Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Policies And Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board of Health approves communicable‑disease, vital‑signs, milk‑depot and naloxone policies
Summary
The Appleton City Board of Health unanimously approved updated communicable‑disease and vital‑signs policies, adopted a new milk‑depot partnership with the Mother's Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes, and launched a naloxone distribution and overdose education program.
The Board of Health approved a package of policy updates and two new public‑health programs during its meeting.
Deputy Director Sonya Janssen summarized the principal changes and new programs, telling the board the communicable‑disease reporting and investigation policy “covers disease reporting, investigation and follow‑up, and also talks about the roles of nursing intake” and standardizes how staff connect the public with resources and health education. The board approved that policy by voice vote.
Janssen also presented a brief policy standardizing measurement of client vital signs by public‑health nurses, saying the policy requires measurement “in accordance with professional training, education, and licensure.” That policy passed on a voice vote.
The board approved a new milk‑depot policy to serve as a collection point for the Mother's Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. Janssen said staff will collect milk from preapproved donors, store donations in department freezers and arrange pickup to support vulnerable infants locally and across Wisconsin. “We collect quite a bit of milk,” she said, though the meeting record did not include a total volume.
Separately, the board approved a new overdose education and naloxone distribution policy and procedure. Janssen described the program as a cross‑cutting harm‑reduction effort, coordinated with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, designed to prevent overdose deaths through education and distribution of naloxone (Narcan).
All approvals were taken by voice vote and recorded as passing without objection. The board asked staff to provide additional implementation details as needed and to return with any required follow‑up reporting.
Details: The communicable‑disease policy and the nursing procedures were presented as part of the department’s annual policy review; staff said the changes are mostly formatting/clarifying edits (tracked changes and legal approval timing). The milk‑depot policy was described as new and operational: staff will serve as the depot, accept donations from preapproved donors and store them until pickup by the milk bank.
The meeting record did not list recorded roll‑call tallies or names for each “aye” vote, only unanimous voice approval for the motions. Specific implementation dates and program metrics (for example, total ounces collected at the milk depot) were not specified and will be provided by staff at a future meeting.
Next steps: Staff will proceed with program implementation and follow any reporting or legal approval requirements described in the policies presented to the board.
