Allegheny County Board of Health members yesterday voted to direct the board's policy committee to review its needle exchange policy in light of County Council suggestions and present any proposed revisions at its next meeting in October.

Policy regarding notifying family members of hospitalizations of jail inmates is under review as well.

Dana Phillips, head of Allegheny Correctional Health Services, which oversees health care at the Allegheny County Jail, said the county prison board will review its policy today. She explained there are conflicting interests of security and compassion when an inmate is moved from the jail for medical care. The county's policy may be revised as well.

A conflict came to light recently when family members of George Kevin Hooper, 30, learned days later that he had been hospitalized after suffering severe head injuries in an Aug. 9 altercation at the jail.

The county's air quality rules may also be revised to agree with recent changes in state regulations governing new sources of emissions.

In other business, the board approved fee increases for some vaccines, most affecting adult patients, including hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis, pneumonia, chicken pox, yellow fever, injectable typhoid and rabies.

The board also adopted a new immunization schedule for schoolchildren, streamlining the requirements to apply to all children entering kindergarten through 12th grade. New is a requirement for meningitis and tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis vaccines for grades seven to 12.