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 Board of Health meeting held Monday March 22, 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. 4:34 Meeting called to order. 4:35 Minutes from 1/25/21 and 2/22/21 Board of Health meetings were each reviewed, discussed and approved. There was a brief discussion about signing the minutes, and it was agreed that each Board Member will stop by and sign all of the approved minutes and Funeral Director permits which will ready on April 30th. 4:39 Old Business: Body Art Regulations revision – An updated draft of suggested amendments to the apprenticeship program section of the Body Art Regulations was provided for review prior to the meeting. The suggested changes are to define a separate set of requirements specific to body piercing, found on page 16 of the draft provided. This version was very similar to the one provided at the last meeting but had additional wording specifying that the apprentice will be required to work under the supervision of a permitted Body Art Practitioner (Piercer) for a minimum of 1 year prior to being fully licensed. Lauren had also prepared two different options for phrasing of the procedures to be listed in the regulations. There was a discussion about the differences and it was decided that the more detailed version should be incorporated. There was also a discussion about genital piercing which was believed to be prohibited under the current Body Art Regulations. After more review of the regulations, it was concluded that it’s prohibited in persons under the age of 18. There will need to be language added for the requirements of training apprentices for this procedure. Dr. Parker and Lauren agree to research this before the next meeting and they will discuss this topic again. It was decided to grant the current apprentice candidate a provisional apprentice license and she was permitted to begin piercing clients. 5:00 New Business: Vaccination Updates: Governor Baker accelerated the date for Phase 3 of the State’s vaccination plan which would make everyone 16 and older eligible for vaccination on  4/19/21. There had not been a lot of 1st dose appointments available in March as the vaccine allotment did not increase as anticipated; most vaccines given in March were 2nd doses. The Health Department worked with Heywood Hospital and the Gardner Housing Authority to give second vaccinations to residents at the High Rise. There was a clinic held at Hillside Gardens on Blanchard St, which is also part of the Gardner Housing Authority. Community Health Connections worked with the Council on Aging to organize a clinic for area seniors at their Prospect Street Clinic last week. Gardner High School held a clinic last week for area teachers and school employees. Montachusett Opportunity Council and Monty Tech held clinics for childcare workers. There was a clinic planned at Heywood Wakefield Senior Housing for the week following this meeting. The in-home vaccination plan that the Health Department has been working on with Fire, EMS, Heywood Hospital and the Mayor’s office is moving forward. The State provided a screening tool to quality individuals for in-home vaccinations. The plan is to use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as it is only 1 dose. Governor’s Reopening Plan: Massachusetts is now in Phase 4 of the reopening plan, which allows larger events and more venues to take place. Some events need to be approved by the Health Department. There are still restrictions on indoor singing, but many other restrictions have been lifted. Tobacco Inspections: Tobacco Control Alliance reported that they completed all Gardner retail tobacco inspections in March and there was 100% compliance. Gardner was the only community in the Alliance that had perfect compliance. Open Gov: The Health Department implemented this software for permitting last fall and is now working on building the inspection forms. The Health Department purchased a tablet for use doing inspections, Rick tested it today. Funeral Licenses: Will be due at the end of April. Toters Ordered: More trash and recycling toters were ordered as the supply is running low. There has been an increased demand for additional trash and recycling services during the pandemic. Trash tonnage over the past year increased 500,000 tons. The recycling toters were funded by a recycling grant. Municipal Curbside Program: The Health Department is still reviewing proposals for municipal curbside waste removal. The current contract with Waste Management ends 6/30/21. There is an option to continue with this contract or terminate. EL Harvey also submitted a proposal. The issue needs to go before City Counsel so that the Mayor can sign off on a 5-year contract. 5:23 Next meeting set Monday March 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 March 22, 2021 Meeting