Board of Health

Skokie Board of Health Thursday, September 9, 2021 7:00 PM Police Department Training Room 7300 Niles Center Rd, Skokie, IL 60077 MINUTES Present: Chair: Dr. William Werner; BOH Members: Dr. Bruce Gaynes, Margaret Keeler, Dr. Girija Kalyan Kumar, Dr. Edward Linn, Dr. Rohit Pandya, Dr. Romil Sood, Patricia Urbanus, Irtaza Usman, Dr. Michael Vernon, Sibyl Yau; Board of Health, Emeritus: Dr. Michael Drachler; Trustee Liaison James Johnson; Staff: Mike Charley Not Present/Excused: BOH Members: Dr. Swapna Dave, Juliet Haido, Maureen Hanlon, Heidi Nickisch Duggan, Dr. Jeremy Swartz, Dr. Kyungran Shim, Ruth Varma, Dr. Larry Williams; Trustee Liaison Keith Robinson; Staff: Bruce Jones, Sue ReisbergCall to Order@ 7:00 pm. I. Approval of Agenda: Agenda Approved II. Approval of Minutes: June 10, 2021: Approved III. Chair’s Report, Dr. Werner: Dr. Werner communicated that he and Mike Charley participated in the Village Board meeting last night and both presented the Board of Health’s flavored vaping/e-cigarette ban recommendation to the Village Board. Dr. Werner communicated that the trustees voted unanimously for the Village to move forward with amending the ordinance to ban the sale of flavored vaping/e-cigarettes. Dr. Werner said that Mayor Van Dusen communicated that banning the sale of menthol cigarettes should be considered by the Board of Health and Village Board at a future date. Dr. Werner shared that vaccination records from the State’s ICARE database are available to individuals through the State of Illinois VaxVerify system. He described the process, but communicated he was able to register and get his records. Dr. Werner communicated that the Health and Human Services Department sent out a thank you letter to MRC members that have assisted with the COVID-19 campaign. Included with the letter was a nice frameable certificate and a COVID Response Team patch. IV. Director’s Monthly Report, Mike Charley Mike Charley presented information via a PowerPoint on COVID-19 updates. The presentation included information on Skokie community transmission rates, COVID-19 data, vaccine updates and Skokie COVID-19 vaccination percentages by zip code. Dr. Linn inquired whether the HHS Department had more detailed case data on Skokie residents under the age of 12, including cases by age and possibly over time. Mike responded that he did not have the data for this meeting, however data is available. Dr. Linn communicated that he had viewed other COVID-19 studies that have shown that Moderna is outperforming Pfizer with regard to breakthrough cases. The studies he  has viewed would support the Skokie breakthrough data that Mike Charley had presented tonight. Dr. Gaynes communicated how appreciative he was for all the work that the HHS Department had done in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Gaynes recommended that the HHS Department provide more detailed information to Skokie residents via social media, messaging and the Village’s website on COVID-19 testing. Dr. Gaynes recommended the how, who and where for testing, since he believes there is a portion of Skokie residents that may struggle with understanding the different tests, PCR vs antigen vs antibody and which test is appropriate in a given situation. He felt that individuals would benefit from the HHS Department providing some guidance on testing. Rohit Pandya shared that he was unclear on how testing providers charged for testing, whether it was covered by insurance. Margaret Keeler communicated that under the CARE’s act providers should not be charging for COVID-19 testing. Dr. Gaynes commented that individuals may be confused as to when testing is necessary. Dr. Vernon stated that individuals that are symptomatic should be tested or if individuals were exposed to someone and are symptomatic should that individual should be tested. If you are traveling in certain circumstances you should be tested also. Individuals with onset of symptoms should wait 3-5 days prior to testing. Dr. Kumar commented that US Immigration is stating that refugees should be getting the vaccine, but there are no specific recommendations from the US Immigration service. Dr. Drachler communicated that he would like to see a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by specific age groups by time frame. He commented that there was a press release that rapid test supplies are limited right now, so providers may not have supplies to provide testing. Several members of the BOH inquired whether the BOH meetings can attended remotely via zoom. A hybrid approach was recommended if in-person meetings were required where zoom would be offered to those members that felt safer attending via Zoom due to the COVID-19 community transmission rate being high in Skokie and around the State of Illinois. V. Old/New Items of Business A. Annual Partners in Excellence Awards: Dr. Werner communicated that the Annual Partners in Excellence Awards will be presented at the September 22, 2021 Village Board meeting. This year’s award winners all assisted with the COVID-19 vaccination campaign/pandemic response. Mike Charley shared that invite letters have been sent to the following agencies and that the organizations will all be recognized and given a nice plaque. • Arie Crown Hebrew Day School • Hatzalah Chicago • North Park University Nursing School • Oakton Community College Nursing School • Skokie Park District • Skokie Library B. Banning of E-Cigarette/Vaping Products Ordinance Update: See notes under the Chair’s report above. VI. Public Comments A. Trustee James Johnson introduced himself to the BOH as the BOH’s trustee liaison. Trustee Johnson  communicated he would share this role with Trustee Keith Robinson. He offered his assistance with any BOH policy manners and is willing to meet with BOH members. BOH members introduced themselves to Trustee Johnson. B. Dr. Werner summarized an email that was received from Jill Manrique for submittal for public comment to the BOH on September 7, 2021. Ms. Manrique felt that the Village wasn’t doing enough to increase vaccination accessibility and increase vaccination rates. She recommended the Village’s HHS vaccinate door to door, like the Village of Berwyn. Charley communicated to the BOH that he had reached out to Ms. Manrique via telephone and a follow-up email. VII. Adjournment at 8:24 pm Next Meeting: October 14, 2021, 7:00 p.m. Village Hall-Board of Health Members