Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners sign CDC-funded avian flu preparedness task order; public questions about notice and scope
Summary
Park County commissioners voted to sign a state-passed, CDC-funded avian influenza preparedness cooperative agreement to pay for drive-through service and equipment; staff said the grant cannot be used to buy vaccines, and some residents raised concerns about public notice and references to One Health/WHO.
Park County commissioners voted Nov. 18 to sign task order 2607-7-11-127-0, a federal/state cooperative agreement funded through CDC allocations to the state for avian influenza preparedness.
Travis, a county health department presenter, told the commission the award is part of the state llocation of a standard public health emergency preparedness grant and is not a county-initiated request. He said the likely uses include restoring a drive-up window at the B Street health office to facilitate distribution of supplies and buying portable refrigerators to support vaccine transport to clinics.
"This grant is part... our standard public health emergency preparedness grant that we have every year," Travis said, explaining the funds come from the CDC to states and then are allocated to counties. He added that the task order "explicitly says funds may not be used to purchase vaccines on this grant."
Several members of the public pressed for more notice and transparency. One commenter said the item had not appeared on the October public health board agenda, and another noted the posted paperwork still carried a previous staff name, raising questions about whether the public had adequate opportunity to review the matter. Some residents referenced "One Health" and the World Health Organization as reasons for concern; those comments were voiced by members of the public during the comment period and were not advanced by staff.
Commissioners emphasized the award is a $10,000 reimbursable grant available to each county and reiterated it is intended for preparedness infrastructure rather than mandates. After discussion and public comment, a commissioner moved to sign the task order and the motion passed.
The county did not identify any planned vaccine purchases from the award; staff said the funds would be used for facility retrofit and cold-storage equipment and that the Board of Health was not the applicant for the award.
