Board of Health

KEVIN A. ELAK, MPH City of Middletown Director of Health Department of Health 245 deKoven Drive Middletown, CT 06457 TEL: (860) 638-4960 FAX: (860) 638-1960 TDDL: (860) 344-3521 Middletown Board of Health Minutes from October 10, 2023 Meeting Present: Pastor Robyn Anderson, Tanielle Davis, Patricia DiStefano, Kevin Elak, Yvonne Joy, Stan Opalacz, Linda Salafia Absent: Brian Gartner Jr., Anthony Mangiafico Call To Order:  Meeting was called to order at 6:03 PM by Patricia DiStefano. Approval of Minutes:  Minutes presented from September 12, 2023 meeting. Motion by Stan Opalacz, 2nd by Yvonne Joy. All in favor. Motion Passes. Public Hearing for Agenda Items:  None Directors Report:  Director of Health o Director Elak provided several updates:  The Middletown and Cromwell Health Departments are teaming up with Stop & Shop Pharmacy to offer vaccine clinics (flu, COVID, pneumonia, Tdap, shingles and RSV) in September-November.  Middletown Health Department is also partnering with Middletown Pharmacy to offer flu shots to the public. The health department was recently awarded funding from the CT Department of Public Health to support and promote vaccinations.   The Village for Families and Children has been bring their Village RV to Middletown on Wednesdays from 11-2PM since the beginning of September. The RV offers services to populations who are affected by the opioid epidemic. There will be a ribbon cutting on October 25 th in the parking lot next to the St. Vincent DePaul soup kitchen. Many community partners will be in attendance to show support including Mayor Florsheim, Middletown Police, Middletown Fire Department, Middlesex Hospital, Community Health Center, Middlesex Chamber of Commerce, DMHAS, and many others.  As a result of a very rainy September with heavy rainfall at times, the health department received 3 notifications from the Mattabassett Sewer District that they had to partially bypass their treatment systems. Partially treated sewage was discharged in to the Connecticut River. According to a state statute, sewer treatment plants must notify the local health department, and in turn the health department must notify the public. Director Elak stated that he notified Wesleyan and Middletown Public Schools athletic departments to advise their crew teams to stay off the Connecticut River until full treatment resumed. The Mattabassett Sewer District can fully treat 55 million gallons of sewage per day. During the heavy rainfall, they saw flows ranging from 60-110 million gallons per day. There was discussion about additional ways to notify the public such as CT Alert, social media, the city website, and the city notification system. Director Elak said that he is also working to collaborate with the CT River Conservancy, as they test the river for bacteria during the summer months.  Division Report o Tanielle Davis, Public Health Manager, provided an update for the environment health and housing division, emergency preparedness, and health education. Old Business: None New Business:  Director Elak notified the commissioners that there has been a change in the vendor that provides congregate meals to the Senior Center as of 9/30/23. CRT lost the state contract. The new vendor is The Estuary from Old Saybrook. Recreation and Community Services Director Cathy Lechowicz and Senior Center Manager Andrea Gregg said that there will be a disruption in service due to miscommunication been the Senior Services state agency and The Estuary. The city is working on drafting a contract between the City of Middletown and The Estuary to provide congregate meals. The meals on wheels program continues to operate.   There was a discussion at a recent Safety Committee meeting with the Risk Manager’s Office about Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) located in city buildings. A city manager was concerned that the devices are being maintained and inspected on a regular basis. Director Elak is working with Human Resources, Risk Management and the Office of the General Counsel to develop a policy and procedure to make sure AED’s located in city buildings are inspected on a regular basis. Adjournment  Yvonne Joy made a motion to adjourn. 2nd by Stan Opalacz. All in favor. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 6:45 PM Respectfully Submitted, Kevin A. Elak, MPH Director of Health