Island County Board of Health

Special Meeting (Joint Meeting with Community Health Advisory Board)

Tuesday April 5, 2005

 

Present

Board of Health:  Commissioners Mike Shelton, William J. Byrd, Mac McDowell; Commissioner Barbara Saugen (Whidbey General Hospital); Capt. Susan Herrold. NC, USN (Commanding Officer, Naval Hospital Oak Harbor); and Roger S. Case, MD, Executive Secretary to the Board.

 

CHAB Members: Sharon Little, Toni Kotschwar, David Macys, Kristy Miller, Roger Case, Joline DeVos, Jamie Kersten, Judy Moore, Chuck Scurlock, Kathryn Stevens, Blake Kaiser, Trish Rose, Rita Jones, Kaylee Baldwin, Krista Voigt, Jim Patton

 

Absent: Marie Piper, Robin Hertlein, Sean Parshall, Robbert Sadesky, Amanda Dudley, Chari McRill

 

CHAB Staff: Carrie McLachlan, Janet Andrews-Huserik, Tim McDonald

 

Guests: Kyla Stelling, Chris Markle, Celine Servatius, Kerry McDonald, Carol McNeil, Lea Kouba, Kelly Williams, Susie Williams, Carole McLachlan & Dale McLachlan, Becky King, Peter Tomlin, Stu Benton & Charmaine Benton, Gary Sims, Mary Jane Lungren, Jayne Brent, Holly Morgan, Shane Michard

 

Call to Order:
Chairman Mike Shelton called this scheduled special meeting of the Island County Board of Health to order at 5:32 p.m., and made welcoming remarks to the Community Health Advisory Board members, expressing the Board of Health’s appreciation for the hard work of the CHAB members, and for the hospital’s hosting this special session.

 

CHAB Chair Sharon Little welcomed the Board of Health members, recalling that this week, April 4-10, is Public Health Week, and that this is an opportune time for CHAB to present their annual report to the Board of Health. Sharon also welcomed all the Linda Lee Martens Memorial Health Hero of Island County awardees for the year 2004, and then turned the meeting over to the Chairman of the CHAB Awards Committee.

 

Program:
Certificates of Recognition as Linda Lee Martens Memorial Health Heroes of Island County for 2004 were presented to the following recipients:

·        Jayne Brent for 13 years of outstanding extracurricular service to Whidbey District Hospital employees and community support activities undertaken by the hospital staff members.

·        Stu and Charmaine Benton for their services assisting individuals and families coping with recovery from drug and alcohol addiction issues and learning to cope with the challenges of a drug-free existence.

·        Lea Kouba for the many years of volunteer services in support of those coping with HIV/AIDS, providing professional guidance to Regional support activities and organizations working on a personal level with these clients.

·        Mary Jane Lungren for her tireless efforts to establish a volunteer dental clinic for low income, uninsured/underinsured children and adults of Island County.

·        Soroptimists International of Oak Harbor for the very successful Breast Cancer Bracelet project, raising $4,775 to cover the cost of 86 mammograms for women otherwise unable to afford the study.

·        Holly Morgan for her many volunteer projects in conjunction with the South Whidbey Youth Coalition, providing a safe and drug-free place for youths to socialize by offering support, acceptance and a sense of purpose while building coalitions that advocate for youth, family and community.

·        Kelly Williams for the many hours of shared time working with the over 2500 youths he has led through the Challenge course, and especially in his providing guidance in connecting with troubled and interpersonally challenged children.

·        Senator Mary Margaret Haugen for her courageous action in providing the leadership to responsibly address the problems of financing public health and the unmet expenses of hospital emergency room services upon which our entire community depends.

Linda Lee Martens Health Hero Awards:

·        Youth Category: Kyla Stellings & Rita Jones, co-recipients for their 2-year project to prepare and present a peer-to-peer education program on Suicide Prevention to high school classes, addressing a prominent but very much hidden-from-view problem which affects to some degree an astounding one-in-four adolescents.

·        Organization / Business Category: Toby’s Tavern for taking the bold step to become the first smoke-free tavern in Island County …recognizing the importance in providing a safe environment for his employees and patrons.

·        Adult Category: Shellie Moore for her more than 20 years service as volunteer director of Pregnancy Aid of South Whidbey,  sponsorship of Mother’s Circle support group, and her availability to expectant mothers and young families for assistance and guidance at any time, seven days a week.

 

CHAB Report to the Board:  CHAB president Sharon Little briefed the Board of Health and attendees on The Health of Island County: Key Indicators Update 2005. This work is the culmination of many hours of pulling together the data gleaned from several data sets from federal, state and county sources covering the past four years to reveal the status of the health of Island County in comparison with the Washington State and the U.S. in thirteen key areas:

·        Island County and its People (education, employment, poverty)

·        Quality of Life an Social Context (hunger, social support)

·        Rating of Health (a self assessment)

·        Unintentional Injury (falls, firearm safety)

·        Mental Health (professional shortage, adult emotional health)

·        Chronic Disease and Physical Activity (overweight & obesity, physical activity)

·        Infectious Disease (immunizations, sexually transmitted diseases)

·        Maternal / Child Health (prenatal care, smoking & drinking in pregnancy, childcare)

·        Environmental Health (disease rates, illegal dumping, water quality)

·        Oral Health (adult & children’s access to dental care, childhood caries)

·        Substance Abuse (smoking, drinking)

·        Crime and Violence (child abuse & neglect, domestic violence, violent crime)

 

A colorful report of The Health of Island County: Key Indicators Update 2005 was handed out, and is available by request from the Island County Health Department.

 

Tim McDonald, Health Department Director then thanked Whidbey General Hospital for hosting this annual joint Board of Health/ CHAB meeting during National Public Health Week, the Board of Health, CHAB members in attendance, and especially the recipients of the Linda Lee Martens Health Hero Awards for 2004.

 

CHAB president Sharon Little then adjourned the CHAB meeting, followed by Board of Health President Mike Shelton’s closing comment and adjournment.

 

 

Submitted: ____________________________________________

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

 

 

 

 

Minutes approved this 18th day of April 2005.

 

ISLAND COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH

 

 

_____________________________________

          Mike Shelton, Chairman