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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH February 26, 1998 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Patsy L. Bateman 3 February 26, 1998 Health that accounts for most of the increase of revenue. Dental Health has projected a continuing trend of increases in private-pay sliding-scale patients. Management and Vital Records has a decrease because the State consolidated contract has decreased. The Board members asked several questions regarding the outcomes and the budget adoption process. The Commissioners’ adoption of the budget is scheduled for the June meeting. The Orange County Health Department budget is due to the County Budget office on March 16, 1998. After a series of meetings with the Budget Office staff, there will be changes to our budget based on their recommendations. The County Manager makes recommendations in May. New positions were requested in January. The County has a Position Team that looks at all justifications. Each department meets with a budget analyst and they ask many questions about the positions requested. This is the process the Health Department is in now. The Analyst presents the facts as they understand them to the Budget Team who then makes their recommendation to the County Manager and the County Manager makes a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. Environmental Health The Board requested that Environmental Health look at formulating plans for the inspections of gravity flow systems. Ron Holdway will gather data and report back to the Board. The motion to approve the 1998-99 Budget was made by Jonathan Klein, seconded by Margaret Brown and carried without dissent. BREAST FEEDING SUPPORT TO THE COMMUNITY, PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS Mini-grants up to $2,000 for community breastfeeding support have been made available on a competitive basis from the Division of Women’s and Children’s Health, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. A requirement was that applications for funding be coordinated with local health departments, as the money would come through the local Health Department State Consolidated Contract. Karen Metzguer, RN, a perinatal nurse educator based at UNC Hospital, expressed an interest in applying for $1,845 to carry out a project to support breastfeeding continuation for babies in day care centers, and the application was approved. The motion to accept the funds for the Breastfeeding Support to the Community was made by Janet Southerland, seconded by Barry Adler and carried without dissent. HONORING SEAL THE STATE ORGANIZERS, PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS Seal the State in 98 and Seal Orange County Kids are two projects, (the first is a state-sponsored and the second is a county-sponsored project) that were intended to screen and provide sealants for children in Orange County who do not have access to regular dental care. Both projects were coordinated by Wendy Hall, Dental Hygienist from the N.C. Dental Health Section assigned to the Orange County Health Department. Seal the State in 98 involved both the School of Dentistry at UNC-CH and 12 private practice dentists in Orange County. Through this project about 105 students had 943 sealants placed at the Dental School, and about 140 students had sealants placed by private dentists. Dr. Eugene Howden was the lead dentist and was instrumental in recruiting and organizing the private practitioners to participate in this project. The Seal Orange County Kids Project, which continues this effort in April, will enable the health department to provide sealants to those children that were unable to be scheduled in February. Wendy Hall has been outstanding in her efforts at managing the screening in the schools and the massive organization required to get the children to the various locations for the sealants to be placed. The Health Department is requesting that the Board present plaques or certificates of appreciation to Dr. Eugene Howden and Wendy Hall for their efforts in these campaigns to be presented by the Chair, Timothy J. Ives. If arrangements can be made, the plaques can be presented on March 13, 1998 at the Dental Society Meeting. The motion to approve the purchase and presentation of plaques or certificates to Dr. Eugene Howden and Wendy Hall was made by Janet Southerland, seconded by Jonathan Klein and carried without dissent. 5. CHILD HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM, PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY SUMMERS This is a hot legislative issue. Included is a summary of the top ten questions asked about this program and the reasons we should support it. It will go to the Legislature in special session in March. There are people who would like to change provisions of the legislation to weaken it by reducing the number of children that are covered. A letter of support to the legislative committee would be helpful from the Board.