Health Board Proposes 10% Increase To Budget For 2020
Posted
Amanda Bridgman-
Kosciusko County Health Board met Monday and discussed several updates.
A proposed budget for 2020 was provided and will be formally presented to county council in August. Health Board Administrator Bob Weaver said the proposed budget isn't much different than the current budget, except for a 10% increase that all county departments are recommended to propose for contingencies, but "it won't be that high," he said.
The county's initiative to test pools indoor and outdoor at hotels, apartment complexes and others has been successful, Weaver said.
"We've got a lot of pools that are right up to par," Weaver said.
Same goes for the public beaches, Weaver noted, saying testing results have proven to be on the mark and no closures have been necessary.
An update on the county's cases of Hepatitis A was provided by health board officer Dr. Bill Remington, who told members the number has gone up.
"These numbers are disappointing, and I don't know when it will go away," Remington said.
He said combating the disease requires an active outreach, and the board has been working with the county jail to try to get inmates vaccinated, and through the county's work release program. Remington said working with the homeless shelters is a good avenue to help, too.
When it came to the county's deaths due to opiate overdose, Remington said that number has gone down.
While he said it's been hard to track the number of doses of Narcan that are given, "fortunately things are not escalating."
He also said the number of meth lab calls has decreased, which he believes is a reflection of the culture of meth use in the county.
The board decided Remington will draft a letter possibly to send to the county's school districts regarding later start school times. Those schools would be Warsaw, Tippecanoe Valley, Wawasee, Whitko and Triton.
The board voted unanimously to move forward with sending a letter of recommendation, not requirement, to the school boards. Remington said once he drafts the letter, he will email it to members and then an email vote will follow as to what action will be taken.
The next meeting is 6 p.m. Oct. 21, in the old courthouse at 100 W. Center St., on the third floor.
