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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-05-09 Board of Health Minutes0`, rq�o Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Is�`y i,�a �xfono°P Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Board of Health Date: 2024-05-09 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Virtual Location: Zoom Address: Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Meeting- Remote Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: P_ Chair Richard Lopez, Kerry Dunnell Kevin Sexton, loan Wetzel Paula Curren, and Geri Cramer Members - Not Present: Others Present: Health Director Ade Solarin, Erica McNamara, Tiffany Todd -Cahill, Frank Pellegrini, and Albert Pless Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Cassidy Keegan Topics of Discussion: The meeting was held remotely via Zoom. Chair Richard Lopez called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM and reviewed the agenda. Roll Call: Paula Curren, Kerry Dunnell, Kevin Sexton, loan Wetzel, Geri Cramer, and Richard Lopez. Review/Approval. of Minutes from March 26th, 2024, and April 111h. 2024. No revisions to March 26th, 2024, Minutes. There were two adjustments made to the April minutes and they were corrected. Motion to approve April 11th, 2024, minutes, seconded by Kevin Sexton. Roll Call: Kerry Dunnell, Paula Curren, Kevin Sexton, loan Wetzel, and Richard Lopez Public Comment No public comment. Plessors Market Variance Reauest: Reduced Oxygen Packaging Ade Solarin gives a brief introduction describing what the Reduced Oxygen Packaging (ROP) entails. Professors Market is asking for a variance for the Reduced Oxygen Packaging method, and they will need to submit a HACCP Plan. ROP is the process of placing food Into a package, removing the oxygen from the package and sealing it to keep food fresher for a longer time. There are five different types of Reduced Oxygen Packaging which are Controlled Atmosphere Packaging (CAP), Vacuum Packaging, Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), Sous Vide, and Cook -Chill. Tiffany Todd -Cahill, who is the consultant for Professors Market states that they will follow the plans and proper labeling so there are no issues. She states all employees will be aware of temperatures and time restrictions that these packages can be held for. Tiffany Todd -Cahill goes over the HACCP Plan and states they will maintain records for 6 months and keep logs of time and temperature. She continues to go over their HACCP Plan and how each item will be stored, cleaned and Page I 1 logged. Each package will be labeled with what the product is, that it needs to be 41 degrees or lower, the date of when It was packaged, that it will not exceed 30 days on use by date, and who it was packaged by. If it's a frozen package it will also need a label stating once its thawed, it needs to be used within 4 days. Kerry Dunnell states she is aware one person needs to be trained on this but what happens if that person is out? Tiffany Todd - Cahill responds by saying Frank Pellegrini can add/train more people but typically it is one person in control. Richard Lopez says the plan looks complete but is this process comparable to industry standards? Tiffany Todd -Cahill says at retail level, yes and these are steps everyone has to follow. Richard Lopez continues to ask Ade Solarin if this causes a frequency increase of inspections for Professors Market? Ade Solarin responds saying we will have to see how it goes based on the subsequent inspections after the ROP implementation. Richard makes a motion to approve variance request for Reduce Oxygen Packaging, seconded by Paula Curren. Roll Call: Kerry Dunnell, Paula Curren, Kevin Sexton, loan Wetzel, and Richard Lopez. Burbank YMCA Camp 2024 No representation from YMCA regarding its request to get approved for a permit without prior Inspection. Ade Solarin states this is unacceptable for them to not be present and that he doesn't feel comfortable advocating for them if coming to the board to speak isn't a priority to them. Kevin Sexton states it's not a requirement for them to be here and they haven't done this in prior years. Kerry Dunnell supports Ade Solarin's opinion because it is problematic to issue a permit prior to inspection. Ade Solarin speaks on behalf of the YMCA and shares the requirements for approving a permit prior to inspection. Ade Solarin recommends the Board grants a permit prior to inspection with the understanding that YMCA will have representation the next time they request a Variance. Paula Curren finds that reasonable. Kerry Dunnell asks who will be doing the inspection and Ade Solarin states that he is in the works with the Shared Services Coordinator to find someone or he will just do the inspection. Kevin Sexton requests a refresh on the information and hopes to invite Mary Ann Hanafin to a subsequent meeting. Richard Lopez makes a motion to grant the YMCA a permit without prior inspection as long as they meet all the requirements, seconded by Kevin Sexton. Roll Call: Kerry Dunnell, Paula Curren, Kevin Sexton, loan Wetzel, and Richard Lopez Opioid Settlement Funds Erica McNamara joins the board and gives an update on the opioid settlement funds. The coalition was founded in 2006 by the community and local leaders in response to opioid overdoses. The goals consisted of improving collaborations, reducing substance misuse, and promoting mental health. From 2007-2014 the coalition was funded by state and federal grants and over the past few years they have received funding support from the opioid fund. By June 301h the funds should be expended by $46K and expecting portions of settlements through 2039. Some areas that can be utilized with the funds are prevention, connections to care, harm reduction and treatment and recovery. Collaborations for future implementations consist of collaborating, monitoring all the efforts, reviewing needs assessments and state support. Kerry Dunnell asks how our Board can be of use or help to the coalition regarding the funds? And how do you know what areas need more focus and more funding? Erica McNamara answers both questions by stating they work with people who have experience and stories to help grasp what areas need more focus and where the funding should be focused. Kerry Dunnell states she wants to be supportive and help in any way she can. Richard Lopez asks where the overlap is and how is Ade Solarin working with her to figure this all out? Eric McNamara answers that the overlap comes down to regional coordinators meeting with everyone in the state, shared services grant, and she welcomes Ade Solarin to join these meetings to share ideas. Ade Solarin states he doesn't see much overlap since there is no focus on mental health components in our shared services grant. Page 12 Office of Equity and Social Justice Report Albert Pless begins by informing the board he is heavily into public health. Albert goes on to state the mission for the Office of Equity and Social Justice which is to provide education, support and resources aimed at making reading an inclusive, diverse, and accessible town for all. Their approach is an advisory and supporting role to facilitate community education and best practices across the municipality. Albert Pless supports other departments, boards, staff and leaders, as well as encourage awareness and education around DEIA. DEIA stands for diversity, equity, inclusion and access. The best practices will be facts/data, prioritization based on needs, collaborative and cooperative, inclusive processes, and response/feedback. The office offers events and programs that humanize and celebrate one another and encourage civil dialogue and education around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. They also build bridges to connect all voices in meaningful and civil dialog, while also strategically amplifying voices from communities. They also explore outside perspectives and acknowledge that discrimination and bias do not have borders. PAIR is Partners and Allies for Inclusive Reading and the working groups for PAIR are education, resource and partnerships, and communication. Their roadmap consists of demographic and administrative data, background search, community and workforce engagement, qualitative insights, strategic involvement, and root cause analysis (RCA). The recommendations in the report include: • Incorporate feedback loops into Town services to enhance direct lines of communication with the community • Place ADA compliance and housing access at the forefront of infrastructural building and remodeling • Institute mechanisms to increase social, economic, and racial diversity at events and on Town -related Boards and Commissions. • Enhance the role of Community-based Organizations in Town events • Place ADA compliance and housing access at the forefront of infrastructural building and remodeling • Build a wide-ranging partnership pipeline for more effective Town employee recruitment. • Creating an inclusive and welcoming environment. Ade Solarin will send the report to the board members for further review. Kevin Sexton says that the work Albert Pless is willing to do is very generational and it will change over the years but feels the best place for this position would be schools. Kerry Dunnell agrees but states that those with children not in the school systems yet would not be able to access resources. Kerry agrees with Albert Pless that two locations for this position could be beneficial. Health Department Monthly Report April Health Numbers: 13 Food Inspections with 3 Re -Inspections • 1 Temporary Food Permit • 4 Housing Complaints and 3 Inspections 1 Housing -Order Inspection Jennifer Velazquez is parting ways with the Health Department. Disease surveillance consists of 2 cases of Norovirus, 1 case of Group A Streptococcus, 9 cases of Influenza, 8 cases of COVID, and 1 case of Tuberculosis. There will be two public hearings, one on May 20th for Community Health Needs Assessment Plan and one on May 23M for the Nicotine Free Generation Policy. Kerry Dunnell will step in as Chair for the May 23r° hearing. Page 1 3 Final Comments Next meeting will be on June 13th, 2024. Adiourn Motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 PM, seconded by Kevin Sexton. Roll Call: Joan Wetzel, Kevin Sexton, Paula Curren, Kerry Dunnell and Richard Lopez. Materials Used: • March Minutes and April Minutes • HACCP Plan • 105 CMR 430.000 • Opioid Settlement Slides • OESJ Slides • Disease Surveillance Data • Hearing Flyers Page 1 4