Board of Health and Human Services

CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES DEPARTMENT 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM Christopher Robson, Chair Troy Ha, DDS, Member Milton Smith, Vice Chair Jody Rawles, MD, Member Darshi Balasuriya, Member Silene St. Bernard, DVM, Member Sylvia Betancourt, Member Nasir Tejani, MD, FAAP, Member Ralph Brooks, RN, Member Lydia Vaias, MD, Member Menchie Caliboso, Member Jose Carillo, MD, Member Reena Curtis, PharmD, Member FINISHED AGENDA AND APPROVED MINUTES CALL TO ORDER At 7:54 a.m. Vice Chair Smith called the meeting to order. ROLL CALL Commissioners Darshi Balasuriya, Ralph Brooks, Jose Carillo, Reena Curtis, Present: Silene St Bernard, Nasir Tejani, Lydia Vaias and Milton Smith Commissioners Sylvia Betancourt, Menchie Caliboso, Troy Ha, Jody Rawles and Excused: Christopher Robson Also present: Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services; Anissa Davis, Md, MPH, City Health Officer; Dennis Keith, Executive Assistant; Karla Estupinian, Office of 2nd District Councilwoman Suzie Price; John Kindred, Co-Founder, Long Beach Environmental Alliance; Pam Chotiswatdi, Long Beach Collective Association; Edwin Cockrell, Co-Chair, California Planning Group; Christine Petit, Executive Director, Long Beach Forward; Nathan Rusiniak, Sutdent - CSULB and Ashley Javelosa, Student - CSULB. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. 18-058BH Recommendation to approve the minutes of the Board of Health and Human Services meeting held Friday, August 10, 2018. Page 1 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES DEPARTMENT 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM A motion was made by Member Carillo, seconded by Member St Bernard, to approve recommendation. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 8 - Darshi Balasuriya, Ralph Brooks, Jose Carillo, Reena Curtis, Silene St Bernard, Nasir Tejani, Lydia Vaias and Milton Smith Excused: 5 - Sylvia Betancourt, Menchie Caliboso, Troy Ha, Jody Rawles and Christopher Robson 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, Co-Founder of the Long Beach Environmental Alliance, spoke on the increase in trash and litter related to the legalization of marijuana in Long Beach, and the increased exposure to the second-hand smoke of marijuana users. Mr. Kindred spoke on the improper disposal of marijuana containers and on how those containers are being found in local parks and on local beaches. Mr. Kindred indicated that beach cleaning equipment can break these containers, leaving sharp edges concealed in the sand, which pose a danger to beachgoers. Edwin Cockrell, Co-Chair of the California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS, California Planning Group spoke briefly, informing the Board that the City of Long Beach was chosen to host the Fall Meeting of the Southern California Region of the State of California Office of AIDS, which will be held on October 23rd and 25th at the Airport Courtyard Marriott. He spoke on his concerns about the lack of City general funds dedicated for HIV prevention and care, especially with State and Federal funding levels being cut. Mr. Cockrell also spoke on his hopes for cultural diversity in the HIV/STD Reduction Campaign and expressed that some in the LGB community do not feel that the campaign will relate to them. REGULAR AGENDA 2. 18-059BH Recommendation to discuss the Health Department's 2019 Budget. Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services, informed the Board that the 2019 Budget was officially approved. The Health Department received structural funding for the Office of Equity; an extra $80,000 in one-time funding this year, on top of the $80,000 the Department typically receives, for a total of $160,000 for FY 19. Out of this funding it was requested that $10,000 be utilized for “native Page 2 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES DEPARTMENT 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM signage”, and that a focus and evaluation of the Language Access Program be conducted to identify its effectiveness. Ms. Colopy also indicated that during final budget negotiations Councilwoman Pearce brought forward a $200,000 ask for STD related funding for two DIS workers and some outreach funding. $30,000 was potentially identified, however funding is based on 2018 cost savings and it is uncertain if the funding will be available. Ms. Colopy took a moment to thank the Board for their engagement with the City Council as part of the Department’s Budget Process. Ms. Colopy informed the Board that regarding Homelessness, the Police Department was funded for four new Quality of Life Officers, which will help support the Health Department’s Homeless Services work, and the Fire Department was funded for a new Homeless Education and Response Team (HEART). This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. ONGOING BUSINESS 3. 18-060BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of the City's implementation of the legalization of marijuana. Ms. Colopy indicated that dispensaries were currently opening or going through the various business processes to open and City Ordinances were approved and in place. Ms. Colopy indicated that the Marijuana Education Campaign was providing an unbiased education on marijuana use and had been working with dispensaries to display appropriate educational posters, and to get information out on social media. Ms. Colopy indicated that cannabis was a part of the City’s Tobacco Ordinance, which means that wherever tobacco use is prohibited, marijuana use is also prohibited. Ms. Colopy said that the Department was currently working on applying for grant funding to strengthen enforcement of laws prohibiting smoking in public. Ms. Colopy also mentioned that built into the cannabis ordinance was a requirement for collective workers to take a bud-tender class. This would be an annual licensing requirement for all staff working in a dispensary. The Department anticipates having the classes up and running within the next six months. Page 3 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES DEPARTMENT 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM Boardmember Carrillo discussed the increased use of marijuana in schools, and Boardmember St. Bernard mentioned and increase in vaping in middle schools, and a brief discussion ensued. Ms. Colopy mentioned that the Long Beach Unified School District had contacted the Health Department regarding providing sexual health education to the school district, but that opportunities to educate on marijuana use should also be possible. The Board discussed the possibility of partnering with the Parks and Recreation Commission, as wells as the Commission on Youth and Families on an educational campaign focusing on youth tobacco and marijuana use. Ms. Colopy indicated that she would reach out to the Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine to discuss the possibility. Ms. Colopy also informed the Board that the City was currently working on crafting an ordinance on “Clean Air Dining”, which would ban smoking on all outdoor dining patios. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 4. 18-061BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of the City's efforts to reduce the rates of HIV and STDs. Dr. Anissa Davis, City Health Officer, provided the Board with a copy of an HIV/STD surveillance report, a copy of which was received and filed as part of the permanent record. Dr. Davis briefly discussed the status of the “Know More Long Beach” campaign, and indicated that educational information was currently posted at numerous locations throughout Long Beach including bars, liquor stores, adult bookstores, and at bus stops and inside LB Transit buses. Ms. Colopy took a moment to clarify that the campaign had been created by the Pasadena Design School with heavy input from Long Beach citizens. Staff from the design school spent two weeks canvassing Long Beach, speaking with all sectors of the population to gain their input and insight into the creation of this campaign. Ms. Colopy discussed that the Long Beach HIV Planning Committee is also focusing on STD’s and is developing an action plan. The Committee created six subcommittees which are each focusing on specific parts of the process to engage and educate our partners and the community. Draft goals and key action items for each of the groups are due in January 2019. Community focus groups will follow to obtain feedback, with a Long Beach-specific plan anticipated in the early summer of 2019. Boardmember Tejani inquired as to where someone from the public would go to look up information on what the Department has done, and is currently doing, in Page 4 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES DEPARTMENT 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM the efforts to reduce HIV/STD rates. Boardmember Tejani recommended that the Department look into ways of publishing information so that the public is educated on our efforts. Ms. Colopy announced that Los Angeles County is going to it’s Board to request $30 million for additional funding for STD related work. They are focusing on key areas based on their strategic plan, one of those key areas being the improvement of reimbursements through insurance companies for HIV/STD testing. The County also received an additional $7 million in funding from the State. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 5. 18-062BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of Community Hospital. Molina Wu was selected as the new operator and they are currently in negotiations regarding the services that will be offered at the facility. The intent is to maintain an emergency room at that location, backed up by 40 acute care beds. Discussions are ongoing as to the services that can be housed at the various buildings on the campus. Currently saying they will maintain 28 behavioral health beds at the location. Estimating completion and opening of the facility in January 2019. The State seismic determination is anticipated in June 2019. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 6. 18-063BH Recommendation to receive and file a report from the Director of Health and Human Services. Ms. Colopy provided a few highlights of Health Department activities over the past month, including: • The Department’s WIC programs received a $10,000 check from Rotary International for the Little by Little Program reading program, which provides free books children. • The Health Department hosted a Chinese delegation of Public Health physicians from the Henan Department of Public Health who came to learn about Health Department operations and TB control. Page 5 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES DEPARTMENT 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM • The Department received $12.3 million in State funding for homeless services. The City is looking to purchase a year-round, low-barrier shelter and to purchase a secure storage facility for the storage of homeless individual’s belongings while they are seeking assistance. The Department is also looking into a Safe Parking program which will allow individuals to sleep in their cars in a secure location and receive case management services until they are ready to transition into housing. • Department is also working on a program to deal with the issue of the improper disposal of needles. A group will be pulled together to look into a comprehensive strategy which may involve the installation of strategically located safe disposal boxes, or possibly the concept of a needle exchange program. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 7. 18-064BH Recommendation to receive and file a report from the City Health Officer. Dr. Davis announced that the Health Department will be holding a drive through flu vaccination point of dispensing clinic on Saturday, October 27th, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Veteran’s Stadium, and announced the schedule of 2018 flu clinics that will be held at various locations throughout the City. ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Colopy announced that also on October 27th, there will be a drug take-back event for unwanted and expired medications at Long Beach Memorial Hospital from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ADJOURNMENT At 8:58 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 contact 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 6 of 6