Board of Health and Human Services

CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM Christopher Robson, Chair Christine Petit, Member Milton Smith, Vice Chair Jody Rawles, MD, Member Sylvia Betancourt, Member Renee Simon, Member Ralph Brooks, RN, Member Silene St. Bernard, DVM, Member Menchie Caliboso, Member Sabira Tejani, MD, Member Jose Carillo, MD, Member Kelley Tenny, Member Reena Curtis, PharmD, Member Lydia Vaias, MD, Member Troy Ha, DDS, Member FINISHED AGENDA AND APPROVED MINUTES CALL TO ORDER At 7:59 a.m., Vice Chair Smith called the meeting to order. ROLL CALL Commissioners Sylvia Betancourt, Ralph Brooks, Troy Ha, Christine Petit, Jody Present: Rawles, Renee Simon, Sabira Tejani and Milton Smith Commissioners Reena Curtis, Silene St Bernard, Kelley Tenny, Lydia Vaias and Excused: Christopher Robson Commissioners Menchie Caliboso and Jose Carillo Absent: Also present: Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services; Dennis Keith, Executive Assistant; Minoli De Silva, Student, California State University Long Beach and John Kindred, Long Beach Environmental Alliance. Page 1 of 5 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. 18-018BH Recommendation to approve the minutes of the Board of Health and Human Services meeting held Friday, March 9, 2018. A motion was made by Member Tejani, seconded by Member Simon, to approve recommendation. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 8 - Sylvia Betancourt, Ralph Brooks, Troy Ha, Christine Petit, Jody Rawles, Renee Simon, Sabira Tejani and Milton Smith Excused: 5 - Reena Curtis, Silene St Bernard, Kelley Tenny, Lydia Vaias and Christopher Robson Absent: 2 - Menchie Caliboso and Jose Carillo PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Members of the public are invited to address the Board on items of interest to the public within the Agency Board jurisdiction. Each speaker will be limited to two minutes unless that time is extended by the Chair. John Kindred from the Long Beach Environmental Alliance spoke regarding the negative environmental impacts associated with improperly disposed marijuana dispensary containers being found on City beaches and parks and creating a safety hazard due to broken containers with sharp edges being found in the sand. Mr. Kindred also spoke regarding concerns for the inspection and testing of cannabis for high levels of pesticides, and issues that result from second hand smoke. REGULAR AGENDA 2. 18-019BH Recommendation to discuss Board of Health/City Leadership Relationship Building. Vice Chair Smith mentioned that the surveys approved by the Board at the March 9th meeting had been distributed to all nine of the City Council districts. Council District 1 had mentioned an interest in maintaining continued engagement. Page 2 of 5 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM Boardmember Rawles suggested the continuation of an annual face-to-face meeting with the Councilmembers and/or their staff. The Board expressed an interest in receiving advance notice of upcoming Council agenda items in order to prepare to speak on items of concern. Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services, informed the board that Council agendas are posted on the City website two weeks prior to a Council meeting date. ONGOING BUSINESS 3. 18-020BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of the City's implementation of the legalization of marijuana. Ms. Colopy informed the Board that the ordinance was still being drafted, with the anticipation that it will come back to Council within the next couple of months. The City allows for 32 Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, five dispensaries have already been approved and are in operation. Ms. Colopy mentioned that it is still illegal to dispense recreational marijuana in the City, however it is legal for citizens to grow their own within the confines of the existing law. 4. 18-021BH Recommendation to received and file an update on the status of the City's efforts to reduce the rates of HIV and STD's. Ms. Colopy informed the Board that the first phase of the HIV/STD Awareness Educational Campaign, designed by students from the ArtCenter School of Design, is scheduled to kick off towards the end of May. Phase I will consist of posters created by the art students, placed on bus shelters, Long Beach Transit busses and working with the Long Beach Unified School District. Phase I posters take a more general, educational approach to the issue. Phase II posters, which will be released later in the year, will focus more directly on individual stories of those living with a sexually transmitted disease. Ms. Colopy also informed the Board that she was taking a more active role on the HIV Planning Group. Kelly will be working with the group to come up with an action plan around specific populations on how to address HIV and STD's in the City. 5. 18-022BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of the Port of Long Beach On-Dock Rail Support Yard Project, as it relates to the Department's Multi-Service Center for the Homeless. Page 3 of 5 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM Ms. Colopy reported that the Port of Long Beach is moving forward with the project. An earlier appeal filed against the Environmental Impact Report process was reviewed and denied. Boardmember Betancourt informed the Board that the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma is implementing a Community Air Monitoring Project. Through this project, air quality monitoring equipment is provided free of charge to Long Beach residents. This equipment will take regular air samples and send air quality data to the South Coast Air Quality Management district, providing an overview of air quality through the Long Beach and South Bay area. Participation in this program is free of charge, however participants must have a wireless internet router and be willing and able to attend one or two meetings per year. The website for this program, and where data can be found, is www.purpleair.com. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT Ms. Colopy briefed the Board on the following subjects: • Items on the April 17, 2018 City Council agenda include receipt of $150,000 in grant funding from First 5 LA for the Advancing Community Health: Long Beach Trauma and Resiliency Informed Taskforce; a Memorandum of Understanding with the Milken Institute and the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine to ensure the communication and coordination necessary to research, develop, deploy and evaluate technology addressing homelessness, and the City’s ban on single-use food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, rigid polystyrene #6 and non-recyclable and non-compostable material for prepared food distribution. • The Department is currently working on the 2019 budget. Due to other City issues, there are to be no additional general fund requests. However, the Department is seeking dedicated City funding for the Office of Equity and the Language Access Program. The Board requested that a presentation on the 2019 Health Department Budget be scheduled for the May 2018 Board meeting. The Board also requested a presentation on the accomplishments to date of the Office of Equity and an update on the Language Access Program. • Ms. Colopy announced that the Department had held another successful Public Health Week Conference, with almost 500 attendees. • Ms. Colopy attended the National League of Cities Municipal Convening on Housing, Hazards and Health, April 9-10, 2018 In Kansas City, Missouri. Ms. Colopy informed the Board that two other national conferences: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) and the HUD Healthy Homes Conference were combined this year and will take place in Anaheim June 25 - 28, 2018. The City of Long Beach Lead Hazard Mitigation Program will be a focus at the conference this year, with sessions on the City’s Lead Program and tours of various sites in Long Beach Page 4 of 5 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM assisted through this program. • Ms. Colopy will be providing a bi-partisan public health training to forty new state legislators in La Jolla, California today. • The Long Beach Housing Authority has implemented the Homeless Incentive Program. This program provides additional resources including; holding fees and damage claims assistance to landlords and move-in assistance to tenants, to assist homeless individuals in search of housing, while encouraging landlords to accept subsidized people who have been issued vouchers. • An update on Community Hospital. Ms. Colopy indicated that the City’s position is to maintain the facility as an acute care center and to maintain emergency room services available there. Memorialcare indicated that they would cease operations at Community Hospital effective July 3, 2018. California State Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell has submitted a bill, AB 2591, to extend the Hospitals license for an additional five years to assist with identifying another agency willing to take over operations of the facility. The Board requested that this item be placed on Board agendas under ongoing business to allow for future discussion. CITY HEALTH OFFICER'S REPORT There was no City Health Officer's Report this month. ANNOUNCEMENTS • On April 28th, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. there will be a Prescription Drug Take Back event at Long Beach Memorial. ADJOURNMENT At 9:07 a.m., the meeting was adjourned. Note: A digital recording of this meeting will be available in the Health and Human Services Department. The City of Long Beach provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If a special accommodation is desired, or if an agenda is needed in an alternative format, please Dennis Keith, Executive Assistant, 48 hours prior to the meeting at (562) 570-4014 or (562) 570-6626 (telecommunications device for the deaf), or by email at dennis.keith@longbeach.gov. Page 5 of 5