Board of Health and Human Services

CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND CALL-IN MEETING ONLY HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES (NO IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE) PHONE: 1-408-418-9388 ACCESS CODE: 961 354 438, 7:45 AM Milton Smith, Chair Miles McNeeley, Member Silene St. Bernard, DVM, Vice Chair Jody Rawles, MD, Member Sylvia Betancourt, Member Christopher Robson, Member Ralph Brooks, RN, Member Barbara Schwerin, Member Reena Curtis, PharmD, Member Nasir Tejani, MD, FAAP, Member Manorama Gupta, MD, Member Susan Temple, Member Troy Ha, DDS, Member Lydia Vaias, MD, Member FINISHED AGENDA AND DRAFT MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER At 7:45 a.m. the meeting was called to order. Chair Smith presiding. ROLL CALL Commissioners Sylvia Betancourt, Ralph Brooks, Reena Curtis, Manorama Present: Gupta, Miles McNeeley, Jody Rawles, Christopher Robson, Barbara Schwerin, Nasir Tejani, Susan Temple, Lydia Vaias, Silene St Bernard and Milton Smith Commissioners Troy Ha Absent: Also present: Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services; Anissa Davis, MD, MPH - City Health Officer; Dennis Keith, Executive Assistant; and Karla Estupinian, Office of 2nd District Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. 20-027BH Recommendation to approve the minutes of the Board of Health and Human Services meetings held Friday, March 13, 2020. Page 1 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND CALL-IN MEETING ONLY HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES (NO IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE) PHONE: 1-408-418-9388 ACCESS CODE: 961 354 438, 7:45 AM A motion was made by Vice Chair St Bernard, seconded by Member Schwerin, to approve recommendation. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 13 - Sylvia Betancourt, Ralph Brooks, Reena Curtis, Manorama Gupta, Miles McNeeley, Jody Rawles, Christopher Robson, Barbara Schwerin, Nasir Tejani, Susan Temple, Lydia Vaias, Silene St Bernard and Milton Smith Absent: 1 - Troy Ha 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 comment. EXECUTIVE STAFF REPORTS 2. 20-028BH Recommendation to receive, discuss and file a report from the Director of Health and Human Services. Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services, provided the Board with an update on the following items: • Reminded the Board that the Department would have been celebrating 2020 National Public Health Week this week, had the COVID-19 Pandemic not changed the Department’s plans. • The City opened a Rapid Assessment Clinic at the Long Beach City College Pacific Coast Campus. This clinic takes some of the burden from local Emergency Rooms. Drive through COVID-19 testing is also available to individuals meeting testing criteria and who have scheduled an appointment. • A field hospital has been established at the Long Beach Convention Center. The site is on standby pending the need for additional hospital beds. • The City opened two additional homeless shelters which are currently operating Page 2 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND CALL-IN MEETING ONLY HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES (NO IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE) PHONE: 1-408-418-9388 ACCESS CODE: 961 354 438, 7:45 AM at approximately 60% capacity. • The City is currently negotiating contracts with local hotels to provide housing for homeless individuals requiring isolation. To date, no homeless individuals have tested positive for COVID-19. • Department staff in the WIC program are seeing increased demand for participation in the WIC program, and Environmental Health Staff are working in the community to educate businesses and farmer’s markets to ensure compliance with COVID-19 essential business and social distancing guidelines. Brief conversations ensued regarding: • The possibility of enforcing homeless individuals to utilize available shelters, and the need to minimize jail overcrowding by releasing misdemeanor offenders. • Translation of COVID-19 materials and information the City releases. • An increase in domestic violence calls related to shelter in-place orders. • Reinforcement of social distancing guidelines for essential businesses to ensure compliance. Chair Smith informed the Board of a recent conversation he had with the Mayor regarding the historically low financial support the City has provided to the Health Department, which seriously impacts the Department’s ability to respond to public health emergencies, like the COVID-19 Pandemic. Chair Smith requested Board members to provide him with a list of associations Board members are currently connected to at the federal or State level, or any medical groups or associations they may be a part of. A comprehensive list will then be created which can provide elected officials with insight into those agency connections each Board member has. This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. 3. 20-029BH Recommendation to receive, discuss and file a report from the City Health Officer on Communicable Disease Control activities. There was no communicable disease control report this month. Dr. Davis provided her report as part of Agenda Item #5 on COVID-19 activities. Page 3 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND CALL-IN MEETING ONLY HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES (NO IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE) PHONE: 1-408-418-9388 ACCESS CODE: 961 354 438, 7:45 AM This BH-Agenda Item was received and filed. REGULAR AGENDA 4. 20-030BH Recommendation to discuss Board goals and infrastructure. Chair Smith discussed creating a support/best practice guide for elected officials on how to interact with the Board of Health. The Board discussed that meetings to date have been held with Council districts 2, 3 and 5. Chair Smith encouraged Board members to attempt to reach out to their assigned Council members. The Board discussed and confirmed the following Council assignments: • Mayor’s Office - Board member Schwerin • District 1 - Board member Gupta • District 2 - Board member Smith • District 3 - Board member Tejani • District 4 - Board member St. Bernard (Board member Curtis as backup) • District 5 - Board member Temple • District 6 - Board member Vaias • District 7 - Board member Betancourt • District 8 - Board member Rawles • District 9 - Board member Brooks This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. 5. 20-031BH Recommendation to receive an update regarding the Department's COVID-19 activities. Dr. Anissa Davis, City Health Officer, provided the Board with an update on the City’s COVID-19 response as follows: • Currently there are 314 COVID-19 cases in the City, with 9 deaths, primarily associated with long-term care facilities. • Currently there are 8 long-term care facilities where COVID-19 is present with a total of 53 cases consisting of both residents and staff. State Department of Page 4 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND CALL-IN MEETING ONLY HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES (NO IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE) PHONE: 1-408-418-9388 ACCESS CODE: 961 354 438, 7:45 AM Public Health representatives are currently working with these facilities to provide guidance. Department staff are also providing guidance and personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies. The challenge resides with Assisted Living Facilities, where communal living arrangements for meals and activities are typical. • Also discussed the challenge of ever-increasing workloads associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic, as their workload is typically doubling every five days. • Dr. Davis will be revising her health order to include the requirement of wearing a cloth face covering to essential businesses as well as in public when in contact with other people. Maintaining all the previous social distancing requirements is also required. The order will allow essential businesses to deny services to any individual not complying with the order. A brief discussion ensued regarding COVID-19 data capture and reporting. The Board also inquired about any needed resources or assistance that the Board may be able to provide. A brief discussion also ensued regarding serology testing to identify COVID-19 antibodies among the population. Dr. Davis indicated that the current tests available were not designed to specifically identify COVID-19 antibodies, and therefore could provide false positive information. It was also discussed that individuals testing positive for Coronavirus antibodies could incorrectly assume they are immune, which could result in individuals forgoing social distancing protocols and potentially contracting or spreading the virus. This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. ONGOING BUSINESS 6. 20-032BH Recommendation to receive and file an update from the Toxic Tour Subcommittee. There was no new information to provide on this item. This BH-Agenda Item was laid over. 7. 20-033BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of the City's implementation of the legalization of cannabis. Page 5 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND CALL-IN MEETING ONLY HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES (NO IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE) PHONE: 1-408-418-9388 ACCESS CODE: 961 354 438, 7:45 AM There was no new information to provide on this item. This BH-Agenda Item was laid over. 8. 20-034BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on Community Hospital. Chair Smith spoke briefly regarding his conversation with the Mayor, and his mention of Boardmember Rawles suggestion to utilize Community Hospital as part of the COVID-19 response. This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. ANNOUNCEMENTS • Board member Curtis offered her assistance to house-confined Board members with any grocery shopping they might need help with. • Board member St. Bernard offered assistance/guidance on any pet-related questions. • Chair Smith urged the Board to stay informed with City, State and Federal updates related to the COVID-19 response. ADJOURNMENT At 9:31 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 the 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