The Washington County Board of Health recently adopted a new policy for public health visitors and patients.

Public Health Director Emily Tokheim presented a written notice at the most recent board of health meeting that states public health and home care staff do not consent to being video recorded or photographed, and that such actions are not allowed during a visit or appointment, “We have parents coming in with their children and they’re maybe FaceTime-ing or they’re recording their children getting vaccinated during clinic times. And that just leads to a lot of stress and anxiety for the nurses and a lot of pressure where they can’t focus on the patient at hand.”

Tokheim shared that one of the staff approached her with the idea after seeing a similar policy at a different clinic. The notice is posted in the clinic waiting area. Washington County Public Health has several Vaccines for Children clinics scheduled for the next couple months. More information is included here.