OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

District Board of Health Meeting - May 28, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, May 28, 2026
BodyWashoe County, Nevada
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, May 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 55:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Recording in progress Madam Clerk, are we ready to get started?

0:11

Yes, we are ready.

0:12

Thank you so much.

0:13

I'll call to order this uh May 28th, 2026, District Board of Health meeting for Northern Nevada Public Health and ask for a roll call for determination of quorum.

0:26

Chair Reese.

0:27

Here Vice Chair Andreola.

0:32

Present board member Anderson.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Board Member Brown.

0:36

Here.

0:37

Dr.

0:37

Tuarte.

0:38

Here.

0:39

Um Dr.

0:40

Denko is not present.

0:42

And board member Driscoll is absent today.

0:45

We do have a quorum.

0:48

Thank you so much.

0:49

And if uh I'm having a little bit of a hard time hearing today, so just make sure that the sound is on.

0:55

I will now move on to the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:57

Uh Mike Brown, would you lead us in the pledge?

1:08

And to the republic for which one individual we put in kind of exciting that we've got voting going on outside our doors in public meetings here and the Pledge of Allegiance kind of makes my civics heart just grow.

1:31

Um Madam Clerk, public comment.

1:36

Comments heard under this item will be limited to three minutes per person and may pertain to matters both on and off the board agenda.

1:43

Unused time may not be allocated to other speakers.

1:45

The board may also hear public comment under individual actual action items with comment limited to three minutes per person.

1:53

Comments are available or comments are to be made to the board as a whole, and virtual public comment may be taken when facilities are available.

2:01

I do have one request for public comment.

2:03

It is Michael Day.

2:06

Okay, Mr.

2:06

Day, welcome.

2:09

Looks like we've got a great summer camp flyer up here.

2:13

Thank you.

2:14

Thank you for that.

2:15

I sure wish that I could go to summer camp and was the beneficiary of many summer camps as a child.

2:23

Did that cut into my three minutes?

2:25

No.

2:26

Okay.

2:28

So first off, let me introduce myself.

2:31

My name is Dr.

2:32

Michael Day, uh retired dentist.

2:34

I've been in the dentist in this area for 47 years.

2:37

Uh, and um third generation of Northern Nevada.

2:42

Um I'm here representing the it's called the Mason TRT's Youth Outdoor Skills Incorporated.

2:48

I am the president of that organization.

2:52

And uh we formed 16 years ago with the help of Nevada Bighorn's Unlimited, North Nevada Safari Club, and the Rory Club of Sparks.

3:02

And the idea was to develop a summer camp for youth in our area so that they can be exposed to outdoor activities.

3:09

Uh and that's what we were doing for 16 years.

3:13

Uh, we're a nonprofit organization.

3:15

All the money that we raise are through donations that are given to us, and uh we do the camp uh for the kids.

3:23

Uh and uh we do charge a minimum fee.

3:26

Uh I wish I could say that we do it pretty much uh for no cost to the kids, but we learned early on in our process that uh if we don't charge a fee for uh you know for skin in the game, the kid people and adults don't think that there's a value to it, excuse me.

3:45

So uh it's a minimum fee, but we also offer scholarships there's no kids who are not uh who cannot go or attend a camp in order to do that.

3:54

So we've been doing this camp, like I said, 16 years or planning on doing it for a long period of time.

3:59

Uh we always apply for a county permit, uh, which usually comes in April 15th.

4:06

It's about a 18, no, about an 80-page document that I submit at which point in time it's always approved, and then we have to apply for food permits because we provide food, lodging, I mean tents and sleeping bags, stuff like that for the kids out there.

4:21

Uh 32 boys, 32 girls, and again, I guess I forgot the ages are 11 to 14.

4:27

This year, um, we our food permit usually runs 180 dollars, and then not counting our county permit, which is over a thousand dollars, and also not counting whatever the fire department uh uh tricommunals fire protection district.

4:42

This year we've been asked to apply for a different and additional permit, and it's called it was explained to me it was called a food organizer permit, but the title is actually called a food promoter permit event, which at what point it charges $847.

5:00

So our permit fees have gone up for 189 to over a thousand dollars.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health Awareness██████████████████████████████30%
Public Health████████████████████████24%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Mental Health Awareness██████6%
Public Safety██████6%
Air Quality Management█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Personnel Matters███3%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

District Board of Health Meeting - May 28, 2026

The District Board of Health for Northern Nevada Public Health convened on May 28, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at the Washoe County Administration Complex. The board approved consent items, accepted the REMSA Health monthly report, recognized staff achievements, proclaimed June as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, and received updates from all divisions. A public commenter raised concerns about rising permit fees for a nonprofit youth summer camp, prompting discussion of a potential policy review.

Recognitions & Proclamations

  • New Hire: Elijah Golish, Public Health Informatics Specialist, hired May 4, 2026.
  • Years of Service (5 years): Vicki Ahrens (Account Clerk II), Brittany Lucier (Environmental Health Specialist), Megan Rennie (Air Quality Specialist).
  • Health Heroes: Six staff members recognized for adaptability, collaboration, compassion, and trustworthiness.
  • Proclamation: The board recognized June 2026 as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month in Washoe County. Nikki Rubarth of the Alzheimer's Association noted Nevada's 363.1% increase in Alzheimer's deaths since 2000 and the 146 million hours of unpaid care provided annually by 87,000 family caregivers (valued at over $3.1 billion).

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the April 23, 2026, draft minutes.
  • Accepted a Notice of Subaward from the State of Nevada for $580,869 ($58,086.90 cash match) retroactive to July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, for the ASPR Public Health Preparedness Program.
  • Approved a prepayment of up to $151,100 to Patagonia Health EMR for a two-year service agreement.
  • Acknowledged receipt of the Health Fund Financial Review for April 2026. All items passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Michael Day (President, Mason TRT's Youth Outdoor Skills Incorporated) expressed concern about a new "food promoter permit" fee of $847 for his nonprofit youth summer camp, which previously paid $189 for a food permit and over $1,000 for a county permit. He argued the fee is unjustifiable because the camp provides food only to participants and volunteers, not sold for profit.

Discussion Items

  • REMSA Health Monthly Franchise Report (April 2026): Barry Duplantis (CEO/President) reported 8,006 EMS calls, 5,297 patient transports, and average response times: Reno priority one 5 min 29 sec, Sparks 6 min 10 sec, Washoe County 8 min 47 sec. He noted the average cost to provide a transport ($701) exceeds the average collection ($639), with Medicare paying $440 and Medicaid $245. A proposed CMS rule may limit GMET subsidies. The board accepted the report unanimously after acknowledging staff responsiveness to previous questions.
  • Air Quality Management (Francisco Vega): Reported no exceedances in April; American Lung Association gave a grade C for ozone and F for short-term PM2.5. Fuel waivers extended by EPA for a third time; staff not notified of incoming non-compliant fuel. New Bird Eye Air Monitoring Station opened.
  • Community and Clinical Health Services (Christina Sheppard): RSV prevention extended through April; secured 60 doses of imported lenticillin for syphilis treatment; WIC outreach to 100 organizations. Recognized National Nurses Week.
  • Environmental Health Services (Robert Fyda): Held first risk-factor workshop for food establishments; investigated a confirmed foodborne outbreak; vector surveillance began May 18 with three interns; exploring rapid-response cleanup pilot with KTMB.
  • Population Health (Dr. Nancy Diao): Launched fall prevention initiatives (television/social media campaign, Stepping On workshops, Enhanced Fitness program). Noted 30 pertussis cases year-to-date (compared to 31 all of last year). Hantavirus and Ebola updates: no cases in Nevada; traveler monitoring in place.
  • Office of District Health Officer (Dr. Chad Kingsley): Confirmed low risk for hantavirus and Ebola; meet-and-confer with REMSA concluded, pending attorney review for June board meeting; adjusted fee schedule for a meningitis 5-in-1 vaccine to ensure correct reimbursement.

Key Outcomes

  • The board accepted the REMSA Health Monthly Franchise Report for April 2026 unanimously.
  • Vice Chair Andriola requested a review of permit fee structures for nonprofit organizations providing non-commercial food service, citing Mr. Day's concerns. Dr. Kingsley confirmed the issue would be examined offline.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress Madam Clerk, are we ready to get started? Yes, we are ready. Thank you so much. I'll call to order this uh May 28th, 2026, District Board of Health meeting for Northern Nevada Public Health and ask for a roll call for determination of quorum. Chair Reese. Here Vice Chair Andreola. Present board member Anderson. Here. Board Member Brown. Here. Dr. Tuarte. Here. Um Dr. Denko is not present. And board member Driscoll is absent today. We do have a quorum. Thank you so much. And if uh I'm having a little bit of a hard time hearing today, so just make sure that the sound is on. I will now move on to the Pledge of Allegiance. Uh Mike Brown, would you lead us in the pledge? And to the republic for which one individual we put in kind of exciting that we've got voting going on outside our doors in public meetings here and the Pledge of Allegiance kind of makes my civics heart just grow. Um Madam Clerk, public comment. Comments heard under this item will be limited to three minutes per person and may pertain to matters both on and off the board agenda. Unused time may not be allocated to other speakers. The board may also hear public comment under individual actual action items with comment limited to three minutes per person. Comments are available or comments are to be made to the board as a whole, and virtual public comment may be taken when facilities are available. I do have one request for public comment. It is Michael Day. Okay, Mr. Day, welcome. Looks like we've got a great summer camp flyer up here. Thank you. Thank you for that. I sure wish that I could go to summer camp and was the beneficiary of many summer camps as a child. Did that cut into my three minutes? No. Okay. So first off, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Michael Day, uh retired dentist. I've been in the dentist in this area for 47 years. Uh, and um third generation of Northern Nevada. Um I'm here representing the it's called the Mason TRT's Youth Outdoor Skills Incorporated. I am the president of that organization. And uh we formed 16 years ago with the help of Nevada Bighorn's Unlimited, North Nevada Safari Club, and the Rory Club of Sparks. And the idea was to develop a summer camp for youth in our area so that they can be exposed to outdoor activities. Uh and that's what we were doing for 16 years. Uh, we're a nonprofit organization. All the money that we raise are through donations that are given to us, and uh we do the camp uh for the kids.

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