Board of Health
Meeting Minutes for October 3, 2011
The following board members were present: Susan Dougherty, CNM. NP,
Dr. Joseph Felsen, Timothy LaFever, and
Medical Advisor Dr. Christopher Depner was present.
Others present: Lori Ballengee, Tom Hull, Theresa Moore, Laurie Hennessy, and General Manager for Highland Landfill Joe Boyles, and Operations Manager for Highland Landfill Terry Lunn.
Members absent: Dr. Willard Simons, Dr. Leo Cusumano, and Dr. Rajan Gulati.
The Board of Health Meeting was called to order by Lori Ballengee, Public Health Director at 7:10pm. Lori asked everyone to introduce themselves for the benefit of new Board of Health members, Susan Dougherty and Dr. Felsen who were attending their first meeting.
Joe Boyles, General Manager for Highland Landfill, and Terry Lunn, Operations Manager for Highland Landfill, attended the meeting to answer questions and give information on how drill cuttings were disposed of in the Highland Landfill. Mr. Boyles indicated drill cuttings from hydrofracking are taken to Highland Landfill for disposal. Highland Landfill has radiation detectors at the gate to test drill cuttings for any radiation. To date, the detector has never gone off and detected any radiation. Mr. Boyles brought in some samples of drill cuttings for the board members to view. He explained the drill cuttings are mixed with sawdust. Drill cuttings are brought in from the state of Pennsylvania, and from Painted Post and Elmira in New York State. They indicated that one well contains about 1,000 tons of drill cuttings. Drill cuttings brought to the Highland Landfill are appropriately covered with clay and compacted
The minutes from the August 1, 2011 meeting were approved
with a motion from Tim LaFever and seconded by
Lori Ballengee, Public Health Director, announced there will be a Board of Health Christmas Dinner to be held on December 5, 2011 at 6:00pm at L’italia Restaurant in Wellsville, New York. She reminded all Board Members to let Janet Norris know if they would be attending and their choice of entrée.
In the Medical examiner’s contract we pay for 60 cases per year and if we go over that amount we pay the overage per case.
Theresa Moore, Supervising Public Health Educator, announced there will be a Komen Kares Annual Breast Cancer Survivors luncheon to be held at the Bartlett County Club on October 15, 2011 from 11:00am until 1:00pm. There will also be a dinner on October 20, 2011 from 6:00pm until 8:00pm to be held at Moonwinks for Breast Cancer Survivors. The luncheon and dinner are paid for by a grant from the Western NY affiliate of Susan G. Komen. A survivor and a guest may attend free of charge. These meals give survivors a chance to network with other people and find out about services available and a chance to ask questions. Advertising has been done in the newspapers, radio and public service announcements have been made.
Theresa Moore provided the Board of Health members with copies of the Family Planning Education Surveys as well as Family Planning Clinic surveys for their review. Theresa indicated one of the goals of the education survey was to work with a new school district. There is an increase of students finding out about our family planning program. She indicated Norilyn and Kristen are trying to improve on seeing patients in a timelier manner. The following questions were recently added to the questionnaire which the patients complete that asks how you got to the clinic and were you given a reminder call.
Maxine Warner, Public Health Educator, is currently working with Accord on a Teen Outreach program. The Health Department has a Family Planning Grant to work with students to reduce the risk of pregnancy, HIV, and sexually transmitted diseases and is currently working with Bolivar-Richburg Central School.
Tom Hull, Deputy Public Health Director, disseminated copies of proposed Health Dept. guidance and recommendations for monitoring public and private water wells to determine possible groundwater impacts of gas and oil resource extraction activities occurring within Allegany County. There is concern from the public, statewide, as to potential environmental impacts of gas and oil resource extraction activities on air and water quality, especially in regard to high-volume horizontal hydrofracking (“fracking”). Tom indicated that the county and the Health Department should be proactive and have some general guidance in place on how these issues will be dealt with should they arise. Tom has talked with Environmental Health Directors around the state to see how this can be done safely and efficiently. Tom has more information to incorporate into the guidance, which will then be provided to the Human Services Committee and the County’s Energy Ad Hoc Committee for their review and comment. Tom asked if Janet Norris would send the revised guidance document to the Board of Health members for their review, and will look for the Board to vote on adopting this document as an official policy of the Health Department at its December 5, 2011 meeting.
Tom asked the Board members if they knew of anyone who would be qualified to contract with the Health Department as an Administrative Hearing Officer.
Laurie Hennessy, Director of Patient Services, disseminated copies of the new policy and procedure for Electronic Signature. The agency permits clinicians to authenticate entries by executing an electronic signature.
An individual clinician creating a note with a unique user name and password in the electronic system is considered to have signed and authenticated the information by the act of locking the note. A motion was made by Doug Burdick and seconded by Dr. Felsen to approve the electronic signature policy and procedure. Motion carried.
Laurie reported the Health Department has given 1,251 doses of influenza vaccine. Flu clinics are being held at schools, businesses, and around the county at fire halls, community centers, and senior luncheon sites.
Laurie indicated she and her staff has been encouraging adults to receive Twinrix but there is currently a funding dilemma with the state. The Health Department is unable to get Twinrix at this time. We are now one of the counties with greater than 95% of our children under three with 2 immunizations now entered in NYSIIS. The Health Department has gone out to numerous physicians’ offices and taught each office staff how to use NYSIIS and imput data into the program.
Some of the Amish population in Allegany County is allowing us to come into their homes and immunize them. The Amish are also calling us and asking the Health Department to do Lead Testing in response to the one and two year old lead letter campaign.
The Health department is currently managing five lead cases.
There are five latent TB cases which are being treated. No active cases in Allegany County. If a TB patient does not have insurance, the Health Department can take the physical from the primary care physician. The State Health Department wants colleges to be more proactive when it comes to TB cases within the college population.
The Health Department recently underwent a consolidated audit review in which the Health Department made a plan of corrections for the following three items:
1. The program must provide evidence of current CPR training for the Family Planning Nurse practitioner.
2. A corrective action plan is required to develop a protocol for tracking the completion of deferred physical examination assessments for all family planning clients.
1. Client refusal or declination of services, including emergency contraception (EC) must be documented in the client record.
The nurse practitioner has updated her CPR training. A new form and changes to the Family Planning Policy for Initial, Annual and Supply visits has been put into place to correct #2 and a change has been made to the problem list form to correct #3. Laurie reported the plan of corrections will be mailed into the New York State Department of Health when the Board of Health minutes are available. A motion to accept the above was made by Doug Burdick and seconded by Dr. Joseph Felsen. Motion carried.
Laurie disseminated copies of the satisfaction survey for the Immunization program, lead program and new baby visits for their review.
Laurie updated the Board on Communicable Disease activity.
Lori asked Janet Norris to email the Board of Health Members Lori’s email address and the updated Board of Health list.
With no further business to come before the board, a motion was made by Doug Burdick to adjourn the meeting at 8:50pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Norris