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Record of Proceedings

District Board of Health Meeting - August 27, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, August 27, 2026
BodyWashoe County, Nevada
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, August 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:30:36

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:04

Recording in progress.

0:07

Good afternoon.

0:09

It is 1 p.m.

0:10

on Thursday, August 27th, 2026.

0:13

I'd like to call the district board of health meeting to order, please.

0:18

May we have roll call.

0:20

Vice Chair Andreola.

0:22

Present.

0:23

Board Member Anderson.

0:25

Here.

0:25

Board Member Brown is absent.

0:27

Board Member Driscoll.

0:29

Here.

0:29

Dr.

0:30

Ethuarte.

0:31

Here.

0:31

Dr.

0:32

Denko is currently absent and our chair is absent.

0:35

Um, Vice Chair, we have a quorum.

0:37

Thank you so much.

0:38

Dr.

0:39

Huarte, would you be so kind to do the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:48

I pleasure to the UI of the United States.

0:53

And to the Republic for which stands.

0:56

One nation.

0:58

Individual within justice.

1:05

Thank you.

1:06

We'll move now to public comment.

1:11

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.

1:18

Unused time may not be allocated to other speakers.

1:21

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

1:27

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

1:34

We do not have any current requests for public comment, and I did not receive any online.

1:39

Thank you.

1:40

We'll now move to the approval of the agenda.

1:42

I would like to make a note before I entertain a motion that item 10 is going to be heard after 2 30, on or after 2 30 p.m.

1:54

But the agenda is previous.

1:57

And with that, just noted time change.

1:59

I'd like to entertain a motion.

2:01

Madam Chair.

2:03

Motion to approve with the amendment that you just have a motion by Mr.

2:10

Driscoll, a second by member Anderson.

2:13

Any further discussion?

2:15

Hearing none, I'll call for the vote.

2:17

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

2:19

Aye.

2:20

Any opposed?

2:21

Motion carries unanimously.

2:24

And you also have it on your screen.

2:27

Thank you.

2:28

We'll move now to item five.

2:32

Director Kinsley.

2:36

Thank you.

2:37

At this time we have the recognition both of years of service, health heroes, and Marshall Stars.

2:40

And I believe today we have uh Deputy District Health Officer Aaron Nixon.

2:45

Good afternoon.

2:46

Before you today for years of service, you have five with five.

2:50

The five staff who have all reached their five year years of service.

2:57

So I'm going to start with a little bit about Mia.

3:01

Mia is a valued member of the temporary food event team.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health Awareness████████████████████████████████32%
Public Health█████████████████████21%
Public Safety█████████████13%
Procedural████████8%
Food Safety███████7%
Air Quality Management██████6%
Strategic Planning███3%
Public Engagement██2%
Education██2%
Summary of Proceedings

District Board of Health Meeting - August 27, 2026

The Washoe County District Board of Health met on August 27, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. The meeting included recognitions, approval of consent items, presentations on REMSA franchise, community investment fund, academic health initiative, strategic plan report, permit revocation, community health assessment, and staff reports. Actions were taken on several items.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the July 23, 2026 draft minutes.
  • Accepted a $162,098 EPA grant for air quality monitoring.
  • Accepted a $376,124 subaward for HIV Prevention Program.
  • Accepted a $291,585 subaward for public health initiatives.
  • Acknowledged Health Fund Financial Reviews for June and July.
  • Appointed Martin Breitmeyer to the Air Pollution Control Hearing Board for a three-year term.

Public Comments

  • No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • REMSA Health Franchise Report (Item 7): Barry Duplantis presented July 2026 metrics: 8,777 EMS calls, 5,781 transports, average response times for priority one calls: Reno 5:04, Sparks 5:50, Washoe County 8:13. Patient satisfaction score 99.24%. Discussion on priority two response times and life-saving interventions. Board member Anderson requested inclusion of P2 data in future reports.
  • Community Investment Fund (Item 8): Andrea Esp presented changes to the fund (formerly penalty fund) now administered by NNPH. Board members Anderson and Driscoll emphasized need for transparent process and policy for allocation, ensuring funds benefit the community and not just REMSA. Direction given to develop a clear policy and process.
  • Academic Health Initiative Agreement (Item 9): Chad Kingsley and Dean Miguel Alcampanar highlighted partnership with UNR School of Public Health, including student internships and research collaboration. The agreement was approved unanimously.
  • FY2026 Annual Strategic Plan Report (Item 11): Rayona LaVoie and division directors reported achievements and challenges. Over 70% of goals achieved. Key accomplishments included 98% air monitoring data capture, 1,127 clients served by community health workers, 3,118 STI tests, and WIC participation above 95%. Challenges included staffing capacity, budget constraints, and data system limitations. The report was accepted.
  • Permit Revocation – Pho Kietzke (Item 10): Staff recommended upholding the Food Protection Hearing Advisory Board’s recommendation to revoke the food permit due to repeated critical violations. Owner Lien and family spoke in support of keeping the restaurant open. Board voted unanimously to affirm the revocation, noting the option to reapply for a new permit.
  • 2026 Community Health Assessment (Item 12): Rayona LaVoie presented the assessment, identifying four priorities: mental health, access to health services, economic stability, and health risk behaviors/early detection. The report will inform the Community Health Improvement Plan. No action taken.
  • Staff Reports (Item 13):
    • Air Quality Management: No PM2.5 exceedances in July; dust control regulation in public comment; fee assessment to be presented in October.
    • Community & Clinical Health Services: Immunization rates at 93-94%, exemption rates rising; successful back-to-school vaccine events.
    • Environmental Health Services: Two new REHS staff; septic regulations updates; educational workshops.
    • Population Health: Stepping on fall prevention program; increase in multi-state outbreak cases (10 since May); HIV cases nearly doubled (21 to 37).
    • Office of District Health Officer: Dr. Kingsley declared a local public health emergency for hazardous material removal after recent wildfires; updates on fire response and health care facility repopulation.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved consent items and REMSA franchise report.
  • Directed staff to develop a clear policy for the Community Investment Fund.
  • Approved Academic Health Initiative Agreement.
  • Accepted FY2026 Strategic Plan Report.
  • Affirmed revocation of Pho Kietzke food permit.
  • Noted the public health emergency declaration.
  • Staff reports were received and discussed.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress. Good afternoon. It is 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 27th, 2026. I'd like to call the district board of health meeting to order, please. May we have roll call. Vice Chair Andreola. Present. Board Member Anderson. Here. Board Member Brown is absent. Board Member Driscoll. Here. Dr. Ethuarte. Here. Dr. Denko is currently absent and our chair is absent. Um, Vice Chair, we have a quorum. Thank you so much. Dr. Huarte, would you be so kind to do the Pledge of Allegiance? I pleasure to the UI of the United States. And to the Republic for which stands. One nation. Individual within justice. 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. Unused time may not be allocated to other speakers. The board may also hear public comment under individual 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. We do not have any current requests for public comment, and I did not receive any online. Thank you. We'll now move to the approval of the agenda. I would like to make a note before I entertain a motion that item 10 is going to be heard after 2 30, on or after 2 30 p.m. But the agenda is previous. And with that, just noted time change. I'd like to entertain a motion. Madam Chair. Motion to approve with the amendment that you just have a motion by Mr. Driscoll, a second by member Anderson. Any further discussion? Hearing none, I'll call for the vote. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. And you also have it on your screen. Thank you.

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