Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Health
Monday, January 22, 2007 - 7:30 p.m.
Small Basement Conference Room
Town Office Building
Attending: Philip J. Driscoll, Chairman
Roxanne Musto, RN-C, MS, ANP, Secretary
Timothy J. Lowney, Esq., Member
Michael J. Blanchard, MS, Director
Nelly Browne-Janga, Health Inspector
Deborah M. Manning, Principal Clerk
1. No one attended for Citizen's Speak.
2. Minutes of the December 4, 2006 Board of Health meeting were approved with a minor wording change following a motion by Ms. Musto which was seconded by Mr. Lowney and unanimously approved by the Board.
3. There were no outstanding bills to be signed for payment.
4. The Director advised that a tobacco compliance check was conducted last month and that there was 100% compliance among tobacco retailers. Letters of congratulations are being sent thanking them for their diligence in preventing the sale of tobacco products to minors.
Mr. Blanchard also explained that he sponsored a training for tobacco retailers in December prior to the renewal of their licenses. He distributed the informational packet that he used for the training and reviewed it with the Board. Ms. Musto inquired if information about chewing tobacco might be incorporated into other areas of the presentation in the future. Mr. Blanchard agreed that would be a good idea.
5. The Director advised that the Board of Health's mutual aid warrant article was approved by the Board of Selectmen on January 18, 2007 and will now go to the Warrant Committee. This aid would be primarily for emergency situations, involve professional staff only and involvement will be completely at the discretion of the particular department in a given situation. The Town has the option to withdraw from the program at any time.
6. Mr. Blanchard distributed a list of supplies currently being stored in the trailer purchased with emergency preparedness funding. These supplies will be important in the event of an emergency. Currently the trailer is being stored at the DPW yard on Randolph Avenue. The Director advised that he plans to consult with Deputy Chief Richard Wells about moving the trailer to the Police Station parking lot since it is a more secure location.
Mr. Blanchard also advised that Milton has become certified as a part of the Volunteer Medical Corps - Medical Reserve Corps. This certification in significant in that it will provide additional grant opportunities.
7. Mr. Blanchard distributed an overview of the Bio Watch program to the Board. The Department of Homeland Security has installed a filter in Milton that collects air samples for testing for dangerous chemicals. The program began installing these filters in the major cities and has expended to certain suburbs. Since specific information about the filter is highly confidential information, the Board unanimously voted to go into Executive Session to discuss this matter. This voted followed a motion by Ms. Musto which was seconded by Mr. Lowney. Immediately following this brief discussion, the Board returned to an open meeting. At that time, the Director said that he will be attending his first meeting of this group on January 23, 2007 at the Mass. Department of Public Health
Lab and will relay any new information he obtains to them.
8. Mr. Blanchard explained that activity toward formation of an Internship program has been slow but that he will continue to pursue it. With regard to the Community Health Assessment discussed by the Board at previous meetings, he stated that following conversations with a representative of Curry College's Health Science program, it appears an assessment may move forward in the foreseeable future.
9. In response to concerns raised last month by Mr. Lowney about the open meeting law, the Director distributed literature that he had on the matter for the Board's review. He hoped this information would answer any questions they might have.
10. The Director advised that he had an addition to the agenda. He was in receipt of a letter from the Chairman of the Council on Aging formally requesting a flu clinic next year at that site and he wanted the Board's guidance as to how to respond. Following discussion of the matter, the Board instructed Mr. Blanchard to inform Mr. Kelly that his request would be addressed at a meeting of the Board of Health once the MDPH notifies us of our flu vaccine allotment for the 2007 season. This information is usually received in July or August.
Mr. Blanchard was also asked to compose guidelines for those agencies wanting to hold a clinic. These guidelines will be mailed to the various agencies, including the Council on Aging. An invitation will also be sent to Mr. Kelly inviting him and the COA Director to a Board of Health meeting to discuss their request.
11. A resident who had been scheduled to appear concerning a housing matter did not attend.
The next meeting was scheduled for Monday evening, February 26, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the Small Basement Conference Room of the Town Office Building.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
___________________________
Roxanne Musto, RN-C, MS, ANP
Secretary
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