Minutes

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MINUTES
WINTHROP BOARD of HEALTH MEETING VIA REMOTE ACCESS
APRIL 30, 2020   6:00 PM
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Chair: Bill Schmidt; Vice-Chair: Astrid Weins; Member: Susan Maguire.
TOWN of WINTHROP: Meredith Hurley, Carla Vitale, Peg Lyons
CALL TO ORDER: Chair Schmidt called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm.
PUBLIC COMMENT:  No public comments received via email prior to the meeting.
WINTHROP HOUSING AUTHORITY:
Per the recommendation of DPH on 4/28/2020, at the advisement to the MA Department of Housing and Economic Development, the Board, with input from Ms. Hurley and Ms. Lyons, drafted an Emergency Order prepared by Chair Schmidt.   The Order restricts public access to high-risk developments to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to Winthrop Housing Authority residents.  Chair Schmidt motioned to approve the Order, seconded by S. Maguire, vote unanimous.
Documents referenced: Materials supplied by DPH on 4/28/2020.  Next Steps: Board members will sign Order.  Ms. Lyons will send out mailing to all residents tomorrow; signage has already been posted re: required face coverings. Order will be posted on the Town’s Daily Update.
BOARD of HEALTH ADVISORY RE: SOCIAL DISTANCING:
Board members reviewed a draft of a Board of Health Advisory to reinforce the importance of social distancing as well as face coverings when out in public.  Rather than mandate that face coverings be worn in public, Chair Schmidt, seconded by A. Weins, the Board agreed to issue an advisory that face covering should be worn when social distancing cannot be maintained, as well as reinforcing the guidelines defined for social distancing.  M. Hurley informed the Board that S. Calla has already posted on the electronic message boards entering town the need to wear face coverings.   Next steps:  Comments on the draft Advisory will be sent to S. Maguire on 4/31/2020.  Once finalized, the Advisory will be posted via social media, including the Transcript and WCAT.
Documents reviewed: Draft of Advisory prepared by S. Maguire.
PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR UPDATE (M. HURLEY):
Ms., Hurley provided an update on the status of COVID-19 testing in assisted living facilities.
SAPC grant was passed allocating $33,000 to participants.
NORTH SUFFOLK COLLABORATIVE DETERMINATION OF NEED (DON) ALLOCATION COMMITTEE:
S. Maguire informed the Board that she has been invited to sit on the Allocation Committee, and sought their input as to the role she will play in representing Winthrop, and whether she is the best candidate to represent the Winthrop community given her limited knowledge of its needs.  Next steps: S. Maguire to request additional information, e.g., how many people from Winthrop will be on the committee?; what is the committee’s composition? Which communities will be included in the allocation of monies?
ADJOURNMENT: Chair Schmidt motioned to adjourn the call at 7:30 pm, seconded by S. Maguire. Call ended at 7:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Maguire