Board of Health and Health Department Mission, Goals and Objectives for FY22

Editor’s Note, Jan 13, 2021: A full copy of the Board of Health’s message replaced the truncated version originally posted. The Bedford Citizen apologizes for this error.

Mission Statement: The Board of Health (BOH) strives to help neighbors lead healthy lives in Bedford. The BOH is dedicated to serve all residents and businesses of Bedford, particularly the underserved and to promote healthy people, healthy families, and a healthy environment through compassionate care, education information sharing, and disease prevention. The BOH will identify emerging public health needs, create needed regulations, set policy, hold hearings, and consider variances.

The Health Department mission is to PREVENT and reduce public health risks; PROMOTE a healthy community through vaccination clinics, health education, information sharing, and environmental mitigation; PREPARE the community by planning for emergencies; and PROTECT the community by enforcing codes and regulations governing tobacco and nicotine use, the environment and environmental health, food establishments, housing, sharps/needle collection and keeping of animals.

Description: Working under the general direction of the five (5) elected BOH members, through performance of statutory and regulatory obligations and coalition building, the Health Department Staff operationally execute their mission and that of the BOH for the benefit of all Bedford residents and businesses.

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Goals and Objectives

Based on MA DPH, DESE and CDC guidance, conduct outreach, support guidance and promote education on COVID-19 safety protocols in the community, with businesses and in conjunction with the Bedford Public Schools.

Implement COVID-19 vaccination clinics based on MA DPH Phased implementation timeline.

Enhance the operation of the Bedford Food Bank and, through collaboration with the Bedford Community Food Pantry, further foster our relationship with the Greater Boston Food Bank while continuing partnerships with Gaining Ground, FoodLink, and Chip-In Farm, who all donate supplemental food products to support our food-insecure residents.

Continue to engage with the Community Social Worker on responses to housing cases and any health response in which residents in need are identified where he can directly guide and facilitate the acquisition of services to residents.

Partner with DPW, Recreation, and Conservation on the identification of town properties where tick mitigation strategies can be implemented as part of a 5-year plan to improve resident exposure to ticks and the diseases they carry.

Continue to seek communication with officials at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge operated by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to call for the organization of a contingency plan between wildlife refuge officials and local mosquito professionals when evidence of the threat of disease emerges in the Refuge.

Continue to partner with the Fire Department on recruiting, training, and leveraging the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers to augment town staff in delivering emergency response services to the Bedford community and in executing non-emergency projects that help prepare and improve the safety of the Bedford community.

With other partners in health, welfare and transportation continue to promote and support the installation of additional bus stop shelters in town.

Continue outreach and community education on current and emerging public health issues and work to promote prevention methods and actions for disease control.

Manage the Mosquito Control and Household Hazardous Waste Programs on behalf of the Select Board and collaborate with Biosafety Permitees by participating in their Institutional Biosafety Committees and conducting annual inspections.

 

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