BOH minutes 6-3-24.docx City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Board of Health
Date: June 3,2024
Place: Beverly Council on Aging Building Suites A &B
Board members present: Dr. Justin Jordan,Rachel Morse,Esq.,Dr. Sheryl Silva
Others present: Laura DelleChiaie,Director, Teresa Kirsch,Public Health Nurse,
Recorder: Lynne DePiero
Dr. Jordan called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m.
The minutes from the May 15th, 2024 meeting were approved.
HEARING REQUEST: Application for a tobacco transfer—491 Cabot Street, A.L. Prime—changing
owners—overhead will still be A.L. Prime
A representative from A.L. Prime was present and explained to the Board that there were no changes in
the tobacco sales of the establishment. He did ask the Board if chewing tobacco was allowed, in which,
they stated yes but it cannot be flavored. The Board informed him of the current tobacco regulations,
which he stated that they were familiar with. The Board also noted the need to be diligent especially
with their proximity to the Middle School. Ms. DelleChiaie expressed that she would send the new
permit holder an informational packet to the business. Ms. Morse motioned to approve the application.
Dr. Silva seconded—All in favor.
Opioid Settlement Funds:
The Social Services Navigator Position was offered and accepted by Ms. Melissa Weed, who will be
starting on July 1st. She has a Master's in Social Work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
(LCSW).
The Mayor has approved the Narcan boxes for the City. Ms. DelleChiaie will be working with Bruce
Doig, Director of Recreation/Community Services Director, on the placement of the boxes in the parks.
Ms. DelleChiaie will reach out to Councilor Rotondo and Beverly Main Streets to assist in contacting
businesses and reviewing known frequented locations in the City for box placements. Ms. DelleChiaie
suggested working with the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)to help with restocking boxes with Narcan.
Dr. Silva suggested that businesses who will have Narcan boxes could have a sticker or signage on their
windows stating that Narcan is available inside. The Board raised concerns regarding extreme heat and
cold temperatures and if it would affect the Narcan in the outdoor boxes. The Board suggested placing
more boxes at inside locations so it would be easier to monitor expiration dates and temperature
wouldn't be an issue.
Health Director Updates:
Body Art Regulations the current draft is still with the Salem City Solicitor Beverly will move
forward on the revisions this summer and put the revised regulations on the September Agenda for
approval.
Animal Permit Regulations—Ms. DelleChiaie has started to work on a comparison chart of the
neighboring communities to compare animal regulations.
Ms. DelleChiaie attended a Racial Equity Audit training on May 22"d. The items discussed were
fostering trust with Black, Indigenous and other People of Color(BIPOC)in the community, funding
scholarships for certain groups, looking at programming to be more culturally appropriate, language
access and building relationships with the community via surveys. It was suggested that the new Social
Services Navigator position could take the lead on finding culturally appropriate resources. Ms.
DelleChiaie is also looking into translation options, such as the language line, funded through the
regional Public Health Excellence (PHE) grant.
Ms. DelleChiaie is working on a plan with the Northshore Public Health Collaborative (NSPHC)for
FY25 focusing on standardization of processes across city and town health departments. For example,
there could be a uniform fee schedule, correction order templates and hiring processes. The
collaborative is also looking at using the regional inspector to start assisting with pre-occupancy housing
inspections.
Ms. DelleChiaie will be attending the MA Food Public Health Intensive Training (PHIT) course on-line
May 28th-30tn, June 3rd-5t'and in-person on June I Ph in Worcester, MA. Two of the health inspectors will
be attending the Self-Assessment/Verification Audit(SAVA) workshop (covered by a grant) and the
National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) conference in July. Ms. DelleChiaie will be
attending a site visit as part of the NEHA/FDA Food Safety Grant on August 22"d-24'
The Health Department has created a list of unpermitted biotech companies in Beverly and will start
reaching out to them soon. There is one more site to be inspected in June before the contract ends on
6/3 0/2024.
Beach testing starts June I Ph, 2024. The department is looking into better signage to alert the public on
beach openings and closings.
Public Health Nurse Updates:
Ms. Kirsch has been working on scheduling camp inspections for the next couple of weeks. The state
has made some amendments to the camp regulations.
She has two Direct Observed Therapy (DOT) clients that she is overseeing for the next couple of
months.
She continues to investigate infectious diseases as necessary and continues to see low levels of covid
and flu in the community.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
Next meeting September 18, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by,
Lynne DePiero
Administrative Assistant