BOH Minutes 12-17-20 City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Board of Health
Subcommittee:
Date: December 17,2020
Place: Via Google Meet
Board members present: William J. Alpine Jr. and Susan Higgins,PE
Board Members Absent: Frank S. Carbone Jr. MD
Others present: William Burke, Director of Public Health, Teresa Kirsch, Public Health
Nurse
Recorder: Kathleen McCullough
William Alpine called the meeting to order at 5:38 P.M.
The minutes of the November 19, 2020 meeting were approved and accepted as mailed with
an amendment.
Teresa Kirsch, Public Health Nurse, and the four part-time nurses are busy tracing the number
of contacts cases of Covid-19 which are increasing every week. Ms. Kirsch is also referring some
of the cases to the Community Tracing Collaborative. The CTC is experiencing surge capacity
as well. They are adding additional personnel to help with caseload.
Beverly is still in the yellow with a positive rate of 39.8 per 100,000. This is an average of
20-30 positives a day. Beverly is seeing community transmission, including schools, with no
specific sectors. Many cases are from social settings, households, and the holidays may have
contributed. The environmental inspection staff continues to enforce state sector guidelines.
Emails have been sent to grocery stores followed by site visits but they all seem to be obeying
the guidelines. Joe Reale and Frank Giacalone are checking social club, gyms, and restaurants.
On occasion they are accompanied by a police officer. David Goodwin is overseeing the
businesses and retail stores. Establishments call to report positive cases and we also get
complaints of non-compliance which is followed up on.
Mr. Burke discussed the role the Local Health Department would have with the Covid-19
vaccine . It was first stated that the local health department's role would be in later phases,
but in the last day or two it has been mentioned that local health department would vaccinate
first responders. There was no mention of available funding assistance. The public health
nurses are stretched thin with contact tracing. Hopefully more details on the DPH call
will be available tomorrow.
Mr. Burke had a few updates for the Board.
Mr. Burke has reached out to a potential physician for the Board member vacancy when
Dr. Carbone's term expires on December 31, 2020. Mr. Burke will follow up with him
to see if he is interested in the commitment. The State requires that a medical doctor be
on the Board Ch. 111, S26.
The Dental Clinic conducted interviews for the vacant Principal Clerk position. The job
was offered to one of the candidates and she will begin in January after going through
pre-employment screening.
Mr. Burke thanked Teresa Kirsch and everyone in the Health Dept. for all the hard work
in the past few months.
The next scheduled meeting has not been scheduled.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy McCullough