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 December 17, 2019 MEETING MINUTES Meeting Call to Order – 5:44 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 Horace H. Henry Tobbia M. Corbitt Deanna Phillips Angela Jones-Williams – absent Council Liaison: Leneus Bergson - absent Board of Health Counsel: Joseph Campbell, Attorney assigned to the Board of Health Health Department Staff: Dr. Griffith, HHS Director Victor Kuteyi, Health Officer Mayoral Staff: None Public in attendance: None Approval of October 15, 2019, Meeting Minutes: Approval unanimous Announcements President Harris: 1. Walked in October’s 6th Annual Pink Out of the Oranges Walk. 2. Attended the League of Municipalities Conference on November 20th. In a joint session of the NJDOH and NJACCHO, spoke at the conference with Ms. Judith Persichilli, Acting Commissioner of the NJ Department of Health. Commissioner Persichilli gave a great 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 December 17, 2019 MEETING MINUTES presentation on the Overall Status of Public Health In NJ. Mrs. Corbitt and her husband and Dr. Griffith were in attendance. President Harris thanked them for being there in support. NJACCHO sponsored a legislative luncheon at the Tropicana Hotel which hosted several NJ Legislators. 3. NJLBH Association held its annual dinner in December. Nurse Karen LaRussa received Health Educator of the Year Award; Senator Richard Singer, Vice-Chair of Ocean County Health Department was the recipient of the Outstanding BOH Member of the Year Award; and Assemblyman Herb Conoway, physician and lawyer who sponsored legislation on many public health issues, received Legislator of the Year Award. The event was wonderful with a great turnout. 4. Have not had a conversation with Council President James, regarding the BOH's autonomy. President Harris will reach out to him. 5. President Harris disclosed a recent legislative hearing on bill S2173 which clarifies vaccination exemptions. Currently, she is not aware of the outcome, but she is hoping they provide closure to the nuances as detailed within previous bills. Director Griffith Updates: Newly Appointed Essex County Health Officer Dr. Griffith and HO Kuteyi met with Ms. Maria Lordo, the newly appointed Essex County Health Officer to explore developing a collaborative partnership. Homelessness Initiative Dr. Griffith - Homelessness Meetings: The final draft of a five-year plan to address homelessness within the City, was created by a subset of the larger group and will be presented at the next meeting. Among the contributors are Isaiah House, Sierra House, Family Intervention Services, EOGH, Public Safety, Mental Health Associations of Essex and Morris, Tender Loving Totes, County Division of Community Action, and others. Those organizations assist persons who are homeless or require support. Some can articulate the challenges encountered and detail their experiences with living in a homeless shelter; and, some can advocate for themselves despite having anxiety and other diagnoses. The task force developed a greater understanding of the challenges of the homeless and these items will be finalized and presented to the Council and the Mayor for adoption, following which we can transition from a task force into a coalition and start doing the work. 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 December 17, 2019 MEETING MINUTES There are numerous agencies/organizations, operating in Newark, with creative methods of support for the homeless and are eager to offer similar services for the homeless in East Orange. An agency was located that provides mobile showers for the homeless. Homelessness Resource Guide We developed 2 versions of a local homelessness resource guide. One version is a pocket guide format for the consumer, and the other is a booklet for the provider. Both will be printed in English and Spanish. The first draft version will be printed by January 2020 and will be sent to the agencies for their review before continuing. Health Officer Kuteyi Updates: Mold Ordinance The first reading of the revised mold ordinance occurred in November 2019. Mold Licensure Inspectors within the Health Department and Property Maintenance attended a certificate course and one general knowledge course. The Health Department has begun the process of obtaining licenses by submitting documentation to the National Asbestos & Environmental Training Institute (NAETI) which is the entity that holds the certification. Upon approval from NAETI, the Health Department Inspectors will have the ability to apply for licenses from NY state. Currently, NY is the only state within the tri-state area that has a mold ordinance and licensure. Immunization HO Kuteyi had a preliminary discussion with Mr. Robert Ankrah, nursing division, to gauge the deficiency of patrons who wish to obtain the flu shot. The Nursing Division hopes we can immunize patrons of the local churches who may otherwise be too afraid to come forward due to documentation issues. The pastors will allow us an opportunity to address this population without fear of retaliation and possibly provide vaccinations in the church. The possibility of immunizing homeless persons without insurance was also discussed. Attorney Campbell Updates: Attorney Campbell presented Barbershop and Body Art ordinances, signed by the BOH, which were never presented at Council meetings. The dates need to be revised so they may be presented to City Council. 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 December 17, 2019 MEETING MINUTES Related to the fees associated with the Mercantile License, Dr. Griffith wanted to clarify any confusion relating to how the license is supposed to be used especially since she is presenting new ordinances that involve fees. Health Department Staff: Ms. Blue - WIC Program Manager: Ms. Blue acknowledged she also attended the NJLBH Association’s dinner and enjoyed the ceremony immensely. Ms. Blue stated the WIC division is focusing on outreach efforts to boost their clientele base and a new breastfeeding plan to increase breastfeeding rates for the program. Ms. Blue stated plans to relocate for the East Orange WIC office have been put on hold; however, they will need to find a new locale for the Montclair office. The Montclair office currently has 3 staff members utilizing the space, but the United Way building is under renovation. She has identified at least three churches who may be willing to allow the use of their space every Monday. Ms. Blue expressed the need to keep the Montclair office open as it is convenient for residents in that community. President Harris asked if United Way will allow us to occupy the space once renovations are completed. Ms. Blue stated United Way has agreed to allow them to use the space, but they may expect us to pay rent once the renovations are complete. Currently, United Way is allowing WIC to occupy the space in kind. Open Discussion: Trustee Phillips indicated she shared the videos from Creative Spirits with Ms. Ramsey of Langston Hughes. Ms. Ramsey is very interested in participating and will connect with Ms. Shareef to establish the ability to host the skits at Langston Hughes as opposed to the Civic Center. It was determined that Ms. Ramsey may need additional support to host the skits at her school and other minute details needed to be worked out before any skit performances. She also had an informal conversation with Councilman Leneus and Tony Jackson who seemed to like the idea of these videos. Trustee Phillips attended a vaping seminar/workshop at Rutgers, which was very informative, and Rutgers is also on board to participate in our forum. Trustee Corbitt contacted Ms. Blythe of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to gauge their interest in participating in our E-Cig /vaping forum. Ms. Blythe informed her their organization exists nationally and regionally and their regional office is in Edison, NJ. Their focus has been advocating, education and awareness. Ms. Blythe stated they are interested in participation and asked that we submit materials regarding the forum. The Campaign will send us literature to disseminate amongst participants of our forum. The BOH will ask Mayor Green to promote the forum at his State of the City address in February 2020. Further 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 December 17, 2019 MEETING MINUTES discussions were held surrounding the month (February or March), day of the week and a location with parking, good lighting, visibility, space-seating, and a stage. Attorney Campbell and Director Griffith on NY Relocation Program The BOH asked questions relating to New York City’s responsibility to East Orange and surrounding municipalities where transitioning families were relocated. Trustee Corbitt asked if there is an ordinance or some documentation that can be implemented to prevent this situation from recurring, especially where landlords are paid a year in advance, yet not providing a habitable space for those who have relocated? There was extensive discussion regarding family case management, condition of potential housing and HIPAA regulations; the need to establish a conversation between the NYC and EO agencies on sharing pertinent data to ensure relocation success; and, because of no communication, NY was absolving themselves from any responsibility for what happens to those residents after the relocation. Attorney Campbell stated the input of the BOH, and the Health Department is being utilized to create an ordinance that aims to protect transitioning persons and hold those entities accountable. Vice-President Henry asked if the persons being relocated were employed. Dr. Griffith stated a portion of the screening requires that those being relocated must have employment to qualify for the program, they just needed a chance to get on their feet. Other President Harris asked if a food vendor will be occupying the space vacated by Western Beef. Dr. Griffith stated the land is privately owned and we have not been made aware of any additional plans at this time. HO Kuteyi stated there was an attempt to have another grocery store in lieu of an apartment building, but we have not been made aware of any formal plans. Dr. Griffith concurred she initiated a conversation with Policy and Planning and Councilman Gomez to ascertain how and where another grocery store can be established in the area to serve residents. Dr. Griffith followed up with Councilman Gomez where it was determined a possibility of the smaller grocery chain may be interested in coming to the vicinity. President Harris inquired about the status of the new administrator for the Lead Hazard Control (LHCHH) Program. Dr. Griffith stated the new program is going well with Mr. Salaam as the coordinator and they are partnering with the Lead (CLEP) program internally. pg. 5 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 December 17, 2019 MEETING MINUTES Currently, their focus is to bring awareness via outreach and determine how to market the program more effectively. We have reviewed some agencies that may be able to assist us with launching a marketing campaign for this program. Mr. Salaam recently returned from the new HUD grantee orientation in Texas and was able to obtain the same information afforded to Dr. Griffith during her conference in Minnesota and established relationships with various states and municipalities that will serve us well. At the conclusion of Board business, President Harris adjourned the meeting at 7:18 pm. Respectfully submitted, Jo-Ann Mills Board Clerk pg. 6