Board of Health

LOWELL BOARD OF HEALTH 341 Pine Street Lowell, Massachusetts 01851 March 21, 2018: A meeting of the Lowell Board of Health was held on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 in the Mayor’s Reception Room, City Hall, 375 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA. 01852. Chairwoman Jo-Ann Keegan called the meeting to order at 6:05 P.M. Present: Jo-Ann Keegan, RN, MSN Chairperson John Donovan Board Member Kerry Hall Board Member Craig Kelly Board Member Chairwoman Jo-Ann Keegan called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM. Chairwoman Keegan thanked Board Member Craig Kelly for his years of service on the Board of Health. This will be Mr. Kelly’s last meeting as a Board Member. Order of Business: 1. NEW BUSINESS 1.I For Acceptance: Minutes of the January 24, 2018 meeting of the Board of Health. Motion: To accept the minutes of the January 24, 2018 meeting of the Board of Health made by John Donovan, seconded by Craig Kelly. All in favor. 1.II For Review: Tobacco Control Monthly Report submitted by Cesar Pungirum, Program Director. Mr. Pungirum informed the Board that an establishment in Lowell recently sold tobacco products to a minor (second offense). The suspension hearing will be held at the May 4, 2018 Board meeting to allow time to notify the establishment. Mr. Pungirum informed the Board that Lowell’s rate of sales to minors has decreased again this year to 3.4% and remains well below the State average. Additionally, Mr. Pungirum spoke to the Board about an e-cigarette company that has been reaching out to schools claiming to hold educational session. Board Member John Donovan asked if it was marketing disguised as education. Mr. Pungirum replied that it was definitely a possibility and that Health & Human Services Director Kerran Vigroux will reach out to the Lowell Superintendent of Schools regarding this company. 1.III For Consideration: City of Lowell Ambulance Contract as Amended. Motion: By vote of the Lowell Board of Health to recommend the City Manager exercise the final one year extension allowed by Contract made by John Donovan, seconded by Craig Kelly Roll Call Jo-Ann Keegan – Yes John Donovan – Yes Kerry Hall – Absent Craig Kelly – Yes William Galvin - Absent Motion passes 3 – Yes, 2 – Absent  BOHM032118 Page 2 1.IV For Review: Trinity EMS, Inc. Reports Inclusive of Monthly Opioid/Hometown Reports and Quarterly (Sept-Dec 2017) Report. Mr. Jon Kelley and Mr. Kurt Brigham discussed the reports with the Board. Mr. Kelley noted that he has made changes to the EMD-Delta field on page 5. It will be renamed EMD and will add the totals for calls when a citizen calls Trinity directly and the calls exceed the 7:59 threshold. The Board discussed the outliers and intubations. Member Donovan noted that the intubation success rates were very good. Mr. Kelley added that the video laryngoscopes have helped with the successful attempts. Chairwoman Keegan noted that the call volume has increased. Mr. Kelley noted that the default number of trucks has been 9 during the day and only 4 calls for mutual aid were needed and 3 of those were within a 15 minute span for the 9th, 10th, and 11th 911 calls on the same day. Mr. Kelley noted that the January hometown/overdose report reflects a downward trend. The City did have to activate the surge protocol once. The use of 2mg doses of Narcan versus 4mg doses was discussed. I.V For Review: Monthly Development Services Reports submitted by Senior Sanitary Code Inspector David Ouellette. Building Commissioner Shaun Shanahan was present to speak with the Board. Chairwoman Keegan noted that there continues to be food establishments that exceed the 6 month inspection timeframe. Mr. Shanahan noted that some of those may be stores that only sell prepackaged items so can be held off for a short period when the Department is busy. Additionally, the Sanitary Code Inspectors should be noting they are doing their inspections during the annual liquor license inspection done in conjunction with the Building Inspectors. Board Member Craig Kelly asked about the ongoing issues with Arthur’s Paradise Diner and the appearance that there is grease going into the canal from the exhaust. Mr. Shanahan will ask Senior Sanitary Code Inspector Ouellette to follow up. Mr. Shanahan commented that inspections normally take place every 6.5 months. I.VI Communication: 58 Fay St. #4 Communication from Leena Marceau and Vasna Marceau requesting a hearing in front of the Board of Health re: 58 Fay St #4. Ms. Leena Marceau and Ms. Vasna Marceau were present to speak with the Board. Mr. Shanahan indicated to the Board that a number of Inspectors have been to this property. The violations initially noted have been corrected. At this time, Mr. Shanahan believes it is a civil matter that must be decided by the courts as Development Services cannot solve two conflicting mold inspection reports. Ms. Leena Marceau addressed the Board and stated there continues to be ongoing issues with the roof and that she has paid for a mold test to be completed which she submitted to the landlord but not Development Services. Ms. L. Marceau added that the kitchen floor remains waterlogged, but ServicePRO will not give her a copy of the report because she is not the owner. Mr. Shanahan informed the Board that he has not seen any test reports that indicate the unit is uninhabitable. I.VII Body Art Practitioner – New Sambo Yoeun 19 Hillcrest Drive Lowell, MA 01851 Blaqsheep Ink 564 Dutton St. Motion: To Approve the Body Art Practitioner License Application for Sambo Yoeun made by Craig Kelly, seconded by John Donovan. All in favor. I.VIII Communication: Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project. Communication dated January 2, 2018 from Mr. Timothy D. Deschamps, Executive Director, Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project RE: 2018 Commission meeting dates. The Board accepted and placed on file.  BOHM032118 Page 3 I.IX Communication: For Consideration of the Board. Communication dated January 9, 2018 from Mr. S. Hutchinson for consideration by the Board RE: Gas Pipelines and their effect on Public Health. The Board accepted as mailed and placed on file. 1.X Informational: “Going Too Old School” by Rachel Cohen, Special to the Washington Pose, as published in the Lowell Sun, January 28, 2018. The Board recognized that aging schools are an issue nationwide. Chairwoman Keegan quoted “Schools are more than just educational institutions. They also serve as pillars for communities – strengthening civic life, and attracting families and jobs. We can’t depend on GoFundMe campaigns to keep our water fountains lead-free, our schools cool in the summer, our roofs sturdy and our windows intact. We need to take this problem seriously, and advocate strong and safe schools for all.” I.XI Informational: Communication from Eliana Morales, City of Lowell Water Utility. The Board accepted and placed on file. 2. OLD BUSINESS: 2.I Update: Lowell High School - Mr. James Green, Deputy Commissioner of DPW, and Mr. Rick Underwood, Director of Facilities for Lowell Public Schools, will update the Board regarding Lowell High School, inclusive of the Air Quality in the LHS classrooms noted in the December 12, 2017 report issued by the Massachusetts Bureau of Environmental Health and any ongoing/completed repairs or issues. Ms. Laura Ortiz has requested to address the Board regarding this update. Mr. Green updated the Board on ongoing repairs and CO2 testing he has done since the report. The CO2 levels are improving as repairs occur. Mr. Underwood informed the Board that an RFP for carpet removal in 24 classrooms is being put out to bid and should be done over the summer. DPW is ordering a new testing machine that will better track CO, CO2, humidity and temperature. Fresh air intakes in the 1920’s building have been repaired and are now getting 40% fresh air into the rooms. Upgrades to the fans in the Freshman Academy penthouses should be included in the upcoming renovations. DPW continues to have the goal of getting the CO2 levels down to 800ppm which is the standard for new buildings, so 1,000ppm may be more reasonable but they will continue to try to achieve the 800ppm. Heat issues that occurred last week have been fixed. Ms. Ortiz addressed the Board about her concerns regarding maintenance of all the public schools. She was informed that any citizen may make a complaint directly to the Department of Environmental Health regarding the air quality or to the City’s Development Services Department. Mr. Underwood added that the City welcomes the State to come in and do any testing they feel is needed as it is good for the district and the State would immediately take corrective action if there were dangerous conditions. Chairwoman Keegan added that she believed the State would be requested to redo the air quality testing once repairs have been completed, of which removal of the old carpeting is an important step. Mr. Green noted that City Manager Kevin Murphy has managed to fund a number of major repairs that were needed. 3. DIRECTOR’S REPORT 3.I Update: Divisional and Departmental Reports Chairwoman Keegan noted that the School Division report noted that the Lowell High School Nurses had been given the Air Quality Report and asked that the Clinical Nurse Managers also be given a copy if they hadn’t received it already. The Board had no further questions. Motion: To adjourn. Motion to adjourn at 7:55 PM was made by John Donovan, seconded by Craig Kelly. All in favor. THE NEXT MEETING OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH: APRIL 4, 2018 @ 6:00 PM MAYOR’S RECEPTION ROOM CITY HALL