Commission Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the Regular
 Mid Bergen Meeting

Paul Viola, President, called the meeting to order at 4:08 pm on a Zoom conference call

Roll Call
Present:
Paul Viola, Bogota
Patricia McHale, Bogota
Dr. David George, Leonia
Janet Grotsky, New Milford
Mary McNicholas, New Milford

Also Present: James Fedorko, Health Officer, Dave Volpe, NJ DOH Representative and retired Bergenfield Health Officer, Daniel Dabrowski, Grant Director, Sarah Bombino, Health Planner, Valeria Melendez, Grant Project Coordinator and Jaime Scalfane, HealthEducator.

Absent:
Helen Harris, Finance and Grant Administrator.

Approval of Minutes from the February 6, 2022 Board Meeting:
Dr. David George called for a motion to accept the minutes. A second motion was made by MaryMcNicholas to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of February 06, 2023, as submitted.

Roll Call – All in Favor

Financial Reports:
The Health Officer presented the Financial Report for the first quarter of 2023, covering the period from January 1st to March 31st. The report indicated a net loss of $4,301.07, which was mainly attributed to the expenses incurred from the Strengthening Local Public Health Grant andthe Vaccine Supplemental Funding Grant. However, recently the commission has approximately received $140,000 from these grants which will significantly offset these costs.

Health Officer Report:
Thanks to the grant, James Fedorko was pleased to announce that Mid Bergen can provide financial assistance to the contracting municipalities through the reimbursement of their animal control contracts. Furthermore, Mid Bergen is now in a position to offer a stipend to their employees. With the grant reimbursed for quarter one, Mid Bergen can start deploying stipends to their full-time staff. As such, Mid Bergen will be granting approximately $1,500 to Ruby Parra, Kayla Williams, and Stephanie Haskins. In order to ensure transparency and accountability, PaulViola, has requested that proper documentation be maintained throughout this process.

Old Business:
Following the successful verification of grant funding, Mid Bergen has moved forward with the hiring of key positions to oversee and implement the grant. Daniel Dabrowski is promoted toGrant Project Director/REHS at a salary of $120,112/year. Once the grant period is completed on June 30, 2024, Daniel Dabrowski will revert to his position as REHS with the appropriate salary.

During this meeting the following new employees were introduced: Sarah Bombino as thePublic Health Planner, Valeria Melendez as the Grant Project Coordinator, and Jamie Sclafane as the Health Educator. Helen Harris was not present. The appointment of these positions is a significant step forward for Mid Bergen and demonstrates their commitment to developing and implementing successful grant projects.

New Business:
Upon motion from Dr. David George, second Mary McNicholas the following Memorandums ofUnderstanding with Bergen County Department of Health Services: Childhood Lead,Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan, New Jersey Cancer Education and Early DetectionProgram, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program, and Tuberculosis Control were unanimously approved.

Open Discussion:
Juneteenth was incorporated into the employee handbook. Additionally, the group discussed important matters such as the possibility of having an attorney on retainer, translating the employee handbook into multiple languages, and adding a section on guns to the handbook.David Volpe brought up the possibility of exploring a STD Memorandum of Understanding.Next meeting date is scheduled for August 7, 2023.A motion to close the meeting was made at 4:46 pm by James Fedorko and seconded by PaulViola. All Board members were in favor.

Respectfully Submitted,
James Fedorko