Gail Joseph recently accepted the challenge of becoming the new Board of Health agent – not in just any town, but her own town, Mattapoisett.
Joseph is a 1975 graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School and grew up attending local elementary schools.
You may know her as your neighbor or the once-upon-a-time baker and proprietor of Gail’s Goodies, a shop Joseph ran from 2007 to 2014. Before that she was a baker at the original Shipyard Galley and, before that, was a regional manager of a retail grocery chain’s bakery department. Joseph indeed has a robust background in the food industry.
A career move into the public sector is a shift, but, again, Joseph is not new to the demands and responsibilities associated with public health and its many facets.
From 2014 to 2021, Joseph was a member of the City of New Bedford Public Health/Environmental Health Division, which handles everything from inspecting body-art businesses to investigating trash-related complaints, rodent control, burial permits and, last but not least, food protection programs and inspections.
Joseph said that the emergence of COVID-19 put everyone in the public health sector on high alert and with additional duties. When asked what she thought her biggest challenge will be in the early months of her tenure, Joseph didn’t hesitate: “The transfer station.” On this point, Joseph believes educating the public will be high on her list.
“People don’t understand that it is no longer a dump but is a transfer station. Everything that we have to touch at the station costs the town money,” said Joseph, explaining all the hidden costs this enterprise fund must bear. “When disposing of large bulky items such as recliners, couches, [and] bed frames, people should separate the metal parts and dispose of them in the metal piles.” The remaining skeleton of the former furniture should be placed in the construction dumpsters, she said.
Joseph said that residents using the transfer station can help by also understanding that household trash is kitchen and bath rubbish, not appliances, toys, clothing, electronics, and the beforementioned furniture.
“Clothing, shoes, rags and such, are considered textiles and should be placed in the appropriate bins or donated,” Joseph advised. Continuing, she said, “Corrugated cardboard can be recycled, as can bottles and cans.” But, again, she cautioned that placing items in the correct receptacle is paramount.
Above all else, Joseph wants people to understand the importance of being a partner in helping the transfer station operation. “Please do not put trash where it doesn’t belong.”
Public health careers require not only education and training, but education and training on a wide array of topics. Joseph lists training and certifications in hoarding, pool and spa operations, Massachusetts housing and lead paint testing, soil evaluations, FDA Food Code, and system inspections for on-site wastewater, to name a few. She is a member of the Massachusetts Environmental Health Association, National Environmental Health Association, and Massachusetts Health Officers Association.
Joseph can be reached at the Mattapoisett Board of Health Office by calling 508-758-4355 or via email at gjoseph@mattapoisett.net.
Mattapoisett Board of Health
By Marilou Newell