The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My Public Portal About20210927 - Board of Health - Meeting MinutesHEALTH DEPARTMENT Town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts Monday, September 27, 2021 MINUTES Members Present:Elizabeth “Lisa” Whittemore,Dr.Richard Jacobs, Regina Miloslavsky Also Present:Shaun McAuliffe, Health Director Absent: Late Arrival(s): Early Dismissal: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chairman Whittemore. Ms. LaRoche announced the “Script for Remotely Conducted Open Meetings” guidelines. Members and participants role call for attendance: Elizabeth “Lisa” Whittemore-Yes Dr. Richard Jacobs-Yes Regina Miloslavsky - Yes Shaun McAuliffe-Yes Public Comment-Members of the community are invited to share ideas, state opinions or ask questions Chairman Whittemore announced that she will not be in attendance for the October 18, 2021 meeting. Request to Approve Meeting Minutes of September 16, 2021 Ms. LaRoche requested the Board’s approval for the meeting minutes of September 16, 2021. Vice Chairman Jacobs motioned to approve the meeting minutes of September 16, 2021. Ms.Miloslavsky seconded. Roll Call: Chairman Whittemore-Yes, Vice Chairman Jacobs-Yes,Miloslavsky-Yes. Coronavirus Update & Director’s Report Mr. McAuliffe updated and informed the Board of the following items: Public Health Nurse / Programming - A.The EMS team hosted a Falls Prevention Clinic at the Senior Center on September 22, 2021. It was fully booked and a success. B.The Department has been providing emergency antigen and PCR testing. C.The Health Department is hosting a drive thru flu and limited COVID-19 3rd shot clinic on Thursday, October 30, 2021 at the Center School. Interested residents can call for a link to the registration page. There are no walk-ins. D.The Health Department is in the process of scheduling additional flu and COVID-19 vaccination clinics. We will be posting links to the clinics soon. E.The Health Department received a $9,900 grant to improve COVID-19 capacity in the municipality. The money will be utilized for PPE, supplies, and contractor costs. BOH September 27, 2021-MEETING Minutes Page 1 Approved October 18, 2021 Vaping/Tobacco – The Department received the 2nd installment of our $25,000 vaping grant. The 3-Tiered program is underway at the School District. MRC / Clinic Activity –We have registered several additional residents for the MRC. They will be assisting the Department in future clinics. Grants - The Department is exploring additional funding opportunities to offset the costs of clinic operation. Ticks - A.Colin Davan, an Eagle Scout, and his fellow scouts have installed the tick trail signage. The feedback from the residents attending PolyArts and Blooms, Brews and BBQ was overwhelmingly positive. EEE/WNV - The MDPH reports mosquitoes positive for WNV in all of the abutting communities but Ashland and Holliston. The Department is working with the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project to monitor the issue and mitigate it should positive pools be identified in Hopkinton. Operational Summary - The Director will be completing a number of food inspections the last week of September and first week of October. Mr. McAuliffe also informed the Board that the Town’s Water & Sewer Department, over the weekend, has detected a small amount of Nitrogen in its water supply specifically, at the Alprilla Water Well, which is located down from the Legacy Wastewater Treatment Plant. He noted that he will keep the Board informed of any future developments. COVID-19 - The MDPH has reported 138 new cases to the Department since 08/01/21. 14 of the cases are active. Our two week positivity rate has decreased to 1.98 from a high last week of 2.53. We are currently averaging 2.38 cases a day. We have been averaging between 2.4 and 2.6 cases per day since August 1, 2021. Through our clinic and local efforts, we continue to see a significant increase in our vaccination rates. The MIIS database reports that 13,393 of our residents are fully vaccinated. 1,511 are reported to have received their first shot. This is an improvement of approximately 122 since our last meeting. We are awaiting authorization to vaccinate approximately 2,115 children under the age of 12. The MDPH reports the following: Town Age Group Population Proportion of town population Individuals with at least one dose Individuals with at least one dose per capita Fully vaccinated individuals Fully vaccinated individuals per capita Hopkinton 12-15 Years 1,116 7%1,118 >95%984 93% Hopkinton 16-19 Years 987 6%1,094 >95%1,015 >95% Hopkinton 20-29 Years 1,635 10%1,439 90%1,323 83% Hopkinton 30-49 3,987 24%4,322 >95%4,032 >95% BOH September 27, 2021-MEETING Minutes Page 2 Approved October 18, 2021 Years Hopkinton 50-64 Years 4,065 25%3,868 >95%3,643 91% Hopkinton 65-74 Years 1,426 9%1,435 >95%1,365 >95% Hopkinton 75+ Years 643 4%832 >95%762 >95% Hopkinton Total 16,382 100%14,108 88%13,124 82% We will be partnering with the Clerk’s office on a project to assist Hopkinton families that have lost a loved one to COVID-19. If we experience a significant increase in our case counts, I’d like to consider an indoor mask requirement. We continue to communicate with the MDPH and participate in the weekly conference calls. As a region, the Directors have requested a plan for the vaccination of the next age group and the State’s plan for when the Mass Vaccination Sites have closed. We haven’t received any new information. We continue to work closely with Golden Pond and Fairview Estates. We have assisted them in obtaining vaccinations for their newest residents. We continue to support the efforts of the School District and other municipal offices. ADJOURN: Chairman Whittemore motioned to adjourn the Board of Health Meeting at 6:07 p.m. Vice Chairman Jacobs seconded. Role Call: Chairman Whittemore-Yes, Vice Chairman Jacobs-Yes, Miloslavsky-Yes. Respectfully Submitted, Nidia LaRoche Administrative Assistant BOH September 27, 2021-MEETING Minutes Page 3 Approved October 18, 2021