Chicago Board of Health
Chicago Board of Health met Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The Chicago Board of Health formulates health policies and advises the Mayor and the Public Health Commissioner on all health issues. The Board promulgates all health regulations, including emergency regulations.
Chicago Board of Health
Meeting Summary: February 15, 2017
DePaul Center, 333 South State Street
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:03 a.m.
Approval of Minutes: January 2017 and December 2016 minutes were approved.
Commissioner’s Update: As we are very much aware, we inaugurated a new President since our last meeting. Commissioner Morita provided some updates on CDPH’s work as a result of the new administration.
New Administration
• CDPH continues to work to ensure the positive impacts we have seen as a result of the Affordable Care Act are not repealed. This has included sharing information with our Congressional Delegation and working with partners to ensure more people are aware of all the ways we have been impacted – not just in getting more people insurance, but in providing us with direct funds that have helped our immunization, lead and food protection programs.
• Sheri Cohen from our team will present today on the ACA more in depth, but as a preview, I wanted to share an article on the effects of the ACA for our department that was featured in the Tribune last week.
• As you have probably seen in the media, Mayor Emanuel has reiterated the important of immigrants and refugees to Chicago and has pledged to uphold Chicago’s status as a Sanctuary City. Our staff has been instructed to reiterate this commitment to our clients and we have created new signage in multiple languages, including Arabic and Urdu that will be at all our clinic sites in the coming week reminding residents that “All Are Welcome.”
• Though the President has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding to cities that welcome all immigrants, we have received no word regarding this threat and given the various legal questions involved, we will continue to operate under the assumption that all federal contracts will continue to be met. That said, we are watching this situation closely, as we are watching other emerging situations, and will provide any updates if and when they occur.
Flu Season It is flu season. We have seen an uptick in cases, which is par for the course this time of year. However, flu season has not been as severe as the most recent past thus far. But there are still several weeks left. The good news is the two most common strains of flu we are seeing this year are included in the vaccine. If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, please do.
Mental Health In January, Commissioner Morita joined the Mental Health Response Steering Committee to launch our first Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for community members. We announced plans to train more than 400 community leaders in Austin, Lawndale and Garfield Park so they are able to better able to respond to a mental health crisis, access the city’s mental health services and request a CIT first responder. This is part of our comprehensive effort to strengthen the city’s overall behavioral health response system and follows training already provided to Aldermanic offices and all OEMC dispatchers.
Public Works Commissioner Morita reported they are seeing more public works projects and programs across our sister agencies that will positively impact public health. Specifically, the city recently announced modernization for the Garfield Green line and Garfield Gateway project, as well as the modernization of the Red and Purple lines, following the improvements already made to the Southside branch of the Red line. Additionally, there is a new pilot program to develop vacant homes in neighborhoods in need and the expansion of youth mentoring programs that the Mayor announced last month – all of which directly align directly with the goals of Healthy Chicago 2.0.
CDPH Recognition
• For the second year in a row, Chicago has been named one of the nation’s top 25 innovators by Harvard University. This year we were honored for the predictive analytics model developed by DoIT and used by our food protection team to identify restaurants most likely to have critical health code violations. The model has allowed us to prioritize those inspections, identifying problems faster and helping owners comply with the code more quickly.
• This morning, CityHealth, a project of the de Beaumont Foundation, will announce that Chicago is a gold-level city – the highest rating. This was determined based on an assessment of city policies and efforts around nine evidence-based topic areas that boost people’s well-being, including the social determinants of health.
Additional updates reported:
• Chicago was ranked the most bike-friendly city in the United States according to the Bicycling magazine.
• Healthy Chicago 2.0 is serving as template to other health organizations and agencies.
• Violence is a priority in Healthy Chicago 2.0 and CDPH’s violence prevention program is working with varies departments and agencies.
• Marilta White, Director of Violence Prevention will be asked to attend an up-coming meeting to provide information and status on the violence programs and activities currently being worked on.
Comments by the Board President: Dr. Lopez welcomed the students and provided an overview of the board’s history and explained the board’s advisory role in matters of infectious disease and health issues affecting public health.
Presentation: Potential Impacts of ACA Repeal Sheri Cohen, Senior Healthy Planning Analyst
Policy Update: None
New Business: The Chicago Board of Health passed a resolution in support of immigrant rights, calling on all medical and healthcare providers in Chicago to adopt policies and procedures to actively protect immigrants. The resolution also reiterates Mayor Rahm Emanuel's recent commitment that Chicago is and will remain a Welcoming City for all of its residents.
Old Business: None
Public Comment: None
Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
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