League of Women Voters | SJC Board of Health January 21, 2026

The Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) began a second round for its CEO search and will hold a board retreat next week. They are seeking Medicaid data from the state. The Orcas Public Hospital district got an ACH grant to create a health partners network; the county plans to use the network in developing the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The Board of Health will have future updates on the CHIP, behavioral health, legislative developments, and insurance access.

The North Sound Behavioral Health Organization will issue an RFP for a pilot program in the county for mental health professionals to accompany sheriff’s office staff on calls with mental health issues. The Northwest Regional Council is concerned about state funding for home health care and wants board members to advocate for funding. The board elected Jane Fuller as the new chair and Kyle Davies as the vice chair.

The board approved a letter of support to the West Coast Alliance of western states maintaining vaccine recommendations based on science as the national CDC changed its recommendations to ones not supported by the AMA, and AA of Pediatrics. The letter will be shared with other counties and noted in the press release about the regional and state vaccine recommendations.

The Community and Health Services director reviewed the core set of Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) provided under state law, including among others communicable disease control, environmental health, emergency planning, chronic disease and injury prevention and may maternal child and family health. State funding was cut modestly for 2025, but significantly larger possible cuts are slated for 2026-27, including a diversion of vaping tax revenue to other programs.  The board approved a resolution asking the legislature to reconfirm that FPHS are essential and to support a legislative fix for the vaping revenue.

Kristen Rezabek provided an update on the Lopez Food Center project which got $2 million block grant from the state and is now in the permitting process. She reviewed the oral health program which held 112 clinics in 2025 serving 573 patients and providing $774k in services, as well as screening children and sealing teeth at schools. They have got grants for the project in 2026, including from Peace Health, with 118 clinics scheduled. The board approved a letter advocating Medicaid coverage of oral health services. She reviewed the wide variety of food access and education programs for low-income residents, seniors, mothers and children that had been funded by a USDA program that is now ended. The county has secured $105k of local grant funding to support these programs in 2026

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