HEALTH

impacting health and working with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver Health and all the metro region health departments to redesign a future Tuberculosis control program.

Hill also said he participated in the Region 12 Opioid Council, which guides the expenditure of Opioid Settlement dollars in the county over the coming years.

A brief nancial report was provided for the board to discuss the expenditures and revenues of the department.

According to Hill, the expenditures for the department are reasonably stable. It is at 16% of the scal year and they have expended around 10% of what they are expecting to spend for the year.

“So that means we’re around 6% underspent at this point in the year,” said Hill.

e department has been purchasing items and supplies for new programs since late last year and early this year, however, Hill said the department is on budget for revenues and there are going to be ebbs and ows as the year progresses.

“You will see peaks and valleys in the revenues but the expenditures should be fairly smooth because as with most organizations, it’s primarily sta that are the expenditures and salaries don’t change that frequently in the county,” said Hill.

With the goal of not spending more county tax dollars compared to the amount going to Tri-County Health Department, Hill says that this current department has done better. According to Hill, the Douglas County Health Department has more people working on the ground rather than in o ces.

Member Douglas Benevento expanded by saying that Douglas County is able to target services to what the residents of the county need and want. e Community Health Division update shows that clinical services at STRIDE Community Health Center are occuring at the Parker location. e update also includes that since January, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program has been operating at a high volume due to enrollment status. e next Board of Health meeting is scheduled for May 11.

“It’s a dollar issue, but it’s also a service and an e ciency issue,” said Benevento.

Another important update from Hill is the department’s completion of implementing Microsoft SharePoint as a means of storing and securely sharing documents as well as obtaining a portable hard drive from Tri-County where les were put into a SharePoint for appropriate sta to access.

In other health concerns, Executive Director Hill said COVID cases remain relatively low in the county. In uenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus rates have also declined since the increase seen in November. Board of Health member, Kevin Bracken, who also serves on the Castle Rock town council, asked if the department will be tracking and monitoring side e ects a liated with the COVID-19 vaccine. e state is tracking the side e ects but there is currently no information for the county, according to Epidemiologist Fallon Simmons.

Before the meeting adjourned, the board unanimously passed a proposal for Recreational Water Program Fees. According to Environmental Health Assistant Director Caitlin Gappa, the nal proposed fees include the inspection fee to be $160 per ltration system, which is $25 less than Tri-County’s fee. e fee will apply to all public and semi-public pools in the county. is includes recreation centers, hotels, motels and one HOA pool in the county as it allows people who don’t live in the area to purchase a membership.

Drive US 85?

Learn more at douglas.co.us/snow

Construction to widen the road between Highlands Ranch Parkway and C-470 is underway. Please expect delays and watch for crews. Sign up for updates so you know what to expect. Visit douglas.co.us and search for Subscribe Now and choose US 85 construction.

Need help with rising heat costs?

Rising heating costs may be hard to budget for this year, but help is available to Douglas County residents who are struggling. If you or someone you know needs assistance, apply now through April 30, 2023, for energy assistance through the State of Colorado’s LowIncome Energy Assistance Program (LEAP). For more information, visit douglas.co.us and search LEAP or email LEAPHELP@discovermygoodwill.org