Maternal Child Adolescent Health Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2021
Members
Attendees
Jeff Miller
Marta Tilling
Bonnie Hayne
Annie Nicol
Leatisia Mankaa
Renée Alger
Rachel Napoli
Gina Cuclis
Gina Berry
Kathy Kane
Viveka Rydell-Anderson
Melissa Apuya
Natalie Johnson
Absent
Stephanie Montez*
Karla Fittipaldi
Ashley Chavez
Elizabeth Smith
Mayra Gallegos
Hannah Watson
*Excused absence
**Pending Approval by Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Guests Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, MSc, 5th District Representative of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Staff Present Janette Allee, Administrative Aide, Colette Mc Geough, RN, PHN Supervisor, MCAH Director.
Call to Order Dr. Jeff Miller called the meeting to order at 12:36pm, and introductions were made.
Meeting Minutes Gina Cuclis motioned to approve the April minutes, Annie Nicol seconded the motion to approve, and the minutes were approved.
Correspondence No correspondence was received.
State Legislature Melissa Apuya reported the new Biden plan to ban menthol-flavored tobacco products. The members then discussed how this federal plan would affect the work Ariel Thomas-Urlik, MPH, Program Planning Evaluation Analyst, had previously done with Impact Sonoma and their work with the BOS on this same issue. The members concluded that the AB would postpone further work on this issue until state and federal regulations are decided. Melissa then informed the members about bill proposals and state budget development. Natalie Johnson inquired about the state budget and would any of the state budget be allocated for school infrastructure improvements. Melissa informed the group money assigned to schools would be distributed by the district and decided how to be dispersed by school district staff, not legislature.
Staff Report Colette Mc Geough stated that no MCAH Planning and Coordinating Program staff changed since the last meeting. She also noted that the epidemiologist was still assigned to the COVID unit since March 2020 and had not returned to her 0.25 FTE previous position with MCAH. Gina Cuclis agreed this is an important point to bring to Sup. Hopkins' attention.
Colette reviewed again that the DHS Director was leaving her position. This would present an opportunity for AB members to request to have input in the hiring process of a new DHS director. Gina Cuclis stated she intended to discuss this issue and ask to be included in the hiring process.
Discussion Supervisor Hopkins arrived at 1:30.
Leatisia Mankaa gave an AB presentation to Sup. Hopkins, which focused on the history of the MCAH AB, how it was funded, the MCAH mission statement, and MCAH AB's past successes, and a review of its future goals.
Natalie Johnson then addressed Sup. Hopkins, informing her that the AB members are a collection of professionals, experts in their respective fields, with their fingers on the pulse of relevant community health issues. These professionals could be utilized by the BOS in matters of input and support when needed.
Gina Cuclis then addressed Sup Hopkins by stating, an opportunity exists at this moment to grasp, by AB members and the BOS to develop and improve their communication streams and support each other. Furthermore, she stated that the BOS and the county, in their strategic plans, advocate for and promote upstream investments, and the MCAH program should be considered an upstream investment. Gina continued," what is more upstream than health and social care of pregnant women and their infants, children, and families?" The MCAH program and other county programs that work to protect and deliver services to this population cannot continue to function and expand without funding. Gina then proposed to Sup. Hopkins the importance of the AB members having input on the hiring process of the next DHS Director.
Dr. Miller then invited Sup. Hopkins for her response. Supervisor Hopkins thanked the group for inviting her to the meeting and voiced her agreed frustration with the delay of her meeting with the AB, stating this meeting is long overdue. She said she understood that early intervention is vital and that our Sonoma County population has experienced significant trauma over the last four years. She has pushed for money from Measure O to go to mental health interventions. In the future, she would like to strengthen the relationship between the Board of Supervisors and the MCAH AB, setting up an annual MCAH AB presentation before the BOS and having AB representation on the hiring committee for the Director of Health Services. As part of the short-term plan, we will begin by scheduling a formal presentation on the BOS schedule. Gina Cuclis asked for clarification regarding the one-time funding and the parameters. Supervisor Hopkins replied as having previously utilized programs that give the system time to adjust and phase increased costs. She is currently focused on programs like Access, a multidisciplinary approach to treating the same clients in a collaborative style since we are often serving the same families.
Colette Mc Geough stated that she would be interested in knowing the Access program's structure because no MCAH representation is on that team, and she believed that the prevention aspect could be served well by MCAH participation. Sup. Hopkins agreed and stated she would look into this aspect of which programs make up the team and if more should be added.
Dr. Miller suggested that the MCAH AB be apprised of the BOS pending topics in order to coordinate unified supportive coordination. Sup. Hopkins agreed to reach out to the CAO's office to discuss and arrange a staff support liaison.
Public Comment No public comment
Announcements Melissa Apuya announced that she will be on maternity leave in the fall. Colette Mc Geough informed the MCAH AB that the MCAH Planning and Coordinating Team has updated their website https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Health/Public-Health/Maternal-Child-and-Adolescent-Health/ and created a new Facebook page both can be found at the links below: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Health/Public-Health/Maternal-Child-and-Adolescent-Health/ and: www.facebook.com/SonomaCountyMCAH
Meeting Adjourned- The meeting adjourned at 2:03 pm.
Passed Motions
Minutes from April were approved.
Handouts
Action Items
2021 Meeting Dates- 1st Thursday of the Month
June 3 Thursday 12:30-2:00 625 5th Street, City View Rooms
August 5 Thursday 12:30-2:00 625 5th Street, City View Rooms
September 2 Thursday 12:30-2:00 625 5th Street, City View Rooms
October 7 Thursday 12:30-2:00 625 5th Street, City View Rooms
November 4 Thursday 12:30-2:00 625 5th Street, City View Rooms
December 2 Thursday 12:30-2:00 625 5th Street, City View Rooms
MCAH AB Web Site
https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Maternal-Child-and-Adolescent-Health-Advisory-Board/