May 14, 2025 Board of Health

OKAY. YOU CAN VOTE. OH I SEE.

[I. OPENING STATEMENT ]

[00:00:06]

SO WILL EVERYBODY PLEASE RISE? AND JOE WILL LEAD US IN THE BILL, REMEMBER? JUST GO AHEAD. PICK IT UP.

YOU'RE THE CLOSEST TO THE. OH, OKAY. OKAY. YES.

ALL RIGHT. 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. OKAY. OKAY.

SO WELCOME. GOOD JOB. JOE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I DON'T THINK I'VE DONE THAT SINCE HIGH SCHOOL. WELCOME TO THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING FOR MAY 14TH, 2025. IT IS THE INTENTION OF THE BOARD TO CONCLUDE THIS MEETING BY 9:30 P.M..

ANY AGENDA ITEM NOT CONSIDERED BY 9:30 P.M.

WILL BE TABLED UNTIL THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING.

OPENING STATEMENT. ADEQUATE NOTICE OF THE MEETING AS REQUIRED BY SECTIONS THREE D AND FOUR A OF THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETING ACT, HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC AND FILED WITH THE TOWNSHIP CLERK.

THE BOARD OF HEALTH IS AN AUTONOMOUS BODY APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR TO MAKE PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY FOR THE TOWNSHIP.

WE OPERATE UNDER THE REGULATION OF THE NEW JERSEY STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND NOT THE TOWNSHIP. WE ARE EMPOWERED TO ENACT LOCAL HEALTH ORDINANCES FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE AND TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE TOWNSHIP AND ITS RESIDENTS.

AND NOW WE'LL HAVE A ROLL CALL, JEN, WHEN YOU ARE READY.

DOCTOR GRAYSON. DOCTOR MCGEARY HERE.

DOCTOR FAZAL HERE. DOCTOR SHARMA HERE.

DOCTOR NEWMAN HERE. DOCTOR MOHAN HERE.

MISTER. DOCTOR HERE. DOCTOR.

SARAYA HERE. HEALTH OFFICER PATEL HERE.

STAFF SECRETARY JENNIFER FOSTER HERE.

TOWNSHIP LIAISON. PATRICIA TAYLOR TOD.

ADVISOR. DOCTOR. BURT MANDELBAUM.

ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? JEN? NOTHING BY THE EMAIL.

OKAY, SO WE'RE GOING TO GO ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.

[IV. CONSENT AGENDA]

SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE TWO SETS OF MONTHLY REPORTS AND ONE SET OF MANY MINUTES.

SO ALL MATTERS LISTED HERE UNDER ARE CONSIDERED ROUTINE IN NATURE AND WILL BE APPROVED IN ONE MOTION.

ANY MEMBER MAY REQUEST THAT AN ITEM OR ITEMS BE REMOVED FOR SEVERAL SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. SO WE HAVE THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT FROM MARCH AND FROM APRIL 2025. WE HAVE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE REPORTS FROM MARCH AND APRIL 2025.

WE HAVE ANIMAL CONTROL REPORTS FROM MARCH AND APRIL 2025, AND WE HAVE THEM MINUTES FROM OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING ON MARCH 12TH, 2025. SO CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE ITEMS? NO. OKAY. CAN WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE WE'RE APPROVED AND SECONDED AND THEN WE CAN MOVE ON TO OUR

[V.ANGELINA BUSCH - GIRL SCOUTS PRESENTAION: NEW RESIDENT INFORMATION ]

THANK YOU. NICE TO SEE YOU.

AND THANK YOU FOR RESCHEDULING.

WE KNOW WE WE WEREN'T ABLE TO HAVE YOU IN APRIL.

SO THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK.

NO WORRIES NO WORRIES.

SO YEAH, I'M READY TO START WHERE YOU GUYS ARE.

TALKING TO THE MICROPHONE, I THINK SO. PEOPLE CAN HEAR IF THEY'RE WATCHING. DOES THIS RIGHT OVER TO YOU.

THE WHOLE THING. THE WHOLE THING. OH. IS THIS.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ON OR NOT. I THINK IT MIGHT BE ON ITS OWN.

IT SAYS IT'S GREEN, SO IT'S NOT.

VOLUME IS UP. NO, IT'S NOT WORKING.

HOW HOW DIFFICULT WOULD IT BE TO JUST JUMP TO THAT ONE? THAT'S THAT'S THE FIRST.

YEAH. ACTUALLY. YEAH. MAYBE WE SHOULD TEST THAT ONE. GOOD POINT.

THE REASON WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS IS BECAUSE WE'RE RECORDING, SO I UNDERSTAND. YEAH. IT WON'T COME UP I DON'T THINK.

LET ME GIVE YOU THAT OKAY.

THANK YOU. NOPE. NOPE.

THERE DOESN'T WORK. YOU WANT TO TAKE ONE OF OURS? OH, NO. NO, I THINK SOMEBODY HIT THAT.

MAYBE SOMETHING FEELS LIKE IT'S MAKING NOISES.

THINK ABOUT IT. OH, WIRELESS.

IS THAT 1 OR 2? EXACTLY.

YES. YEAH. HELLO? OKAY, THERE WE GO.

THAT'S LOUD. THAT IS LOUD.

THAT'S OKAY. IT'S BETTER THAT YOU'RE LOUD THAN NOT.

NOT OR NOT. ALL RIGHT.

[00:05:01]

I'M CURRENTLY A JUNIOR AT MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL.

AND TODAY, I JUST WANTED TO TALK TO YOU GUYS ABOUT A PROPOSAL I HAVE FOR A PROJECT REGARDING MY GIRL SCOUTS GOLD AWARD.

SO FOR CONTEXT, FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW, A GOLD AWARD IS THE HIGHEST RANK YOU CAN ACHIEVE IN GIRL SCOUTS.

IT'S BASICALLY A COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD THAT REQUIRES AROUND 80 HOURS OF ACTION ON A PROJECT, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BE.

THE PROJECT IS WHAT I'M GOING TO BE PRESENTING TO YOU ALL TODAY.

SO MY PROJECT IS A NEW RESIDENCE WELCOME PACKAGE.

AND FOR CONTEXT, THE WAY I CHOSE MY ISSUE IS THAT WHEN SPEAKING TO SPECIFICALLY, I NOTICED THAT MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP HAS SEEN AN INFLUX OF HOUSING AND IN TURN, NEW RESIDENTS. AND BECAUSE OF THIS, MANY NEW RESIDENTS MISUNDERSTAND TOWNSHIP SERVICES, ESPECIALLY ISSUES LIKE POLICE AID EMERGENCY SERVICES AND DISASTER RELIEF.

AND MISCONCEPTIONS CONSTRAIN RESOURCES, SPECIFICALLY LIKE CALLING 911 FOR MINOR MEDICAL ISSUES OR EXPECTING FREE FLOOD DEBRIS REMOVAL, OR SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN SEEN WITH A LOT OF NEW RESIDENTS NOT UNDERSTANDING HOW TO USE TOWNSHIP RESOURCES.

AND THIS CAN LEAD TO FRUSTRATION FOR BOTH THE TOWNSHIP AND NEW RESIDENTS.

AND HOW DO I KNOW THIS? BECAUSE I'VE NOTICED INCREASED HOUSING IN THE AREA.

AND I PROPOSED A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO THE TOWNSHIP SPECIFICALLY.

AND I IDENTIFIED INFORMATION GAPS WITH HER AND OTHER TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS.

AND I'M NOW ASKING FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS COLLABORATION TO MAKE THIS PROJECT A REALITY.

AND FOR ME, WHY THIS MATTERS IS BECAUSE, PERSONALLY, I HAVE FAMILIAL EXPERIENCE WITH BEING A NEW RESIDENT.

MY FAMILY WE MOVED TO THIS TOWNSHIP, AND A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A LOT OF LEARNING CURVES AND A LOT OF WAYS THAT WE HAD TO FIND OUT HOW TO YOU KNOW, BE IN THE TOWNSHIP.

BUT IT'S BEEN AMAZING.

SO THAT LEARNING CURVE IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M WILLING TO HELP PEOPLE GET THROUGH.

AND AS FOR THE COMMUNITY, NEW JERSEY AND THE COUNTY HAVE HAD A HUGE POPULATION SURGE. SPECIFICALLY, IN NEW JERSEY, THERE'S BEEN A 23 .2. 3% INCREASE IN POPULATION FROM APRIL 20TH 20 TO 2024.

AND IN SOMERSET COUNTY, THERE WAS A 1,980% INCREASE IN ONE TOWN'S HOUSING. WOW. SO JUST TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER MY ROOT CAUSE OF THE ISSUE WAS THE INFLUX OF RESIDENTS IS CAUSED BY HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.

SO OBVIOUSLY OUR POPULATION IS AROUND 23,000 PEOPLE FOR IN THE 2020 CENSUS AND AROUND 33MI². AND OUR POPULATION DENSITY ROSE FROM 294.8 IN 1992, 720.3 IN 2018 PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE, ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS.

ADDITIONALLY, THE TOWNSHIP WAS REQUIRED BY NEW JERSEY MANDATE TO BUILD 260 MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS IN 2024, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER NON MANDATED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN OCCURRING. AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IT MEANS THAT THERE ARE MANY NEW RESIDENTS IN THE TOWNSHIP, A LOT OF WHO ARE UNAWARE OF TOWNSHIP SERVICES AND LIMITATIONS.

AND IT HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH, WHICH IS WHAT I'M SEEKING TO DO. SO TO CREATE A PLAN TO COMBAT THIS, I AM ENDEAVORING TO CREATE A NEW RESIDENTS WELCOME PACKAGE, WHICH IS A COMPILATION OF EXISTING TOWNSHIP RESOURCES.

THIS PACKAGE WILL INCLUDE EMERGENCY SERVICES, DISASTER RELIEF, HEALTH, FOOD AND ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS. SO IT'S BASICALLY GOING TO BE A PACKAGE THAT'S GOING TO BE PHYSICAL AND ONLINE, AND IT'S GOING TO SHOW NEW RESIDENTS AND ALLOW THEM TO HAVE A ONE STOP SHOP TO KIND OF FINDING ALL THE TOWNSHIP RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED.

AND IN ORDER TO DISTRIBUTE THIS, THERE'S GOING TO BE A MULTI-LEVEL DISTRIBUTION PROCESS TO REACH AS MANY NEW RESIDENTS AS POSSIBLE.

SO I WOULD LOVE TO DO SOME WORKSHOPS IN THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING ITSELF OR IN ELKS LODGES TO INTRODUCE THE PACKAGE, ANSWER QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE FURTHER RESOURCES. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HOLD SOME INFORMATION TABLES AT LOCAL MARKETS, COMMUNITY EVENTS AND OBVIOUSLY COLLABORATE WITH THE TOWNSHIP IN GATHERINGS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE BOARD OF HEALTH.

SPECIFICALLY, JUST BY HAVING MYSELF EITHER AT THE TABLES OR HAVING KIND OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE PACKAGE ON THE TABLES, WHICH I FEEL LIKE WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL.

AND ADDITIONALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH REALTORS TO DISTRIBUTE THE INFORMATION OF THE PACKAGE TO NEW HOMEOWNERS EARLY IN THEIR TRANSITION.

I WILL ALSO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE PACKAGE WITH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS THAT WILL BE FEATURED ONLINE AND QR CODES LINKING TO THE TOWNSHIP'S WEBSITE RESOURCES, AND THESE WILL BASICALLY BE FOUND ON THE PACKAGE THAT WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO GO THROUGH HYPERLINKS OR QR CODES TO FIND THE DIFFERENT OFFICIAL TOWNSHIP RESOURCES THAT WILL BE COMPILED INTO THE PACKAGE.

AND THIS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN A DIGITAL FORMAT ON THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE, PLATFORM AND IN A SHORTENED PHYSICAL VERSION AT COMMUNITY CENTERS AND EVENTS.

SO AS FOR MY TARGET AUDIENCE, IT'S OBVIOUSLY NEW RESIDENTS IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE TOWNSHIP RESOURCES AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, ALONG WITH FIRST GENERATION RESIDENTS WHO OFTEN FACE THE SAME BURDENS OF NOT UNDERSTANDING TOWNSHIP RESOURCES AS WELL AS NEW RESIDENTS. AND WHAT DO I WANT THEM TO GAIN? I WANT THEM TO GAIN INFORMATION ON EMERGENCY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES,

[00:10:01]

AND HOW WILL I KNOW THEY GAINED IT? WELL, I'VE BEEN PARTNERING WITH THE TOWNSHIP TO TRACK A DECREASE IN NON-EMERGENCY NINE ON ONE CALLS AND INCORRECT SERVICE REQUESTS.

AND THE TOWNSHIP WILL REFER NEW RESIDENTS TO THE NEW RESIDENTS WELCOME PACKAGE FOR PROPER GUIDANCE IF NEW IF SUCH SITUATIONS ARISE.

AND AS FOR MY IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROJECT, MY IMPACT, I SEEK TO REDUCE NON-EMERGENCY 901 CALLS BY 10% IN SIX MONTHS, WHICH CAN BE TRACKED THROUGH THE POLICE STATISTICS. I HOPE TO REACH 100 WEBSITE VIEWS OF THE PACKAGE IN THE FIRST 100 MONTHS, WHICH IS MEASURED BY THE TOWNSHIP ANALYTICS.

I ALSO HOPE TO COLLECT 20 SURVEY RESPONSES IN SIX MONTHS FOR FEEDBACK AND IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH WILL BE ATTACHED TO THE PACKAGE ON THE WEBSITE.

I ALSO HOPE TO DISTRIBUTE 50 FLIERS TO COMMUNITY CENTERS IN THE FIRST MONTH AND HAVE 30 OF THEM TAKEN WITHIN SIX MONTHS.

AS FOR SUSTAINABILITY, I HOPE THAT THEY WILL BE SUSTAINED THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TOWNSHIP ITSELF AND THAT THEY WILL BE DEDICATED TO UPDATE AND MAINTAIN THE WELCOME PACKAGE AS NEEDED ONLINE, AS WELL AS HAVING ONGOING DISTRIBUTION TO COMMUNITY FACILITIES FOR NEEDED CONTINUED OUTREACH.

SO THANK YOU. THAT'S MY PRESENTATION.

ANY QUESTIONS? DID YOU SEE ME LOOK TO THE RIGHT? I'M LIKE, THERE'S NO WAY YOU DON'T HAVE A QUESTION. SO I'M SURE YOU'RE LIKE, EVERYBODY LEANED FORWARD. THAT WAS GREAT, ANGELINA, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

GO AHEAD. I'LL JUST. I'LL START A QUEUE.

SO WHOEVER WANTS TO START.

OH. GO AHEAD. YEAH. NO, JUST.

I WANTED TO REALLY CONGRATULATE YOU.

IT'S EXCELLENT PROJECT.

I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THIS.

AND THE WORK AMOUNT OF WORK YOU ARE DOING AND THE WAY YOU ARE DOING IS VERY GOOD.

JUST ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE 20 SURVEYS.

WITHIN SIX MONTHS, ARE YOU GOING TO RUN DIFFERENT SURVEYS OR WHAT IS THAT 20 AND SIX MONTHS. 20 SURVEY. IS IT IS IT? OH, LIKE THE FLIER ON DISPLAY? YEAH, IT'S LIKE A THIRD BULLET POINT.

OH. OH. THE SURVEY. OH, YEAH.

SO I PLAN TO ATTACH A SURVEY ONTO THE WEBSITE.

LIKE WHERE? THE TOWNSHIP.

WHERE THE PACKAGE WILL BE.

AND, LIKE, I WOULD HOPE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE VIEWING IT.

I'LL BASICALLY INVITE THEM TO PARTAKE IN A SURVEY AND THEY'LL BASICALLY ASK, LIKE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE WEBSITE? WHAT IS HELPFUL ABOUT IT? WHAT IS NOT? IS THERE ANY RESOURCES YOU THINK I SHOULD INCLUDE OR SHOULD BE EXCLUDED? SO THINGS LIKE THAT, SO I CAN CONTINUE TO UPDATE IT AND MAKE IT AS PROPER AND HELPFUL AS IT CAN BE. THANKS, I THINK.

GO AHEAD. A GREAT JOB.

I USED TO BE A GIRL SCOUT TOO.

SO. BROWNIES JUNIOR. YOU KNOW, I NEVER GOT TO THE GOLD, BUT JUST A COMMENT. DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE WORTH PUTTING IT IN THE SCHOOLS? LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHEN PEOPLE ARE MOVING IN AND ROLLING, YOU KNOW, IN AUGUST, LIKE HAVING IT IN THE SCHOOL OFFICES, MAYBE. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD IDEA.

SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY COME TO THE TOWNSHIP FOR THE SCHOOL SPECIFICALLY. SO I THINK THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE A GOOD IDEA.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH, OF COURSE, I JUST HAVE ONE COMMENT TO MAKE.

IF YOUR GOAL IS TO REDUCE NON-EMERGENCY 911 CALLS.

HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE CURRENT STATE OF THE UTILIZATION OF THOSE NON-EMERGENCY 911 CALLS TO SEE IF IT'S NEW RESIDENTS? WHAT'S THE CURRENT STATE? YOU KNOW, JUST A SUGGESTION. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN CERTAINLY GET THAT DATA, I'M SURE, FROM THE EMS TEAM TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE LIKE THAT MIGHT HELP YOU TO SEE IF IT'S TO UTILIZE NEW RESIDENTS? OR IS IT OUR CURRENT RESIDENTS WHO DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT? SORRY. YEAH. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DATA I COULD GET IF I THINK SHE WAS LOOKING AT YOU, SO I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. YES WE ARE. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT? I MAINLY BASED OUT OF MY CONVERSATION WITH DAVONTE.

SHE JUST TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD HEARD OF SOME INSTANCES WHERE PEOPLE WERE CALLING 911, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THEIR CHILDREN HAVING A FEVER AND NOT UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT WASN'T NECESSARILY A 911 CALL.

SO IT WAS KIND OF BASED OFF OF THAT CONVERSATION WITH HER.

SO DID YOU WANT TO RESPOND TO THE DATA ON MS. YEAH. THAT'S ACTUALLY YEAH.

SO I THINK WE DEFINITELY SHOULD TALK.

OUR OUR PRESIDENT IS REALLY BIG INTO STATISTICS, SO HE HAS A LOT OF THAT STUFF FOR YOU.

AND I DO WANT TO JUST ADD ON THAT.

I THINK THIS IS AN AMAZING PRESENTATION.

GREAT PROPOSAL. I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY, I THINK THAT THIS SHOULD ALSO BE OPEN TO MORE THAN JUST THE NEW RESIDENTS, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF THE CURRENT RESIDENTS DON'T KNOW HALF OF THIS STUFF EITHER.

I WAS GOING TO SAY WE SHOULD BROADEN IT TO EVERYBODY.

YEAH. NOT NOT TO ADD MORE WORK TO YOUR PLATE.

I THINK WHAT YOU'RE DOING WILL BE GREAT, BUT IF WE, YOU KNOW, LIKE IT SHOULD BE OPEN TO EVERYONE BECAUSE, I MEAN, IT IS ON THE WEBSITE.

SO I THINK LIKE, I'M NOT LIKE TRYING TO BE LIKE ONLY FOR NEW RESIDENTS.

BUT I THINK IT IS REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE EVEN LIKE SOMETIMES MY PARENTS DON'T KNOW WHO TO CALL OR LIKE WHO TO CONTACT, SO I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.

SO YEAH, I THINK DEFINITELY LIKE I THINK IT'S OBVIOUSLY AIMED TOWARDS NEW RESIDENTS, BUT I DO HOPE THAT OTHER PEOPLE DO LIKE FIND IT USEFUL.

I THINK DOCTOR MOHAN IS NEXT.

WAIT. DOCTOR MOHAN, GO.

GO AHEAD. NO NO NO. NOT YOU.

YOU CAN GO NEXT. WELL, I WANT TO SECOND EVERYBODY. LIKE IT WAS AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION AND A GREAT THOUGHT PROCESS. AND CONGRATULATIONS FOR THAT.

I HAVE A TWO PART QUESTION. NUMBER ONE IS DO YOU ALREADY HAVE, LIKE, A WELCOME PACKET ALREADY EXISTING OR ARE YOU GOING TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAKE CHANGES OR ARE YOU GOING TO CREATE LIKE A WHOLE NEW PACKAGE? YEAH.

[00:15:03]

WITH THE GOLD AWARD, WE AREN'T TECHNICALLY ALLOWED TO START OUR PROJECT UNTIL WE'VE BEEN APPROVED. SO I WAS RECENTLY APPROVED BY GIRL SCOUTS.

NOW I HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD.

SO IT'S KIND OF THAT PROCESS OF IF I WASN'T APPROVED, THEN I WOULD KIND OF HAVE DONE THE WHOLE PROPOSAL.

SO THIS IS NECESSARILY LIKE A PROPOSAL OF MY PROJECT. AND THEN WHILE BASICALLY EVERYTHING IS ALREADY DONE, THE ACTUAL PROPOSAL JUST NEEDS TO BE FINALIZED AND CREATED.

OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD. MY SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION IS LIKE, I KNOW YOU WERE HAVING IDEA ON LIKE WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE LIKE THESE PACKAGES DISTRIBUTED. IS THERE ANY CENTRALIZED POINT THAT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD REACH THERE? LIKE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A TOWNSHIP OR SOMEWHERE WHERE IT WILL TELL YOU.

LIKE, WHO ARE ALL THE NEW RESIDENTS WHOM YOU KNOW, WHO HAD MOVED INTO THE TOWNSHIP? SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THE TARGET POPULATION AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALL RECEIVED THE PACKAGE THOUGH.

YEAH, I'VE RECEIVED A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT IDEAS ON THAT.

LIKE I SAID, A LOT OF PEOPLE TOLD ME REALTORS, BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM SPECIFICALLY OBVIOUSLY DEAL WITH NEW RESIDENTS. SO I WAS TOLD THAT OBVIOUSLY GETTING A CONTACT WITH THEM WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.

I MY OWN IDEA WAS I THOUGHT, LIKE EVEN HERE, LIKE IN THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING, LIKE, I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE THAT TABLE OUT THERE. I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A REALLY HELPFUL RESOURCE AS WELL.

AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE, THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING IS, LIKE, REALLY NICE FOR NEW. OH, SORRY FOR NEW RESIDENTS. SO I THINK THAT'S ALSO A GOOD RESOURCE. AND AGAIN, IT'S ALL ONLINE AS WELL.

SO IT WILL HOPEFULLY BE HOSTED ON THE WEBSITE WHERE PEOPLE CAN KIND OF REACH IT IF THEY'RE LOOKING UP LIKE MONTGOMERY HELP.

LIKE, SO I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD HOPEFULLY BE OF RESEARCH AS WELL.

OKAY. PERFECT. THANK YOU.

OKAY. JUST JUST A SUGGESTION FOR THE.

SINCE YOU ARE MEASURING THE REDUCTION IN NON-EMERGENCY 911 CALL.

SO WHENEVER YOU START YOUR PROJECT, YOU WILL HAVE BASELINE FIRST FROM THERE.

SO THEN YOU CAN MEASURE THAT.

YEAH. THAT'S WHY I THINK I REALLY WOULD APPRECIATE SOME STATISTICS. THAT WOULD BE GREAT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN GOING OFF KIND OF I KNOW THERE'S LIKE SOME PUBLIC POLICE STATISTICS THAT I WAS GOING OFF A BIT.

BUT I DON'T I KNOW THAT THEY'RE ACCURATE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I DON'T KNOW SPECIFICALLY. THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE BROAD. SO THAT'S WHY I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE MORE SPECIFIC STATISTICS TO HAVE LIKE A MORE SOLID BASELINE THERE.

OKAY. WE GOT ONE MORE ONE MORE.

GREAT PRESENTATION. GREAT IDEA.

I THINK IT MIGHT ALSO BE SOMETHING TO CONSIDER TO TRY AND DECREASE THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT MAYBE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH GETS ABOUT THINGS LIKE WILD ANIMALS, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE MOVE HERE AND THEY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT A RACCOON IS OR AN OPOSSUM, AND THEY FREAK OUT AND IT'S IT'S GOING TO BE IN THEIR YARD OR IN THEIR TRASH OR SOMETHING.

SO THAT'S ONE THING. AND I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT REALLY CONFUSES PEOPLE IS SEPTIC SYSTEMS. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T ON THEM, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ON THEM. SO.

INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE TWO THINGS MIGHT HELP THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

I MEAN, YOU PROBABLY KNOW IF THERE'S OTHER THINGS YOU GET A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT, BUT AND IF YOU DECREASE THEIR CALLS, YOU'D PROBABLY BE THEIR HERO. OH, YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. GREAT, GREAT. I JUST HAVE ONE MORE THING WE DO HAVE AVAILABLE FROM MARCH, I THINK IT WAS MARCH.

EMS CAME AND MADE A PRESENTATION.

SO WE HAVE THOSE STATISTICS THERE AS OF MARCH SO WE CAN MAKE SURE YOU GET THOSE.

AND BUT I STILL WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD FOLLOW UP WITH THAT DEPARTMENT AS WELL.

YEAH, THAT'D BE GREAT.

ARE THAT THAT ORGANIZATION? AND I UNDERSTAND I'M LOOKING AT DAVONTE BECAUSE I THINK SHE TOLD ME YOU'RE ALSO GOING TO PRESENT THIS TO THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE.

IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, I THINK I HAVE TO PRESENT FOR APPROVAL.

SO I JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU GUYS AS WELL. AND THEN FOR FULL APPROVAL, I'M PRESENTING TO THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE. OKAY.

SO DO WE HAVE TO HAVE A VOTE OF APPROVAL? WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO? IT'S A GOOD QUESTION, JEN.

DO WE HAVE TO APPROVE THIS PROPOSAL OR DOES IT MATTER? OR LIKE A VOTE OF SUPPORT? YEAH, YEAH WE DO. OKAY, SO WE NEED A FORMAL ONE.

I MEAN, YOU CAN ALL JUST I MEAN, SO WE JUST HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE FOR MOVING FORWARD. OKAY. SO CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE MOVING THIS PROPOSAL FORWARD? SURE. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND.

OKAY. DOCTOR. MOHAN. OKAY.

OKAY, YOU'RE READY TO GO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. GREAT JOB.

GOOD LUCK. YOU'RE GOING TO DO AWESOME. OKAY.

SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A MOMENT OF TRANSITION AND A SMALL ADJUSTMENT TO THE AGENDA.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE EMILY GO NEXT.

OKAY. SO I MOVED THE PUBLIC HEALTH COSTING AND ANNUAL REPORT UP.

AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT NEEDS, OUR NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND THE IMPROVEMENT PLAN.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANGELINA.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THEN WE'LL HAVE HEALTH OFFICER COMMENT.

DO YOU NEED SOMETHING? I WOULD LOVE YOUR INFORMATION IF I DIDN'T HAVE IT.

OH, YEAH. THAT'S OKAY.

WE'RE SETTING UP. I CAN JUST.

YEAH. DO I HAVE TO STAND UP? YEAH.

LET ME JUST. YOU'RE FINE.

YOU'RE GOOD, YOU'RE FINE. AT THE SAME TIME, YOU HAVE TO STAND UP AND SIT.

MAKING YOUR EXERCISE. BECAUSE.

EVERYONE. IS MAKING NOISE.

[00:20:06]

THANK YOU. FOUR. SEVEN.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU AGAIN.

GOODBYE. AND IF FOR SOME REASON THAT DOESN'T WORK, YOU CAN JUST SEND SOMETHING TO INFO AT EMS 47 FROM THE EMS MS WEBSITE AND I'LL FIND IT.

THANK YOU. BYE. OKAY. THE FLOOR IS YOURS, EMILY.

[VII.COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN (CHIP) ]

ALL OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN NEW JERSEY TO COMPLETE.

FIRST, I JUST WANTED TO GO OVER A REVIEW OF THE FOUNDATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES.

WHICH IS A, YOU KNOW, AS IT SAYS HERE, A SUITE OF SKILLS PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE TO BE AVAILABLE IN STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN ORDER FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM TO WORK.

IT'S BASICALLY THE MINIMUM PUBLIC HEALTH CAPABILITIES THAT WE HAVE TO DO.

SO THERE'S FOUNDATIONAL CAPABILITIES.

THERE'S FOUNDATIONAL AREAS, AND THEN THERE'S COMMUNITY SPECIFIC SERVICES THAT WE OFFER. THE COMMUNITY SPECIFIC SERVICES CAN VARY FROM HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO HEALTH DEPARTMENT DEPENDING ON WHAT THAT PARTICULAR COMMUNITY NEEDS.

BUT THE CAPABILITIES AND THE AREAS ARE THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY.

SO HERE'S JUST A GRAPHIC OF THOSE.

SO THE THE AREAS ARE THERE AT THE TOP.

AND THEN THE CAPABILITIES ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE BROKEN DOWN.

IN THE BOTTOM THERE. RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT. SO NEXT, WHY ARE WE DOING PUBLIC HEALTH COSTING.

SO THE STATE WANTS TO KNOW THIS.

AND IT'S ALSO REALLY HELPFUL FOR US.

BUT BASICALLY IT DETERMINES HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RUN A LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST US IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY? AND SO WE WANT TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE GAP IS BETWEEN WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PROVIDE AND WHAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO ACTUALLY MEET THE PUBLIC HEALTH STANDARDS AND MEET WHAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS.

AND WE WANT TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO CLOSE THAT GAP.

ALL RIGHT. SO THE NEXT SLIDE HAS A LITTLE HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION ON IT.

SO BASICALLY THIS BREAKS DOWN EACH OF THE CAPABILITIES, EACH OF THE AREAS AND HOW MUCH WE DO AND HOW MUCH OTHER PEOPLE DO.

SO THE FIRST COLUMN, THE ONLY BY YOU, IS THE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE CAPABILITIES THAT WE AT MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP HEALTH DEPARTMENT DO.

THEN THE SECOND COLUMN EVERYONE BOUGHT YOU IS OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO IT COULD BE A NONPROFIT THAT DOES THAT.

IT COULD BE YOU KNOW, ANOTHER LIKE THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND SOME OTHER GOVERNMENTAL SERVICE.

SO JUST SOMEBODY BESIDES THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

THE YELLOW COLUMN IS THE COMBINATION OF THOSE TWO.

SO OVERALL, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THAT CAPABILITY, THAT SERVICE IS BEING MET FOR OUR COMMUNITY? AND THEN THE BLUE COLUMN IS WHAT THE GAP IS.

SO SOME OF THEM YOU CAN SEE HAVE A GAP WHERE THERE IS SOME OF THAT SERVICE THAT ISN'T BEING MET FOR OUR RESIDENTS.

AND. YEAH. SO I CAN GO A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THAT LATER, BUT I'LL CONTINUE ON FOR NOW.

SO THEN THIS IS TALKING ABOUT OUR TOTAL REVENUE.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THE TOP SECTION ARE COVID RELATED GRANTS.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT MAKES UP A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE MONEY.

THIS IS THE MONEY THAT WE GOT LAST YEAR BECAUSE IT'S THE LAST FULL YEAR THAT WE HAVE YOU KNOW, ALL THE DATA FOR.

SO THE COVID MONEY IS ABOUT 71% OF OUR TOTAL REVENUE, AND THE COVID MONEY IS GOING AWAY.

A LOT OF THAT MONEY WAS JUST RESCINDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

AND EVEN IF IT HADN'T BEEN, THAT MONEY IS RUNNING OUT ANYWAYS, BECAUSE ALL OF THAT EXTRA MONEY THAT HEALTH DEPARTMENTS GOT DURING COVID IS NOW ENDING.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE, PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OUR REVENUE WAS COMING FROM THAT.

RIGHT. AND THEN SO THIS IS JUST A BREAKDOWN OF OUR TOTAL COST.

[00:25:05]

ANYTHING WE NEED TO PURCHASE FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT? JUST TO KEEP US RUNNING? YEAH. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE OUR TOTAL REVENUE.

AND THEN THE TOTAL COST PER CAPITA IS $43.52.

AND THEN I JUST ADDED IN SOME COMPARISON NUMBERS.

SO THE US AVERAGE PER CAPITA PUBLIC HEALTH DOLLARS IS $124.

AND THEN THE NEW JERSEY AVERAGE IS $95.

AND NEW JERSEY, ON AVERAGE, IS RANKED 38TH OUT OF THE 50 STATES WITH DEDICATED PUBLIC HEALTH DOLLARS.

ALL RIGHT. SO THOSE ARE ALL THE INFORMATION I HAVE.

I CAN GIVE MORE DETAIL ON SOME OF SOME OF THIS STUFF.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. BUT I JUST WANTED TO READ THE OVERVIEW FIRST.

SO I THINK YOUR LAST NUMBER GAVE EVERYBODY A MOMENT OF PAUSE.

I THINK THAT'S PRETTY TELLING OF.

YEAH. YEAH. I MEAN, THE OTHER THING TO REMEMBER TOO IS WE DON'T GET WE DON'T GET ANY DEDICATED DOLLARS FROM THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WHEREAS OTHER STATES IN THE U.S.

DO SO. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THIS THE GAPS SOUNDS.

YEAH. SORRY. SAY THAT AGAIN.

SO WE DON'T GET ANY DEDICATED DOLLARS FROM THE STATE.

YES. OTHER THAN THESE GRANTS, WHICH WERE MOSTLY FEDERAL, PASSED THROUGH DOLLARS. YES, YES. OKAY.

AND SO OTHER OTHER TOWNS IN THE STATE DO.

OR OTHER STATES DISTRIBUTE FUNDS DIFFERENTLY? OTHER STATES DISTRIBUTE FUNDS DIFFERENTLY.

OKAY. AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN DEDICATED STATE TAX DOLLARS THAT GO TO THEIR LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS. 38. 37. BUT LOOK, I MEAN, YES, WE ARE 38 OUT OF 50.

BUT LOOK AT OUR TOTAL COST PER CAPITA.

YEAH. FOR I MEAN, THAT'S I'M KIND OF CONFUSED WHEN YOU SAY SOME TOWNSHIP.

YEAH. YEAH. CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT AGAIN? LIKE SOME TOWNSHIP IN THIS STATE? STATES. OKAY. SO WHOLE OF NEW JERSEY DON'T GET IT.

OKAY. OKAY. AND YOU KNOW.

YEAH. AND, YOU KNOW, THE PUSH IS TO HAVE AS MANY LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS COMPLETE THE COSTING, BECAUSE THAT WILL GIVE THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND IT'LL GIVE US MORE LEVERAGE TO ADVOCATE TO THE STATE TO SAY, LISTEN, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE AT AND THIS IS WHAT WE NEED.

AND BROKEN DOWN BY YOU TO THE DOLLAR.

BUT THIS IS ALSO OUR CURRENT COST.

THIS ISN'T ACTUALLY OUR.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE WERE AT FULL CAPACITY, WHAT THE TOTAL COST PER CAPITA WOULD BE.

IT'S THIS IS JUST OUR CURRENT COST PER CAPITA.

RIGHT. YEAH. THIS IS WHAT WE CAN CURRENTLY PROVIDE WITH THE RESOURCES AND STAFF THAT WE HAVE. YEAH. BUT THEN WE WOULD THEORIZE IT WOULD BE DECREASED IF WE LOSE THE FUNDING.

RIGHT. THE COVID FUNDS, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IN TERMS OF WHAT WE CAN SPEND PER CAPITA. RIGHT.

RIGHT. AND THE GAPS, THE PERCENTAGE AND THE GAPS COLUMN WOULD ALSO INCREASE AS WE START LEARNING MORE ABOUT SERVICES AND FUNDING THAT THAT THAT HAS BEEN CUT OR WILL BE CUT FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL TO THE STATE LEVEL.

SO THAT'S THAT'S EVENTUALLY GOING TO IMPACT US TOO.

I THINK CHRIS HAS A QUESTION. YEAH. WHERE DID FUNDING COME FROM BEFORE THE COVID MONEY CAME IN? I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING BECAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. YEAH. COULD YOU GO BACK TO THE COVID, THE REVENUE? THANK YOU VERY FIRST. THERE YOU GO.

YEAH. THIS ONE. YEAH. SO IN I THINK THIS WAS DURING CHRIS CHRISTIE'S TIME, THERE WAS THERE WERE DEDICATED PUBLIC HEALTH DOLLARS THAT WERE SENT TO THE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS. BUT THE CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION COMPLETELY DELETED THAT LINE ITEM FROM THE STATE BUDGET, EVEN THOUGH IT'S REQUIRED BY STATE STATUTE. AND SINCE THEN, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO.

THE ONLY MONEY WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE IS DURING EMERGENCIES FROM FEDERAL, FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL. THAT'S THAT'S IT.

SO IT'S STATE STATUTE, BUT THEY DON'T FOLLOW IT.

GREAT. GOOD. OKAY. I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION.

SO IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A NET OF $350,000, RIGHT? ALMOST GIVE OR TAKE. SO HOW DOES THAT AFFECT OUR NORMAL OPERATIONS GOING FORWARD WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THOSE $350,000.

WHAT DO WE ANTICIPATE? SO IT'S IT'S MINIMAL IMPACT TO THE OPERATIONAL BUDGET.

THE MOST THE IMPACT IS ON STAFFING AND ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT WAS SET ASIDE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING AND JUST OTHER SUPPLIES THAT WE WERE ABLE TO WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN AND PURCHASE DURING COVID, FOR EXAMPLE, PREPAREDNESS SUPPLIES, CLINICS, CLINICAL SUPPLIES, THAT KIND OF THING.

SO THERE'S A CHANCE WE'RE GOING TO LOSE STAFFING. SO WE SHOULD BE GOOD FOR THE NEXT YEAR. AND THEN AND THEN WE WILL FIND OUT.

SO WE WE ALSO APPLIED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES AGE FRIENDLY GRANT.

AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT FUNDING YOU KNOW WE CAN EMILY'S GRANT FUNDED.

[00:30:05]

I ALSO HAVE IT'S EMILY'S POSITION AND IT'S A PART TIME PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE POSITION.

1.5 FTES OF STAFF. SO I GUESS THE OTHER CONCERN IS IF WE'RE PROJECTING OUR POPULATION TO INCREASE IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, WHERE WE JUST HAD THE PRESENTATION ABOUT THE PERCENTAGE OF GROWTH, THEN HOW DO WE SUSTAIN DOING WHAT WE DO AS A HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND BOARD OF HEALTH WHEN WE KNOW OUR FUNDS ARE GOING TO GET CUT? GOOD QUESTION. LIKE, WE'RE REALLY GOING TO HAVE A MISMATCH OF MAYBE EMS IS GOING TO BE RELIED ON MORE, OR THEY'RE GOING TO CALL FOR RANDOM THINGS LIKE DOCTOR NEWMAN WAS MENTIONING THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

YEAH. SO THE AMERICAN I THINK IT'S CALLED THE AMERICAN PLANNERS ASSOCIATION.

THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH I DON'T KNOW IF ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION IS INVOLVED, BUT THE THERE'S THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY AND CITY HEALTH OFFICIALS, MAYBE THERE'S A PUBLIC HEALTH GROUP THAT'S THAT'S BEEN WORKING AND COLLABORATING WITH THE AMERICAN PLANNERS ASSOCIATION, INCLUDING THE NEW JERSEY CHAPTER, TO DEVELOP AND TO HAVE FUNDS SET ASIDE IN GRANTS AS GRANTS TO DEVELOP SOME TYPE OF PUBLIC HEALTH ELEMENT TO THE COMMUNITY'S MASTER PLANNING PROCESS.

SO AGAIN, IT'S NOT REQUIRED AND NOBODY REQUIRES IT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR COMMUNITIES TO BEGIN TO THINK ALONG THOSE LINES.

WE DON'T HAVE THAT YET.

THAT IS AN OPTION, YOU KNOW, THAT WE CAN CONSIDER SO THAT IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR US AS THE TOWN IS GROWING AND DEVELOPING, THAT WE ARE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND ENSURING THE RIGHT, THE RIGHT RESOURCES ARE SET ASIDE FOR TO MAINTAIN INFRASTRUCTURE, STAFFING, CAPACITY AND THAT KIND OF THING.

I JUST WANTED TO MAKE ANOTHER COMMENT. SO IF WE LOOK AT THE LOCAL FUNDS IN THE NON-COVID CATEGORY, IT'S 0%. SO IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO GO TO OUR TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE AND SAY WE NEED SOME LOCAL FUNDS BUDGETED IN? YEAH. I MEAN, I KNOW THE PUSH FOR FROM THE HEALTH OFFICERS IS TO REALLY ADVOCATE TO THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

OKAY. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE ARE ENFORCING A LOT OF THEIR MANDATES AND THEY'RE REPORTING, YOU KNOW, REQUIREMENTS ARE GETTING STRICTER.

THE TIME FRAMES ARE GETTING STRICTER.

THERE'S MORE, YOU KNOW, BEING ASKED OF US.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL IS TO REALLY, REALLY ADVOCATE TO THE STATE, BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, TO SUSTAIN SOME OF THESE CRITICAL SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE, WE WOULDN'T THEN NEED TO GO TO OUR LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS.

JUST A QUESTION FOR CLARIFICATION.

IN THE IN THE COVID FUNDS, IT'S SHOWING ALMOST 71% WAS COMING FROM THAT.

SO BECAUSE THAT THAT MAY NOT BE A REGULAR FEATURE.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN ONCE THE 71% GOES AWAY? THAT IS THE QUESTION. YEAH.

I MEAN, IT'S YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THINGS WILL HAVE TO GET CUT OR, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS IF THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

EMILY, CAN YOU GO TO THE THE SLIDE THAT HAD THE PERCENTAGE OF WHAT WE CURRENTLY CAN DO VERSUS WHAT WE DID? YEAH.

SO YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS HERE THAT THE THE STATE REQUIRES US TO DO.

ARE THERE LIKE CERTAIN ONES HERE THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED AS REQUIRED? YEAH. I MEAN, A LOT OF THOSE LIKE, THE FOUNDATIONAL AREAS ARE REQUIRED.

LIKE, COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL IS ALL REQUIRED BY THE STATE.

A LOT OF THE ASSESSMENT AND SURVEILLANCE THAT WE DO, A LOT OF THE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE IS REQUIRED.

AND THEN SOME OF THE OTHER SOME OF THE CHRONIC DISEASE, MOST OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL, PUBLIC HEALTH IS REQUIRED BY THE STATE.

YEAH. SO IT'S SOME IN EACH OF THEM AND SOME LIKE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ARE PROBABLY THE CATEGORIES. ALL OF IT'S REQUIRED BY THE STATE.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE GAPS IN THOSE.

YEAH. SO SOME OF THOSE LIKE THE YOU KNOW, ARE A LOT OF THAT'S COVERED BY EVERYONE BUT YOU, WHICH INCLUDES, LIKE THE STATE DOES, LIKE WE HAVE STATE EPIDEMIOLOGISTS AND WE HAVE YOU KNOW, STATE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PEOPLE THAT DO SOME OF THE TESTING.

BUT AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAS BEEN CUT FROM THE STATE AS A RESULT OF THE CUT OF FEDERAL FUNDING TO THE STATE.

SO SOME OF THAT WE MIGHT NOT HAVE AND THE GAPS MIGHT INCREASE AS A RESULT OF THAT.

ONE THING THAT'S CONCERNING, AND THIS IS ALSO THE MATERNAL, CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH. IT'S THERE IN BOTH FOUNDATION AREAS AND COMMUNITY SPECIFIC SERVICES.

IT'S 48% ALREADY THE GAP AND 28%.

AND WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT LIKE NEW FAMILIES THAT'S COMING IN AND LIKE YOUNGER POPULATION COMING IN AND THAT'S THE THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIGGER, YOU KNOW, COHORT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE MOVING, WHO ARE MOVING INTO THE COMMUNITY TOO.

[00:35:02]

AND I WORRY ABOUT THE MEASLES OUTBREAK THAT OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT, THAT I GUARANTEE YOU IS GOING TO BE IN ALL 50 STATES THERE JUST UNDETECTED CASES.

SO WE JUST DON'T KNOW ABOUT THEM.

IF YOU DON'T TEST AND YOU DON'T GO TO THE DOCTOR, YOU DON'T KNOW. YEAH. AND THAT'S WHERE WE WILL HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, GET CREATIVE AND AND USE OUR DOLLARS MORE WISELY.

LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE FLU VACCINE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CUTTING BACK ON PROVIDING VACCINES TO PEOPLE WITH INSURANCE.

WE WANT TO USE OUR SUPPLY ONLY FOR UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED FOLKS, AND PARTNER WITH PHARMACIES AND MEDICAL PROVIDERS TO COME IN AND AND DO VACCINATION CLINICS FOR, FOR PEOPLE WITH INSURANCE.

SO THERE WILL BE SOME YOU KNOW, MODIFICATIONS LIKE THAT.

AND AND UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WILL BE INSTANCES WHERE WE JUST WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND RESOURCES AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE TO WHAT EMILY WAS SAYING, WE EVERYONE IS FINDING OUT ABOUT CUTS AND SERVICES FROM THE MEDIA.

THERE'S THERE'S JUST THERE'S NO COMMUNICATION FROM THE FEDERAL OR STATE LEVEL.

THE WE KNOW THAT IT'S COMING.

WE JUST WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE HOW BAD IT IS.

YEAH. AND I ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT IN OUR ANNUAL REPORT ON PAGE TEN, I DO HAVE A SUMMARY OF OUR 2023 FINANCES OR NO.

2024 FINANCES. SORRY, THE TABLE NEEDS TO BE UPDATED, BUT IT TALKS ABOUT IT HAS OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR THE YEAR, AND IT ALSO SUMMARIZES THE REVENUE THAT WE RECEIVED FROM VARIOUS GRANTS.

AND IT LISTS ALL OF THE GRANTS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE. AND PUBLIC HEALTH, YOU KNOW, WE THE THE FUNDING STRUCTURE.

WE HAVE BEEN OPERATING IN A BROKEN FUNDING STRUCTURE.

SO WE CALL IT A BOOM AND BUST CYCLE.

IT'S USUALLY WHEN THERE'S AN EMERGENCY, THERE'S HOPEFULLY DOLLARS THAT GET SENT OUR WAY. AND WE USE THAT, YOU KNOW, TO THE BEST EXTENT THAT WE CAN AND STRETCH EVERY DOLLAR AS MUCH AS WE CAN FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN.

AND THEN IT GOES, IT ALL GOES AWAY.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE STAFFING GOES AWAY.

AND SO IT'S JUST WE HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN WITH THE, WITH THE NEXT EMERGENCY.

BUT THAT'S, THAT'S JUST BEEN HOW PUBLIC HEALTH HAS BEEN FUNDED.

IS THERE MORE OPIOID SETTLEMENT MONEY STILL AVAILABLE OR IS.

I KNOW THAT'S COMING TO AN END, BUT WE WE DO HAVE OPIOID SETTLEMENT DOLLARS.

BUT THEN THEY THEY'VE ALSO INSTITUTED REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS ON HOW WE CAN SPEND THAT MONEY.

BUT WE HAVE WE HAVE WE WE HAVE THAT.

YEAH. THIS IS SAD. WOW.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANTED TO SUMMARIZE FOR US? THAT'S. THAT'S ALL. UNLESS YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS.

BUT YOU COULD GO REALLY INTO THE DETAILS, BUT.

YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK ONE THING I JUST WANT TO NAME AND APPRECIATE, EMILY, IS THAT THIS WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK.

YES. AND SO IT IS THE FIRST TIME, I THINK, PART OF THE REASON YOU HAD SUCH A, LIKE AN A GAS REACTION WAS SHOCKING.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAW THAT DATA.

SO I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO GO.

IT WAS VERY THOROUGH AND A METICULOUS WAY AS YOU DID, BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY TELLING TALE.

IT SHOULD PROBABLY BE SHARED WITH THE TOWN THROUGH THE MONTGOMERY NEWS OR SOMETHING, RIGHT? YEAH. BECAUSE I KNOW OUR MEETINGS ARE VERY POPULAR, BUT I DON'T THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SEE THIS.

YEAH. DO YOU? WILL YOU PRESENT THIS TO THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE? MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY THE SAME QUESTION. WE HAD THE SAME QUESTION.

MAYBE YOU WORK WITH PAT TODD AND FIND OUT. OKAY.

YEAH. I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING FOR YOU TO DO.

YEAH. YEAH. YEAH. I'LL BE PRESENTING THE ANNUAL REPORT TOMORROW.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GOING TO BE THERE TOMORROW, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY TOUCH BASE WITH HER, AND I'LL LET YOU ALL KNOW, TOO.

SO THE NEXT STEPS FOR THIS REPORT ARE YOU HAVE TO SEND IT TO THE STATE.

YES. SO THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING IT TO THE STATE IS NEXT WEEK.

OKAY. SO YEAH. AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT THEY COMPILE FOR EVERYTHING.

YEAH. YEAH. SO AS A FOLLOW UP, AS YOU SUBMIT IT, JUST SAY WE WOULD LIKE WE SUBMITTED THIS TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

WE WOULD LIKE TO SHOW THIS TO THE TOWNSHIP. I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR THEM TO SEE. YEAH. YEAH. IS THERE A TIMELINE OF WHEN THE STATE'S GOING TO COME BACK WITH THE RESULTS OF THE COMPILATION? BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE STILL WAS WE'RE STILL ENCOURAGING ALL OF THE OTHER LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS TO SUBMIT THESE COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THESE REPORTS.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT MANY OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS HAVE LOST THE STAFF THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPING THEM DO THESE REPORTS WHILE THEY'RE DEALING WITH OTHER EMERGENCIES.

[00:40:01]

BUT WE WERE LUCKY. YOU KNOW, WE HAD EMILY. EMILY, IF I DIDN'T HAVE EMILY, WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THIS DONE.

AND WE HAD STAFF INPUT.

STAFF HAD TO REALLY COMPLETE AND GO THROUGH PACKETS OF INFORMATION.

SO WE WERE ABLE TO FILL IN ALL OF THE DATA IN, IN THIS ASSESSMENT. SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT WITHOUT EMILY AND THE STAFF.

THANK YOU EMILY. GREAT JOB EMILY. GREAT JOB GREAT JOB.

THANK YOU. WE'VE HAD GREAT REPORTS TONIGHT.

I HAVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

OKAY. I THINK WE WERE GOING TO GO.

DO YOU WANT? HOW DO YOU WANT TO? DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT? WE HAVE ELLEN. I DON'T KNOW IF ELLEN WANTS ELLEN.

DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT? WE CAN GO BACK TO PUBLIC COMMENT.

YEAH. SORRY. WE'RE GOING TO REOPEN PUBLIC COMMENT BEFORE WE GO TO THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS PACKETS. HELLO, EVERYBODY.

OH, YEAH. THE MICROPHONES DON'T WANT TO WORK TODAY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH ON THIS ONE.

IS IT WORK? OH. IT'S WORKING.

BIG TIME. HI, EVERYBODY.

I'M ELLEN ROBBINS. I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE.

I APOLOGIZE, I WAS LATE, I WANTED TO GET HERE EARLIER, BUT I WAS ON DUTY. WE HAD A CALL.

I WANTED TO SAY A LOT HERE, BUT IT'S.

FIRST I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO DEVON FOR HELPING WITH MY TEAM DURING COVID. AND THAT IS WHAT I SAY.

IT WAS A TEAM. IT WAS KAREN ZIMMERMANN, THEN IT WAS JOHN GREGOR AND DEVON GUY THAT WE WORKED SO CLOSELY TOGETHER DURING COVID.

THAT STARTED MY PASSION TO HELP OTHERS.

HENCE WHERE I STARTED THE FOOD PANTRY AT THE ELKS.

WELL, THE EMERGENCY SITUATION WITH OUR WITH A MAJORITY OF OUR FAMILIES HAS NOW GONE AWAY.

SO THE FOOD PANTRY IS ACTUALLY GOING TO CLOSE IN SEPTEMBER.

AND I'M DOING THIS FOR SEVERAL REASONS.

THE TOWNSHIP FOOD PANTRY WITH JOHN JOHN KROGER HAS EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS THESE LAST FEW MONTHS. THEY HAVE OPENED THEIR EYES TO HELP A BROADER AMOUNT IN THE COMMUNITY.

THEY ARE OFFERING EVENING HOURS FOR PICKUP.

THEY'RE LITERALLY LETTING PEOPLE WALK IN THE DOOR AND FILL OUT THE APPLICATION IMMEDIATELY. AND THEY'RE ALLOWING THE RESIDENTS TO EMAIL BACK THEIR DOCUMENTS, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, TO PROVE THAT THEY LIVE IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP.

SO THEY'VE LOOSENED UP A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR REGULATIONS.

WITH THAT HAPPENING MAKES ME FEEL COMFORTABLE IN SAYING WHAT I'VE DONE FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS. DURING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, I BLEW MYSELF AWAY.

AS TO THE DEDICATION AND TO THE COMMUNITY.

BEING A MEMBER OF THE ELKS.

WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH WE DID.

UNFORTUNATELY, IT CAN'T CONTINUE JUST WITH ME.

I HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES THAT ARE COMING UP.

SO I HAVE TO SAY, AS I SAID, THAT WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE.

THE ELKS WILL STILL HELP FAMILIES IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, AS WE DID IN HURRICANE, IN HURRICANE IDA.

YOU KNOW, THE ELKS WAS THEIR FRONT FRONT ROW SEATS, HELPING THE COMMUNITY, HELPING FAMILIES.

AND WE HELPED FAMILIES FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS.

A COUPLE OF THEM THAT WERE COMPLETELY DISPLACED ROUND OUT OF FUNDS.

WE HELPED THEM. SO AS I SAID, I'VE JUST BUILT SOME GREAT RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH COVID WITH THE TOWNSHIP AND THE COUNTY.

YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THEN WHAT SOMERSET COUNTY CAN DO.

YOU JUST GOT TO GET THERE AND START SCREAMING AND SOMEBODY'S GOING TO DO IT.

I LEARNED IT. THAT'S WHAT I DID.

BUT AS I STARTED TO SAY, IS THAT DEVON.

SHE WE WORKED SO CLOSELY TOGETHER RIGHT IN THE BEGINNING OF COVID.

SHE WAS STILL WORKING AT HOME AT 11:00 AT NIGHT.

I'D BE TEXTING HER, EMAILING HER, AND I SAID, WAIT A MINUTE. IT'S 11:00.

WHY ARE YOU STILL WORKING? SHE SAYS, BECAUSE IT'S COVID. I HAVE TO GET THE REPORTS DONE.

I HAVE TO DO THIS. I HAVE TO DO THAT.

BUT DEVON HAD GIVEN ME THE STRENGTH ALSO TO CONTINUE, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO HER.

WE ARE STILL GOING TO WORK TOGETHER.

I'M STILL GOING TO DO THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY TO HELP.

EVERYBODY KNOWS WHO I AM AND THEY'RE GOING TO REACH OUT TO ME,

[00:45:01]

I DO WANT TO. I'M GOING TO WORK ON WORK THE MONTGOMERY CROSSING.

I'M GOING TO PERSONALLY TRY AND WORK WITH THEM TO HELP THAT BUILDING, AND THEN LET THE TOWN HANDLE MOST OF THE OTHER RESIDENTS.

MONTGOMERY CROSSING IS 40% DISABLED.

DISABLED AND DON'T HAVE VEHICLES SO THEY CAN'T DRIVE.

AND THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE THE SOMERSET COUNTY BUS TO THE KAUFFMAN CENTER TO HAVE LUNCH AND THEN TAKE FOOD HOME.

SO THAT'S GOING TO BE ONE OF MY PROJECTS I'M STILL GOING TO WORK ON.

I HAVE A MEETING WITH THEM ON FRIDAY TO HELP STOCK THEIR LITTLE FOOD PANTRY.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE, I'M STILL GOING TO STAY INVOLVED.

NOW, THE REASON WHY I SAY SEPTEMBER IS I'M STILL GOING TO FEED THESE FAMILIES DURING THE SUMMER BECAUSE THEY, OF COURSE, THROUGH THE SCHOOL, ARE GETTING FREE. GENERALLY FREE LUNCHES AND EVEN SNACKS.

SO I AM GOING TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE SUMMER.

BECAUSE OF THAT, I WILL MAKE ALL MY FAMILIES AWARE TO GO OVER TO OTTO KAUFFMANN AND SIGN UP, YOU KNOW, WITH WITH ADRIANA.

THAT'S WHO'S DOING IT RIGHT NOW.

AND AS I SAID, I'M JUST THANKFUL THAT THEY'VE OPENED THEIR EYES OVER THERE.

SO JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW HERE THAT THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO DO.

AND AS I SAID, I'M STILL GOING TO TALK TO I STOP IN AND I SEE HER AND SHE KNOWS TO REACH OUT TO ME WHEN THERE IS A PARTICULAR SITUATION THAT SHE KNOWS THAT EITHER I CAN HANDLE OR THE ELKS CAN HANDLE.

BUT I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU DO HERE BECAUSE THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, AND I'M SORRY THAT NOT MORE RESIDENTS KNOW TO COME TO THESE MEETINGS.

IT'S IT'S VERY SAD BECAUSE THEY SHOULD BECAUSE THIS IS PUBLIC INFORMATION AND THEY NEED TO KNOW IT. SO WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO GET IT, IF YOU CAN DO IT IN THE MONTGOMERY NEWS, PEOPLE STILL READ IT.

YEAH, THEY DO, THEY DO READ THAT PAPER.

BUT THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR WHAT YOU DO HERE AND KEEP WORKING ON IT.

AND EMILY, SHE'S SHE'S AMAZING.

YOU KNOW, PROJECTS THAT SHE HAS PUT TOGETHER.

WE NEED HER. THAT'S GREAT.

WE NEED HER. SO HOPE THOSE GRANTS CAN KEEP COMING IN TO TO FUND HER.

THANK YOU. I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD GIVE HER A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

LIKE JUST. YEAH. GOOD JOB.

YOU KNOW. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO, ALAN.

YEAH. THANK YOU. YEAH.

THANK YOU. AND THAT'S VERY UNDERSTATED WORDS JUST TO SAY THANK YOU, BUT IT GOES WAY DEEPER.

YEAH. LIKE YOU ARE, MONTGOMERY.

THAT'S WHAT I WOULD SAY.

AND THE REASON WHY SHE WAS LATE TODAY WAS BECAUSE SHE WAS SERVING MONTGOMERY. YES, I KNOW. I WAS GOING TO SAY THERE'S NO MORE YOU CAN DO FOR THIS TOWNSHIP.

ELLEN, HONESTLY. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND EVERYTHING.

I THINK I CAN'T EVEN I MEAN, THOSE FAMILIES, I'M SURE HAVE BEEN. YOU FOREVER TOUCHED THEIR LIVES AND THOSE CHILDREN'S LIVES.

AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO REALLY MAKE A HUGE IMPACT ON THEM FOR GENERATIONS.

AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY BECAUSE TRAUMA CAN LIVE FOR GENERATIONS.

SO THIS IS REALLY A WONDERFUL THING THAT YOU'VE DONE.

I'M GOING TO GET A LITTLE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU.

OKAY. WE'VE HAD A THIS HAS BEEN A WOOHOO OF A MEETING.

OKAY. YES. ALL RIGHT. SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND

[VI.COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESMENT (CHNA) ]

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU GUYS A SUMMARY AT THIS POINT.

SHE'S LIKE I'M JUST SETTING IT UP. IT'S GOING TO BE A SUMMARY. SUMMARY.

GOOD. THANK YOU TO EMILY FOR HELPING ME SUMMARIZE.

OKAY. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU NEED TO PROJECT? NO, I'M JUST GOING TO DO IT. OKAY. PERFECT.

SO YOU KNOW, ONE OF OUR REQUIREMENTS IS TO HAVE A COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT PARTNER WITH OUR COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO DO THIS ASSESSMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH.

THE REQUIREMENT IS TO DO IT EVERY FIVE YEARS FOR HOSPITALS TO MAINTAIN THEIR NONPROFIT STATUS. THEY ARE REQUIRED TO DO THIS EVERY THREE YEARS.

HEALTH CARE. THEY HAVE THE MONEY TO DO THIS. SO PUBLIC HEALTH, WE JUST PARTNER WITH THE HOSPITALS AND AND WE GO OFF OF THEIR THREE YEAR CYCLE.

SO WE HAD EMAILED YOU THE LATEST COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT.

I THINK THAT'S ABOUT 244 PAGES.

AND THEN WE HAVE WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT IS BASED OFF OF THAT COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT, AND THAT'S REALLY FOR SOMERSET COUNTY REGIONALLY. SO YOU KNOW, JUST TO SUMMARIZE, THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS

[00:50:05]

AND THERE WERE MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.

YOU KNOW, THERE WAS THERE WERE DATA THAT SHOWED HOW MENTAL HEALTH CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGE, ESPECIALLY AMONGST YOUTH, SENIORS AND IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS.

IT'S OFTEN RANKED, AND IT WAS RANKED AS THE TOP HEALTH CONCERN FOR THE COMMUNITY OVERALL FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN.

STIGMA WAS NOTED AS AN ISSUE AMONG SOUTH ASIAN AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES.

SUBSTANCE USE AMONG YOUTH IS A CONCERN IN OUR AREA, SPECIFICALLY SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT ADMISSIONS FOR ALCOHOL IN SOMERSET COUNTY IS HIGHER THAN THE STATE, THE STATE'S AVERAGE.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO A CONCERN ABOUT PERCEIVED INCREASE IN OVERDOSES AND YOUTH USING SUBSTANCES AT YOUNGER AGES.

THE TOP HEALTH CONCERNS IN YOUTH WERE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, BULLYING, OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY, SUBSTANCE USE AND THEN CONCERNS ABOUT ACCESSIBLE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES.

THE SECOND PRIORITY OR NO, THERE WAS ANOTHER ANOTHER BARRIER IN SOMERSET COUNTY IN TERMS OF DIFFICULTY GETTING MENTAL HEALTH OR SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES OR TREATMENT. THAT WAS EITHER COUNSELORS OR SERVICES, NOT ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS, INSURANCE PROBLEMS, COST OF CARE, WAIT TIMES ARE TOO LONG.

FEAR OR DISLIKE OF PROVIDERS OR CANNOT GET TIME OFF TO GET CARE.

THE SECOND PRIORITY AREA THAT WAS IDENTIFIED WAS FOOD INSECURITY AND HEALTHY EATING, AND THE GOAL THAT HEALTHIER SOMERSET CAME UP WITH TO, YOU KNOW, TO SUPPORT THIS PRIORITY AREA IS TO STRENGTHEN FOOD SECURITY BY EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES WITH EDUCATION AND ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD, WHILE HONORING CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND PROMOTING LONG TERM WELL-BEING.

IN MONTGOMERY, 14% OF HOUSEHOLDS ARE LIVING BELOW ASSET LIMITED, INCOME CONSTRAINED EMPLOYED.

SO THAT'S THE ALICE THRESHOLD.

SO THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE EMPLOYED, BUT THEY JUST DON'T EARN ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES. SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW THE 14% IS SOMETHING WE TRY TO HIGHLIGHT IN OUR PRESENTATIONS TO KEY COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND EVEN, YOU KNOW, TO NOW TO TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE SO THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF WHAT THAT NEED IS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND THEN 3.7% OF HOUSEHOLDS IN MONTGOMERY ARE BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL.

AND MONTGOMERY HAS SOME OF THE HIGHEST FOOD INSECURITY INDEX SCORES IN THE COUNTY.

BUT THERE ARE THERE ARE SMALL AREAS WITHIN OUR TOWNSHIP THAT THAT HAVE THAT.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE ARE AWARE OF.

AND WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR COUNTY PARTNERS TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.

THE THIRD PRIORITY AREA IS CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT.

THE GOAL IS TO EMPOWER RESIDENTS TO LIVE HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES IN ORDER TO PREVENT AND MANAGE CHRONIC DISEASES.

THEY ARE KEY CONCERNS AND THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH.

THE TOP CONCERNS OVERALL ARE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, CANCER, HEART DISEASE, OBESITY AND DIABETES.

AND THEN PRIORITY FOUR IS ACCESS TO SERVICES.

THIS THE GOAL THAT WAS IDENTIFIED BASED ON THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT WAS TO PROMOTE EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE ACCESS TO HEALTH, SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES.

SO IN MONTGOMERY, FOR EXAMPLE, 5.2% OF RESIDENTS ARE LIVING WITH THE DISABILITY EITHER BE IT COGNITIVE, HEARING, DISABILITY, MOBILITY ISSUES ISSUES WITH THEIR VISION OR INDEPENDENT LIVING, AND THEN TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS ARE LIMITED AND MANY AREAS ARE NOT WALKABLE OR EASILY.

TRANSPORTATION IS NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE FOR FOR POPULATIONS, ESPECIALLY HIGH NEED POPULATIONS LIKE ELLEN HAD MENTIONED MONTGOMERY CROSSINGS.

SO WE YOU KNOW, WE SHARED BOTH THE HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND THE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN WITH YOU. YOU KNOW, FEEL FREE TO TAKE A LOOK AND REVIEW IF ANYTHING JUMPS OUT AT YOU, OR YOU WOULD LIKE THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO ADOPT ANY OF THOSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FROM THE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN.

YOU KNOW, WE CAN DISCUSS IT AT THE NEXT MEETING, BUT OUR GOAL FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS GOING TO BE TO DISCUSS INTERNALLY WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THAT WE SHOULD ADOPT FROM THE CHIP.

AND THESE ARE REQUIREMENTS FOR US FROM THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT FOR ACCREDITATION PURPOSES. AND IN GENERAL TERMS, YOU KNOW, JUST TO BETTER USE DATA IN OUR DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS AND PROGRAMING.

AND IT HELPS US PRIORITIZE PROGRAMING AS WELL.

BASED ON ON THE DATA IN THESE, IN THESE PLANS AND ASSESSMENTS.

SO THAT WAS MY COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS AND HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN SUMMARY.

[00:55:04]

AND THEN WE CAN MOVE ON TO ANNUAL REPORT 2024 ANNUAL REPORT.

[IX.PUBLIC HEALTH COSTING & ANNUAL REPORT ]

THE DATA IN THIS REPORT IS, IS BASED OFF OF REQUIREMENTS BY NGO.

WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REWORKING WHAT WHAT THAT DATA LOOKS LIKE.

I'M ON A SUBCOMMITTEE.

A WORKING GROUP TO TALK ABOUT MODERNIZING LOCAL HEALTH.

REPORTING TO NGO. THE STATE WAS USING A SYSTEM THAT, YOU KNOW THAT NO LONGER EXISTS, AND THERE IS A NEED TO UPDATE NOT ONLY THE DATA THAT WE'RE COLLECTING IN-HOUSE, BUT WHAT WE'RE REPORTING TO NGO AND OUR DECISION MAKERS, BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO REALLY CONVEY TO PEOPLE WHAT PUBLIC HEALTH DOES, BECAUSE WE ARE JUST SO UNDER THE RADAR WITH THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. SO WE IN THIS YEAR'S REPORT, WHICH EMILY HELPED.

THANK YOU. EMILY. THE GOAL WAS TO STRUCTURE THIS REPORT ACCORDING TO THE FOUNDATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES FRAMEWORK THAT YOU SEE ON PAGE FIVE.

AND EMILY HAD BROUGHT UP IN THE COSTING PRESENTATION.

SO WE WANTED TO ALIGN A LOT OF OUR DATA AND ACTIVITIES TO THIS FRAMEWORK BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT FAB HAS ADOPTED AND THIS IS WHAT NGO IS MOVING TOWARDS AS WELL.

SO YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHLIGHTS ON PAGE SIX, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENT SHARED SERVICES AGREEMENTS WE HAVE THE NUMBER OF VACCINATIONS WE'VE PROVIDED THE INSPECTIONS THAT WE'VE DONE, THESE ARE LIKE THE KEY MOST CRITICAL SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.

WE TRY TO SUMMARIZE IT ON ONE PAGE HERE, AND WE TRY TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, BEING PART OF THE NEW JERSEY HEALTHCARE QUALITY INSTITUTE HEALTHY TOWN DESIGNATION, THAT'S THAT'S ALL ABOUT THE MAYOR'S WELLNESS THAT YOU GUYS HEAR ABOUT.

WE ALSO MADE IT TO THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S INFLUENZA HONOR ROLL.

AND THAT'S REALLY JUST ABOUT RAISING AWARENESS IN THE FALL ABOUT RESPIRATORY DISEASES AND, YOU KNOW, PROTECTING YOURSELVES AND GETTING VACCINATED.

DID? WE ALSO WORKED WITH LAUREN WESOLOWSKI ON SUSTAINABLE NEW JERSEY TO FULFILL SOME OF THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FROM SUSTAINABLE JERSEY TO GET US TO THE SILVER LEVEL.

AND THEN WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS PUBLIC HEALTH ACCREDITATION.

SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE I GUESS YOU COULD CALL THEM, YOU KNOW, OUR BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR, FOR THE YEAR.

ON PAGE EIGHT, WE OUTLINE OUR STAFFING AND HUMAN RESOURCES.

JUST A NUMBER OF STAFF THAT WE HAVE.

BY FTE, WE RELY A LOT ON OUR VOLUNTEERS AND CONTRACT STAFF.

CONTRACT STAFF ARE REALLY OUR SURGE VACCINATORS WHO HAVE BEEN COMING OUT TO VACCINATE AT VACCINE CLINICS.

MOST OF YOU HAVE MET THEM.

AND, AND WE RELY ON THEM IN EMERGENCIES.

AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW ALL OF YOU HERE, YOU KNOW, WHO HELP HELP RUN OUR AUTONOMOUS BOARD OF HEALTH FOR THE TOWN.

AND THEN IF YOU GO ON TO PAGE, PAGE TEN, WE HAVE OUR FINANCIAL SUMMARY.

YOU KNOW, THIS OUTLINES ALL OF IN IN DOLLARS THE MONEY WE GET FROM OUR SHARED SERVICES AGREEMENTS FROM OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, WHICH IS ROCKY HILL AND BRANCHBURG FROM THROUGH OUR SHARED SERVICES REVENUE FROM NGO GRANTS, WHICH WILL BE, YOU KNOW, GOING DOWN REVENUE FROM SERVICING AND LICENSING FEES AND THEN AND OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR THE DEPARTMENT.

SO, I MEAN, THE DISCREPANCY, YOU SEE, IS IN EXPENDITURES AND THE BUDGET MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, DUE TO STAFF VACANCIES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

BUT WE WE DO RELY HEAVILY ON GRANTS AND BE USED TO RELY ON SHARED SERVICES AS WELL.

SO THE GOAL WILL BE TO PURSUE AS MANY GRANTS THAT WE CAN FIND AT THIS AT THIS STAGE.

AND THERE IS THERE IS CONCERN FROM OTHER HEALTH DEPARTMENTS ON HOW THEY WILL SUSTAIN THEIR ACTIVITIES. YOU KNOW, ONCE, NOT ONLY ONCE, GRANT FUNDING GOES AWAY, BUT ALSO AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT ARE BEING CUT AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL.

SO WE ANTICIPATE LEARNING MORE IN THE NEXT COMING MONTHS.

BUT I WILL KEEP YOU ALL UPDATED.

THERE MIGHT BE SOME EMAILS BEING SENT ABOUT THIS IS HAPPENING.

THIS IS HOW IT IMPACTS US.

THIS IS HOW WE MOVE FORWARD.

OR, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO BRAINSTORM OR COME UP WITH OTHER SOLUTIONS.

[01:00:01]

THIS OUTLINES THE DIFFERENT DISEASES THAT WE'RE INVESTIGATING.

ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD AT LEAST WE'VE HAD THE MOST NUMBER OF MEASLES EXPOSURE NOTIFICATIONS AND IN JUST A SPAN OF A NUMBER OF MONTHS COMPARED TO, LIKE, THE PAST 20 YEARS.

SO IT TAKES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK.

AND SO IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THIS YEAR LOOKS LIKE.

AND THEN WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON A PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING.

ALMOST, ALMOST LIKE A WORKLOAD ASSESSMENT, JUST TO SHOW YOU THE TRENDS IN HOW THAT HAS CHANGED. YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND HOW THE, THE NEWER REQUIREMENTS, REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND INCREASES IN DISEASES HAS CHANGED. JUST FROM, LIKE, YOU KNOW, JUST IN THE PAST SEVEN YEARS.

SO STAY TUNED FOR THAT.

WE HAVE NOTHING BUT REPORTS FOR YOU GUYS.

WE'RE ALSO GETTING SLOWLY GETTING INVOLVED IN MEETINGS REGARDING THE FIFA WORLD CUP THAT'S SLATED TO OCCUR IN NEW JERSEY.

THERE ARE A FEW GAMES HAPPENING THIS SUMMER.

I THINK IT'S ONLY ABOUT 4 OR 5 IN NEW JERSEY THIS YEAR, BUT NEXT YEAR IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A BIG IT'S A BIG EVENT.

IT'S A BIG, BIG EVENT AND, YOU KNOW, SO WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT US HERE LOCALLY IN MONTGOMERY, BUT THERE IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE AN ASK FOR MUTUAL AID AND SUPPORT BECAUSE WE'RE JUST NOT READY.

AND NEW JERSEY, THE NEW JERSEY PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM, I'M NOT SURE IF WE'RE WE'RE SET UP TO, TO BE HANDLING WHAT'S COMING OUR WAY NEXT YEAR, SO THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF TALKS ABOUT THAT AND HOPEFULLY YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE SOME RESOURCES SENT TO US SO WE CAN BETTER RESPOND TO. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS.

YEAH. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THIS? ANY COMMENTS? NO NO, NO.

YEAH. I THINK IT'S JUST BEEN JUST A SERIES OF JUST BAD NEWS IN PUBLIC HEALTH LATELY.

YES. SO THE OTHER THE OTHER THING THAT I.

OH, NO QUESTIONS. NO, I DON'T THINK SO.

DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? AGAIN, I WANT TO COMMEND YOU GUYS FOR A VERY THOROUGH AND INFORMATIVE REPORT.

IT'S IT WAS A LOT TO GET THROUGH, BUT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT AND REALLY WELL DONE. SO I JUST WANTED TO COMMEND YOU GUYS ON THAT.

DESPITE THE ONE LITTLE PLACE THAT WE'VE HAD. OKAY.

IT'S GOOD. GREAT. GREAT TO SEE.

AND THE TOWNSHIP DOESN'T ASK YOU TO DO THIS IN ADVANCE OF THE BUDGET CONVERSATION? NO, IT SOUNDS LIKE. NO, THE TIMING'S JUST A LITTLE OFF.

THAT'S OKAY. THAT'S THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD.

OKAY. NEXT. BUT THIS IS GETTING PRESENTED TOMORROW AT THE.

YES. OKAY. YEAH. YEAH.

[VIII.REVIEW: INTERLOCAL SERVICES - PUBLIC HEALTH MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT ]

WE WE ARE EXPECTING TO BE IMPACTED AGAIN.

IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME.

SO THE FULL PICTURE IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

IN TERMS OF IMPACT TO US, YOU KNOW, WE WERE NOTIFIED ABOUT OUR REGIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGISTS, SOME OF THEM WHO WERE LAID OFF.

BUT I KNOW I HEARD THAT SOME OF THEM WERE BROUGHT BACK ON.

THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE WE DO HAVE ONE EPI THAT WE WORK WITH VERY CLOSELY.

SO, YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T TOO MUCH OF AN IMPACT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE WORKED WITH US FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS DURING COVID. AND SO THEY'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH OUR COMMUNITIES AND THE DISEASES THAT WE'RE SEEING. WE RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH ENVIRONMENTAL LAB ABOUT THEIR 24 OVER SEVEN RABIES SPECIMEN PICKUP SERVICE. BEING IT'S IT'S NOW IT USED TO BE 24 OVER SEVEN, AND NOW THEY'VE DROPPED IT DOWN TO TWICE A WEEK.

SO IT'S THE. SO THERE WILL BE NO MORE PICK UPS FROM CERTAIN VETERINARY PRACTICES, AND THERE WILL BE HUBS ACROSS THE STATE.

SO FOR US AND FOR MONTGOMERY, IT'S EITHER WE DRIVE TO ONE OF THE DROP OFF LOCATIONS IN BRANCHBURG, WHICH IS ABOUT 25 MINUTES, OR WE DRIVE 35 MINUTES TO THE STATE LAB IN EWING.

SO COMPARED TO THE OTHER HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, AT LEAST WE'RE JUST ONE COUNTY OVER.

BUT IT'S IT WILL IMPACT US IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE OUR OWN ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER, BUT ALSO WHEN THEY'RE WHEN THERE ARE HIGH RISK HUMAN EXPOSURES AND BITE INCIDENCES WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE STAFF AVAILABLE TO, TO DO THOSE DROP OFFS TO THE STATE LAB BECAUSE MANY IN MANY INSTANCES THOSE

[01:05:04]

AND THE LAST THING WE NEED IS THAT THE SAMPLE WAS NOT VIABLE OR LOST OR IT WASN'T.

WE WEREN'T ABLE TO TEST IT BECAUSE IT TOOK TOO LONG.

SO YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE STATE AND THE ANIMAL CONTROL SOLUTIONS FOLKS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT HOW BEST TO PREPARE AND AND JUST KEEP TRACK OF HOW MANY OF THESE HOW HOW WE WILL BE IMPACTED BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A BASELINE NUMBER TO GO OFF OF BECAUSE SO MANY OF OUR VETERINARY PRACTICES, VET HOSPITALS AND ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS HAVE BEEN HANDLING ALL OF THOSE THE RABIES SPECIMEN AND, AND THE COURIER SERVICE.

SO WE HAVEN'T BEEN IMPACTED.

WE HAVEN'T HAD TO DO THAT OURSELVES IN A WHILE.

SO I DON'T HAVE ANY NUMBERS FOR THAT.

SO WE'LL START KEEPING TRACK OF, OF THAT IF, YOU KNOW, IF WE GET IMPACTED.

BUT THAT WAS THE OTHER UPDATE STAFFING UPDATES WE HAVE A VACANCY FOR IN OUR FULL TIME PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE POSITION.

WE HAVE FORTUNATELY, WE DO HAVE A PART TIME NURSE BRIANNA LONG WHO'S COVERING ANY, YOU KNOW, ANY EMERGING DISEASE THAT DISEASES THAT NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED AND THAT COME THROUGH THE STATE SYSTEM.

BUT WE HAVE POSTED THE POSITION AND WE HAVE BEGUN INTERVIEWS.

SO IF YOU GUYS KNOW OF ANYBODY, PLEASE.

HELP US SHARE THE WORD.

THE POSITION IS POSTED ON THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE, AND WE JUST HAVE SOME UPCOMING EVENTS.

WE'LL HAVE HEALTH DEPARTMENT STAFF TABLING AT OH, YEAH, AT THE SPRING FLING EVENT THIS SATURDAY.

TRAILS DAY COMING UP IN JUNE.

DYSLEXIA DASH AND THE BLOOD DRIVE.

SO THOSE THIS IS ALL HAPPENING IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF JUNE.

SO IF YOU IF YOU'RE IF YOU ARE ANY OF THESE EVENTS, PLEASE STOP BY AND SAY HI TO OUR STAFF.

THE OTHER THING ON THE AGENDA IS OUR YOU WILL SEE A COPY OF AN INTERLOCAL SERVICES PUBLIC HEALTH MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT.

SO THIS IS ALONG THE LINES OF.

HOLD ON ONE SECOND. CAN YOU PROJECT THAT THE LOCAL SERVICES AGREEMENT? ARE YOU ABLE TO PROJECT IT? OR MAYBE EMILY, I DON'T KNOW.

HANG ON. I'LL JUST DIRECT EVERYBODY TO THE.

YOUR PACKET, PLEASE GO.

IT WAS EMAILED TO YOU.

YOU SHOULD HAVE IT IN THERE.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, JEN. WE CAN. THEY CAN LOOK IT UP IN THEIR PACKET. YEAH, I DID EMAIL IT.

YEP. IT WAS IN THE ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE PACKET MATERIALS.

THERE ARE A LOT OF ATTACHMENTS TO IT. YES, THERE WERE A LOT OF ATTACHMENTS. IT'S INTERLOCAL SERVICES, PUBLIC HEALTH MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT.

AND IT'S AN OLDER DOCUMENT.

SO IT'S DATED FROM 2013.

IT'S A PDF IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IT.

I CAN I CAN PROVIDE SOME BACKGROUND IN THE MEANTIME WHILE YOU GUYS FIND IT.

SO THE SOMERSET COUNTY HEALTH OFFICERS.

MOST OF THEM ARE NEW. SO, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO UPDATE THIS AGREEMENT AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, JUST REMIND EVERYBODY THAT GERMS AND GERMS AND VIRUSES, THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT GEOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OR THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR YOU KNOW, YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS.

ANYBODY ANYBODY CAN GET SICK AND, YOU KNOW, ANYBODY CAN BECOME INFECTIOUS AND SPREAD IT TO OTHER PEOPLE. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

AND WE RELY ON OUR NEIGHBORS TO HELP US IN, IN TIMES OF EMERGENCIES.

AND SO THIS MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT HAS BEEN USED IN MANY, MANY INCIDENCES AND MANY EMERGENCIES WHERE WE WE HELP EACH OTHER AND REGARDLESS OF, YOU KNOW, WHO, YOU KNOW, WHO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE OR THE POLITICAL AFFILIATION OF THE TOWN, OR, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MATTER. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, WE ALWAYS WORK TOGETHER AND WE NEED EACH OTHER BECAUSE WHEN THERE ARE BIG EMERGENCIES THERE IS NOBODY ELSE TO COME AND HELP, ESPECIALLY PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES. SO WE HAVE TO RELY ON EACH OTHER.

WE ARE ALL UNDERSTAFFED.

WE ARE ALL LACKING RESOURCES.

AND THAT'S WHERE JOINING FORCES HELPS.

AND IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO FOR US TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY TO ANY EMERGENCIES THAT MIGHT ARISE. SO THIS AGREEMENT BASICALLY STATES THAT, YOU KNOW, ANY HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTY CAN COVER THE OTHER.

ANY OTHER TOWN IN THIS COUNTY WHENEVER THERE IS AN EMERGENCY.

SO YOU KNOW, THE THE MOST THE TIMES THAT THIS IS USED IS WHEN THE HEALTH OFFICERS ARE GOING AWAY ON VACATION. WE COVER EACH OTHER FOR FREE AND YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD NEVER. NO ONE EVER DOES THAT IN ANY OTHER PROFESSION OR IN ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY. BUT WE DO THIS IN PUBLIC HEALTH, AND THIS AGREEMENT HELPS COVER US AND IT

[01:10:06]

YOU KNOW, WHEN THE AGREEMENT ENDS.

SO IT'S IT'S BEEN A LIVING DOCUMENT SINCE 2013.

BUT IT DOES REQUIRE A REFRESH.

SO WE'RE THIS IS MORE OF JUST LIKE, AN FYI TO THE BOARD THAT THIS WILL BE COMING YOUR WAY. WE ALL OF THE ALL THE HEALTH OFFICERS AND THE DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES IN THE COUNTY ARE REVIEWING IT WITH THEIR YOU KNOW, WITH THEIR HEALTH OFFICERS, THEIR BOARD OF HEALTH ATTORNEYS, AND THEIR ADMINISTRATORS. AND, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE HAVE A FINAL VERSION, WE WILL BE SHARING IT WITH YOU BECAUSE WE DO NEED IT APPROVED BY THE BOARD AND THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE. SO SO STAY TUNED FOR THAT.

AND IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY ANY FEEDBACK, LET ME KNOW. ANY QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION.

NO. NO. OKAY. I THINK WE'RE AT NEW BUSINESS.

YEP. YES. OKAY. NEW BUSINESS.

WE ONLY HAVE YOU FROM THE.

WE DON'T HAVE OUR. WE DON'T HAVE OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT REP OR THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE REP.

SO WE ONLY HAVE MS TODAY.

[XI.NEW BUSINESS ]

IT'S REALLY GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK AT THE AT THESE MEETINGS.

OH, YEAH. BECAUSE WE MISSED YOU A LOT.

THANK YOU. I MISSED YOU GUYS, TOO, RIGHT ALONG.

BUT, YEAH. DOCTOR NEWMAN COMPLETED HER CLASS FOR EMT.

LAST CLASS WAS YESTERDAY.

SORRY. WHEN WAS THE LAST CLASS? APRIL 20TH. AND TOMORROW IS THE NRMA.

TOMORROW IS THE NATIONAL EXAM. YEP. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I KNOW, I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR EVERYONE WHEN WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK.

THANK YOU. YOU SURE YOU DON'T HATE IT? I'M SURE OF IT. THAT'S GREAT.

HAVE YOU NOTHING ELSE TOMORROW? YEAH. YOU WANT TO EMBARRASS ANYONE ELSE? I JUST SET MYSELF UP, I REALIZED THAT.

OH, YOU WON'T EMBARRASS HER? NO.

IT'S GOOD. WE'RE GOOD.

NO, I THINK I THINK THAT'S IT.

OKAY. AM I MISSING? ELLEN, AM I MISSING SOMETHING? NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. YOU'RE FINE.

I THINK YOU'RE OKAY. I MEAN, THE REGULAR PITCH.

WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE MEMBERS. SO. EMILY, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.

OH, YEAH. YOUR TIME. YEAH.

SHE HAS ALL THIS FREE TIME RIGHT NOW.

OKAY. I DON'T HAVE ANY NEW BUSINESS FOR US.

I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S STICKING WITH US TONIGHT.

WE HAD A BIGGER AGENDA BECAUSE OF OUR MEETING.

NOT HAVING A MEETING LAST MONTH.

AND APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S FLEXIBILITY.

IF ANYBODY IS AVAILABLE TO GO TO THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT, I THINK I'LL BE THERE. WILL YOU BE THERE? I DON'T I DO NOT THINK SO, BECAUSE WE'D LOVE FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO SUPPORT THE PRESENTATIONS FROM THE OUR COLLEAGUES THAT WILL BE HAPPENING. WHAT TIME IS IT? 7:00 OR 730.

IT STARTS AT SEVEN. I'M NOT SURE WHAT TIME I'M PRESENTING. SEVEN. SEVEN.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. OKAY.

ALL RIGHT. CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOVE. OKAY. SO HAVING NO NEW BUSINESS AND THE MOTIONS TO ADJOURN, WE CAN CONCLUDE THIS MEETING AT 852.

WE COULD USE THAT GAVEL TODAY.

THANK YOU. THANKS, EVERYBODY.

THANKS.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.