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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-04-07 Board of Health MinutesoN rq Board - Committee Board of Health Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Commission - Council: T�WNEIVED READI%GI, ARA 2622 MAY 23 AM 8: 08 Date: 2022-04-07 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: Public Health Director Ade Solarin, Public Health Nurse Kristine Harris, Health Inspector Jennifer Velazquez, Mark Fine-MAPC, Barry Keppard-MAPC, Pat Maloney -Consultant, Courtney Ryan, Joan 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 7:02 pm. Review/Approval of Minutes March 3. 2022 On a motion by Dr. Lopez, and seconded by Ms. Dunnell, the Board of Health voted 3-0 to approve the meeting minutes of March 3, 2022 as written. Roll call vote: Paula Curren -Yes, Kerry Dunnell-Yes, Richard Lopez -Yes. Presentation of MAPC Report Mark Fine and Barry Keppard of Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and Project Consultant Pat Maloney presented an overview of the final report for the Health Department Assessment. Mr. Fine recapped the priorities including: health leadership and expertise, coordination with other Town departments, assessment for planning and community health, capacity to address environmental health and inspectional work, and meeting recommendations of the Special Commission. Mr. Keppard reviewed the recommendations, which were grouped into four categories. Progress has already been made on Leadership, and an opportunity to amend the Town Charter to expand the Board of Health to five members would create more capacity for members to participate in other activities. For development, he suggested building out the workforce development plan, with licensing and certification as a way to retain local Public Health staff and align with recommendations of the Special Commission. Exploring partnerships and engaging all Health Department staff will enhance Emergency Page 1 1 Preparedness and Incident Command response. It would also be helpful to roll out an annual communication strategy. Though there were a lot of recommendations, they do not all have to be implemented at once. Mr. Fine suggested the five to focus on include: providing the Health Department with full-time health experienced administrative staff, amend the charter to expand the Board to five members, create a workforce development plan for the department, actively seek partner communities for shared service grants, and conduct a community health needs assessment. Mr. Maloney noted that there are excellence grants and ARPA funds available to help fund these endeavors. Board members expressed their thanks to MAPC and the project team for a comprehensive job well done. Body Art Apprenticeship Program Proposal Currently the Town of Reading requires two years of experience to be able to perform body art in Reading. However, the current regulations do not provide the opportunity to gain that experience to become a licensed body art practitioner in Reading. Mr. Solarin stated that he is proposing to amend the current body art regulations to include an apprenticeship program in Reading. The program will consist of two years of training, with no less than 1,800 documented hours, the first 900 of which are to be directly supervised by a licensed body art practitioner. The proposed fee is $250. A draft of the regulations was provided to Board members for review. Mr. Solarin asked members for their comments, so he can share them with Town Counsel, then bring the regulations back to the Board for approval. Staff from Round Table Tattoo and The Fox & Fable joined the meeting to ask clarifying questions regarding the proposed regulations. Food Inspection Protocol & Food Plan Review Protocol Mr. Solarin proposed implementing a Food Inspection Protocol, so food establishments know what to expect, and provide the standards for food inspection. He also proposed a separate Food Plan Review Protocol to address separate issues. The protocols will provide applicants with an understanding of time frames for review. He will also propose some updated fee recommendations and the possibility of having applicants consult with a food safety professional to help fill out applications, and alleviate the burden on staff for reviews. Reading Coalition Update Mr. Sexton shared his regular update from the Reading Coalition for Prevention and Support. The Coalition finally hired the new Mental Health Clinician, Taunya Jarzyniecki, who started this past week. Ms. Jarzyniecki has extensive training with regard to mental health and will be taking over the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program. For the kids' sake, two comfort dogs are joining the Police Department. One has already arrived, and the second one will be arriving in a few weeks. As a follow up to Ms. Dunnell's question at the last meeting, Mr. Sexton stated that Mental Health education for the public is being set up and programming will start In July. He also noted that on April 12th, there will be a webinar for "Healthy Tech Habits for your Teen" hosted by Families for Depression Awareness. Health Department Monthly Report Mr. Solarin provided updates on the current Health Department activities. In March, the Department conducted: 4 foodborne illness complaint inspections; 1 foodborne illness complaint reinspection; 1 temporary food event review; 1 food establishment closing review; 8 housing complaint inspections; 2 housing complaint reinspections; Page 1 2 1 noise complaint; and 1 rodent complaint. Trends in COVID-19 wastewater data are slowly increasing in Massachusetts. A second COVID booster has been approved for individuals aged 50 and over and the immunocompromised. Antibodies and oral antiviral treatments are now widely available, though they can only be prescribed in the first five days of a positive test. Mr. Solarin noted that the treatment is not a substitute for vaccination and encouraged residents to get vaccinated. Highlights from the Health Department 2021 Annual Report include: 392 permits Issued and administered, 372 residential vaccinations combined for COVID and flu, 7 animal permits issued, 2 body art permits, and 3 summer day camp permits. The department is working with Town Management to implement a new food inspection software. There are two employment vacancies in the department. Interviews for a full-time Public Health Nurse will begin in the coming weeks. Funding has been approved for FY23 for an Administrative Assistant position. Mr. Solarin is working with Human Resources on the job description and will post the vacancy right away with an anticipated start date of July 5th. Due to contract negotiations, the move to the Police Station has been delayed to November at the earliest. On March 231d, the Town upgraded its website and staff has been working diligently to update the Health Department and Board of Health page. There will be minimal Information on the BOH page, as most information will be included on the department page. Health Inspector Jennifer Velazquez noted that she had approved four temporary food permits for events including the Lions Club Senior Dinner on May 19t4 and the many activities to be held at Reading Friends and Family Day on June 11th. Public Health Nurse Kristine Harris provided a brief synopsis of weekly COVID cases from April lot through April 7th per MAVEN data: • Total Cases: 4,612, which includes people who have had COVID 2 or more times; • Active Cases: 37, which does not include home reported tests; 0 5 under age 5; 0 8 between ages 5-18; 0 27 ages 18 and over; • Deaths: 53; • Transferred Cases: 16; • Recovered: 4,506. There have been no hospitalizations over the last week. Ms. Harris noted that she has spoken with Mary Giuliana, Director of Nursing at the High School. According to Ms. Giuliana, cases remain low at the schools, with 14 cases identified in the last week, determined by pool testing or symptomatic testing. Pool testing will continue for at least a few more weeks, and symptomatic testing will continue for the rest of the school year. There have been no COVID clusters at any businesses or daycares. COVID Vaccination clinics have been scheduled for April 11th and April 296 at the Coolidge Middle School, and homebound vaccinations are continuing. Ms. Harris also highlighted that she has worked with the Library Resource Coordinator for an event on May 12th to review the role of the Health Department. She was also voted Chair of the Region 3B Coalition. Page 1 3 Public Comment There was no comment from the public Next Meetina Agenda Items: Final Comments Dr. Lopez stated that at the next meeting, the Board will hear about food protocols, and discuss developing a plan to implement MAPC's recommendations. Ms. Curren noted that she will be unable to attend the next meeting. Mr. Solarin added that the Department is planning to bring back some Public Health Nursing activities, such as blood pressure dinics and cholesterol clinics, and will bring a plan to the next meeting. He also noted that the COVID testing site at the Shriners in Wilmington reduced its hours, and may have even shut down at this point. The federal government approved four more covid test kits per household, so the market is Flooded with test kits, though Mr. Solarin noted that he does not believe the test kits ordered by the Town will go to waste. On a motion by Dr. Lopez, and seconded by Ms. Dunnell, the Board of Health voted 3-0 to adjourn at 8:52 pm. Roll call vote: Paula Curren -Yes, Kerry Dunnell-Yes, Richard Lopez -Yes. P,n