President Tim Green welcomed the members of the association and guests to the December meeting at 9:00am. Ten executive committee members were present (see attachments for attendance roster) which constitutes a quorum.
MiMi Cooper of Randolph County provided fellowship.
The minutes of the November meeting were posted on the web site, ncalhd.org, and approved as posted.
MiMi Cooper presented the treasurer’s report with balances as of December 7, 2001. Account balances were as follows:
(See attachments for full treasurer's report).
The $8,073.75 payment to the Alliance clears up the payment for the association's part of the executive director's salary.
Leah advised the group that there are still budget cuts being made by the State. Currently they are looking for another 4% and trying hard not to hurt local health departments with these cuts. She warned though that these cuts could grow to 6-8%, which will delay some initiatives and freeze some positions. The Health and Wellness Trust is meeting this morning and is expected to pass the drugs for senior citizens initiative. Leah also gave the group an update on the bioterrorism plan. The State Team now has a pharmacist part time to work with the pharmaceutical stockpile plan. Leah advised the group that Charles Reed, R.Ph. is retiring at the end of December. Tim Green asked those health directors who had not responded to the State's request for emergency after-hours contact information to get that information to Steve Cline right away. He read out the list of those who had not responded. Leah introduced Dr. Carol Hamilton, the new physician for TB in North Carolina.
Dennis reminded us that Joy Reed is also heading the Vital Records Section at the current time. Dennis also passed along good words for the public health teams working to get a coordinated bioterrorism response. He stated it's going to take all of us to make this regional teamwork. He shared with the group the good news that Frances Taylor is going to take the position of HIPAA Coordinator. She will start on January 7th. Dennis advised us that the family planning expansion money for access I and II counties is in hand at the State but stalled in the system. Several Health Directors stressed the urgency of getting this money out.
(see attachment)
Carmine passed around a rooster of when local boards of health received training (see attachment). He also stated that the $70,000 contract money identified for board of health training was being held up by the State but Joy Reed reminded Carmine that this is Federal money and will not benefit the State.
Congress passed a bill that would delay HIPAA regulations. You will be required to develop a report as to why you will not be in compliance. Joy Reed informed Aimee that DMA is not going to seek the delay which means most of us will still need to be in compliance by the 10-16-02 date.
The new Southeast Public Health Leadership Institute kicked off last week by graduating the 2001 class and beginning the new class. Penny said if you didn't get a poster or a video from the November meeting to let him know. The SPH is going to print more of the wall charts but in the meantime you can download the poster from the web site (see handout).
Deborah emailed the final State budget and legislative highlights to all health directors. She reminded us that a study bill would look at issues related to sodas in schools. She asked that we contact Senators Edwards and Helms about the homeland security bill. She also passed out information on the Prescription Drugs for Seniors Program that the Health and Wellness Trust is considering.
Environmental Health -- MiMi Cooper reporting for Terry Pierce
Motion: To support the Division of Environmental Health in expediting a temporary rule for a standard for monitoring wells to determine soil wetness conditions in a modified site for an on-site waste water system.
Discussion: MiMi advised the group that a decision by Administrative Law Judge Beecher Gray said that in the absence of a rule from the Commission of Health Services the following criteria would be used to determine suitability for a modified site:
- Chroma 2 Standard or
- Average high water for 14 consecutive days over a three month period of monitoring
The committee is concerned about this ruling because it could mean that at peak water level the system could be underwater.
Motion passed unanimously.
Epidemiology -- John Morrow
Women and Children's Health -- no report
Barry raised the question that he would like the WCH committee to look into. The ROCI funds are gone now and medical malpractice liability insurance is skyrocketing again. We expect to see more physicians getting out of the obstetrics business and experience a crisis as we did in the 80's.
Policy and Planning -- Wayne Raynor
Wayne passed out an orange sheet that lists contact information for all local health directors. He asked individuals to check it over and make corrections and return it to him. This is not to replace what the Steve Cline needs for emergency after-hours contact.
Environmental Health -- MiMi Cooper reporting for Terry Pierce
Most of what the committee discussed has been presented in other committee reports but it is worthwhile to note that the position on the regional bioterrorism response team is listed as an industrial hygienist but the job description is very strong in environmental health skills. An EHS with good and varied experience would qualify without any problem.
Alliance -- Barry Bass
The alliance announces the following new officers for the coming year:
- Barry Bass-President
- Louis Latour-Vice President
Barry encouraged more active participation by local health departments and urged us to look at the Alliance as the business side of our operations with NCALHD being the policy side.
Health Promotion -- Rosemary Summers
Health Promotion reviewed the agreement addenda for the 2002-03 fiscal year. It includes using only 25% over the base amount for screening and 75% for policy. If you have concerns contact Rosemary or a committee member. Health Promotion coordinators are going to need direct access to the web to send in reports next year. The Legacy Foundation is still looking at criteria for awarding grants. There may also be additional diabetes money available in the spring for projects.
Having no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:40am.
Respectfully Submitted,
MiMi Cooper
Secretary/Treasurer