Tracy S. Gruber

The meeting agenda focused on several key items for review and discussion. Grant reviews included an Executive Committee Review for a State Public Health Approaches to Addressing Arthritis grant for the 2026-2027 funding period, requiring review due to strategies involving Arthritis Appropriate Evidence-Based Interventions (AAEBIs) and counseling. Other grant reviews necessitating committee action included the CDC-RFA-DP20-2001: National and State Tobacco Control Program extension, a High-Impact HIV Prevention and Surveillance Programs for Health Departments continuation grant, and discussion of Exempt Grants such as Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality. Rule reviews included proposed amendments to R392-302 Public Pool Design, Construction and Operation, standardizing regulations for Spas, and amendments to R392-101 Food Safety Manager Certification, aligning with legislative changes regarding CFSM course renewal periods. Additional items for discussion included potential continuation grants for Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Advancing Violence Epidemiology in Real-Time (AVERT), Utah Violent Death Reporting System, Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, Modernizing Environmental Public Health Tracking, and Overdose Data to Action in Utah.

The committee reviewed and recommended Governance approval for the Integrated Viral Hepatitis Surveillance and Prevention Supplemental grant application, despite an anticipated one-year extension of the associated cooperative agreement due to a federal government shutdown. Approval was also recommended for the Birth Defects Surveillance Grant, which aims to transition the Utah Birth Defects Network (UBDN) to the EpiTrax database. Key discussions included the approval of Geography Standards, which were previously approved by the Public Health Coordination Executive Committee, and an update to the Governance Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding designating grants as exempt. The committee confirmed the exempt status of several recently submitted grants.

The committee meeting agenda included the review and recommendation for approval of the Integrated Viral Hepatitis Surveillance and Prevention Supplemental grant application for the funding period of 5/1/26-4/30/27, totaling $457,299, with a focus on impacting acute hepatitis in the corrections population. The committee also reviewed the Birth Defects Surveillance Grant application, which aims to integrate the Utah Birth Defects Network (UBDN) away from MS Access to EpiTrax, an electronic disease surveillance database. Additionally, the committee considered the designation of several grants as 'Exempt,' including the Small Hospital Improvement Program, Year 5 Statewide Perinatal Quality Collaborative, Improving Adolescent Health and Well-Being Through School-Based Surveillance and the What Works in Schools Program, and the State Office of Rural Health (SORH) Program 2026 Competitive Application.

The meeting included discussions and unanimous approvals regarding several administrative and regulatory items. Key discussions involved the review and recommendation for approval of the updated Injury Reporting Rule (R386-703), which included changes to Blood Lead action levels and medical record access permissions. The committee also reviewed the Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial and Tribal Organizations grant application, recommending approval for the continuation funding request. Furthermore, the committee approved moving forward with the five-year review of the Food Service Sanitation in Child Care and Residential Care Facilities rule (R392-110), and approved the Community Health Worker Certification rule (R380-350). Other agenda items included confirming the exempt designation for recently submitted grants and seeking approval to move forward with an RFP for USIIS Automated Testing Capacity Expansion Using Playwright.

The meeting included a review of rules and a discussion of agenda items. A key topic was the grant titled "Strengthening STD Prevention and Control for Health Departments (STD PCHD)" for the funding period 3/1/26-2/28/27, totaling $680,935, with an application due date of 1/15/2026. The committee recommended approval of this continuation application, which is the eighth year of a five-year grant cycle, also referred to as a "Bridge Cost Extension" by the CDC. Additionally, there was a discussion regarding a potential grant from the Intermountain Community Care Foundation for the CHARM Program, requesting up to $300,000 over three years, focusing on child and family mental well-being, with an application due date of 3/1/2026. The committee decided to move all future governance meetings to the following Tuesday if a scheduled Monday meeting conflicts with a holiday, noting the next meeting is rescheduled to January 20th, 2026.