The Fall River Board of Health held a virtual meeting on Tuesday, April 30th, 2024. The meeting began with a roll call, confirming the presence of Thomas Cory, Michael Coughlin, and Dr. Steven Gagliardi, along with Tess Currin, the agent of the board. The board then unanimously approved the minutes from their previous meeting on March 26, 2024. A significant item on the agenda was the request for approval of a tattoo apprenticeship license for Steve Gorman, who intends to work at Flaming Balls Tattoo at 1120 Stafford Road, Fall River. After reviewing his paperwork, the board unanimously approved the license. The Director's Report, presented by Tess Currin, focused on the allocation of opioid settlement funds. She announced a public meeting scheduled for the following evening, May 1st, at 5:30 PM at Government Center to gather community input, in addition to an online survey that had already received over 400 responses. The funds will be allocated based on this feedback and proposals from community-based organizations and city departments, with an RFP process expected in early summer. Further discussions included an update on the bird flu, with Tess Currin and Michael Coughlin noting limited guidance from DPH and the minimal risk of pasteurized dairy products. The board also discussed the ongoing issue of water fluoridation in Fall River. Tess Currin confirmed that ARPA funds for capital improvements to allow for proper fluoridation were not approved, and the water continues to be unfluoridated due to equipment issues. Dr. Gagliardi noted an increase in fluoride tablet prescriptions, which Tess Currin attributed to her prior communication with pediatricians about the lack of fluoridation. The next meeting was confirmed for May 28th, and the meeting concluded with a unanimous vote to adjourn.
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good afternoon to everyone in the land of zoom and welcome to the Board of Health virtual meeting on Tuesday April 30th scheduled for 3:30 my name is Thomas Cory present with me via Zoom is Michael Coughlin Dr Steven gagliotti and Tess Currin our agent of the board various guests and participants in today's meeting pursuant to the open meeting War any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting
0:30and may transmit the meeting through any medium attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or Transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible the first item of business is the roll call if you would Tess Thomas Corey yes Michel Coughlin yes Stephen Gagliardi yes thank you next gentlemen we have the approval
1:01of the minutes from the meeting of Thursday March 26 2024 are there any additions deletions or corrections to be made to the minutes of the meeting as printed no motion to approve second can we have a roll call Thomas Corey yes Michael Coughlin yes stepen Gagliardi yes okay next item is a request for approval of a tattoo apprenticeship license for Steve Gorman of 21 Pimco Road Pond Road Massachusetts to work for
1:39flaming balls tattoo at 1120 Stafford Road Fall River who's presting yep I have I have all of Steve's paperwork here I've reviewed all of his paperwork everything's all to par I mean everything looks good on my infant uh be approved okay everything looked good when I look through it everything seem to be in order Steve do you have any questions for us no sir thank you okay you're
2:07going to do a good job you're gonna make everybody pretty in Fall River yes sir that's that's the uh that's the goal and and you and you're gonna follow the code and do everything to the code right correct sir all right very good all right motion to approve motion to approve second second tessica we have a roll call Thomas Corey yes Michael Coughlin yes Stephen gardy yes okay Steve good luck thank you very much sir
2:38thank you so much okay next item we have is the director's report sure um thank you um so uh my main update for this month is um regarding the opioid settlement um funds uh we have a public meeting tomorrow evening um that starts at 5 30 here at Government Center where we're um looking to hear from community members um as to where they feel funds should be allocated um that's in addition to the
3:11uh online survey that we um have that will be open until Friday um and so those are two opportunities um for us to you know receive Community input as to where uh our community um members um the res residents of Fall River and those who live um those who live work or attend school in Fall River we're encouraging to take that we have um received a a large response on our
3:41survey so we're happy with the the numbers over 400 people have completed the survey which we're um quite pleased with um and so we'll be um utilizing that Community feedback as we evaluate um proposals um from Community Based organizations City departments um and then we'll be allocating funds that way um so excited about the process um and the opportunity to have these funds um recognizing why we got the funds in
4:14the first place um because of the impact here but um you know again this is a unique opportunity so we're trying to get community Buy in um you know we have the Buy in from um providers through the uh Community needs assessment that we completed last summer um but this is the other piece of the puzzle that we'll be using um as an evaluation tool um for the settlement funds so um so that's
4:40tomorrow evening um and then we'll be going um live you know with the RFP process um and we'll be um seeing when how you know how that works out when when that closes um in early summer very cool um that's really my main update um for this month um you know we're continuing on with um some of our other grants um but in the short term this has been the priority for the
5:07Department um so we're really focused on this right now okay some of our team members not everybody okay um just just as a matter of mentioning what are you hearing or Michael what are you hearing doctor what are you hearing about the bird flu and and the presence of the bird flu and the milk what are uh are you hearing what are the epidemiologist saying and all that kind of
5:34stuff yeah so we haven't um there hasn't been we we did have a presentation from the state EP on one of our um excuse me my calls with um dph um you know at this point it was high level really what we have been seeing in the news in terms of you know um limitation towards um animals and then there's been some of that transmission over to to milk um
6:03through the dairy cows um but that at this point has been um the limit you know limited amount of guidance that we've been receiving from dph um Mike I don't know if you've have any other U considerations only only beyond what yeah beyond what you said Tess only what I've read about uh in the news and you know the suggestion being that the pasteurized dairy products are are you know a minimal risk for a human
6:33Contracting of of the virus yeah same here probably stays six feet away from milk I think probably the recommendation yeah we haven't had any formal for 15 minutes for 15 minutes yeah yeah drink it fast right okay gentlemen any questions for Tess I don't imagine we heard anything from the water department about fluoridation I have not I have not I can um I can follow up with um both the administration and the water
7:12department and and maybe have a a more formal um update um but at this point in time no I don't have um have a formal U update I know I I know we're seeing a lot more prescriptions before tablets than we have in years really and before it might have been if you had a patient in chidan you might get a prescription for forde but now we're seeing we we
7:43have at least a thousand tablets on the Shelf at all time there the prescriptions are coming in and going out wow I think we should ask for some formal response yeah yes I think that it um you know some of it had been um some movement had been happening maybe while I was out on leave um in terms of uh requests for funds um through through arpa funds which we had
8:16we had discussed last time when um Paul uh furland from the water department presented um it that that didn't move forward um and so I'll have to um have a formal update um regarding that and can Circle back with both again the administration and um and Paul um but those those funds through the arpa um you know through ARA funds that Capital Improvement project wasn't was not funded um to allow for the
8:55Capital Improvements which would then allow for the fluide because there's that issue with um with the product not dissolving properly or being sifted properly in the current machine so the water continues to not be fluoridated in the Comm which is again why um Tom seeing those increased um tablets which which is helpful to know um Tom um so I mean if that's going to be continue to be the the issue I mean do
9:28we do all the pediatricians to make sure all the pediatricians are aware of this yes I um you know Dr G that's a good point I had um I have communicated with them um which may be why there is been an increase in um in the fluoride tablets because we have communicated that the water is not fluoridated and hasn't been fluoridated um and and that we would update them when the water uh
9:57when fluoridation resumed um and so that is likely why that there's the increase because um they're all aware um that the water is not currently being floridated and hasn't been floridated in some time un okay did we receive anything for Citizens input no we did not okay next item would be to confirm the date for the next meeting following our usual practice of of the last Tuesday of the month it would be May 28th
10:30but that's the day after Memorial Day um you want to go at the 28th or the 21st the week before I'm I'm not available on the 21st I could do the 28th okay yeah 28th is fine 28th is fine all right very good so we'll go with the 28th if uh is there any other business to come before the board of such a nature that it couldn't make the
10:52agenda no no okay do we have a motion to adur no moved second do we have a roll call Thomas Cory yes Michael Coughlin yes stepen gardi yes okay ladies and gentlemen thank you very much enjoy the rest of your afternoon all right take care