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Geauga County Board of Health – October 26, 2022

Meeting was held at Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Claridon, OH, on October 26, 2022 at 5 pm.   Geauga County Automated Data Processing (ADP) did not provide a recording.  Agenda can be found here Draft October Agenda

Board members:

• Richard Piraino, President

• Lynn Roman 

• Carolyn Brakey  

• Ashley Jones, Pro Tem  

• Dr. Mark Rood

Staff in attendance included

• Dr. Jeffrey Cameron - Medical Director/Health Commissioner

• Adam Litke - Administrator

• Alta Wendell - Administration Director,  Absent

• Carol Straniero - Population Health Director

• Daniel Lark, Interim Environmental Health Director

County Commissioner in attendance: N/A

OPENING SESSION

• Minutes approved for emergency meetings on September 9 and October 6, 2022, and regular meeting on September 26.

INFORMATION SESSION 

Environmental Health Update 

• Presented by Dan Lark. Two food service operations that had been operating without a license have paid their license fee, so no further action will be taken.

Population Health Update 

• Report was submitted by Carol Straneiro

• New staff:  A new full-time RN was hired and started 10/19. An offer was made to hire a new Health Educator to fulfill grant requirements.

• Board members asked about the RSV virus. Currently not widespread in Geauga.

Administration Division Update (Given by Adam Litke for Alta Wendell)

• Some residents are confused about the FSOP inspections that were canceled during Covid. People thought they wouldn’t need to be rescheduled, but inspections must be rescheduled under Equal Application of the Law. Carolyn Brakey asked for clarification about which law, and Dan Lark said he would find out.

Finance (Adam Litke)

• The finance report was approved.

Administrator Update (Adam Litke)

• Nothing was presented.

OLD BUSINESS

• Board of Health Bylaws – Board members Carolyn Brakey and Lynn Roman discussed their proposed changes. They emphasized that they did not constitute a committee in doing this work. Reviewer Comment: As defined by ORC 121.22(b)(1) a committee  must give notice of meetings, conduct business in public session and prepare minutes.

• In addition to Bylaw changes discussed at the September meeting, the following changes/additions were proposed:

  • Incorporating the ORC guidelines directly into the document

  • The additional sentence in the Mission statement is from the American Public Health Association (“At all times, the ethical practice of public health includes respect for personal autonomy, self-determination, privacy, and the absence of domination in its many interpersonal and institutional forms”). Reviewer Comment: it appears the proposed language refers to Section 2.E of the APHA Public Health Code of Ethics which states “While coercive legal measures limiting behavior can be ethically justified in certain circumstances (emphasis added), overall the effective and ethical practice of public health depends upon social and cultural conditions of respect for personal autonomy, self-determination, privacy, and the absence of domination in its many interpersonal and institutional forms. Contemporary public health respects and helps sustain those social and cultural conditions.” 

  • Brakey raised the possibility of the Board having a separate spokesperson in the event that the Board and GPH Administrator disagree on a matter.

  • Brakey drafted language to deal with Conflicts of Interest. Litke mentioned that currently the Auditor circulates something for staff and Board to sign – the current COI form.

  • Litke proposed adding that the Bylaws should be reviewed every 1 or 2 years.

• Next Steps for the Bylaws: A new redlined version will be distributed before the next meeting and the final version will be voted on.

• The second reading of proposed Environmental Health Fees was approved.

NEW BUSINESS

• 2023 Healthcare and Dental Rates were approved. GPH is combined with other county employees to obtain these rates.

• Resolution 2022-10 – Payment of a Then and Now was tabled.

• Authorization of payment of Then & Now purchase orders. $84.05 to the Clerk of Courts was approved. Litke is checking with the Legal department to see if he can be allowed to authorize purchases greater than $3,000.

PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION

• One member of the public spoke with a few points being raised and a question about the Parkman bids. Information about the Parkman Well Project is on the GPH website

EXECUTIVE SESSION 

The Board went into Executive session to discuss matters of personnel and pending litigation with counsel (Bryan Kostura) at 6:15. Mr. Litke stated that there would be no action taken following the Executive session, so this observer left the meeting at this time.

Special meeting to award bid for the Parkman Water Well Project, November 9, 5PM at Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Claridon, OH

Next regular meeting: Wednesday November 16, 2022 at 5 PM at Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, 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

Name of Observer :  Nina Lalich, submitted 11/17/2022

Reviewed by:  Shelly Lewis

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