Minutes
Board of Health · from the Town's website · 1 page · 20 KB
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WINTHROP BOARD OF HEALTH DECEMBER 8, 2020 6:30 PM REMOTE PARTICIPATION ( A. Weins, Host; Meeting Recorded) MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: Chair Schmidt called the meeting to order at 6:37 pm ROLL CALL: BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair: Bill Schmidt; Vice-Chair: Astrid Weins; Member: Susan Maguire. TOWN of WINTHROP PRESENT: Al Legee, Commissioner Inspectional Services Department (6:45 pm); Meredith Hurley, Director of Public Health; Councilor at Large Demarco; and Marianne Dalton, new Board of Health Member as of 1/1/21. INVITED GUEST: Bonny Carroll, Director, Six City Tobacco Initiative ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Before she departs the Board on 12/31/2020, Chair Schmidt and Vice-Chair acknowledged Susan Maguire’s contributions to the Board of Health (BoH) during her four year tenure, noting her ‘meticulous’ attention to detail, and contributions to addressing vaping by youth, participation on the North Shore Collaborative Behavioral Health CHIP, recording of BoH minutes, and addressing the demands of the COVID-19 epidemic. The Board wishes her well as she trains to support the Town in COVID-19 Contact Tracing. PUBLIC COMMENT: None REVIEW of MINUTES: With one edit, Chair Schmidt, seconded by A. Weins, motioned to approve the Board of Health Minutes of 11/17/2020. Roll call vote: all members voting aye, minutes were approved unanimously. COMMISSIONER of INSPECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT (ISD) UPDATE: 59 Cottage: Inspection following a report of a chimney collapse revealed that the chimney was not connected to the heating system, hence not a safety issue. Report from previous inspection still pending. Inquiry RE: Bespoke Boards Business: In-home catering services require a business license approved by the Board of Health, as well as a home- occupational license. Action Steps: Al will notify the business that they must cease business until licenses have been obtained. Board to research criteria and guidelines for home-catering services and will discuss at the Board meeting in January. Applicant for Smoke Shop/Cell Phone Repair Business: Business is applying for a license. They will need a business plan. Also, they cannot operate a separate business along with a smoke shop. Action steps: under review with ISD and Licensing Commission. 75 Jefferson St Complaint: Owner continues to refuse entry by ISD for inspection/repair for the past 1.5 years. Action steps: ISD referring to town attorneys. Inspection of Restaurants for COVID Compliance: all found in good compliance. Impact of New COVID Rollbacks on Restaurants: Most, including social clubs, are already meeting the 40% capacity limit. DIRECTOR PUBLIC HEALTH and CLINICAL SERVICES UPDATE: MEREDITH HURLEY COVID-19: Experiencing surge in case following the Thanksgiving holiday and household ‘spread’. As of December 8, 2020: 962 total cases, with one additional death. Contact tracing more difficult now due to heavy caseload; streamlining intake process. School nurse supporting Public Health Nurse. A. Weins stressed the need to ensure public health issues other than COVID-related are addressed, and avoid overload burden on the public health nurse. Seeing more inpatient admissions; PARC Assisted Living has four positive cases with two hospitalized; both residents and caregivers are getting tested. Two or three inpatients are from congregate-living settings. Schools serving high needs students in-person. Outdoor COVID testing will end 1/15/2021; Working with Sean Driscoll on plans to host an indoor testing site which DPH is willing to set up. Board suggests better dissemination of Quarantine Info-graphics to keep up with changing CDC guidelines. Enforcement Agent finding only minor COVID infractions. Christmas Eve Visit by Santa: on schedule. Action steps: Chair Schmidt will email Chief Flanagan re: COVID Safety Guidelines re: Distancing and Face coverings. Suggest possibly watching from indoors, to ensure safe distancing. Councilor at Large Demarco inquired how are we addressing the mental health needs of our youth. S. Maguire noted the campaign led by Ryan Barry to end the stigma of mental health which youth from CASA are participating in. Action Steps: S.Maguire will forward the BH CHIP Workplan to Demarco. FLU Clinic: Recent clinic on 12/5/2020 served forty people. Plan to host one or two more youth clinics soon. BU STUDENT INTERNS: Students will be presenting their problem statements and proposed interventions on their research on asthma and youth mental health this week. Action steps: M. Hurley will share the reports with the Board. S. Maguire will share the Youth Mental Health Report with the NS Collaborative BH CHIP Workgroup. NACHO: meeting on 12/23/20: program evaluation of the CLEAR Program. NORTH SUFFOLK COLLABORATIVE: Environmental health: meeting scheduled for Thursday; A. Weins planning to call in. Project plans include installing sensors in Revere. TOBACCO SALES REGULATION: Chair Schmidt led the review, with A. Weins editing, of the most recent draft revisions proposed by D.J. Wilson, Tobacco Control Director/Public Health Liaison to the Winthrop Tobacco Regulation. With one exception, Chair Schmidt, seconded by S. Maguire, motioned to accept the revisions. The one exception motioned by Chair Schmidt is to cap the number of Winthrop tobacco permits to sixteen, presently set at eighteen. Roll call to accept the motion: Chair Schmidt, seconded by A. Weins, motion unanimous. Action steps: Board will vote on changes to the current Regulation at the January BoH meeting, followed by presentation to the Town Council in February, and final vote by the Board in March. SCHOOL REOPENING: The Board revisited their recommendation of November 17, 2020 to the School Committee and Superintendent Howard that the schools postpone in-person learning until at least January 4, 2020. A. Weins raised concern about the burden on Public Health to manage the current surge of COVID-19 cases, especially with the impending holidays, while S. Maguire saw no reason to change the recommendation at this time, therefore no new recommendation was proposed. BODY ART REGULATION: The Board initiated drafting the Body Art Regulation in October 2018, but due to other priorities, work on a final draft had to be postponed. The Board reviewed Draft #7 of the Body Art Regulation prepared by S. Maguire and with minor edits, Chair Schmidt motioned, seconded by A. Weins to accept it as a final draft. Action steps: S. Maguire will make final edits; Once final vote is taken by the Board, Chair Schmidt will forward to A. Faison for review by Town’s legal counsel; S. Maguire will prepare a chronology of the regulation development for presentation to Town Council and Public Comment. PUBIC COMMENT: S. Poulos expressed her regret and apology for the recent email trails that circulated regarding the school reopening timelines. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Schmidt motioned, seconded by A. Weins, to adjourn at 9:48 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Maguire (outgoing Board member, 12/31/2020 Marianne Dalton (Board Member, effective 1/1/2021