BOH minutes 022416 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

MINUTES-Final ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH February 24, 2016 S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda & Abstracts\2016 Agenda & Abstracts/ February Page 4 Susan G. Komen and Health Disparities projects and $705,000 (level funding) for school nurses in both Orange County school systems. In relation to new staff requests, the Health Department requests a total of 1.4 FTE; a new 1.0 FTE Public Health Educator to serve as a community liaison and a 0.4 FTE for the Healthy Homes Asthma program, which will be added to the existing 0.6 FTE Public Health Preparedness position to total 1.0 FTE. The Health Department requires no additional funding to support these positions as they will be absorbed within the existing budget. In relation to state funding, the state has provided us with the FY 16-17 Consolidated Agreement Addenda. Even though we will no longer receive funding for Ebola, the Maternal and Child Health Planning grant, or the Oral Health grant we received in FY 15-16, we will receive additional funding for Prescription Drug Overdoses. Changes in funding for all other, ongoing Health Department programs equals out to the prior fiscal year. With regards to fee changes, the FY 2016-2017 requested budget includes fee changes for the Personal Health and Environmental Health divisions. Staff recommends multiple fee changes for Personal Health to cover the increased cost of vaccines, add a minimum lab fee for self-pay clients, and adjust the fee for 340B drugs according to changes in the state and federal policies around 340B drugs. Also, during the FY 15-16 budget cycle, the Board of Health voted to enact Phase I of a three year phased Environmental Health fee increase in order to reach full cost recovery for Environmental Health. Staff recommends enacting Phase II of the three year fee increase by raising fees an additional 11% over last year’s increases. Motion to approve to approve the total budget requested in the amount of $10,032,417 for 2016-2017 as presented which includes $103,536 in grant funding for the Susan G. Komen and Health Disparities projects, and forward to the County Manager or Board of County Commissioners for action without edits was made by Paul Chelminski, seconded by Susan Elmore and carried without dissent. Dr. Bridger facilitated a discussion about the proposed fee changes which touched briefly on the fee changes in Personal Health and to continue with Phase II of the planned fee increases in the Environmental Health division. The proposed changes are: Personal Health proposes the implementation of a minimum charge for laboratory procedures to recoup a small portion of labs performed for primary care patients. The average primary care patient requires multiple labs per visit, equating to between $24 and $185, or an average of $102 in charges. Patients pay for these labs according to where they fall on the sliding fee scale; however 0% pay patients do not pay anything for labs. The proposed minimum fee of $20 would be equal to other minimum fees within the Health Department for MNT and DSME services, which have both proven to not be cost prohibitive for clients. Personal Health also requests fee increases for multiple vaccines that are rising in cost and adjustments to our fees for 340B drugs (Family Planning drugs not including birth control pills) to make them match the county’s cost to purchase them, as required by the state and federal government. This will have very little impact on both the department and patients as only 10% of self-pay patients pay more than $0 for Family Planning drugs or procedures and of that 10% we had no patients in prior years that have had to pay 100% of the cost.