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Public Health Study Session (WEB EX) <br />June 24, 2020 <br />10:00am <br />Commissioners Conference Room <br /> <br /> <br />Attendees <br />Commissioners: Brett Wachsmith, Cory Wright, Laura Osiadacz <br />Public Health: Candi Blackford, Tristen Lamb, Katie Odiaga, Mark Larson <br /> <br />Department Staffing update/requests <br />Tristen Lamb introduced Marie Betts, Infection Prevention Specialist and Disease Investigator, who has <br />been with the health department since Mid-May and initially joined Public Health as an intern before <br />leaving to go to grad school to earn her Master’s in Public Health, Biosecurity, Disaster Preparedness <br />and Epidemiology. Ms. Betts has stepped into a challenging position but has adapted well. <br /> <br />Two retirements next year. Rina Rowan, PH Fiscal Analyst and Tim Roth, PH Nurse. Working internally to <br />see what must be done and what can be absorbed. The department is working to come up with <br />solutions to these positions. <br /> <br />Ms. Lamb also noted that PH no longer has a Water Resources Program Coordinator. The department <br />still has a Water Resource Technician, Samantha Cox, who works at the front desk. Ms. Cox will be <br />working with the Public Works Water Resource Program Manger and they are working out the details of <br />a proposed transition in the upcoming months. <br /> <br />Department Business <br />COVID Updates <br />Tristen Lamb reviewed the Kittitas County Community Impact Dashboard and discussed new case <br />numbers to date. The department is working on doing daily contacts to those touched by COVID <br />patients. Ms. Lamb also showed the board on the Washington State Phase and Risk assessment page <br />that was currently not up to date. The board asked questions about Yakima cases being transferred to <br />our local hospital and Ms. Lamb followed up noting that we are watching the situation in Yakima as it <br />impacts our County and gave definition for the key metrics for hospital beds available and how this is <br />being tracked. Laura Osiadacz asked about resources being used to assist Yakima County. Ms. Lamb <br />responded noting that the o resources (i.e. case and contact staff time) being utilized to help Yakima <br />County is when there is a positive patient who touches Kittitas County (such as works in Kittitas County) <br />so that we can make sure that those patients are recovered before they come back to work in Kittitas <br />County. <br />Ms. Lamb noted that CARES funding budget updates to be sent to Commissioners every other Thursday <br />through August and more frequently as needed. Cory Wright thanked Ms. Lamb for her leadership <br />during this difficult time. Mr. Wright knows that it has been very stressful, rough, and lots of good