New Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health Members Sworn In
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David Croft and Christian Turak were sworn in Tuesday as new members of the Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health.
Wheeling City Clerk Janice Jones administered the oath of office to both men.
The Ohio County Commission appointed Turak to the board, replacing Cheryl Wonderly who sought re-appointment but wasn't chosen by the commission. Wheeling City Council appointed Croft to the board to succeed Michael Caruso, who did not seek re-appointment.
Dr. John Holloway, board chairman, announced that member Wilkes Kinney can no longer serve on the board because of health issues. The county commission will name a replacement.
Observing five men now serve on the Board of Health, Holloway recommended that a woman be chosen to fill Kinney's position. The other current members are Thomas Tuttle and Wheeling Councilman Chad Thalman.
In other action, the board re-elected Holloway as chairman for the coming year.
The board took no action on possible revisions to the county-wide clean air regulation. Holloway said, "I'm not seeking any movement on this (issue) at this time."
Regarding a report that 8,313 new syringes have been distributed by the health department's needle exchange program in nearly two years of operation, Holloway said, "That's an incredible number of needles. Who knows how many cases of hepatitis and HIV have been prevented. I think it (the exchange) is a great benefit to the county."
In new business, Administrator Howard Gamble presented a proposal to strengthen the board's policy on seasonal influenza vaccination for health care workers. The board took no action on the matter, but members indicated an interest in obtaining more information on the issue and seeking input from stakeholders.
In 2011, the board approved a resolution regarding seasonal flu vaccination. In 2016, the board made that resolution a recommendation for required immunization of health care workers.
Gamble suggested three possible courses of action: continue to recommend that flu shots be required of health care workers; support health care facilities' policies that mandate flu vaccination as a condition of employment or develop a policy that requires health care workers' immunization as part of a county-wide program.
Holloway said, "Flu vaccination is the most cost-effective medical intervention there is."
However, Holloway said when he spoke with administrators of Wheeling Hospital, Ohio Valley Medical Center, Good Shepherd Nursing Home and Peterson Rehab Hospital last year, they were not ready to incorporate a requirement for flu shots. He said the facilities' human resource directors had concerns about a mandate.
"The challenge comes in -- to make it mandatory -- what if it's not accomplished is clearly the biggest challenge," Holloway said.
Croft said a mandate for new employees would be "an easier position to take," but it would be harder to enforce with longtime employees.
County Health Officer Dr. William Mercer said, "I think this (mandatory flu vaccination) will be a trend across the country. Usually the reasons not to get it (a flu shot) are not scientific … I think it's very important to have it and not to pass (flu) to my patients.
"If you're in the health care field, I think you should have a flu shot," Mercer said, adding, "It's much, much cheaper to give flu shots than to have to close the facility for seven to 10 days for a flu outbreak."