GRAND FORKS BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES Thursday, January 10, 2008 I. Call Meeting to Order The Grand Forks Board of Health meeting was called to order at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, January 10, 2008, in the Health Department conference room. Judy DeMers called the meeting to order. Members present: Judy DeMers (Chairperson), Arvin Kvasager, Don Shields, Dr. James Hargreaves, Dr. James O’Connell, and Mike McNamara. Others present: Debbie Swanson, Wally Helland, Richard Klockmann, Allen Anderson, and Keith Westerfield. II. Approval of Minutes of Regular Meeting, October 11, 2007 A motion was made by Arvin K. and seconded by Don S. to approve the minutes as submitted. All approved and the motion passed. III. Old Business A. Northern Valley Dental Health Coalition (NVDHC) update: Debbie S. briefed that the dental clinic opened on November 26th, 2007, and they have seen 268 patients since they’ve opened (mostly those on Medicaid or without insurance). Services are limited to; fillings, extractions, exams, and x-rays. Debbie passed out a brochure (see attachment), produced by the NVDHC, that tells about the Coalition’s work as well as the dental clinic. Information about the dental clinic is on the Grand Forks Public Health Department (GFPHD) website, as well as the ND Department of Health (DoH) website. Grand Forks Herald did a front page story, and WDAZ will be doing a story on the dental clinic on Saturday. There will be an open house on Friday, February 22nd, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with a presentation at 10:00 a.m. Appointments are booked out three weeks in advance. The clinic staff is working on a referral system to find dentists who can do restorative work the clinic is not able to do (would like to eventually offer that kind of work). Since Valley Community Health Center is a federally-qualified health center, the clinic can use a sliding-fee scale, based on an individual’s ability to pay for their care. Everyone pays a $30 co-pay (or whatever their insurance requires), and the services are discounted for family size and income for those who qualify. The vast majority of patients are uninsured, low-income, or on Medicaid. B. ND DoH Immunization “PROtect ND Kids”: Debbie S. gave an update on the new system of providing immunizations. Beginning March 1st, children who are covered by insurance companies will be billed for the vaccine. Those who are Native American, are on Medicaid, or have no insurance, will still be able to receive federally-supplied vaccines through the Vaccines-For-Children (VFC) program. We have been educating clients to call their insurance companies to find out what vaccines are covered. Public Health has two pilot projects in the state; in Mandan and in Nelson-Griggs district health units. We will receive about $11,000 in up-front funding, as allocated by the legislature, to purchase the first-quarter supply of vaccine. There is still a concern about how this will impact patients who have high insurance deductibles. IV. New Business A. Grand Forks Flu Shot Clinics & Drive-Through Exercise Update: The Drive-Through Flu Clinic was held October 21st, 2007, from 11 am to 4 pm at the Public Works facility. Approximately 400 people received flu vaccinations, pneumococcal, tetanus, and TdaP shots. The Drive-Through is appreciated by people with barriers (trouble getting in/out of cars, using stairs, etc). We learned a lot about how to run a mass-vaccination clinic, should it be needed in the event of an emergency. Total Incident Command system was used, so everyone had titles that were consistent with Incident Command, and they had to follow proper procedures to get more resources or communicate with others. Law Enforcement recommended a rerouting of people and cars if we needed to mass vaccinate 70,000 people. Point of Dispensing (POD) would go faster if giving the same vaccine to everyone. B. Correctional Facility Nursing Vacancy Update: A new nurse has been hired at the jail, Vanessa Hernandez. She is a graduate nurse of UND, fluent in Spanish, and has a background in Mental Health. C. ND Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Update: Allen A. briefed that a grant was made available from the ND Cancer Coalition and the ND Department of Health, for activities related to cancer prevention and information. Allen A. and Mandy Burbank wrote a grant challenging the citizens of Grand Forks to consume 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, for 22 of the 31 days in March, to lower their risk of cancer. It will start March 1st, and have a few incentives for people who complete the challenge. March is National Nutrition Month, and also National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. D. Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA) Presentation: Dr. Hargreaves gave presentation on MRSA (see attachments). MRSA started about ten years ago, in ND, and has been increasing over last few years. Altru and GFPHD has been working for a several years to put a dent in it, and try to take control. When trying to control MRSA, it takes multiple factors within; hospitals, nursing homes, schools, sports teams, etc.—because that’s where all the opportunity for transmission occur (also between the places). No new drugs are available, and doctors need to be educated on treatment (which antibodies would be most effective--in our community). ND surgical site infections are increasing, with 20% of infections due to MRSA, but Altru had significant decrease in 2007. Richard K. handed out information booklets (see attachments), and showed posters, that Public Health is distributing to schools, jails, daycares, teachers, coaches, etc., to show what to do to help prevent MRSA, and to educate the public. V. Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting – 4:15 p.m., Thursday, April 10, 2008, at the new Public Safety building in the Industrial Park. VI. Other – Wally H. gave an update on the Public Safety Building. Construction is moving along well, with it enclosed, with interior work being done. It will be an enhanced facility to do Mosquito Control. It is still slated to be completed around May 1st, 2008. They are also working on the Police and Fire Department sections. Formerly in a rented facility that was not adequate (plus new building is better located). VII. Adjournment – A motion was made by Dr. O’Conner and seconded by Arvin K. to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James Hargreaves, MD, Secretary by: Keith Westerfield Office Specialist, Senior Public Health Department Attachments: - Northern Valley Dental Health Coalition pamphlet - MRSA Presentation - Community-Associated MRSA Information booklet