Minutes
Chatham County Board of Health
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Chatham County Board of Health met in official session on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at the
Presbyterian Church in Pittsboro. Eight members attended the meeting.
Present
Absent
Bill Browder, Chair
Gregory King
Rachel Stevens
Jane Miller, Vice Chair
Mary Jackson
Kevin Monee, DVM
Van Romine, O.D.
Timothy Scheetz, D.D.S.
James Kurz, M.D.
Linda Brewer Ellington, R.N.
Patrick Barnes, Commissioner
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Holly Coleman
Cynthia Lambert
John Sauls
Leticia DeGaetano
Vicky Guetgemann
Cathy Wright
Christopher Marlow Nicky Reyes
Vanessa Jeffries
Debra Davis
Vicky Epps
Joe Deaton
Shirley Cotten
Danielle White
Bonnie Dukeman
Pat Renz
Dolly Clayton
Jill Oldham
Denise Estridge
Andy Siegner
Megan Bolejack
Beverly Buckner
Dolly Huffman Clayton
Celia Brooks
Public
Joe Pardington
Welcome & Can to Order
Chair Browder called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone.
Consent A2:enda
The consent agenda contained the 03/27/07 minutes, the proposed 04/24/07 agenda and
acceptance of $3,000 Smart Start Funds.
The Consent Agenda was presented for BOH action. Rachel Stevens moved that the Consent
Agenda be approved; Van S. Romine seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, and the
motion carried.
Board of Health Awards
Chair Browder presented the Chatham County Partnership Award to the Chatham County
Schools. Mr. George Greger-Holt represented the schools and accepted the award.
Mr. Greger-Holt will present the award to the Board of Education on April 30, 2007. He
expressed his appreciation for the award, the Health Department and the work they do for the
Chatham County. Chair Browder thanked and congratulated Mr. Greger-Holt.
Chair Browder presented the Employee of the Year Award to Pat Renz. Mrs. Renz has been
with the Health Department for a period of 8 years working with Family Planning, Sexually
Transmitted Diseases, Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Prevention, Maternal Health and
Medical Records. Chair Browder recognized Pat Renz as a true role model and very deserving of
this award.
Chair Browder presented the Supervisor of the Year Award to Vicky Epps. Mrs. Epps started
working at the Health Department in the year 2002 as a TB Nurse and since then has served in
the roles of Interim Nurse Director and currently Clinical Services Manager. Chair Browder
congratulated Mrs. Epps for getting the job done and keeping employees motivated and
energized.
All recipients were awarded plaques to commemorate their awards.
Interim Health Director congratulated Vicky Epps for being awarded Supervisor of the Year and
Pat Renz for being awarded Employee of the Year. She thanked the staff for taking the time to
recognize their peers.
Announcements
Interim Health Director Coleman thanked Chair Browder, Dr. Romine and Mary Jackson for
attending the Volunteer Banquet and congratulated and praised the efforts of the Health
Department staff for the nice dinner, music and speaker for the volunteers that work with the
Health Department and the Community.
Interim Health Director Coleman advised that the month of April is Child Abuse Prevention
Month and Sexual Assault and Awareness Month. On April 25th there will be a community
event at the Central Carolina Community College to commemorate this month and recognize
those children that have died as a result of child abuse.
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The week of April 23 has been designated as Laboratory Personnel Week and Professional
Administrative Staff Week. Ms. Coleman expressed her appreciation to the Laboratory,
Administration and Clinical staff for the work they do.
Introduction of New Staff
Chair Browder asked the Managers to introduce new staff members. Shirley Cotten, Nursing
Director introduced Debra Davis, Communicable Disease Nurse. Ms. Davis' employment at the
Health Department began on March 21, 2007. She was previously employed at UNC.
Public Health Highlights
Megan Bolejack, Community Health Promotion and Advocacy presented an overview of the
programs that the division offers. to the Board.
Ms. Bolejack presented and recognized the members of the Public Health Month Committee;
Celia Brooks, Christopher Marlow, Harriet Siler, Barbara Farley and Anne Lowry. Chatham
County adopted the national theme used for the Public Health Week, "Taking the First Step!
Preparedness and in Public Health Threats: and Addressing the Unique Needs ofthe Nation's
Vulnerable Populations". The National program focused on 5 different populations: mothers
with children still in the household, food banks, people with chronic diseases such as diabetes,
asthma, cancer and blood pressure, hourly workers and schools.
The Health Department's Public Health Month Committee addressed 3 of those programs. The
committee compiled survival kits and distributed them at the Western Chatham Siler City,
Pittsboro Senior Centers, Diabetes support group and to mothers of preschoolers and the general
population at the "Are You Ready Fair".
The committee sponsored an employee food drive, and collected 1600 pounds of food for the
food bank.
Department employees are participating in weekly Public Health themed puzzle contests with
prizes awarded to winners.
A very successful staff retreat was conducted at Jordan Lake which included a staff picnic,
games and motivational presentation by a speaker Greg Hohn on improvisation and how it works
in the community.
The Employee Council and Public Health Month Committee provided a breakfast for the staff in
Pittsboro and Siler City.
Other activities that are currently ongoing and related overall to Public Health Month are;
Active Chatham's Town Lake and Park clean up, the Volunteer Banquet, Mount Sinai Church's
Health Fair, Moving and Grooving in the Park held at Town Lake Park, the YMCA's healthy
kid's day on April 29, the "Are You Ready Fair?" scheduled for Saturday April 28, Diabetes
Support meetings, Water Safety Committee's poster contest in schools and vaccination clinics,
offering Menactra to college-bound students at Northwood and Jordan Matthews High Schools.
Administrative
Reports
Denise Estridge reviewed the Expenditure and Revenue report through March 2007.
The department is at 75% of the Fiscal Year, total expenditures at 69%. The total Revenue for
this period is at 75% and Local Appropriation is at 65%.
Denise Estridge updated the Board on personnel matters. For the period of March 14,2007
through April 24, 2007 the Health Department had 1 new hire. Beverly Kay, Processing
Assistant V for Soil Erosion Sedimentation Control division effective May 1,2007. Beverly Kay
will be transferring from the Chatham County Register of Deeds office. There have been no
resignations. The current Health Department vacancies are: Health Director and Social Work
Supervisor II.
New Business
Introduction to Accreditation:
Interim Director Coleman presented an overview on Accreditation. In 2002 the North Carolina
Public Health Association of Health Departments took an initiative to start a mandatory
accreditation for health departments. The NC General Assembly mandated that all health
departments need to be accredited by 2014.
Accreditation serves to measure the capacity of the health departments to perform core functions.
The Chatham County Public Health Department was a pilot county for accreditation in the year
2004 and is scheduled for re-accreditationed in January - March 2008.
Interim Director Coleman presented to the Board selected excerpts of the Accreditation
Guidance Document and Benchmarks and expressed the importance of the role of the Board of
Health in the accreditation process.
With the assistance of Pam Serrell and Lynn Connor, state consultants, the Leadership Team is
preparing for accreditation. The Team has reviewed the benchmarks, accreditation standards and
performance measures to assess the status of the department's compliance with each benchmark.
In preparation for accreditation the Leadership Team will be preparing and revising policies to be
presented to the Board in the coming months.
Vanessa Jeffries is the accreditation coordinator and Linda Brewer Ellington is serving as the
Board of Health representative.
Closed Session
Chair Browder asked for a motion to recess into closed session to discuss personnel matters per
NCGS 143-318.11(A)(6).
Patrick Barnes moved to go into a closed session and Van Romine seconded the motion. The
vote was unanimous.
Health Director
The Board reconvened in open session and announced the decision to name Holly Coleman as
Health Director.
Adiournment
Dr. Romine moved, seconded by Dr. Kurz to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried
unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.
Board of Health Chair, Bill Browder
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Secretary Ex-Officio, Holly Coleman