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MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br />February 27, 2003 <br />Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by V. Anne Miles 2 February 27, 2003 <br />to have more open discussion. This year there is a shorter more informal dinner <br />meeting planned. The meeting will begin at 5:30 and adjourn around 7 pm so that the <br />regular Board for Commissioners meeting can take place at 7:30. <br /> <br />Board members discussed possible topics to focus on within the limited time allotted <br />and designated board members to originate the discussion related to their field of <br />expertise. Discussion points will be: <br /> <br />• Communication flash points <br />• Environmental Health and Expansion of WTMP related to Upper Neuse River <br />Basin Proposal <br />• Impact of Diminished Funding on Community Services <br /> <br />B. Hot Topics List from Divisions and Review of Health Department Strategic Plan <br /> <br />The department is currently in the third year of the strategic plan. The upcoming fiscal <br />year will be the last year of the current plan. Review of progress toward meeting the <br />plan will provide the basis for beginning the development of a new plan. <br /> <br />The plan has been a successful tool in improving the department’s ability to provide <br />mandated services such as communicable disease planning, immunization tracking, <br />and environmental health response times. It also provided a picture of new programs <br />that the department anticipated on the horizon, such as school nurses in every school; <br />jail health; spay/neuter program for feral cats. <br /> <br />Division Directors provided board members with an overview on emerging topics of <br />concern to each division. <br /> <br />1. Central Administrative Services – Rosemary Summers reported for Leticia Burns <br /> <br />A report on HIPPA regulations was distributed to Board members that <br />summarized the county’s status with HIPPA compliance. Representatives from <br />various departments in the county have met to develop HIPPA policies and <br />procedures. There is an April 15 deadline for compliance. Of concern is how <br />the compliance will be monitored in the future. The department has submitted <br />a potential job description to the budget office for the county to consider a full <br />time compliance officer for HIPPA for the whole county, not just the Health <br />Department. The job of monitoring and keeping up with new regulations and <br />assuring all the departments get them is beyond the scope of what current staff <br />can do. <br /> <br />2. Personal Health Services – Wayne Sherman <br /> <br />Family Home Visiting – The department faces the potential loss of funds in the <br />Intensive Home Visiting Program. The program has been receiving $40,000 <br />from state funds to support one and one-half positions but those funds appear <br />to have been cut from the current budget. That is of great concern to the <br />department. Family Home Visiting is an intense program to visit very high-risk <br />families for child abuse and neglect and is one of the few prevention programs <br />for child abuse and neglect. The program works with many teen moms and <br />many of them have been very pleased to have someone there to support them.