OFFICERS — Mary Mihalyo and Dr. Mark Kissinger were voted vice chair and chair respectively of the Jefferson County Board of Health Tuesday. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — Recent public health funding cuts by the Centers for Disease Control will impact the Jefferson County General Health District’s respiratory virus testing, Health Commissioner Andrew Henry said Tuesday.

At the Jefferson County Board of Health’s regular meeting, Henry reported that the CDC has terminated $1.4 billion in funds allocated to state and local health departments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has been over for “quite a while now,” Henry said, and Jefferson County will need to make adjustments in light of the funding cuts.

The county had available $329,000, which had been earmarked for employing public nurses to support respiratory virus disease testing and prevention and purchasing respiratory panel cartridges for the department’s PCR testing machine that detects COVID-19, influenza and RSV. The tests will now need to be billed to people’s insurance, Henry said.

Additionally, funds could be used for purchasing hands-free water fountains to reduce contact on high-touch surfaces and a “What is Public Health” campaign to promote public health services.

“The water fountains, which we never purchased, and the ‘What is Public Health’ campaign would likely be a stretch for most, but the ability to fund disease testing and prevention was really helpful for us,” Henry said.

In other business:

• The board approved annual public health service contracts with the cities of Steubenville and Toronto at a per capita rate of $4.84. The rate is derived from the JCGHD’s annual financial reports and is an average of the foundational capabilities and services that the department provides for Jefferson County residents, Henry said. The total agreements amount to $87,899.24 for Steubenville and $26,666.52 for Toronto. The District Advisory Council is set to vote on the contracts April 23.

• The board authorized a purchase order of $23,126.16 to the Ohio Treasurer of state for first-quarter birth and death certificates.

• The board approved increasing the JCGHD’s hot water inspection fees for private and commercial purposes by $10 each to better cover the cost of contracting an inspector. The residential fee has been increased from $25 to $35 and the commercial fee has been increased from $40 to $50.

• The board waived the three readings and approved decreasing two environmental program fees by one cent each to make them divisible by two, as required by Ohio Administrative Code. The high-risk mobile fee was decreased to $78.70 so the low-risk mobile fee can be exactly 50 percent of that amount, $39.35. The commercial temporary fee was decreased to $52.46 so the noncommercial temporary fee can be exactly 50 percent of that amount, $26.23.

• During an earlier reorganization meeting, the board voted to appoint Dr. Mark Kissinger as board chair and Mary Mihalyo as vice chair.

• Henry reported attending the NCQA Health Innovation Summit, which focused on advancements across multiple health sectors and informed him about virtual care, which could be used to close care gaps in Jefferson County. He also noted that the JCGHD will soon commence its lead awareness campaign, featuring billboards and videos promoting lead testing and home cleaning tips.

• The Public Health Accreditation Board has returned the JCGHD’s pre-site visit review with 16 documents that needed to be updated, Henry said. Only 16 documents out of nearly 200 submitted is “pretty good,” he added, and the updates should be complete by next month’s meeting.

• Maragos reported 15 calls were made to the Apex Landfill odor complaint hotline in March, and seven have been made so far this month. Also, he said the Division of Wildlife Service’s collection of 377 samples from around Northeast Ohio, including Jefferson County, revealed no positive detection of rabies.

• Dr. Janie Culp, medical director, reported that influenza cases have lessened to minimal activity in the state, as is expected of the seasonal disease. She also noted that permethrin use will be important to prevent lyme disease as tick season begins, and 24 measles cases had been confirmed previously in Ashtabula and Knox counties, but only individuals travelling internationally are currently at risk of exposure.

• Nursing Director Kylie Smogonovich said clinical staff will perform dental, lead and hand hygiene education at 15 different schools throughout April and May — close to double the amount of schools visited in 2024.