Board of Health — Skokie, IL
Date: 2014-12-11

Skokie Board of Health
 December 11, 2014
 7:30 p.m.
 AGENDA
 U




 MEETING LOCATION: VILLAGE HALL ANNEX

 I. Call to Order

 II. Approval of Minutes

 III. Swapna Dave, MPH, PMP, MBBS
 Research Project Manager
 Department of General Internal medicine
 Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine


 IV. Chair’s Report


 V. Personal Statements


 VI. Director’s Monthly Report


 VII. Community Health Plan Initiatives Updates


 VIII. New Items of Business


 IX. Adjournment/Next Meeting:

 Thursday, January 8, 2014

 Muhammad W. Paracha, MD., MPH.
 Clinic Director
 Asian Human Services Family Health Center

 7:30 p.m.
 Skokie Public Library
 nd
 2 Floor Business Center
452820 v.6

Skokie Board of Health
 December 11th, 2014


Present Excused Absent
Dr. Drachler Dr. Prince Dr. Gaynes Mr. Abbasi
Ms. Jones Thorne Dr. Sood Mr. Nidetz Dr. Polin
Ms. Langguth Dr. Topouzian Dr. Usman
Dr. Luka Ms. Urbanus
Ms. Nikitsch Dugan Ms. Varma
Mr. Pandya Dr. Williams


Guest
Swapna Dave, Research Project Manager, Northwestern University Medicine

Dr. Counard, Director of Health
David Clough, Staff


Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m. by Dr. Drachler, Chairman.

A moment of silence was held for Dr. William Plotkin, a long standing Board of Health Member who
recently passed away.


Approval of Minutes –The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.


Swapna Dave, Research Project Manager, Northwestern University Medicine (presentation attached)
Dr. Dave has lived in Skokie for the past 12 years since her arrival in the U.S. She was a physician in
India and pursued a Master’s in Public Health at UIC after coming to America. Public Health, education,
and disease prevention are her passions. She now works at Northwestern University Medicine doing
research on community health interventions to improve the health of the South Asian Community.

South Asians are defined as people from India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. There
are 3.4 million South Asians in the U.S. and they are the second fastest growing ethnic minority. South
Asians are at high risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians living in America (MASALA) Study
This study is the first longitudinal cohort study for South Asians and was conducted in collaboration
between Northwestern University and University of California at San Francisco. It is an NIH funded
study and new funds have been received to research the social networks of the study participants. The
purpose of the study is to understand the risk factors that lead to South Asians suffering from high rates of
heart disease.

Between October 2010 and March 2013 a total of 906 healthy South Asian men and women were
recruited to receive a battery of medical tests to assess risk factors. The risk factors for heart disease in
South Asians include abnormal cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, poor diet, and stress. For South
Asians, the Body Mass Index cut off for obesity is 23 as opposed to 25 for the rest of the U.S. population.
This is due to their increased concentration of abdominal fat at lower body weights. The MASALA study
found 75% of participants to be obese and 50% of men to have multiple cardiovascular risk factors.
Compared to other racial/ethnic groups South Asians had the highest prevalence of diabetes and second
highest prevalence of high blood pressure.

The MASALA study is currently in the phone and electronic follow up phase with follow up clinical
visits planned for 2015. The participants from this study will be eligible to participate in a second study
to understand Social Networks of South Asians.

South Asian Heart Lifestyle Intervention (SAHELI) Study
The SAHELI study was done in collaboration with the Metropolitan Asian Family Services community
center on Devon Avenue. The majority of residents and business owners on Devon Avenue are recent
immigrants from India and Pakistan. This was a randomized control trial where half of the participants
received classes on diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle. Educational activities included teaching them
about whole grains and how to read nutrition labels. Hands on activities such as making healthy plates
with food models and a healthy salad competition were utilized. The intervention group lost a significant
amount of weight and their hemoglobin A1C levels also went down. The participants greatly enjoyed the
intervention and found the activities helpful in developing and maintaining healthier habits. Follow up
funding from NIH has been received for another intervention study for South Asian women and their
children.

Town Hall in Skokie
The Northwestern University Medicine research team on South Asian Health and the Skokie Health
Department will be conducting a Town Hall Meeting at the Skokie Public Library on January 24th, 2015
from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The intent of the meeting is to gather information about health concerns in
the community through a facilitated discussion, rather than provide education or materials. Ms. Dave
distributed draft fliers and the proposed questions for the facilitated discussion, requesting feedback from
the Board of Health.

Dr. Williams commented that the flier seemed more focused on the medical side and less on lifestyle
interventions. He proposed making the flier more positive and fun to attract participants by focusing on
the improvement of their lives instead of the higher risks they face.

Dr. Drachler asked if bad eating habits originated in the South Asian countries of origin or in the U.S.
Dr. Dave reported that the foods were basically the same, meaning often not healthy, but people tended to
be more active in their countries of origin. She also reported that some recent immigrants eat more of
their traditional foods after coming to the U.S. because it is a reminder of home.

Dr. Topouzian pointed out that many of the South Asian foods look incredibly healthy due to the high
vegetable content and moderate use of meat. Dr. Dave pointed out that there are many vegetables but
very few raw vegetables and a lot of fried items.

Ms. Jones Thorne pointed out that many of the questions seemed to steer towards medical interventions
that would be provided to them instead of lifestyle interventions they could enact themselves. She
recommended some of the questions be reworded to focus on lifestyle interventions.

Dr. Counard suggested that we train the facilitators to focus on these types of interventions during the
discussion.

Dr. Sood suggested advertising at the high schools to get youth involved. It was mentioned that including
minors in the meeting would be problematic as parental consent would be needed.
Dr. Dave asked about other potential places to display fliers. Pharmacies and grocery stores that sell
South Asian foods were suggested.

Mr. Pandya suggested that sedentary activities are the primary lifestyle issue that increases risk of heart
disease. Ms. Dave agreed that there is a lack of awareness that exercise is preventative.

Ms. Jones Thorne suggested distributing the fliers online via private Facebook groups or other online
communities. This would be an especially effective way to reach youth.

Dr. Drachler thanked Ms. Dave for her presentation and invited her to stay for the remainder of the
meeting.


Chair’s Report
Dr. Drachler reported on the Village of Skokie Community Forum he attended on November 2nd. The
forum was designed to obtain input from residents and other interested parties for programs, services and
priorities to help guide development of a five year plan for the Village. More than 100 people
participated. The forum was a positive experience and reaffirmed that Board of Health priorities align
closely with the priorities of the community, especially in the area of creating a healthy environment. He
also mentioned that a focus on mental health was suggested and studies of South Asian mental health
might be beneficial to Dr. Dave’s future research.


Personal Statements
No new personal statements.


Director’s Monthly Report highlights – a copy is attached

 Preparations for South Asian Town Hall Meeting
 Physicians from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in collaboration with the
 Skokie Board of Health and Health Department, are sponsoring a town hall meeting focused on health
 issues unique to the South Asian community. The meeting will be 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on
 Saturday, January 24 at the Skokie Public Library. A suggestion for the 2017 Community Health
 Plan is to focus more on health disparities, and we are beginning that process!

 Community Health Plan presentation at Evanston Public Library
 Dr. Counard joined a panel discussion held at the Evanston Public Library, which focused on the
 collaboration between Evanston, Skokie and Erie Family Health Center to bring healthcare resources
 to people in our area.

 Working to draft a comprehensive environmental plan for the Village
 The Skokie Health Department is the only health department in northern Illinois that included “a
 healthy environment” as a community health plan priority. As a result, the environmental faculty and
 students at the UIC School of Public Health invited Dr. Counard to speak about the plan. At the
 conclusion of the presentation, she was very pleased that the faculty offered to assist with drafting an
 environmental health plan for the Village, which is a major goal of the Skokie Community 2012
 Health Plan. More to come on this important initiative!
Community Health Plan

 Access to Healthcare
 Dr. Counard reported that Asian Human Services would be speaking at the Board of Health Meeting
 in January. Dr. Drachler mentioned that he is seeing patients from Erie Family Health Center for
 labor and delivery on a regular basis. Dr. Counard announced that as of fall 2015 both high schools
 are expected to have school based health centers staffed by healthcare providers from Heartland
 Alliance.

 Obesity Prevention
 Dr. Drachler distributed articles on obesity and false marketing of sugary drinks to youth. Dr.
 Counard reported that Dr. Leslie Cordes, a pediatrician from Lurie Children’s Hospital who is getting
 a Master of Public Health, will be joining the Department as an Epidemiology intern in January, and
 will assist with developing a comprehensive plan to address childhood obesity in Skokie youth.

 Tobacco Use Prevention
 Dr. Counard reported that we would meet with Corporation Counsel Mr. Michael Lorge on Monday
 (December 15) to discuss language for proposed legislation to regulate indoor use of electronic
 cigarettes and to raise the age to sell, purchase or possess tobacco products to 21 years of age.

 Healthy Environment
 Dr. Williams reported on the One Health Initiative and how integral environmental health is. The
 initiative focuses on multiple disciplines including human, animal and environmental health.


Old Business
Dr. Drachler mentioned that in the Community Forum someone brought up the issue of raising backyard
chickens. Dr. Counard stated that she and Mr. Bruce Jones, Environmental Health Supervisor, are
working on a memo regarding the problems with keeping chickens in an urban environment.


New Business
No new business.


Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m.




 REMINDER: THE JANUARY 8TH MEETING WILL BE HELD
 AT THE LIBRARY!!!