OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Washoe County District Board of Health Meeting - June 25, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, June 25, 2026
BodyWashoe County, Nevada
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, June 25, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 53:10

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Like to call this meeting to order of the uh recording in progress.

0:08

Good afternoon.

0:10

Like to call the meeting to order of the district board of health on Thursday, June 25th of 2026 at 1 p.m.

0:20

Like to call a roll call, please at this time.

0:26

Vice Chair Andreola.

0:28

Present.

0:29

Board Member Driscoll.

0:31

Here.

0:31

Board Member Anderson.

0:33

Oh, is absent.

0:35

Board Member Brown.

0:36

Here.

0:37

Dr.

0:38

Denko.

0:39

Here.

0:40

Dr.

0:41

Tuarte?

0:42

Here.

0:44

Um Chair Reese is absent.

0:49

Um, but we do have a quorum.

0:51

Thank you so much.

0:53

If we could, Mr.

0:54

Duplantis, would you lead us in the pledge, please?

1:09

One nation.

1:10

Under the individual with the hand just for all.

1:20

Thank you.

1:20

We'll move now to public comment.

1:27

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.

1:34

A news time may not be allocated to other speakers.

1:37

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

1:44

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

1:50

Um we did not receive any requests for public comment in person or um online.

1:57

Thank you.

1:58

We'll go ahead then and close item three, move to item four approval of the agenda.

2:04

I'll entertain a motion.

2:07

We have a motion by member Driscoll, um, a second by Mr.

2:12

Brown.

2:14

Any uh further discussion?

2:16

Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

2:19

Aye.

2:20

Any opposed?

2:22

Motion carries unanimously.

2:23

Thank you so much.

2:24

We'll move now, or I guess it's on your screen too.

2:28

We'll confirm it with.

2:31

All right.

2:32

We'll move now to item five recognition.

2:35

Ms.

2:35

Dixon.

2:37

Wonderful.

2:39

Good afternoon.

2:42

Um I have the honor of acknowledging two recent retirements.

2:47

Um, and so I would like to start with uh many thanks to Miss Cindy Hawks.

2:51

She for her 26 years of service.

2:53

She has provided invaluable support to our entire disease investigation team, particularly in the areas of hepatitis, animal bites, respiratory disease, just to name a few.

3:05

And then with a few more years, we have Ms.

3:08

Sunita Monga with 30 years of service with our WIC team.

3:12

She is a registered dietitian who had significant impact on the lives of pregnant women and young children in our community.

3:18

In addition to running a WIC clinic, she provided services primarily to high-risk clients, including medically fragile newborns, and we are grateful that both of them had the opportunity to work here at NNPH, and we wish them the best.

3:30

And then for health heroes, um, Ms.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health██████████████████████████████30%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Public Health Awareness█████████████████17%
Air Quality Management███████████████15%
Environmental Protection███████████11%
Transportation Safety███3%
Legislative Process███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Washoe County District Board of Health Meeting - June 25, 2026

The District Board of Health (DBOH) met on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 1:00 PM in the Washoe County Administration Complex. Chair Reese was absent; Vice Chair Andriola presided. The meeting covered recognition of retiring staff and health heroes, approval of a consent agenda, reports on REMSA ambulance services and air quality trends, annual review of the Interlocal Agreement creating the health district, and updates from each NNPH division. The meeting adjourned at 1:53 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the May 28, 2026 draft minutes.
  • Authorized FY27 vaccine purchases from Merck & Company Inc. not to exceed $200,000.
  • Approved an interlocal agreement with the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education for medical resident preceptorships (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027, renewable).
  • Upheld Notice of Violation No. AQMV26-0003 against ASK Nevada for failing to utilize the installed gasoline vapor control system when unloading gasoline into an underground storage tank.
  • Upheld Notice of Violation No. AQMV26-0004 against Hunt & Sons, Inc. for similar gasoline vapor control system violation.
  • Appointed Joni Hammond to the Food Protection Hearing Advisory Board (term July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029).
  • Acknowledged receipt of the Health Fund Financial Review for May, Fiscal Year 2026.
  • All consent items were approved unanimously via a single motion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public provided comment during either public comment period.

Discussion Items

  • REMSA Health Monthly Franchise Report (May 2026): Barry Duplantis, CEO/President of REMSA, presented. Highlights: 8,945 EMS calls in May (all-time high); 5,813 patient transports; average response times for priority-one calls ranged from 5 minutes 32 seconds (Reno) to 8 minutes 27 seconds (Washoe County); full compliance with franchise terms. REMSA and Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District agreed to a one-year extension for fire dispatch. REMSA is ordering ambulances up to 18 months in advance to meet community growth. A new patient satisfaction survey company (Baldridge Company) will provide real-time, transparent results. The board accepted the report unanimously (motion by Brown, second by Driscoll).
  • Washoe County Air Quality Trends Report (2016–2025): Ben McMullen, Air Quality Specialist, presented. Notable: two days in 2025 were at "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" AQI or higher, both attributed to ground-level ozone; July 10, 2025 also had smoke from the Green Fire. Ten-year trend shows improvement in winter air quality due to wood-burning device rules but increasing summer ozone concerns. If the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard is strengthened (potential 60–70 ppb range), Washoe County could become a non-attainment area, leading to restrictions on industry and development. The board accepted the report unanimously (motion by Dr. Ituarte, second by Dr. Danko).
  • Review of Interlocal Agreement (ILA) for the Health District: Dania Reid, Deputy District Attorney, explained the annual review requirement per Section 7C of the ILA. She noted that any amendments must be made before October 1, 2026 (90 days before the January 1 renewal date). The board could either direct staff to bring recommendations to the three jurisdictions or accept the ILA in its current form. After brief discussion on the amendment process, the board voted unanimously to accept the ILA in its current form (motion by Driscoll, second by Brown).

Staff Reports and Program Updates (No action required)

  • Air Quality Management (Francisco Vega): Provided follow-up on ozone data from the American Lung Association report—low periods in 2009–2011 (economic downturn) and 2022–2024 (reduced wildfires) were explained. Noted that the U.S. House passed legislation (now in Senate) to allow year-round sale of E15 ethanol fuel. In May 2025, one ozone exceedance and no PM10 exceedances were recorded; 100% of plan reviews were processed on time.
  • Community and Clinical Health Services (Christina Sheppard): Highlighted updates to WIC food packages (largest in a decade, offering more choice, cultural foods, increased fruit/vegetable benefits). Immunization team completed annual compliance activities and is preparing for the back-to-school event on August 8. Family planning now offers patient-collected cervical cancer screening. Community health workers reached 33 individuals at a Harvey Milk Day event offering free STI screening, targeting unhoused and LGBTQ+ populations. Dr. Ituarte noted a 5% increase in WIC participation, which staff indicated is a continuing trend.
  • Environmental Health Services (Robert Fyda): Staff concluded a salmonella outbreak investigation. Reported ongoing issues with unpermitted food vendors setting up pop-up operations; a new food truck app is in development for real-time reporting (full rollout targeted for fall/winter). Conducted 262 pool inspections in May. Began PFAS grant sampling of homeowner wells (pilot program for staff), aiming for 60 samples per month. Finalized a rapid response cleanup contract with KTMB and the county manager's office to address illegal dumping on public land. Vice Chair Andriola noted that Washoe County recently passed an ordinance closing a loophole regarding unauthorized occupancy on parcels where the owner is deceased, which will enable enforcement and health interventions.
  • Population Health (Dr. Nancy Diao): Preparedness team conducted exercises including support for the Reno-Tahoe Airport exercise (May 13), a hazmat exercise (May 27), and a tabletop ransomware cyber attack exercise for NNPH (June 4) testing continuity of operations. Announced that a majority of NNPH public health investigators, epidemiologists, and supervisors became the first group nationally to be certified in disease intervention after taking the inaugural exam in April 2026 (certification by National Board of Public Health Examiners). Epidemiology team continues to monitor travelers from DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda regarding the Ebola outbreak; no cases confirmed in the U.S. to date.
  • Office of the District Health Officer (Chad Kingsley): Recognized administrative staff for end-of-fiscal-year work and thanked staff in advance for an upcoming office remodel (first major update in 25 years, including carpet replacement). May media mentions were included in the report.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the REMSA Health Monthly Franchise Report for May 2026 (unanimous).
  • Accepted the Washoe County Air Quality Trends Report for 2016–2025 (unanimous).
  • Accepted the Interlocal Agreement in its current form; set October 1, 2026 as the deadline for any future amendment recommendations (unanimous).
  • All consent agenda items (6A–6G) passed unanimously.
  • No public comments were received.

Meeting Transcript

Like to call this meeting to order of the uh recording in progress. Good afternoon. Like to call the meeting to order of the district board of health on Thursday, June 25th of 2026 at 1 p.m. Like to call a roll call, please at this time. Vice Chair Andreola. Present. Board Member Driscoll. Here. Board Member Anderson. Oh, is absent. Board Member Brown. Here. Dr. Denko. Here. Dr. Tuarte? Here. Um Chair Reese is absent. Um, but we do have a quorum. Thank you so much. If we could, Mr. Duplantis, would you lead us in the pledge, please? One nation. Under the individual with the hand just for all. Thank you. We'll move now to 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. A news time may not be allocated to other speakers. The board may also hear public comment under individual action action items with comment limited to three minutes per person. Comments are to be made to the board as a whole, and virtual public comment may be taken when facilities are available. Um we did not receive any requests for public comment in person or um online. Thank you. We'll go ahead then and close item three, move to item four approval of the agenda. I'll entertain a motion. We have a motion by member Driscoll, um, a second by Mr. Brown. Any uh further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you so much. We'll move now, or I guess it's on your screen too. We'll confirm it with. All right. We'll move now to item five recognition. Ms. Dixon. Wonderful.

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