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MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br /> April 23, 2025 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT: To promote and protect <br /> health, enhance quality of life, and preserve the environment for everyone in Orange County. <br /> THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MET ON April 23, 2025, at the Orange County <br /> Health Department, 300 West Tryon Street, Hillsborough, NC. <br /> BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS PRESENT: Alison Stuebe— Chair, Tony Whitaker—Vice <br /> Chair, Keith Bagby, Bruce Baldwin, Brian Crandell, Davia Nickelson, Lee Pickett, Shielda <br /> Rodgers, and Rachel Royce. Aparna Jonnal arrived later. <br /> BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS ABSENT: Commissioner Amy Fowler. <br /> STAFF PRESENT: Quintana Stewart, Health Director; Erica Pettigrew, Medical Director; Dana <br /> Crews, Community Health Services Director; Victoria Hudson, Environmental Health Director; <br /> Carla Julian, Public Health Nursing Director; Ashley Rawlinson, Compliance Manager; Frederick <br /> Perschau, Financial and Administrative Services Director; Libbie Hough, Communications <br /> Manager; Thomas Privott, Environmental Health Supervisor; Aniyah Girtman, Public Health <br /> Nurse I; Kevin Alston, Family Success Alliance Navigator; and Jean Phillips-Weiner, BOH <br /> Strategic Plan Manager. <br /> GUESTS/VISITORS PRESENT: Abigail Beliveau, Paddy Qui, Nicolette Rojas, and Brian Allen. <br /> I. Welcome New Employees <br /> Quintana Stewart, Health Director, introduced the two new employees in attendance: Kevin <br /> Alston — Family Success Alliance Navigator and Aniyah Girtman — Public Health Nurse I. <br /> II. Public Comment for Items NOT on Printed Agenda: None. <br /> III. Board Comments: <br /> Dr. Rachel Royce <br /> Dr. Royce commented that she is feeling shellshocked about the Federal dismantling of <br /> public health programs and shared that she is feeling the impact personally. She added that <br /> several of her friends have lost R01 grant funding or been laid off from public health <br /> organizations such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), FHI 360, Environmental Protection <br /> Agency (EPA), and RTI International. She concluded by saying that she is not sure how we are <br /> going to move forward. <br /> Dr. Pickett said that she feels sorry for the people of the country, as she recently read about a <br /> norovirus outbreak on a cruise and the staff at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) who were <br /> investigating it were laid off during the investigation. Dr. Royce added that the ongoing Women's <br /> Health Initiative longitudinal study was cancelled earlier that day, and that we are losing our <br /> public health surveillance systems. <br /> Dr. Stuebe agreed that it is really challenging to wrap her head around what's going on and how <br /> to fix it. She then asked if anyone other than Utah has pulled fluoride from the water supply, to <br /> S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2025 Agenda and Abstracts/ <br /> April Page 1 <br />