Minutes

Southern Nevada District Board of Health Meeting
Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 8:00 a.m.

625 Shadow Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89106
Clemens Room

Chair Donna Fairchild called the meeting of the District Board of Health to order at 8:06 a.m. and the Pledge of Allegiance was held. She noted that she had been provided with the Affidavits of Posting and Mailing of Agenda meeting notices, as required by Nevada’s Open Meeting Law. The Affidavits will be incorporated into the Official Minutes.

Board Members Present:

Donna Fairchild Chair, Council Member, Mesquite
Tim Jones At-Large Member, Business/Industry
Robert Eliason Councilman, North Las Vegas, Member Alternate
Karla Burton Councilwoman, Boulder City
Lynette Boggs McDonald Commissioner, Clark County
Jimmy Vigilante At-Large Business/Industry Member Alternate
Jim Christensen, MD At-Large Member, Physician
Steven Kirk Vice Chair, Councilman, Henderson
John Onyema, MD At-Large Physician Member Alternate
Joseph Hardy, MD At-Large Member, Physician
Lawrence Weekly Councilman, Las Vegas
Frank Nemec, MD At-Large Physician Member Alternate

Absent:

Susan Crowley At-Large Member, Environmental Specialist
Lon Empey At-Large Environmental Alternate
Gary Reese Secretary, Councilman, Las Vegas
Mary Jo Mattocks, RN At-Large Member, Registered Nurse
Tom Collins Commissioner, Clark County
Stephanie Smith Councilwoman, North Las Vegas

Executive Secretary:

Donald S. Kwalick, MD, MPH

Legal Counsel:

Stephen R. Minagil

Staff: Mike Walsh, Sylvia Claiborne, Glenn Savage, Ed Wojcik, Steve Goode, Dennis Campbell, Angus MacEachern, Deborah Williams, Jim Osti, Nicole Bungum, Kay Godby, Linda Newton, Bonnie Sorenson, Mary Ellen Harrell, Alice Costello, Jo Alexander, Veronica Morata-Nichols, Brian Labus, Rayleen Earney, Debbie Martin, Stephanie Bethel, Dr. Lawrence Sands, Robert Newton, Patricia Armour, Ann Markle, Leo Vega, Diana Lindquist, Susan Eiselt

Attendance:

Oath of Office:

The Oath of Office was taken by Jim Christensen, MD, as At-Large Physician member.

I. Consent Agenda:

These are matters considered to be routine by the District Board of Health and may be enacted by one motion. Any item, however, may be discussed separately per Board Member request before action. Any exceptions to the Consent Agenda must be stated prior to approval.

1. Approve Minutes/Board of Health Meeting: 7/27/06
2. Approve Payroll/Overtime for Periods of: 07/01/06 – 07/14/06; 07/15/06 – 07/28/06
3. Approve Accounts Payable Registers: #1034: 07/06/06 - 7/12/06; #1035: 07/13/06 - 07/19/06; #1036: 07/20/06 - 07/26/06; #1037: 07/27/06 - 08/02/06
4. Petition #36-06: Approval of Revision of Medical Procedures Fee Schedule
5. Petition #37-06: Approval of Interlocal Contract with Clark County for $34,000 in Fiscal Year 2004 Carry-over Funding under the Fiscal Year 2004 Urban Area Security Initiative

A motion was made by Member Christensen to approve all consent items; seconded by Member Burton and was unanimously approved.

1. Variance Request: To Operate a Mobile Food Establishment not in Compliance with the District Board of Health Regulations 1996 Governing the Sanitation of Food Establishments (VIN# 1GBHG31U5611655440)

Ed Wojcik, environmental health manager, indicated staff recommends approval with conditions listed. The petitioner, Ricardo A. Bonvicin, was present and agreed to all conditions.

Member Eliason wished to confirm the 30 minute allowance for mobile food vendors and wanted to be sure that time period was being met. He indicated that the area of Alliante Parkway and I-215 often has mobile food vendors parked there for hours at a time. Mr. Wojcik responded he and staff will investigate this issue.

Chair Fairchild opened the public portion of this item for discussion. No one came forward and the public portion of this item was closed.

A motion was made by Member Eliason to approve the variance request with conditions listed; seconded by Member Burton and was unanimously approved.

III. Report/Discussion - Items on which action may be taken

Update: Replacement Shadow Lane Facility: Mike Walsh, Director of Administration Mr. Walsh stated the current condition of the building is adequate, however, it will not be sufficient 25 – 30 years in the future and with continued growth of the community, it is important to be able to provide the level of service the community has come to expect from the health district. A significantly larger facility will be needed. The current facility is about 40 years old and measures 75,000 square feet. Significant repairs need to be done on this facility. Rough estimates are $1.5 - $2 million to complete those repairs. The health district leases additional square footage to accommodate programs. These programs are spread throughout the county and are increasingly difficult to manage. Often the community does not know where to go for services. The Henderson facility will open soon with 23,000 square feet. The main campus needs to be modernized and being community friendly is the goal. The health district wishes to develop a much stronger relationship with education, particularly the University of Nevada School of Medicine and the new health sciences center. Project Neon includes the relocation of Martin Luther King Boulevard and could possibly impact the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory (SNPHL) as traffic would pass on two sides of the facility. New space would also have to accommodate not only the laboratory, but the IT department, warehouse, print shop and mail room. The new facility would require 150 – 200,000 square feet. This figure is dependent upon the results of meetings with architects. The cost per square foot is estimated to be at $200, with mixed space usage, i.e., clinic and office space. By the time construction occurs it may rise to $300 per square foot. Meetings with several architects have taken place and they had been asked to provide their qualifications and conceptual approach to planning. Those have been evaluated and we are ready for on-site presentations from those architects. It is anticipated completion of those presentations by September 8 and a recommendation of which architectural firm best meets the needs of the district in time for the Board of Health meeting on September 28. The estimated timetable for the new facility is 3 – 5 years for completion.

Councilman Weekly asked if there has been consideration given to other possible locations. Dr. Kwalick indicated the health district should stay in this central location, on this site and work with the UNLV School of Public Health and be part of the development of the new academic health sciences center. Councilman Weekly asked if we have been communicating with Valley Hospital who own large numbers of parcels in this area and other medical entities, perhaps developing partnerships. Councilman Weekly also indicated his concern with the lack of parking and what will be done should we expand the current campus. Dr. Kwalick indicated he was not aware of numerous properties in this area that Valley Hospital may own, but that is certainly an issue to be discussed. As to the parking situation, the diagram shows the footprint of the new facility that indicates the possibility of 3 or 4 levels. After demolition of this facility, it may be determined a parking garage is still needed, that is, if the academic health sciences center is also located on this site. Councilman Weekly asked about local funding sources and communications with local government. Dr. Kwalick responded, yes, we are in the preliminary stages of discussions. Mr. Walsh has met with county budget director, George Stevens, on a continuing basis. Dr. Kwalick indicated it would be best to have an architectural response to present to the county as a next step which will outline possible costs. It is also possible to house the administrative and management component of the health district across the street from the county government center. This would depend upon the availability of sufficient space. The clinical and environmental services would remain in this facility, retaining our presence in this central area. Mr. Walsh indicated the current parcel is 9 acres and the Union Park site is 5 acre parcel which is considerably smaller.

Commissioner Boggs McDonald stated this is one of many requests for capital needs. Metro is asking for new space as well as the Clark County Detention Center. The jail is at full capacity. There is discussion of building a new, international airport at Ivanpah. There are many major demands in the next 4 – 10 years for building capital; these are problems with no easy solutions.

Councilman Weekly stated we need to look toward the state legislature for assistance in addressing these priorities. Dr. Hardy responded that the task is upon the legislature. Member Jones asked if there are opportunities for partnerships with other businesses and agencies with whom we could partner. Perhaps we could examine funding sources through the hotels and restaurants. Chair Fairchild indicated that was an excellent idea as many of these businesses utilize health district services.

Chair Fairchild invited any individuals wishing to speak to come forward.

No one came forward to address the Board. Chair Fairchild closed the citizen participation portion of the meeting.

Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center: Dr. Lawrence Sands

Dr. Sands indicated that letters have been sent to the Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center indicating the health district’s intention to terminate the contract and renegotiate for services on a month to month basis. A letter was sent to the Nevada State Health Division requesting their assurance that the State will continue to fund services despite the loss of grant support. The poison control center responded not to terminate the contract and that the strategies offered will probably not work in reducing costs. The health district will be able to fund services through the end of the calendar year to avoid abrupt termination and to allow time to seek a longer term solution. The Nevada State Health Division responded that they have added it as an emergency item in their budget for this fiscal year and also have included it in their budget requests for next fiscal year. Dr. Sands stated we will continue to work with Rocky Mountain in identifying which portion of the calls received represent baseline service demand and which represents excess medical surge capacity.

Get Healthy Clark County Website: Deborah Williams, MPA, MPH, CHES

Deborah Williams, manager of the office of chronic disease and health promotion programs introduced Nicole Bungum, supervisor, and Rayleen Earney, health educator. Deborah Williams started the presentation by indicating risk behaviors contributing to the development of chronic diseases include tobacco use, lack of physical activity and poor dietary choices. According to 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, 26 percent of Clark County adults reported no physical activity in the previous month and 78 percent of Clark County adults do not consume the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day. A PowerPoint presentation (Attachment #1) was given on two programs: Walk Around Nevada and the Nutrition Challenge. These website based interactive programs are designed to increase physical activity and to increase the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables people eat each day. These programs are available in both English and Spanish and offer tips and resources to help all Southern Nevada residents get and stay healthy by helping them:

• Get Moving
• Be Safe
• Eat Better
• Live Smoke Free

Member Jones asked if there was coordination with the school district on these programs. Ms. Earney responded staff is working with teachers who have signed up for the programs and staff has placed messages regarding this program in the Clark County School District Hot Line newsletter.

The Chair Fairchild and the Board members congratulated staff on an excellent presentation.

Dr. Kwalick stated the importance of having alternate board members. Dr. Nemec and Dr. Oneyma were present in the audience as well as Mr. Vigilante. Mr. Eliason was here representing North Las Vegas. Dr. Kwalick urged each board member to return to their councils and commissions and request alternates for each of the elected positions so the Board is able to conduct business in a timely manner.

VI. Informational Items

Adjournment

Chair Fairchild asked if there were any other reports. There were none. Chair Fairchild adjourned the meeting at 8:45 a.m.

Submitted for Board Approval

Donald S. Kwalick, MD, MPH, Chief Health Officer
Executive Secretary

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