KATIE FORTE - REPORTER
Harrison County Board of Health Meeting - 3/3/21
The meeting began with the approval of the previous meeting’s minutes.
The Administration Report was given by Carrie Herthel. The use of funds used so far to address pandemic needs were covered. Herthel said that they continue to work on reimbursement from FEMA.
Current all-test positivity rate of 6.8% was reported as well as the “yellow” status according to the state’s coding system. She reported that there had been 19 cases of the U.K. variant in the state of Indiana, but none in Harrison County. No other variants have been identified within the state as of to date. She explained that testing was to remain at the same rate/hours/capacity per CDC.
There are currently two testing sites in Harrison County. There is a county-run site at Rhoads pool, and another site, managed by Optum in Crandall. It was noted that since October the Rhoads testing site had tested 7600 individuals; whereas, the Optum site had tested 12k since the beginning of the pandemic. It was noted that the Rhoads site tested far more people on an average day than the Optum site.
Representatives from the summer swim team had several questions for the Board: Representatives acknowledged that while addressing covid in the community was and should be a priority, they wished that the service that the swim team offers, with an all volunteer parent board and minimally compensated coaches, could be supported as well for the service it provides, including for kids in the neighboring apartments. Structured swim practice for 3 hours every morning Mondays-Saturdays during the summer break has been a meaningful entry point for many a local swimmer to the sport, as well as having the advantage to the community of offering supervised, constructive activity for so many of the youth in the Corydon area for several hours on most summer days.
Board members were supportive of the swim team representatives and their concerns, but Herthel pointed out that the Health Department had signed a contract with the Parks Department to use the pool building until the first part of June. It was clarified that Health Department grant money is currently paying the utilities at Rhoads.
Dr. Grossman, Board Chair, pointed out that they had preferred the fairgrounds as a testing site, but that when the Fair Board was approached, they refused.
Dr. Lance Richards, board member and Superintendent of North Harrison Community School Corporation, posed 2 important questions:
If the plan is for the pool to be opened (in July as Scott Fluhr asserted to the Commissioners Monday night), and the Health Department will be needing to move their site then, then why not go ahead and start working on that now?
“Why are we having a covid testing site at a pool, and not the Government Center?”
It was noted by a health department employee that that would have been their preference, in the first place.
A representative from the swim team asked about the possibility of using the pool when the health department would not be testing. Dr. Grossman proposed swimmers entering and exiting the fence through the gate (not the pool house), and renting a port-a-potty for swimmer use. Swim team representatives were open to that as a possible solution, but Herthel added that the involvement and possible building access to the mechanics areas for pool operation, might not be able to be worked out between the Parks Department and the Health Department.
Carrie Herthel brought up that Mr. Schickles had informed her that the swim team had been offered the hours at the pool at South Harrison, but swim team representatives noted that many swimmers are local, from Floyd County, or from the North end of the county, making it not feasible with a 45 minute drive to Elizabeth. Another board member suggested bussing swimmers to South Harrison. Swim team representative pointed out the cost of bussing would be prohibitive. Another board member added the additional covid risk with bussing the kids would also make that idea prohibitive. The YMCA was also suggested as an alternative, but swim team representatives pointed out that the cost involved with renting lanes at the YMCA, worked against their ability to provide the summer swim team experience at a cost that kept it doable for local families. Carrie Herthel suggested that perhaps the YMCA could seek FEMA funds to reimburse themselves for the Hammerheads use of their facilities.
A swim team representative voiced concern that if the pool does not get filled and used again this summer (as it sat empty last summer), Parks Department might use that as justification for cancelling Rhoads pool altogether. Dr. Richards asked if the repairs had been done to Rhoads, making operability even a possibility. Swim team rep pointed out that the money approved by the Council to complete the repairs had been spent, and it would be a shame for the pool to not be used given the expense that’s already been made. Board members voiced their support for keeping Rhoads pool open in the long run and their support for the swim team. Swim team representatives acknowledged that the problem was that the Rhoads pool was the only site that had been made available to the Health Department for Covid testing.
Dan Shroeder gave a brief report for the Environmental Health Division, and Buffy Fleace closed out the meeting with a brief update on Vital Records and some extra workload due to the Harrison County Hospital’s system being down.
