Contributed by Linda Brenckle
Ever wonder what the flu virus, septic systems, restaurants, swimming pools, wells, tattoo parlors, stables, tanning salons, mosquitoes, rabies virus, cigarettes, whooping cough, housing, and trash have in common? Probably not. Who would? But believe it or not, there is an answer. That answer is Northborough’s Health Department.
Under the direction Northborough’s Board of Selectmen and the Board of Health, Health Agent Jamie Terry, provides a bevy of services to monitor and prevent disease and injury. It has been especially evident over the past year with the threat of an H1N1 flu pandemic. As in a typical year, this year the Health Department provided seasonal flu vaccines to elderly residents and to those with chronic health conditions, and rabies vaccines to dogs and cats. In addition, however, because of the threat of an H1N1 flu pandemic, Public Health agents in each town were mobilized to intervene. In the case of Northborough, that meant giving 3150 H1N1 vaccinations during 13 public clinics, in one nursing home, and at two work sites.
Compared to other states, Massachusetts is unique in the way Public Health and Environmental Protection are structured. Instead of operating at the county level, health departments in Massachusetts are placed in each town, which, to Terry, is a benefit “if you don’t have as direct access to a specific town or area, you may not be able to give them as good guidance or education; things may get missed that way. We are lucky to have the ability to have direct guidance and education to the town”. One example she gives is well regulations, which, for Northborough, were enacted in February of 2009. By focusing on a given area, she says, patterns of problems can quickly be spotted and addressed.
In addition to wells, the office serves to recognize patterns throughout town. Terry collaborates with what she describes as the very effective school nurses in Northborough schools to monitor absentee rates for patterns of the spread of illness. She inspects restaurants and monitors and investigates reports of food borne illness, monitors reports from Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Northborough Animal Control always looking for patterns of concern.
The Northborough Health Office is part of a large interconnected web of local, state, and federal agencies, whose interactions serve to monitor trends, enforce local, state and federal regulations, provide education, and intervene with remedies to keep people well and safe. Information flows both outward from Northborough and inward from federal, state, and local agencies. A Northborough child with whooping cough diagnosed by a physician in Shrewsbury, then reported to the state, will become known to Terry who can assure that families of other children who may have been exposed are alerted. Alternatively, though, a parent may contact the school who contacts the Health Office and the flow of information is reversed, from local to state to the federal agencies.
All in all, the Health Office is a busy place. On any given day, the work of Terry and two administrative assistants, Sarah Roach and Louise Leo, may range from spot- checking tobacco sales at local retail stores, to reviewing plans for proposed septic systems, to checking tanning salons for compliance with regulations. Says Terry, “every day is different, that’s what I like about my job.” For more information on this topic, follow the link to the Health Department page on the town website: http://www.town.northborough.ma.us/Pages/NorthboroughMA_BOH/index
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