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MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br /> September 25, 2024 <br /> Because of the board's interest in youth mental health and screen use, Dr. Crandell suggested <br /> that the minutes from the Behavioral Health Committee Meeting be shared with the full board. <br /> Connections to Community Support Committee <br /> The Connections to Community Support Committee will next meet in early October. <br /> Access to Care Committee <br /> The Access to Care Committee will next meet in mid-October. <br /> Ad Hoc Committee on Well Rules <br /> The Committee on Well Rules will next meet in late October. <br /> V. Approval of the September 25, 2024 Agenda <br /> Motion to approve the agenda of the September 25, 2024 BOH meeting was made by Dr. <br /> Bruce Baldwin, seconded by Dr. Rachel Royce, and carried without dissent. <br /> VI. Approval of August 28, 2024 Minutes <br /> Motion to approve the minutes of the August 28, 2024 BOH meeting was made by <br /> Commissioner Amy Fowler, seconded by Mr. Tony Whitaker, and carried without dissent. <br /> VII. Educational Sessions <br /> A. Screen Time and Children <br /> Aparna Jonnal, Physician Representative and Chair of the Board of Health, provided a <br /> presentation on the existing data and information about the effects of screen time on the health <br /> and wellbeing of young people. <br /> Some highlights of her presentation are below: <br /> • The prevalence of screen use is at least a factor in the recent uptick of pediatric mental <br /> illness. Anecdotally, as an ER Doctor, Dr. Jonnal said that she is now frequently seeing <br /> pre-teens aged 8-11 in the emergency psychiatric ward. She shared that she has <br /> witnessed infants in the ER who are experiencing pain and distress pushing their <br /> parents away from them and instead seeking a screen to soothe themselves. <br /> • Dr. Jonnal shared that there is limited data on screen use by young people in Orange <br /> County, as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) has not been conducted in the <br /> Orange County School (OCS) System or the Chapel Hill Carrboro School System <br /> (CHCSS) in several years. Additionally, the last time it was conducted in OCS, it was <br /> opt-in rather than opt-out, meaning the data was not robust and did not tell a clear story <br /> of the health of students. However, Dr. Jonnal argued that the burden of proof that <br /> screens are harmful should not be put on public health experts, and instead it should <br /> have been on technology companies to prove that they are safe for kids to use. <br /> S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2024 Agenda and Abstracts/ <br /> September Page 3 <br />