Will County Public Health & Safety Committee met Feb. 5.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
I. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Chair Donald Gould called the meeting to order at 10:02 AM
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Donald Gould Chair Present
Beth Rice Vice Chair Present
Mark Ferry Member Present
Amanda Koch Member Present
Meta Mueller Member Present
Sherry Newquist Member Absent
Annette Parker Member Late
Present from State's Attorney's Office: K. Meyers.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
Ms. Mueller led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. WC Public Health & Safety Committee - Regular Meeting - Oct 2, 2019 9:30 AM
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Mark Ferry, Member
SECONDER: Meta Mueller, Member
AYES: Gould, Rice, Ferry, Koch, Mueller
ABSENT: Newquist, Parker
IV. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS
1. Sunny Hill Nursing Home Updates - November 2019
(Sunny Hill Nursing Home Updates - November 2019)
2. Sunny Hill Nursing Home Updates - December 2019
(Sunny Hill Nursing Home Updates - December 2019)
3. Approved BOH 11-20-19 Minutes
(Susan Olenek)
4. Approved 12-18-19 BOH Minutes
(Susan Olenek)
V. OLD BUSINESS
1. Monthly Update from Sunny Hill Nursing Home
(Maggie McDowell)
Mrs. Parker arrived at this juncture.
Ms. McDowell reviewed the attached Sunny Hill update.
Sunny Hill Update, February 5, 2020
(Handout)
2. Monthly Update from Will County Health Dept.
(Sue Olenek)
Ms. Olenek reviewed the new Program & Services Resource Guide complied by the Health Department to help residents contact the correct department for services. Due to the cost the guides will be sent to schools, township offices, hospitals and partners. The narrative included with the guide asks to sue the guide to help direct clients and customers to the correct Health Department areas. We want it used as a resource. We are working on an outbreak of Legionaries disease. By CDC definition, an outbreak is two cases and we have two cases in Will County. Cases are at Meadowbrook in Bolingbrook and Lakewood in Plainfield. We put out press release on both of them under the guidance and request of the IDPH. They have tested throughout the facility and at this time, we do not have a source, which is not uncommon. There are two confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois, with several cases throughout Illinois being tested. As of Monday, there are close to 50 cases being investigated with 15 negative results and 20 or so pending. The CDC is the only entity testing for coronavirus. Hopefully, within the next few weeks they will be rolling out testing processes to state health department facilities to allow them to test as well and that will speed things up. We had one person under investigation in Will County and it took a long time to get results. The completion date for the new building has remained the same, but the move in date has changed. We are going to starting moving the week of April 13 continuing through the week of April 20. There were some issues with the furniture and equipment. It is a difficult process to get this done in a short period of time. We are looking at the logistics of the move. We have to move about 150 staff members and three large labs with very sensitive equipment. We are working on our fee collections. We do billing in November for food service establishments and our IMS systems. Those are due by January 1st. The revenue is loaded in the first month of the fiscal year. So far we have collected 100% of our food program fees. We do collect more because operators change hands or new establishments open. In the IMS area we have collected about 80% and we are also collecting fees for permitting septic contractors within the county.
Mr. Ferry suggested Ms. Olenek get the resource guide to residents of the senior communities.
Ms. Mueller asked if the booklet is available on line if we wanted to share it?
Ms. Olenek replied yes, it is on our website and Facebook page.
Ms. Mueller asked are the two confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois living in the same household?
Ms. Olenek answered yes, it is a wife and husband. She had travelled to China, came back with it and he contracted it from her. As of Monday, she was still in isolation because they wanted to keep her under observation. The husband was also still in the hospital, but recovering just fine.
Mr. Gould asked when Environmental Health collect fees for pool inspections?
Ms. Olenek replied in the spring when pool activity starts to pick up. We do it that
way, because it would be difficult for our staff to do all the fees at one time.
Mr. Ferry asked do you know the source of the legionella?
Ms. Olenek responded we do not. Our staff has been at both facilities and is working with the IDPH. Both of the facilities have been very cooperative. They were very proactive and have done everything they have been asked to do. It is not uncommon to not find the source of legionella. Most of us come in contact with it all the time, but we are healthy and we don’t get the respiratory symptoms.
3. Opioid Update
(Dr. Kathleen Burke)
Dr. Burke reviewed the attached Annual Report.
Mrs. Parker asked how long is a person in a recovery home?
Dr. Burke replied it depends on what they need, it can be a year or six months it all depends on the persons’ needs. They can stay until they feel they are ready to go out into the community where they feel safe. Often times they will move in with other people in recovery. Stepping Stones is working on a recovery home for women and children. Women and children are a tough group because they have so many needs because of the children. Family support is just as important as working with the person who has the substance use disorder.
Mrs. Rice stated the last time we met, we had a discussion about the communication problem. It is difficult to get the word out about the programs, until someone is in crisis and needs it. I thought you were trying to learn what other communities were doing successfully and I was wondering if you had any thoughts?
Dr. Burke replied I have been talking to collogues in the collar counties. We have a larger community to communicate with and much of our area is rural. The Safe Passage Program has not been very successful and we don’t know why. We are bringing in someone who has had success with the program in Kane County.
Mrs. Rice asked when you say it has not been successful, do you mean the amount of people who have been delivered.
Dr. Burke replied yes, the people are not getting to the police departments. Part of that is communication and awareness. Our police departments depend on the county to provide the communication. In other counties, the police departments take it on themselves. I need to spend time on that, but I don’t have the time. Ms. Olenek has been helpful trying to figure out those pieces through the Health Department.
Mrs. Rice stated as a committee members we need to stay committed to engaging this. I see such a need and would welcome ideas to see how we embrace it as a county. It is a challenge, but perhaps we can come closer to solving it.
Dr. Burke continued we can work through this, it is not an impossible challenge. Dr. Burke shared with the committee the new hires in her department and their duties.
Mr. Gould asked is anything happening at Silver Oaks?
Dr. Burke answered Silver Cross and Silver Oaks have been slow to the table on this issue. Silver Oaks is not admitting substance use patients, their program is on an outpatient basis. They cannot open the beds fast enough to accommodate us. We told them in the beginning these are not money making patients, but you have to take them because they are in crisis. When they stopped taking them Silver Cross stepped up. Silver Oaks does not have a MAT trained physician. If you don’t have an MAT trained physician you are not doing substance use. They are struggling.
Mr. Gould stated as I recall, they are a company from New York and they contracted with the hospital to run Silver Oaks.
Dr. Burke stated they own the hospital. Silver Cross closed their behavioral health unit and that created the problem, there was no place for people to go. At the same time, St. Joe’s closed their behavioral health unit, but has reopened it. Amita is doing a major investment in behavioral health, specifically in the substance use and mental health. Silver Oaks is outpatient for substance use. Mental health is different, they have inpatient, but they do not keep people inpatient very long. They are a for profit entity and they run economically. When a person has a duel diagnosis they don’t know what to do.
Mrs. Rice stated they are related and often times you have both.
Dr. Burke stated we are teaching people to focus on their mental health issues when they go there, not the substance use just to get them in. Then they are assessed and treated for both. If you don’t present as primary mental health, they will not admit you.
Mrs. Parker asked who is part of the Safe Passage Program?
Dr. Burke indicated she would get the list. We were meeting monthly, but time ran out and I wanted to regroup. We will be getting back together with the service providers and the police chiefs. I am recommending, from a community standpoint we need to make some policy changes and I look forward to working with the Coroner’s Office. We need to get Narcan into the hands of people when they leave the jail if they have an opioid use disorder. The Chief Judge is on target with helping people who were in the system get the care they need. I have been working with Stepping Stones to increase access. Places are fearful the State will stop making payments like they did in the past. The federal government is not cutting back on their funds toward opioids.
Ms. Olenek stated we are meeting this afternoon with the Health Department, Health Center, Dr. Burke and her recovery coach. We are going to try to get a recovery coach working with our medication treatment program in the Health Center.
Dr. Burke Update, February 5, 2020
(Handout)
VI. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
VII. NEW BUSINESS
1. Coroner's Office Update
(Discussion)
Deputy Chief Coroner Summers stated recently there was an OD of a person who had been in treatment for 7 days. He did not have the insurance the treatment center needed so he was discharged. There was a 24 hour gap between when he could get into the other facility, but he never made it. There is still one case pending from 2019 and if it is an overdose, we will be at 100 deaths.
Mrs. Summers introduced Deputy Coroners, J.P Rasmussen and Kelly Robertson.
Mrs. Summers gave an overview of the Coroner’s Office and Will County versus Grundy County statistics. In December Grundy had 4 autopsies as of the end of January they had 3 versus our 40. Our deputy coroners are required to attend all autopsies, plus be available to go out into the field. Last year Grundy County issued 40 cremation permits; we do that number daily. Since the first of the year we have had 53 unnatural deaths, much higher than our surrounding counties, with the exception of Cook County. Dr. Burke has trained every deputy in the use of Narcan because they are walking into situations where first responders may have inhaled something and are unconscious.
Ms. Robertson introduced herself and gave Committee members an idea of a typical day at the morgue and at her job.
Mr. Rasmussen introduced himself and gave a review of the number of cases the department handles each year.
Mrs. Summers gave details of a recent homicide case she was on scene for, what happens during the investigation and how the Coroner’s Office works with the first responders. I hope we will be asked back every month to give an update on what is going on in our office. An invitation was extended to visit the morgue and see what happens on a day to day basis.
Mrs. Rice asked you mentioned the number of cremation permits; was that a monthly number of 20 plus?
Mrs. Summers replied that is the daily number.
Mrs. Rice asked for an explanation of the cremation permit.
Mrs. Summers explained when someone dies you pick a funeral homes and the person is buried or cremated. Those are going up exponentially, because of cost factors or because it is the wishes of the person. We issue permits to make that happen and that happens on a daily basis. The administrative office handles this. There are nine deputy coroners; two part time, retired police officers who handle cold cases; a Chief Deputy, myself, an administrator over the office and five other people, including a secretary.
Ms. Robertson stated anytime a family desires cremation for their loved one, the county has to issue a permit for the funeral home or cremation center to cremate the body. That means the Coroner’s Office has reviewed the death; the circumstances and cause of death making sure everything is in line and complete, because it is an irreversible decision. Even if it is not a death investigated by the Coroner’s Office a permit still must be issued after the case is reviewed.
Ms. Mueller thanked Mrs. Summers for coming and indicated she would attend a tour to the morgue. I believe it is important for us to take care of our people who are taking care of our lost loved one.
Ms. Olenek stated our office, the Registrar’s Office works on the administrative side with Mrs. Summers and her staff. Once the cremation permit is issued they cannot get the death certificate unless we have checked all the boxes. We work with the Coroner’s Office on a daily basis.
VIII. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
Ms. Koch stated since our last meeting, public safety has become a huge concern in my area. I attribute it to more people having Ring doorbells and knowing what is going on in the neighborhood while they are sleeping. There have been lots of car break-ins and petty theft. Usually, they are victimless crimes, where things are being stolen. It has become a real concern in the Frankfort Square area. Because we are Public Health & Safety, I wanted to bring this up. I wanted to know if we could create a dialog with the Sheriff’s Department and this Committee. I am interested in what the Sheriff’s Department is doing. I could call them, but I like the idea of giving residents an opportunity to come, share things and create more of a collaboration about what is going on. I am requesting this on the record that we look at this.
Mr. Gould stated as part of the public safety portion, EMA has come in from time to time to talk about their safety programs and what they do with different industries, tornados and other emergencies. Have we ever had the Sheriff’s Department come to this committee?
Ms. Dunn stated you need to separate out the portion the Sheriff’s Department is responsible for from what the Village of Frankfort responsible for. The Sheriff’s Department can definitely come in and talk about the unincorporated areas.
Ms. Koch stated it is a big problem in the unincorporated portion of Frankfort. I am inquiring about which Committee we would hear from the Sheriff’s Department and whether it is perceived or a real problem. If it is a real problem, what can we do to start a collaboration in the community? The Sheriff’s Department is having a meeting in Frankfort Square on February 13th. Since this is Public Safety I would be interested in bringing it to light here.
Mr. Gould indicated he would bring it up to the Speaker and determine the best Committee to have this discussion. It will be placed on an agenda. Are there a lot of break-ins?
Ms. Koch replied yes, there have been a number of vehicle thefts and break-ins. Many are crimes of opportunity, when owners leave things unlocked. People have been seen holding a gun. There is a concern in the community; the residents are upset and worried. Regardless of how big or small the problem is, it is a big problem for me because the residents are upset. I don’t want to point to one specific issue all the time, I think it would be helpful to have a regular dialog with the Sheriff’s Department. It would be helpful to have statistics. We would have a good understanding by sitting on this Committee and when residents reach out I could say this is what is happening right now and not have to call them back,.
Mr. Gould asked Ms. Dunn to look into this.
Ms. Dunn agreed to contact to the Sheriff’s Department and have someone at the meeting next month to give a report.
Ms. Koch added this may not just be a problem in Frankfort. I know about it in my area because the residents are reaching out to me. I think it would be helpful to have crime statistics from around the County. I would like them to come in and tell us what is happening around the county in real time. We don’t have to focus on Frankfort, but talk about crime in all the communities. It would be helpful to learn how the opioid crisis plays into this petty crime. Perhaps there is a link and the more we talk about it the more we will see this stuff.
Mrs. Parker stated it is happening everywhere. I am sure the Sheriff’s Department is communicating with other municipalities.
Dr. Burke added I think having the Sheriff’s Department here will be helpful and we will be working as teams. The Sheriff’s Department has a collaborative that works on substance use prevention and that would be a perfect link to this Committee. The Sheriff’s Department goes to the Judicial Committee, but it could be helpful to have them come to this Committee.
Mrs. Rice stated in Bolingbrook there were rumors of 17 break-ins. I talked with the former Police Chief and he told me they was one actual break-ins. One of his biggest challenges is with the death of the local newspapers and the blotter sections to say there were not 17 break-ins on your block there was one. It gave people a record of what was happening. In Bolingbrook the big challenge is down playing what is not true. When people are worried and don’t feel safe, that is an issue. They have the same issues of communication, but they don’t want to do a press release, but want people to know and for them to take the measures they would recommend. We are seeing from three different areas today, communication is a challenge.
IX. PUBLIC COMMENT
X. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT / ANNOUNCEMENTS
XI. EXECUTIVE SESSION
XII. ADJOURNMENT
Motion to Adjourn at 11:18 AM
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Beth Rice, Vice Chair
SECONDER: Amanda Koch, Member
AYES: Gould, Rice, Ferry, Koch, Mueller, Parker
ABSENT: Newquist
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