The regular meeting of the Columbus Board of Health was held in the
Administration Conference Room of the Health and Human Services Center on
Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at 1:00 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
H. Banks Carroll, M. D.
Mrs. Brenda Dozier
James A. Lawrence, D. D. S.
Mayor Jim Wetherington
Todd Jarrell, M. D.
Carlos Wise, M. D.
MEMBERS ABSENT:
Mr. Isaiah Hugley
OTHERS PRESENT:
David Arrington for Mr. Hugley
Dr. Zsolt Koppanyi
Ed Saidla
Pam Middleton
Eileen Albritton
Karon Bush
Sheila Mayfield
Pam Fair
Charlene Ellis
Dr. Carroll called the meeting to order and asked if there were any questions
or comments on the previous minutes of November 19, 2009. Dr. Carroll asked for
a motion to approve the minutes. A motion was made by Ms. Dozier, seconded by
Dr. Jarrell and approved by those members present.
Dr. Carroll stated there were no Excused Absences for today.
Dr. Carroll asked if anyone had any Old Business to bring before the Board.
There being none, Dr. Carroll asked for any New Business. Dr. Carroll welcomed
Dr. Carlos Wise who will be taking Dr. Willis? place on the Board. Dr. Carroll
asked Dr. Wise to tell the Board about himself. Dr. Wise stated that he grew up
in Atlanta and received his Bachelor Degree in Biology from Talladega College
and his Masters in Genetics at Purdue and then returned to Atlanta to medical
school at Morehouse. He did his residency at Fort Benning. He was at Fort
Benning for three years as a Resident and then four more years on faculty.
After that he did part-time teaching and part-time clinical. He has been in
private practice for three years at Clark-Holder Clinic in Westpoint and
LaGrange and has been here in Columbus for three years. Dr. Carroll asked Dr.
Wise if he was on the faculty here at the residency program and if he saw
private patients here. Dr. Wise stated that he has his own panel of private
patients that he sees three half days and the rest of the time is teaching.
Dr. Carroll welcomed Dr. Wise and expressed his appreciation for Dr. Wise
becoming a member of the Columbus Board. Dr. Carroll asked Dr. Wise if he had
any special interest in public health that he would like for the Board to
pursue. Dr. Wise stated not yet, but he is sure as we go along there will be
some interest to contribute. Dr. Carroll stated that the Board Members are
looking forward to Dr. Wise serving on the Board.
Dr. Koppanyi stated to Dr. Wise that with his training in Genetics, would he be
interested in some genetic cases in that Dr. Blackston is coming and it would
be a great opportunity for Dr. Wise. Dr. Wise stated that he did have an
interest in this.
Dr. Carroll asked if there were any other New Business to bring before the
Board. There being none, Dr. Carroll asked those persons in the room to please
introduce themselves to Dr. Wise.
Dr. Carroll asked Dr. Koppanyi for the Director?s Comments. Dr. Koppanyi stated
that just before Dr. Ford?s conference call with the health directors, she had
met with the Legislative Finance Committee and presented the public health
budgets and she received some very disturbing news. There are four public
health programs that the Governor?s budget has targeted for significant cuts;
one of them being Health Promotions. This cut will eliminate eighteen
positions one in each of the Districts and two state level positions. They
also, as you may have heard, plan to cut funding for the school nurses
program. There was also a nutrition education and nutrition counseling
position slated for elimination. Out of the essential treatment services
program, the Governor?s budget cut?s the SHAPP Program which is a hypertension
program for older low income Georgian?s. Cutting the program by $916,000
dollars will leave only a few thousand dollars in the SHAPP Project. The
Emergency Preparedness program at the state level will lose three positions.
Revenue short falls are forcing all programs to reduce their budgets. In the
State Injury Prevention Budget they have targeted the elimination of the
Suicide Prevention Program. DHR is also planning for two days per month
furlough for Administrative Staff above pay grade 15 starting the first of
March.
Mr. Saidla stated that the SHAPP cut is the one that is the hardest to deal
with. We had an idea concerning the other proposed cuts but the SHAPP Program
really hurts the people that depend on that co-management of patients as you
well know, Dr. Carroll. This is the one area where advocacy may help. It has
helped certainly in the past to keep those funds in place. Dr. Carroll stated
that basically this included hypertension persons, diabetics and folks that
have chronic long term medical illnesses that they don?t get their meds and you
can have all sorts of complications from this. The Medical Center will not take
them; they often qualify for the out-patient clinic. So the Health Department
is the catch all for these people who cannot get help anywhere else.
Dr. Carroll asked how does this affect the counties? Mr. Saidla stated that the
major impact is the SHAPP cut with the impact of the patients that are seen
that really do not have any other provider source. Mr. Saidla asked Ms. Bush
what was the total SHAPP enrollment? She stated 800+ but it varies from quarter
to quarter. The average is about 850. Ms. Albritton stated that the program is
very important in the small counties, since programs like the drug assistance
programs that the large pharmacies have; some of our small counties do not have
a pharmacy such as a CVS or Eckerd?s so even if they could get their meds at a
discounted cost, they would have to travel to get there. This becomes a problem
because transportation is an issue in the small counties. Ms. Bush stated that
another issue was that the patients have very limited resources and a lot of
the physicians are familiar with the SHAPP nurses and the nurses that work in
the SHAPP clinic and when their prescriptions are up for renewal and they send
them back to the office for a prescription, they will send the information like
what the blood pressures has been running and a lot of times the physicians
will just write the new prescriptions. Now without the patients being monitored
on a regular basis every other month, the physician is going to want to see
that patient to know how the blood pressure is doing and to make sure that they
are controlled under that medication. The clients can?t afford $45.00 every two
months.
Mr. Saidla stated to the Board Members if they have an opportunity to speak
with their Legislative friends, this is the cut that we are most concerned
about in terms of impact.
Dr. Koppanyi stated that it seems they are backing off of the Family Planning
cut. There seems to be a lot of people lobbying against the cut. Mr. Saidla
stated that we have still been forced to close the Women?s Health Annex in
Americus because of the loss of that funding which is going to put a real
impact on Americus because of the limited providers there and the Health
Department there does not have the staff or the facilities to take on the
number of patients being seen at the Women?s Health Annex. Dr. Carroll asked
was that fifteen positions and Mr. Saidla said there were fifteen positions
that were being eliminated in High Risk Infant Follow-up but those are State
positions not anything on the local level.
There was a brief discussion regarding the proposed division of DHR.
Dr. Carroll asked for any other comments. Mr. Saidla asked Ms. Mayfield for any
comments from the Columbus Nursing perspective today. Ms. Mayfield talked about
the challenges of staff and the teen clinic and keeping it afloat. There is one
part-time nurse practitioner in the Teen Center and she has been working two
days a week while Ms. Mayfield and other staff have attempted to cover the
clinic.
Dr. Carroll asked how the nursing personnel were doing at this time. Ms.
Mayfield stated there are four new nurses coming aboard soon and then the
training must be done.
Dr. Carroll asked Pam Middleton to present the financial report to the Board.
Ms. Middleton stated that the City Budget is being prepared and hopefully will
have it ready and out by February 14th. The budget report will be presented at
the next Board meeting.
There was no presentation for the meeting today.
Dr. Koppanyi reported that the Men?s and Women?s Expo was a success with 1,250
attendees. There were several patients who had high cholesterol and high blood
pressure and very high blood sugar.
Dr. Carroll asked if there was any other business to discuss. There being none,
the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted:
________________________________________
Charlene Ellis, Secretary
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