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MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br />November 18, 2009 <br />Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 6 November 18, 2009 <br /> The department has had difficulty obtaining funding for capital improvements. <br />Christopher Cooke asked what impact on services the broken equipment <br />caused. Angela explained that it caused some delays in treatment and <br />additional staff time to sterilize equipment for reuse. <br /> <br />The Environmental Health and Quality Committee did not meet. <br /> <br />E. H1N1 and Seasonal Influenza Update <br /> <br />Wayne Sherman reported that the Department has been working hard to <br />provide seasonal flu vaccinations including the special project to vaccinate <br />school age children and to distribute and re-distribute H1N1 vaccine to the <br />community and to community medical providers. The H1N1 vaccine is being <br />shipped in variable amounts weekly and it has been difficult to plan when it is <br />not known how many doses we will receive weekly. <br /> <br />The Department has used a combination of methods for providing the limited <br />number of vaccinations available, including walk-in, appointments and a mass <br />clinic. Wayne Sherman presented the latest update to the Board along with a <br />report on the mass vaccination clinic held on November 14, 2009 at Cedar Ridge <br />High School and the strategies for moving forward. <br /> <br />He stated that the H1N1outbreak began in April 2009 with an initial major public <br />health response through early summer. There were concerns at that time about <br />a serious Pandemic. In the fall of 2009 there existed a combination of traditional <br />Seasonal Flu Vaccine and Novel H1N1 Flu Vaccine initiatives. The additional <br />effort has consumed the time of a number of staff fueled by increased medical <br />interest and public concern. <br /> <br />The Department ordered 1,670 for-pay seasonal flu vaccine doses. These have <br />been provided through scheduled clinics at Orange County Senior Centers. The <br />Department made special efforts to assure vaccination of higher-risk groups <br />through Project Homeless Connect. Due to widespread availability of seasonal <br />vaccine and the push to vaccinate earlier, by mid-November the clinics were <br />not well utilized, therefore extra seasonal vaccine is available. <br /> <br />$44,000 in federal funds was received to be applied toward development of a <br />vaccination program for school aged children. OCHD focused on 3rd – 8th <br />grades in both school systems, a total of 24 Elementary and Middle Schools. <br />Temporary personnel were hired with the funds to complete the vaccination <br />program between October 19, 2009 and December 2, 2009. It was anticipated <br />that 75% of students would be eligible and want vaccine. Only 30% of those <br />children eligible participated. 6,700 free vaccine doses for children were <br />ordered. Steve Yuhasz asked why the numbers were lower than anticipated. <br />Wayne Sherman replied that the numbers were lower in Chapel Hill and that <br />they possibly used their private providers and many people preferred the <br />thimerisol-free vaccine which we did not have available. Rosemary Summers <br />explained that we did not have an option of ordering thimerisol-free vaccine <br />from the state.