Island County Board of Health
Monday September 16, 2002

 

 

Members Present: Commissioners, Mac McDowell, William F. Thorn; Barbara Saugen, WGH Commissioner Mayor Patty Cohen of Oak Harbor; Roger S. Case, MD, Executive Secretary to the Board

 

Absent: Commissioner Mike Sheldon, Captain Donald Jensen, MC, USN (Ex-Officio Member)

 

Commissioner Mac MacDowell called this regularly scheduled meeting of the Island County Board of Health to order at 4:38 p.m.

 

Agenda:  The following topics for discussion were proposed for addition to the agenda:

1.        EHAT (Environmental Health Assessment Team)

2.        Proposed change in meeting time for the Board of Health

Mayor Patti Cohen moved to add both items to agenda; Commissioner Bill Thorn seconded.  The motion was approved.

 

Minutes:  Commissioner Bill Thorn moved that the amended minutes from the July 15, 2002 meeting and the minutes from the August 19, 2002 meeting be approved as submitted; Mayor Patty Cohen seconded.  Both sets of minutes were approved for the Commissioners to sign on behalf of the Board.

 

There was no input from the public.

 

Contracts:

1.        Commissioner Bill Thorn moved that Consolidated Contract No. C08645 Amendment 7 (amendment amount $14,352) total contract amount $881,909 be approved.  Mayor Patty Cohen seconded.  The motion passed for the commissioners to sign on behalf of the Board.

 

Added Agenda Item 1:  Health Services Director Tim McDonald presented an update on EHAT (Environmental Health Assessment Team). He stated that EHAT is presently comprised of 21appointed members appointed by the Board of Health plus the 5 Steering Committee members who are from CHAB (Community Health Advisory Board). He iterated that EHAT is comprised of an outstanding membership selected from an original pool of 41applicants, 30 of whom were selected by the Steering committee for interview by an EHAT Interview Team which included Board of Health member Barbara Saugen. Some excellent people were not selected in order to maintain demographic balance. Commissioner Thorn voiced some concerns that were given him by a few Camano Islanders regarding final selection of members for the Assessment Team, but Commissioner Barbara Saugen pointed out that there are many strong personalities on the Team, and that it should all should work out very well.  The first EHAT meeting will take place at the Heller Road Fire Station on September 19, 2002 at 5:30 p.m.

 

Added Agenda Item 2:  Commissioner Mac McDowell discussed changing the time for the Board of Health meetings.  Mayor Patti Cohen said that sometimes there are conflicts with the current time schedule. After a brief discussion, Mayor Cohen moved that the time for the BOH meeting be changed from 4:30pm to 1:15p.m. on the third Monday of each month. Commissioner Barbara Saugen seconded, and the motion passed. The time change for future Board of Health meetings will be published for public notice.

 

Health Department Report:

Environmental Health Director Keith Higman noted that the West Nile Virus is now in the Western part of the United States, with one case having been recently confirmed in California. Thus far 1460 cases have been confirmed in our country with 66 deaths. He continued by stating that prevention is the key — get rid of the mosquitoes’ habitat.

 

Island County Health Officer, Dr. Roger Case commented that healthy individuals might never know that they had West Nile virus, since most people found to have antibodies to the virus never became ill. He also stated that the Washington State labs wouldn’t test blood for the virus unless the individual is hospitalized because of illness.  He added that a major cause of death all over the world is due to mosquito borne disease.

 

 

Discussion: Commissioner Thorn commented that there have been complaints from the community regarding Public Works’ storm water run-off retention projects having the potential for increasing mosquito-breeding habitat, and of their fear of the West Nile Virus. He agreed with the need to address recharging Island County’s aquifers, but that Ecology’s present plans call for stopping all run-off by building ponds, and that solution would simply nullify all attempts to remove mosquito habitat. He continued by stating that the DOE manual will be changing soon concerning pond construction, and that the Engineering Department should look for a better solution.

 

Health Services Director Tim McDonald said that he had talked recently with Bill White and Randy Darst at the WSALPO meeting about such standing water becoming habitat for vectors of serious diseases, and that Public Works, County Engineers, WSALPO and possibly WASAC itself might wish to address the potential problems with the upcoming changes in the DOE manual.

 

There being no further business, Commissioner Mac McDowell adjourned the meeting at 5:06 p.m. The next regularly scheduled Board of Health will reconvene Monday, October 21 at 1:15 p.m.

 

 

 

Submitted: ____________________________________________

                  Roger S. Case, MD, Executive Secretary to the Board

 

 

Minutes approved this 21st day of October 2002

 

ISLAND COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH

 

_____________________________________

           Mike Shelton, Chairman Board.