Will County Public Health & Safety Committee met March 4.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
I. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Chair Donald Gould called the meeting to order at 10:05 AM
| Attendee Name | Title | Status | Arrived |
| Donald Gould | Chair | Present | |
| Beth Rice | Vice Chair | Present | |
| Mark Ferry | Member | Absent | |
| Amanda Koch | Member | Present | |
| Meta Mueller | Member | Absent | |
| Sherry Newquist | Member | Present | |
| Annette Parker | Member | Present |
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
Mrs. Rice led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. WC Public Health & Safety Committee - Regular Meeting - Feb 5, 2020 10:00 AM
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Beth Rice, Vice Chair
SECONDER: Annette Parker, Member
AYES: Gould, Rice, Koch, Newquist, Parker
ABSENT: Ferry, Mueller
IV. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS
1. Approved BOH 1-15-20 Minutes
(Susan Olenek)
2. Sunny Hill Nursing Home Updates - January 2020
V. OLD BUSINESS
1. Monthly Update from Sunny Hill Nursing Home
(Maggie McDowell)
Ms. McDowell reviewed the attached monthly report.
Mr. Gould asked do you feel your supply of masks and supplies is threatened?
Ms. McDowell replied not at this time. Our suppliers are still meeting our needs and we have some surplus supplies available. We have three suppliers so we are not tied to one particular supplier giving us all the supplies. At this point, daily operations are unaffected.
Ms. Newquist stated do you have a protocol of when you decide to test someone for Coronavirus?
Ms. McDowell responded if we had a situation we were concerned about, we would work very closely with the Health Department. Our policies and procedures are very closely aligned with the expectations of the Health Department.
Ms. Newquist continued I assume a concern would be anything not identified as one of the common flu viruses.
Ms. McDowell stated there would have to be an exposure and currently we do not have anybody who has been exposed.
Sunny Hill Monthly Report March 4, 2020
(Handout)
2. Monthly Update from Will County Health Dept.
(Sue Olenek)
Ms. Olenek thanked Ms. McDowell for talking about the regular flu. That is such an important point to keep all of this in perspective. The CDC estimates in the 2019/2020 flu season, between 18,000 and 36,000 people will die. Much of what is going on is preventable. There seems to be a lot of confusion. Please do not rely on the media; that is not where you need to get your information. The CDC and IPHD has information that is relevant, credible and vetted. We are doing surveillance and that is what we do. We do this every single day whether it is Coronavirus, measles, a food borne illness or rubella this is what my staff does. We have an epidemiologist and three experienced individuals working with him. They do all the monitoring, case findings and tracking. The doctors within Will County look to our epidemiologist to make the decision on whether to have a person tested. It is on a case by case basis. Every person with flulike symptoms is not tested. The CDC is looking to broaden the testing within the community to get additional information. This is a novel virus, something we have never seen before, just like H1N1 was and others in the past. It is typically affects the very young who do not have developed immune systems and the very old who have chronic illnesses. They are most at risk; as they are with the regular flu. This is not presenting anything disastrous or anything very serious. Because we don’t know enough about it, we are monitoring it. Everyone is asking why the CDC and others are talking so much about this; the reason is everyone will think we are not doing our job if we don’t. We are monitoring it. We are on calls every week and they vary from day to day with CDC and IDPH and we are educating ourselves on the most recent information.
Ms. Olenek read an e-mail going out today to elected officials, school districts, public and private, community centers, County Board Members, faith based agencies, villages, township and cities within Will County, large corporations in our S&S plan, libraries, park districts, fire districts, MAPP partners, 9-1-1, long term care facilities and shelters. Included will be a CDC attachment, in English and Spanish, talking about stopping the spread of all germs. Most of the information on our webpage and social media regarding Coronavirus are links to the CDC and IDPH. Our message is the same as it has been for 40 years; wash your hands, cover your mouth and confine yourself when you are sick. We are doing our part and we need the public to do their part. I have spoken with Dr. Walsh to answer questions. Today I spoke with Mr. Pelkie in relation to things they are doing with the election judges. We are getting requests from entities throughout the County do presentations, but we cannot, because we do not have the staff. If people want to hear about this or get information, they need to go to the relevant, credible sources listed on our website. We are receiving information and alerts from the IDPH daily. Our epidemiologist is very adept at what he does and is respected in the community. We have no active cases in the County at this time. We are ready to deal with whatever we need to deal with.
Mrs. Rice stated there has been a controversy in a school district about disinfecting schools. There was so much disagreement about whether it is possible to disinfect for the virus or not. They talked about closing the school to clean; this is what a lot of the parents wanted to have happen. Are there any recommendations from the IDPH or CDC regarding that?
Ms. Olenek replied there is a sheet on the CDC website. One question I posed to Dr. Walsh was, what you do is you encourage kids to wash their hands, are you putting up postings about washing your hands, are you stepping up your cleaning of common surfaces. Just like any other flu virus you can use a disinfectant. You can disinfect with bleach or other disinfectants that kill viruses. They can step up their cleaning, I don’t know if they need to close the schools. They can disinfect on the weekends.
Ms. Olenek reviewed the attached handout regarding MAT and Behavioral Health Programs. There was a question at the Finance Committee regarding what we might do with some of the money coming from the cannabis tax. I presented this to the BOH and will be presenting it to the Finance Committee.
Mrs. Berkowicz asked would the new program be a 24/7 option for crisis cases or would it be just during the days?
Ms. Olenek replied we have a 24/7/365 mobile crisis response. Right now that is sufficient and until we see an increase would we determine if we need staff. Most important would be a psychiatrist for medical case management and the clinicians.
Mrs. Berkowicz asked is that operated out of the Health Department?
Ms. Olenek answered it could be done from the Community Health or Health Department side. We get a better reimbursement on the Health Center side. We would have to make a determination of what would be the best fit if we are able to do this.
Mr. Gould asked is this original to Will County or was it developed with other counties?
Ms. Olenek replied no, not all of them even have behavioral health services.
Mr. Gould asked what happens if you find this list of personnel is not enough?
Ms. Olenek replied we can bill for these services. We maximize the billing. If that means you add reimbursement specialist to maximize the billing and get the reimbursement we will do it. Fortunately, the Community Health Center and the behavioral health side of the Health Department, operate electronic medical records systems. We are able to get data out of them to help determine what we need in terms of staffing.
Dr. Burke stated in Will County, there is a gap in services for adolescence and children. Rosecrance services children. There is a huge need and it would be a good thing if we were overwhelmed and could add those services.
Ms. Olenek added I am certain we would be able to ramp up what we needed. In 2008 we ramped up our SASS program, our first crisis response team, in 4 or 5 months, a program that should have taken 13 or 14 months. It is a model program for other SASS programs.
Ms. Newquist asked do we have any programs currently for adolescence substance abuse and if not what do we do with them?
Ms. Olenek replied not specifically for substance abuse. We would have to refer them. In most cases, it is more than just substance use disorders; there are other issues going on that need to be addressed as well. Even though there is a gap, it is not like we are unable to meet the needs of any child or adolescence with a substance use disorder.
Dr. Burke added substance use disorder is very different in children than adults. It is very important for those people to have mental health services, especially those without insurance. Overall, system wide there is a gap in adolescence services.
Mrs. Berkowicz asked if patients could be referred to municipalities?
Ms. Olenek replied many Health Departments don’t have these programs so a municipality would not have the services. This work is very specialized, they would not employ a psychiatrist or clinicians for this type of work.
Dr. Burke stated at one time there was a program called Breaking Free, but the model has changed. Ms. Olenek is discussing a comprehensive model addressing co-occurring conditions, education, prevention, harm reduction and treatment. Will County has a deficit by not having these services at the Health Department. My collogues at other Health Departments have it. Ms. Olenek will have room for additional services, in the new building.
Mrs. Berkowicz asked do you have a model other counties use?
Ms. Olenek replied I don’t, but I could get it. There is not a template. The plan would be the pieces I put in this handout; awareness, education, prevention, intervention and treatment. You work through those things and develop the program depending on how much time and resources you have. DuPage and Lake County have more resources than we do and their model would not work for me.
Dr. Burke stated we have to acknowledge the expertise at the Health Department. The specialists know the research and how to respond.
Ms. Olenek stated all of the accrediting bodies and all of the entities have standards of care we have to follow in relation to how we do these things.
Ms. Olenek stated the new building is coming along. The office furniture is being put together and it looks beautiful. We have established our move schedule. The vendors are coming in to hook things up. Our IT staff will be moving in on March 20th. Our IT director is confident everything will be done on time. Sample door hangers were shown giving an update on the progress. They will get one for the building opening and the dedication.
Ms. Olenek stated I spoke at the last meeting BOH meeting and requested them to consider funding an additional position within our budget. It is not a currently funded, but it has been talked about and requested for over a decade. The position would be a compliance officer. My proposal listed the duties and responsibilities. The person would report to me. We have upwards of 20 entities we have to be compliant with. We have a real need to have someone within the agency, in a leadership position that can get all of these compliance requirements together and make sure we are compliant. That does not include any of the HR or IT compliance regulations. For a very long time we have been piecemealing it and that is not working. We have too much to lose in terms of funding, accreditation or program approval to not have a compliance officer. My Board is very forward thinking and very responsive to our needs. They did agree to allow me to move forward with a compliance officer position and fund it. I will go back with a job description and give them a reasonable starting salary. I will do that after we get into the new building.
Mr. Gould stated one of the questions the Board had was the type of educational background and experience needed for a compliance officer. Some brought up a Master’s Degree in Public Health or would you need a lawyer? You said there are 20 different compliance aspects to this position, will they be interpreting laws? What are the requirements for a compliance officer in Lake County?
Ms. Olenek stated Lake and DuPage County Health Departments both have a compliance person and two or three compliance people. I am asking for one person. I have their job descriptions. Some positions require a bachelor’s degree and the higher levels require a master’s degree. I don’t think we need a lawyer because we have the State’s Attorney’s Office and other avenues to review for legalities. I don’t want to limit it to master’s degree. There are a number of managers within our agency I think would be great. Like many other positions it is more about the personality, integrity and work ethic than the education. My position does not require a master’s degree. It requires a master’s degree with less experience or a bachelor’s degree with more experience. I would not feel right requiring only this position to have a master’s degree. I think the requirements would be if you have a bachelor’s degree you have to have a lot of experience in this realm to be considered. If you have a master’s degree in this realm and not as much experience.
Health Dept. MAT & Behavioral Health Programs
(Handout)
3. Opioid Update
(Dr. Kathleen Burke)
Dr. Burke stated I work very closely with Stepping Stones and introduced Mr. Paul Lauridsen. I would not be able to do my job without these linkages. The final figures for opioid deaths in 2019 is 101, an unacceptable number. The 101 is because we have fentanyl in the community. It is not accurate that naloxone does not work for fentanyl. If it is a strong fentanyl, then you need more doses. Naloxone is the only antidote that helps people stay alive when they overdose on an opioid. In February 92 people were trained in the use of naloxone. During the past two weeks I have had five different overdose reports; with one person passing. That is the most I have seen and the numbers came from only three different reporting communities. I met with the Joliet Police Department and devised a system we are going to move forward with. We are going to meet every other week and include a group of experts in our community. It is important to look at the deaths and the similarities and details around them. We are looking at a peer program where people will go into the areas, such as the daily motels to do Narcan training. As we do our datamining this will come out. Joliet has not been successful with the Safe Passage Program and this is typical in areas other than Lockport. One reason it was not successful is because we did not have the resources to transfer people into detox. We now have those resources. We are going to look at a different program called “A Way Out”. The Joliet Police thought that model would work better. Our community does not want to go to the police department for help, they have other ways of asking for help. I will look at creating leave-behinds and Narcan our police departments can leave behind. The areas with the largest number of overdoses should be using them more. The biggest question is how does someone get into treatment. We will provide the person or their family with resources. It is one thing to get Narcan into the hands of people, it is another to have a community understand how the process works for getting help. It is complicated and difficult. We are going to figure out how to get the information to those in need.
Dr. Burke reviewed the attached handout on recovery coaches. I anticipate St. Joes will be funding it at some point. Silver Cross has not been as successful because they thought Silver Oaks would manage this and they are not. It is regrouping to make sure those folks who end up in the ER are taken care of. Current, more of the overdoses are going to St. Joes than Silver Cross.
Mrs. Rice asked why do more overdoses go to St. Joes?
Dr. Burke replied because they are managed in different ways. St. Joe’s opened up their behavioral health unit; there is a unit people can be transferred into in order to manage them while they are detoxing and they can get them into care. They do not treat and street as quickly as Silver Cross.
Mrs. Rice asked do the first responder decide where they will go? Dr. Burke replied no, it is whichever hospital is closest.
Details were given on two upcoming symposiums. May 8th at GSU and April 24 HERO Helps.
Dr. Burke reviewed newly introduced SB3659, attached. This is a national program and I submitted a letter of support for this bill.
Mrs. Rice asked have you given any thought to our discussions regarding the on- going challenges of communication of the information you have? Have you thought what may be an effective solution?
Dr. Burke replied when I was teaching I would ask where do people get information. It is absolutely an on-line, social media platform and I do not have that. I don’t have the time to do it. We started conversations with JJC about creating opportunities for people who want to go into behavioral health. I might be able to gather some resources there to help me with social media. It has to be a semi-permanent position and that person’s responsibility has to be sourcing information and getting it out.
Mrs. Rice stated I would support looking at a part time position. The information and program is only as good as getting the information out. I would like to think people’s efforts to solve a problem are well communicated across Will County. It is good PR to show what we are doing with grant money. I would like to see the conversation continue to try and solve this problem. The communication piece is an on-going problem. I think working with the students at JJC is a bridge to the future.
A brief discussion took place regarding websites being run by various county departments.
Opioid Update Handouts
(Handouts)
VI. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
VII. NEW BUSINESS
1. Authorizing the County Executive to Execute Indemnification Agreement for Use of Frankfort Township Animal Control Facilities
(Chris Wise)
RESULT: MOVED FORWARD [UNANIMOUS]
TO: Will County Board
MOVER: Beth Rice, Vice Chair
SECONDER: Annette Parker, Member
AYES: Gould, Rice, Koch, Newquist, Parker
ABSENT: Ferry, Mueller
2. Renewing Contracts for Housekeeping Supplies for Sunny Hill Nursing Home
(Kevin Lynn, Maggie McDowell)
RESULT: MOVED FORWARD [UNANIMOUS]
TO: Will County Board
MOVER: Beth Rice, Vice Chair
SECONDER: Sherry Newquist, Member
AYES: Gould, Rice, Koch, Newquist, Parker
ABSENT: Ferry, Mueller
3. Renewing Contracts for Dietary & Nursing Products for Sunny Hill Nursing Home
(Maggie McDowell)
RESULT: MOVED FORWARD [UNANIMOUS]
TO: Will County Board
MOVER: Beth Rice, Vice Chair
SECONDER: Annette Parker, Member
AYES: Gould, Rice, Koch, Newquist, Parker
ABSENT: Ferry, Mueller
VIII. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
IX. PUBLIC COMMENT
Mrs. Parker asked Ms. Olenek her opinion on the HPV vaccination legislation.
Ms. Olenek replied as the Health Department we are a proponent and just slipped it yesterday.
X. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT / ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mr. Gould stated last month Ms. Koch ask to have the Sheriff’s Department come in to discuss some crime statistics. Under County Board Rules, the Sheriff’s Department reports to the Judicial Committee.
Mrs. Adams added I believe the Sheriff’s Department will bring a report to the Judicial Committee in April.
XI. EXECUTIVE SESSION
XII. ADJOURNMENT
1. Motion to Adjourn at 11:09 AM
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Beth Rice, Vice Chair
SECONDER: Sherry Newquist, Member
AYES: Gould, Rice, Koch, Newquist, Parker
ABSENT: Ferry, Mueller
https://willcountyil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=15&ID=3732&Inline=True
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