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Approved Minutes of

Orange County · Board of Health
Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Regular meeting Health and human servicesSchools and educationAppointments and personnelBudget and appropriationsDrugs and addictionFees and utility ratesImmigration and enforcement

Agenda document Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved VIApproval of August 28, 2024 Minutes Approved without dissent
  2. Approved VIII.ACommunity Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) Approved without dissent

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

The Orange County Board of Health met September 25 to consider Community Health Improvement Plans for the county's three priority areas: access to care, behavioral health, and connections to community support. Members also reviewed proposed updates to the board's own policy and procedures manual, including a dental fee schedule that stops sliding at the 20% pay level and a shorter window, 10 days instead of 30, for verifying a client's income.

Two annual staff reports were also on the agenda: health screening for refugees and asylees arriving in the county, and research on how screen time affects children's mental health. The board also planned to approve its August 28 minutes and hear the health director's monthly report.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting.

The board approved the Community Health Improvement Plans on a motion by Dr. Lee Pickett, seconded by Dr. Alison Stuebe, without dissent. It took no vote on the policy manual changes; those go to a vote at the October meeting. Dr. Aparna Jonnal, the board's chair, presented data linking screen use to sleep loss, obesity, and mental health problems in children, and members discussed school cell phone bans. Communicable Disease/Refugee Health Nurse Chinyere Ekenna reported that Orange County screened 37 refugees and asylees for health conditions on arrival in fiscal year 2023-24 and helped 62 refugees adjust to permanent residency status over the past year.

Health Director Quintana Stewart reported North Carolina's first 2024 measles case, in Mecklenburg County, and said the department has both updated COVID boosters and RSV vaccine available regardless of a patient's insurance status. She also said the county's first Opioid Settlement Funds Impact Report was due out that week.

How the votes went

Members approved the September 25 agenda (Dr. Bruce Baldwin, seconded by Dr. Rachel Royce), the August 28 minutes (Commissioner Amy Fowler, seconded by Tony Whitaker), and the Community Health Improvement Plans (Dr. Lee Pickett, seconded by Dr. Alison Stuebe), all without dissent. A motion to adjourn at 8:58 p.m. (Commissioner Amy Fowler, seconded by Dr. Shielda Rodgers) also carried without dissent.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Jump to an item (14 on this agenda)
  1. IWelcome New Employees
  2. IIPublic Comment for Items Not on Printed Agenda
  3. IIIBoard Comments
  4. IVPriority Committee Updates
  5. VApproval of the September 25, 2024 Agenda
  6. VIApproval of August 28, 2024 Minutes
  7. VII.AScreen Time and Children
  8. VII.BAnnual Immigrant/Refugee Health Update
  9. VII.CAnnual Board of Health Policy Review
  10. VIII.ACommunity Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs)
  11. IX.AHealth Director Annual Review
  12. IX.BMedia Items
  13. IX.CHealth Director Report
  14. XWrap Up & Adjournment

Agenda items (14)

Procedural · 4Discussion item · 3Staff or committee report · 3Presentation · 2Minutes approval · 1Resolution · 1
  1. I Welcome New Employees
    Procedural
    The board welcomed three new health department hires: Medical Office Assistant Leidy Velasquez and Environmental Health Specialists Joseph M. Aguilar and Kathryn Schain.
  2. II Public Comment for Items Not on Printed Agenda
    Procedural
    No members of the public signed up to speak on items outside the printed agenda.
  3. III Board Comments
    Discussion item
    Board member Keith Bagby was recognized as WCHL's Hometown Hero for August and described his volunteer work with local youth. Dr. Rachel Royce described a possible board resolution process and her volunteer work connecting county residents to Medicaid enrollment help.
  4. IV Priority Committee Updates
    Staff or committee report Health and human servicesSchools and education
    The Behavioral Health Committee reported on a UNC Gillings presentation linking social media and phone use to youth mental health and cited a Granville County effort to study school phone bans. The Connections to Community Support, Access to Care, and Well Rules committees had no updates and set their next meeting dates.
  5. V Approval of the September 25, 2024 Agenda
    Procedural
    The board adopted its meeting agenda on a motion by Dr. Bruce Baldwin, seconded by Dr. Rachel Royce.
    Approved without dissent
  6. VI Approval of August 28, 2024 Minutes
    Minutes approval
    The board approved minutes of its August 28 meeting on a motion by Commissioner Amy Fowler, seconded by Tony Whitaker.
    Approved without dissent
  7. VII.A Screen Time and Children
    Presentation Health and human servicesSchools and education
    Board Chair Dr. Aparna Jonnal presented research linking screen use to sleep loss, obesity, attention problems, and worse mental health in children, and discussed possible responses including school cell phone bans and resuming a county youth risk behavior survey.
  8. VII.B Annual Immigrant/Refugee Health Update
    Presentation Budget and appropriationsHealth and human servicesImmigration and enforcement
    Communicable Disease/Refugee Health Nurse Chinyere Ekenna reported that Orange County screened 37 refugees and asylees for arrival health conditions in fiscal year 2023-24, and that the county helped 62 refugees adjust to permanent residency status over the past year.
  9. VII.C Annual Board of Health Policy Review
    Discussion item Fees and utility ratesHealth and human services
    Jean Phillips-Weiner reviewed proposed updates to the board's policy manual, including a dental services fee that no longer slides below the 20% pay level and a shorter income-verification window, cut from 30 days to 10. The board plans to vote on the changes at its October meeting.
  10. VIII.A Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs)
    Resolution Health and human services
    The board approved Community Health Improvement Plans for the county's three priority areas -- access to care, behavioral health, and connections to community support -- built from the 2023 Community Health Assessment, which found suicide the ninth leading cause of death in the county and the Black infant mortality rate six times the white rate.
    Approved without dissent
  11. IX.A Health Director Annual Review
    Discussion item Appointments and personnel
    The board discussed the annual performance review process for Health Director Quintana Stewart ahead of a closed-session discussion planned for October.
  12. IX.B Media Items
    Staff or committee report Health and human services
    Staff presented a packet of recent health-related news, including a West Nile virus case in Durham County and a new UNC institute studying extreme weather's effect on public health.
  13. IX.C Health Director Report
    Staff or committee report Drugs and addictionHealth and human services
    Health Director Quintana Stewart reported North Carolina's first 2024 measles case, in Mecklenburg County; said updated COVID and RSV vaccines are available at the health department regardless of insurance status; and said the county's first Opioid Settlement Funds Impact Report was due that week.
  14. X Wrap Up & Adjournment
    Procedural
    The board adjourned at 8:58 p.m. on a motion by Commissioner Amy Fowler, seconded by Dr. Shielda Rodgers. The next meeting is October 23, 2024.
    Adjourned at 8:58 p.m. without dissent

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