BOARD OF HEALTH
Meeting Minutes
October 11, 2011
Memorial Town Hall
MEMBERS PRESENT: Mark Johnson, Bruce Pennino
MEMBERS ABSENT: Mary Ricker, Andrea Crete, Board of Health Agent
OTHERS PRESENT: Nancy Galkowski, Town Manager
Debra Sciascia, Recording Secretary
Jeanne Benincasa, CMS, Boston, MA
Derek Brindisi, Director, Worcester Public Health
M. Johnson called the Board of Health Meeting to order at 5:35 PM
WORCESTER PUBLIC HEALTH REGIONALIZATION PROJECT: Jeanne Benincasa, CMS, Boston MA, consultant for Worcester Public Health Regionalization Project, and Derek Brindisi, Director, Worcester Public Heath were in attendance to answer any questions the Board of Health had.
Attached are the two handouts distributed to the Board.
The grant, done by the City of Worcester, needs to be written and submitted by mid November 2011. The actual grant begins 6 months after that, July 1, 2012. The towns of Shrewsbury, Leicester and Millbury have committed to join the Regionalization Project. To be eligible for the grants, the Project needs a population of 50,000, and 5 or more communities or 50 square miles. As a group they would be eligible for state and federal dollars.
The amount of the initial grant has dropped from approximately $1+ million to $100,000 the first and second year, $75,000 the third year, and $50,000 the fourth year.
The contract for each participating town is a 12 month contract. There is a 30 day required notice to opt out after the contract expires.
Pay rate for participating Boards of Health Agents is $53,000 to $65,000.
The Board asked that the attached hand-outs be forwarded to Mary Ricker to review. They agreed that they would like to wait for her to be able to participate and move forward as a group towards a final vote.
N. Galkowski, Town Manager, will be going before the Selectmen on October 17, 2011, asking for approval, pending a final budget.
The Board members agreed to meet again for information purposes when M. Ricker could attend.
N. Galkowski excused herself from the meeting at 6:30 PM.
Central Ma Regional Health Board and
City of Worcester Department of Public Health
Strategic Goals
Goal # 1. Improve Organizational Effectiveness: Design a new Department of Public Health to serve the region and strengthen its governance and leadership in order to provide efficient, effective, and equitable public health prevention, protection, and health promotion services; advance knowledge of public health practices and transfer that knowledge into innovative and responsive community and public health approaches; and build, in an incremental process, a model public health system that achieves accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board by 2015.
Goal # 2. Mobilize a Coordinated Community Approach: Lead a connected and effective local public health system by establishing new and strengthening existing collaborative partnerships and creating strategic alliances.
Goal # 3. Make Data-Driven and Evidence-Based Decisions: Build the capacity and capability to measure, monitor, and report health status and health risk; to identify health priorities; and to evaluate effectiveness.
Goal # 4. Build a Road to Sustainability: Expand all sources of funding such as grants, philanthropic, healthcare and collaborative communities.
In order to effectively deliver a comprehensive service model for public health, the City of Worcester’s Department of Public Health will adopt and integrate the Institute of Medicine’s three core public health functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance and the Ten Essentials of Public Health1 as the framework for a systems approach to carrying out public health’s core functions.
The Ten Essentials of Public Health are:
1) Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems (e.g., community health profile, vital statistics, and health status).
2) Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community (e.g.,
epidemiologic surveillance systems, laboratory support).
3) Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues (e.g., health promotion and social marketing).
4) Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems (e.g., convening and facilitating community groups to promote health).
5) Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts (e.g.,
leadership development and health system planning).
6) Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety (e.g., enforcement of sanitary codes to ensure safety of environment).
7) Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable (e.g., services that increase access to health care).
8) Assure competent public and personal health care workforce (e.g., education and training for all public health care providers).
9) Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services (e.g., continuous evaluation of public health programs).
10) Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems (e.g., links with academic institutions and capacity for epidemiologic and economic analyses).
Current Traditional Model: Proposed Comprehensive Model:
Fulfill all statutory responsibilities, enforce laws, and assure compliance with regulations that protect the public’s health and ensure safety such are considered the vast majority of services being throughout the region. These include: |
In order to develop a comprehensive model and complement existing services, the regional health services will also include: |
- Food Safety Inspections
- Housing (Chapter II)
- Nuisance investigations
- Recreational Camps
- Bathing Beaches
- Septic System installation
- Public and Semi Public Pools
- Body Art
- Tanning Facilities
- Communicable Disease Investigations
- Influenza Vaccination Clinics
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- Develop a model for Community Health & Chronic Disease Prevention and mobilize community partnerships:
- Annual Health Indicators Report
- Health Communication and Community Relations
- Media Advisories and releases
- Health and Wellness Promotions
- Social Networking
- Web based education
- Campaigns (e.g. Diabetes)
- Develop a public health emergency response infrastructure
- 24/7 coverage
- LEPC meeting attendance
- Data Collection
- Statistical analysis of data (bio statistics and bio-informatics)
- Health Surveillance
- 5 year community health assessment
- Program Evaluation
- Develop workforce by partnering with academia
- Substance abuse prevention
- Injury prevention programs
- Provide Medical Director coverage to local health department
- Research
- Develop alternative sources of funding and leverage existing sources:
- Hospitals and Health Centers
- UMass Medical School and other educational institutions
- Grant writing
- Foundation and Philanthropic organizations
- Group purchasing of training and equipment to reduce cost
- Legal review
- Administrative review and policy development
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Regional Health District Governing Body/Regional Public Health Council
- Will be made up of 1 voting member representing each community and each entity participating in the newly created health district.
- Each municipality will appoint a health representative and a town administration representative to the council.
- Membership will include representatives from the following community entities:
- (2) Hospital Representatives from surrounding neighboring hospitals in the District
- Accredited School of Public Health/Allied Health Services representative. (committee must decide upon number of representatives) -
- Community Health Center representative –(one representative)
Chairperson shall:
- Preside at all meetings of the Board.
- Call special meetings of the Board.
- Perform all acts and duties usually pertaining to the office.
Vice Chair shall:
- Perform all the duties of the Chairperson if the Chair is unable to act serve.
Secretary shall:
- Keep a complete record of all meetings of the Board
- Serve all notices required by law and these by-laws
- Perform other such duties as may be required by the Board
Treasurer will be held by the host agency’s Chief Financial Officer and shall:
- Sign as Treasurer, all checks of the District.
- Be responsible for the keeping of full and accurate accounts of all financial transactions of the District.
- Submit a full report of all business matters pertaining to his/her office to the Board for preparation of next year’s fiscal budget and make all reports required by law.
- Perform such other duties as may be required of him/her by law or requested by the Board.
Medical Director This position will be filled by the Commissioner of Public Health or his/her designee. The Medical Director will be the health and medical subject matter expert for the council. The Medical Director will not have a vote on the council.
- Terms will last 3 years
- Members are limited to serve no more than 3 consecutive terms.
- Term expiration dates will be staggered.
- Duties of the Governing Body/Regional Public Health Council
- The governing body will provide guidance for the district and will set the tasks for the Director of Public Health to accomplish. The governing body will:
- Develop the Standard Operating Procedures for the district.
- Develop standardized documentation for the district.
- Approve final budget and determine assessments to the communities.
- Develop policies.
- Provide direction to the Director of Public Health.
Ensuring the 10 essentials of public health are met.
Approve future communities from joining the district.
- The governing body will meet quarterly or on a needed basis.
MEETING MINUTES:
- September 27, 2011: B. Pennino motioned to approve, M. Johnson seconded. All in favor. APPROVED.
Documents presented during review: September 27, 2011 meeting minutes can be viewed at the Town Clerks office.
OTHER BUSINESS:
- Animal Regulations: B. Pennino asked if it would be possible for A. Crete to attend one of the Agriculture Committee’s meetings.
- Health Agents Report: With the possibility of Regionalization in Holden’s future, the Board would like to see a report from A. Crete regarding what her duties are on a day-to-day basis.
Next Meeting: To be determined.
M. Johnson motioned to adjourn the Board of Health meeting. B. Pennino seconded. All in favor.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:10 PM
October 11, 2011 minutes approved:
Debra Sciascia, Recording Secretary
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