[00:00:01]
COOL. GREAT. SO WE'RE UNMUTED. YOU'RE GOOD TO GO. OKAY. SO WE ARE GOING TO START THE REGULAR
[I. OPENING STATEMENT]
BUSINESS MEETING OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY BOARD OF HEALTH. IT IS THE INTENTION OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH 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, WHICH FOR THIS ONE WILL BE FEBRUARY 11TH. ADEQUATE NOTICE OF THE MEETING, AS REQUIRED BY SECTIONS THREE AND FOUR. A OF THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETING ACT, HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC AND FILED WITH THE TOWNSHIP CLERK. JUST A REMINDER THAT 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, NOT THE TOWNSHIP, AND ARE EMPOWERED TO ENACT LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH ORDINANCES FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE AND TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE TOWNSHIP AND ITS RESIDENTS. OKAY, BOARD MEMBERS, CAN YOU DO THE ROLL CALL, PLEASE? DOCTOR GRAYSON, DOCTOR MCGEARY HERE. DOCTOR SHARMA HERE. DOCTOR NEWMAN HERE. MR. HERE, DOCTOR. SARAYA. MISS ZACHARIAH HERE, DOCTOR. HERE, DOCTOR SERENE HERE. DEVANG PATEL, HEALTH OFFICER HERE. JENNIFER FOSTER, SECRETARY. HERE. TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY COMMITTEE LIAISON. PATRICIA TAYLOR TODD, ADVISOR, DOCTOR BERT MANDELBAUM. OKAY. I WOULD[II.BOARD MEMBERS]
LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT AND JUST HAVE INTRODUCE TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS. WE HAVE DOCTOR DIVYA SAREEN AND DOCTOR CHRISTINE ZACCARO. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE BOARD OF HEALTH AND YOUR BACKGROUND AND YOUR CONNECTION TO THE TOWNSHIP, WE'D APPRECIATE THAT. WHICH ONE WANTS TO GO FIRST? WHOEVER. I ASK YOU TO GO FIRST. SO I'M CHRISTINE ZACCARO. I'M NOT A DOCTOR. I. AM A REGISTERED NURSE, AND I PRACTICE IN WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE FOR MANY YEARS. I'M ALSO PUBLIC HEALTH CERTIFIED. MY DAY JOB THESE DAYS IS IN HEALTH POLICY. I WORK FOR A D.C. BASED STRATEGIC CONSULTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS AGENCY, AND SO I LIVE LOCALLY AND COMMUTE DOWN TO D.C. FREQUENTLY. I WAS PART OF THE PANDEMIC SURGE VACCINE CLINIC WITH THE AND MANY OTHERS. SO IT WAS INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY DURING THAT PROCESS. AND YEAH, I MOVED TO MONTGOMERY IN 2011. MY SON IS COLLEGE AGED AND MY DAUGHTER IS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL AT MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL NOW. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? NO. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. WELCOME, DOCTOR SHAHEEN, AND I'M DIVYA SAREEN. I'VE BEEN A MONTGOMERY RESIDENT FOR 22 YEARS NOW. RAISED TWO GIRLS HERE THROUGH THE MONTGOMERY SCHOOL SYSTEM. MY OLDER ONE IS A GRADUATE OF NYU. SHE'S FINISHING UP HER PHD NEXT YEAR AT BOSTON. THE YOUNGER ONE IS A SOPHOMORE AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. SHE'S AN UPCOMING BUSINESS MAJOR, SO I HAVE A LOT TO THANK. AND THIS COMMUNITY, AND I THINK AS AN EMPTY NESTER THIS YEAR, I WANT TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. MY DAY JOB IS I'M AN INTERNIST AND AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST. I'VE BEEN PRACTICING FOR AROUND 19 YEARS NOW. I'M A PRODUCT OF CAPITAL HEALTH SYSTEM, AND COOPER COOPER IS WHERE I TRAINED. I WORKED IN CAMDEN, SO I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE INNER CITY DEMOGRAPHICS. SO STD CLINICS, YOU NAME IT, YOU KNOW, PANDEMICS. I'VE SURVIVED THE PANDEMIC, SO I THINK I CAN BRING SOME OF MY CLINICAL EXPERIENCE AND ESSENTIALLY ABSORB IT HERE AND SEE HOW POLICIES ARE MADE, HOW POLICIES ARE RENDERED TO THE PUBLIC, AND HOW THE GENERAL PUBLIC BENEFITS FROM IT. AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S ALSO VERY, VERY WELCOME AND WHOLESOME LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME, BECAUSE I'VE ONLY SEEN THIS SIDE OF MEDICINE AND NOW I'M ACTUALLY SEEING HOW PUBLIC POLICIES IMPACT DAY TO DAY PUBLIC HEALTH. SO I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE AND VERY EXCITED TO GET TO KNOW EACH OF YOU VERY WELL. WELCOME, WELCOME.THANK YOU. WELCOME. THANK YOU. I'D ALSO LIKE OUR TWO YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL MEMBERS TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES, PLEASE. MY NAME IS SOPHIE ANTOON. I'M A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I'M A LIAISON FOR THE ILC. THANK YOU. WELCOME. COOL. HI. I'M JESSICA WANG, AND I'M ALSO A JUNIOR AT MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL. SO I GO TO THE SAME SCHOOL AS YOUR KID, ESSENTIALLY. AND YEAH, I'M ALSO
[00:05:02]
A LIAISON FOR THE MAYOR'S YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL HERE. IT'S REALLY NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.THANK YOU. WELCOME. THANK YOU. EMILY, DO YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO. SURE. GO FOR IT.
EVERYONE'S LIKE, EMILY'S HERE. TO BE ON THE. HI, I'M EMILY SHRINER. I'M THE PUBLIC HEALTH PLANNER FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. WELCOME, EVERYBODY. IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU ALL HERE TODAY. I'M CHECKING IN WITH JEN. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? NO. OKAY. SO WE CAN MOVE RIGHT ALONG. NEXT IS THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALL MATTERS LISTED HERE
[IV. CONSENT AGENDA]
UNDER ARE CONSIDERED ROUTINE IN NATURE AND WILL BE APPROVED IN ONE MOTION. ANY MEMBER MAY REQUEST THAT AN ITEM BE REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. SO WE HAVE THREE MONTHLY REPORTS.WE HAVE THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT FROM DECEMBER 2025. WE HAVE THE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE REPORT FOR 2025. WE HAVE THE ANIMAL CONTROL REPORTS FROM 2025, AND WE HAVE THE MINUTES FROM THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF DECEMBER 10TH, 2025. SO DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING THAT THEY WANT TO DISCUSS OR ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THOSE REPORTS? YEAH. THE ANIMAL CONTROL REPORT I SHOULD NOTE CAME SEPARATELY AS WELL. YEAH. NO QUESTIONS. NOPE. OKAY.
COULD I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOVE. THANK YOU. SECOND. THANK YOU. OKAY. NOW WE
[V.PUBLIC HEALTH PLANNER REPORT]
CAN GO TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH PLANNER REPORT. AND I BELIEVE THAT'S EMILY. IS THAT CORRECT? ARE YOU DOING THAT? YEAH. THE PUBLIC HEALTH PLANNER REPORT. YOU'RE UP. YEAH, YEAH. CAN YOU TURN THE SCREEN ON FOR THOSE OF YOU WHEN WE. YEAH. THEY'RE GOING TO SHARE SCREEN. YOU CAN LOOK THESE THESE BEAUTIFUL MONITORS WERE PROVIDED BY A PUBLIC HEALTH GRANT. ALSO I LIKE TO REMIND. WAIT. REALLY? YEAH. WHAT? REALLY? YES. REALLY? YEAH. AND THE SHADES AND THE SHADES AND THE TABLES AND THE CHAIRS. I ALWAYS FORGET TO TURN. DON'T WORRY, IT'S NOT DIRTY. SO HOW DO THEY WORK? THEY WILL COME OUT. IT'LL COME ON. NICE. SHE. THEY HAVE CONTROL OVER IT OVER THERE. IT'S SORT OF LIKE TEXAS. ALWAYS TEXAS. OH. AS NURSE RECIPROCITY FOR EMT CERT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACTUALLY GO TO THE CLASS. OH, THE SEE, YOU HAVEN'T STOPPED RECRUITING.HE'S A VERY ACTIVE RECRUITER. WHO'S IN CHARGE NOW WHO IS IN CHARGE NOW? I DON'T KNOW, NOT ME. THAT SOUNDS LIKE ME. THAT'S OKAY. THAT HAPPENS. I MEAN, I'LL STILL DO WHAT I DO, BUT YEAH, I DON'T WANT TO GET THE I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO BE THE ONE THAT GO TO ALL THE EVENTS SCREEN. IS THAT YOU, EMILY? YES IT IS. I WAS LIKE, IT'S NOT ME. IT'S THE WEST SIDE OF MONTGOMERY. I DON'T KNOW, I'VE NEVER HIT THIS WAY. SAME GOES FOR YOU TOO. DOCTORS CAN GET QUICK RECIPROCITY. OH, IT'S PROBABLY JUST EXPANDING IF YOU WANTED TO. YEAH, OKAY. IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE ABLE TO MOVE IT BEFORE. OH, WE DON'T, WE DON'T. IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA, BUT NOT. THERE YOU GO, THERE YOU GO. YOU SEE YOU. YEAH. SO. YEAH.
OKAY. YEAH. I'M JUST HOPING. THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. OF THE FLU. YEAH. DO YOU GUYS SEE IT? OKAY.
DON'T. THAT CHAPTER JUST GOT IT. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU COULD MISS IT, BUT I JUST THOUGHT I'D CHECK. YEAH. OKAY. EMILY, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, DOCTOR. WHENEVER EMILY'S READY, SHE'S GOING TO START. I'M SORRY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON OUR AGE FRIENDLY MONTGOMERY INITIATIVE. SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NEW TO THE BOARD OF HEALTH MONTGOMERY, WE RECEIVED A GRANT FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO WORK TO MAKE MONTGOMERY MORE AGE FRIENDLY. SO WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON ADULTS WHO ARE AGE 55 AND OLDER.
AND THROUGH THIS GRANT, WE'RE CONDUCTING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT TO DETERMINE WHAT RESOURCES CURRENTLY EXIST FOR SENIORS AND WHAT IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE. SO THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT CONSISTS OF KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS, A COMMUNITY WIDE SURVEY, AND THREE LISTENING SESSIONS. AND AFTER WE COMPLETE THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WE'RE GOING TO ANALYZE ALL OF THE DATA AND DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN FOR THE TOWNSHIP THAT OUTLINES WHAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE MONTGOMERY MORE LIVABLE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. AND MONTGOMERY HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE AARP AS AN AGE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY. AS PART OF THIS INITIATIVE. SO JUST TO
[00:10:04]
SUMMARIZE, WE HAVE CONDUCTED KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS BETWEEN JULY AND OCTOBER OF 20 25. 23 KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED. THEY WERE WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM DIFFERENT TOWNSHIP DEPARTMENTS, TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATION, FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, THE SOMERSET COUNTY OFFICE ON AGING, AND VARIOUS TRANSPORTATION ORGANIZATIONS, AMONG OTHERS WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, FREQUENT INTERACTIONS WITH OLDER ADULTS.AND THEN THE INFORMATION FROM THESE INTERVIEWS INFORMED SOME OF THE QUESTIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING SURVEY AND LISTENING SESSIONS. SO THE NEXT STEP WAS THE COMMUNITY SURVEY. SURVEY WAS AVAILABLE BETWEEN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF 2025. WE HAD 198 RESPONDENTS TAKE THE SURVEY.
DURING THIS TIME, 93% OF THOSE WERE IN OUR TARGET POPULATION OF AGE 55 PLUS, AND 28% OF RESPONDENTS INDICATED THEY WERE INTERESTED IN FURTHER PARTICIPATION. SO WE'VE BEEN SENDING FOLLOW UP INFORMATION TO THEM, AND WE INVITED THEM TO COME TO OUR LISTENING SESSIONS DIRECTLY. OF COURSE, ANYONE ELSE IS INVITED AS WELL, BUT WE JUST MADE SURE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THEM. OVERALL, A FEW TAKEAWAYS FROM THE SURVEY. IN GENERAL, PEOPLE REALLY LIKE LIVING IN MONTGOMERY. THEY WANT TO STAY HERE AS THEY GROW OLDER, BUT THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN SOME OF THE SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES THAT WE CAN OFFER. SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WERE HOUSING, SAFETY OF NEIGHBORHOODS, ACCESSIBLE HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES. AND THEN RELATION OF YOUR HOME TO OTHER COMMUNITY SUPPORTS LIKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, RESTAURANTS, SHOPPING, COMMUNITY CENTERS, HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, THINGS LIKE THAT. THESE REPORTS PUBLISHED ANYWHERE? NOT YET. THIS IS JUST SORT OF PRELIMINARY DATA WE HAVEN'T FINISHED ANALYZING YET. AND THEN THE LAST KEY TAKEAWAY THAT THERE IS ROOM FOR ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT ON COMMUNITY SUPPORTS AND SERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTS, INCLUDING THINGS LIKE RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES, SOCIAL GROUPS AND THEN ASSISTANCE WITH HEALTH AND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS AND ACCESS TO SOCIAL GROUPS, CLASSES, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, BUT YES, WE ARE WORKING ON ANALYZING THE DATA AND FOLLOW UP WITH A FULL DATA REPORT.
ONCE ALL OF THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN COMPLETED. AND SO THE LAST SECTION THAT WE'RE DOING IS LISTENING SESSIONS. SO TWO OF THOSE HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED ON DECEMBER 8TH AND JANUARY 8TH. WE HAD 16 PARTICIPANTS AT THE FIRST ONE AND 25 AT THE SECOND ONE.
THEY'RE BASICALLY WE'VE BEEN CONDUCTING THEM AS SMALL DISCUSSION GROUPS WHERE WE HAVE A LIST OF QUESTIONS SORT OF TO DIRECT THE CONVERSATION AND A FACILITATOR FOR EACH GROUP. AND THEN THE THIRD SESSION IS UPCOMING ON JANUARY 27TH. SO THAT'LL BE OUR LAST DATA COLLECTION TIME, AFTER WHICH WE'LL FINISH DOING THE ANALYSIS AND COMPILING ALL OF OUR DATA.
AND THEN THIS IS JUST A FEW OF THE QUOTES THAT I'VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE SO FAR THROUGHOUT OUR DATA COLLECTION, YOU KNOW, SOME OF WHICH ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT THROUGHOUT THE COLLECTION. YEAH. SO THAT IS AGE FRIENDLY SO FAR. IN THE BEGINNING, YOU SAID, BUT I MIGHT HAVE MISSED THE 198 RESPONDENT. THESE ARE GROUPS OR ORGANIZATIONS OR INDIVIDUALS. INDIVIDUALS. THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS. SO SO THESE INTERVIEWS WERE PERFORMED WITH WITH THESE INDIVIDUALS. YES. THEY WERE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE SURVEY. YEAH OKAY. SURVEY INTERVIEWS. WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE INTERVIEWS. THERE WERE 23 INTERVIEWS WITH SORT OF LIKE COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THE AREA.
AND THEN THE 198 RESPONDENTS WERE RESIDENTS, LIKE ANYBODY COULD TAKE THE SURVEY. SO INTERVIEWS WERE NOT WITH RESIDENTS, INDIVIDUALS. THOSE WERE WITH SOME OF THEM WERE RESIDENTS, BUT SOME OF THEM WERE ALSO LIKE PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THE TOWNSHIP OR THE LIBRARY OR, YOU KNOW, LIKE OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THE INTERVIEWS. SO PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH SENIORS IN MONTGOMERY WHO ARE LIKE THE LEADERSHIP OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK WITH SENIORS, BASICALLY, SO THEY COULD THEY COULD ONLY PRESENT WHAT THEY THOUGHT ABOUT, ABOUT RESIDENTS. THEY COULD NOT SAY, RIGHT. YEAH. AND THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO HAVE BOTH, YOU KNOW, INPUT. SO WE WANTED TO GET THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON, YOU KNOW, LIKE HOW HOW DOES IT WORK FOR THE TOWNSHIP TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES TO SENIORS? WHAT GAPS
[00:15:01]
DO THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THOSE ORGANIZATIONS SEE? WHAT PROBLEMS ARE, YOU KNOW, FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SEEING, LIKE, WHAT ARE COMMUNITY MEMBERS BRINGING TO THEM, SAYING, THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR ME? OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT GROUPS DO YOU HAVE? THINK THOSE WERE THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS THAT WE WERE ASKING THEM TO FIND OUT SORT OF WHAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE CURRENTLY IS, AND THEN THE COMMUNITY SURVEY AND LISTENING SESSIONS ARE GETTING INFORMATION DIRECTLY FROM RESIDENTS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE USING THOSE SERVICES.AND THEN LIVING IN MONTGOMERY. SO IT'S TWOFOLD IN TERMS OF THE APPROACH, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YOU'RE ASKING LIKE ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE DEALING WITH SENIOR CITIZENS IN TERMS OF THEIR INPUT, WHAT THEY ARE HEARING. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU'RE ALSO GOING TO SENIOR CITIZENS DIRECTLY THROUGH SURVEYS AND THE THREE LISTENING SESSIONS. SO IT'S TO THE INFORMATION COLLECTION IS TWOFOLD. YES. AS I GET IT. YEAH. SO THE THE GRANT THAT YOU HAVE, IS IT JUST FOR THIS LISTENING PROCESS OR LIKE WHAT IS THE OUTCOME THAT THE GRANT IS SUPPOSED TO YIELD. THE GRANT IS FOR THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT. SO IT'S TO CONDUCT THE DATA ANALYSIS AND COLLECTION AND THEN TO COME UP WITH THE ACTION PLAN. THAT'S LIKE THE SCOPE OF THIS PARTICULAR GRANT. AND THEN WE'RE WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, OTHER GRANTS THAT WE CAN FOLLOW UP TO KIND OF ENACT SOME OF THE ACTION STEPS THAT WE COME UP WITH FROM THIS PROCESS. AND THEN I JUST WANT TO ADD TO WHAT EMILY WAS SAYING AS PART OF THE GRANT DELIVERABLES FOR THIS ONE, FOR THIS HUMAN SERVICES GRANT WAS TO ALSO PAY FOR A CONSULTANT TO DO A FACILITIES ASSESSMENT FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE SENIOR CENTER AND THE PARKS AND RECREATION CENTER. BECAUSE ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, AT SOME LEVEL, AT VARYING LEVELS, ARE PROVIDING SERVICES TO SENIORS. AND WE HAVE OUR OWN WE HAVE OUR OWN GAPS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED THAT, AS EMILY WAS ALLUDING TO EARLIER, WHEN IT COMES TO FACILITIES. SO THAT'S STILL IN PROGRESS. BUT WE WILL SHARE THOSE RESULTS OUT WITH YOU. BUT A LOT OF WHAT WHAT WE'RE SEEING FROM THOSE INITIAL RESULTS FROM THE FACILITIES ASSESSMENT IS WHAT BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS HAVE IDENTIFIED.
WHEN YOU DID THE WALK THROUGH THINK END OF LAST YEAR, 2024. SO STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM THE FACILITIES ASSESSMENT. AND THE FACILITIES ASSESSMENT IS A PART OF THE TOWN'S MASTER PLANNING PROCESS, BUT THE STATE DOES NOT REQUIRE MUNICIPALITIES TO DO A FACILITIES ASSESSMENT, SO THEY ONLY FOCUS ON THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS. AND THAT WAS WHY WE YOU KNOW, WE SAW THIS AS A HUGE NEED IN ON THE MUNICIPAL SIDE TO DO THIS FACILITIES ASSESSMENT. IDEALLY, IT SHOULD BE FOR ALL THE DEPARTMENTS IN THE MUNICIPALITY. BUT WE WANTED TO PRIORITIZE THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE PROVIDING SERVICES TO SENIORS. BUT BECAUSE THAT IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S MORE EVIDENT AND OBVIOUS THAT THERE'S A NEED THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON HERE.
AND CERTAINLY MY NAIVE QUESTIONS ARE GOING TO COME OUT. BUT IS IT LARGELY AROUND LIKE LIKE YOU'RE SAYING LIKE PHYSICAL SPACES OR IS IT ALSO LIKE, LIKE CONTENT THAT WE DELIVER TO FOLKS? IT'S SOME OF EACH. SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE ALL THE DIFFERENT DATA COLLECTION.
SO WE HAVE THE FACILITIES ASSESSMENT TO ASSESS THE PHYSICAL SPACE AND SEE IF THAT'S ADEQUATE. BUT THEN WE'RE ALSO YOU KNOW, WE INTERVIEWED PEOPLE TO SEE OKAY, WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER FOR SENIORS. WHAT YOU KNOW, WHO CAN ACCESS THEM? WHAT IS YOUR DEMOGRAPHIC LOOK LIKE, WHO IS ACCESSING THEM, THAT KIND OF STUFF. AND THEN WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS LIKE, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT'S MISSING THAT YOU WANT IN ANY OF THESE, YOU KNOW, AND RECREATION AND EDUCATION IN, YOU KNOW, LIKE HEALTHCARE IN RESOURCES AND WHATEVER. SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET THAT FULL PICTURE OF BOTH OF THOSE THINGS. YEAH. AND PART OF PART OF, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE ROLES OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS PART OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS TO CONTINUALLY ASSESS THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. AND SO THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, WE WE HAD FOCUSED ON OUR SOCIAL SERVICES NEEDS. I THINK IN 2022, WE DID A HUGE PUSH FOR DOING A FOOD INSECURITY ASSESSMENT LAST YEAR. WE ALSO OR I MEAN, YES, LAST YEAR THEN WE ALSO DID. WE STARTED OFF OUR AGE FRIENDLY NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND THEN WE WILL BE MOVING AND WE'RE MOVING ON TO TRANSPORTATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT. SO THERE'S ALWAYS YOU KNOW, THERE IS A STRONG NEED FOR LOCAL DATA TO HELP US KIND OF MOVE ON TO THE NEXT STEP IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROVIDING INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN MONTGOMERY. AND WE'RE HOPING THAT ALL OF THESE DATA COLLECTION EFFORTS WILL HELP US IN GETTING TO THAT POINT, AND REALLY TO ALSO HELP US SECURE ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND GOING FOR BIGGER GRANTS. I JUST WANTED TO ADD ONE MORE THING, EMILY. SORRY. SO THE ONE MORE THING I WANTED TO SAY IS THIS GRANT WAS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. SO THAT'S A DIFFERENT AGENCY WITHIN THE
[00:20:03]
STATE. THE REASON I'M NAMING THAT AND SAYING NOTING, NOTING THAT EXPLICITLY IS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT A DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. SO THAT SAID, OUR STRATEGIC PLAN HAS INDICATED THAT WE DO BELIEVE LIKE WE IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR STRATEGY TO UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF THE TOWNSHIP. WE ARE LIMITED, THOUGH, UNDER THE SCOPE AND THE LEGAL ORDINANCE AND THE AUTHORITY GIVEN TO US BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY TO DELIVER PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES. SO WE ARE AND EMILY, AND HAVE DONE A REALLY WONDERFUL JOB, AS WELL AS WORKING WITH SOME OTHER PARTS OF OUR TOWNSHIP AND REALLY RECOGNIZING THAT THE NEEDS OF THE TOWNSHIP, FROM A SOCIAL SERVICE PERSPECTIVE, ARE CHANGING. AND SO WE ARE I REALLY COMMEND THEM FOR FINDING THE GRANT DOLLARS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE NEEDS LOOK LIKE AND START ACTION PLANNING, BECAUSE WE ARE, YOU KNOW, EVEN ON THE EMS OR JOE'S SMILING AT ME, EVEN ON THE EMS SERVICE, WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE NEEDS AND THE NEEDS ARE CHANGING IN THE TOWNSHIP. THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THAT, BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO ASK THAT. NO, YOU'RE VERY NO. VERY GOOD. JUST A FOLLOW UP QUESTION. SO THIS INITIATIVE, THIS IT IS BEING SPEARHEADED BY THE BOARD OF HEALTH. RIGHT. OR ARE WE CONTRIBUTING TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT'S IT'S REALLY LED BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WITH THE BOARD OF HEALTH SUPPORT. YEAH, WE DON'T HAVE A DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES IN THE TOWNSHIP. YEAH.SO I'M JUST WONDERING LIKE YOU ARE LEADING THAT EFFORT. YES. SO WE DO. SO SOCIAL SERVICES ARE I SHOULD PROBABLY JUST LET YOU DO THIS. DO YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN HOW SOCIAL SERVICES ARE FUNDED IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY? I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW FUNDED. SO I'LL DO IT. AND THEN YOU CAN YOU GUYS CHECK MY MATH? OKAY. SO THEY ARE FUNDED THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, BUT THEY GO TO THE COUNTY LEVEL AND THEN IT'S REALLY AGGREGATED THERE AND ALLOCATED FROM THE COUNTY LEVEL. SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE A PERSON IN THE REC DEPARTMENT WHO IS FUNDED BY THE COUNTY TO WORK ON SOCIAL SERVICES AND THE TOWN. OUR TOWNSHIP HAS ALSO THEY OH SORRY ONLY FOOD PANTRY. THAT'S, THAT'S BUT FROM THE COUNTY LEVEL THEY DO MORE THAN JUST FOOD PANTRY RIGHT. YEAH. SO THE COUNTY HAS THEY'RE THE COUNTY HAS FUNDED THAT PERSON TO DO SOCIAL SERVICES RELATED TO OLDER POPULATIONS IN THE TOWNSHIP. AND OUR TOWNSHIP HAS FUNDED. REMIND ME THE HOURS A WEEK, TEN HOURS A WEEK, TEN HOURS A WEEK TO DO THE FOOD PANTRY TO ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY IN THE TOWNSHIP. AND WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH QUITE A BIT OF. SO THERE WAS A WHILE THAT WE HAD NOBODY THERE, AND THE FOOD PANTRY WAS FLOUNDERING A LITTLE BIT. AND NOW WE HAVE A NEW PERSON IN PLACE, AND THEY ARE. AND EMILY AND YVONNE ARE HELPING THAT PERSON FROM THE PLANNING PERSPECTIVE, DEVELOP SOME STRONGER DATA SYSTEMS, ETC. TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ABLE TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. I THOUGHT YOU WERE LAUGHING. OKAY. ARE YOU OKAY? SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW IT GOES. SO WE SO WE ARE NOT FUNDED. THEY DON'T FUND THE COUNTY DOES NOT FUND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO DO ANY OF THAT SOCIAL SERVICE WORK.
AND ALSO WHEN I'M PUTTING IN FOR GRANTS FOR OUR STAFF USING HUMAN SERVICES MONEY, I ALWAYS MAKE IT A GOAL TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALIGNING OUR NGO REQUIREMENTS WITH THAT WORK. SO THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT IS A GOOD ALIGNMENT PREVENTION, EDUCATION, AWARENESS EDUCATION. YOU KNOW THOSE WE TRY TO ALIGN WITH OUR NGO REQUIREMENTS. AND IF THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, SITUATIONS WHICH ALWAYS COME UP OR TIMES WHERE STAFF ARE GETTING PULLED INTO DOING, YOU KNOW, THE NON PUBLIC HEALTH WORK, YOU KNOW I THAT'S WHERE I WOULD KIND OF FLAG IT TO CARRIE ANN OR I WOULD HAVE TO COME TO THE BOARD AND INFORM YOU GUYS AND THEN YOU KNOW MAYBE ASK FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW WE MOVE FORWARD. I ALWAYS SAY THAT OUR LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO FOCUS ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND MAKING SURE WE'RE ENFORCING PUBLIC HEALTH LAWS, BUT SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, WE GET HIT WITH MULTIPLE EMERGENCIES AT THE SAME TIME. AND WHEN WE HAVE TO PRIORITIZE, WE UNFORTUNATELY HAVE TO PRIORITIZE PUBLIC HEALTH. BUT THE SOCIAL SERVICES DOES NOT GO AWAY. AND THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, I WOULD NEED YOUR HELP IN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE FINDING ANOTHER WORKFLOW, FINDING OTHER RESOURCES, OR MAYBE ADVOCACY THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED FOR SOME CHANGES. DO YOU KNOW IF MOST. CAN I ASK ONE QUESTION? EMILY, ARE YOU DONE? DO YOU HAVE. YEAH.
I'M DONE. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. SORRY. IT'S LIKE WE'RE ALL TALKING UP HERE, AND THE POOR WOMAN'S NOT DONE. DO YOU KNOW IF MOST TOWNS ARE SIZE, HAVE DEDICATED SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENTS? I DON'T KNOW OF TOWNS EXACTLY OUR SIZE, BUT MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORS DO.
[00:25:02]
PRINCETON, SOUTH BRUNSWICK, HILLSBOROUGH. YEAH. COMPETITION. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHAT IS THE AGE BREAKDOWN FOR MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP? I MEAN, HOW WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR POPULATION IS IN THIS AGE 55 AND ABOVE? DO WE HAVE A KIND OF A GENERAL IDEA? IT'S ABOUT 20%. IF I THINK IT'S ABOUT 20%, THAT'S 60 AND ABOVE. YOU INCLUDE 55. IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE AND IT'S STEADILY INCREASING ALSO. YEAH. OKAY. WHAT'S THE STATE LIKE? HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO THE STATE? I THINK IT'S SIMILAR, BUT I'M NOT I'M NOT 100% SURE ON THE NUMBERS FOR THE STATE, BUT I THINK IT'S SIMILAR. YEAH. IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. AND WHEN DO WE EXPECT LIKE THE OUTPUTS COMING OUT OF YOUR NEEDS ASSESSMENT. SO THE LAST LISTENING SESSION IS AT THE END OF JANUARY. SO HOPEFULLY SOON AFTER THAT. SO FEBRUARY OR MARCH. YEAH. COME UP WITH POTENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL. YEAH OKAY. THANK YOU GRANDMA. THANK YOU. HAVE ANYTHING ELSE. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. NOPE. THAT'S IT OKAY. GREAT. TERRIFIC.WONDERFUL PRESENTATION TOO. BY THE WAY, CAN WE ADD THIS TO THE MINUTES? MAKE SURE THIS IS IN THE MINUTES. YEAH. THANK YOU. I GUESS. OKAY I THINK THE NEXT IS THE HEALTH OFFICER COMMENTS. DO
[VI.HEALTH OFFICER COMMENT]
YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE. NO. YOU DON'T HAVE SLIDES. NO SLIDES. NO. I THINK YOU CAN TAKE DOWN THE. WE CAN. YEAH. OKAY JEN YOU GOT IT I CAN OKAY. THANK YOU. SO HEALTH OFFICER COMMENTS. WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS. WE WILL BE PLANNING OUR BOARD OF HEALTH ORIENTATION.SO YOU KNOW MUCH OF WHAT WE'RE SAYING AND THE TERMS THAT WE'RE USING. YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU WILL YOU'LL HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT OUR REQUIREMENTS ARE. AND ALSO THE DIFFERENT ISSUES AND PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING WORKED ON. SO. WE ARE PLANNING TO HOST THE ORIENTATION IN IN FEBRUARY. SO IT WOULD BE THE SECOND WEDNESDAY. I WOULD JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT BOTH OF OUR NEW MEMBERS ARE AVAILABLE TO ATTEND. BUT BUT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. WE WILL WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE STILL IS ABLE TO VIEW THE ORIENTATION AND SIGN OFF. THIS IS PART OF THE SUSTAINABLE NEW JERSEY GOLD AWARD. ONE OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS FOR GOLD IS TO MAKE SURE ALL OF OUR BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS ARE TAKING THE ORIENTATION, AND WE JUST HAVE TO SHOW PROOF OF THAT. SO YOU ARE ALL THERE'S NO SILVER, THERE'S A SILVER. BUT I JUST WAS CHECKING AND THERE'S A BRONZE OKAY. BUT FOR HEALTH, THEY THEY CREATED A HEALTH GOLD AWARD FOR THAT. AND I THINK WE ARE UP I THINK THIS I THINK IT'S THIS YEAR IS ON FEBRUARY 11TH. YES. YES FEBRUARY OKAY. AT 730 WE CAN START AT 730. I TRY TO KEEP IT SHORT AND ONLY TO THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE SOME REFERENCE MATERIAL TO TAKE WITH YOU. SO SO THAT'S ONE THING. AND THEN. WE RECENTLY WORKED ON AND SUBMITTED ANOTHER NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES GRANT. THIS WAS THE 250,000 SENIOR WELLNESS GRANT AND I, I USED MOST OF THE FUNDING YOU MIGHT NEED TO RESTART MIKE'S. I THINK THE MIKE'S IS THE, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF TAPPED OUT. HOLD ON.
IT'S OKAY. HORIZON. THE HUMAN SERVICES GRANT, IT'S REALLY TO FOCUS ON BRINGING IN MORE SENIOR FRIENDLY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. MUCH OF THAT IS GOING TO BE INFORMED BY THE DATA THAT WE'RE COLLECTING RIGHT NOW WITH THE AGE FRIENDLY INITIATIVE, AS WELL AS OFFSETTING SALARY COSTS FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT STAFF THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, DOING, YOU KNOW, OUR BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGS WITH THE SENIORS, THAT PROGRAM IS GROWING. WE'RE SEEING MORE INTEREST AND MORE DEMAND FOR FOR THE FOR THAT PROGRAM. OUR FLU VACCINATION NUMBERS ARE GOING UP. WE HAVE A SENIOR HOUSING SENIOR HOUSING COMMUNITY COMING RIGHT HERE BEHIND THIS CAMPUS. SO THAT'S GOING TO INCREASE DEMAND AS WELL AS THERE'S A NEED TO GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITIES AND DO MORE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AT THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS THEMSELVES. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE ALSO STRUGGLING WITH AND HAVE TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS. SO WE WE WANT TO MAKE IT OUR GOAL TO TRY TO GET OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE, BRING SOME SERVICES TO THEM, AND ALSO LINK THEM TO OTHER RESOURCES THAT EXIST, EITHER AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL OR THE COUNTY LEVEL, OR EVEN THE STATE LEVEL. SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, MUCH OF
[00:30:05]
THE WORK THAT THE STAFF DOES WILL BE ALIGNED WITH OUR NGO REQUIREMENTS. SO AND I'LL HOPEFULLY WE GET THAT MONEY. IS THERE SOMETHING LESS TO WORRY ABOUT IF WE HAVE GRANT FUNDING, ESPECIALLY AS GRANTS ARE GOING AWAY? ONE OF OUR. SO FOR 2026, OUR MAIN GOALS ARE GOING TO BE TO FOCUS ON PUBLIC HEALTH. REACCREDITATION OUR. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON SUBMITTING A PRE SITE VISIT DOCUMENTATION TO OUR SITE VISITORS WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH ACCREDITATION BOARD. THAT'S DUE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH. WE HAD ASKED FOR AN EXTENSION, THE THE REDUCTION IN SNAP BENEFITS AND ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE HAD TO DO IN THE FALL, YOU KNOW, REALLY KIND OF DERAILED OUR TIMELINES. AND WE'RE HOPING FOR A VIRTUAL SITE VISIT FOR SOMETIME IN MAY, BUT THAT'S TO BE DETERMINED. BUT THAT WOULD REQUIRE PARTICIPATION BY SOME OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS. I WOULD KEEP YOU INFORMED OF THE WHOLE PROCESS, AS WELL AS REACTIVATING OUR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT SUBCOMMITTEE, WHICH IS A GROUP OF BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS WHO, YOU KNOW, WE GET TOGETHER AND WE TALK. WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, ANY CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING, ANY PROJECTS AND PRIORITIES, YOU KNOW, FROM THE BOARD OF HEALTH THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE US TAKE ON AND JUST UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE AND WHAT WHAT THE PUBLIC HEALTH ENVIRONMENT IS LOOKING LIKE, ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH CHANGING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND THE STATE LEVEL. SO I THINK HAVING THOSE DEEPER CONVERSATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING MORE OF OUR TECHNICAL NEEDS WILL WILL BE USEFUL FOR BOTH THE STAFF AND FOR FOR BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS. THE GOALS OF THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND KEY GROUP WILL BE TO HELP US FINALIZE, TO BEGIN TO WORK AND FINALIZE OUR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. IT'S A FIVE YEAR DOCUMENT. IT'S ONE OF OUR FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS. AND YOU'LL LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT OUR FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS ARE AT THE ORIENTATION. THE GROUP WILL ALSO TALK ABOUT AND DISCUSS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. SO WE ARE A DEPARTMENT THAT'S GOVERNED BY LAWS. THERE ARE NO REQUIREMENTS. THERE'S COMMUNITY NEEDS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE RESOURCE NEEDS. AND THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALIGNMENT OF WHAT. MAYBE THERE ARE SOME PRIORITIES FROM THE TOWNSHIP THAT ALIGN WITH THE REQUIREMENTS. YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? OR YOU KNOW, ARE THEY SOME ARE THEY SPECIFIC TOPIC AREAS. CERTAIN TYPES OF SERVICES, CERTAIN TYPES OF RESOURCES ADVOCACY. SO THERE'S ROOM FOR ALIGNMENT. AND THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PLAN HELPS US PRIORITIZE. THERE'S SO MUCH THAT'S CAN BE CONSIDERED PUBLIC HEALTH. THERE'S SO MUCH THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL THINK THAT PUBLIC HEALTH SHOULD BE DOING, BUT WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES. SO BASED ON THE RESOURCES WE HAVE, WHAT SHOULD WE PRIORITIZE? ESSENTIALLY, THAT'S THE YOU KNOW, WHAT THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CONVERSATIONS WILL WILL BE AROUND. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO.QUALITY IMPROVEMENT. SO THERE IS THERE WILL BE SOME BIG, BIG PROJECTS AND IDEAS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO, YOU KNOW, DISCUSS WITH THIS SUBCOMMITTEE. AND THEY WILL BE BASED AROUND THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT GOALS THAT WE OUTLINED. SOME MIGHT BE EASIER TO ACHIEVE THAN OTHERS. SO THE MORE I GUESS CHALLENGING ONES WILL REQUIRE MORE CONVERSATIONS AND DISCUSSION SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE DO GET OR IF WE EXPERIENCE ANY BARRIERS, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S WAYS TO TO GET PAST THEM. FUNDING IS PROBABLY ONE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, MODERNIZING SYSTEMS. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO HAVE AT THIS AT THIS SUBCOMMITTEE. THE OTHER BIG ITEMS FOR THE YEAR WILL PROBABLY BE THE FIFA WORLD CUP. SO. YOU KNOW, NEW JERSEY IS EXPECTED TO HAVE, ON AVERAGE, AT LEAST AT LEAST OVER A MILLION PEOPLE TRAVELING THROUGH OUR STATE. THERE WILL BE SOME, YOU KNOW, AN EXTRA THERE WILL BE A SURGE NEED FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO ASSIST WITH, YOU KNOW, ALL SORTS OF EVENTS RELATING TO PUBLIC HEALTH DUE TO FIFA WORLD CUP. SO IT COULD BE FOOD SAFETY INSPECTIONS, IT COULD BE PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS DRILLS AND EXERCISES. IT COULD BE IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY EMERGENCY RESPONSE SURGE, STAFF, ALL SORTS OF THINGS. WE'RE WE'RE STILL LEARNING ABOUT WHAT WHAT THAT WILL BE. IT'S GOING TO BE IN THIS YOU KNOW, THESE GAMES ARE GOING TO OCCUR IN THE SUMMER. THERE'S A LOT OF PREPAREDNESS WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND AND, YOU KNOW, BEING TRAINED FOR FOR RESPONSE AND BEING CALLED ON FOR RESPONSE. SO WE'RE FORTUNATE WHERE WE DON'T HAVE ANY BIG HOTELS OR BIG TRAINING CAMPS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN OUR TOWN, BUT OUR NEIGHBORS DO. AND SO
[00:35:05]
THEY WILL NEED HELP. SO THERE, THERE IS GOING TO BE A CALL FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR FOR SURGE STAFF AND SUPPORT. SO OUR GOAL IS GOING TO BE TO, YOU KNOW, JUST BE AWARE OF WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE. ANY TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME UP. THERE MIGHT ALSO BE SOME EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILLS AND EXERCISES. YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE YOU KNOW, I WOULD INVITE THE SOME OF BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS TO ATTEND IF YOU'RE INTERESTED AND AVAILABLE. SO I'LL, YOU KNOW, KEEP THOSE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN WITH YOU. SO FEEL FREE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING ANY OF THOSE TRAININGS, LET ME KNOW. SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT FIND OUT ABOUT CERTAIN TRAININGS BEFORE I DO SO PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HEAR OF ANYTHING. SO. BUT THE FIFA WORLD CUP IS IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER BIG, BIG PROJECT FOR THE YEAR. I THINK THOSE ARE THE BIG ITEMS FOR 2026. I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT YOU. EXCUSE ME? YOU SAID THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE ESTABLISHING REVISITING THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. SO EMILY HAD PRESENTED OUR 2020 DASH 2025 STRATEGIC PLAN. SO THAT WAS SOMETHING WE HAD STARTED BACK IN 2020, I THINK. AND IT'S THERE'S JUST SO MUCH THAT'S CHANGED. AND SO THEN DOES THAT HOW DOES THAT ALIGN WITH THE TOWNSHIP STRATEGIC PLAN, OR IS THERE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE THAT MEETS WITH YOU ALL, OR HOW DOES THAT GET INTEGRATED? SO THERE IS NO TOWNSHIP STRATEGIC PLAN, NO TOWNSHIP STRATEGIC PLAN. THIS IS WE ARE SPONGES. WE ARE SPONGES. AND WE KIND OF ABSORB, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN LIKE LIKE PROJECTS OR AREAS THAT WE FIND ARE MORE, YOU KNOW, TOWNSHIP DRIVEN OR THERE'S MORE TOWNSHIP SUPPORT THAT WE CAN ALIGN WITH. SO, YOU KNOW, SUSTAINABLE NEW JERSEY IS A BIG ONE. OUR OPEN SPACE STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR, LAUREN, SHE LEADS THE SUSTAINABLE NEW JERSEY EFFORT. AND THEY THERE ARE PUBLIC HEALTH ELEMENTS IN THAT IN THE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY INITIATIVE. SO WE TRY TO ALIGN A LOT OF OUR EDUCATION ACTIVITIES AND ENFORCEMENT STUFF THAT WE DO WITH THE SUSTAINABLE JERSEY INITIATIVE, AND WE GET POINTS FOR DOING THAT IF WE DOCUMENT IT. OKAY. BUT IF IT'S NOT INVOLVING PUBLIC HEALTH, THEN THERE'S NO PLAN, CORRECT? YEAH, YEAH, WE WOULD WANT THERE TO BE A PUBLIC HEALTH COMPONENT. AND YOU YOU AS BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS CAN MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING OUR PART TO FOCUS, TO KEEP THE FOCUS ON PUBLIC HEALTH, BECAUSE THERE WILL BE TIMES WHERE WE GET PULLED IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS. SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD NEED YOUR HELP IN PULLING US BACK ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH SIDE AND VICE VERSA. GREAT, BECAUSE YOU ALREADY ARE SHORT STAFFED AND OVERWORKED. YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. AND THEN JUST HAVE JUST SOME. KEEP GOING. YEAH. ALMOST DONE.SO FLU IS VERY HIGH IN OUR REGION. IF YOU IF YOU HAVEN'T RECEIVED YOUR FLU SHOT WE HAVE WE HAVE FLU VACCINE AVAILABLE. STILL OUR PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES ARE HAPPY TO VACCINATE YOU. AND ALSO IF YOU KNOW OF ANYBODY THAT NEEDS THEIR FLU SHOT SEND THEM TO US. IF YOU ENCOUNTER OR LEARN OF ANY HOMEBOUND PEOPLE IN IN THE COMMUNITY, FEEL FREE TO LET THEM KNOW TO THAT WE ARE A RESOURCE FOR THEM AND THAT OUR NURSES WOULD ALSO, YOU KNOW, VACCINATE THEM IN THEIR HOMES.
DURING COVID, WE HAD OVER 40 HOMEBOUND RESIDENTS BEDBOUND PEOPLE THAT WE AND WE PRIMARILY IDENTIFIED THEM THROUGH EMS, THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. MANY PEOPLE WERE CALLING THE STATE TWO ON ONE HOTLINE. AND SO THAT'S HOW THEY WERE GETTING REFERRED BACK TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. SINCE THEN, YOU KNOW, OUR NUMBERS HAVE DWINDLED, BUT WE JUST WANTED TO PUT OUT ANOTHER REMINDER, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE HAVE SO MANY EMS FOLKS HERE. IF YOU COME ACROSS ANY HOMEBOUND PEOPLE IN ANY OF YOUR CALLS OR YOU HEAR OF ANY CALLS, YOU KNOW, FEEL FREE TO LET THOSE PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE TO TO HELP. AND WE WANT TO KEEP TRACK OF OUR, OUR HOMEBOUND PEOPLE BECAUSE WE DO THAT. DO WE HAVE A METHOD FOR THAT ASIDE FROM HOW WE TRACK THEM, YOU MEAN? YEAH, YEAH. SO WE HAVE OUR REGISTER READY. IT'S A IT'S A STATE REGISTRY FOR MEDICALLY VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS IN TOWN. IF THEY MEET THE CRITERIA FOR IT. AND THEN WE HAVE A SEPARATE LIST FOR PEOPLE THAT THAT ARE HOMEBOUND, BUT THAT MIGHT NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE REGISTER. READY. HOW DOES THAT REGISTER READY LIST GET GENERATED. IT'S IT'S AS WE FIND OUT, IT'S REALLY IT USED TO BE THROUGH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, BUT NOW IT'S PRIMARILY THROUGH OEM. RIGHT NOW THEY'RE GOING THROUGH A SYSTEM CHANGEOVER. BUT DO PEOPLE HAVE TO SELF-REPORT THAT. YEAH. LIKE THEIR PHYSICIAN CALLING. YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE HAVE TO SELF-REPORT REPORT. YEAH. SO CHRIS, THERE, THERE IS AT LEAST A COUPLE TIMES WHERE I ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO DEVON AND, AND WE GOT THEM ON THE LIST. YEAH. THAT WAY DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A VERY EFFICIENT, BUT IT'S NOT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. IT'S NOT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
[00:40:02]
THAT'S THE OTHER THING, YOU KNOW. RIGHT. IT WOULD BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. BUT NO, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE'S LIKE A BIG HURRICANE COMING. YEAH. YOU KNOW, WE WOULD REACH OUT TO THEM TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE PREPARED. THEY HAVE SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, WHO'S KEEPING AN EYE ON THEM IF THEY NEED TO EVACUATE, EITHER PEOPLE ON OXYGEN, DIALYSIS, LIFE SAVING EQUIPMENT, AND IF THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT CANNOT LIVE THROUGH THE STORM AND THEY NEED TO BE EVACUATED, THEN I THINK THERE'S COORDINATION BETWEEN OEM AND EMS TO TRANSPORT THEM TO THE NEAREST HEALTHCARE FACILITY. AND AND THEN THERE'S CHECKPOINTS THROUGHOUT THE EMERGENCY AND EVEN AFTER THE EMERGENCY IN CASE, YOU KNOW, THEY NEED EXTRA SUPPORT OR RESOURCES, OR IF THERE'S AN ACCIDENT AND IT KNOCKS OUT A UTILITY POLE AND THEIR POWER IS OUT IN A CERTAIN RADIUS, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE IDENTIFY ANY PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE REGISTRY THAT MIGHT BE IMPACTED BY THAT INCIDENT AND CHECK IN ON THEM, EVACUATE THEM AND SUPPORT THEM AS NEEDED. SO AGAIN, THESE ARE THE REGISTRY FOLKS ARE THE PEOPLE THAT RELY ON LIFE SAVING EQUIPMENT, WHO MIGHT NOT ALL BE HOMEBOUND. BUT YEAH, WE KEEP WE TRY TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND THEY NEED MORE OUTREACH. SO SO THAT WAS THE FLU. REMINDER JANUARY IS ALSO RADON AWARENESS MONTH. THROUGH OUR GRANTS FROM THE NJDEP. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS RADON TEST KITS AVAILABLE FIRST COME FIRST SERVE. IF YOU HAVEN'T TESTED YOUR HOME FOR RADON, PLEASE COME UP TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND GRAB YOUR RADON TEST KIT. WE HAVE OUR THIRD AGE FRIENDLY LISTENING SESSION SCHEDULED FOR 2027. WE WE ALSO HAVE OUR BEAT THE WINTER BLUES EVENT SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 31ST. THE MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE IS TAKING THE LEAD ON THAT. WE'VE BEEN DOING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF OUTREACH. SIGRID, OUR HEALTH EDUCATOR, HAS BEEN REACHING OUT TO DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS, COORDINATING WITH DIFFERENT VENDORS TO COME OUT AND HOST WORKSHOPS. AND WE WE ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE MONTGOMERY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, AND WE HAVE SOME BUSINESSES THAT ARE INTERESTED IN PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME FUN ACTIVITIES, YOU KNOW, THAT JUST MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD AND OR IS GOOD FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. AND IT'S JUST AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS TO COME OUT, MEET THEIR NEIGHBORS AND, YOU KNOW, JUST TAKE CARE OF THEIR MENTAL HEALTH SO THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE HERE ON JANUARY 31ST. SO, YOU KNOW, PLEASE STOP BY IF YOU CAN. AND. KRISTEN, OUR SENIOR REGISTERED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, HAS BEEN WORKING ON HER MASTER'S PRACTICUM. SO ONE OF THE NEEDS IDENTIFIED WAS FOR A TRANSPORTATION. WELL, WE WE WERE HEARING FROM DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WAS HEARING FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM DIFFERENT FOLKS ON. SOME PEOPLE WANT THE TOWNSHIP TO PROVIDE SERVICE TO NEW YORK CITY. OTHER BUSINESSES WANT, YOU KNOW, SOME TYPE OF SERVICE TO GET THEIR EMPLOYEES TO AND FROM WORK. YOU HAVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT WANT TO BE ABLE TO EASILY GET TO WORK FROM SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY IF THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION. AND SO TRANSPORTATION HAS KIND OF BEEN LIKE POPPING UP, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER THE PLACE. BUT WE DON'T REALLY HAVE LOCAL DATA TO SHARE. AND WE ALSO ARE A TRANSPORTATION DESERT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT COVERED BY ANY OF THE FEDERAL GRANTS THAT FUND COALITIONS THAT PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. SO WE ONLY HAVE THAT ONE BUS BECAUSE OF THE LOOP THAT GOES TO PRINCETON. SO THE ONLY REASON IT EVEN COMES TO MONTGOMERY IS BECAUSE OF THE JUGHANDLE. SO THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE SO SO THERE'S THERE'S A NEED TO COLLECT LOCAL DATA BECAUSE ANY TRANSPORTATION SERVICE THAT WE REACH OUT TO, THEY WANT TO KNOW. THEY WANT TO KNOW STATISTICS, THEY WANT TO KNOW RIDERSHIP NUMBERS. WE DON'T HAVE THAT. AND SO THIS IS THE FIRST STEP. AND JUST COLLECTING THE DATA TO JUST KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. AND AS OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT FOLKS WILL SAY, WE JUST NEED TO KNOW WHO NEEDS TO GET WHERE IN OUR TOWN. SO THIS IS THIS IS A SURVEY THAT WE WORKED ON. WE RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM NJ TRANSIT ON IT. AND SO THIS IS OUR FIRST EFFORT TO TRY TO COLLECT SOME DATA. SO YOU WILL BE SEEING MORE INFORMATION AND POSTS ABOUT THIS TRANSPORTATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT.AND THE SURVEY WHICH YOU KNOW WE UNVEILED A FEW DAYS AGO. BUT I'M SORRY, I'M STUCK. I'M STUCK ON THE JUGHANDLE. I WAS LIKE, ARE WE SERIOUS? OKAY TO MOVE FORWARD? I'M SORRY. YEAH I DO.
THERE'S EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE SOMETHING STRIKES ME AND I'M LIKE, OH MY GOSH. WELL, I'M GLAD WE'RE DOING A TRANSPORTATION STUDY, THANK GOODNESS. AND I THINK WHAT I SAW WHEN WHAT EMILY, YOU PRESENTED, THERE WERE SOME THERE WAS SOME NEED FROM A NEEDS ASSESSMENT PERSPECTIVE. TRANSPORTATION WAS BEING HIGHLIGHTED AS WELL. OKAY. YEAH.
[00:45:01]
YEAH. WE ASSESSED A LITTLE BIT OF THAT ABOUT THIS YEAR. BUT WE ALSO WANT TO KNOW FOR EVERYBODY.OH ABSOLUTELY. AND AND THEN THE OTHER THING WE ALSO SOME OF US, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T REALIZE WAS WE HAVE A FRIDAY SHOPPING SHUTTLE FOR SENIORS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. AND SO WE WE RECOGNIZE, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE DATA THAT WE'RE COLLECTING THROUGH AGE FRIENDLY NEEDS ASSESSMENT, IS THAT WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB IN PROMOTING WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. AND SOME OF US, EVEN IN TOWN, DON'T KNOW OF THESE SERVICES. SO YOU WILL BE SEEING SOME INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, PUBLICIZING THE FRIDAY SHUTTLE. AND WHAT DOES CURBSIDE PICKUP MEAN? DO THEY COME TO YOUR HOUSE, PICK YOU UP AT YOUR HOUSE? YEAH. OH THAT'S COOL. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. JOE HAS A QUESTION I CAN TELL. YEAH, I ACTUALLY GOT TWO QUESTIONS. NO, YOU HAVE A CAR, A CAR.
THEY'RE NOT PICKING YOU UP. NO, NO, ACTUALLY. SO I GUESS THIS ONE WOULD BE MORE FOR EMILY. SO REGARDING THIS AGE STUFF AND WITH THE THE NEXT SIT IN, HAVE YOU BY CHANCE TALKED TO LOU VACCARO AT ALL FROM THE SENIOR CENTER? YES. OKAY. YEAH I DID A REALLY GOOD YEAH. HE WAS ONE OF THE KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS THAT I DID. AND THEN I'VE ALSO GONE TO TWO DIFFERENT MEETINGS OF HIS GROUP TO TALK TO THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP. OKAY. BECAUSE HE'S GOT A GOOD PULSE ON THE, THE THE SENIOR COMMUNITY. YEAH. SECOND QUESTION YOU MENTIONED I'M SORRY, I'M JUMPING BACK TO THE THE FIFA WORLD CUP. I DID A QUICK SEARCH JUST BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS CURIOUS. IT LOOKS LIKE FEMA IS OFFERING A A BUNCH OF GRANTS TO PROMOTE SAFETY TO FOR THE FIFA WORLD CUP THIS YEAR. IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT MAYBE WE CAN APPLY FOR. IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A $625 MILLION AVAILABLE. COULD WE GET THAT? CAN YOU CAN YOU SEND ME THAT INFORMATION? YEAH, OF COURSE FIFA DOESN'T PAY ANYTHING, THOUGH. FASCINATING NOT TO PUBLIC HEALTH. ARE YOU DONE WITH YOUR RABIES CLINIC? LAST, LAST UPDATE. WE HAVE FREE RABIES CLINIC COMING UP. JANUARY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 24TH, FROM 9 A.M. TO NOON AT THE KAUFFMAN COMMUNITY CENTER. AND WE WILL HAVE A WE WILL HAVE A VET. THERE WILL BE A VET. THERE WILL BE A VET. GUARANTEED. ARE YOU? SO IF YOU HAVE PETS, MAKE SURE THEY'RE THEY'RE LICENSED.
AND IF THEY AREN'T AND THEY NEED TO BE VACCINATED, PLEASE COME OUT TO OUR RABIES CLINIC ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 24TH. AND THERE'S A SECOND ONE. AND THERE'S A SECOND ONE IN FEBRUARY, FEBRUARY 21ST, NINE TO NOON AT OTTO KAUFFMAN IS THE FIRST TIME YOU SPEAK TO KAUFFMAN? NO, SIR. SECOND, LAST YEAR WE DID ONE OF THE DAYS IN THE DAYS LAST YEAR. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OKAY, SO NOW WE'RE AT THE FUN NEW BUSINESS SECTION. SO WE HAVE I HAVE THREE. LEFT A
[ VII. NEW BUSINESS]
FEW THINGS. SO WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO IS WE GO THROUGH REPRESENTATION FROM AS FROM FOLKS ON THE BOARD THAT ARE EITHER ADVISORS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, DOCTOR MANDELBAUM, IT'S OKAY.YOU KNOW, I CAN TALK RIGHT THROUGH IT. DOCTOR MANDELBAUM IS OUR ADVISOR FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. SO I ASK HIM IF THERE'S ANYTHING HE NEEDS TO BRING FORWARD. AND THEN WE GO.
AND WE ALSO DO IT FOR THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE WITH OUR LIAISON, PAT TODD. AND WE ALSO DO IT FROM THE EMS. SO SINCE YOU ARE HERE, DOCTOR FRIDAY, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU NEED TO BRING FORWARD ABOUT NEW BUSINESS OTHER THAN RECRUITING? NO USUAL PITCH. WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MEMBERS, BUT OTHERWISE START IT OFF IN NEW YEAR WHERE I HAVE NEW, NEW LEADERSHIP. MOST OF THE PEOPLE STAYED THE SAME. WELL, LIKE WE WE DID OUR IT'S LIKE OFFICER, WE DID OUR OFFICER. YOU KNOW. YEAH, WE DID OUR INITIATIONS TOO. YEAH. BUT NO NOTHING. AND WE DO WANT TO THANK THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE DID A FUNDING DRIVE RECENTLY AND WE I DON'T REMEMBER I THOUGHT I BROUGHT THAT UP AT THE LAST ONE. OH DID YOU. IT'S ALRIGHT. WELL WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY FOR THE, THE FUNDING BECAUSE WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS WITH THE MAILER THAT WENT OUT. YEAH. NOT LIKE FROM THE TOWNSHIP. NO, NO, NO, NOT FROM THE TOWNSHIP. FROM THE. YES, FROM THE MAILER. FROM THE MAILERS. OH YEAH. YEAH, YEAH.
SO WE ARE SINCE THEH. OH, OKAY. YEAH. WE ARE 100%. YES. VOLUNTEER, 100% DONATION FUNDED.
WELL, NOT 100%. MOSTLY DONATION FUNDED ORGANIZATION. SO WE ALWAYS LIKE TO REMIND THE TOWNSHIP OF THAT. AND WE HAVE A NEW RIG THAT THAT THE WONDERFUL DONATIONS ACTUALLY HELPED FINANCE. SO ANYTHING ELSE? NOTHING ELSE. NO. OKAY. SO DO YOU. YEAH. NEW BUSINESS. I
[00:50:10]
GUESS IT COULD BE NEW BUSINESS. WHICH ONE? THE PROCESS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PEOPLE. YES. OKAY.GO AHEAD. SO FOR NEW BUSINESS I JUST WANTED TO REQUEST THAT WE COME UP WITH A PROCESS FOR TRIAGING REQUESTS FROM THE PUBLIC OR OUTSIDE ENTITIES TO COME AND PRESENT TO THE BOARD OF HEALTH. YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SOME PAST PRESENTATIONS WHERE I THINK WE JUST. WE JUST NEED TO GO THROUGH A BETTER VETTING PROCESS. AND SO FOR FOR NOW, FOR NOW, WHAT I'LL DO IS I, I AM THE I'M HAPPY TO BE THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR, FOR THESE REQUESTS, BUT I WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE I TOUCH BASE WITH BOARD OF HEALTH CARING AND, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GET, YOU KNOW, YOUR FEEDBACK AND YOUR THOUGHTS BEFORE WE BRING AND SCHEDULE THEM TO BE ON THE AGENDA FOR THE BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING, BECAUSE WE DO GET REQUESTS. YEAH, WE DO GET REQUESTS. SO I JUST WANTED TO ALSO REMIND THE THE FOR THE RECORD, THE TOWNSHIP THAT THIS IS A BUSINESS MEETING. WE ARE HERE DOING BUSINESS. IT IT SEEMS LIKE WE MAKE IT FUN. WE ARE JOVIAL BUT IT IS A BUSINESS MEETING. AND SO OUR OUR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA ARE RELATED TO THE BUSINESS OF RUNNING PUBLIC HEALTH. SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM WHICH IS OUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH PLANNER. WE ALSO OFFER THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL CREW TO COME FORWARD AND BRING ANYTHING THAT THEY ARE HEARING FROM, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY ARE GOING TO SCHOOL OR ANYTHING THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO LEAD. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THAT SORT OF THING. AND WE OFFER ALWAYS EVERY MEETING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. BUT PUBLIC COMMENT IS THREE MINUTES. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY COME TO ADDRESS AND WE'VE HAD THAT AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY RELATED TO CONCERNS PEOPLE HAVE IN THE TOWNSHIP RELATED TO SOMETHING, AN ORDINANCE WE PASSED OR A RESOLUTION WE PASSED, OR A WAY WE ARE HANDLING A CERTAIN PUBLIC HEALTH. ISSUE. SO WHAT WE WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS HAVE SITUATIONS WHERE PEOPLE COME AND JUST PRESENT THINGS WHERE WE AREN'T SURE WHAT THE OBJECTIVE IS OR HOW WE CAN HELP OR THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE HAVE TRIED TO CREATE A SYSTEM. WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS CREATE A SYSTEM SO WE CAN DOCUMENT IT FOR THE RECORD. SO IF PEOPLE DO WANT TO COME BE PART OF THE BUSINESS MEETING, HAVE SOMETHING WE CAN REALLY SEE IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT AT THE MEETING, OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD JUST BE PUBLIC COMMENT AND JUST COME THROUGH, COME THROUGH THAT WAY? THIS IS A SUGGESTION.
THERE IS LIKE PUTTING SOME KIND OF A QUESTIONNAIRE WITH SOME STANDARD QUESTIONS. WHEN YOU GET A REQUEST, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, FILL THIS OUT SO WE CAN SAY, OKAY, WHAT'S YOUR PURPOSE OF IT? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO GET FROM THE BOARD OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. RIGHT. THAT'S A GREAT ASK THEM. YEAH. AND THEN WE CAN DISCUSS IT TOO. AT THE BOARD. WE CAN DISCUSS IT. AND THEN IT'S WORTH BRINGING TO THE BOARD. OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED OUTSIDE THE BOARD. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. YEAH. AND ACTUALLY THAT INFORMATION WILL HELP TO TRIAGE THAT FROM THE. YES, YES I THINK WE CAN HAVE LIKE YOU KNOW MONTHLY. IF THERE'S IF WE HAVE REQUESTS WE CAN LOOK AT THEM MONTHLY AND THEN WE CAN SCHEDULE THEM OUT FOR WHEN WE'RE HAVING A MEETING OR IF IT'S A, FOR EXAMPLE, IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S MORE CONNECTED TO OUR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT. AND HAVING THEM COME TALK TO US ABOUT SOMETHING AT ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS MIGHT BE A BETTER MEETING. YEAH, I LIKE THAT. GREAT. THANK YOU. GOOD IDEA. VERY GOOD PLAN. THE OTHER NEW ITEM IS THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT SUBCOMMITTEE. SO WE DO NEED FOR UP TO FOUR PREFERABLY VOLUNTEERS TO JOIN THE THE. WHY ARE YOU LOOKING TO JOIN THE SUBCOMMITTEE. SO CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN WHAT IT'S DOING A LITTLE I'LL LET I'LL LET YOU DO THAT. YEAH. YEAH. SO THE SUBCOMMITTEE WILL HELP THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT PRIORITIZE.
ALL BASED ON ALL THE DIFFERENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THAT WE BRING TO YOU TO INCLUDE IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN. THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE WILL HELP US PRIORITIZE WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO FOCUS ON FOR THIS YEAR, AND WHAT ARE WE DOING TO TRACK IT AND REPORT BACK ON IT? THERE MIGHT BE SOME THAT ARE MORE TIME INTENSIVE AND MIGHT TAKE A LONGER TIME TO ACHIEVE. OTHERS MIGHT BE MORE SHORT TERM AND IMMEDIATE. SO, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE EXAMPLES THAT HAVE COME UP BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BOARD, DIGITIZING INSPECTIONS, DIGITIZING OUR WORKFLOWS, BOARD OF HEALTH REPORTING. YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE IMPROVE ON AND MAKE THE REPORTS THAT YOU ARE GETTING BEFORE EVERY MEETING RELEVANT AND MORE INFORMATIVE?
[00:55:04]
SO YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THAT MONTH OR TWO MONTHS? WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD USE YOUR GUIDANCE AND FEEDBACK ON AND THOSE SPECIFIC PROJECTS. YOU KNOW, I CAN I CAN TALK ABOUT IF ONCE WE IDENTIFY PEOPLE AND I CAN'T EVEN SEND A A FOLLOW UP EMAIL WITH JUST SOME, LIKE, THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK SHOULD BE ON THERE BASED ON WHAT SOME OF YOU HAVE SAID IN MEETINGS. SO IT'S WE'RE GOING DEEPER AND MAKING SURE WE'RE FOLLOWING THROUGH ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP AT THE BOARD MEETINGS. SO WOULD IT BE LIKE THINGS LIKE THE HEALTH SERVICES THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, LIKE THE SOCIAL SERVICES, HOW WE MITIGATE OR PUSH THAT AROUND? I KNOW EMS WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THAT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, LIKE WHAT IS THE CHAIN OF COMMAND STRUCTURE? HOW SHOULD THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HANDLE SOME OF THESE REQUESTS COMING IN? ESPECIALLY WE ALL KNOW THAT THESE ARE THE NUMBER OF THESE TYPES OF REQUESTS FOR SOCIAL SERVICES IS GOING UP. AND THEY'RE ONLY GOING TO GO UP EVEN MORE WITH THE AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING COMING IN WHERE SENIORS ARE BEING THEY MIGHT BE MOVING IN END OF AUGUST. SO BY THE END OF AUGUST AND, YOU KNOW, OUR OUR SYSTEM AND INFRASTRUCTURE HAS NOT CHANGED. BUT THE NEEDS ARE GROWING. SO THAT'S WHERE WE'LL NEED YOUR HELP ON THIS COMMUNITY COMING RIGHT. RIGHT HERE, RIGHT HERE. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, THE BUILDING RIGHT RIGHT HERE. AND I KEEP POINTING HERE, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY RIGHT OVER THERE.RIGHT THERE. YEAH. HOW MANY UNITS IS IN THAT BUILDING? IT'S 70 SOMETHING. 76. 76. ALL RIGHT.
I WILL REPORT THAT TO THE EMS FOR NOW. I THINK THIS IS THE ONLY ONE. OKAY. I'M SORRY. SAY THAT AGAIN. THE OTHER SUBCOMMITTEES. OH, THIS IS THE ONLY ONE OKAY. AT THE MOMENT.
OKAY. THAT'S GOOD INITIATIVE. SO WE YOU DON'T HAVE TO VOLUNTEER TO. BUT I WOULD BUY THE NEXT MEETING. BY THE NEXT MEETING WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO THAT COMMITTEE WILL BE. SO JUST FOLLOW UP WITH THE. AND THEN AGAIN IT'S THE DATES THAT HAVE THE ASTERISK WHEN WE WILL MEET. OKAY. WHAT ELSE. OKAY I HAVE THIS WRITTEN DOWN. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT CAME. THE VACCINE SCHEDULE. OH THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO NAME. THANK YOU. SO I WANTED TO NAME TWO FOR OUR NEW MEMBERS THAT JUST BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN A LOT IN THE NEWS ABOUT VACCINE SCHEDULES RECENTLY, WE LAST YEAR BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SOME CONFUSION AND SOME. TROUBLING NARRATIVES ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINATION, ESPECIALLY FOR PEDIATRIC POPULATIONS. WE PASSED A RESOLUTION LAST YEAR STATING AS AN EVIDENCE BASED BOARD OF HEALTH, WHAT WE ARE GOING TO HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO AND WHAT AGENCIES AND WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS WE WOULD HOLD AS A DRIVER FOR WHAT WE DECIDE TO DO FOR VACCINATION. SO WE NAMED THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, THE AMERICAN WHO I CAN'T REMEMBER, MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. IMA AMA SORRY, AMA, THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE. ANGELA.
ANGELA. THANK YOU. SO TO JUST NAME, BECAUSE WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO SAY WHEN THE TOWNSHIP SAYS, WELL, WHY ARE YOU DOING THESE VACCINES? WE CAN SAY WE ARE FOLLOWING THE GUIDANCE GIVEN AND EVIDENCE GIVEN BY THESE PROFESSIONALS. I JUST WANTED TO NAME THAT. SO YOU GUYS WERE AWARE, GIVEN THE NARRATIVES THAT ARE GOING FORWARD AT THE TIME? I THINK THAT'S IT THOUGH. SO THAT WAS REALLY OLD BUSINESS. IS THERE IS THERE ANY SIMILAR CONSIDERATION AROUND THE FOOD GUIDELINES? YEAH. OH SO GOD SO WE DON'T ACTUALLY I DID HAVE SOMETHING BUT SO WE DON'T HAVE A RESOLUTION FOR THAT YET. BUT OUR HEALTH EDUCATOR, HEALTH EDUCATOR SIGRID SOLIS, SHE IS GOING TO BE PRESENTING WHAT'S NEW FOR HEART HEALTH, AND SHE'S GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT SATURATED FATS AND THE NEW 20 25, 20, 2030 DIETARY GUIDELINES.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE ALLUDING TO, CHRISTINE, BUT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THIS. THAT'S ALL THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S HOW FAR WE'VE GOTTEN WITH IT. BUT IF IF YOU, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFY A NEED FOR, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME TYPE OF RESOLUTION OR ADVOCACY IN THAT FRONT, YOU CAN YOU CAN DEFINITELY BRING IT UP TO THE BOARD. AND THEN WE CAN GET IT TO THE LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH ASSOCIATION TO ADVOCATE ON OUR BEHALF. IF THERE'S ANY ACTIONS THAT WE NEED THAT YOU THINK WE NEED TO TAKE. BUT SHE BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT. WE COULD DO A RESOLUTION. YEAH. FOR GUIDANCE. WE WOULD JUST NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE GUIDELINE WOULD BE. THAT'S RIGHT. I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A CLEAR CONSENSUS ABOUT THAT JUST YET. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S THE THING I THINK THAT MAKES THAT ONE TROUBLING IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE
[01:00:05]
ALTERNATIVE TO JUST RECENTLY PUBLISHED THAT. HOW ABOUT AMERICAN HEART? WE COULD FOLLOW AMERICAN HEART. IS THERE ANY GUIDELINES, WHO GUIDELINES OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE WE PROBABLY WOULD BE LESS LIKELY TO DO WORLD HEALTH, BUT WE WOULD. BUT I'M SURE THERE'S LIKE AMA THERE'S OTHERS WE CAN LOOK INTO. I'D HAVE SOMETHING AS WELL. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH I'M SURE AND AND YEAH, I THINK IT'S WORTH LOOKING INTO NOT CONVERGING ON IT. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF LIKE WORKING GROUPS HAPPENING ON THIS NOW AND YEAH. I CAN DEFINITELY I CAN DEFINITELY TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT I'VE UNCOVERED SO FAR. BUT IF YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING INTO IT TOO. BUT I THINK WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I CAN REACH OUT TO OUR, OUR PARTNERS IN THE FOOD SPACE OR THE RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION EDUCATORS. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. WE CAN EVEN INVITE THEM TO OUR BOARD MEETING AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE THEM GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. OKAY. DO YOU THINK THEY'D BE ABLE TO COME? I CAN REACH OUT AND ASK. THAT'D BE TERRIFIC. GOOD IDEA. WOULD LIKE HOW DOES THAT CONNECT TO THE FOOD PANTRY, TOO? I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CONNECTING TO LIKE, THE FOOD INSECURITY STRATEGIES LIKE I DON'T. SO THAT'S UNDER THE. YEAH. SO THAT WOULD BE UNDER PARKS AND REC AND THE FOOD. THE SOMERSET COUNTY. THE SOMERSET COUNTY. THANK YOU. THE SOMERSET FOOD BANK NETWORK OF IF WE WERE TO LET THEM KNOW IF THEY WERE GOING TO COME AND TALK ON THIS.I GUESS THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING. OH, YEAH. WE COULD TOTALLY DO THAT. YEAH FOR SURE.
YEAH. AND THEY DO. I WILL RECOGNIZE THAT WHEN THEY ASK FOR FOOD ITEMS, THEY ARE ASKING FOR NUTRITIOUS ITEMS. BUT YEAH, THIS IS THE WHOLE QUESTION NOW, RIGHT? YEAH. BECAUSE THE WHOLE DEFINITION OF NUTRITIOUS HAS JUST CHANGED. YEAH. WELL THEY'RE USING THE FORMER GUIDELINES AROUND WHAT'S HIGH DENSITY NUTRITION. BUT YES. YES. SO WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU SAID? CHRISTINE? DO WE ALSO INVITE MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS ARE HERE OKAY. YEAH. AND THE RECORD WHEN THE RECORD PEOPLE COME OKAY. THAT'S KIND OF COMING UP WITH THE PLAN, JUST AS WE HAVE IT FOR THE VACCINES, IS THERE? YEAH. AN ALTERNATIVE. YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. ANY OTHER.
THAT WAS ALL MY NEW BUSINESS. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY NEW BUSINESS? YEAH. ONLY OTHER I DON'T. AND AGAIN I DON'T KNOW IF I'M WHERE THIS GOES BUT HOW HAVE YOU BEEN TRACKING THE NURTURE NEW JERSEY AND ALL THE LIKE THE TAMMY MURPHY LIKE ARE THERE NEW IS THERE NEW FUNDING COMING OUT OF ALL OF THAT THAT WE THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN REFERRING PEOPLE AS WE YOU KNOW, AS THEY AS WE COME ACROSS THEM AND THEY IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY NEED SOME RESOURCES AND SERVICES. BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN GETTING DATA BACK FROM, FROM CENTRAL JERSEY MATERNAL HEALTH OR CENTRAL JERSEY FAMILY HEALTH CONSORTIUM. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE IN OUR AREA LEADING THE NURTURE NEW JERSEY INITIATIVE. AND I KNOW THAT THEY'VE THEY'VE SEEN SOME FUNDING CUTS. I THINK THEY HAD TO LET GO OF MANY OF THEIR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. SO CENTRAL JERSEY MATERNAL OFFERS. YEAH. BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THIS LIKE WHAT GOVERNOR MURPHY JUST SIGNED WAS TRYING TO GET MORE, WAS BRINGING MORE FUNDING. I DIDN'T I HAVE NOT HEARD YET, BUT IF THAT'S THE LATEST THAT. YEAH, I MEAN, IT MAY BE IT MAY BE THE REASON I'M SHAKING MY HEAD IS LIKE WE THERE'S NOTHING TRICKLING DOWN TO US YET FROM THE I MEAN, THIS IS LIKE, THIS WAS JUST LIKE LAST WEEK WAS YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. BUT IT'S ALSO AN IT WAS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER. IS THAT WHAT I REMEMBER ABOUT IT? NO, THAT'S WHY I WAS WONDERING IF WE'RE WHERE WE REACH WITH THE NEW ADMINISTRATION COMING IN ALSO, NOTHING COULD POTENTIALLY HAPPEN. SO I WILL HAVE TO WAIT. I CAN FIND OUT FROM THE CENTRAL JERSEY FAMILY HEALTH FOLKS. I USUALLY FIND OUT WHEN THERE'S CUTS. PEOPLE NOT QUICK. THEY'RE NOT QUICK TO SHARE GOOD NEWS. PEOPLE DON'T SHARE WHEN THERE'S FUNDS AVAILABLE. THEY TELL YOU WHEN THINGS ARE BEING CURIOUS ABOUT WAS IF THERE WAS IT MADE IT SEEM LIKE THERE WAS FUN.
OKAY. LOOKED IT UP. THE GUIDELINES WERE PUBLISHED TODAY, ACTUALLY. OH WERE THEY. YEAH.
25. WHAT DID THEY SAY THERE? BUT THIS IS JAMA. THIS IS AMA. YEAH YEAH YEAH 100. YEAH. THIS THIS ONE. I CAN'T READ THIS RIGHT NOW, BUT THANK YOU. COULD YOU SEND THAT TO ME? THANK YOU.
NEW JERSEY. I HAVE ACCESS TO JAMA, SO I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE, LIKE. STUFF THAT WE'VE SENDING OUT STRATEGIC INITIATIVES. AND THIS WAS ONE OF THEM. SO. OKAY. OKAY. LAST ITEM. NO, I MEAN ANY ANY MORE NEW BUSINESS. NO. OKAY. OKAY. SO HAVING NO FURTHER BUSINESS
[01:05:12]
TO DISCUSS THE MEETING WILL NOW ADJOURN AT 845. THIS IS LIKE ONE OF THE LONGER MEETINGS WE'VE EVER HAD. 8:45 P.M. CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? THANK YOU. SOMEBODY, PLEASE. SECOND.SECOND. OKAY. JAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.