Board of Health

Approved 3/18/21 BOARD OF HEALTH ` BOROUGH OF TENAFLY, NEW JERSEY BOARD MEETING, January 28, 2021 The meeting of the Board of Health was held on the above date. Mr. Howard Bader, 2020 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. Borough Hall is closed to public meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual meeting was held via Zoom. The following members were present: Howard Bader Dr. Etta Frankel Maria Xylas Dr. Michael Basista Berton Greenberg Mark Alvarez Also present: Councilwoman Julie O’Connor Sam Yanovich, Health Officer Ruby Parra, Registered Environmental Health Specialist Valerie Nicolosi, Board of Health Secretary OATH OF OFFICE Councilwoman Julie O’Connor and Dr. Michael Basista read respective Oaths of Office into the record. ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 2021 Nominations for President: A motion was made and seconded to nominate Mr. Howard Bader as President of the Tenafly Board of Health. There being no further nominations, the nominations were closed. A voice vote carried the motion unanimously. Mr. Bader is the President of the 2021 Tenafly Board of Health. Nominations for Vice President: A motion was made and seconded to nominate Mr. Berton Greenberg as Vice President of the Tenafly Board of Health. There being no further nominations, the nominations were closed. A voice vote carried unanimously. Mr. Greenberg is the Vice President of the 2021 Tenafly Board of Health. Appointment of Secretary to the Board: A motion was made and seconded to appoint Mrs. Valerie Nicolosi as the Secretary to the Board of Health. A voice vote carried unanimously. Mrs. Nicolosi is the Secretary to the 2021 Tenafly Board of Health. Approved 3/18/21 Tenafly Board of Health January 28, 2021 Page 2 A motion was made to approve the minutes of November 12, 2020. A voice vote carried the motion. All voted in favor; none were opposed. NEW BUSINESS Councilwoman O’Connor advised the board that the Mayor & Council have formed a Cannabis Committee. Councilwoman O’Connor, Councilman Michaels and Councilman Grossman are all on the committee as well as a member from the Planning Board. It is requested that the Board of Health have a representative on this committee as well. Mr. Bader volunteered to be on the committee as his law firm is very versed on all the new legislation on the issue. The first meeting is February 5, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. Councilwoman O’Connor explained that the Borough has entered into an agreement with a company providing temporary COVID-19 testing services. People wishing to be tested must register online and pay $200.00, which may then be sent to their insurance company for reimbursement. Board members were not pleased with this agreement, as testing services are provided for free and are available all over the county. Several members thought it was a scam. The Board of Health does not want to be a part of this. Councilwoman O’Connor will bring the views of the board to the attention of the Mayor & Council. Councilwoman O’Connor and Health Officer Yanovich explained the COVID-19 vaccination program. The Borough will be contracting with the Borough of Leonia to provide COVID vaccines to Tenafly residents. The joint program will be run by Mid-Bergen Regional Health Commission, as they represent Leonia as well. However, since Tenafly does not have a full time nurse on staff; the Borough must pay $24,000.00 for the cost of the program to Leonia. There was a request for volunteers with NJ licenses to help with the program, i.e., doctors, nurses and EMTs. Tentative dates are in the middle of February, but this is contingent on getting the vaccine, which has proved problematic at all levels. Mr. Alvarez noted that he may be able to assist with nursing services for the program. Mayor Zinna and Leonia Mayor Ziegler have been in talks about this program and are moving it forward. Mrs. Nicolosi gave a brief overview of the 2021 Budget which was submitted to the Mayor & Council for approval. Board members had previously received a copy of the budget for review. This will need to be looked at again to incorporate the new COVID-19 vaccination program monies. She will be meeting with the new Borough Administrator, who usually presents the Board of Health budget to the Mayor & Council, shortly to review same. After a brief discussion regarding all the contracts, a motion was made and seconded to approve the proposed 2021 Board of Health budget and one-year contracts for HARP (Hackensack Awareness Regional Program), Mid-Bergen Regional Health Commission and Cooper Pest Solutions. A voice vote carried the motion. All voted in favor: none were opposed. Mr. Greenberg had sent an email about pulse oximeters to all board members. He would like to see Tenafly residents given this information through the Mayor’s Message and an article in the newsletter. Approved 3/18/21 Tenafly Board of Health January 28, 2021 Page 3 If an individual knows or suspects that they have been exposed to the COVID virus, it is suggested that in addition to getting a COVID test that he/she monitors blood oxygen levels using a pulse oximeter. These devices are available at local drug stores. If the oxygen level is dropping, seek medical assistance even if the person is feeling fine. There was much discussion on this topic. It was decided that Dr. Basista will write a paragraph or two about the issue to be forwarded to the Mayor for his weekly message and forwarded to the Borough Administrator for inclusion in the next newsletter. The meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 2, 2021, is in conflict with the Mayor & Council meeting. After much discussion, the September meeting will be changed to Thursday, September 9, 2021. Mrs. Nicolosi will handle notice requirements. REPORTS OF STAFF Mr. Sam Yanovich, Health Officer, reviewed his January 2020 report. Board members had received this report via email. There have been six hundred seventy one (671) cases of COVID-19 among Tenafly residents, and twenty-four (24) deaths attributed to the disease since the pandemic began. The State launched its COVID vaccination registration portal, www.covidvaccine.nj.gov allowing for New Jersey residents to preregister for the vaccine. A call center has also been set up to assist vaccine registration and location of Point of Distribution (POD) hubs. The phone number is 855-568-0545. Residents may be able to find smaller PODs in the region and sign up directly with them. Mr. Yanovich’s full report is on file in the Board of Health office. Ms. Parra, Registered Environmental Health Specialist, reviewed her report which covered November 11, 2020 – January 25, 2021. Many inspections were done at numerous food establishments. Nineteen (19) food establishments received satisfactory ratings. Three (3) food establishments received conditional ratings. Spot checks were done at twelve (12) food establishments. Six (6) schools received satisfactory ratings, with one (1) school having a conditional rating. There were spot checks at all Borough nail salons. Ms. Parra conducted an inspection of the pool at Kaplen JCC, which was satisfactory. She also addressed several animal bites and complaints. Ms. Parra’s full report is on file in the Health Office. The next meeting of the Board of Health is Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. A motion was made to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 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