Approved Minutes of February 25, 2026

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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH February 25, 2026 Mr. Whitaker invited volunteers to join the Ad Hoc Nominating and Operating Procedures committee to recommend a replacement optometrist representative, as Dr. Baldwin has resigned, and a veterinary representative, as Dr. Pickett will not seek another term. Volunteers appointed to the committee were Dr. Pickett, Dr. Stuebe, Dr. Serrano, and Mr. Whitaker. IX. Reports and Discussion with Possible Action A. Media Items Marcy Williams, Health Promotion and Education Services Manager, presented the media packet to the board. Topics included: PFAS levels in water across the state, recent STI testing events on UNC Campus, information about respiratory illnesses in wintertime, and a chickenpox case at UNC. There was also a lot of coverage of the recent measles exposure in Chapel Hill. Commissioner McKee commented on a recent Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) report that determined that their water was significantly below the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threshold for PFAS. He noted that, while this is a good thing, there is concern about PFAS exposure for individuals who use private wells and that he would expect this might show up within water testing at the Health Department. Ms. Stewart said that Environmental Health staff are stepping up their testing to meet the demand and providing treatment when possible. In response to Dr. Royce's question about monitoring the results of private well testing, Ms. Stewart said that to her knowledge there is not a formal repository of private well testing results but that the Health Department may be able to access some of that information. Mr. Whitaker added that he has been meeting with the Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, and Parks and Recreation's (DEAPR) Commission on the Environment and that they're concerned about groundwater quality and that they are particularly interested in PFAS. Dr. Royce suggested recruiting an intern to work on uniting the data, as it would be good to be able to track regional trends in groundwater quality. Media items were in the packet, which focused on Orange County's events, our involvement in various efforts, and various public health topics. B. Health Directors Report Ms. Stewart presented her report to the Board. Below are brief highlights of her report. • Measles cases continue to grow in North Carolina, with one new case confirmed in Western NC since Ms. Stewart initially shared her report. The Health Department is working closely with the schools to prepare; while there are solid immunization records for the students, it is highly recommended that the school districts review staff immunization records as a best practice. Ms. Stewart added that the schools are a little traumatized after the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to Mr. Whitaker's question, Ms. Stewart said that they are doing their best to work one-on-one with charter and other non-district schools. Dr. Jonnal asked about literature to provide to the schools, to which Dr. Pettigrew responded that they will be meeting with the schools tomorrow to discuss and offered to share a new slide deck which provides guidance about exclusion from school after a measles exposure or outbreak. Dr. Pettigrew clarified that guidance states that an unvaccinated child with a vaccine exemption should be excluded from school in the event of an exposure or outbreak. • Medicaid funding is still short $319M —the state budget still has not been passed, leaving many state and local organizations in limbo; Jay Ludlam, Director of the NC S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2026 Agenda and Abstracts\ February Page 7