Orange County NC Website
MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br /> June 26, 2024 <br /> In response to Dr. Stuebe's question about inviting a faculty member from UNC Gillings School <br /> of Global Public Health, Karl Johnson, to a future meeting, Ms. Stewart said that the plan is to <br /> invite him to present to the Behavioral Health committee, if not the full board, and explained that <br /> Dr. Johnson has previously done research on the topic of screentime and social media, and <br /> recently helped pilot a screen reduction program for schools in Granville County. Ms. Stewart <br /> went on to say that NC Senator Jim Burgin is also trying to pass a bill to limit smartphone use in <br /> schools, so it appears that there is interest in exploring smartphone restrictions in schools and <br /> better data may be forthcoming. <br /> Access to Care Committee <br /> Dr. Pickett provided the update for the Access to Care Committee. She said that Lindsey <br /> Shewmaker, Human Services Manager from the Department of Social Services (DSS), came to <br /> present to the committee on Medicaid Expansion, DSS efforts to reach eligible folks who are not <br /> enrolled, and initiatives to promote Medicaid education and uptake. Dr. Pickett added that the <br /> goal of the committee is to target systems, rather than neighborhoods or geographic areas, to <br /> help reach those who are eligible for Medicaid but might not know it. She shared that one <br /> system the committee has identified is the Health Department, which does not have a way to <br /> automatically connect Medicaid-eligible patients to DSS for assistance with enrollment. As such, <br /> Ms. Stewart is in contact with DSS to help set up a new system to address this gap, while Dr. <br /> Royce is planning to make a logic model to assist with outreach. The committee also spoke in <br /> detail about special populations who may be difficult to reach or who may struggle with <br /> accessing care even with insurance. <br /> Mr. Bagby asked if the committee had considered reaching out to any other clinics to encourage <br /> them to adopt a similar system of automatically connecting eligible patients to DSS to assist with <br /> Medicaid Enrollment, for example reaching out to Piedmont Health Clinic. Dr. Pickett said that <br /> the committee did not discuss that, though they did touch on the difference between enrollment <br /> at the Whitted Clinic vs the Southern Human Service Center (SHSC), as SHSC shares a <br /> building with DSS, while Whitted does not. Ms. Stewart chimed in to say that the Piedmont <br /> Health Clinic likely has staff members whose job it is to assist with Medicaid enrollment, which <br /> the health department currently does not have. <br /> Connections to Community Support Committee <br /> The Connections to Community Support Committee will next meet in mid-August. <br /> V. Approval of the June 26, 2024 Agenda <br /> Motion to approve the agenda of the June 26, 2024 BOH meeting was made by <br /> Commissioner Amy Fowler, seconded by Dr. Brian Crandell, and carried without dissent. <br /> VI. Approval of May 22, 2024 Minutes <br /> Dr. Pickett requested a minor modification to the wording of one of her statements, as she felt it <br /> had not been accurately captured in the minutes. <br /> S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2024 Agenda and Abstracts/ <br /> June Page 4 <br />