Clark County Board of Health

0:00 Good morning and welcome, calling to order Clark County Board of Health, September 23rd, March 26th, 2026. If you would join me in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance, if you're able. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Let's go on to the roll call. Councilor Young. Here. Councilor Belcott is absent.

1:00 Councilor Little. Present. Councilor Fuentes is absent. And Chair Marshall. Here. Thank you. We have a quorum. Thank you. Are there any amendments to the agenda? None today. None today. Okay, then we'll move quickly on to comments from the public. Just reminding folks, this is the Board of Health. Don't know if anyone's signed up. No one's signed up. Okay. No comments from the public today. Moving on to the consent agenda. We have three sets of minutes from August 19th, 2026, which was a special meeting. Should we do these each individually? Okay. Is there a motion to approve, or any changes?

1:59 I'll move approval. Thank you. Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Motion carries. And then the minutes from August 26th, 2026. Are there any changes? If not, I'll entertain a motion. So moved. Thank you. Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Second. Aye. Motion carries. And then finally, minutes from September 2nd, 2026, which was also a special meeting. Any corrections? If not, entertain a motion to approve. You guys can take turns. So moved. Second. Thank you. Moved and seconded. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Okay, motion carries. Health officer coverage is -- Second.

2:56 Our next item, April Firth, our deputy county manager, will present this one. April. Okay, April. Good morning, Madam Chair and Board of Health. Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Perfect. April Firth, deputy county manager and interim director of public health. And I'm here this morning requesting the Board of Health to approve for the director of public health to authorize the contract with qualified health officers when necessary to cover for our Board of Health appointed Clark County health officers. So Clark County has historically maintained both a health officer and a deputy health officer to ensure continuity of public health leadership and adequate coverage during times of absence. With the recent retirement of our health officer and the appointment of our interim health officer, the department has continued its commitment to maintaining stable and compliant public health oversight. The interim health officer has a planned vacation and additional coverage is needed to ensure uninterrupted fulfillment of our staff's health and safety.

3:54 of our statutory responsibilities, timely decision-making, and ongoing support to our public health officer countywide duties during her absence. And just to make it clear, I'm asking that the Director of Public Health have delegation from the Board of Health to authorize the temporary coverage of the Clark County Health Officer for this particular request and for future needs like this in the future. Okay, thank you. Are there any questions from the Board? Go ahead. Just a question, April. What exactly does this work look like when you have somebody that is not typically in that role? Obviously, we had an interim come in and there's been, you know, learning period for that and kind of getting up to date, but that institutional knowledge of what's in general happening with that. I know it was already there, but when we contract with somebody to come in for, say, a week or two

4:52 weeks or something like that, what does it look like? I mean, do they spend that entire time just kind of learning the situation? I don't understand the role completely well enough to know exactly what that would look like. Sure. They have to be a certified health officer. So not only do they need to be a doctor, but they need to have gone to school to be able to do the health officer duties. Most of the time, they have to be a certified health officer. So they have to be a certified health officer. So they have to have gone to school to be able to do the health officer duties. Most of the time, and what I plan on doing this is using a health officer from a different jurisdiction and contracting with them to cover us. They would only be covering our needs while she was on vacation, urgent and emergency needs, like TB care, rabies, any measles outbreaks, things like that. But anyone who we would contract with would be certified health officer. They'd have the experience. They wouldn't have to learn the whole thing. Okay. And so with that

5:47 does the contract look like as needed basis or does it look like we will have you assigned for this time period and so you will be compensated for that whole time period? Assigned for the time period and the contract that we would be going is by hourly basis. So they would not be doing it. They are already a health officer somewhere else. So they would not be doing it for 40 hours a week. So it would just be by hour basis when needed. Okay. Great. Thank you. I have a quick question. And so this would just be for a short period until we've hired an interim health officer. Is that correct? Well, we have an interim health officer. This is so our interim can go on vacation and the board of health has to appoint a health officer. And so that's why this staff report is actually asking that you give that delegation to the director of public health for any time.

6:47 Okay. So that's what I meant to say. So you're asking for a vacation coverage or a short-term temporary coverage of your appointed health officer. What I meant to say is deputy health officer. Usually we have a health officer and a deputy health officer. That's what I meant to say. Yes. Which is why we haven't needed this. Right. Good. In 13 years. Thank you. Any other questions? If not, I'll entertain a motion to approve. So moved. Thank you. Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Okay. Thank you, April. Public health in action. Access to baby and child dentistry. Please, please go ahead.

7:47 Thank you. I'll make sure that the mic is on because people online can't hear. Nobody say that. Do I repeat what I say or repeat? I think you'll need to briefly. From my name and everything?

8:47 Okay. Well, good morning again. My name is Anna Cruz. I'm a community health specialist for the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry Program, known by families and community organizations as the ABCD Program. I'm here today with a community partner and collaborator, Deanna Russell, Health Services Administrator with EOCF. And I'm hopeful to have Dr. Xu, the ABCD champion and owner of Storybook Dental, join us throughout the presentation via Zoom. Slide two. Thank you. The ABCD Program is part of the Healthy Communities Team in the Community Health Division. For your reference, the organizational chart is shown here. Slide three, please. After this presentation, you will understand the importance for children to access dental care early in their lives. The work being done by the ABCD Program,

9:47 and ways you can support oral health care in Clark County. Slide four, please. Oral health is critical for overall health and well-being. Scheduling a visit by age one ensures children building habits for life. Baby teeth are very important. And healthy baby teeth support nutrition, health, and well-being. And healthy baby teeth support nutrition, health, and well-being. speech development, and guide permanent teeth. When children establish a dental home at a young age, they are more likely to associate dental visits as a positive, welcoming, and safe experience. Unfortunately, cavities are the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States, but they are preventable with healthy habits and access to care. Slide five, please.

10:45 Poor oral health-- Go ahead. Poor oral health can be devastating and bring devastating effects on young children and their families. And treatment can be traumatic, in some cases, and costly. Cavities can be painful and interfere with a child's ability to focus and learn. And the most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral

11:44 health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. The most common cause of severe oral health is a lack of oral health. presenting more than 350 kids. Additionally, 370 kids were identified as needing urgent dental care within the following 24-48 hours because of pain or infection.

12:36 Low-income children were much more likely to have cavities, untreated, and rampant decay. They were also more than twice as likely to need urgent treatment compared to their peers. Importantly, they were less likely to have sealants on their permanent molars, pointing to unequal access to preventive services. Slide 7, please. The importance of early access and addressing oral health disparities for children with upper health were the reasons. It is important that ABCD was developed. It is a very unique program that is supported by both public and private partnerships to ensure all children in Washington can access early dental care.

13:29 The program started in the 1990s in Spokane, and Clark County was an early adopter of the program. The ABCD program is now implemented across Washington State. Slide 8, please. The ABCD program is based on partnerships at all levels. The key statewide partners include the University of Washington School of Dentistry, Washington Department of Health, Washington Health Care Authority, Washington State Dental Association, the Arcora Foundation, and at the local level, ABCD Dentist Champions and Local Partnerships. Slide 9, please. The ABCD program is based on partnerships at all levels. The key statewide partners include the University of Washington School of Dentistry, Washington Department of Health, Washington Health Care Authority, Washington State Dental Association, the Arcora Foundation, and at the local level, ABCD Dentist Champions and Local Partnerships. The ABCD program is based on partnerships at all levels. The key statewide partners include the University of Washington School of Dentistry, Washington Department of Health, Washington Health Care Authority, Washington State Dental Association, the Arcora Foundation, and at the local level, ABCD Dentist Champions and Local Partnerships. We also work with early learning programs, community-based organizations, and pediatricians to increase access to care.

14:28 Slide nine, please. The main goal of the ABCD program is to connect Apple Health insured children to a dentist for early care and education on how to take good care of their child's teeth. This helps children build healthy habits for life. The ABCD program focuses on children ages zero to six and children six to 12 who have a Medicaid developmental disability designation. There are three main strategies to increase dental care with these populations. Number one. Read. Recruiting and enrolling dental providers in the program. Once enrolled, dentists receive specialized training and certification to provide care to young children. These dentists can be general or pediatric dentists.

15:24 Dr. Xu, our local ABCD champion, plays a very important role in providing that training and support. Number two. Participating dentists receive enhanced fees for caring for eligible dentists. For example, if you can't afford to pay for your own dental treatment, you can go to a dental clinic.

15:45 You can go to a dental clinic.