Town of Mashpee
16 Great Neck Road North
Mashpee, Massachusetts 02649
BOARD OF HEALTH – EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mashpee Town Hall – Conference Room 3
Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Board Members Present: Also Present:
Lucy Burton, Chairman Glen Harrington, Health Agent
Kalliope Egloff, Co-Chairman
Burton Kaplan, Clerk
Chairman Lucy Burton called the Executive Session meeting to order at 8:01 PM.
Glen Harrington stated that he received a phone call from the Falmouth Hospital saying that a young woman came in over the weekend and stated that she was in contact with the gentleman who is suffering with rabies. The doctor at the Falmouth Hospital Emergency Room started her on the anti-rabies vaccine. She does not have insurance, and there is a state statute that the Town in which she resides is responsible for paying for the treatment. Glen Harrington has very little details. Glen Harrington did get a call from the VNA Communicable Disease Nurse just before the Falmouth Hospital called. She does not have a confirmed case of rabies so Glen Harrington did not go through the usual channels to have the communicable disease reporting. He is still receiving information in bits and pieces.
Burton Kaplan questioned if the treatment is similar to someone receiving a dog bite not knowing if the dog had rabies or not. It is a series of six injections. Glen Harrington says the reporting is different because it is not a confirmed case. It is merely a suspected case and the reporting is basically non-existent if it is not a confirmed case. It did not go through the proper channels which typically Glen Harrington receives a fax from Ginny Brodeur and Communicable Disease Department at Falmouth Hospital, or it is put into MAVEN which is the state’s electronic notification to all of the Boards of Health and the Communicable Disease nurses. Those channels were not followed because it was not confirmed.
Glen Harrington received a call from the Financial Office in the Falmouth Health saying that the Town of Mashpee now owes $6,314 to pay for the treatment and asking where to send the bill. Glen Harrington wanted further information such as the woman’s name and address to prove that she was a Mashpee resident. She works at a restaurant in Town and does live in Town. Burt Kaplan questioned whether the gentleman that had rabies worked there. Glen Harrington stated that the gentleman did not work at the restaurant. He frequented the restaurant and was an acquaintance of the woman. The VNA explained to Glen Harrington that she shared a glass with him. The restaurant is located in Mashpee. The CDC called the owner, but they did not call the Board of Health to do any further investigation. At this point we really do not have to do anything
else.
Burt Kaplan asked if the potential patient is being treated, and the Board of Health has nothing to do it other than pay the bill. Glen Harrington made the Town Manager aware of it Wednesday morning giving her a copy of the statute and saying that he never dealt with this before and asked that this be forwarded to Town Council. Joyce forwarded it up to Council to see what our liabilities were.
Kalliope Egloff questioned the requirement to carry health insurance. Lucy Burton stated that if we don’t carry health insurance it is just a penalty on your tax return. Some people find it less expensive to pay the penalty on the tax return than to carry health insurance.
Glen Harrington was told that she was a young girl. He had no idea how old she is. If she is less than 26, she could be on her parent’s insurance. Glen Harrington stated that he did not receive the doctor’s report on the whole communicable disease breakdown because it was not a confirmed case.
Lucy Burton stated that her son was treated for rabies a few years ago. He had quite a few series of shots. He had five shots in his hand plus a big one, and then he had to go back at least 6 times.
Burton Kaplan asked if the $6,300 was the end of it or is there more to come? Lucy Burton claims that it was the end of it with them. Glen Harrington said that it sounded like it was the end but does not know it for a fact. He will ask. Lucy Burton stated that it cannot be ignored. There is no cure and it is fatal. Kalliope Egloff asked if there are any concerns with the restaurant that the young woman worked at. Glen Harrington does not have any concerns there.
Glen Harrington is frustrated at the way the information came in. He is still receiving it piecemeal. He still does not know how old she is. Glen Harrington got her telephone number and will call the woman.
The man’s wife is also being treated for rabies. Lucy Burton claims that it is not easy to get the shots. She had to make appointments and only at the hospital not at their primary care. She had to pay a separate co-pay every time because it was considered an emergency room visit.
Glen Harrington stated that there is a state law that the Town is responsible for someone who is uninsured. The state law also references 105 CMR 335 which is treatment for people with anti-rabies vaccine. The presiding physician states that the vaccine is necessary should notify the Board of Health prior to treatment which did not happen. The Board of Health can ask for a patient certification. We can ask for a written certification on how the patient contracted or suspected to contract the disease.
Burt Kaplan asked where she went, and Glen Harrington said she went to the Emergency Room at the hospital over the weekend. Kalliope Egloff inquired if Mashpee is the only town in the County to experience this. To Glen Harrington’s knowledge there really haven’t been many rabies cases on the Cape.
Glen Harrington wants to talk to Council to send a letter citing the CMR section and requesting information prior to treatment. Glen Harrington will check with Joyce Mason to see if she forwarded the information to Town Council. Council may not have been available.
This rabies case is big news and confidential. The gentleman that contracted rabies is in critical condition. This all happened late this summer, but he was sick at the beginning of December when he was actually hospitalized. They say they thought it was a bat.
Burton Kaplan made a motion that the Board of Health Executive Session be adjourned. Kalliope Egloff seconded the motion.
The motion was unanimously approved.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Fran Boulos
Administrative Assistant
Mashpee Board of Health
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