6/18 Board of Health Meeting (Budgets, Shellfish Toxins, Infectious Disease, and HB2442)

As a reminder, these are my informal notes, not authoritative minutes. During the public comment part of the June 18 Board of Health meeting, I shared that the Friends of Public Health website is live (you’re on it now). PH suggested that I make it clear on the blog page that these are my informal notes, lest someone thing these were taken by a PH employee. PH also suggested that I link these to the official Board of Health minutes and agenda, which can be found here: https://co.jefferson.wa.us/1088/Agenda-Minutes

Someone submitted a letter to the Board of Health asking some clarifying questions on the water systems in Port Townsend and Jefferson County. It was suggested that there be a discussion of the quality, safety, and possible scarcity of our water supply this summer, and that was added to future topics for the Board of Health.

The Board of County Commissioners got public comments regarding the recent chemical disaster at the Longview paper mill on the Columbia River, and an open public meeting on that has been set for July 8 at 2 PM. It was suggested that a summary of that meeting be presented at the next BoH meeting. Apple Martine plans to attend, and some of the water quality staff plan to attend also. There is a coordinating committee on the water system, and there is a June 24 3 PM meeting to discuss the water system then. There was a mention that many people may not be aware of all of these meetings. Often times disasters elsewhere make people think more about water safety, mill safety, and other issues.

Public Health Update

Paralytic Shellfish Toxin is now at lethal levels, and people are encouraged to pay attention to the signs and take care of the signs.

Question on why this is for recreational and not commercial: because of the testing. Commercial collects in one place and can be tested. Commercial harvesters also move shellfish to clear water to allow the toxin to be purged and tested again.

Most of the grants PH uses end or change over on June 30, the end of the state fiscal year. This also overlaps with the county budget process.

There will be a retirement celebration next Wednesday for Pinky Mingo, who received a lot of praise for her long service to Public Health, and the many skills and joys she brought to the position. Her position in Environmental Health is being advertised until it is filled.

Jefferson Healthcare Report

JH will not be seeking a levy lid lift in 2026. It may take place later, but JH is first doing some detailed analysis to find all the ways they might cope with the reduced revenue they already are seeing because of the federal budget cuts. They also want to have more discussions in the community on the topic.

Question on how can residents help pressure insurance companies to pay better rates to CAHs: Deferred to Mike Glenn on how best to answer this, as there may be the need to get more than just individuals involved. There was a mention that most people have no idea how insurance companies treat small hospitals.

Question on how much the public would pay for the services they get at the hospital if they were to pay without insurance: it varies because of the sliding scale for income. JH never takes patients to court.

There was a mention of the fiscal situation at Olympic Medical Center, and OMC’s discussions with UW Medical. OMC is considering becoming a Critical Access Hospital (CAH). This would limit OMC’s in-patient beds, but there is talk of more collaboration among the hospitals on the peninsula to share resources and help everyone stay fiscally sound.

Infectious Disease Update

Low rates of Covid exist, and the wastewater surge is down. There are no hospitalizations for Covid right now. There are sporadic flu cases still. There are medications to assist with flu for those over 65 and/or have other medical issues that put them at high risk for flu complications. There is a cluster of pertussis cases in Clallam County that are being monitored, and a few pertussis cases in Kitsap and Mason Counties. Pertussis is bacterial, so there are antibiotics that can help, but please call ahead so that the proper precautions can be in place at your doctor’s office or walk-in clinic. There are more than 2,000 active measles cases in the US, with Virginia as the new hot spot. WA is holding steady at 45 measles cases in the state, with no cases in Jefferson or Clallam. Contact your medical provider or PH if you are concerned about any of these conditions.

Question on breakthrough pertussis cases: Pertussis efficacy decreases after about 5 years, but the vaccine is every 10 years. Little kids are the most likely to be hospitalized  with pertussis. Getting a TDAPP during the 3rd trimester helps protect newborns, so this is part of the vaccine recommendations for people who are pregnant.

PH continues to monitor the Ebola outbreak, but there are no known cases in the US. Over 100 travelers have returned to WA from overseas, and all of these individuals are being monitored by their local PH departments. There was a call today among PH leaders across the state talking about how PH departments would respond if there was a case in WA. The longer the Ebola outbreak continues, the more likely it is to spread.

HB 2442 Bill Summary and PH Opportunities

Local Health Jurisdictions do a lot with less because PH is the only one to do the work in this rural area, and the populations have the least access to services. PH is facing a combination of flat, declining, and eliminated funding streams. The clinical and environmental services fill unmet needs. PH shared their clinic numbers, and noted that they are hiring a new foot care nurse who will travel across the county providing foot care. More residents are relying on PH for essential services: more seniors are homebound and require visiting services, more unhoused people require more mobile outreach, and there are increased behavioral health and substance abuse support. PH employees are trusted and known and have reach in places that other healthcare systems can’t.

HB2442 gives PH the authority to use this finance tool to provide stable funding to meet community needs. The need to continue these services exists. Our health is interconnected. Protecting the health of our youth and our elders benefits the community overall. There was a discussion of what funding decisions are emergencies and what funding decisions should be submitted for a levy.

A rate of $.05 per $1000 of value, PH would bring in $511,000, which would make up a great deal of what got cut. In 2025, $532,048 from the County General fund went to PH. In 2026, the County General fund contributed $100,000, despite PH asking for the same amount. Foundational Public Health Services funding does not pay for direct patient care, it pays for the infrastructure, but not the clinical hours. The local levy would build predictable, sustainable funding. The question to address now is how to do this, whether to do this, and how much to ask. It was noted that there should be a public process around this, which the Board of Health will facilitate. A lot of pressure is being put on the residents to support the County. People are facing a high cost burden, but the community is facing high needs.

Question on the county lid lift for parks and rec: It is going ahead for August. There are also considerations going on for other lifts at the county level. There was a request that everyone involved in deliberations be aware of what other entities in the county are asking for levies/lid lifts so that everyone isn’t asking at the same time and the total amount being asked becomes unsustainable for those in the community struggling to make ends meet.

It was noted that this is all coming because of cuts at the federal level. The state and county are trying to make up the difference. At the same time, federal decisions are making things more expensive for residents, so people are really feeling like they are being pinched.

PT Schools Mini Grant

Laura Tucker and PT Students for Sustainability reported on their Beach Clean-up Project on the west end. There was a mile mud trail to the beach, and there were several places on the beach where backpackers and hikers had created trash bag piles that needed to be removed. A few students had been out there with parents and had seen the trash, so they knew the trash piles existed, and that inspired the trip. The students collected 540 lbs of trash in 24 bags; much of it was styrofoam and plastic. The grant to pay for this was $2300, which covered costs completely, including the dump fee. The students had a great time, and noted that cleaning up trash doesn’t have to feel like work. This work was done under a teen resilience grant.