be made on the PHAB to come into compliance with the State law and bring those back to them in March. The motion was seconded by Galloway. Donovan stated he does not want to take off the table examining the composition of the Health Board. Kershner re -stated her motion to ask the Health Department Director Lautenbach to come back to Council as the Health Board (by March 29, 2022) with options to ensure that the PHAB is compliant with the new State law. Councilmembers discussed whether the Health Board would hold back the PHAB from being State -compliant. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 7 - Buchanan, Byrd, Donovan, Elenbaas, Frazey, Galloway, and Kershner Nay: 0 Donovan moved that they also get a recommendation and further information on option B where both the Health Board and PHAB would potentially change. The motion was seconded by Galloway. Councilmembers discussed the motion. Donovan repeated the motion to receive information and recommendation for an option that would consider changing both the Health Board and PHAB and answered how his motion is different than the previous motion. Karen Frakes, Prosecuting Attorney's Office, stated only if you are comprised solely of elected officials can you retain the Health Board as it W&atcom County Page 4 Printed on 211112022 Council as the Health Board Minutes - Final February 1, 2022 COVID update Adiournment is. Otherwise, if you make changes, it appears to me that you have to comply with the new regulations. The new law doesn't go into effect until July of this year and even the current statute allows you to have different elected officials on your Health Board, not just county elected officials. So you might be able to make some changes, but Frazey's concerns are warranted. Councilmembers and Frakes discussed whether legal should give them an opinion prior to the Health Department spending the time to come back with alternatives. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: b - Byrd, Donovan, Frazey, Galloway, Kershner, and Buchanan Nay: 1 - Elenbaas Lautenbach stated they would move forward with an Ordinance for their review on March 29 or before for the PHAB and will work with legal and develop recommendations or options for their consideration. The following people presented and answered questions: • Erika Lautenbach, Health Department Director • Greg Thompson, Co -Health Officer They answered questions about the number of hospitalizations and whether hospitalization data is sorting for those who go into the hospital for other reasons and incidentally test positive for COVID-19, whether there is any data or information or campaign coming from the CDC, NIH, or FDA on the therapeutic Ivermectin, and whether we have data on how many people have gotten COVID-19 in our community and have not tested and/or reported. The meeting adjourned at 11:42 a.m. The County Council approved these minutes on February 8, 2022. Whatcom County Page 5 Primed on 211112022 Council as the Health Board Minutes - Final February 1, 2022 ATTkST ,"A T Dana W6w -, ?0is, Council Clerk' �5.1 .,cl k.. �.. UU.- l�'Y �.....% 6 l � L....... Kristi`Felbinger, Minutes Transcription WHATC M COUNTY COUNCIL WHAT OM O TY, WA Todd Donovan, Health Board Chair Whatcom County Page 6 Printed on 211112022