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, MS – Member Minutes for Board of Health meeting held Monday January 25, 2021 ________________________________________________________________________________ *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. 4:39 Meeting called to order. 4:42 Minutes from the 8/31/20 and 9/14/20 Board of Health meetings were each reviewed and discussed. The Board asked that some additional details be added to the 9/14/20 minutes. The 8/31/20 minutes were approved. 4:48 Old Business: Prevention Coordinator – The position of Prevention Coordinator was added to Health Department and the Coordinator started last week. A press release was sent to the Gardner News. Covid Vaccines – Massachusetts was in Phase 1 of the State’s vaccination plan. The Montachusett Public Health Network coordinated first responder clinics for fire, police, EMT’s for the week of 1/11/21 in Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner and Leominster. Other groups in Phase 1 include health care workers, and people working or living in congregate living such as nursing homes, assisted living or prisons. Most of these populations were vaccinated by their employers or in coordination with federal retail pharmacy partnership program. Heywood Hospital has taken a strong lead for planning vaccination clinics for Phase 2, which includes people aged 75+, people age 65+, and people with 2 or more comorbidities. The Heywood Clinic may start operating as soon as 2/1/21. Community Health Connections has also been vaccinating residents of group homes and their Phase 1 patients. Primary Care Physicians at Heywood Hospital are discussing options to help with vaccination efforts. Public clinics will take massive coordination and collaboration. Locally, locations are being discussed in Gardner and Athol. The State has opened Mass- vaccination sites in Danvers, Springfield, Foxboro and Fenway Park. 5:06 New Business: Body Art Regulations – The Health Department has been contacted by a licensed body piercer who would like to take on an apprentice. He has expressed concerns with the Body Art regulations for apprentices, which would require 1800 hours of supervision. This requirement was originally intended for tattoo artists, he feels that this number of hours may unattainable for piercing procedures which typically only take 10 minutes per procedure. The licensed body piercer gave Lauren a list of different piercing procedures for an apprentice to perform with supervision which he feels is more attainable. The Board will review the regulations and the suggested list and will discuss this at the next meeting. Lauren has been working on the annual recycling grant application. The Health Department has been in the process of reviewing proposals for municipal curbside waste removal. The current 1-year extension with Waste Management will be expiring in June, and a letter of termination is due by April 1, 2021 if the city is not going to remain with Waste Management after June 30, 2021. The Health Department has been considering purchasing a trailer to use for storage for vaccination clinic equipment such as tents, chairs, and tables. This trailer would be placed at the High School for use at the Emergency Dispensing Site, and then later relocated by DPW. Lauren has gotten access to the Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network (MAVEN) and will be able to view Covid case tracing. 5:18 Next meeting set Monday Feb 22, 2021 at 4:30. Adjourn. ___________________________ _______________________ _________________________ Susan Avallone RN, Chair Person Atty. Geoffrey Tobia, Member Michele C. Parker MD, Member All conversations are documented on ‘You Tube’ identified as B.O.H January 25, 2021 Meeting