Approved Minutes of October 29, 2025

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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH October 29, 2025 Dr. Royce asked if there would be any studies to determine the impact of the center on Emergency Room (ER) use and on incarceration rates, to which Commissioner Fowler said she believes they will have performance measures to assess the impact and determine whether they are able to reduce law enforcement presence. In response to Mr. Whitaker's question, Commissioner Fowler said that the center would be staffed by contracted agencies who are familiar with doing this kind of work and know how to do it well. Commissioner Amy Fowler Commissioner Fowler commented that current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding will be insufficient to fund the program into November given the government shutdown. She encouraged everyone present to donate to local food pantries if they have the ability. Dr. Stuebe shared that Family Success Alliance (FSA) is currently hosting a food drive to benefit Orange Congregations in Mission (OCIM) and suggested that Board members could donate their per diem to benefit the drive or that they could donate directly to the OCIM website. IV. Priority Committee Updates Access to Care Committee Dr. Rodgers provided the update for the Access to Care Committee. The committee recently met to discuss the results of the summer Photovoice project. The summer Photovoice focused primarily on two priority populations, individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals who are living unsheltered. A major finding was that there is an unmet need for urgent healthcare appointments, meaning that wait times feel too long to address healthcare needs and leave patients feeling discouraged. For individuals living unsheltered, there were major themes of societal depravity, cynicism with the system, high prevalence of substance use, systemic disenfranchisement, and bias against people who are homeless. For those with limited English proficiency, there was a lack of feeling cared for by healthcare workers and a variety of barriers to accessing care, including systemic and interpersonal barriers. Several limited English proficiency participants mentioned feeling mistreated or even experiencing cruelty from Spanish-speaking staff, leading to anxiety about even seeking care. The committee is interested in using this information to support future customer service training within the Health Department to address such concerns, particularly ensuring that all patients are treated with kindness and respect. The committee will next meet in mid-January. In response to Dr. Stuebe's question, Ms. Stewart clarified that the photos a participant shared of a clinic where they had been mistreated were not from the Health Department; Dr. Rodgers added that the committee agreed that the Health Department was a good starting place to begin making changes, as it is a location where many vulnerable populations may initially connect to care. Dr. Stuebe noted that she would love to do a "secret shopper" style survey and see how many after-hours healthcare practices have phone trees that offer easily accessible Spanish translation. Dr. Rodgers commented that even with an interpreter, healthcare providers often can't provide as much detail to a patient who has limited English, to which Dr. Stuebe agreed. S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2025 Agenda and Abstracts\ October Page 2