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MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br /> June 22, 2022 <br /> Bruce Baldwin, Chair, presented plaques of appreciation to departing Board members, Jessica <br /> Frega and Dr. Sam Lasris. Various Board members and Quintana Stewart spoke kind words of <br /> gratitude. Ms. Frega and Dr. Lasris replied by expressing their thanks and appreciation. Ms. <br /> Frega's plaque will be mailed to her. <br /> B. Media Items <br /> Kristin Prelipp, Communications Manager, briefly mentioned three of the articles that Ms. <br /> Prelipp had included amongst her media items. There were two Chapelboro.com articles. One <br /> on Hillsborough Elementary returning to wearing masks due to rising COVID-19 cases. The <br /> other was about the third case of rabies in OC. The last article mentioned was from NC Health <br /> News reporting the Annual County Health Rankings. OC ranked #2 in Health Outcomes and #1 <br /> in Health Factors for NC. <br /> Media items were in the packet which focused on Orange County's events and our <br /> involvement in various efforts. <br /> C. Health Director Report <br /> Quintana Stewart, Health Director, chose to highlight the following items from her report. <br /> • The OC Opioid Task Force hopes to hire a facilitator for Strategic Planning work. <br /> Request for proposals are expected to go out in July. The local government union (LGU) <br /> will provide guidance on whether this is considered federal or state funding. County <br /> Finance Director, Gary Donaldson, is waiting to receive this guidance from the LGU. <br /> The opioid settlement funding hasn't arrived yet. <br /> • Recruitment and hiring continues at OCHD. As of May 27, 2022, there are 17 vacancies <br /> (15% vacancy rate) spread out across the department. <br /> • BOCC approved the budget last night. Highlights include: <br /> ➢ 3% wage increase for permanent employees in active status on June 30, 2022, <br /> effective July 1, 2022. <br /> ➢ Continuation of Merit Pay Program on employees' base salaries, payable in January <br /> 2023, at tiers of$500 for proficient performance; $750 for superior performance or <br /> $1,000 for exceptional performance. <br /> ➢ No increase for health and dental premiums for county staff. <br /> • Ms. Stewart emailed information on an upcoming free training provided by the UNC <br /> School of Government to the BOH members. The one-hour training will take place on <br /> August 11th from 2-3pm. It can be completed individually or as a group. Registration is <br /> required. Board members can register themselves or have La Toya Strange do so. <br /> The BOH members had questions and comments that were addressed by Ms. Stewart. <br /> VII. Board Comments <br /> Keith Bagby asked if OC is working on a longevity pay program that could combat the vacancy <br /> rates. Brief discussion was held after confirming that OC has a longevity pay program. Dr. <br /> Bruce Baldwin briefly spoke about the ongoing process for filling the soon-to-be-vacant Dental <br /> Representative and At-Large Board vacancies. After receiving the dentist database from Dr. <br /> Baldwin, La Toya Strange sent emails to every dentist in OC for recruitment. Commissioner <br /> S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda &Abstracts\2022 Agenda &Abstracts/ <br /> June Page 5 <br />