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MINUTES-Draft ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH October 28, 2015 S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda & Abstracts\2015 Agenda & Abstracts/ June Page 2 Motion to approve Consent Agenda without corrections to the September 23, 2015 minutes was made by Dan Dewitya, seconded by Reena Mehta and carried without dissent. V. Educational Sessions A. School Immunization Rates Judy Butler, Community Health Services Supervisor, presented on the North Carolina immunization laws regarding exemptions and the immunization rates among Orange County, Chapel Hill-Carrboro and private schools. • In Orange County schools, 99.2% of students are fully vaccinated. • In Chapel Hill-Carrboro city schools, 98.7% of students are fully vaccinated. • In private schools, 93.2% of students are fully vaccinated. • In charter schools, 95.8% of students are fully vaccinated. Ms. Butler defined fully vaccinated as having all immunizations against vaccine-preventable diseases. She stated that while most parents support the immunization law, it’s still a parent’s choice as to whether they have their child vaccinated. Ms. Butler indicated that while a parent can request an exemption whether it is a medical or religious, they are not able to pick and choose which vaccinations they would like for their child to receive. Once a child has received one vaccine, they are expected to get all of them. There is one exception – the Hepatitis B vaccine because it is a blood-based product to which Jehovah Witnesses’ have a religious exemption. She continued by noting that a school with a rate of 99% vaccinated students may not have to exclude the non-immunized students from school if an outbreak of an illness occurs, whereas a school with few vaccinated students would. The BOH members had several questions that were addressed by Judy Butler. B. Smoke-Free Public Places Annual Report Coby Austin, Senior Public Health Educator, began by stating that the Smoke-Free Public Places (SFPP) Rule is one of the most comprehensive smoking bans in the nation. She stated that the Smoking Response Teams (SRT) continue to focus on education and empowerment. The SRTs have focused attention on reaching out to and supporting businesses in downtown Chapel Hill which is also where the highest number of violation complaints occur. The SRTs regularly communicate via social and traditional media as well as by reaching out to people directly. They’ve surveyed nearly 3,000 people since 2013 including 2182 residents. So far in 2015, 56% of residents are aware of the SFPP Rule versus 46% of them being aware during the first year of inception of the rule in 2013. Ms. Austin also gave an update on the activities of her and her team since the last update to the BOH in November 2014. • They continue to promote the SFPP rule through cessation efforts. Freshstart support classes are held at the OCHD and within the community. The OCHD now dispenses free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) through its medical providers. Another