Monday, June 23, 2025, 5:00 pm until 6:00 pm
Town Hall Office Meeting Space
A meeting of the Board of Health
Meeting opened: 5:07 PM
Meeting closed: 6:21 PM
Meeting Opened / Attendance Taken (see above).
Minutes Approved: Mon, Jun 9 - Board of Health Meeting
General Discussion...
tabled
General Discussion...
tabled
General Discussion...
Kat - pre-meeting for CPHS
Hanna - DPH webinar on public health services for rural communities
General Discussion...
Battery storage facility
Given how large Conway is, we anticipate there is not one response to this and that it will depend on the site of the fire, the proximity to a river or other water source and more.
Also, BOH could add a reg for minimum gal/min that must be available at the site, at a specified pressure
Emailed Randy for guidance - haven’t heard back yet
Oct 23 annual meeting
Reach out and invite Selectboard, town admin
Kat will invite all of them -
Foundational Public Health Services survey
Phoebe suggested we write our state rep
Template and email addresses send to Board members
General Discussion...
Viral illnesses
RSV and flu levels remain low
COVID remains low too
There has been a summer surge each year and last year cases were already much higher. There has been no uptick in cases and wastewater testing remains low. This may mean a smaller summer wave but this year it’s too early to tell.
Norovirus - has finally come down to baseline low levels. Data now reported through June 4
Vaccines
ACIP - a committee external to the CDC that sets vaccine policy will meet next week
Once the FDA licenses a vaccine, their role is to determine who gets it
RFK Jr fired all members of the committee, and hired anti-vaccine activists, Covid-19 contrarians (i.e., mRNA kills and masks are child abuse), and some with genuine expertise. The prior members published on average 49 journal articles each, with the most active publishing just under 200 articles. Of the newly hired board members, half have never published an article and the average is 11 each. They are regarded by the scientific public health community as not qualified.
In addition to the usual agenda items for the meeting, they have added two topics which are notorious for vaccine falsehoods - thimerisol and MMR for people under 5 yr old.
What they say or decide will influence insurance coverage, government vaccine programs (which serve nearly half of U.S. kids), and school entry requirements. The meeting is expected to sew widespread confusion about what will be available and what will be covered this fall.
Professional organizations have stepped up, publishing their own evidence-based recommendations. American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists will be sources of reliable information.
Arboviruses
EEE - risk ratings remain Remote or Low across the state.
Conway remains Remote. Also Greenfield, Deerfield and Whately.
Ashfield, Buckland and Shelburne are all Low.
There are no human cases or EEE+ mosquito samples
WNV - remains at the lowest risk level
no cases yet but last week the first positive mosquito sample was reported in Worcester county, Shrewsbury
OLRH email:
MA DPH asks cities and towns to appoint Primary and Back-up Arbovirus coordinators to receive notifications about WNV or EEE virus positive specimens within your community.
Has this been our health agent? Daniel will email Randy to check on this.
Discussed the need for better coordination with the EMD on this and other matters. EMD has not responded. BOH is interested in a meeting with chiefs of police, fire, the EMD and others to have a coordinated town response to potential emergencies. We feel Conway should have better involvement in MAPHCO. Kat will contact Amanda again, invite her to our next meeting to discuss this further. BOH might convene such a meeting if needed.
Tick-borne illnesses
Most recent data: April
On track with prior years - tick exposure visits rising, though cases were still low
Historically, cases have risen during May and June, peaking in July. So we are likely in the thick of the tick season. Anecdotally, we see a lot more ticks this year than we have in prior years.
Measles - improving
The number of measles cases has continued to slow nationally. Last week, 17 new cases were reported, bringing the total number of infections to 1,214. New cases were reported in Georgia, Iowa, and Utah.
Heat
Increasing heat in the forecast currently, with associated health risks, especially for the elderly, infants and children, pregnant people and those with chronic diseases as well as athletes and outdoor workers and people experiencing houselessness.
CDC has a website with a heat risk tool. Enter your zip code and it shows your local risks and what measures to take. Post on our BOH website?
General Discussion...
We have a sensor, but it is not yet installed. The sensor needs to be installed outside. Most towns have done this on a town building. Installation is waiting on outdoor electrical access. Perhaps the school has an outdoor outlet, or the emergency services building, when it is completed.
Kat will contact Veronique on how to proceed.
General Discussion...
tabled
General Discussion...
Cooling center - Kat will discuss this with Amanda/EMD.
Emergency preparedness - Hanna will email the Town of Conway comprehensive emergency management plan (3/2023) and Town of Conway emergency operations manual (updated 2/2017) to BOH members to review.
Kat will draw up preliminary plans for the BOH to open an emergency center.
Vision for Conway as a community of belonging. Could be moved forward in collaboration with other town organizations.
COA, Age Friendly Conway - Kat will bring to them, invite them to a BOH meeting.
Perhaps also Cultural Council, Forest and Trails, Open Space Committee, Parks & Recreation, Planning Board.
Perhaps a town-level meeting of various committees/boards to plan activities to help reduce social isolation.
Perhaps a town calendar of events? The current calendar seems primarily focused on committee meetings.
General Discussion...
none
Minutes prepared by Daniel Sheff; Laurie Lucier
Minutes approved on Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025
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