The annual Local Board of Health meeting was held Monday night at the Clinton County Health Department with a vast majority of board members on hand, as well as Shawn Crabtree, Chairman of the Lake Cumberland District Board of Health, who opened the meeting with a brief overview of the past calendar year projects.

Crabtree, in noting the budget, also said the local health department was beginning the year with an $11,409 surplus and also reviewed the most recent audit report, which was a “clean” report and approved by the board.

Shannon Graham then gave a brief health education report, noting the key areas of concern among local and Kentucky residents were primarily in the area of smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and teen birth rate.

The latter was down locally compared to state averages, but locally and statewide, the number of persons who smoke or who are obese, including childhood obesity, continues to be a problem.

Graham also reported that over 300 local residents had taken part in a Community Health Assessment, with the four areas of primary concern among those surveyed being diabetes, cancer and substance abuse.

The board also heard an update from Crabtree on the Harm Reduction/Syringe Exchange program.

Crabtree updated the board on statistics from the program in the four counties that have the syringe exchange, Russell, Pulaski, Adair and McCreary counties, also noting that statistics and information about the program can be accessed on the LCDHD’s web page.

When questioned, Crabtree stated there had been no “major incidents” reported at any of the syringe exchange locations and noted the proposal to begin a program would be presented to local city and county government, including at the March 15 meeting of Clinton County Fiscal Court.

The board also voted to keep the 2018 tax rate for the health department, on a motion by judge/executive Richard Armstrong, at .0.035 and approve the 2018-19 year budget in the amount of just under $234,000.

The total budget will also include approximately $30,000 for new flooring to replace the carpet in the health department facility and the use of $10,000 in community mini-grant funds to be used by an organization on something related to public health.

The board more or less opted to use the mini-grant funds, if possible, to do work at Mountain View Park.

The board also voted to re-elect its current officers, Dr. Wm. C. Powell as Chairman; Jake Staton, Treasurer; Dr. Carol Denney, Co-Chairperson and Crabtree as Secretary.

The two district members, judge Armstrong and Staton were also reinstated.

Before the just over one-hour long session adjourned, Crabtree discussed the ongoing state budget woes, primarily the state retirement system, noting under current proposals by the governor, the health district would pay from .50 cents to around .80 cents per employee’s pension plan.

He added that after discussions with state officials, he wasn’t too optimistic and urged all board members to contact their legislators prior to a budget being passed.

Crabtree estimated a percentage of up to a third of employees may have to be laid off, or the health department restructured in some way if the state cut $2.2 million annually to fund the failing retirement system.