Tuberculosis? Pneumonia? Pertussis? City Blockades Advisory Committee

THE BELOW LETTER is public record, having been posted to the website of the County of Santa Barbara Tuesday April 19, 2011. A copy was forwarded to the staff at the City of Santa Barbara, requesting it be placed on the agenda of the South Coast Homeless Advisory Committee's (SCHAC) May meeting. The staff refused to do so despite a second follow-up request. Just about EVERYBODY IN TOWN knows about this letter - except for the members of the SCHAC! In a naked attempt at coverup, the SCHAC staff now contends that it would be a violation of the Brown Act for your intrepid undersigned, who is on the SCHAC in the capacity of Homeless Advocate, to forward this public document to other members of the SCHAC. I have discussed this with not one, not two, but with three local attorneys and they all seem to concur that I am not the one who needs to be worried.

Below, you will find the copy of the letter which city staff blockaded. I also intend to post a copy on kiosks on state street and at the county building. (If staff won't do it, I won't do it.)

Meanwhile, please let the SCHAC members know that if they STILL don't know about this letter, it should be on their agenda next month, when Chief Deputy Patterson will be bringing his response. Apparently, city staff wants the SCHAC committee members to be the last to know.


THE CENSORED LETTER:

Subject: A-17 11-0037 SB Jails (and Shelters) Must Not Be Vectors of Infectious Disease
To: jgray [at] co.santa-barbara.ca.us, jwolf [at] sbcbos2.org, dfarr [at] countyofsb.org, sbcob [at] co.santa-barbara.ca.us, SupervisorCarbajal [at] sbcbos1.org, slavagnino [at] countyofsb.org
Cc: "SBDPHDisease Prevention" , "South Coast Homeless Advisory Committee"
Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 2:25 AM


GREETINGS:

This letter is to express concern and support for immediate action regarding the recently released 2010 Environmental Health inspection report on infectious disease control in the jails. I am hopeful there can be rapid correction of the as-yet unresolved non-compliance of several Santa Barbara detention facilities with Section 5199 of Title 8, which contains very important requirements for control of Aerosol transmissible disease (ATD) .

If there seems to be a sense of outrage in this letter, it is not directed at Santa Barbara County staffs but rather at the general societal apathy with regard to cough etiquette and other procedures which should be observed not only in jails but in all congregate facilities. These measures protect staff, clientele, visitors and ultimately the whole community.

Despite the failure of voters to pass Measure S, we must assure that our Sheriff's Department has the resources to assure that tuberculosis, pneumonia or pertussis is never the outcome of time in jail for custody deputies, civilian jail staff, visitors or inmates.

I hope and trust that the non-compliance is probably just a more or less normal lag time in updating to new standards or the result of budget constraints. If the latter, please take this letter as evidence that there is public support for nipping in the bud any potential disease outbreak which could end up costing taxpayers much more in the long run. I supported Measure S in part so that state of the art infection control practices could be in place in our jails, including wiring for rapid installation of UV if there is ever a serious outbreak of AID (airborne Infectious disease).

For the benefit of all Santa Barbarans - including correctional officers, people being held in jail, and people who may come into contact with people being released from jail - it is essential to bring our facilities up to state code with all due haste.


What is going on locally with regard to airborne disease vectors? Santa Barbara County has an unusually competent corp of public servants in both county government and in the public service agencies such as Casa Esperanza. During the election season last year I visited San Luis Obispo County and took notice that they lag behind Santa Barbara in terms of indoor air quality management and infectious disease containment at homeless shelters. I provided several written complaints to the non-profit CAPSLO agency and the SLO Public Health Department with regard to what I regarded as their deficient policies for prevention of indoor air contamination. There was some progress, but generally my concerns were NOT addressed in time and thereafter a very nasty little epidemic swept through involving at least one confirmed pneumonia hospitalization and what were undoubtedly other cases.

Unfortunately, the results of the Santa Barbara Health Department summary indicate in only general terms that there is a compliance problem at several jail facilities with regard to indoor air safety. The summary posted on the Board of Supervisors website does not state what the gaps are and as such it is not immediately possible for the public,perhaps evenincluding the DSA to ascertain the specific deficits, pending release of the full report. From even the most cursory glance at the statute, one can surmise that presumably we need a biological safety officer to design a plan to include provision of airborne infection isolation room or area (AIIR). That is defined as "a room, area, booth, tent, or other enclosure that is maintained at negative pressure to adjacent areas in order to control the spread of ... airborne infectious pathogens." Due to jail overcrowding, it is pretty obvious that is what the deficit might be and thus solution of the problem brings us right back to the need for revenue enhancements. If we wait, we are gambling with the community's resilience in the face of potential incoming vector situations, and we need to plan at minimum for tenting to be available to create the necessary conditions should an outbreak occur at some point in time. This is not brain surgery, nor need it be all that expensive to have a plan if, not when, such a disaster might occur.

One would hope that the health department can provide us with the assurance that the gaps are not severe, that they will be remedied post haste, and that the watchful eye of the Sheriff Deputies Association will double check this situation for the benefit of all. But history shows us that apathy continually rears its ugly head until it is too late and that is why I continue to bring this issue of up before the Board.

Going forward, I in my capacity of citizen advocate expect to bring proposals forward with the intention of promoting indoor and outdoor air quality with respect not only to Air Born Infectious Disease but also with respect to Second Hand Cigarette smoke. Obviously as a lay person I don't make these up but rather research what works in various jurisdictions. What works now would be for the Public Health Department, the Sheriff Deputy Association and the Sheriff's Department to get on their game and push through full implementation of the statutory requirements. If this require moneys, please find them, authorize and appropriate them today.

Thank you for indulging my brief comment on this complex and potentially life-saving area of concern, indoor air quality at the jail, which ultimately affects us all.

Sincerely,


Geof Bard
Public Health Advocate
Founder, California Houseless Information Team/
Crisis Housing Information Team