Members | Thursday, May 22, 2025 |
Devon Reese, Chair | 1:00 p.m. |
Clara Andriola, Vice Chair | |
Paul Anderson | |
Michael Brown | Washoe County Administration Complex |
Dr. Eloy Ituarte | Commission Chambers, Building A |
Steve Driscoll | 1001 East Ninth Street |
Dr. Reka Danko | Reno, NV |
Vice Chair, Clara Andriola, called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. Members present: Clara Andriola, Vice Chair
Michael Brown Dr. Eloy Ituarte Steve Driscoll Paul Anderson
Dr. Reka Danko – joined virtually at 1:05 p.m.
Steve Driscoll led the pledge to the flag.
With no public comment requests, Vice Chair Andriola closed the item.
Years of Service
Lilia Sandoval Huffman - Office Specialist - CCHS - 30 years 5/15/1995
Cindy Hawks - Office Specialist - EPHP - 25 years 5/8/25
Laurie Griffey - Administrative Assistant I / HR Rep - AHS - 20 years 5/9/2005
Charmaigne Roque – Public Health Nurse II – CCHS – 10 years 5/11/2015
Erin Dixon congratulated this staff on their commitment and years of service.
Vice Chair Andriola also shared congratulations and thanks for their cumulative 85 years of service.
Health Heroes
Josh Foster - Environmental Health Services
Jim English - Environmental Health Services
Eva Sandoval shared congratulations on their work and receipt of the Health Heroes awards.
Possible approval of April 24, 2025, Draft Minutes.
Approve the Interlocal Contract between State of Nevada, Department of Conservation and National Resources, Division of Environmental Protection and Northern Nevada Public Health for the July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 in total amount of $344,030.00 ($172,015.00 per fiscal year) in support of the Environmental Health Services Division (EHS) Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) program: and if approved, authorize the District Health Officer to execute the Agreement and any future amendments.
Recommendation for the Board to approve the Interlocal Agreement between Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) and the Larson Institute to design and D.
Approve Agreement for Services between Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) and Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB) in the amount of $300,000 for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 in support of the Recycling and Solid Waste Plan program activities on behalf of the Environmental Health Services Division of Northern Nevada Public Health; authorize the Chair or the Board designee to execute the Agreement and related documents.
Acknowledge receipt of the Health Fund Financial Review for April, Fiscal Year 2025.
End of Consent Items.
Recommendation to accept the REMSA Health Monthly Franchise Report for April 2025 which includes REMSA Health Accounts Receivables Summary, Compliance by Zones, Average Response Times, Incident Details Reporting, Summary Penalty Fund
Reconciliation, Ground Ambulance Operations Report, Patient Experience Report and Comments, Education Report, and Public Relations Report, and provide possible Board direction.
Barry Duplantis shared he is pleased to report that for April and the fiscal year to date, REMSA has exceeded all franchise response compliance for all priority 1 calls in all zones. He also noted that in April, REMSA responded to 8,286 priority 1 calls and transported 5,340 to area hospitals. The customer service report resulted in a score of 92.86, which is an improvement from the previous year. He also shared with this being EMS Week, they have been busy thanking and recognizing the staff in the organization working in the field of EMS.
Ms. Andriola also shared sentiment for EMS Week in celebrating the work done here and throughout the nation and recognizing the trained professionals so giving in the service of saving lives and preventing tragedies that could occur without their expertise and promptness to the job at hand. She and Dr. Kingsley had the honor of attending the celebration in recognition of EMS Week at REMSA. Ms. Andriola asked what the trend is with the numbers provided for responses and transports, compared with previous years.
Mr. Duplantis indicated that the trend is going up. As the community grows, the numbers have been increasing 5-7% year over year. In addition, they are currently seeing a seasonal rise with more people being outdoors and active.
Presentation and discussion regarding the 2025 Public Health Preparedness Report.
Anastasia Gunawan shared that the intent of this report is to increase transparency of preparedness and build community resilience. This publication will be available every three years, with a focus on evidence-based recommendations for internal planning such as climate change and hazard risk data, integrating social determinants of health as well as NNPH preparedness efforts, including training and applied technical capabilities.
Dr. Kingsley shared his thanks for bringing this data to the community. As we move forward, it puts concise information about the community and how preparedness and response looks in the face of the changing issues. There have been recent exercises that included many community partners, and the response was amazing to be a part of.
Vice Chair Andriola shared how important it is to be prepared and not be in a situation where you aren’t sure what to do. All the partnerships are very critical.
Presentation and possible acceptance of the FY25 Q3 Strategic Plan Results.
Rayona LaVoie noted that over 75% of outcomes are on target. For Q3, some highlights include expanding community outreach and visibility, with public-facing programs and
campaigns reaching more residents, particularly through partnerships in targeted engagement efforts such as sexual health testing and the importance of timely treatment, as well as raising awareness of air quality conditions. The on-time rate for performance evaluations has significantly improved, supporting stronger accountability and staff development. Staffing limitations remain a significant barrier to meeting some targets. As we approach Q4, the focus will continue to be on prioritizing high-impact actions, aligning them with long-term outcomes, and addressing resource and capacity gaps, reinforcing a data-driven and team- oriented culture.
Vice Chair Andriola asked if there is any impact to these numbers based on the funding uncertainties.
Ms. LaVoie indicated that all of the targets are set before heading into the fiscal year, with anticipated funding to execute the activities. If an initiative is off target, the report will show it with an explanation as to why.
Vice Chair Andriola noted that, given we are in a very challenging situation, it might be helpful to note where the progress might be if the funding was as expected. She believes that these numbers may benefit from being quantified if possible.
Ms. LaVoie gave thanks for the feedback and noted it will be taken into consideration when the Q4 report is being reviewed.
Mr. Driscoll noted a phenomenal job has been done with identifying, reporting, and watching, but because of the flux in the current situation, priorities are going to possibly be changed and asked how priority changes will be determined and reported to the Board.
Dr. Kingsley informed that Leadership has met, and this situation is being discussed. Using the performance management system, role prioritization is being addressed, overall and with a reduction in funding. As situations arise, they will be brought to the Board and jurisdictional partners. If we lose complete funding in any program, per the ILA, we are required to bring that to the Board for evaluation.
Discussion and direction to staff regarding legislative issues proposed by legislators, by Northern Nevada Public Health, or by other entities permitted by the Nevada State Legislature to submit bill draft requests, or such legislative issues as may be deemed by the Chair or the Board to be of critical significance to NNPH. Pending legislative bills can be located here https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025. Current bills NNPH is tracking that may be reported on or discussed can be found here https://www.nnph.org/about- us/legislative-affairs.php. Due to the rapid pace of the legislative session, additional bills that may be reported on or discussed at the District Board of Health will be posted as soon as known.
Joelle Gutman Dodson shared that SB295, regarding Street Food Vendors, has been amended to make the bill acceptable, but NNPH is still in opposition. A permitting process has been created where vendors will not go through the entire inspection process but will be partially permitted, and a sticker will be required on food items indicating they have not been inspected or permitted by a government agency. SB466 will move Environmental Health Food Services from DBPH to the Department of Agriculture. SB494 creates a new health authority as an executive office out of the Governor’s Office that will include Medicaid & PEB and a few other programs, hoping to determine ways revenue can be generated for the state. NNPH is still in opposition to AB352, which moves cottage food permitting to the State, which could cause a problem with oversight at farmers’ markets, due to lack of staff.
AB102 would grant permissive language to allow a public health authority of our size to permit and license paramedics and ambulances. We would be allowed to do this when we are ready. SB423 would allow an additional $5M for Local Health Authorities or counties base funding of $125,000/year beginning in FY27. This would particularly help the smaller counties in rural areas, allowing some sustainable funding. There are 12 days left in the Session.
Air Quality Management - Administration Releases Budget Proposal for FY2026, March 2025 EPA Small Business Newsletter, Divisional Update, Program Reports, Monitoring and Planning, Permitting and Compliance.
Francisco Vega shared that they are monitoring the President’s proposed budget for prospective impacts, specifically, section 103 and 105 grants received from the EPA. There were no exceedances of the Air Quality Standards in April, and 69 plans were reviewed, all in a timely manner.
Community and Clinical Health Services – 2025 World TB Day; Data & Metrics; Sexual Health (Outreach and Disease Investigation), Immunizations, Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Program, Reproductive and Sexual Health Services, Chronic Disease Injury Prevention Program, Maternal Child and Adolescent Health, Women Infants and Children, and Community Health Workers.
Christina Sheppard introduced herself as the new CCHS Division Director. She started with NNPH in 2016 as a Nurse Practitioner and was promoted to Nurse Practitioner Supervisor for the Family Planning and Sexual Health Clinic in 2022 and implemented the Community Health Worker Program. With nothing to add to the report, she did share that they celebrated Nurse’s Week earlier this month, and noted Kaleigh Behrendt, was recognized as the Northern Nevada Nurse of Achievement for rural and community health.
Vice Chair Andriola shared her congratulations on the accomplishments of Ms. Behrendt and Ms. Sheppard.
Environmental Health Services Program – Consumer Protection (Food Safety Plan Review & Operations, Commercial Plan Review, Foodborne Illness, Special Events, Permitted Facilities); Environmental Protection (Land Development, Safe Drinking Water, Vector-borne Disease surveillance, Waste Management / Underground Storage Tanks).
Robert Fyda highlighted that the Food Safety Program hosted the Food Inspection Boot Camp last month, with 21 people from 13 community restaurants in attendance. The land development team, along with the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, hosted educational classes on septic systems and wells, with about 15 attendees for each class. Public service interns are currently being hired to do vector surveillance for the community and 100% of plan reviews met the goal for this month.
Vice Chair Andriola asked about the feedback from the Food Safety Boot Camps. She had heard from an experienced person in the food industry that there were only great things to say about it.
Mr. Fyda noted it has mainly been positive feedback and he would share the comment with his team.
Epidemiology and Public Health Preparedness – Epidemiology, Public Health Preparedness, Emergency Medical Services, Vital Statistics.
Dr. Nancy Diao highlighted a series of collaborative emergency preparedness activities throughout April and May, which centered around an exercise depicting a major earthquake, leading to a full-scale exercise, with participation from many community partners. An internal tabletop exercise involving the division directors was held on May 16, focusing on the Continuity of Operations Plan, which identified mission-critical operations and services that must continue in each division during a disaster. Lessons learned from these exercises will be addressed in future planning efforts. As May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month, publications on Hepatitis A and C are being shared. Outbreaks continue to decrease in May, with the majority being related to gastrointestinal illness. The last few days of the respiratory disease season have ended, with the final report to be completed tomorrow and a season summary to follow. This was a severe season, with cumulative counts in flu hospitalizations being the highest in the last 15 seasons. All respiratory viruses are decreasing and remaining low. The dashboard will be discontinued for flu and RSV during the off-season. As the COVID data has not fallen into a seasonal pattern, that dashboard will remain operational. The new respiratory dashboard was created in collaboration with the County GIS Team and submitted to a poster contest at the Nevada Geographic Information Society Conference, where it won first prize for innovation. The team has also been collaborating with Tech Services to develop a database and serve as
a surveillance tool, with a focus on carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPO) and candida auris.
Vice Chair Andriola shared her congratulations on the innovation award.
Office of the District Health Officer Report – Northern Nevada Public Health Communications Update, Accreditation, Quality Improvement, Workforce Development, Community Health Improvement Program, Equity Projects / Collaborations, Community Events, and Public Communications Outreach.
Dr. Kingsley noted that today is the first of four Family Health Festivals, where many resources for the community will be available. It will be held at the Livestock Event Center from 4-7 p.m.
Mr. Driscoll asked if the Introduction to Health films that are being worked on are part of ongoing training or just part of onboarding for new employees, and if they will be shown to other entities.
Dr. Kingsley indicated that these films were recently developed by the communications team and provide highlights for new staff. He shared that they could potentially be shared with the Board and possibly become part of the onboarding packet for Board members.