QUINNIPIACK VALLEY HEALTH DISTRICT

BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES

North Haven, CT

September 24, 2015

4:30 PM

In attendance: D. Cofrancesco; J. Donaldson; V. Gallo; C. Goldberg; R. Ivins; A. Levison; R. Martinello;

B. Weeks. Ex officio: L. Balch Staff: D. Culligan; R. Currier. Guests: O. Chamberland; J. Necio; M. Carter.

Not in attendance: A. Hanke; P. Marone; B. Scott-Moore; R. Wilson; A. Sofair.

 President Donaldson called the meeting to order at 4:40 p.m.

 PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

 J. Donaldson welcomed new Board member R. Martinello. She noted that M. Rochow will be missed.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

A motion to accept the June 25, 2015 minutes made by R. Ivins, seconded by D. Cofrancesco and accepted unanimously. 

FINANCIAL REPORT

L. Balch presented the financial report for the period ending August 31, 2015. She reported:

• Target: 16.67%; Revenue: 28.86%; Expense: 14.31%. Revenue is higher than target because all per capita funding has been received.
• She noted that the sink in the conference room bathroom had to be replaced.

A motion to place the financial report on file was made by D. Cofrancesco, seconded by C. Goldberg and passed unanimously.

 L. Balch distributed an adjusted budget for FY 2016. She noted the differences:

• The state per capita funds were decreased from 185,000 to 176,000.
• The extra lead money was increased from $6,000 to $15,000.
• The School Based Health Center grant was reduced from $121,000 to $118,000.
• The HERR (Health Education/Risk Reduction) grant (to be used for Public Health Accreditation) was increased from $13,000 to $24,600.

As a result of the changes, the budget changed from $1.263 million to 1.253 million.

C. Goldberg asked about the cost of accreditation. L. Balch stated that much of the process would be done

in-house with the assistance of a paid advisor. A. Levison asked if other health departments are addressing accreditation and is there an advantage to being accredited. L. Balch responded “yes”. Norwalk has been accredited and others have submitted their application. It is anticipated that eventually public health departments will need to be accredited in order to apply for/receive grants.

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS

L. Balch, as secretary of the Board, presented the slate for the officers of the Board as put forth by the Nominating Committee Chair: J. Donaldson for president and P. Marone for vice president. A motion to accept the slate as presented was made by R. Ivins, seconded by D. Cofrancesco. There were no nominations from the floor. The motion passed unanimously.

President J. Donaldson made the following committee appointments:

Executive Committee: J. Donaldson, P. Marone, R. Martinello, C. Goldberg and B. Scott-Moore.

Bylaws Committee: C. Goldberg, Chair; B. Scott-Moore, R. Martinello and D. Cofrancesco.

Personnel Committee: D. Cofrancesco, Chair; A. Sofair, V. Gallo, R. Wilson and R. Ivins. .

Finance Committee: P. Marone, Chair; C. Goldberg, R. Ivins, and B. Scott-Moore. 

Nominating Committee:  The committee will remain the same until May 2016.

Special Projects Committee: V. Gallo, Chair; R. Ivins, A. Hanke and C. Goldberg.

SBHC Liaisons: A. Levison and R. Wilson.

 QUINNIPIACK VALLEY HEALTH DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETING

Appointment of QVHD Medical Director

C. Goldberg made a motion, seconded by R. Ivins, to reappoint Dr. Joseph Zelson as QVHD medical advisor. The motion passed unanimously.

Appointment of QVHD Auditor

A motion was made by C. Goldberg, seconded by R. Ivins to reappoint Michael Federico as the auditor for QVHD. The motion passed unanimously.

                                                     ANNUAL MEETING FOR MOM’S CLINIC, THE SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER AT HAMDEN HIGH

D. Culligan distributed a summary of the data for SY 15. She noted that to date, there are already 72 new enrollees, compared to 74 for all of last year. Two new practitioners have been hired. A motion to reappoint Sheryl Ryan as the medical director for Mom’s Clinic was made by D. Cofrancesco, seconded by A. Levison and passed unanimously. 

 ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

 Health Education Report presented by D. Culligan:

• The end of Year 1 of the Oral Health Advocacy grant is approaching. Second year awards will be made at the end of October. Overall achievements: 98 advocates gained and 140 surveys were administered. Reports on the survey results are being prepared and should be available for the October Board meeting. Community water fluoridation is the next target issue for the coalition.
• There was a rabid feral cat found on the trail behind Eli Whitney museum. Publicity and contacting of veterinarians was disseminated by QVHD to inform the public about avoiding stray domestic animals. 
• Over the summer, one traveler from Sierra Leone was monitored for Ebola. He wrote an op-ed piece for the Hartford Courant about his experience as a traveler from an affected country. A television station put his picture on television and erroneously stated he had Ebola. L. Balch noted that enhanced screening and monitoring for travelers from Liberia has been discontinued.
• QVHD was present at several Farmer’s Markets this summer. It appeared that with the exception of the market at Miller that attendance was lower than previous years.
• The QVHD annual report will be distributed next month.

 Report of the Director of Health:

Child Flu Vaccination Feasibility Study

O. Chamberland, B.S, was introduced. O. Chamberlain conducted a feasibility study for a 2016 QVHD Childhood Influenza Immunization Program as her Spring ‘15 SCSU intern project while at QVHD. She presented the report to the Board for consideration after an introduction by L. Balch. (See power point.)

L. Balch made the following points:

• QVHD stopped conducting community influenza clinics in 2009 as the availability of adult vaccination services became widely available through multiple, convenient community outlets. QVHD lost its market share.
• Community vaccination outlets for individuals under 18 years of age are not widely available.
• A child flu vaccination program would: increase the level of flu vaccination in the district; potentially generate revenue; serve as training and practice for mass distribution as well as a full-scale drill for preparedness-grant deliverables.
• Require communication with school districts for use of their property in a non-emergency situation and with area pediatricians for support or partnering.

L. Balch concluded there is still communication and information needed before a final decision is made and program planning can begin.

 Food Service Rating Program

L. Balch reported: Of the 110 food service establishments (out of 194 Class III and IV to receive rating) that have received ratings:  55 rated A; 36 rated B; and 19 rated C. To QVHD’s knowledge, 5 have removed or covered the placard and 12 have requested an early re-inspection. She noted that QVHD learned at the end of last week that several food services in Bethany have pulled the rating from their windows. They have been sent a letter from QVHD that states they must post the rating or they can have their license pulled.

 To address the increased resources that are required for the additional inspections and monitoring, L. Balch proposed a $100.00 fee for:

• re-inspections that are not required by regulation
• A fee for having to notify establishment and enforce reposting
• Facilities requiring a 3^rd inspection

Board Discussion and recommendations:

• The Board would prefer to allow the program to operate for a year before imposing new fees or amending the regulations.
• Should fees be established and the regulation amended, notification to the food service establishments should occur prior to implementation.
• Those food services that do not comply with the posting of the rating should have their license suspended in accordance with the protocol designated in the regulations
• Communication with the community with information about the rating program should continue.
• The Board is interested in receiving on-going program reports.

Other

J. Donaldson noted that Sister’s Journey, a black women’s breast cancer support agency will host its annual “Pink Tea” at Mohegan Sun on October 17^th.

The meeting concluded at 6:10 with a motion by D. Cofrancesco, seconded by C. Goldberg to adjourn.

Minutes prepared by D. Culligan.

The next regular QVHD Board meeting will be held October 22, 2015 at 4:30 P.M. at the QVHD offic