Kane County Reporter

Kane County Public Health Committee met April 19.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Call To Order

Committee Member Sanchez called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM.

PRESENT Board Member Jarett Sanchez

Board Member Leslie Juby

Board Member Rick Williams

Board Member David Young

Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Vern Tepe

REMOTE Board Member Monica Silva

ABSENT Board Member Cherryl Strathmann

Board Member Bill Tarver

Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog

Also present: Bd. Members Allan*, Berman*, Daugherty*, Gumz*, Kenyon, Kious*, Linder, Molina & Roth; Marc Avelar of Algonquin; Children's Health Def. Co-Founder Dorn*; Animal Control Admin. Youngsteadt; Health Protection Dir. Onwuta; Disease Prevention Dir. Barrett; Exec. Health Dir. Isaacson; Sp. ASA Shepro; Env. Health Asst. Wiegel*; Fin. Health Dir. Snowden; Auditor Wegman; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press & public.

2. Roll Call

3. Approval of Minutes: March 22, 2023

Committee Member Young made a motion to correct a vote taken in last month's Public Health Committee meeting agenda, which was seconded by Member Juby.

RESULT: APPROVED BY ROLL CALL VOTE

MOVER: David Young

SECONDER: Leslie Juby

AYE: Jarett Sanchez, Leslie Juby, Monica Silva, Rick Williams, and David Young

ABSENT: Cherryl Strathmann, and Bill Tarver

4. Finance/Budget

The monthly financial report was attached. No oral report was made.

A. Monthly Finance Reports (attached)

The monthly finance report was attached to the agenda. No oral report was made.

5. Public Comments

County resident Kenneth Loebel shared a personal health story and encouraged more information disclosure on Covid vaccine side effects.

Co-Founder of Children's Health Defense, David Dorn, gave a brief description of the advocacy goals of his foundation. He spoke on the legitimacy of information put forth by other government agencies and invited Committee Members for further conversation outside of the meeting.

Roxanne Shilka from Batavia cited a personal story and spoke against health mandates.

Mike Meyer from Elgin spoke on how vaccine mandates have affected his industry of airline maintenance.

6. Animal Control

A. Animal Control Reports

Animal Control Admin. Youngsteadt stated that the report was attached to the agenda. He highlighted the success of their recent animal vaccination event, which included the administration of 103 rabies shots. He spoke on the proposed amendment of Senate Bill 1230 to help curtail the selling of puppy mill dogs. Discussion ensued.

B. Authorizing Number of Procurement Cards Issued to Kane County Animal Control and Each of Their Transaction Limits

KC Executive Committee

RESULT: MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE

TO: KC Finance and Budget Committee

MOVER: Rick Williams

SECONDER: Monica Silva

AYE: Jarett Sanchez, Leslie Juby, Monica Silva, Rick Williams, and David Young

ABSENT: Cherryl Strathmann, and Bill Tarver

7. Executive Director

A. Current Health Updates

Exec. Health Dir. Isaacson provided a presentation on health updates and upcoming projects. He highlighted the continued decrease in Covid cases that have been reported, which are down to 31 cases per day. He noted that the Public Health Emergency Declaration ends in May 2023. He spoke on mental health, community assessments, and health improvement plans.

Health Protection Dir. Onwuta announced that a health fair will take place in Carpentersville on April 22, 2023. This event will provide screenings and blood work to better guide the public to a healthier lifestyle. More information can be found at http://www.livewellkanecounty.com. Discussion ensued.

B. Outdoor Restaurant Seating - Discussion on Allowing Dogs

Exec. Health Dir. Isaacson led an open discussion regarding the allowance of dogs on the patios of restaurants that have outdoor dining. Committee Members presented opinions on the mental health aspect of keeping dogs close to their owners, staff time and funding requirements, as well as contamination concerns. Health Protection Dir. Onwuta noted that there are as many community members complaining about the presence of dogs at dining establishments as there are those that are requesting permission to do so. Env. Health Asst. Wiegel cited the state code and reasoning for variances among restaurants.

8. Old Business

None.

9. Reports Placed On File

RESULT: APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

MOVER: Rick Williams

10. Executive Session (if needed)

None.

11. New Business

Committee Member Sanchez assured the public that there is no discussion regarding any vaccine mandates at the County level. Committee Member Young cited a peer-reviewed study from The Journal of The American Medical Association that stated that the risk of myocarditis after receiving the MRNA vaccine was increased and was highest after the second vaccination dose in adolescent males. He offered to send all Committee Members this article for further review. He recommended that this type of information be included regularly in Public Health meetings, so that the public may make more informed decisions. Discussion ensued.

12. Adjournment

RESULT: APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

MOVER: Rick Williams

SECONDER: David Young

This meeting was adjourned at 9:52 AM.

https://www.countyofkane.org/MeetingMinutes/6617/23-4-19.pdf