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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980-11-031 BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING NOVEMBER 3, 1980 The regular meeting of the Board of Health was held Monday, November 3, 1980 at 7:00 p.m. in the Board of Health Office (G-25) of the Town Office Building. Members present were: Dr. William L. Cosgrove, Chairman; Mr. James W. Lambie, Dr. Michael S. Erdos, and Mr. George A. Smith, Director of Public Health. Mr. Smith mentioned to the Board that Mrs. Sandra Gabriel, Health Intern, was unable to attend the meeting tonight. ka 2 l FOOD Mr. Smith reported that Mrs. Gabriel is busy preparing for a food seminar in FOOD SEMINAR December. It had been postponed until December because the person giving it SEMINAR had been laid up with a broken leg. Personnel from markets, food service establishments, churches, etc. will be invited to attend. 1 1 Mr. Smith told the Board the office has been so busy we all have been having an awful time trying to keep up with the work. Mr. Smith reported that there is a severe shortage of flu vaccine. The State has called us and wants to take back any vaccine we do not use.We have been al- loted 560 does of vaccine and we are not sure that will be enough for our clinic. Dr. Cosgrove said one nursing home has been buying it for $16.50 a vial. It was discussed how one doctor charged $17.00 for the flu shot and $17.00 for the pneumonia vaccine and was giving them both the same day. Mr. Smith told the Board he had asked Mrs. Terry Hluchyj, R.N. member of the WELL Visiting Nurses to come to our meeting tonight to discuss any areas they deal ELDERLY with for the Board of Health. He said he had asked Mrs. Hluchyj to send a list CLINICS of the people that utilize the clinic whether they live in the villages or are other residents. Looking over the lists the people that live in the village use the clinics more than others. Mrs. Hluchyj told the Board that people residing at Greeley Village do not want outsiders coming there for these clinics. She told the Board if the village had a monthly meeting someone should go there and speak to the residents of the village about their attitude to outsiders. Mr. Smith said he has spoken to Temple Scanlon and he feels it is only four or five people that object to outsiders. Mrs. Hluchyj said she asked one gentleman if he went to Greeley Village clinic and he said the people that reside there get there first earlier in the day and sign up and when others come there is a very long wait. She said Vynebrook was having that problem several months ago but she spoke to each one individually. Dr. Cosgrove said people won't go to Greeley because of the group there. The visiting nurse said five or six women sit in a corner and are very hostile. She said she will have the nurse there ask each one what their feelings are about outsiders coming to the clinic. Dr. Cosgrove said maybe we are a little to blame for not visiting these clinics more often, that is, anyone from this office. Mr. Smith said he use to send Mary to sign people up for flu vaccine when they had missed our clinic but we are so busy lately we can't get to do half the things we want to. He said there are a handful of people at Greeley that don't go every week but when they do go they make trouble. Dr. Cosgrove said people have been told that they are not welcome at Greeley. The visiting nurse said people do go to Vynebrook because there is a better feeling there for outsiders. Dr. Erdos said he never heard any adverse publicity from his patients when he was in private practice. BLOOD Mr. Smith said he had talked to Mrs. Tapia in the office about setting up PRESSURE a clinic once a month here in the Town Office Building to do blood pressure CLINICS readings for Town employees. He said we could also do blood screening for lead poisoning. Dr. Erdos said the two things should be separated. Mr. Smith said he had approached the Town Manager about the blood pressure clinic and he thought it was a good idea. Dr. Cosgrove wanted to know why we needed another clinic when we have some at the bank now. He said the women from this building use the bank clinics now. I don't see why we need a clinic for employees, he said. Mr. Lambie wondered what would happen if we opened it up to everyone includ- ing the elderly. Dr. Erdos said it is fine if it doesn't give George more work and more paper work in the office. Dr. Cosgrove asked if it would be just for empolyees? Mr. Smith said it would basically be for employees. He said we get calls about blood pressure all the time. He said the clinic would only be for two hours a month. Dr. Cosgrove said we can stop the bank clinics then. Mrs. Hluchyj, R.N. said it would only be a pilot program, two hours for four months, to see how it would work out. Dr. Erdos said he doesn't feel comfortable having it just for employees, but we could do it as a pilot for one month. Dr. Cosgrove said if that is what you want to do I will cut out the bank clinic and save Rotary some money. He said it is a case of making up your minds if you want this one in the Town Office Building, I will cut the one out at the bank. 1 1 1 Dr. Erdos said there is no need to do that. Let us run this one for one month - you will get a different clientele at each clinic. Dr. Cosgrove said it would give Mr. Smith more work. The Board said they were not too crazy about the idea but they would be willing to do a "pilot program" for one month. Dr. Erdos said Mrs. Tapia's letter says the clinic would include the public. Mrs. Hluchyj said she had spoken with Mrs. Tapia and she wants to start with just employees. Mr. Smith told the Board he would like a nurse in the office for two hours a week to answer questions for the public. They could also give any makeup shots needed for people having missed clinics. Dr. Erdos said it was a good idea although he was not too enthuiastic about any of it. Mrs. Hluchji said the visiting nurses are looking for a volunteer nurse, perhaps a retired one, to help them out at their clinics. She said if anyone knew of anyone would they have them call the office. Mrs. Hluchyj brought up the "form letter" again that she had requested before to be sent to houses with reported communicable diseases letting them know that the visiting nurses would be coming. The Kazajian's of 113 Concord Avenue wrote a letter requesting to keep five KAZAJIAN horses on their property instead of three that their current permit allows. ANIMAL PERMIT Mr. Smith said he does not recommend the permit be allowed to be increased to five horses. He said they have three stalls, and two makeshift stalls. He also stated that there is a rat problem there. He said he has to go back there. As it is the barn could burn down. He siad it is "crummy". He said the horses are down in the swamp. He said it would be inhumane to put more horses over there. The Board denied the increase of horses on the property. Mr. Smith told the Board that the local Health Departments are no longer required to inspect nursing homes before they get their license renewals. He said he still inspects and licenses their kitchens. He said we have four basically good nursing homes here in Lexington and the Dana House is in excellent shape. Mr. Smith said that as he goes to the nursing home to inspect the kitchens he keeps his eyes open for other things. Mr. Smith said Woburn has allowed people to dump fill at the Winning Farm on the Lexington Line. The Lexington people have wells and are concerned what is being dumped. He said epople that work for the City of Woburn are also on the Board of Directors DUMPING at Winning Farm. The Board of Health and police in Woburn would not do anything. AT The State has forced the City of Woburn to stop dumping there. There is a "cease WINNING and desist" order against them. The D.E.Q.E. has an order against them and has FARM said to remove or prove what has been dumped there. Mr. Smith said the area is wet and the dumping is causing problems. PNEUMONIA Mr. Smith reported that we only gave 27 shots at the pneumococcal vaccine VACCINE clinic. He reported we charged $4.00 for each shot given. CLINIC Dr. Cosgrove told the Board how Jack Gardner came into clinic complaining about charging the residents for the shot. He said Mr. Gardner complained that we were taking the meager earnings from the elderly. Mr. Smith said that no one objected to the $4.00 fee. Dr. Cosgrove wondered if the budget money could be juggled around to use the line item for hospital care to pay for the vaccine. Mr. Smith said that it could not. Dr. Cosgrove did say he thinks he will see the Town Counsel about it. Dr. Erdos said the pneumonia vaccine would not have to be limited to the clinic. They could come into the office the day the nurse was there and she could give makeup shots. SNOW Mr. Smith told the Board that Ralph Cataldo had come into the office re - DUMPING questing permission to let the Town of Arlington dump their snow again this CATALDO winter. FARMS The Board thought it best to contact the Town of Arlington first before giving Mr. Cataldo permission. Mr. Smith said Mr. Cataldo has never given us any trouble. The Board discussed briefly Mr. Cataldo's other project of having fill brought in to his land. This is a three year project and the Army Corp. of Engineers had given him permission to do this. The Town of Lexington also gives him permission annually. PREMATURE Mr. Smith reported we had a request for payment on a premature baby. The BABIES baby is still in the hospital at the cost of $600.00 per day. Mr. Smith said the law states that we can send them to Medicaid. Dr. Erdos was not aware that it is the Board of Health's responsibility. Mr. Smith said we send them to Medicaid and if they get refused, we have to pay the whole bill and the State will re-imbuse us for half of the money. Dr. Cosgrove said we better let them know upstairs. Mr. Smith said that he already had. Mr. Erdos asked what is the Board responsible for, financially? Mr. Smith said: Rabies treatments, tuberculosis, premature babies and if we condem a house, we have to pay to move tenant out. 1 1 1 1 1 231 Dr. Erdos said someone had spoken to him about one of the junior high schools. JR. The doors have been removed from the stalls in the lavoratories. This lady's HIGH son won't use the bathrooms at school. SCHOOLS Mr. Smith said he would check it out. He said, at one time before, they had locked all bathrooms, because when long hair was stylish, the boys would be in the girl's bathrooms. It created quite a problem. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.