Board of Health

CITY OF GARDNER OFFICE OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH 95 PLEASANT ST, ROOM 29 GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS 01440 Members Present: Lauren Saunders – Health Director Susan Avallone, RN - Member Atty. Geoffrey Tobia – Member Michele Parker, MD – Member Minutes for Emergency Board of Health meeting held Thursday, May 21, 2020 ________________________________________________________________________________ *Pursuant to Governor Baker’s March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §20, and the Governor’s March 15, 2020 Order imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place, this meeting of the Gardner Board of Health will be conducted via remote participation. The transcript of proceedings will be posted on the City’s website as soon as possible after the meeting. 4:00 Meeting called to order. 4:03 Minutes from the March 19, 2020 meeting were reviewed, discussed and approved. The Board discusses if there is a need to start a “Doc-u-sign” account for signing the minutes, Lauren will check in to this program. 4:05 Old Business: Transfer Station status – The Transfer Station has only been open 2 days a week since April 17, 2020. Due to staffing limitations only one employee has been covering the station on days it is open. The station has been very busy for the 2 days a week that it is open. Human Resources has sent a memo with COVID guidelines to all staff and Lauren will make sure that the Transfer Station staff receives a copy. The Board decides to reopen at its normal 4 days a week schedule with the all previously precautions discussed in place. Municipal Curbside Contract – The current contract with Waste Management is going to expire on June 30, 2020. Lauren has been discussing a one-year contract with Waste Management that includes an option to extend to full five-year term. A one-year contract is preferable due to there being an acting mayor in office who does not have the authorization to sign a five-year contract, and the special mayoral election will not occur until after the current contract expires. Lauren is giving the contract an initial review now, then the legal department needs to review it. City Hall Staffing –The staff had been alternating days with reduced hours to assist with COVID- 19 mitigation but this week the staff resumed their full, regular schedule in City Hall. The building remains closed to public entry. The Building Maintenance staff is installing Plexiglas barriers, and there is now PPE and other protective measures in place. 4:12 New Business: Staff Member Resignation – The person who worked for the License Commission in the Health Department recently resigned and the office is short-staffed. She was responsible for processing liquor licenses and also processed all of the Health Department invoices in MUNIS. Another department’s staff member is currently processing the Health Department bills until someone on the Health Department staff can be trained to use MUNIS. Governor’s reopening orders – The state has developed a 3-phase plan for reopening the economy. Massachusetts is currently in Phase 1 of this plan. The city created a web page on it’s  website with information about the reopening and where we can refer businesses who call with questions. Each business has to complete a safety plan prior to reopening, and have to keep it on file for the Health Department to review in case there is a complaint resulting in investigation. There is safety signage that needs to be posted in all open businesses to instruct employees on sanitary procedures. The Health Office has been extremely busy with calls, complaints and questions. The Health Department is the enforcing authority for the reopening orders. The state has outlined the different phases, including lists of which businesses and activities fall into each phase. New information is released by the MA Department of Public Health weekly. Contact Tracing – Sue is working with the Contact Tracing Collaborative. Lauren mentions that there are people who are subject to quarantine that are not following the guidelines, and as result others have been exposed to COVID-19. There was a COVID positive staff member working at an assisted living facility and now some residents of the facility are also positive. That same staff member has family who work at fast food restaurants in the city. Contact Tracing is following the cases and trying to prevent further spread of the virus. There was also staff member at the Colonial Hotel that was positive, and through case tracing, it was found that when working the staff members were wearing masks and distancing, but they were not social distancing or wearing masks when in taking breaks together. Contact Tracing advised that all their employees in this particular department get tested. Enforcement of Emergency Orders – There was a conversation regarding the role the Health Department has with enforcing or investigating complaints surrounding the reopening orders. Lauren states that there are several steps, including verbal redirection, written warnings and fines. She is on Covid Command Center/Department of Public Health (DPH) phone conferences weekly and there is still some clarification needed from the legal department for DPH. Next meeting set for Monday, June 22, 2020 at 4:30 PM and will be a remote/teleconference meeting. 4:45 Adjourn. ___________________________ _______________________ _________________________ Susan Avallone RN, Member Atty. Geoffrey Tobia, Member Michele C. Parker MD, Member All conversations are documented on recording identified as B.O.H May 21, 2020