Board of Health

Skokie Board of Health Thursday, January 11, 2024 7:00 pm Conference Room D&E, Village Hall, 5127 Oakton St MINUTES In attendance: Dr. Swapna Dave, Heidi Nickisch Duggan, Dr. Bruce Gaynes, Dr. Michael Gottesman, Maureen Hanlon, Juliet Haido, Margaret Keeler, Dr. Edward Linn (Chair), Rohit Pandya, Dr. Kyungran Shim, Dr. Romil Sood, Patricia Urbanus, Irtaza Usman, Ruth Varma, Dr. William Werner, Dr. Larry Williams, Sibyl Yau, Staff Liaison: Mike Charley, Not in attendance: Jan Shiffman, Trustee James Johnson, Trustee Keith Robinson I. Call to Order at 7:04 PM II. Approval of Agenda: Approved, first by Dr. Sood, second by Dr. Williams III. Approval of Minutes: November 9, 2023 Meeting: Approved, first by Dr. Sood, second by Dr. Williams IV. HHS Program Presentation: Youth Ordinance Court Call Program & TeenLink Program, Mike Charley, Director of Health and Human Services: Charley presented an overview of both Skokie Health and Human Services’ programs. Annmarie Milazzo-Benuzzi is the Youth Outreach Coordinator that coordinates both of these programs. V. Board of Health Chair Report, Dr. Ed Linn: Dr. Linn communicated that cannabis can affect a healthy pregnancy. Recently an article in JAMA talked about cannabis use and its effect on the child during pregnancy. The study looked at women that used Cannabis during pregnancy, through 8 medical centers in the US. The study determined that exposure in the first trimester wasn’t associated with any increased adverse birth outcomes, however exposure after the first trimester did increase adverse birth outcomes. Dr. Linn noted that he is not aware of any warnings required specific to cannabis use by the government. The question is should there be an obligation for cannabis dispensaries to provide warnings during sale to warn pregnant women of the dangers of cannabis use during pregnancy? Dr. Williams communicated that using cannabis when receiving the anesthetic associated with a dentistry procedure can be dangerous. Dr. Williams communicated that he has a one-hour long presentation that he can give on vaping and cannabis use. He offered to give this presentation to the BOH and/or other stakeholders. Many of the BOH members had concerns that marijuana is marketed as being medicinal and there may be an assumption by the public that marijuana has no risk during pregnancy. The BOH will continue to monitor this situation. VI. Director’s Monthly Report, Mike Charley, Director of Health and Human Services: Charley Document Number: 616191 Version: 1  communicated that Skokie’s IPLAN Community Health Improvement Plan was recently approved by IDPH, HHS is officially certified by IDPH for the period of November 10, 2022 to November 9, 2027. The Assist a Family program distributed 1,138 gift cards to 290 Skokie families in December. HHS is currently working on the FY25 budget, which includes the BOH budget. The BOH budget is slated to remain unchanged at $800 for FY25. HHS was awarded three new grants since the last meeting, a NACCHO Operational Readiness Award ($10,000), MRC STRRONG Award ($5,000) and a SHIP MIPPA grant ($4577). The Commission on Family Services will be holding a People with Disabilities planning townhall meeting in April 2024 with the goal of gathering feedback from individuals with disabilities and from organizations that work with individuals with disabilities. Seasonal respiratory viruses are high, this time of the year is when we typically see the highest level of the seasonal respiratory viruses. VII. Ongoing/New Items of Business A. IPLAN Update, Sibyl Yau: Sibyl communicated that there are three initiatives (priorities) that are being worked on as a result of the IPLAN Community Health Needs Assessment process. The Access to Care team is working on prenatal care, partnering with the three local FQHCs (Asian Human Services, Erie & Tapestry 360) to collect Skokie resident prenatal data. A prenatal flyer is being developed that will encourage women to seek prenatal care early in their pregnancy. The flyer provides links to the three local FQHCs websites. Several members of the Access to Healthcare team will be attending the January 27 District 69 Winter Wellness Fair. This team is also trying to understand which are the primary languages spoken by both the pregnant women and our local healthcare providers, this information will be used to improve linguistically appropriate care for Skokie women. The Access to Behavioral Health Team is working with our State Representatives, seeking to increase reimbursement rates for mental health visits. Increased reimbursement rates are important to ensuring access to behavioral health care. The Affordable Housing Team is working on a survey that will be distributed to Skokie residents that are experiencing rent burden. The survey will collect information to help inform decision making. Finally, Sibyl mentioned that Liz Nelson, HHS’s Community Health Program Coordinator/Analyst recently left her position with the Village, so the hiring of this position is essential to ensure continued forward momentum of the IPLAN priority initiatives. Dr. Williams communicated that he is on the board of Asian Human Services and he communicated that AHS has just opened their new facility today. The location is 6301 Western Ave. He mentioned that this FQHC will accept patients that are underinsured, uninsured and on different types of health insurance. They accept clients on a sliding scale. VIII. Public Comments: None IX. Adjournment @ 8 PM, First by Hanlon, Second by Dr. Williams Document Number: 616191 Version: 1  Next Regular Meeting: February 8, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m. Document Number: 616191 Version: 1