LISBON - Columbiana County Health Board members heard Wednesday how the district's cancer detection clinic saved lives -directly from some women whose lives were saved.

"If you did not have that, I would not be here tonight," cancer survivor Rosa Cress said.

Cress was one of several women who attended the meeting and offered their thanks to the board for the early detection they received. As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, nursing director Barb Knee presented the speakers with a pink bag of goodies, courtesy of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grant fund.

A .2-mill, 10-year replacement levy for the continuation of the cancer detection clinic is on the ballot Tuesday.

"We definitely need this in the county," Mary Helen Riley said after talking about her uterine cancer diagnosis.

Ellie Kornbau, an 11-year survivor, said she owed her life to the clinic and she was grateful. Cathryn Fink talked about how she was blessed and fortunate because of the care she received at the clinic and the follow-up, too, to make sure she made an appointment with a doctor after her pap test showed abnormal results. Pat Blakely, a recent breast cancer survivor, also credited the clinic personnel.

Even one survivor who didn't use the services talked about their importance to people who don't have the insurance coverage that she has.

Denise Ward, a Salem resident and a teacher at United High School, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2004 after a mammogram. She said there are many people who don't get a mammogram done because they can't afford it.

"Early detection saves everyone money in the long run, not to mention the lives it saves," she said.

She recently hosted a five-year cancer-free Think Pink party on Oct. 15 and raised nearly $4,700 she donated to the mammogram program at the county health department. The money will cover the cost of 51 mammograms.

"I really am hoping the county supports this levy," she said.

If approved, the tax levy will replace the current .2-mill levy being collected for the cancer clinic and generate an estimated $238,500 per year since it will be based on today's home values instead of the values from 10 years ago.

The replacement will mean a slight increase for taxpayers. According to a levy analysis by the county Auditor's Office, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay an additional $1.45 per year on top of what they're already paying for the levy. The total cost would be $6.13 per year for the owner of a $100,000 home.

"This is the best tax investment I have seen in the United States," board chairman Dr. Jack Amato said, noting the minimal cost per household and the return received.

He also pointed out they're trying to help men, also, with prostate cancer screenings, and with skin cancer screenings and colorectal screenings for both men and women. With the economy, he said more people have no health insurance, making the clinics and screenings that much more important.

In other matters, in response to the need for more help due to vaccination clinics for both seasonal flu and H1N1, the board agreed to create a temporary nursing position. The board hired Carol McGaffic to fill that position from now through Dec. 23 at a rate of $18 per hour. Her salary will be covered by federal funding provided to the health department for the H1N1 pandemic.

The board approved first reading on a proposal to increase food service fees. Health Commissioner Wes Vins said the need for an increase was based on a state-mandated cost analysis. A required public hearing on the fee increases will be held at 9 a.m. Dec. 1 at the health department on state Route 45.

The amount of fee depends on the size of the facility, whether it's a commercial business and the type of food service provided. Proposed increases ranged anywhere from $1 to $125, depending on the type of food service facility.

The board also reduced the amount of estimated revenue for a few funds since income hasn't kept up with the estimates made when the budget was prepared. The reductions included $40,000 in the Help Me Grow program which lost state funding, resulting in the layoff of one employee; $30,000 in the sewage fund, which was down because less permits have been issued; $13,400 in the food service fund due to a decrease in the number of food establishments in the county; and $600 in the camp/trailer fund.

The board also granted a variance to Carl Black of state Route 14, East Palestine, to have two dwellings on one septic system for the care of an elderly relative. The variance will be checked on an annual basis. A complaint had been filed about the septic system having two dwellings on it, but no nuisance was observed when a dye test was placed in the septic system.

A variance was granted for Pat Kenney, of Richardson Avenue, Negley, to place a new water well within 4 feet of an existing well and 8 feet from the house, which is less distance than normally required. The new well needed to be placed closer to the abandoned well to keep it an acceptable distance from the septic system.