Mntgmery Cunty Health Department Bard f Health Meeting Minutes Human Services Center, Cmmunity Rm, Nrristwn, PA Tuesday September 19, 2006 MEMBERS PRESENT STAFF PRESENT Rita Hdge Sellers, RN, EdD, Chairpersn Anita Crielly Kevin Smith Rbert Griffith, DDS Denise Wallin Kalyn Rberts Rss Weiss, Esq. Meg Alns Marshal Ma Frank Gall Kyle Schmeck Julie Marsden Dr. Jseph M. DiMin, Directr f Health Barbara O Malley Pam Lawn Harriet Mrtn Ruth Cle Dr. Sellers called the meeting t rder at 2:30 PM. I. Reprt f the Chairpersn Minutes are apprved, mtined by Dr. Griffith, secnded by Mr. Weiss, and stand as circulated. II. Reprt f the Directr A. Administratin 2007 Budget The department has started its budget planning. A preliminary budget has been submitted t the cmmissiners. This year the budget has been brken int 27 sectins representing each divisin and grant. The budget has been tracked in this way within the department fr many years, but nw the cunty financial system can track finances in this way als. The department is wrking with the finance department. There have been n increases in staff, we have cut sme peratins and ur revenues are dwn because f sme grant reductins. Natinal Preparedness Mnth Natinal Preparedness Mnth is a natinwide effrt held each September t encurage Americans t take simple steps t prepare fr emergencies in their hmes, businesses and schls. This year Natinal Preparedness Mnth is spnsred by the U.S. Department f Hmeland Security. The gal f the mnth is t increase public awareness abut the imprtance f preparing fr emergencies and t encurage individuals t take actin. Philadelphia riginally was ging t launch a campaign f Ready Philadelphia. Hwever, they ve partnered with the surrunding regin and it is nw a reginal campaign. There are 11 cunties frm the tri-state regin invlved frm NJ, DE and PA. This will be a year lng campaign. It s a $2 millin dllar public service campaign t raise the regins emergency intelligence thrugh radi and televisin annuncements, print ads and billbards. The spkesman fr the campaign is actr Davis Mrse.
The fcus is n family preparedness. Families shuld be prepared t be self-sufficient fr 72 hurs, and create an emergency plan fr themselves and their family and be infrmed abut different types f emergencies and the apprpriate respnses. These are the 3 main pints that are being stressed. The Health Department wrked with in cnjunctin with the Office f Public Safety, Aging and Adult services and Mental Health/Mental retardatin t create the website Ready Mntc. There is a link t the website n the main cunty page. The Website was presented t the cmmissiners n Thursday, September 14, 2006. B. Biterrrism/Emergency Management Pandemic Plan The health department will be creating vides abut emergency preparedness fr the general public, schls and businesses, hspitals and physicians and emergency service persnnel. Brchures will als be created fr distributin. The Pandemic Crisis Cmmittee met several times t learn each member s rle in an emergency and t ascertain what areas the cunty is lacking. The Pandemic Crisis plan was develped nt t replace everyne s existing emergency plans, but as a tl which utlines in general terms hw the different members wuld respnd in a pandemic type f situatin. It is a living dcument and as such changes will be made. The plan des nt just deal with Avian Flu, it cvers all hazards. One f the primary gals f the cmmittee is t get the message ut repeatedly t be prepared until residents begin t listen. Emergency Fd Pack As part f the health department's all hazard's emergency preparedness plan, we are educating ur residents n hw t be prepared in the event f any crisis such as flding, pwer utage, r flu pandemic. Part f the preparedness plan is t keep nn-perishable fds n hand in the event f a crisis. The Centers fr Disease Cntrl recmmends string at hme a tw week supply f fd and water. T assist ur residents n meeting this gal, the health department develped a menu and recmmended fd list fr an eight day supply f fd fr ne persn which als meets the needs f tw peple fr fur days. ACME markets has created an Emergency Fd Pack cntaining all the necessary menu items and the pack includes the daily menu, Pennsylvania emergency preparedness guide and ther imprtant infrmatin frm the Department f Hmeland Security. ACME will be ffering these packs fr sale at all Mntgmery Cunty stres beginning September 15th. C. Persnal Health Services 2006-2007 Flu prgram The Mntgmery Cunty Health Department (MCHD) will be starting their Influenza Immunizatin Campaign n Octber 23, 2006. Free flu shts will be given at 17 cmmunity sites between Octber 23rd and Nvember 17 th. Fr the first time, MCHD will be perating a drive-thru flu clinic at its final site n Nvember 17 th. MCHD has rdered 7,000 dses f influenza vaccine this year frm sanfi pasteur at a cst f $11.20 per dse. This year, MCHD will be billing Medicare fr the administratin f the flu sht t Medicare participants.
MCHD will be giving flu shts t Mntgmery Cunty residents aged 65 years and lder, children aged 6 t 59 mnths, pregnant wmen, peple aged 6 mnths t 18 years n lng-term aspirin treatment, husehld cntacts and caregivers f high risk individuals and f infants less than 6 mnths f age, and peple wh have a lng-term health prblem, such as: heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, diabetes, neurmuscular disrders, anemia, asthma, weakened immune system due t sterid use, cancer treatment r HIV/AIDS. In additin t ur cmmunity sites, public health nurses will be making hme visits t give flu shts t hmebund individuals, as well as ffering the flu vaccine t VFC-eligible children aged 6 mnths t 18 years at any f MCHD s three health centers. As in the past, MCHD will als be ffering the pneumcccal vaccine during the campaign t senirs ver 65 years f age as well as t yunger peple with certain chrnic illnesses. This vaccine is prvided by the State Health Department. The health department will have 3 prviders spread thrughut the cunty wh will be cnducting flu surveillance. They will be using thrat washing kits t see if the flu is in the cunty and what strain it is. This will start in early Octber. Strng Wmen Summit The Health Department will be c-spnsring a Strng Wmen Summit at the Mntgmery Cunty Cmmunity Cllege Blue Bell campus n Saturday, Sept. 30. The Summit is presented by Lluminari, a grup f natinal experts in health educatin. It is an all day event, including exhibits and screenings, exercise activities with the experts, panel and breakut sessins, and the pprtunity t have questins answered by the experts. It will cver tpics such as strategies fr lng term weight lss, creating an actin plan fr nutritin and exercise, preventing and reversing childhd besity, heart disease,diabetes and steprsis The event is pen t all residents, and is useful fr bth medical prfessinals and the general public. Wmen f all ages will gather t take time away frm wrk, stress and family t fcus n their bdy, mind, and spirit. The StrngWmen Summits are designed t educate, engage and empwer wmen and their families t live healthier lives. The cst f the summit is $29 fr ne persn, $22 fr mre than ne persn, and $15 fr persns ver 55. There are schlarships available t thse in need. Rabies Clinic 2006 The Mntgmery Cunty Health Department has cncluded its annual Lw Cst Rabies Immunizatin Clinics with the last clinic held Saturday, September 16, 2006 at the Pttstwn Rller Mill. T date: MCHD 2006 Rabies Clinic vaccinated 779 dgs, cats and ferrets, 626 at the fur previus clinics and 153 at the Pttstwn clinic. Rabies Cases in 2005 17 psitive rabies cases 5 skunks
8 raccns 2 bats 2 cats Rabies Cases in 2006 (t date) 9 psitive rabies 7 raccns 1 bat 1 cat FluMist Campaign Last year, the Health department supprted the effrt t encurage Lwer Merin students t btain the FluMist intranasal flu vaccine. The vaccine was ffered t students in the schl fr a minimal cst and was administered by nurses wrking fr Maxim Health Systems. The prgram was initiated due t the unfrtunate death f a Lwer Merin student frm influenza. This year, the Health department is encuraging and assisting in the expansin f this prgram t all schl districts. Again, the vaccine is being administered by a third party agency, Maxim Health Systems. The cst f the flu vaccine is $28 and we encurage students t receive the flu vaccine either thrugh their wn physician r thrugh the schl based prgram. Staff at the schls will als be able t btain the vaccine. As this is an expansin year, we have nt been able t reach ut t all private schls, but we encurage any schl interested in having the prgram cntact the health department r Maxim Health Systems E-cli/spinach recall The cuntry currently has a multi-state utbreak f E-cli. The CDC is reprting 114 cases f the illness with 1 death. There are fur cases in Pennsylvania, lcatin unknwn, with n cases in Mntgmery Cunty. The FDA is advising cnsumers nt t eat fresh spinach. If they have eaten spinach and have symptms, they are advised t seek medical treatment. There are recalls f the spinach- River Ranch and Natural Selectins. D. Envirnmental Health Services West Nile Virus Update Envirnmental msquit surveillance and cntrl activities are in prgress. Our cntractr Clarke Envirnmental Msquit Management, Inc. is still wrking n catch basin treatments and sewage treatment plant inspectins. Hwever, cntracted services will end September 23, 2006. The Health Department is actively setting traps, cnducting inspectins and treatments as necessary and investigating West Nile Virus type cmplaints. Our vectr cntrl specialist has treated 125 acres f public land. As f September 19, 2006 the Cunty has had fur psitive msquit pls. The Pennsylvania Department f Envirnmental Prtectin has cnducted adulticiding (spraying) t cntrl the adult msquit ppulatin in selected sectins f East Nrritn Twnship, Nrristwn Brugh, West Nrritn Twnship, Upper Prvidence Twnship, Ryersfrd Brugh and Lwer Merin Twnship. The cunty had a ttal f 671 msquit samples cllected, 188 tested with fur testing psitive.
Leginnella There have been 4 cases f Leginnella at the Frederick Mennnite Cmmunity since April 2006, with the last three within the past tw mnths. Samples have been taken frm the living quarters and the cling twers f the facility. On Friday night, September 15 th the facility super chlrinated their ptable water system. On Mnday night the facility cleaned the cling twers. The health department is awaiting results f the samples frm the state health department lab. III. IV. Old Business N ld business. New Business The meeting schedule fr next year: January 16, 2007 March 20, 2007 May 15, 2007 September 18, 2007 Nvember 13, 2007 V. Next Meeting The next Bard f Health meeting is Nvember 14, 2006 at the Human Services Center, Bard Rm at 2:30 PM. Dr. Sellers adjurned the meeting at 3:43pm.