MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Board of Health was informed Wednesday that two candidates for the dentist position at the Community Health Center will be interviewed in early March and one will probably be offered the post.
The two were among seven who responded to a flier that was sent out by the Health Center.
A third was also offered an interview but withdrew from consideration.
One candidate is from the Columbus area, the other from Missouri. If the out-of-state candidate is selected it will probably take about three months to arrange Ohio certification.
•Approved the 2019 sliding fee scale and policy for the Community Health Center, based on Federal Poverty Guidelines released earlier this month.
•Approved the 2019 Knox County Health Department fee schedule, which includes the Community Health Center fees for service.
•Approved Regulation 103, Environmental Health fee schedule, no revisions.
Approving those three schedules are done annually.
•Accepted the resignation of Kelly Barnett, PT, effective March 1. She had been working at the Health Department under an agreement with Knox Community Hospital until completing an advanced certification and will be employed at the hospital.
•Approved a memorandum of understanding with Dr. John Cheek, DDS, to serve as a peer reviewer for Laura Nance, dental hygienist, in the Community Health Center.
•Approved memorandum of understanding with Michael Durham, LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker), to serve as a peer reviewer for Paul Hart-Ruthenbeck in the community Health Center. Health Commissioner Julie Miller also filled in the board on the progress of discussions to set up a syringe exchange and STD testing program.
She also reported on several measures of interest in the legislature, including legislation to allow the Ohio Department of Health to collect and aggregate public health data through regional data hubs and another bill to create a funding mechanism for districts that want to merge into multi-county districts.
•Approved a memorandum of understanding with Kokosing River Productions for the production of social media videos at a cost of $5,000, and $2,500 paid with FQHC grant funds and the remaining $2,500 paid with public health funds. A total of 24 sort spots, 12 for the Health Center and 12 for the department, for use on social media.
•Approved the agency Emergency Response Plan.
•Approved a waiver of conflict of interest for legal counsel on matters of property disposition between KCHD and the Knox County Commissioner. In other words, the county prosecutor will be able to represent both the commissioners and the Board of Health in whatever is decided with the current health department building when the lease runs out with the county.
•Approved a memorandum of understanding between the Health Department and the Public Health Activities and Services Tracking (PHAST) Project, for advancing the adoption and use of a uniform chart of accounts crosswalk, effective March 1, 2019 to March 14, 2020.
The Health Commissioner reported she had renewed the contract with Fast Eddy’s for grounds maintenance at a cost of $872.50 per month, an increase of $82.50 per month, and a maximum of $10,470 a year, effective March 1, 2019 through Feb. 28, 2020.
