Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Health
Monday, October 15 2007 - 7:30 p.m.
Basement Kitchen Conference Room
Town Office Building
Attending: Roxanne Musto, RN-C, MS, ANP, Chair
Timothy J. Lowney, Esq., Member
Anne T. Fidler, Sc. D., Member
Linda M. Grant, MD, MPH, Medical Advisor
Michael J. Blanchard, MS, Director
Nelly Browne-Janga, Health Inspector
Deborah M. Manning, Principal Clerk
1. No one attended for Citizen's Speak.
2. Outstanding bills were signed for payment.
3. The minutes of the September, 2007 Board of Health meeting were approved as written following a motion by Mr. Lowney which was seconded by Ms. Fidler and unanimously approved.
4. The Director provided an update on the flu clinic schedule. He explained that he will bring a display board outlining what steps families should take to prepare for any major emergencies which may occur. Following discussion, it was decided that flu clinic schedules should be posted at the two local libraries.
5. Mr. Blanchard advised the Board about an MRC drill that was held last Saturday at the Norwood Civic Center. He, the Public Health Nurse and several local medical corp volunteers attended the event at which each attendee played a specific role. Eighty-eight cots were set up as a Influenza Special Care Unit.
He explained that Colleen Foley of Milton Hospital was also in attendance to gather information about the development of an ISCU which she will be undertaking at Milton Hospital.
Mr. Blanchard said the event was a complete success and well worth the time and effort for all involved. He has prepared a press release which will be sent to the local media.
6. The Director distributed information to the Board showing the final proposal of the Wellness in the Community, School and Workplace grant. He explained that Ms. Fidler was extremely helpful in organizing the data and the title of FitKids was chosen. The Director, Public Health Nurse and representatives from Milton Hospital and the school department will be involved in the program if funded.
7. The Director distributed handouts to the Board including hard copies of the Health Data Watch . He also explained that they will be receiving copies of the MAHB journal. This includes a directory and is a very good resource for health-related training opportunities.
8. Mr. Blanchard explained that the Tobacco Control Program recently conducted an inspection of the tobacco retailers in Town for proper signage and found them all to be in compliance with the proper posting requirements.
9. In response to the Chairman's inquiry about plans for a health related press release for the month of November, the Board thought information on flu prevention would be timely. The Director will draft an article for the Milton Times.
10. Mr. Blanchard advised the Board that preliminary information on the FY09 budget does not look promising. He stated that recouping the funding for the Inspector of Animals position appears questionable. This year it is provided for under the Region 4B grant. However, the likelihood of it being covered next year is very remote. One suggestion was to compile information about how much it would cost to hire a trained individual to carry out these mandatory responsibilities on an hourly basis. It was generally agreed that that amount would far exceed the $2,000. stipend the Animal Inspector currently receives.
The question of raising fees arose once again. Last month is was agreed to increase the food establishment reinspection fee from $60 to $100. However, the Director reminded the Board that during a recent survey of comparable towns, Milton fees were at the high end.
One suggestion was to investigate the price charged by other communities for flu shots. Perhaps Milton's $3.00 fee could be increased to $5.00. Mr. Blanchard said he would look into this.
The next meeting was scheduled for Monday evening, November 19, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the Small Basement Conference Room of the Town Office Building.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
___________________________
Timothy J. Lowney, Esq.
Secretary
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