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Health Department details shelter upgrades, norovirus response and behavioral-health staffing, Rinkowski says
Summary
Jennifer Rinkowski, with the Flathead County Health Department, told commissioners the animal shelter has a vet tech five days a week and two veterinarians on Tuesdays and Fridays, the department is buying a generator and coordinating a new well pump with SIP funds, and behavioral-health staffing is expanding to support co-responder work.
Jennifer Rinkowski, with the Flathead County Health Department, gave the board her bimonthly update, listing recent shelter improvements, communicable-disease activity and steps to expand behavioral-health services.
Rinkowski said the county-approved veterinarian contract places vets at the shelter on Tuesdays and Fridays and that a vet tech is now on site five days a week to triage cases, divert animals for outside care and reduce staff burnout. "We do have the vet tech there now," she said, adding the arrangement has been "a huge help." She thanked the commissioners for approving the vet contract.
The department also addressed infrastructure risks exposed by a recent wind event. Rinkowski described earlier tree removal that likely prevented severe damage to the shelter's electrical service and said the county plans to install a backup generator and replace a failing well pump using SIP funds. "If that tree had come down, it probably would have cut the shelter right in," she said, and noted staff relied on buckets to provide water during a 24-hour outage while avoiding a parvovirus outbreak.
On communicable disease, Rinkowski reported repeated norovirus outbreaks in schools and some health-care settings and said the department is working with affected facilities on prevention and mitigation. She said environmental health is fully staffed but added two sanitarians are currently in training; typical certification and training takes about six months to a year.
Rinkowski also updated the board on behavioral-health programs. She said the OENDP (overdose education and naloxone distribution program) will move under Behavioral Health and that the department is interviewing for licensed clinical social workers to staff the co-responder program and related patient-support roles. "Our idea is to have three licensed clinical social workers for the co-responder program, the OENDP, and then also another patient support person," she said, and added the hires are expected within about three months.
Commissioners asked about public feedback on recent rule changes and a gravity-fed option under consideration; Rinkowski said four written comments had been received and that the department will upload meeting audio/video and written comments for public review. The board did not take any formal action on the department briefing at this meeting.
