During its regular board meeting, the Board of Health will hold the second reading and public hearing for the draft pharmaceutical stewardship ordinance. The meeting will be from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The meeting will be held in the District’s Auditorium located at 3020 Rucker Ave, Everett, Wash.

The Board of Health previously requested feedback on pharmaceutical stewardship policy options during a public comment process from March 25-April 15. Comments received were shared with the ad hoc committee for consideration when drafting the ordinance. The first reading and public hearing was held on May 10, 2016. Following the second reading and public hearing on Tuesday, the Board is expected to vote on the proposed ordinance.

Staff will also be requesting the Board to approve a resolution urging Snohomish County, as well as all cities and towns, to contribute $2.00 per resident annually to the Snohomish Health District. Due to compounded cuts in funding over the last decade, the District currently ranks 34th out of 35 local health jurisdictions in the state in terms of per capita spending on public health. Without additional funding, the District will face laying off staff in 2017 and beyond. Local investments toward public health are not enough to solve the whole problem, but would make a significant impact.