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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH February 25, 2009 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 7 February 25, 2009 provide testing and counseling in each clinical setting. Chris Harlan stated that the department is currently operating at a barebones level and to make further reductions will seriously jeopardize the health status of those citizens it serves. Tim Carey expressed support of the programmatic approach to budget cuts rather than across the board percentage cuts. Upon further discussion, Board members proposed sending a letter to Commissioners setting forth the Board of Health’s position on critical areas of concern and the long- term effects for Orange County citizens that would be affected by budget cuts. The Board urged retention of positions that are currently being furloughed, to be filled when funds become available and stated that this is a high priority because they felt there will be a strong need due to the impact of the economy. Concerns were expressed on the impact on dental and medical health status, skimping on repairs in environmental health leading to septic failures, and substantially higher infectious disease rates as consequences. Motion to send the budget forward to the Commissioners and to include a letter to Commissioners expressing the Board’s strong concern about the impact of budget cuts on critical areas of health care was made by Jessica Lee, seconded by Matt Vizithum, and carried without dissent. D. Comments on Draft State of the Environment Report Tom Konsler reported that the Environment Resource Conservation Department has been preparing the 2009 State of the Environment Report to be considered by the Commission for the Environment. ERCD staff shared a copy of the draft and is soliciting comments from other boards or agencies. Ernie Dodson stated that he noted several statements that he thinks are misleading and that suggests rewording. He also noted that several statements indicate a bias rather than being simply factual. The Board members expressed an interest in portions of this document as many of the topics overlap existing programs in the Environmental Health Division. They recognize that recommendations coming from the report could have a serious impact on Health Department programs, services, and future budget. The Board directed staff to forward comments to ERCD staff for consideration in preparation of the final draft and that the Board would like to review the final draft before publication, if possible. E. Informational Items Due to time constraints, only Item E.d. only was discussed. a. Board of Social Services Report to Commissioners: Board members received a copy of the report presented to the Board of Commissioners at a joint meeting with the DSS Board on February 10. The Report contains statistics that reflect the rise in service demand for basic needs for county residents.