Geauga Public Health District (GPH) – December 19, 2022 – Regular Meeting
The GPH Board met in Special Session at the Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 300, Chardon, OH, on December 19, 2022 at 5 pm. Geauga County Automated Data Processing (ADP) live streamed this meeting and a recording is available on the ADP Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oUnXpFWPYE
Board Attendance: (as seated, from L to R)
Staff Attendance:
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Dr. Jeffrey Cameron - Medical Director/Health Commissioner
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Adam Litke – Administrator
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Carol Straniero – Nursing Director
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Daniel Lark, Environmental Health Director
The meeting was called to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
The Agenda was available ahead of the meeting on the GPH website.
Minutes, as amended, were approved for 10/26, 11/2, 11/16, 11/21 and 12/5.
Mr. Lark said the Parkman Township water project is moving ahead and that the first well will be drilled to make sure the water is clear and clean before proceeding. He said the project won’t be complete by the end of the year and that they have an extension from the OEPA until the end of February.
Nursing Director report: Ms. Straniero submitted a detailed report covering a broad array of activities from distribution of Naloxone to community emergency preparedness to disease surveillance. She noted that Covid-19 cases are averaging around 10 cases per day, up from a few months ago, when cases were in single digits. She noted the current pressing concern in Ohio is the increasing rate of contraction of measles in Central Ohio where there are over 80 reported cases and 26 hospitalizations, with 70% of these among children ages one to five. None of the affected children were fully vaccinated for measles, although some are less than a year old and therefore not eligible for the vaccination. Ms. Straniero said they will watch closely if cases appear in Geauga County.
Administrator Litke Report: Mr. Litkeexplained that he and Daniel Lark are wrapping up their activities to prepare the Health District for its upcoming transition of administrative staff as he and Mr. Lark are being recalled by Lake County via a termination agreement: http://gphohio.org/Portals/27/Resources/Documents/Home%20Page/Geauga%20Contract%20Termination%20Notice%20-%20December%201%202022.pdf?ver=YChiFAnbesAPAuv5MzJDRQ%3d%3d
Mr. Lark is working with staff on software changes and training will be provided. Mr. Litke noted that Board members Ms. Roman and Ms. Brakey met with staff 12/16/22 to discuss the upcoming shifts in department staff.
Medical Director Dr. Cameron had no report.
Finance Report: In response to the finance report, Ms. Brakey noted expenses for mediation services related to issues with septic violations and expenses related to public records requests that were connected with an employee issue. Mr. Piraino asked if Lake County mediates a similar number of septic cases but Mr. Litke reported that Geauga has significantly many more septic systems and many more cases than Lake County.
The Board voted to accept the Finance report.
Under Operational Planning, Ms. Roman and Ms. Brakey reported on their meeting with Health Department Staff 12/16/22. Ms. Brakey reported that the termination of agreement by Lake County related to Mr. Litke and Mr. Lark’s positions caught them by surprise. Ms. Brakey emphasized to staff that discussions during meetings have involved brainstorming and that no decisions have been made and that they are investigating all options. She reported staff had concerns regarding the wellbeing of the Amish population as well as their job security. Both Ms. Roman and Ms. Brakey noted that discussions need to occur at Board meetings and that some of the ideas floated “are going to be bad ideas” as the Board works through potential outcomes.
Ms. Roman stated that she feels the Board should first hire an Administrator who would then be involved in hiring an Environmental Health Director. Dr. Mark Rood says he is more optimistic about several of the candidate resumes that have recently been submitted. Ms. Roman stated that the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) was approached about how GPH should proceed if no candidate was found by the deadline of the termination agreement. She said the ODH requested that GPH submit a proposal in writing regarding the situation and that they would review it.
Ms. Roman announced that she and Ms. Brakey met with Lake County Health Commissioner Ron Graham and reached a verbal agreement to extend the end date of the termination agreement to six months. Ms. Roman is hoping that this will result in a contractual agreement changing the termination date of Mr. Litke and Mr. Lake at GPH from the end of January to the end of June. Ms. Roman stated that the extra time will allow the Board to plan logically rather than rushing into anything. Ms. Roman and Ms. Brakey stated their intention to meet regularly with Mr. Graham. Ms. Roman stated that she would also like to talk with neighboring county health districts as part of the process and Mr. Litke said he would provide her with contact information for those individuals.
Ms. Jones reported on the administrator search. She noted that there are candidates from out of state and she asked how the Board would like to proceed with these candidates in terms of expenses for potential in-person interviews. Ms. Roman presented general educational and work experience of the candidates (no identifying information given) who have submitted resumes. Ms. Brakey noted that Mr. Litke had not applied. Mr. Litke acknowledged that he did not. Ms. Jones and Ms. Roman will assign a score to the resumes based on an objective criteria from the job posting. They noted that any out of state candidates would be interviewed virtually first before any decision that involved transportation expenses would be considered.
The Board discussed changing their by-laws to allow for the weekly special meetings as current by-laws require special meetings to address specific topics only that are stated in advance. The Board discussed developing language regarding meetings that’s not too vague or too specific as the Board continues to meet weekly to manage these transitional issues.
Items 2022-11 and 2022-11.a that address creating a new fund were tabled until next month.
Electronic Medical Records: Ms. Jones discussed the advantages of having a coordinated Electronic Medical Records system and suggested GPH work with area health partners to develop this capacity. Mr. Litke suggested reaching out to Geauga Hospital to initiate this process. It was noted that if a client comes to a health clinic and has a dirty cut on a finger, it’s advantageous to be able to check to see if his/her tetanus shot is current. Ms. Jones noted that by late 2023, all the major area health systems will use the same EMR system – EPIC – which should assist this effort. In general, it was thought that the GPH systems need to “move on with technology,” according to Ms. Roman. Ms. Jones also mentioned the concern related to the cost of vaccinations for the Amish, who are the largest group receiving vaccinations, and suggestions were made about writing a grant to support this purpose.
Levy: Mr. Piraino discussed a levy for the GPH District to be on the ballot in 2023. Dr. Rood will assist. Mr. Litke noted steps that need to be taken to get a levy on the ballot and stated that the levy is critical to operational expenses. Ms. Roman noted the challenge of accessing grants and funding for health districts in counties of a certain size with a relatively healthy population, like Geauga County. Mr. Piraino noted that Covid-19 funds that have been received for the past few years are quickly receding.
Mr. Litke noted that funds for the distribution of Naloxone, the medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, are being curtailed even though the drug is so effective in saving lives. Ms. Staniero noted that GPH, in working with nonprofits, churches, and other partners, has exceeded its distribution goal of 250 kits and is well on its way to the Tier 3 level of distributing 350 kits. Mr. Litke suggested the Board include a five-year planning forecast into its process for developing the best estimate for upcoming conditions and needs.
Lot Size for Septic Inspection: In other new business, Mr. Piraino suggested changing the requirement from 20 acres to five acres for any property sold needing a septic inspection. This adjustment would be geared towards landowners who are lot splitting their property. Mr. Piraino said this requirement is not made by other counties and adds a significant expense for sellers. No vote was taken as a result of the discussion.
Public Comment: In the public comment section of the meeting, Mary Briggs asked several questions including addressing Ms. Jones on any conflict of interest as Ms. Jones is now a licensed realtor. Ms. Jones explained that she was just recently certified and that she has been clear that she will not vote on any decisions where she could have a conflict of interest (Ms. Jones stated this at the beginning of the meeting). Ms. Jones thanked Ms. Briggs for her question.
The Board adjourned to Executive Session at 6:39 pm, and no votes were taken as a result of that session.
Observer note: The virtual feed froze three times for a few minutes each time during the meeting; Mr. Litke kindly filled in the blanks via questions asked by this observer through email about actions and discussion that occurred during those periods when the feed was unavailable.
Observer (virtual): Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
Next regular meeting: Monday, December 28, 2022 at 5 PM at Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 300, Claridon, OH
More Information: http://gphohio.org/
Minutes available when posted: http://gphohio.org/Board-of-Health/Board-of-Health-Minutes
Postings available here: https://www.facebook.com/GPHOHIO
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