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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1964-02-03BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING FEBRUARY 3, 1964 The regular meeting of the Board of Health was held Monday February 3, 1964, at 7:00 P.M. in the Health Department Office. Members present were Dr. William Cosgrove, Mr. James M. West and Executive Health Officer, James F. Finneran. Minutes of the December 19, 1963, meeting were approved as read. MAPLE HILL The letter to Mr. Noel St. Germaine, Maple Hill Farm , DAIRY FARM Inc., Waltham, Mass. stating that any further violations of the sanitary standards of the milk regulations his license to sell milk in Lexington would be revoked was approved by the Board. A. copy of this letter was sent to the Waltham Health Department and Mr. Finneran reported that Waltham Health Department had sent a letter to this department stat- ing that they were holding approval of renewal of the pasteur- ization license for this dairy pending further testing of milk samples to ascertain the required standards as set forth in the General Laws of Massachusetts. Mr. Finneran also stated that he would collect samples from this dairy every month in order to keep a rigid check on the milk standard. MUSGRAVE TOWER A. letter had also been sent to Musgrave's Tower Farm, FARM Billerica, Mass. stating that the counts on the dispenser milk secured from Early Bird Restaurant were unsatisfactory. Mr. Finneran reported that the Early Bird Restaurant had changed owners since the letter was sent and the new owners have taken out the dispenser therefore, no further action need be taken. SEWER The list of petitions for sewer installations in the INSTALLATIONS order of urgency sent to the Board of Selectmen upon request was approved by the Board. SCHOOL The letter to Miss Wright, School Lunch Program, stating LUNCH the counts of the utensil swabs was approved by the Board. BUDGET The letters from -the Board of Selectmen stating that the following Budgets have been approved was read by the Board: Health Expenses, Engineering, Rabies Clinic, Out of State Travel, Dental Clinic -Personal Services, Dental Clinic -Expenses and Animal Inspector -Personal Services. The Board noted that the Personal Services Budget for the Health Department and the appropriation for the Children's Clinic of the Mental Health Association was not included in the letters of approval. IMMUNIZATION Notice of the recommended immunization from the State Health Department was placed on file. Mr. Finneran reported that copies of this notice had been sent to all the Doctors and the School Nurses, also a notice of the Type I, Sabin Oral Polio Clinic held Thursday, January 30, 1961. 1 1 1 9 Mr. Finneran reported to the Board that he felt the repeat- ing of the Polio Clinic was worthwhile. A total of approximately 330 citizens received doses at this clinic; 83 new babies, 133 new adults and 114 who had missed Typ e I at the previous clinics. The Oral Vaccine is now being distributed by the State Department of Public Health in 10 dose vials and a supply will be kept on hand at the Health Department for the Doctors use. The letter written by Dr. Carl R. Benton, Veterinarian, at HANDLING the request of the School Health Services on the care and treat- OF ANIMALS ment of laboratory and domestic animals was read by the Board and placed on,file. The letters to the Board of Assessors on lots rejected by LOTS the Board of Health for sewage disposal systems were approved REJECTED by the Board. These letters were requested by the Assessors in order that abatements could be made to the lot owners. The letter to all Child Care Center operators was approved CHILD CARE by the Board. Enclosed with this letter giving preliminary in- CENTERS formation as to the licensing of the Centers was an announcement by the State Health Department of a course to be given in March on Early Childhood Education. A petition received by the Board of Selectmen and directed LOWELL & to the Health Department asking the Town to alleviate a health WOBURN ST. hazard, namely, rat infestation on two vacant lots on the corner of Lowell and Woburn Streets was presented to the Board. Mr. Finneran reported that he had investigated this complaint and found both lots were free of household rubbish and organic wastes and he could find no apparent rat harborages on either lot. Further investigation revealed that only one or two rats had been seen. The property owner abutting the vacant lots stated that they did have a rat infestation last year but had since replaced the wooden stairway in the rear of the house with concrete, this same abuttor also stated that they threw bread and crumbs out for the birds. Mr. Finneran said in view of the facts revealed he could not recommend the extermination program requested in the petition and reported such to the Board of Selectmen. The Board approved the action taken by the Health Officer. The subdivision entitled "Tillinghast Estates, Section II" TILLING - was approved by the Board. This subdivision is located on Juni- HAST EST. per Place and will be connected to the public sewer and the land SEC. II" is high enough so there should be no drainage problem. The payment of the hospital bill for Premature Infant Bomback PREMATUF was approved by the Board. Mr. Bomback is a graduate student at INFANT M.I.T. and his yearly income of 83300. is well below the minimum BOMBACK standard of 54500. as recommended by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The total bill for this baby is $184.85, we will pay the rate as allov= 1 by law of ?12.00 per day for 13 days which amounts to $156.00. The following licenses were signed by the Board: Garbage, Stanley Roketenetz; Rubbish, Paone's Disposal, Sullivan Trucking 10 APPOINTMENT STREP THROAT Cc cr CC Co., Leonard S. Collins, James A. Freaney, Inc.; Sewage, R.E. Andrews Co., Verner T. Aall & Co., Pat Iovino, Inc. These were all renewals of disposal permits. The appointment of Mr. R.L. McQuillan as the representative of the Board of Health to the L.V.N.A. was unanimously voted by the Board. 1 Mr. Finneran reported that a meeting had been held with the School Health Services, Dr. Perry, Dr. Potter, Dr. Pearl- man and Dr. White to discuss the enforcement of and compliance with the Regulations for Streptococcal Sore Throat. The phy- sicians say that as the ruling stands now the Doctors must ex- clude the contacts from school against the parents objection or give penicillian treatment which is sometimes undesireable medical practice. The School Nurses on the other hand must enforce the law as it stands now. This situation creates a continual con- flict between physicians, nurses and parents. The doctors also admit that they do not always report this disease because of the regulation as it stands now. Dr. Pearlman stated at the present time the only service available for testing and diagnosing throat cultures are the private laboratories and the cost of this service to a family can be a hardship. If a service was established whereby the contacts should have a primary throat culture diagnosed then the regulation could be waived in the case of the contacts. Dr. Pearlman suggested that possible the Lexington Board of Health could consider providing a diagnostic service for the use of physicians for primary diagnosis on all contacts before prophalatic treatment was used and all negative cases could have the requirements of quarantine waived. Dr. Pearlman said this type of service has been used in other communities with some success. Mr. Finneran said that since that meeting, which was on Friday, January 31, he has done some investigating into a service of this type but as yet had not gathered all the data needed. There is a simple swab kit available and the blood culture plates can be purchased commercially. The transfer of the cultures and incubation could be done here in the lab- oratory very easily, but before any action is recommended or taken he would like to get a lot more information on what this service would involve; such as cost, collections, manner in handling and etc. The Board agreed that more information was needed on this type of service and also that no decision should be made until the full Board was present. A. review of the Health Officer's Report was made and the Board noted that the milk counts and utensil swab analysis had improved. Dr. Cosgrove asked if the meetings could be changed to an- other night other than Thursday as a great many of his Dental Meetings are being scheduled for Thursday evening. Monday night seemed satisfactory to everyone at the present time. The next 1 1