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22 N. Georgia Ave. Suite 300 . Mason City, IA 50401 . Phone: 641-421-9300 . Toll Free: 1-888-264-2581 . Fax:
641-421-9350
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Administration
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Cerro Gordo County Board of Health Present: Mark Johnson, MD, Chairman Absent: Candi Schickel, Vice Chair Staff: Ron Osterholm, Health Director Guests: Jay Urdahl, Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisor The meeting was called to order at 12:16 pm. Introductions were made around the table. Consent Agenda: Moved by Dougherty, second by Galasso to approve the consent agenda. Passed. Partnership Award: Osterholm reminded the Board that the Public Health Partnership Award will be given during the April meeting to someone the department has partnered with within the community through the past year. Nominations as well as the final selection are the undertaking of the Core Team. This will be the fourth year this award has been presented. Board of Supervisors Joint Meeting: Before dialogue started, Osterholm stated his appreciation to the Board of Supervisors for taking the time to meet with the Board of Health and staff. He also thanked them for work on the recently approved FY 07-08 budget including the salary increase that was allotted in the budget. Supervisor Urdahl stated his appreciation to the Board of Health and the Department of Public Health for the job they each perform. Whenever given the opportunity to speak of the return on the dollar invested at the Health Department, he is always pleased to be able to say for every $30 spent, $70 comes back. Thus, he tries to sell the program on the basis of getting “a lot of bang for the buck” as well as innovative programs that are not found elsewhere. Supervisor Amosson agrees that the county has some very good leadership who work hard at keeping the budgets low while still providing quality services. He asked whether the health department has a dental hygienist on staff. He then asked if there is any legislation being considered about dental services. Osterholm stated there are several legislative actions being discussed that are related to the health arena. One would increase amount of funding available for dental hygienists at several pilot sites, including North Iowa Community Action. Another would increase the number of pilot programs and would involve the University of Iowa and the provision of a volunteer base in order to expand access to dental services for Medicaid clients. Galasso asked the Supervisors what challenges they foresee in the next five years as far as funding abilities and projects. Urdahl felt everything is dependent on economic growth; the county is pretty close to caps on taxes and as such is at the mercy of the local economy. The Supervisors have taken up a mission within the last few years to try to be a partner in economic growth with the cities of Mason City and Clear Lake. They believe in the old philosophy “a rising tide lifts all boats”. Even with good growth it’s always incumbent on organizations such as this, that are grant driven to be constantly working the market, searching for new sources of funding and that is the name of the game. A strong financial base and a growing economy provide a good under-pinning for the future for everything we want to do in county government. Amosson felt local retail growth is important. Galasso also asked which economic development board each supervisor sits on. Jay Urdahl is Treasurer of the Mason City EDC; Bob Amosson serves on the Clear Lake EDC; and Phil Dougherty sits on the North Iowa Growth Partnership Board. Before departing, Urdahl stated his appreciation for the good solid relationship between the Supervisors and the Department of Public Health through out the past years. Core Team Dialogue: The Core Team had no additional items to discuss. The Core Team was dismissed at 1:17 p.m., leaving the Health Director to meet with the Board one- on-one. Miscellaneous: Osterholm briefed Board members regarding his intent to initiate strategic planning this fall. The planning process will be facilitated by Health Planning and an outside consultant to be named later. Pat Galasso provided a brief summary from the conference call with Williamson County and City Health District, Friend of Public Health, Inc. about foundation development. A presentation will be provided at the next Board meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 2:23 pm. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 12:15 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Barb Kellogg |
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