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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1964-03-091 1 meeting will be scheduled for the first or second Monday in March and the early time of 7:00 P.M. was agreeable to all. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 P.M. BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING MARCH 9, 1964 The regular meeting of the Board of Health was held Monday, March 9, 1964 at 7:00 P.M. in the Conference Room of the New Town Office Building. All members being present. Minutes of the February 3, 1964 meeting were approved as read. The proposed testing program for Streptococcal Sore Throat STREP SORE Contacts was discussed by the Board. In order that the Board THROAT could have a resume! of the facts to date a short report was included in the Health Officerts Report. Mr. Finneran reported that a letter had been sent to Dr. Fiumara requesting permission to waive the existing quarantine of contacts which is one week without prophylactic treatment or two days with prophylactic treatment, but as no answer had been received to this letter further study of the rules and regulations governing commun- icable diseases was made. Our regulations state that we adopt the Rules and Regulations of Isolation and Quarantine of dis eases declared dangerous to the public health as written in Section 6, Chapter 111 of the General Laws, amended by Chapter 129, Acts of 1948 and further amended by Note 9 of the regula- tions which states "Public Schools are no longer required to exclude from school children exposed to the diseases listed in this table unless the regulations of the local board of health require such exclusion," (Chapter 71, Section 55, as amended by Chapter 89 of the Acts of 1952). According to the 1952 ammend- ments the State Health Department has placed all responsibility of Communicable Disease right back to the local Health Depart- ment, therefore it is up to the Board to waiver the quarantine of contacts in Streptococcal Sore Throats. Mr. West: I am attracted to this program, but would like to discuss it further. Mr. McQuillan: We must be sure this is the only solution. There is only one other Town that does anything like this. Mr. Finneran: Brookline does this type of program and Amherst. Brookline's program started as a study under Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and the Good Samaritan Hospital for Children. When the three year study program was completed the Health Department felt the program should be continued. Mr. McQuillan: I should think we could leave this sort of thing up to the Doctors. 12 Mr. Finneran: That is what we have been doing and it is not working out, the school nurses have found that the regulation regarding the Contacts is being ignored. The limited funds we have available will limit this years pro- gram to the Children Contacts only, and our program will be for contacts only. The Doctors will have to take care of the patients and the follow-up on the patients. We would only be responsible for the Contacts. Dr. Cosgrove: Have you called Dr. Pyle on this? Mr. Finneran: Yes, I tslked to Dr. Pyle, he had no ob- jection to the program but thought we were taking on a lot of work. Dr. Cosgrove: It seems that this problem has caused a lot of concern, I have had a call from Mrs. Clark, of the School Committee and they are in favor of such a program. I feel we should try this program and see if it will help, as I understand the Doctors and the Parents object to the use of penicillan in cases of contacts. Mr. Finneran: That is right, although I am afraid that they will find more penicillan will be used. Mr. McQuillan: Penicillan is the treatment for Strep Throat and this regulation was made before all the informa- tion on the effects of penicillan was made, is that right? Mr. Finneran: Yes, that is right. So much has been written regarding the building of immunity to the drug and also the effects of the drug with prolonged use that it has caused a lot of concern. Mr. McQuillan: How about financing this program. Our budget has already gone in for this year. Mr. Finneran: We feel that we can spend about .500. dollars from the current Budget, this amount should cover this Spring and through December of this year. The peak months are January, February and March so therefore this years peak months are almost over. We will supply the sterilized culture plates and swabs to the Doctor. It will then be up to him to swab the throats of the contacts and see that they are delivered to the Health Office each day, Monday through Fridays. In order for the program to be successful Saturday & Sunday work will have to be handled by the Comiiercial Laboratories. Mr. West: I think we should give this program a trial and I make a motion that the Streptococcal Throat Culture Testing Program be developed for children contacts only and the financing of this program must not exceed $500. dollars for this year. Motion seconded and passed. HEALTH The letter to Marie F. Gately, Division of Health Educa- EDUCATION tion, State ilealth Department, stating that the Health Depart- ment would cooperate in posting the legal restrictions for the tr 1 1 1 sale of tobacco products was approved. Mr. Finneran reported that about thirty of these posters had been distributed to dealers in the Town and most of them were being displayed. The report from the State Health Department on the private water supplies on property abutting Route 2 Land Taking Program was checked by the Board. No action is necessary at this time on this problem, however, Mr. Finneran said when Mr. Nickerson of the State He-;lth Department went out to test these private water supplies again he would go with him. The proposed Building letter to A. W. Geller, New York City, regarding the sewage disposal system for the Burroughs Cooperation on Route 2was approved by the Board. The letter to Mr. P. Baldasaro, Massachusetts Department of Public Works, regarding the sewage disposal system at 133 Blossom Street was approved by the Board. Mr. Finneran ex- plained that this property is involved in the land taking on Route 2 and the septic system for this property is now on State Land. Our regulations require 10 feet from a boundry line although a variance may be granted by the Board upon re- quest. However, no variance has been requested, as yet, but if a variance was requested he would not recommend it unless the home owner and this Department had a written statement from the State granting permission for this system to be on the State Right of Way property. 13 WATER SUPPLIES ROUTE 2 BURROUGHS CORP SEPTI( SYSTEM 133 BLOSS- OM STREET Motion made and duly passed that the following appoint- APPOINTMENT; ments be made for the year 1964-65: FOR 1964 Executive Health Officer Inspector of Slaughtering Assistant Animal Inspector Animal Inspector Clerk Agent Agent Special Agent Special Agent Special Agent Collector of Milk Samples James F. Finneran James F. Finneran James F. Finneran Dr. Carl R. Benton Dorothy Jones Dorothy Jones Hazel J. Murray Paul F. O'Leary Charles S. Karr Dr. William McLaughlin John R. Condon The rubbish permit submitted by Eric Swanson was denied by RUBBISH the Board on the recommendation of the Health Officer. Mr. Swanson had planned to use an open dump truck for this business and Mr. Finneran did not feel that the open trucks were suitable for this business. - The Sewage Disposal renewal Permit for Join Brucchi, 68 SEWAGE Paul Revere Road was signed by the Board. PERMIT The application for assistance in payment of Premature PREMATURE Infant Schulman was denied, by the Board. The parents have INFANT sufficient funds to meet the expense of this case. The Board checked the Health Officer's Report and noted the improvement in milk and restaurant inspections.