Board of Health

Approved 6/13/19 BOARD OF HEALTH ` BOROUGH OF TENAFLY, NEW JERSEY BOARD MEETING, March 14, 2019 The meeting of the Board of Health was held on the above date. Mr. Howard Bader, 2019 Board of Health President, read the Board’s compliance with the Open Public Meeting Law and called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. The following members were present: Howard Bader Dr. Etta Frankel Dr. Daniel Feit Dr. Michael Basista Maria Xylas Berton Greenberg Mark Alvarez Also present: Council Liaison Lauren Dayton Sam Yanovich, Health Officer Ruby Parra, Registered Environmental Health Specialist Valerie Nicolosi, Board of Health Secretary Parween Quraishi, Senior Services Coordinator OATH OF OFFICE Health Officer Sam Yanovich administered the Oath of Office to Mark Alvarez as a Member of the Tenafly Board of Health. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made to approve the minutes of January 22, 2019. A voice vote carried the motion. All voted in favor; none were opposed. INFORMAL PRESENTATION Mrs. Parween Quraishi, Senior Services Coordinator, introduced herself to the board and briefly explained her position with the Borough. She distributed the report that she had presented to the Senior Services Committee at its meeting on March 13, 2019. She described the “Buddy Program” and matching volunteers to meet with seniors for companionship. She has been in contact with various social services agencies and has reached out to the JCC regarding programs that organization runs. She connects seniors with services needed, i.e., cleaning, shopping, etc. Board members were pleased with her presentation and thanked her for coming to the meeting to address the board. NEW BUSINESS Mrs. Nicolosi reviewed the amended 2019 Meeting Schedule. Changes were made after recommendations from board members as well as the Borough Administrator due to a community activity. The June meeting will be Thursday, June 13, 2019, and the September meeting will be Thursday, September 25, 2019. Mrs. Xylas noted that she would not be able to attend the June meeting due to a prior commitment. Other members were OK with the date and it will remain the same. Approved 6/13/19 Tenafly Board of Health March 14, 2019 Page 2 The TVAC Blood Drive is scheduled for Saturday, March 30, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at TVAC headquarters here at Borough Hall. Dr. Frankel would like to see the drive held on a different weekend day, as members of the Jewish faith may not be able to attend a Saturday event. Mrs. Nicolosi will contact the TVAC President with this suggestion. REPORTS OF STAFF Mr. Sam Yanovich, Health Officer, reviewed his March 2019 report. Board members had received this report via email. Influenza 2019 The state report from March 9 indicates a high level of influenza activity throughout all regions. The Centers for Disease Control reports that the vaccine for this year offers 47% protection against all circulating strains. Lead in drinking water In order to better understand the scope and magnitude of lead contamination in water, the State Senate has passed a bill in committee that would require water systems to inventory the number of lead service lines in their systems. As this bill offers no funding for the inventory, it would be a problem for municipal-owned systems due to the estimated multimillion dollar expense. There was a brief discussion regarding lead in the water throughout the Borough. An article was published in the latest newsletter. Councilwoman Dayton indicated that the Borough has been in contact with SUEZ Water and that Borough facilities are being tested for lead problems. Measles Ongoing measles cases have been reported in various regions of the State. A person with a confirmed case in Bergen County may have exposed people at several locations in Hillsdale on February 18. Any person exposed could develop symptoms as late as March 18. Unvaccinated persons exposed to infectious measles can get the disease at approximately a 90% rate. Immunization exemption bill The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended all states use their authority to eliminate nonmedical exemption from immunization requirements. The New Jersey Department of Health reported that 12,410 religious exemptions were reported for the 2017-2018 school year, an increase of over 2,000 from the prior year. The New Jersey Assembly passed a measure last month removing the religious exemptions as a reason for not having their children vaccinated. Ms. Parra, Registered Environmental Health Specialist, reviewed her report which covered January 16- March 14, 2019. Many inspections were done at numerous food establishments. Ten (10) food establishments received satisfactory ratings. Five (5) food establishments received Conditional ratings. An inspection was done at a permanent cosmetic business and received a satisfactory rating. Approved 6/13/19 Tenafly Board of Health March 14, 2019 Page 3 There was one (1) dog bite reported. The dog was unlicensed and was euthanized; however, the owner who was bitten got medical treatment as a precaution. There were two (2) cat bites reported. One cat was unlicensed. Confinement was done with both animals. She reviewed the results of a bat rabies examination. There was no evidence of rabies. Ms. Parra explained the numerous complaints outlined in her report. Complaints varied from mold issues, sick employees being permitted to work, visible mice in a food establishment and possible lead in the water. Ms. Parra investigated all complaints. Three (3) summonses were issued to a food establishment. She has been receiving and reviewing food vendor information for the Northern Valley Earth Fair and the Tenafly Street Fair, both scheduled for April 27th. Spot checks have been conducted at various food establishment dumpster areas. The Tenafly 2018 Local Annual Report to the New Jersey State Department of Health was given to and reviewed with the Board of Health Secretary. Mrs. Parra is continuing the collection of the names of various garbage companies being used by the food businesses in the Borough. Councilwoman Dayton advised the board members that the Mayor & Council has put money into the upcoming budget to authorize a study regarding a construction easement for upgrades to Parking Lot “0” located behind stores on Washington Street to improve recycling and garbage collection. She would like the board’s support in this venture. NEW BUSINESS Dr. Frankel noted that the age-restriction smoking signs at 7-Eleven have been removed. Ms. Parra will follow up with the store manager to get the signs put back up. The next meeting of the Board of Health is Thursday, June 13, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. in the Richard D. Wilson Committee Room. A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:32 p.m. A voice vote carried the motion. All voted in favor of the motion; none were opposed. Respectfully submitted, Valerie B. Nicolosi Board of Health Secretary