Board of Health

City of East Orange EAST ORANGE BOARD OF HEALTH NEW JERSEY REGULAR MEETING East Orange Department of Health & Human Services 143 New Street East Orange, New Jersey 07017 May 21, 2019 MEETING MINUTES Meeting Call to Order – 5:40 PM Board President Christine Harris read the following Sunshine Law: This meeting, which conforms to the provisions of the Open Public Meeting Act, Chapter 231, and Public Law of 1975 is a regular meeting of the City of East Orange Board of Health. Notices have been filed with our official newspaper, with the City Clerk and posted on regular bulletin boards. The public is permitted to participate at this meeting. After the roll call, it was determined there was a quorum to convene the meeting. Board Members Present: Christine Harris, President Tobbia M. Corbitt - Horace H. Henry Deanna Phillips - absent Angela Jones- Williams - absent Board of Health Counsel: Joseph Campbell, Attorney assigned to the Board of Health Health Department Staff: Dr. Monique Griffith, Director of Health and Human Services Victor Kuteyi, Health Officer Mayoral Staff: Ajah Baldwin, Office of the Mayors Public in attendance: None Approval of April 16, 2019 Meeting Minutes: Approval unanimous Announcements President Harris: 1. Distributed the Orientation Manual for Local Boards of Health, and anticipates a meeting in the future with Mayor Green to discuss Board autonomy. 2. Announced that Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal will be leaving the DOH to assume the position of President and CEO at Newark University Hospital. The exact date of his departure is unknown. President Harris highly complimented him on his accomplishments at the DOH and wished him much success and best wishes going forward. pg. 1 City of East Orange EAST ORANGE BOARD OF HEALTH NEW JERSEY REGULAR MEETING East Orange Department of Health & Human Services 143 New Street East Orange, New Jersey 07017 May 21, 2019 MEETING MINUTES 3. Requested members to cast their ballots for NJLBHA Executive Board positions and encouraged members to attend the Annual Election and Educational Seminar that will be held at the Middlesex Fire Academy in Sayreville, NJ on June 29th. NJDOH Commissioner, Director of the Office of Local Public Health and the Executive Director of GASP were invited. This event will provide needed educational credit for board members and provide an opportunity to network with other board members across the state. 4. Inquired if BOH members had received and completed their financial disclosures for 2019. All members indicated that the disclosures were received after the due date of April 30th and therefore the City should not be penalized. 5. President Harris announced the 3rd Annual East Orange Baby Shower will be held on June 22nd and asked members to support and contribute to the event as they did last year. The deadline for donations is May 31st. Dr. Monique Griffith, Director – Updates: Pulse BLS Data Updates Director Griffith provided clarification of Pulse data received at the OEM call center indicating that the discrepancy was due to the number of calls received versus the number of calls needing a response. Moving forward the OEM Department will implement protocols allowing for detailed tracking so that we have the exact number of constituents served. EMS Bids Update Currently, Pulse was the only EMS vendor to respond but we are working quickly in trying to secure other bids. In the interim, Pulse will continue providing EMS coverage. In response to Trustee Corbitt’s inquiry, Attorney Campbell explained the bidding process, how bids are accepted and justifications for bid rejection. Homelessness Initiative Updates The data collection tool is still in the development stage and will identify services provided in the boarding homes and their daily structure. Staff working on this initiative now consist of two with social work background and one without. Director Griffith is hopeful within the next week or, so they will have a solid tool ready for use. Director Griffith, in anticipation that data collection and processing may exceed current staff’s ability, began discussions with individuals having local and county community contacts who can assist in this endeavor. Partnering with other organizations may be a possibility. Director Griffith stated the project is more than they anticipated but outside assistance affords her and the team time to generate solutions to appropriately address the issue. pg. 2 City of East Orange EAST ORANGE BOARD OF HEALTH NEW JERSEY REGULAR MEETING East Orange Department of Health & Human Services 143 New Street East Orange, New Jersey 07017 May 21, 2019 MEETING MINUTES CACFP/Nutrition Program Updates The remaining CACFP staff is currently focused on closing out the program. The State has provided guidance as to which files need to be retained or destroyed and it is an intensive process. We may not need to utilize our off-site storage facility at this time. President Harris asked if we have taken any action regarding the preservation of very old fragile documents retained in our Vital Statistics Department. Director Griffith indicated that there is a company that has the capability to do this and it is something being looked into. The current focus is to administrate the new HUD grant. Development and stabilization of the grant will demonstrate to the State our qualification to manage additional grant funding in the future. Postponing the initiation of obtaining a grant for the Senior Citizens food program will allow us to properly research the type of grant needed and apply for the appropriate grant. HUD Lead Grant Updates Director Griffith attended the HUD Lead Grant Conference in Minnesota the second week of May. The $1.3 million grant will assist with lead abatement and home remediation. The conference was well attended and detailed the local and regional contacts that will assist us with implementing this grant. The grant also allows resources for funds to be used for community education and to support outreach. In consort with the Lead Program, we are working aggressively to structure the grant and utilize existing resources. Further discussion included: available support by regional grantees; retention; and the process of assisting eligible candidates based on HUD guidelines. In September 2019, the grant funding cycle will renew, and HUD is looking for new grantees who qualify for additional grants. Director Griffith anticipates hiring a Program Manager, who will be responsible for working directly with HUD and handling required documentation with support from existing staff. Hiring will be done externally as the position requires expertise with HUD and as per grant requirements. In addition, we may need to employ a part-time lead inspector to ensure efficiency while providing services. Mr. Victor Kuteyi, Health Officer – Updates: Multicultural Conference Victor shared the Multicultural Conference took place on April 18th at Montclair State University. WIC Relocation Grant Updates Health Officer Kuteyi indicated that Ms. Blue applied for a $30,000 grant and we are waiting for results. The grant would provide funding to remodel the space for the planned new WIC site. The Health Department recently submitted payment to retain office space being utilized by the Lead Program and to move forward with obtaining a second space for WIC. Health and Education Updates HO Kuteyi detailed his anticipation in reorganizing the Health and Education Team. pg. 3 City of East Orange EAST ORANGE BOARD OF HEALTH NEW JERSEY REGULAR MEETING East Orange Department of Health & Human Services 143 New Street East Orange, New Jersey 07017 May 21, 2019 MEETING MINUTES Director Griffith spoke about upcoming events: The Men’s Health Conference at Senior Services, the first week of June; and The Utilization Wellness Wednesdays which highlight individuals and organizations with resources in East Orange and within the Health Department. Public Information has been wonderful in providing us with the support to brand Wellness Wednesdays and adopt creative means of getting information out. Attorney Campbell - Updates: Mold Ordinance Updates Attorney Campbell extensively discussed all issues surrounding the proposed ordinance on mold remediation and the role of the Health Department and Property Maintenance. Presentation of Ordinances Attorney Campbell modified the dates on all ordinances that were in limbo from the previous year. Those ordinances will be presented at the next City Council Meeting. Open Discussion: Trustee Corbitt asked about the outcome of the Health Department’s submission into the Poster contest. HO Kuteyi stated we did not enter a poster in the contest and he is unaware of who won. Trustee Corbitt asked if East Orange supports sidewalk dining. HO Kuteyi stated that at this time we do not have an ordinance supporting sidewalk dining, but it is something that can be implemented in select locales. Restaurants located in neighborhoods such as Brick Church, Central Avenue, Evergreen Place to South Harrison Avenue may have outdoor seating since they have front of store areas that can accommodate outdoor seating. Trustee Corbitt asked what is the procedure to arrange for restaurant outdoor seating. Health Officer Kuteyi explained the steps for a business to acquire outdoor seating: first, an ordinance allowing outdoor seating has to be in place; second, zoning would have to approve the ordinance and designate particular areas; and third, once zoning selects an area only stores operating within those areas will be allowed to have outdoor seating. Trustee Corbitt brought to our attention that a resident believed a foreign object (fingernail) was in the prepared food purchase. The resident was informed to contact HO Kuteyi, who addressed the issue by obtaining the specimen, whereupon review with Department REHS, it was determined to be a portion of a broken chicken bone. Health Officer Kuteyi contacted the Sani-Pure Food Laboratories to determine if they could identify the specimen but was informed they only identify specimens at the microbial level. HO Kuteyi suggested in case of future issues such as this we should purchase a microscope to review specimens that are contaminants of a physical nature. President Harris attended an event and met a vendor specializing in mold remediation with certification credentials. The gentleman explained NJ does recognize his certification. HO Kuteyi stated he may have received his credentials from an organization called NewCorp. NewCorp specializes in lead remediation programs and training and their certification pg. 4 City of East Orange EAST ORANGE BOARD OF HEALTH NEW JERSEY REGULAR MEETING East Orange Department of Health & Human Services 143 New Street East Orange, New Jersey 07017 May 21, 2019 MEETING MINUTES programs are recognized by the state. Director Griffith clarified NewCorp can offer the training and model their efforts after NY State, but it’s not truly recognized by NJ because there’s no standard that exists. President Harris indicated she would forward the vendor information. At the conclusion of Board business, President Harris adjourned the meeting at 7:17 pm. Respectfully submitted, Jo-Ann Mills Board Clerk pg. 5