Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975-01-061 1 1975 BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING JANUARY 6, 1975 The regular meeting of the Board of Health was held Monday, January 6, 1975 at 7:00 p.m. in Room G-15 of the Town Office Building. Members present were: Dr. William L. Cosgrove, Chairman; Dr. Charles Ellicott, Mr. James W. Lambie and George Smith, Director of Public Health, The minutes of the December 2, 1974 meeting were approved as typed. The minutes of the Budget Meeting with the Lexington Visiting Nurse Association were approved with the following corrections: The Board did set the number of visits at 340 and the charge was to be $14.00 per visit. It was also pointed out that Mrs. Tapia's name had been misspelled and should be corrected. 541_ The letter from the Boston Guild for the Hard of Hearing regarding a free workshop on hearing for public health nurses was discussed by the Board. It HARD OF was agreed that because the Red Cross provided assistance at the Hard of HEARING Hearing Clinic this notice should be sent to Mrs. McGonagle of the Red Cross for her consideration. The letter from the Council on Aging Project Center of Arlington, Mass- achusetts regarding the planning of a Diabetes Screening Clinic was discussed by the Board. DIABET1S CLINIC Dr. Cosgrove said the Rotary had been working on a clinic of this type but no definite plans have been made. Dr. Cosgrove and Dr. Ellicott said they would try to make the meeting regarding this program, the meeting will be held in Symmes Hospital Auditorium on Wednesday, January 8, 1975 at 8:30 a.m. The notice regarding the discontinuation of the distribution of smallpox vaccine was read and placed on file. Smallpox vaccination is no longer re- SMALLPDX quired for school entrance and international travel. Smallpox vaccine may be purchased commercially by physicians if they need it. The proposed regulations prohibiting "Barefeet in Food Establishments" was discussed by the Board. BAREFEET REGULATIONS Dr. Ellicott recalled the discussions the Board had on such regulations prior to now. The purpose of the regulations discussed before was to prevent bare feet in public buildings. Mr. Smith said these regulations would apply to food establishments only, Mr. Lambie asked if these regulations were adopted whose responsibility would it be to enforce the regulations. Mr. Smith said the enforcement would be up to the owner or operator of the establishment. After further discussion it was decided that Mr. Smith would check these regulations out with Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel, before any further action was taken by the Board. a At 7:15 p.m. Mrs. Muriel Weckstein, Associate Area Director of Consultation MYSTIC VALLEY and Education Services of the Mystic Valley Comprehensive Community Mental Health MENTAL HEALTH Center met with the Board. ASSOCIATION Mrs. Weckstein explained that with her were three other staff members and also two MVMHA Board members to help answer any questions the Board of Health might have. c Mrs. Weckstein explained that the MVMHA was getting ready to operate under the MINH Grant from the Federal Government. The MINH grant has been approved but the State has not approved their cost sharing plan. Under this grant Mrs. Weckstein explained that for the first two years the State must pay 25% of the cost. As the ten year period for this grant progresses the State will assume a larger percentage of payment so that by the ninth and tenth year it will be all State funded. Mrs. Weckstein stated that at the present time they were trying to meet with all the local agencies to question them on their needs. Lex- ington receives approximately 20% of the services given by MVMHA now and they would like to know if the Board had any suggestions which would give better service to Lexington. It was asked if the increase in staffing would result in an increase of payments from the local communities for the secretarial staff needed to service the extra staff. Mrs. Welch said they had allowed for the payment of this help in the grant request so therefore this extra staffing should not cost the towns more money. Dr. Ellicott said he thought the psychiatric problem in the nursing homes was very great and especially at Christmas time. Mrs. Welch said that at the present time the Center was working more with troubled adults than with the children. Dr. Ellicott said that with the additional staffing they would have to study the market and then operate rather loosely for the first three months to see what the needs will be. He suggested that the clinic keep flexibility in their operation to meet the needs of the area. After further discussion the MVMHA group thanked the Board and re- tired. The Board set February 3, 1975 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the MVMHA BUDGET with Mrs. Welch. Mrs. Jane Tapia, Director of the L.V.N.A. and Mr. Frank Totman came LVNA before the Board to again discuss the L.V.N.A. budget for 1975-76. Dr. Cosgrove explained that since the last meeting he had met with Mr. O'Connell and was told that the budget of 92 hundred dollars as submitted was not acceptable and must be cut as much as possible. It was, after some discussion, voted by the Board that instead of a flat 1/12 rate to be paid monthly for services by the L.V.N.A. all services would be on a fee basis. 1 1 Dr. Cosgrove said we had agreed at the last meeting that the Board of Health visits could be cut to 340 and at $14.00 per visit will come to $4760 dollars. Our clinics, such as flu, would be estimated at $240.00. Now we will figure the elderly clinics. Mrs. Tapia said she figured they were seeing about 12 new people per month. Mr. Lambie and Dr. Cosgrove said they would think that the clinic would reach a saturation point. Mrs. Tapia said they figured that at least 10% of people over 65 years of age needed are and were not getting it. Dr. Cosgrove said by your own records if you see 12 people per hour for 3 hours it would be 36 people and for 50 weeks of the year you are seeing 1800 people. Where do you go from there, figuring your clinics you are now running with those figures you can see 144 people a month. You have never seen 144 people in a month. Mrs. Tapia gave the Board her statistics of the attendance at the Well Elderly Clinics. She said she wanted to cut her attendance figure for clinics down to 25 or under that is why she is asking for more clinic time. The Board pointed out that she would not continue to grow that a leveling off time would come and even a drop in attendance would occur. They felt a surge in attendance in the Spring and again in the Fall might be noticed but during the winter and summer months when the weather was a factor the clinic attendance could drop. Mrs. Tapia said she wanted 2 hours a month for "Outreach and Education" because she thought there was a great potential in such a program, and elderly people did need education in health matters. Dr. Cosgrove said he felt that after people got to be 65 years of age they were not interested in education. If they didn't see too well they went to an eye doctor, and their dieltary habits were pretty well set by this time and un- less a doctor put them on a diet they would continue to eat as they always did. After much discussion the Board agreed to go for a figure of $7600. hundred dollars. Mrs. Tapia said that wasn't enough. The costs at the clinic were more than the $12 dollars per clinic she had quoted because of the preparation, statistics and so forth. She requested 2 more hours for clinics. The Board asked why she did not state a full cost price when she stated the sum of $12. dollars per clinic. Mrs. Tapia said she did not figure in the overhead costs which would bring the costs per clinic to $15.40 per hour. After further discussion it was agreed that a total of 168 hours of Well Elderly Clinics would be held at $14.00 dollars per hour or a total of $2350. dollars. The education and outreach time was next discussed and Mrs. Tapia was advised that the "Outreach" was a new program and should be dropped, put out- reach under education. Dr. Cosgrove said he thought $300. dollars was enough for Education. b 43 544 This brought the total budget up to $7600. dollars which he said he could fight for. Mrs. Tapia said that $7600 dollars was not enough. She showed the Board a revised budget in the amount of $8168. dollars. Dr. Cosgrove said that budget figure was too much, he had been told this budget must be cut as much as possible and if it wasn't he should look for alternatives. After a great deal of discussion it was finally agreed that Dr. Cosgrove would get in touch with either Mr. Mitchell or Mr. Blaisdell of the Appro- priation Committee and present the following budget for the LVNA to them. 340 visits @ $14. per visit Board of Health Clinics @ $12. Well Elderly Clinics 168 Hrs. @ $14.00 Education $4760. 240. 2350. 500. $7850. Mrs. Tapia said she thought the amount of $7850. should do it. Mrs. Tapia and Mr. Totman thanked the Board and retired. Renewal permits and licenses were signed by the Board. GARBAGE: Stanley Roketenitz (4 trucks) RUBBISH: Miller Disposal Co. (11) McCall Trucking Co. A. H. Beauchamp & Son (2) Paone's Disposal S. Cianci & Sons Co. Lexington Aerial Workers, Inc. Middlesex Disposal Inc. Sanitas Waste Disposal of Mass. (4) Fitz Disposal Dooley Bros. Inc. (2) SCA Disposal Service (2) INSTAT.T.PR'S PERMITS: Suburbanite Cesspool Service Rite -Clean Cesspool Service Deflice Corp. Lawrence M. Carroll David E. Eagle A. A. Cesspool Co. SEWAGE; Suburbanite Cesspool Serv. (4) John Zanni, Inc. (2) Rite -Clean Cesspool Service A A Ace Sanitation, Inc. R. E. Andrews Co. (2) Corenco Corp. Electric Sewer Cleaning Co, (3) A A Cesspool Co. MOTEL LICENSES: Sheraton -Lexington Motor Inn Chalet Motor Lodge Battle Green Inn MASSAGE LICENSE; Helen Lynne Kent 1 1 ANIMAL PERMIT; Lance Burke, 231 Marrett Rd. (24 chicks) FOOD ESTABLISHMENT PERMITS: Drummer Boy Restaurant Bellino's Coffe & Donut Shop Servomation Corp. for Raytheon Cafeteria Servo Corp for Raytheon Vending machines Servo Corp. for D. C. Health Co. Vending machines Brigham's, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue Brigham's d/b/a Buttrick's, 34 Bedford St. Mrs. B's Donuts, 3 Bow Street (Wholesale) Minute Man Restaurant, 1715 Mass Avenue, (new owner) 1