If you haven’t received a coronavirus vaccination, a flyer about the shot may be coming to your house.

At the March meeting, the Wood County Board of Health approved spending $20,000 to pay for the mailers.

The money to pay for the mailing will come from either federal or state dollars, which must specifically be spent on initiatives like this, said Health Commissioner Ben Robison.

“We still have $100,000 to find a home for,” Robison said of state and federal funding.

The vaccine is the best way to fight the coronavirus, he said.

“One of the things that we know is that when someone is up to date with their vaccine, it gives them the best foundation for minimizing the bad effects of COVID should they get sick,” Robison said. “We want to be sure that everybody has the chance to be reached, and this is one way to ensure we are directly engaging everybody, regardless of where they are.”

He added that $17,000 of local money, total, has been spent on COVID response since September 2020 when he joined the health department.

After the meeting, Robison said that vaccination is the best way to fight coronavirus and the mailer is one way to make sure they are getting the word out to everyone.

Board member Rachel Bowlus voted against the expense.

After the meeting, she said she was concerned about using funds for this. Also, she said that cases are down and most everyone who wants a vaccination has probably received one.

In other COVID business, Robison said that cases continue to drop in Wood County.

The county is in moderate transmission for the first time in many months, Robison said.

He asked board members if they wanted to revisit the mask mandate policy for staff. Obviously, the health center area would still be under a mandate and there are Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations, Robison said.

“I’m asking the board if the board wants us to change where we are,” Robison said.

“The sooner we can get back to normal … the better,” board member Richard Strow said.

Board member Bob Midden said he appreciated the sentiment.

“My only concern would be if case numbers rose …. one way to try to minimize that is for people to wear a face mask,” he said.

The board decided to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, as they evolve.

Also at the meeting, the board:

• Approved a resolution allowing board members to attend remotely, for as long as the law allows. Ohio House Bill 51 allows this option until June.

• Renewed Amy Jones’ appointment as deputy health commissioner.

• Approved spending up to $300 for employee retention activities during public health week in April.