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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH February 23, 2006 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 3 February 23, 2006 every other month with “task force” meetings scheduled for alternate months. The usual committees have not met consistently under this structure and the senior staff has expressed some concern about whether this is meeting the needs of the Board to receive information and provide input on Health Department programs. One of the areas of concern is the Environmental Health program. Discussion among board members brought out that committee meetings served to educate them and make them feel more comfortable with the issues. Board members expressed a desire to return to the committee structure. E. Water Protection Update A meeting of interested parties was held on February 17, 2006 to discuss and begin development of a long-range plan to protect water resources in Orange County. The meeting had representatives from the Commission for the Environment, the Board of Health, OWASA, the Town of Hillsborough, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the County Manager. The goal of the meeting was to identify gaps in areas that are needed to protect water resources. Board members were provided informational handouts from the meeting. Alan Rimer discussed findings of the initial meeting. One important issue is the impact of failing septic systems on water quality protection and the lack of resources for many citizens to pay for the repair of the system. A plan is in the formative stages to address this issue and will be brought before the Board at a future meeting. The group will be meeting again in early March. F. Hot Topics from Divisions The Board was provided with a quick view of issues that each division in the health department is working to resolve. In some cases this is an ongoing project, in others a newly discovered problem that needs resolution. Donna King, Health Promotion and Education Division Director, reported that several worksite wellness programs have taken place this month in the business community and an article appeared in the press about the County employee wellness program. There was a 44% response rate to the initial screening. Also, Public Health Month is coming up in April. Wayne Sherman reported that the men’s health report is in the final stages and should be complete soon. The department has been invited by Orange County Schools to be part of a community team looking at adolescent health services in the school system. They have explored the concept of school-based health centers for several years.