Health Bd Meets
May 4 2020
Local Health
Departments are little thought of during normal times. They're
there drawing salaries but few know what they do. Several
years ago, then Medical Director Dr Jim Boggs once commented,
" I don't see much medicine going on here!"
Clayberry's Board of Health convened their quarterly meeting May 4th at 4pm in the NH Dyer building on Main Street in downtown Clay. Keeping in mind that they are the keeper of public health in this county... there was not one face mask in the delegation. No one wore a face mask. Zip! As for social distancing, that was also scant.
During their 65 minute meeting.....
Time for more regs readers. The Board passed a recommendation on indoor vaping. The notion was based on existing laws in Kanawha and Cabell Counties. The tougher law includes penalties for non compliance. Boardster Ted Underwood questioned whether the school system would adhere to the new law when passed.
The next step is to allow public input (30 day period) on Big Brother overshadowing your everyday life. Want to tell em what you think? Send your protest letter to the Clay Health Dept, Att: Angela Brown, PO Box 36, Clay WV 25043.
By the way, health departments have real power. They can issue fines for those that don't follow the law they implement. For instance. The State has issued a bunch of orders recently. Stuff like plastic barriers and social distancing outside the home front. According to Medical Director Leela Patel, violators can be fined.
Clayberry's Board of Health convened their quarterly meeting May 4th at 4pm in the NH Dyer building on Main Street in downtown Clay. Keeping in mind that they are the keeper of public health in this county... there was not one face mask in the delegation. No one wore a face mask. Zip! As for social distancing, that was also scant.
During their 65 minute meeting.....
Time for more regs readers. The Board passed a recommendation on indoor vaping. The notion was based on existing laws in Kanawha and Cabell Counties. The tougher law includes penalties for non compliance. Boardster Ted Underwood questioned whether the school system would adhere to the new law when passed.
The next step is to allow public input (30 day period) on Big Brother overshadowing your everyday life. Want to tell em what you think? Send your protest letter to the Clay Health Dept, Att: Angela Brown, PO Box 36, Clay WV 25043.
By the way, health departments have real power. They can issue fines for those that don't follow the law they implement. For instance. The State has issued a bunch of orders recently. Stuff like plastic barriers and social distancing outside the home front. According to Medical Director Leela Patel, violators can be fined.
Let's talk
$$$$. Clayberry's Health Dept received $29,000 to cover corona
expenses. As for getting any of the $100,000, ain't happened
yet. Even if those funds arrive, it isn't enough to cover the
expenses during this pandemic. One mentioned expense was, the
Health Dept helped with testing area nursing home residents
and employees. The agency received a $10K grant from the
Greater Kanawha Foundation.
Director Brown told her Board, face masks have been distributed to area retailers.
Director Brown told her Board, face masks have been distributed to area retailers.
Testing supplies are
almost non existent. Example: State leaders are considering
drive thru testing at each county's health department.
Currently, Clay Health only receives 5 testing kits at a time
and those take several days to arrive. So, you have a long
line of vehicles waiting for testing and only 5 test kits
available, you can see the issue with drive by testing.
Here's
something interesting. Frank Murphy owns a large lot in
downtown Clay which is located right beside the NH Dyer
building. The Health Dept thru a $500,000 grant is considering
a small playground / park on that nearly empty lot.
According to the Director, the lot is available for purchase
for between $150 and $200 K. 900 year old Murphy sounds like
he's interested in selling that holding.
Don't got all excited readers. The grant application is not due til NEXT May 1st.
There is a hitch to getting the grant. Fed guidelines require a Federal property value appraisal for the land. The grant would only cover what the audit decides on the value. Here's the hitch in your getty up. That Fed appraisal has to be paid for ahead of time and not from grant funds.
See the problem? Coughing up tax dollars to appraise a chunk of land you may not get funding to purchase.
Discussion will continue during the group's August meeting.
Don't got all excited readers. The grant application is not due til NEXT May 1st.
There is a hitch to getting the grant. Fed guidelines require a Federal property value appraisal for the land. The grant would only cover what the audit decides on the value. Here's the hitch in your getty up. That Fed appraisal has to be paid for ahead of time and not from grant funds.
See the problem? Coughing up tax dollars to appraise a chunk of land you may not get funding to purchase.
Discussion will continue during the group's August meeting.
Director Angela Brown
As for the nasty Corona
bug....
When (if) school's reopen this August, Director Brown has big concerns over keeping cafeterias virus free. Other discussions included the lack of personal protection equipment and what the procedure would be when we receive our first positive results from a Corona test.
And finally for this meeting, the Health Dept receives phone calls from residents with concerns on septic tanks in the county, in a neighbor's yard, and from driving down some back road. There's a problem with snitches making the calls. Many of em don't provide street addresses nor do they know the owner's name. Additionally, with most snitches, they don't want to provide their name / telephone number for call back purposes.
Under those circumstances, the Clayberry Health Dept cannot respond to the complaints.
That's it for this round of info on the local Health Bd.
AW
When (if) school's reopen this August, Director Brown has big concerns over keeping cafeterias virus free. Other discussions included the lack of personal protection equipment and what the procedure would be when we receive our first positive results from a Corona test.
And finally for this meeting, the Health Dept receives phone calls from residents with concerns on septic tanks in the county, in a neighbor's yard, and from driving down some back road. There's a problem with snitches making the calls. Many of em don't provide street addresses nor do they know the owner's name. Additionally, with most snitches, they don't want to provide their name / telephone number for call back purposes.
Under those circumstances, the Clayberry Health Dept cannot respond to the complaints.
That's it for this round of info on the local Health Bd.
AW