HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-02-03 Board of Health MinutesTown of Reading "RECEIVED
TOWN CLERK
e, Meeting Minutes RFA.DING MA.
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2022 FEB 14 AH 9: 53
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Board of Health
Date: 2022-02-03 Time: 7:00 PM
Building: Location:
Address: Session: Open Session
Purpose: Open Session - Remote Meeting Version: Final
Attendees: Members - Present:
Chair Richard Lopez, Vice Chair Kerry Dunnell, Paula Curren; Associate
Members: Geri Cramer, Kevin Sexton
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Health Director Ade Solarin, Public Health Nurse Shuang Shen, Public Health
Nurse Kristine Harris, Mark Fine - MAPC, Barry Keppard - MAPC, Pat Maloney
- Consultant, Carlo Bacci, Carla Nazzaro, Kathy Sumner, Barrett Hodgson,
Narcissa Lyons, Mike Monahan, Bev M
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jacquelyn LaVerde
Topics of Discussion:
This meeting was held remotely via Zoom.
Chair Richard Lopez called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm and reviewed the evening's
agenda.
Review/Approval of Minutes January 6, 2022:
On a motion by Dr. Lopez, and seconded by Ms. Curren, the Board of Health voted
3-0-0 to approve the meeting minutes of January 6, 2022.
Roll call vote: Kerry Dunnell-Yes, Paula Curren -Yes, Richard Lopez -Yes.
MAPC Protect Preliminary Draft:
Mark Fine and Barry Keppard of MAPC were present with Consultant/Subject Matter Expert
Pat Maloney to present the findings of the Health Department assessment. They last visited
the Board in November to share their Initial findings from their review where they conducted
interviews, reviewed data, and reviewed peer communities. Since then, they pulled
together their recommendations to go along with their assessment.
Since MAPC began this work, a fair amount has moved forward. The Health Department
budget has increased over the last few years, a Health Director is now in place, Health has
received Department status and will be moving to office space at the Police Department,
nursing services have expanded, and a social worker position has been added within the
Police Department. This information will be used to make recommendations to meet the
recommendations of the Special Commission and eventually some national standards.
They reviewed many findings including: the organizational staffing structure of the Health
Department and other departments that work closely with Health, contracted services, and
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the Reading population. They also reviewed the Special Commission recommendations
including: Public Health standards, data collection and reporting, foundation of Public Health
Services framework, and recommended staffing and credentials. Based on this, they
presented their foundational health services assessment of Reading and Identified the top
priorities for Town officials.
Following the review, Mr. Fine shared the recommendations including: hire an experienced
sanitarian, hire a dedicated full-time Health experienced administrative staff member,
maximize permitting/complaint software, amend the Town Charter to change the Board of
Health from three voting members to five voting members, create a Public Safety leaders
group, conduct a community needs assessment, seek out regional partnerships, create a
staff development plan, build strong relationships with other health directors in neighboring
towns, provide emergency preparedness and incident command training to Health staff,
encourage staff to join and participate in professional organizations, find ways to engage
with residents, develop an annual community strategy, and provide cultural competency
training for staff.
For next steps, MAPC will draft the final report and submit it to the Board for review and
comment, and come back to visit the Board at the April meeting with the final product for
discussion.
Reaama c auoon upaare:
Mr. Sexton stated that the coalition met last week and proceeded to summarize some
highlights.
The Coalition has spent a lot of time at the High School for Teen Mental Health. A majority
of students were experiencing mental health Issues, or knew someone who was.
The Police Department still does not have a hire for the Clinician position. There is one
promising resume, and they are trying to promote the position.
The Coalition has to pause with William lames College Referral Services for three weeks
beginning on January 31, 2022 because the service Is so inundated with calls. There is
information on the Coalition website to seek out referrals until the service resumes on
February 22, 2022.
Health Department Monthly Report:
Mr. Solarin provided a general overview of Health Department activities from the past
month. There were five complaint investigations, one reinspection, one food plan review,
and one well construction review. Permit renewals are ongoing, the online permit software
Is working, and there are only four outstanding permits, with two applicants expected to
renew by the end of the week. The department Is exploring whether to charge a late fee for
each outstanding permit. If that does not work, then the establishments can come before
the Board to discuss why their health permit should not be revoked.
The new Health Inspector has accepted the position and is scheduled to start Tuesday,
February 22, 2022.
A regional COVID testing site has been secured in collaboration with Andover, Haverhill,
Lynnfield, Methuen, Lawrence, North Reading, North Andover, and Wilmington, at the
Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington. COVID test clinics will run six days a week from 8:30
am to 4:30 pm beginning on February 16th. Residents, businesses, and schools from each
community will be able to use the testing clinics. Further details will be posted on the
website when they are available.
Currently, the Town is 75% fully vaccinated and 50% boosted. The department has ramped
up vaccination efforts in conjunction with Police and Fire. Over the past five weeks, eight
clinics have been conducted. Homebound vaccination clinics started today.
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At their meeting earlier this week, the Select Board voted to allocate $250,000 of ARPA
funds to support Public Health activities. Mr. Solarin and Board members expressed their
gratitude to the Select Board for their support.
Public Health Nurse Kristine Harris provided the latest COVID data per MAVEN reporting:
• Total Cases: 4,444
• Active Cases: 108
• Deaths: 53
• Transferred Cases: 16
• Recovered: 4,267
There are no clusters at the present time. The amount of in -school transmission is
extremely low.
Public Health Nurse Shuang Shen provided additional Health Department updates. Since
December there have been eight COVID vaccine clinics with a total of 305 doses
administered. The first order of at-home test kits was received on January 13th with a total
of 288 boxes with two tests per box. Some tests have been distributed to Town
departments. Residents in need of test kits are encouraged to call or visit Town Hall to
complete a form and pick up a box of test kits.
Ms. Shen also noted upcoming activities with the FEP coalition including: purchasing masks
for regional distribution, hosting an after -action meeting, and holding a drill in the near
future.
Mask Order Review:
Mr. Solarin shared data that compared weekly COVID cases from October to date with the
Board's mask policy. The Board issued its strong recommendation for masks in October. In
the first week of October, there were 29 cases. Cases started to increase in mid-November
with the omicron surge. Cases continued to rise over the holidays, and the Board decided
to Implement a mask mandate on January 6th. Since then, there has been a downward
trend in active cases. Last week saw 98 cases, and this week there are 54 cases so far.
The numbers are going down and it appears that numbers are back down to where they
were when masks were strongly recommended by the Board. MWRA wastewater data also
shows levels nearly back down to before the omicron surge. Dr. Lopez shared the state
data of the 14 -day average daily incidence per 100,000, and noted the dramatic decrease
over the last two weeks. The decision to rescind the mask mandate is difficult because
though the numbers are encouraging, we are not 100% past the surge, and it is unknown if
the new BA2 variant may play a factor. Reading's current numbers are also tracking In line
with the entire state.
Ms. Curren opined that the Board could rescind, but there may be other measures the Board
could take. Ms. Dunnell stated that she is not in favor of rescinding the mask mandate at
this time. Even though the Board was late to implement it, masking is still a preventative
measure, and the surge Is not done. The comparable rate cases per 100,000 is still higher
than in December. We are still in the indoor season, and February school vacation is
approaching. She attributed lack of in -school transmission to the presence of masks not the
absence of disease. Mr. Sexton disagreed and stated the latest data from wastewater is
back to September levels, which even accounts for unreported at-home tests, and if these
levels were acceptable In September, why not now.
There seemed to be a lot of compliance with the mask mandate, but there were still some
complaints received saying individuals were not wearing masks at Market Basket, Stop &
Shop, and Dunkin Donuts. Ms. Cramer stated that even if there is not a mask mandate, the
Board would still have a strong recommendation, and she would like to help people
understand that masks do help If the right mask is worn properly, and the Board needs to
communicate that to the public.
The Board considered and discussed many factors including: transmission in the home due
to exposure outside the home, vaccination rates, public perception of public health decisions
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made and changed, and potential for another variant. Ms. Curren agreed with Ms. Dunnell's
point about a surge following February vacation, and suggested that the Board will better
understand the impacts of vacation by the regularly scheduled meeting on March V.
Following discussion there was not enough support from Board members to rescind the
mask mandate, but agreed to hold a brief meeting on February 17th to review the data
again.
Mr. Sexton asked if anyone had looked at the surrounding towns to see if they have a mask
mandate. Dr. Lopez volunteered to create a spreadsheet for consideration at the next
meeting of the towns contiguous to Reading that shows their trends over the last 60 to 90
days compared to Reading's, and whether or not they have mask mandates.
Simply Fit & Fun- Mask order exemption reauest:
The representatives from Simply Fit & Fun did not appear to present their request. Dr.
Lopez stated that the request can be deferred to the meeting on February 170 If they wish
to pursue their request.
Public Comment:
Narcissa Lyons opined that the mask mandate is ineffective, harmful, against the
Massachusetts Constitution, United States Constitution and Mass General Laws. She then
threatened to file a claim against the Board's surety bonds if they did not vote to rescind the
mandate within the next 48 hours.
Mike Monahan stated that he heard that the Health Inspector was flashing a Board of Health
badge and asked if it was true that he has a metal police badge. Mr. Solarin explained that
the Health Inspector was a third party contractor and was not Issued any type of badge by
the Town. He received a complaint from a resident who said that while she was at Market
Basket, somebody came up to her, flashed a badge in front of her face, stood there for a
few seconds, then ran out. He Investigated and followed up with the contractor, whose
chain of events did not correspond with the complainant's. Mr. Solarin explained to the
contractor that the Town does not condone that behavior, treats residents with dignity and
respect, and would no longer be needing his services.
Next Meeting Aaenda Items: Final Comments:
Dr. Lopez stated that the Board will revisit the COVID data on February 17th.
On a motion by Dr. Lopez, and seconded by Ms. Curren, the Board of Health voted
3-0-0 to adjourn at 9:21 pm.
Roll call vote: Kerry Dunnell-Yes, Paula Curren -Yes, Richard Lopez -Yea.
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