/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Navajo County Public Health Director Jeff Lee warned the Board of Supervisors at the April 9 meeting that more budget cuts could mean more risks for the county residents when it comes to infectious and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as well as dog bites, rabies and even the ability to insure public safety through restaurant and hotel inspections.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
With a budget that already uses 59 percent of the little over $2.1 million created by the property tax levy to pay for non-traditional health programs like detention nursing, animal control and the medical examiner, Lee said that if Proposition 421, the jail district tax, does not pass in August, “then we will be making some significant changes in the health department.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
“With Cholla closing at some point, the loss of property tax revenue will hit us pretty hard,” continued Lee. “We are looking at a 14 percent reduction in property tax revenue and we will not be able to sustain the local services that we provide.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Lee went on to point out that substance abuse in the county is four times higher than in the rest of the state. “Our suicide rate is twice the U.S. average and heart disease is the leading cause of death within Navajo County. In STDs, the county ranks second highest in Arizona for gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Last year, the one fulltime and one half time staff members worked 1,168 positive STD cases. As Lee explained, these cases involve more than one person. “My staff works with the mother and then the baby for the first year after the child is born. They also track down all the partners to treat and educate them as well.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Another fulltime and one halftime staff member worked with 2,484 infectious disease cases last year. “My staff investigated and treated those individuals. If we have to decrease staff in those areas, we are increasing the risk for our communities to operate. There will be a backlog of cases we can’t get to, resulting in a longer exposure time to the diseases within our communities before we can begin the investigations and treatment.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
With 785 establishments in the county that include restaurants and hotels, the two members of the environmental health staff conducted 638 regular inspections and 214 complaint inspections as well as covering 18 special events. “Even now we have to go through and rank the establishments on risk and determine which ones we won’t inspect that year based on their history.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
In the jail, the detention nurses save the county the cost of bringing in outside Emergency Medical Service (EMS) for minor injuries and illnesses. “The nurses take care of a lot of the EMS,” said Lee. “So, we are saving the county money by having nurses in the jail rather than calling EMS.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
The two animal control officers covered 1,345 service calls, impounded 451 animals, responded to 46 dog bites and conducted 17 investigations into rabies cases. “If we don’t have the ability to respond to those calls, especially a bite or rabies call, then we are increasing risks to the general population.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Add to all of that increased delegations from federal and state requirements on county health departments for the opioid crisis, family planning and vaccinations. “Our nurses spend about 150 percent more time on STD cases than they did five years ago,” concluded Lee. “We don’t fill vacancies, rather we split fund and add more responsibilities.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
On the Emergency Management budget review, Lee noted that while that program is grant funded the county is required to match the grant dollar for dollar. “This comes from the health district fund as well as the county general fund,” continued Lee. “In the future, we will not be able to sustain those grants without more revenues.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
At the end of Lee’s presentation, Chairwoman Dawnafe Whitesinger said, “I worry about the day when there is not enough. There is a bending or breaking point, and what does that look like. We are already asking too much of our employees.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
In other business, the board:
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Heard a presentation on the Open and Engaged Community Conversation scheduled for Monday, May 20.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved the proclamation declaring April 2019 “Child Abuse Prevention Month.”
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved the AZ Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Program amendment one, which updates the price sheet and increases the scope of work to include the development of an opioid fatality review team. All activities are grant funded with no fiscal impact.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved the change of contract number for the following programs due to recent updates in the Arizona State Department of Health Services: The Emergency Preparedness Program, Tuberculosis Control Program, HIV Prevention Program, Smoke Free Arizona Program and the STD Control Program.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved contract for professional services, advocate for the Little Colorado at Winslow Levee.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Heard a presentation of the CARE Committee.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Heard a presentation from Neil Traver, division manager for Arizona Public Service, on their wildfire mitigation program.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved the task agreement for the funding of purchasing roadway signs on Bureau of Indian Affairs Route 15 approaching the intersection for a cost of $20,000.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved awarding Protech Coatings, Inc., the bid for applying the polyester polymer concrete overlay systems to the Woodruff bridge in the amount of $122,441.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved the reissuance of a stale-dated check in the amount of $105.68.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved the sale of five back tax land parcels sold over the counter in the amount of $2,712. The Assessor’s Parcel Numbers include: 105-17-055; 105-20-045; 105-51-056; 105-51-057; and 105-51-058.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved the appointment of Audrey L. Bevers and Jeffrey S. Bevers as Republican Precinct Committeemen for their respective precinct.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved the special event liquor license applications for the Heber-Overgaard Chamber of Commerce for their annual Fourth of July activities and their annual Oktoberfest Event on Sept. 28-29 to be held at the Tall Timbers Park in Heber-Overgaard.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved tax exemptions for 19 applications filed as request for redemption waiver.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
* Approved Fiscal Year 2019 fund transfers.
/wp:paragraph
