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Public health officials seek CDC EIS officer, detail HIV cluster and opioid-funds outreach
Summary
Bangor Public Health and Community Services reported a 14‑case HIV cluster linked in part to a local encampment, sought committee support to apply for a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer, and said the city will pursue broad community input for opioid settlement spending.
Jen Gunnerman, director of Bangor Public Health and Community Services, told the Government Operations Committee the department is leading a coordinated response to a local HIV cluster and is asking the committee for a thumbs‑up to apply for a federal CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer to be placed in the community.
Gunnerman said the cluster has 14 cases associated with a common exposure linked to a local encampment. She said outreach and partner organizations are working on testing, treatment linkage and case conferencing, and that providers agreed to a shared consent form to improve coordination among entities serving people in the cluster.
Gunnerman described several gaps where CDC assistance would help, including designing an evidence‑based outreach and testing strategy. She said an EIS officer would typically be a highly trained epidemiologist placed for two years by the CDC at no direct hiring cost to the city; local supervisors would provide oversight. The committee provided a motion of support — a member said “I'll absolutely make that motion” — and a committee member seconded it.
On opioid settlement funds, Gunnerman said the department plans to step back and solicit broader community input before finalizing spending recommendations. She said external evaluators and community partners urged more community engagement to ensure one‑time settlement dollars produce meaningful, locally supported investments.
Gunnerman also described other public‑health priorities: completion of a community health improvement plan, workforce surveys to inform training, a planned mosquito‑borne disease education toolkit, and continuing concerns about linkage to HIV medical case management for some people in the cluster.
Ending: The committee signaled support for Gunnerman to submit the EIS officer application when the federal portal opened; Gunnerman said the application window is short (about three to four weeks). She and the committee emphasized the need to use opioid settlement funds with extensive community input and to keep partners coordinated on testing and case management for the HIV cluster.
