Board of Health and Human Services

CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND LONG BEACH HEALTH AND HUMAN HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES SERVICES 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 DRAFT MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER At 7:55 a.m., Chair Robson called the meeting to order. ROLL CALL Commissioners Darshi Balasuriya, Sylvia Betancourt, Ralph Brooks, Menchie Present: Caliboso, Jose Carillo, Troy Ha, Jody Rawles, Silene St Bernard, Nasir Tejani, Lydia Vaias, Milton Smith and Christopher Robson Commissioners Reena Curtis Excused: Also present: Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services; Anissa Davis, MD, MPH, City Health Officer; Lara Turnbull, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Officer; Eipryl Tello, Tobacco Education Program Coordinator; Dennis Keith, Executive Assistant; Julia Katz, Office of the City Manager; John Kindred, Co-Founder, Long Beach Environmental Alliance; Nicholle Salvatierra and Mark Lindahl, Students - California State University Long Beach. Page 1 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND LONG BEACH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. 18-065BH Recommendation to approve the minutes of the Board of Health and Human Services meeting held Friday, September 14, 2018. A motion was made by Member Carillo, seconded by Member Vaias, to approve recommendation. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 12 - Darshi Balasuriya, Sylvia Betancourt, Ralph Brooks, Menchie Caliboso, Jose Carillo, Troy Ha, Jody Rawles, Silene St Bernard, Nasir Tejani, Lydia Vaias, Milton Smith and Christopher Robson Excused: 1 - Reena Curtis 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. There was no public participation. REGULAR AGENDA Boardmembers Tejani and Betancourt joined the meeting at 7:56 a.m. Boardmembers Vaias and Ha joined the meeting at 7:58 a.m. Chair Robson requested that the City Health Officer’s Report be moved up on the agenda to preceed agenda item 1. Page 2 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND LONG BEACH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM 7. 18-071BH Recommendation to receive and file a report from the City Health Officer. Dr. Anissa Davis, City Health Officer, provided the Board with a brief update on the following items: • A current outbreak of shigella occurring among the City’s homeless population. Shigellosis is an infectious disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. Most who are infected with Shigella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps starting a day or two after they are exposed to the bacteria. Shigellosis usually resolves in 5 to 7 days. Some people who are infected may have no symptoms at all but may still pass the Shigella bacteria to others. The spread of Shigella can be stopped by frequent and careful handwashing with soap and taking other hygiene measures. Health Department staff are currently canvassing the area providing safety information to those at-risk, and providing guidance to Parks, Recreation and Marine staff on precautionary measures and sanitation. • A current significant uptick in typhus cases in the State of California. Currently there have been 12 cases in long beach, significantly more than in previous years. In LA County those affected are primarily within the homeless population. Dr. Davis indicated that one possible reason for the higher numbers in Long Beach this year could be due to the fact that local outbreaks are occurring within families. Staff are currently conducting educational outreach to the community. Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services, added that Los Angeles County was looking to collaborate with the City of Long Beach and Pasadena on this response, and was also looking into the purchase and distribution of flea collars to low-income families with pets, who may not be able to afford flea prevention medications. • Aedes mosquito activity has increased significantly everywhere in Long Beach, and there has been increased press coverage lately on the subject of this mosquito. Vector control is continuing its efforts to monitor, trap and test mosquitos for potential disease, and to treat potential hotspots and breeding areas in an attempt to keep the aedes population in check. Education to the public is ongoing, as property owners play a significant role in ensuring that breeding areas on their properties are eliminated. Ms. Colopy discussed the recent City Council approval for the Health Department to look into the potential of creating a vector control district, where a small parcel tax would be approved to fund vector control activities in Long Beach that are currently conducted without any dedicated funding source. Boardmember Caliboso joined the meeting at 8:14 a.m. Page 3 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND LONG BEACH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 2. 18-066BH Recommendation to receive and file an update from the Tobacco Education Program. Eipryl Tello, Tobacco Education Program Coordinator, provided a presentation to the Board on the Tobacco Education Program and Smoke-Free Parks, a copy of which was received and filed as part of the permanent record. Ms. Tello spoke on the two current priorities: Tobacco Education and Cannabis Education, and reviewed the current Long Beach No Smoking Ordinance, which includes the use of tobacco, cannabis and vaping. Ms. Tello discussed the founding principal of tobacco control laws, and the Health Department’s enforcement protocol. Ms. Tello also discussed community-identified opportunities for increased compliance with the no-smoking ordinance, which include bus stops, parks and beaches. Ms. Tello indicated that the number one community-identified priority was smoking at bus stops and indicated that public opinion and observational surveys had been conducted to identify the scope of the problem. These include exposure to second-hand smoke and litter related to the improper disposal of cigarette butts. Ms. Tello also discussed the history of the Smoke-Free Parks policy, which was passed by the City Council in 2010, and showcased some of the park-focused activities conducted by the Tobacco Education program to train Parks, Recreation and Marine staff and provide community education and park clean up events. Ms. Tello concluded her presentation with a discussion of opportunities and potential partnerships to address the smoking in parks issue, and the related litter associated with smoking and cannabis use in parks. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. ONGOING BUSINESS 3. 18-067BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of the City's implementation of the legalization of marijuana. Ms. Colopy provided a brief update on Health Department activities including GreenlightLB, a Health Department campaign that provides an unbiased and trusted resource for health and safety information related to cannabis. Ms. Colopy mentioned that there are currently ten licensed collectives within the City. Ms. Colopy and Lara Turnbull, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Officer, provided a brief discussion on upcoming budtender classes, currently being developed, that will be an annual requirement for staff working in a collective. Page 4 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND LONG BEACH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM Boardmember Tejani exited the meeting at 8:59 a.m. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 4. 18-068BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of the City's efforts to reduce the rates of HIV and STDs. Ms. Colopy informed the Board that the Department had released the HIV/STD Surveillance Annual Report, and that the report was also posted on the Department’s website. Ms. Colopy also mentioned that the HIV Planning Group has broken down into subcommittees working on components of the action plan. It is anticipated that a draft of the plan will be ready in January 2019, which will then be presented to focus groups for review and to identify what’s working, what isn’t and to refine the plan to align resources and efforts. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 5. 18-069BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on Community Hospital. Negotiations continue and are still on-track for a January opening. Weekly meetings continue to work through all the various pieces related to the sites operation. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 6. 18-070BH Recommendation to receive and file a report from the Director of Health and Human Services. Ms. Colopy provided a brief report on the following items: • The official release of the Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan was held on October 4th at an event held at the Long Beach Day Nursery. The Plan was created to ensure all families and young children across the City have equitable access to the programs and resources they seek or could benefit from, as well as to provide a roadmap for the City’s Early Childhood System to continue to advance and promote access to high-quality services and support for all families. The City is only one of a few California cities to have a comprehensive Plan. • The Age Well Consortium is meeting to discuss issues related to older adults and develop action items around health, transportation, quality of life and safety. Page 5 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018 BOARD OF HEALTH AND LONG BEACH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES 2525 GRAND AVENUE, ROOM 201, 7:45 AM • The Everyone Home Long Beach Taskforce continues to meet to discuss homeless services, and issues related homelessness and housing for older adults and youth aging out of the foster care system. • Health and Human Services ongoing construction, including the lobby renovation at the Main Health Facility, and the building renovation at the North Facility Center. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. ANNOUNCEMENTS There were no announcements. ADJOURNMENT At 9:06 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 call 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