September 15, 2016 - Board of Health Meeting Minutes

Members Present:

Mr. Jesse Helmer (Chair)
Mr. Trevor Hunter
Ms. Trish Fulton
Mr. Marcel Meyer
Mr. Ian Peer
Mr. Kurtis Smith

Regrets: Ms. Joanne Vanderheyden (Vice-Chair)

Media:

Mr. Samuel Gallant, Reporter, XFM News

Others Present:

Dr. Christopher Mackie, Medical Officer of Health & CEO
Ms. Elizabeth Milne, Executive Assistant to the Board of Health & Communications (Recorder)
Mr. Jordan Banninga, Manager, Strategic Projects
Ms. Shaya Dhinsa, Manager, Sexual Health
Ms. Laura Di Cesare, Director, Corporate Services
Mr. Todd Coleman, Epidemiologist, Foundational Standard
Dr. Gayane Hovhannisyan, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Mr. Dan Flaherty, Manager, Communications
Ms. Heather Lokko, Manager, Healthy Start
Mr. John Millson, Associate Director, Finance
Mr. Dave Pavletic, Manager, Food Safety & Healthy Environments
Ms. Marlene Price, Manager, Vaccine Preventable Diseases
Mr. Fatih Sekercioglu, Manager, Safe Water, Rabies & Vector-Borne Disease
Mr. Tristan Squire-Smith, Manager, Infectious Diseases
Mr. Stephen Turner, Director, Environmental Health & Infectious Diseases
Mr. Alex Tyml, Online Communications Coordinator
Mr. Stephen Turner, Director, Environmental Health and Infectious Diseases
Ms. Suzanne Vandervoort, Director, Healthy Living
Ms. Carrie Warring, Public Health Inspector

Chair Helmer called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.

Disclosures of Conflict(s) Of Interest

 Chair Helmer inquired if there were any disclosures of conflict(s) of interest. None were declared.

Approval of Agenda

It was moved by Mr. Peer seconded by Ms. Fulton that the AGENDA for the September 15, 2016 Board of Health meeting be approved. Carried

Approval of Minutes

It was moved by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Hunter, that the MINUTES for the July 21, 2016 Board of Health meeting be approved. Carried

Chair Helmer made a note that next week is Environmental Public Health week in Canada.
Mr. Stephen Turner, Director of Environmental Health and Infectious Diseases, highlighted some of the work done in Environmental Health, including some events that will occur next week to recognize and celebrate environmental public health professionals.

Committee Reports

1) Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting September 1, 2016 (Report No. 050-16) 

Ms. Fulton provided a summary of the recommendations from the September 1, 2016 Finance and Facilities Committee (FFC) meeting.

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Meyer that the Board of Health receive the September 1, 2016 Finance and Facilities Committee draft minutes. Carried

Q2 Financial Update and Factual Certificate (Report No. 027-16FFC)

It was moved by Ms. Fulton, seconded by Mr. Hunter that the Board of Health receive Report No. 027-16FFC re: “Q2 Financial Update & Factual Certificate” and appendices for information. Carried

In-kind Support to 100% Programs (Report No. 028-16FFC)

It was moved by Ms. Fulton, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health receive report No. 028-16 FFC re: “In-Kind Support to 100% Programs” for information. Carried

2017 Board of Health Budget - Financial Parameters (Report No. 029-16FFC)

Discussion ensued about budgeting for a 0% increase with the pressure of inflation, the implications of decreased funding and the Program Budget Marginal Analysis (PBMA) process that would ensure the reallocation of budget resources should any changes have to be made to programs going forward.

It was moved by Ms. Fulton, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the Board of Health to approve the following assumptions for planning the 2017 budget:
1) 2% increase in provincial funding for Mandatory Programs; and
2) 0% increase in municipal funding for Mandatory Programs; and further
3) 0 % grant increase for all other programs.
Carried

Ministry of Transportation Grant (Report No. 031-16FFC)

It was moved by Ms. Fulton, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health to receive Report No. 031-16FFC; re: “Ministry of Transportation Grant” for information. Carried

The next Finance and Facilities Committee meeting will be Thursday, October 6, 2016 @ 9:00 a.m.

March 31 Draft Financial Statements (Report No. 030-16FFC)

It was moved by Ms. Fulton, seconded by Mr. Smith, that the Board of Health approve the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the Middlesex-London Health Unit, March 31st, 2016 as appended to Report No. 030-16FFC. Carried

Recommendation Reports

2) Persons Who Inject Drugs in Middlesex-London: Follow-up (Report No. 051-16)

Discussion ensued about the following items:
• The timeframe required for resource allocation and impact.
• What the reallocation of resources will look like on the front lines, such as hiring staff for outreach, leveraging resources that currently exist and making use of additional community services.
• The current status of the Health Unit’s application to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to request additional funding.
• The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and existing community partners (Regional HIV/Aids Connection, London Inter Community Health Centre) that have indicated their support and continue to work with staff to coordinate resources to address injection drug use in the community.

It was moved by Mr. Meyer, seconded by Ms. Fulton, that the Board of Health support the allocation of resources, described in Report No. 051-16 to address the emerging public health emergency in persons who inject drugs in Middlesex-London. Carried

Information Reports

3) Sexual Health Services (Report No. 052-16)

Dr. Mackie highlighted some of the changes that have occurred within this service area and acknowledged the challenges that staff have worked through, adding to the value of work done in sexual health services.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Peer that the Board of Health receive Report No. 052-16 re Sexual Health Services Review: An Update for information. Carried

4) Health Unit Governance Structures (Report No. 053-16)

Discussion ensued about the small sample size and the findings of this article aligning with literature from a governance perspective, which indicate that organizations that remain independent perform better and adhere better to their set mission. Board members expressed interest in reading the study.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Ms. Fulton, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 053-16 re: Health Unit Governance Structures for information. Carried

5) Vaccine Preventable Diseases Standard Compliance 2016-2017 and Program Changes (Report No. 056-16)

Chair Helmer noted his concern about not remaining in compliance and expressed interest in seeing an updated report on compliance come forward in the future.

Ms. Marlene Price, Manager, Vaccine Preventable Diseases attended to answer questions and advised that the School Principal will be the authority that will carry out the suspension, if required.

It was moved by Mr. Meyer, seconded by Mr. Smith, that the Board of Health receive information about the following Vaccine Preventable Disease program changes:
• Prioritization of assessment and suspension requirements under the Immunization of School Pupils Act for the 2016-2017 school year.
• Expansion of the publicly funded Human Papillomavirus Virus (HPV) program.
Carried

6) Introduction of Video Direct Observation Therapy (vDot) (Report No. 057-16)

Dr. Gayane Hovhannisyan answered questions about this report and advised that vDOT is only used for clients with Tuberculosis (TB) due to the length of treatment and difficulty in meeting compliance in monitoring active TB cases. It has not yet been mandated to deliver observation for treatment of people affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Discussion ensued about the following items:
• Clarification of why this type of observation is required
• How this type of treatment assists in reducing the transmission of TB during treatment.
• The importance of maintain a course of treatment due to the growing number of drug resistant cases they are starting to occur around the world.

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 057-16 re “Introduction of Video Direct Observation Therapy” be received for information. Carried

7) Medical Officer of Health Activity Report – September (Report No. 054-16)

It was moved by Mr. Smith seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health receive Report No.054-16 re: Medical Officer of Health Activity Report – September for information. Carried

Correspondence

It was moved by Mr. Meyer, seconded by Mr. Peer that the Board of Health receive correspondence items a) through j). Carried

Dr. Mackie provided context to correspondence item k) and noted that the London Abused Women’s Centre provided significant evidence to support this correspondence item which seeks to examine the public health effects of accessing and viewing violent and sexually explicit content may have on women, children and men.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, Mr. Meyer that the Board of Health to endorse item k) M-47 Petition - Porn as a Public Health Issue. Carried

Confidential

At 7:46 p.m., Chair Helmer invited a motion to move in camera to discuss matters regarding a proposed or pending acquisition of land by the Middlesex-London Board of Health.

At 7:46p.m., it was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Ms. Fulton that the Board of Health move in camera to discuss matters regarding a proposed or pending acquisition of land by the Middlesex-London Board of Health.
Carried

At 7:47 p.m. all visitors and Health Unit staff, except Dr. Mackie, Dr. Hovhannisyan, Mr. Jordan Banninga, Mr. Steve Turner, Ms. Laura Di Cesare, Ms. Suzanne Vandervoort, Ms. Heather Lokko, Mr. John Millson, and Ms. Elizabeth Milne left the meeting.

At 8:13 p.m. it was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Meyer that the Board of Health rise and return to public session.
Carried

At 8:14 p.m. the Board of Health returned to public session.

Other Business

Upcoming meetings
• Next Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting: Thursday October 6, 2016 at 9:00 a.m.

Discussion ensued about the next Board of Health meeting.

It was moved by Mr. Meyer, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health cancel the next regularly scheduled Board of Health meeting on October 20, 2016. Carried

The Board of Health requested that Ms. Elizabeth Milne, Executive Assistant to the Board of Health and Communications work with staff and Board members to determine a date in October for the Board of Health development session.

It was moved by Mr. Meyer, seconded by Mr. Peer that the Board of Health cancel the Governance Committee meeting scheduled for October 20, 2016. Carried

Chair Helmer advised that if a Board or Governance Committee meeting is required following the Board development session, he will call a special meeting at that time.

Adjournment

At 8:25 p.m., it was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the meeting be adjourned. Carried

JESSE HELMER
Chair

CHRISTOPHER MACKIE
Secretary-Treasurer