Board of Health

Skokie Board of Health May 8, 2014 Present Absent Excused Mr. Abbasi Dr. Plotkin Dr. Prince Dr. Sood Dr. Drachler Ms. Jones Thorne Ms. Varma Ms. Nickisch Duggan Dr. Topouzian Ms. Urbanus Dr. Gaynes Dr. Usman Ms. Varma Dr. Herwitz Dr. Veis Ms. Langguth Dr. Williams Dr. Luka Mr. Nidetz Mr. Pandya Guests Dr. Edward McCarron, Commission on Family Services Dr. Counard, Director of Health David Clough, Staff Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Dr. Drachler, Chairman. Approval of Minutes – One spelling error was corrected. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved with these corrections. Dr. Drachler introduced Dr. Counard. Dr. Catherine Counard, Director of Health – Board of Health Year in Review Dr. Counard began by thanking the Board of Health for their support over the past year. She emphasized that she wanted the experience to be meaningful for Board of Health members, and she is seeking input as to how Board meetings or activities could be strengthened or improved. Dr. Counard then gave a review of Board of Health FY2014 activities and accomplishments. She also reviewed the duties of the Board of Health which are mandated by Village Ordinance as well as the informal policies enacted by Dr. Drachler. Dr. Counard added that the FY15 budgets for the Board of Health and Department of Health were approved by the Trustees. The Village fiscal year begins on May 1. A copy of the presentation is attached. Accomplishments: • Served on IPLAN Committee • Supported the Erie Evanston/Skokie Family Health Center • Conducted tobacco cessation training for healthcare workers • Recommended all Village properties go smoke free • Proposed that e-cigarettes be included in the Smoking in Public Places Ordinance • Joined the Medical Reserve Corps. • Volunteered at community flu shot clinics • Judged youth anti-tobacco posters Dr. Counard mentioned that Mayor Van Dusen expressed support for limiting e-cigarette usage but it was not certain when the matter would be brought before the Board of Trustees. Currently the Trustees are focused on a proposed ordinance to limit gun sales to shooting ranges, which is up for consideration on May 12. She added that a major project for the upcoming year is to create a shared workspace for the Health Department and Human Services through an addition to Village Hall. Architectural drawings of the proposed addition to the building were distributed. She outlined details of the plan and how it would streamline resident access to health and human services. Mr. Nidetz asked what the expected time line was for the construction. Dr. Counard responded that construction on the outside section was meant to start in June and the interior would begin in the Fall. All construction will have to be completed by Spring of 2015. Dr. Polin brought up the issue of gun sales and proposed that they be banned entirely in the Village instead of restricting sales to shooting ranges. Dr. Counard responded that the Board of Trustee meeting to discuss this issue would be held on Monday, May 12th. If anyone wanted to give the Trustees input about the issue, they could speak during the meeting. Written comments could also be submitted to the Trustees either online or by mail. FY15 objectives for the Health Department were reviewed. • Create customer friendly, shared workspace with Human Services • Acquire second Animal Control vehicle • Train responsible personnel to implement the Community Shelter Plan • Update written policies and procedures • Provide at least one relevant training to all staff • Establish client centered database for health screening results • Publicize Board of Health activities by developing the Board of Health section of the website Dr. Counard reviewed the FY2014 Board of Health budget. She mentioned that the $200 in travel and meeting funds were not utilized during the year. She also informed the Board that the American Public Health Association 2015 Annual Meeting would be held in Chicago (October 31 - November 4). Requesting additional funds (which would be part of the FY2016 budget) to send multiple Board of Health members to the meeting was discussed. The June meeting will be the last for this year. Dr. Drachler requested proposals for speakers at next year’s Board of Health meetings. Proposed speakers included: • Cook County Health Department • Asian Human Services • Dr. Jorelle Alexander, Director of Oral Health for Cook County Health and Hospitals System • Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago • Skokie Public Library Open Discussion Dr. McCarron reported that he is attending because he is with the Commission on Family Services, an advisory committee for Human Services. They have been discussing elder care, elder abuse, and home health care and they would like to know who else in the community is addressing these issues. Dr. Drachler asked how many people mentioned home services in the IPLAN survey. He is interested in pursuing issues from a different viewpoint and thanked Dr. McCarron for bringing it to their attention. He recommended having someone come to speak to the Board of Health about issues of aging. Dr. Williams recommended the President of Chicago Continuity of Care as a speaker. Dr. McCarron asked how home health care is provided. Dr. Counard responded that Home Health is provided through private businesses and the Village has a listing of these agencies but does not promote a specific one. Dr. Drachler praised the Commission on Family Services for having the foresight to reach out and have overlapping contact between the two committees. He proposed having a member of the Commission on Family Services join the IPLAN committee. Different ways to increase communication between existing committees addressing similar issues were discussed. Dr. Williams brought up the issue that Sanford Brown College will be closing and leaving behind a new eight chair dental clinic. He proposed that the Village hire a dentist and make that clinic a full time training area for dental students. This would improve access to dental care in the community. Dr. Counard mentioned the Erie Family Health Clinic and Asian Human Services as entities that provide dental care. The issue of Medicaid payments for adult dental care being cut from the state budget was discussed. Dr. Drachler proposed that Dr. Counard take an e-mail poll to see if anyone would be interested in serving on subcommittees pertaining to the four priorities identified in the Community Health Plan. The poll could identify potential members and potential committees. Dr. Drachler brought up the issue of gathering data on childhood obesity to understand the current situation and be able to measure the effects of our efforts. He discussed the difficulty of attempting to gather comparable data from seven different school districts. Ms. Langguth reported hearing in the news about a school district receiving complaints from parents about singling out children for being overweight. Dr. Drachler and Dr. Counard responded that we only want aggregate data with no identifiable personal information collected. Dr. Drachler discussed the issue of making Skokie a bike commuter village instead of a driving centered community. Dr. Counard added that this is an issue for the Environmental Committee as well, and it would be discussed more in-depth during the June Board of Health meeting. Ms. Jones Thorne stated that she would be interested in starting work groups that were action oriented. She would like to see more public health data and have more contact with front level public health staff to identify actionable items. Dr. Counard suggested promoting systems that are already in place, for example, extending Jewel’s food scrap recycling program to other businesses. Large grocery stores generate six tons of food scraps/waste each month that typically ends up in landfills and also serves as an attractant for rodents (rats). Other major entities such as Oakton Community College, Skokie Hospital, and both high schools also generate large amounts of food waste. Dr. Drachler agreed that getting businesses in Skokie to participate in this program, and recycling in general, would be a huge step. Ms. Thorne mentioned that there may be an opportunity to work with the Skokie Chamber of Commerce on recycling issues. Dr. Williams discussed overlap between the Environmental Commission and the Board of Health. Environmental Health to him is how the environment affects individual health. The Environmental Commission would be more focused on recycling and such. Chair’s Report Dr. Drachler reported on the April 30th budget meeting and his opportunity to tell the Trustees about health issues being addressed in Skokie. Director’s April 2014 Monthly Report – a copy of the report is attached Public Health Partners of Excellence Clearbrook Child and Family Connections received an award for offering services for children with physical and or developmental delays from birth to 3 years of age. The City of Evanston Water Division and Laboratory received an award for providing Skokie with more than 9million gallons of highest quality drinking water from Lake Michigan each day. Many thanks to Dr. Drachler for presenting the awards during the April 23 Board of Trustees meeting. Student “Second Hand Smoke is No Joke” Poster Contest Winners This year the Health Department partnered with Peer Services of Evanston to conduct a poster contest entitled "Second Hand Smoke Is No Joke" for students attending public middle schools; 185 students submitted posters. The winning posters will be displayed at Village Hall and the Skokie Public Library during May. Many thanks again to Dr. Drachler for judging the posters and presenting the awards. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Beginning May 23 through August 5, 2014, residents from Skokie and other areas in Northern Illinois will be selected to participate in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). As part of the project, NHANES will have a Mobile Examination Center located at the Illinois Science + Technology Park. A letter of explanation has been provided to elected officials, area leaders, and will be given to residents who are chosen to participate. Dr. Gaynes asked why NHANES targeted Skokie specifically. Dr. Counard replied that this year they are focusing on Asian health issues and Skokie was selected due to the large Asian population. Dr. Drachler added that after presenting the award to Clearbrook he brought the organization to the attention of Mark Schroeder from NorthShore University HealthSystem. Hopefully, NorthShore will be able to provide some additional funding for Clearbrook. Old Business No old business. New Business Dr. Drachler brought up the Board dinner in August and asked if someone would volunteer to pick the restaurant. Dr. Luka brought up that at the end the month she will be going to India to get married. Congratulations Dr. Luka! Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:52 p.m.