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BOARD OF HEALTH
2010 ANNUAL REPORT
Stanley L. Rosen, CHO, Vice-Chair/Acting Chair
Susan Peck
Jay S. Schwab, DMD
Andrew Stead
Edward Welch
Linda Rosen, Health Administrator
Board of Health staff in 2010 consisted of: Jim Andrews: Health Agent for Engineering; Sheila Miller, RNC: Public Health Nurse (PHN) and Assistant Health Agent for Sanitary Inspections and Enforcement; Linda Rosen: Health Administrator; Linda Callan: Part-Time Administrative Assistant; William Iannucci: Health Agent for Sanitary Inspections and Enforcement; and Edwin S. Little: Animal Inspector.
The Board of Health is comprised of five volunteer members, listed above, who are appointed to three year terms by the Selectmen. The major work of the Board in 2010 involved providing for the protection of public health, safety, welfare, and the environment, through appropriate review of
septic system upgrades and variance requests, as well as of other areas.
Some accomplishments of the Board in 2010 included:
- Continued to review proposed septic system upgrades, and variances from state and town septic regulations, including the installation of a variety of Innovative/Alternative (I/A) systems. The Board continued to impose standard requirements for homeowners with alternative systems including provision of a signed Operations and Management Agreement to the Board, with the following testing requirements: BOD, TSS, pH, TKN, Ammonia, and Nitrites. In addition, the Board continued to require a standard septic system use restriction document to be filed at the Registry of Deeds by all homeowners to whom a variance with restrictions is issued.
- Met several times with representatives of Shaws' Plaza to discuss and resolve issues related to the wastewater system. Before the end of the year, it appeared that issues had been resolved.
- Met several times with representatives of the Middle School addition project to discuss the wastewater system (sewer extension)…and voted to approve the permit with conditions.
- Met again with representatives of the Salvation Army regarding plans for septic system upgrades at Camp Wonderland and Wonderland Conference Center…including an enhanced nitrogen removal system.
- Provided guidance to several property owners regarding possible
expansion of their properties.
- Held hearings to review several new applications for animal permits, relying on recommendations of the Animal Inspector;
- Approved the proposal from the Health Department to provide Zostavax (Shingles) vaccine to residents over age 60....available from the state at no charge on a limited time basis. Approved the proposal to no longer require a physician’s note for this vaccine.
- In accordance with revised DPH requirements, instituted permits for the operation of a semi public/public bathing beach.
- Continued to receive updates from staff on emergency planning activities.
- Approved the request of the Public Health Nurse to reduce the hours of that position from thirty-five to twenty-five per week. The Board agreed to attempt to maintain the ten hours per week for emergency preparedness issues and any additional nursing issues needed.
- Reconfirmed that the minimum age requirement for providing vaccines by the Sharon Health Department is seven (7); except that the minimum age requirement is five (5) for the provision of influenza nasal vaccine.
- Voted to allow the Health Department to begin billing health insurance plans (through a contract with Commonwealth Medicine) for administration of influenza vaccine for residents under age 65.
In accordance with state requirements for bathing beaches, and semi-public pools, the Health Department oversaw laboratory testing of all semi-public swimming pools and Lake Massapoag swimming areas (and non-swimming areas) from late May to September to monitor for bacterial levels (E-Coli for lake areas; fecal coliform for pools).
Compliance with 310CMR 15.000 (1995 Title 5, as well as with Article 7 of the Board of Health Regulations (regarding septic systems) and Article l6 of the Board of Health Regulations (regarding private wells) was monitored by the Health Agent for Engineering. (Please see the Engineering Division section of this Annual Town Report for specific information on services of the Health Agent for Engineering on behalf of the Board of Health.)
As more alternative septic systems have been installed, and as variances from the town’s septic regulations have been required for replacement systems, monitoring compliance with conditions imposed by the Board of Health has become more complicated and time-consuming. In the interest of protecting these systems, the town’s groundwater, as well as the public health, the Department monitors owners’ compliance with conditions of septic variances through the use of funds raised by an annual monitoring fee paid by system owners.
Permits and licenses were issued by the Board of Health during 2010, including the following: 49 animal permits; 6 Bathing Beach permits; 1 permit for a Bed and Breakfast Home Establishment; 3 permits to operate a manicuring salon providing artificial nail services; 13 Residential Caterers; 9 Temporary (one-day) Caterers; 20 manufacture and/or sale of ice cream; 26 sale of milk and/or cream; 3 vehicle licenses for sale of milk; 2 lodging houses; 1 pasteurization of milk; 2 motels; 6 camps; 51 Food Service establishments, including: operation of retail food establishments, food service establishments; and combination retail food/food service establishments; 5 residential kitchens; 8 semi-public pools; 7 seasonal food service; 4 mobile food vendors; 8 Temporary Food Service,
20 transportation of offal; 9 dumpster operations; portable toilets; and 6 retail tobacco sales. The Board is also responsible for issuing 5 year renewal permits for underground storage of hazardous materials and regulated substances…currently consisting of 6 commercial establishments.
A Special Service Board, administered by the Health Department, is responsible for determining the eligibility of senior citizens and disabled persons (based upon income) for town-sponsored refuse collection. Thirty-six residents were approved for this service as of the end of 2010. The Department continued to maintain the Board of Health/Health Department pages on the town’s website, providing up-to-date information to the public. Responsibilities of the Health Agent for Sanitary Inspections and Enforcement, and the Assistant Health Agent for Sanitary Inspections and Enforcement in 2010 included the following: Routine and other inspections of all food service and retail food service establishments, catering facilities, etc., to ensure compliance with the revised, strengthened State Sanitary Code
and FDA Food Code. Also: inspections of lodging house, bed and breakfast homes, and motel facilities, as well as reviews of proposed new establishments and changes to existing facilities took place. Also conducted were sanitation audits of school cafeteria food service practices throughout the school year; inspection of retail establishments, restaurants, motels, and lodging houses for compliance with the Board of Health Tobacco Regulation. Pre-season and mid-season inspections of all camps were conducted to ensure continuation of proper sanitation standards in conformance with increasingly stringent state-wide regulations.
PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING
PHN: Sheila Miller, RNC
The Public Health Nursing Service of the Sharon Board of Health provided services to residents of the town as follows in 2010:
Total # Office Visits 2553
Total # Home Visits 110
Monthly offsite blood pressure/blood sugar clinics
Immunizations (other than influenza) 230
CLINICS PROVIDED (Various Locations - Out of Office):
Flu Immunization Clinics 2100
(including both injectable and intra-nasal seasonal influenza vaccine)
Sheila Miller, RNC, continues in the position of PHN for the town. Linda Beadle, Nurse Practitioner, provides assistance on an ongoing basis as our part-time PHN. Additionally, the Department relies on several on-call Registered Nurses to assist with clinics, on an as-needed basis.
The Department provides regularly scheduled blood pressure/blood sugar clinics for all adult residents, as well as monthly senior citizen clinics. In addition, immunizations, nutrition and weight control education, and monthly home visits (as needed) are conducted. The Nursing Department is actively involved with the School Department Nursing Staff, sharing information regarding immunizations and communicable diseases. The PHN also assists with immunizations, as needed, for campers and staff. Coordination with the Council on Aging, area Visiting Nurse Associations, HESSCO, as well as other town departments continues on an ongoing basis. The PHN, as well as the part-time PHN, continued to follow up on communicable disease cases reported to the Department. Town employee health screenings were
again held, with positive responses from all departments. Through the DPH vaccine program, the Department was able to offer 80 doses of Zostavax (Shingles) vaccine to residents age 60+ at no charge. Additionally, the provision of Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis vaccine was extended to adults through age 64.
The Department also provided a mercury thermometer exchange program, in cooperation with the Department of Public Works. In addition, arrangements made in collaboration with Sturdy Hospital and the Fire Department allow for disposal of sharps at the Fire Department on an ongoing basis.
As part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Emergency Preparedness Region 4A, Department staff continued to participate in seminars and workshops on bioterrorism; worked closely with the state Department of Public Health, as well as with both Fire and Police Departments; provided informational materials on bioterrorism to the public, and directed residents to the appropriate agencies for further details. Sheila Miller serves as the Board of Health representative to Region 4A; Linda Callan serves as the secondary representative. Sheila Miller is part of an ongoing Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) for the town.
Sheila Miller was heavily involved with the organization of a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). This volunteer group serves to strengthen the public health infrastructure and improve emergency preparedness. To date,
approximately one hundred volunteers, both medical professionals and others, serve on the MRC. Many of these volunteers assisted with our flu clinics.
The Health Department conducted the annual influenza vaccination program throughout the fall of 2010. Unlike the prior year, when the H1N1 pandemic surfaced, this was a relatively quiet flu immunization season for most Health Departments. In addition to administering flu vaccine during the regularly scheduled blood pressure clinics, three large flu clinics were held, including one for the administration of seasonal intra-nasal flu vaccine only.
As in previous years, the Department relied heavily for assistance on its staff (both regular and on-call) and many volunteers: including, among others, members of the Lions’ Club, Civil Defense, LEPC, MRC, etc. We bill Medicare and Medicare HMO’s for administration of the seasonal flu vaccine for those over 65 and are thereby able to recoup some of the costs involved in providing this service. This year we also began a program to bill for administration of the seasonal flu vaccine to those under the age of 65. We are also grateful for all donations we receive.
The Department, in conjunction with the Fire Department, continued the popular Vial of Life program, giving residents the opportunity to confidentially register important personal data in order to provide emergency responders with vital and possibly life-saving information.
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