Emily Field, Mattapoisett’s public health nurse, reported to the Board of Health the status of a plan to regionalize some public health services and associated staff known as the South Coast Public Health Collaborative.
During the June 28 meeting of the board, Field expressed the need for greater focus on mental-health services and that possibly such services can be coordinated through the collaborative.
“Public health needs more qualified people,” Field said, explaining that public health is typically an underfunded segment of a local board of health and that through a shared-services plan, those services can be provided.
Field laid no blame for the deficit in those services at the feet of municipalities; she said that Massachusetts is unique in that there are 350 boards of health. She said that many small towns simply do not or cannot pay for the variety of services that fall under the governance of boards of health, everything from public-health nursing to solid-waste management and everything in between. She sees the collaborative as an opportunity to improve some services through acquisition of shared staffing and other programs.
There is still work to be done on how towns will be reimbursed, but Field is hopeful business elements of the program can be amicably ironed out and the regional agreement signed by all participating communities. Mattapoisett, once it signs on, will join Freetown, Lakeville, Marion, Rochester and Westport. Westport will be the host town for the program and manage grant distribution.
In March, The Wanderer reported that the collaborative was rolled out to Marion’s Board of Health. Matt Armando, director of Public Health for the Town of Westport, discussed a Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment and maintenance of the program. Armando told the Marion board that $300,000 in grant funding will be annualized with $45,000 going to the host municipality (Westport) and $255,000 to be distributed to the participating towns based on their needs.
During the June Mattapoisett board meeting, Field noted the difficulty in finding experienced help for the role of inspector and a shared-services coordinator. Armando stated at the March meeting in Marion that the grant might attract new people to public-health careers, thus training is a necessary component of the collaborative’s work.
Field again spoke to the urgency for municipal focus on mental-health needs. She said that during and since the pandemic, she is seeing isolation as a factor, that regretfully mental-health needs are underfunded and not adequately addressed.
The board is working towards signing the MOU by the end of July.
In other business, the Mattapoisett Board of Health met with Todd Kope of the MassDEP to discuss Maguire and Wastequip compacting equipment. Kope told the board that better signage would help at the town’s Transfer Station, something that Mattapoisett Health Agent Gail Joseph has been working to provide. He highly recommended a compactor for cardboard as a cost-savings tool and the introduction of disposal bags for “a pay as you throw” program for residents. He also suggested a deeper dive into the fee structure of the operation.
In closing comments, Chairman Carmelo Nicolosi said that the state (EPA) has received significant pushback from cities and towns earmarked by the agency as having nitrogen-sensitive areas. After an aggressive push beginning on Cape Cod, the state has paused for more in-depth analysis before requiring homeowners to upgrade their septic systems to include denitrification technology.
Although homeowners along the south coast are, for now, spared a state mandate requiring a septic upgrade that can cost up to $50,000, Nicolosi reminded listeners that state Title 5 septic regulations still require systems that control nitrogen output, including denitrification systems in watershed areas.
Nicolosi confirmed that the town is seeking grant funding to launch its own study of local waterways to accurately identify nitrogen sources and levels ahead of any studies the state could implement in the future.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Health is planned for Wednesday, July 26, at 10:00 am.
Mattapoisett Board of Health
By Marilou Newell