Burnett County Health and Human Services Board Meeting
December 9, 2003 1:30 p.m.
Burnett County Government Center
Room 165

Present: David Alderman, Mary Klar, Bert Lund, Sharon Menke, Mary Poretti, LaVerne Sandberg, Laurel Stusek

Others present: Dan Brown, Carol Larson, Rob Rudiger, Jeanne Young

The meeting was called to order by Mary Poretti, chair, at 1:30 p.m.

There were no appearances by the public.

A motion was made by Laurel Stusek, seconded by LaVerne Sandberg, to approve the minutes of the November 10, 2003 meeting; motion carried.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 13, 2004 at 1:30 p.m.

Director’s Report: Dan reported Laura Warndahl-Neve is on maternity leave effective December 1, 2003. Laura has everything in the unit set up to run efficiently in her absence. Recruitment efforts have begun for the Public Health Nurse vacancy created by Betty Olson’s resignation. We have contracted with an Environmental Health Specialist for Burnett and Washburn Counties to complete the environmental health program assessment.

Financial Report: Jeanne Young reported most units are well within the budget; reconciliation will be done in the Long Term Support unit. We have received $79,902 for the CSDRB cost report. The $8,054 CBMAC (Community Based Medicaid Administration Claim) settlement has been received for the January to March claim. Thirty-one counties participated, dividing $521,803.00. A 2004 approved budget packet was distributed. Kris Thompson has applied for a $31,000 Youth Aide Emergency Fund Grant, which we anticipate receiving approximately $12,000-$13,000.

Program Reports:
Aging: A proposal has been submitted for a Farmer’s Market to be located in the village of Siren. The location is yet to be determined. This is a collaborative effort of the Aging Unit, WIC, UWEX and USDA. Seniors who qualify will receive vouchers for $30 to be used at the market. Vendors will be contacted to see if they would be interested in participating.

A motion was made by Mary Klar, seconded by David Alderman, to recommend to the finance committee that the $16,000 designated for the senior centers be divided equally between the four senior sites; motion carried.

Benefit Specialist: Jean has been busy doing her job.

Mental Health/AODA: Northwest Counseling and Guidance is actively recruiting a full time psychiatrist. We are waiting to see if L.E. Phillips gets approval internally to expand services. They could provide a higher level of on-call than we have now. A staff training is being planned for early 2004 to instruct employees how to deal with angry and challenging clients, review safety plans and the new security plan.

Rob will be assisting Becky O’Brien write a HRCI grant which is due December 15, 2003. This grant can include first month’s rent, utilities, house improvements, budget/financial education and case management and can include adults without children in the home. We expect to serve 72 individuals or families in the two-year period. A motion was made by Mary Klar, seconded by Sharon Menke, to support the application for the HRCI Grant with funds being managed through the Health and Human Services Department; motion carried.

Children & Families: Costs for this unit have increased. If Lincoln Hills doesn’t accept juveniles they are placed at Northwest Passage. Fifteen years from the day of adjudication, juvenile sex offenders are taken off the list if they don’t re-offend.

Home Care: The caseload is still down compared to the last two years.

Public Health: November 2003 Communicable Disease reports should include: Lyme: 3; Chlamydia: 2; West Nile: 1. Carol and Mary Bjorgaard will be attending a two-day incident command training. Burnett and Washburn counties have contracted with Tom Heenen, Environmental Health Specialist, through the end of January to complete the initial assessment of environmental health programs in both counties. Governor Doyle slashed funding for the coalition across the state but Burnett County maintained full tobacco funding. A meeting was held with Dr. LaRoque and a nurse from the St. Croix Tribal Health Center to discuss jail health issues. Kerrie Lindus is the coordinator for the promotion of Child Alert to local clinics. A grant was applied for to defray advertising expenses for the Farmer’s Market. The senior population having food stamps and WIC clients can use WIC vouchers to shop at the farmer’s market. Local growers can submit WIC vouchers and food stamps to the state for reimbursement. We have given 1200+ doses of flu vaccine and 110 pneumonia doses. More children have been vaccinated this year. Hopefully we can obtain more vaccine as we have a waiting list.

The Burnett County Community Health Needs Assessment booklet was distributed to committee members. Ben Sousa assisted with data collection and completing the book. The Health Department is required to do a community assessment every five years. A Needs Assessment power point presentation will be given to the committee in January.

Long Term Support: The elderly waiting list is at zero.

Economic Support/W-2: Economic Support worker’s caseloads have increased by 20% since January 1, 2003.

Vouchers: A motion was made by David Alderman, seconded by LaVerne Sandberg, to approve the vouchers in the amount of $283,777.13; motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned as there was no further business to come before the board.