McHenry County Public Health & Community Services Committee met Jan. 6.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
1. CALL TO ORDER
Meeting called to order at: 8:30 AM by Lori Parrish.
PRESENT: Parrish, Bates (Remote), Jindrich, Meshes, Schofield (Remote), Schwartz, Von Bergen (Remote 8:35 AM), Yensen
ABSENT:
Also present: Peter Austin, County Administrator; Scott Hartman, Deputy County Administrator; Hans Mach (remote), Community Development Administrator; Melissa Adamson, Heath Administrator; Anne Marrin, Director of Planning and Operations, Kim Ulbrich (remote), Executive Director McHenry County Housing Authority.
After the Roll Call no vote was needed, however, Dr. Yensen made a Motion, Seconded by Ms. Jindrich to allow the remote attendance of Ms. Bates, Ms. Schofield and Ms. VonBergen. The Motion passed on a voice vote of all present members voting aye. As well Chair Parrish verified all members could hear and participate.
2. MINUTES APPROVAL
1. Public Health & Community Services - Public Meeting - Oct 28, 2021 8:30 AM
| RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Theresa Meshes SECONDER: Tanya Jindrich AYES: Parrish, Bates, Jindrich, Meshes, Schofield, Schwartz, Yensen ABSENT: Von Bergen |
None.
4. MEMBER COMMENTS
Paula Yensen stated the Mental Health Board hired the Executive Director, and they are delighted to hire her with all her credentials and experience, she feels that she will bring a lot to the table. She stated she has a meeting with her in a few weeks to chat with her, and recommended the members schedule time with her as well so she can become acquainted with everyone. Additionally she was informed yesterday that the People In Need Forum will be transferring to virtual, based on covid a lot of committees that she is associated with in the community are shutting down, and are rarely meeting for simple staff meetings. She stated she mentioned it because she wonders what they age going to be doing for the future meetings at the County and if they will transition back to virtual meetings.
Tanya Jindrich stated yesterday she was at the Transportation Committee meeting and the DOT is looking for participants in the senior community to be apart of a round table discussion on how they will see the future of the transportation and the needs of transportation. She stated it will be held on the first Thursday of February, it will be virtual and in person, but anyone is encouraged to join so they can work together to discuss the needs in the future.
Chair Parrish stated the People In Need Forum was virtual last year and it was amazing even though everyone would love to be in person, she felt they did a great job with the platform they used. She recommends anyone who can to attend or listen because it is a lot of good information on the community.
5. REPORTS
1. Department of Health Pandemic Update
Melissa Adamson, Health Administrator and Anne Marrin, Director of Planning and Operations, joined the committee to give the report.
Ms. Adamson stated they would be presenting a partial covid update and a partial update on the organizational assessments.
• The pandemic response is continuing to be very fluid, as they anticipate more changes.
• At the end of December, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released its recommendations on isolations and quarantine, which the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) adopted a few days later.
• Large highlights are that the changes only apply to the general public, not for everyone and not all settings but the general public. The isolation time has been shortened regardless of vaccination status, to five days if someone is asymptomatic or symptomatic with improving symptoms. Meaning they must wear a mask for five additional days when around others and if they are symptomatic, they must continue to stay home until they are fever free.
• Quarantine with close contacts, such as being within six feet of someone, differs by vaccination status. If someone is boosted and has completed their primary series of Pzizer or Moderna within the last six months and J&J within the last two months, they are to wear a mast around others for ten days after the last exposure and test on the fifth day after exposure.
• If you are unvaccinated or it has been over six months and two months respectively for the Pzizer, Moderna or J&J since they had the primary series and they are not boosted, they stay home for five days after the last exposure, wear a mask around others for five additional days and test on day five after exposure. She stated for more information everyone can view the website, on the covid page.
• The state reports that Delta remains the Dominant variant in Illinois at 68 percent and Omicron at 31 percent. The whole state is in high transmission, McHenry County is at an incident rate of 822 cases per 100,000 population, which is eight times the rate that is considered high transmission, which is 100 cases per 100,000 population.
• Positivity is at 19.2 percent, there is an increase in hospitalizations, the weekly percent for emergency department visits due to covid like illness has been increasing since October and last week it was 21.1 percent. As far as inpatient admissions due to covid like illnesses it has been increasing since November, as of last week there were 133 inpatient admissions which surpassed the peak from last year of 127.
• Covid Deaths has risen a bit since September, and there is high transmission amongst all age groups, but is highest among the 20-29-year-old group and the 30-34-year-old group.
• Vaccinations for IDPH adopted the CDC recommendation for the Pzizer booster dose is for five months and a third dose for immune compromised children. Children 5-11 who are moderately or severely immune compromised are recommending a third dose 28 days after the second dose.
Dr. Yensen wanted to know the percent increase of cases in the County. Ms. Adamson stated they do not have that data right away, but she can get it to the members as soon as possible, and in an alternate way so they can communicate the data in simplified terms.
Mr. Schwartz stated he read in November the largest number of employees left their jobs, ever in history. Regarding covid deaths, he stated he is aware of the tally on the county’s website and he noticed the numbers there are different from the coroner’s reports. He inquired if her numbers are coming from a different source, Ms. Adamson stated she believes their numbers come from the state database, but she will need to investigate that.
Ms. Jindrich inquired about nationwide testing where people can submit a request to receive a test and then it is mailed to that individual. Ms. Adamson stated in the last presidential speech he mentioned the availability that the United States were purchasing tests and people being able to go to a website and order tests, but she does not know anything about that.
Ms. Marrin stated they have been working with Integrated Solutions Consulting (ISC) and the overall purpose of the project is to identify how the department of health can improve efficiencies in the delivery of public health services. They have been working with the ISC team, they have the County team which consists of Ms. Adamson, Scott Hartman, and herself, and they meet every week to keep the project on task. She stated some of the activities they did last month was a tele document review that was on their policies, procedures and more to review. They have done facility visits of all in the department to talk with employees to get the logistics on locations and space. She stated they will be conducting meetings with Board members, as well as interviews and focus groups they are setting up for this month.
Mr. Austin wanted to mention how covid is affecting operations currently. He stated that Ms. Adamson mentioned the CDC has new standards on quarantine, which they are giving the information to all their department heads. He stated the infographic was put together by the health department which should have a positive impact on how covid is affecting the work environment because there is no question it is not. He stated people have been working from home regularly and maintaining the regulations. Additionally, he referenced Dr. Yensens inquiry on committee meetings and the Governor’s executive order allows heads of governments to make the decision that covid has a negative health impact on gathering, Chairman Buehler made the decision that they can start to conduct remote meetings without a quorum present. He stated when the Board members see the upcoming agendas posted the following week they will all have a statement on them that allows the remote participation and a quorum is not great, but it still remains up to individuals whether or not they would like to participate. Mr. Hartman wanted to provide clarity that the agendas will not state as Mr. Austin described, it will really site the Open Meetings Act (OMA) 7 section E. Mr. Austin also stated that the federal requirement through Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that employers over 100 must vaccinate or test weekly all employees, and the County is moving as directed, the Supreme Court is going to hear arguments tomorrow on the matter, not knowing how it will result the County must prepare as though it Is an employer over 100. A policy is being created while working with an outside agency to assist with inventory of staff to keep track of vaccination and testing status, they will need to be prepared to do so in February.
6. NEW BUSINESS
1. Resolution Authorizing Emergency Rental Assistance Part 2, Secondary Allocation to the McHenry County Housing Authority for the McHenry County Emergency Utility and Rental Assistance Program (McEURAP)
Hans Mach, Community Development Administrator, joined the committee to discuss the resolution.
Ms. Ulbrich stated the County was awarded all the funds but only half of them were wired over to the County because they wanted to ensure each County had spent a certain percentage of the funds. She stated they have spent about 65 percent and they are now eligible to receive the rest of the funds, so they are coming before the members to request the rest of the funds. Chair Parrish stated they were very lucky to receive the funds and they appreciate the Housing Authority and Community Development for working together. She stated she saw on the news that many other entities are not pushing out the funds as they should be, but Mr. Mach was on the news back in December because of how well McHenry County has been in disbursing the services and funds to those who need them. Mr. Austin stated that when the resolution was posted, the Northwest Herald reached out to Mr. Mach again, so he believes they will receive another positive news story about the Community Development office and the Housing Authority. Ms. Ulbrich stated that the funds go through the County and then to the Housing Authority via wire transfer in $1 million increments, once they show the funds were distributed they receive more. Mr. Mach wanted to confirm that what Ms. Ulbrich stated was correct.
| RESULT: RECOMMENDED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Paula Yensen SECONDER: Theresa Meshes AYES: Parrish, Bates, Jindrich, Meshes, Schofield, Schwartz, Von Bergen, Yensen |
Mr. Hartman thanked the committee for being able to present the final step in the Township Dissolution policy statement document, at the last meeting the committee had a robust discussion on its considerations and input into the areas related to township services and what would happen in the event of a dissolution. The intent was to return and finalize the discussion and provide recommendations into the document that would then go before the County Board, included in the packet is the resolution to adopt and the work product recommendations from the other committees. In addition to the clean copy of the document there is a redline which shows how the other committees made their deliberations. The request he has of the committees is to come to a recommendation because it is intended to flow to the County Board for full consideration at the January meeting, the adoption is to occur before petitions are circulated, in the event that there is a referendum question the voters would know immediately what they can expect from the County in the event their township were to dissolve. He began to go through the document and focus on the sections that are germane to the committee.
| RESULT: RECOMMENDED WITH CHANGES [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Theresa Meshes SECONDER: Tanya Jindrich AYES: Parrish, Bates, Jindrich, Meshes, Schwartz, Von Bergen, Yensen ABSENT: Schofield |
None.
8. PRESENTATION
None.
9. FUTURE TOPICS
None.
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION (AS NECESSARY)
None.
11. ADJOURNMENT
Dr. Yensen made a motion, seconded by Mr. Schwartz, to adjourn the meeting at 9:52 a.m. The motion passed on a voice vote of all members present voting aye. (Absent was Schofield) -TCMcKinnon
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