The Jones County Board of Health continues to look at budget cuts from the state but so far remains on track in delivering services to residents.

Chairman Rooster Cogburn first addressed the new hours for the health department at the Dec. 3 meeting. The department went to a four-day workweek in October. No negative feedback has been received about the change in hours, and clients have increased.

Office manager Linda Harrell said the comments she has heard were positive, that the extended 10-hour days make health care more accessible.

Environmental Specialist Floyd Comer said the department has received 92 less septic permits than last year, and he attributes the slowdown to fewer new homes being built in the county. He said the department also received 24 fewer well permits than last year.

Cogburn asked Comer to report on the health department’s participation in the water main break Nov. 9. Comer stated that the City of Gray had a substantial loss in water pressure that Sunday morning.

When the problem was reported to Comer, he contacted Board of Health members and started preparing instruction letters to the restaurants involved. He said all the restaurants showed some positive pressure, and Subway was the only one to lose water pressure altogether.

Comer said when he arrived at Subway, the restaurant was already using canned drinks and bottled water.

“I got a call from Freddie (Wiggins, Jones County Water Superintendent) after the leak was located. After that discussion I decided because of the location of the leak, it would be more of a problem to the schools,” he said.

Comer said it was determined not to cook with water at the schools and not to allow use of the water fountains.

School Superintendent Jim LeBrun, also a Board of Health member, was called by Comer. He said the water fountains were shut down and the lunches served did not need water for preparation.

LeBrun commented that it must have been a ‘slow news week’ because channel 13 WMAZ spent three days at the schools.

Comer said he talked to the facility director, Earl Colvin, about disinfecting the water systems of the schools.

The question of the warning issued to Gray water customers to boil water was discussed, and neither Comer nor any of the board members know who authorized the warning.

The specialist said water samples proved safe to drink, but he prepared emergency procedures and distributed them to restaurants in the case of future water pressure problems.

“The main result of this situation is that we gave restaurants emergency procedures they will incorporate into their operating procedures,” Comer said. “We also included steps if they lose electrical power.”

Dr. David Harvey, director of the North Central Health District, which includes Jones County, said from his viewpoint Comer did a good job during the water crisis.

Comer talked about SB 463, which was passed during the 2008 legislative session allowing ‘hand watering’ of gray water. Gray water has nothing to do with the City of Gray but is a term to describe water discharged from lavatories, bathtubs, showers, clothes washers, and laundry trays.

The water can be used for flowers and lawns but not for food plants. Comer emphasized that the water may only be applied by hand using garden watering cans or similar hand-held containers.

“My input is that we are required to adopt it, but I don’t how we will regulate it,” he said.

Goldie Hicks reported that the health department gave 1,161 flu shots, including children at seven schools and four day cares. She also reported that the health department participated in a health fair for Keisha Pitts by testing blood sugar.

Hicks said a site has been selected for dispensing medication in the case of a pandemic flu epidemic and it has been inspected. She said officials at the county’s two nursing homes decided to disperse their own medications.

Harrell reported that health department revenues were good despite a $30,000 cut from the state. Harvey explained that the cut was supposed to be 6 percent but in actuality was 15 percent of Jones County’s budget. He said the state dropped this year’s pay raise for employees and salaries for unfilled vacancies before taking their 6 percent.

“We have no idea what will happen next year. Several health departments are furloughing staff to help make up the shortfall,” Harvey said. “The next 3 percent cut will come straight from the counties.”

Harrell said the Jones County staff is looking into ways of bringing revenue into the department, and Harvey said he has hope the new administration in Washington will be more favorable to health departments.

“The legislature will be meeting in January, so we should know soon what these cuts are going to do to us,” he said.