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Public commenter urges county to screen children he says were abused; requester says he has reported case to child welfare
Summary
At the opening public comment period, a member of the public, Ben Zee, addressed the committee with allegations that his children were sexually abused and requested county‑arranged medical screenings; he identified specific people and asked staff he named to follow up. No committee action was taken during the meeting; staff and supervisors noted
During the public comment period, Ben Zee addressed the Health & Hospital Committee, stating that he has been seeking county assistance to obtain medical screenings for his children after alleged abuse. Zee described behavioral and health concerns — including withdrawal, reported drug use and suicidal ideation — and said he has reported the matter to child welfare (he said DFCS) and provided contact information to county staff.
Zee urged county staff and committee members to arrange screenings and cited policies and protocols he said had been signed by county staff. He addressed his remarks to public health and child advocacy staff named during the meeting and requested follow up from specific county staff, saying, “Please, Doctor Sarah Cody, help my children get a screening … Otto Lee, he’s got all my contact information.”
Committee members and staff did not take an action on the public comment during the meeting. The transcript records that Zee said he had made a report to child welfare and asked county staff to follow up; the committee later proceeded to agenda items. The committee and staff discussed mandated reporting pathways and child advocacy resources in later items, but no committee motion regarding the public comment was recorded on the transcript.
Because these are allegations reported by a public commenter, the committee record attributes the statements to Ben Zee; the county’s procedural and legal processes for child protection and mandated reporting were referenced but not altered on the record during this meeting.
