Board of Health and Human Services

CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND WEBEX VIRTUAL MEETING HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES PHONE: 1-213-306-3065 ACCESS CODE: 146 938 6117, 7:45 AM Milton Smith, Chair Miles McNeeley, Member Silene St. Bernard, DVM, Vice Chair Christopher Robson, Member Sylvia Betancourt, Member Barbara Schwerin, Member Ralph Brooks, RN, Member Nasir Tejani, MD, FAAP, Member Reena Curtis, PharmD, Member Susan Temple, Member Manorama Gupta, MD, Member Lydia Vaias, MD, Member Troy Ha, DDS, Member FINISHED AGENDA AND DRAFT MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER At 7:50 a.m. the meeting was called to order. Chair Smith presiding. ROLL CALL Commissioners Manorama Gupta, Troy Ha, Christopher Robson, Barbara Present: Schwerin, Nasir Tejani, Lydia Vaias, Silene St Bernard and Milton Smith Commissioners Sylvia Betancourt, Reena Curtis and Miles McNeeley Excused: Commissioners Ralph Brooks and Susan Temple Absent: Also present: Kelly Colopy - Director of Health and Human Services; Dr. Anissa Davis, MD, MPH - City Health Officer; and Dennis Keith - Executive Assistant. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. 20-053BH Recommendation to approve the minutes of the Board of Health and Human Services meetings held Friday, June 12, 2020. This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. Page 1 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND WEBEX VIRTUAL MEETING HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES PHONE: 1-213-306-3065 ACCESS CODE: 146 938 6117, 7:45 AM Yes: 7 - Manorama Gupta, Troy Ha, Barbara Schwerin, Nasir Tejani, Lydia Vaias, Silene St Bernard and Milton Smith Excused: 3 - Sylvia Betancourt, Reena Curtis and Miles McNeeley Absent: 2 - Ralph Brooks and Susan Temple 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. STAFF REPORTS 2. 20-054BH 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: • Ms. Colopy had previously informed the Board that State Realignment budget shortfalls were anticipated in the amount of $850,000. Ms. Colopy informed the Board that the State will be backfilling that amount with approximately $550,000. • The City received $13 million from the County for COVID-19 surveillance, testing and contact tracing. • Ms. Colopy indicated that City budget negotiations are ongoing. • The City will be receiving $40.5 million in CARES Act funding. Approximately half of this funding will be used to offset some of the costs the City has incurred as part of its COVID-19 response. The remaining funding will be used to fund COVID-19 assistance to the community and businesses. This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. 3. 20-055BH Recommendation to receive, discuss and file a report from the City Health Officer on Communicable Disease Control activities. Page 2 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND WEBEX VIRTUAL MEETING HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES PHONE: 1-213-306-3065 ACCESS CODE: 146 938 6117, 7:45 AM Dr. Anissa Davis, City Health Officer, provided the Board with an update on the following items: • The City reported its first human case of West Nile Virus for 2020. This is only the second case of West Nile Virus reported in the State. The individual is in his 60’s and was diagnosed with neuroinvasive illness. • The Department is seeing an increase in communicable disease activity since the City’s reopening. The Department is currently investigating a hepatitis case and has reported four cases of congenital syphilis this year. • The Department has hired an additional Epidemiologist who will assist with data gathering and reporting. This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. REGULAR AGENDA 4. 20-056BH Recommendation to receive and update from the Office of Equity on the City's Reconciliation Framework. Katie Balderas, Equity Officer for the City of Long Beach, provided the Board with an update on the City’s Reconciliation Framework, a copy of which was received and filed as part of the permanent record. Ms. Balderas discussed the four main points of this framework, which include: 1. Acknowledge: Acknowledge the existence and longstanding impacts of systematic racism in America and in Long Beach. 2. Listen: Listen to community members’ accounts and experiences of inequity and harm caused by racial injustice. To date community town hall meetings and listening sessions have identified four main focus points: a. Reimagine Safety: Transform public safety and reimagine policing by decreasing investment in law enforcement and policing; redesigning police oversight and accountability through improved complaint and discipline practices; addressing police violence, systematic racism and implicit bias through improved recruitment and training; and creating community-based alternatives to police response. b. Expand Health: Advancing health equity through supporting Page 3 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND WEBEX VIRTUAL MEETING HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES PHONE: 1-213-306-3065 ACCESS CODE: 146 938 6117, 7:45 AM community-based organizations that serve the black community; growing youth programming; improving mental health services, housing, education, and other opportunities. c. Build Community Wealth: Advancing economic inclusion by increasing access to good paying jobs; developing policies to increase procurement relationships between small businesses and local government agencies; increasing access to capital; and other efforts to increase wealth and ownership in the Black community. d. Dismantle Racism in the City: Baking racial equity into everything the City does, including budget, policies, practice, programs and services. 3. Convene: Convene stakeholders to evaluate the feedback from the listening process and shape policy, budgetary, charter and programmatic reform ideas. 4. Catalyze: Catalyze action by presenting immediate, short-term, medium-term, and long-term recommendations for the City Council to consider. A brief conversation ensued, and Ms. Balderas responded to questions from the Board. This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. 5. 20-057BH Recommendation to receive an update regarding the Department's COVID-19 activities. Dr. Davis indicated that to date there have been 5,172 COVID-19 cases identified in Long Beach an increase of 254 new cases over the previous 24-hour period. There have been 141 deaths, and 87 patients are currently hospitalized. The Department is investigating 12 long-term care facilities where COVID-19 cases have been identified. Dr. Davis discussed the State stability indicators. The City currently has a positivity rate of 12.9%, up from 10.1% the week prior. Dr. Davis indicated that hospital capacity is doing well; however, we are seeing an increase in ICU and ventilator use. The City’s case rate per 100,000 population is also increasing, currently listed at 311 per 100,000. Dr. Davis indicated that demand for testing is increasing and mentioned an upcoming health order that will require health care providers to perform COVID-19 testing. Currently providers point patients to one of the City testing Page 4 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND WEBEX VIRTUAL MEETING HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES PHONE: 1-213-306-3065 ACCESS CODE: 146 938 6117, 7:45 AM locations. Dr. Davis indicated that many seeking tests in Long Beach are not from the City but are coming here from Los Angeles City and Orange County seeking a test. Ms. Colopy indicated that changes will be forthcoming that will support local residency when seeking a COVID-19 test at a City testing site. A brief discussion ensued regarding the possibility of schools reopening for the fall semester. Dr. Davis indicated that based on current infection rates she was unsure if schools would be allowed to reopen. A brief discussion ensued regarding enforcement of the State order on the wearing of masks. Ms. Colopy indicated that they City was promoting education on this issue, rather than enforcement. Boardmember Vaias discussed the need for social education and enforcement on this matter, peer to peer, rather than through law enforcement methods. This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. 6. 20-058BH Recommendation to discuss Board goals and infrastructure. There was no new information to report on this item. This BH-Agenda Item was laid over. 7. 20-059BH Recommendation to discuss reimagining City support for the Health Department. There was no new information to report on this item. This BH-Agenda Item was laid over. ONGOING BUSINESS 8. 20-060BH Recommendation to receive and file an update from the Toxic Tour Subcommittee. There was no new information to report on this item. Chair Smith suggested that the Board discuss at the August meeting how to move forward on this item given the current social distancing orders. Page 5 of 6 CITY OF LONG BEACH FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 BOARD OF HEALTH AND WEBEX VIRTUAL MEETING HUMAN SERVICES MINUTES PHONE: 1-213-306-3065 ACCESS CODE: 146 938 6117, 7:45 AM This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. 9. 20-061BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on the status of the City's implementation of the legalization of cannabis. There was no new information to report on this item. This BH-Agenda Item was laid over. 10. 20-062BH Recommendation to receive and file an update on Community Hospital. Ms. Colopy informed the Board that there was no new information to provide on this item. The new operator is currently waiting for State licensing. This BH-Agenda Item was approve recommendation. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Smith announced that the Los Angeles County HIV Commission was seeking an HIV positive consumer from Long Beach to join the Commission and urged the Board and Health Department staff to share this information along with anyone who might be interested. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2020. ADJOURNMENT At 9:43 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, at least 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