9-25-09 This Is A Good Sign
Last summer, when some of Halifax’s fresh water beaches closed due to high counts of algae, I did just about anything I could to get the word out on the possible health risks associated with contact and ingestion of the algae. It was a new topic for people and that raised questions and concerns but after attending Selectmen’s meetings, I walked out feeling that my efforts were a good beginning. This year, though, dealing with the competing issue of H1N1 influenza compromised advertising the algae sufficiently. I received and passed on the algae updates but I needed help with getting the word out to those who needed it, especially individuals who might not read the paper or look at a website.
Communicating accurate information to the public in a timely manner is challenging under even the best of circumstances. The accuracy factor can change rapidly, depending on the complexity and how variable the circumstances are. Timeliness is difficult to achieve because we don’t always know how long it will take for people to receive the message. The more critical the information, the more important it is for the message be distributed in as many ways and venues as possible. If I want everyone to know, my office sends out group emails, makes phone calls, sends faxes, alerts the radio and local cable and maybe even request an interview, to allow an opportunity for questions and answers.
Even if all of that can be achieved, there is still the presentation of the message. If it is a printed notice, does it catch your eye? If it is a radio or TV sound bite, did it catch your ear? Then there are the demographics. Is it geared to you, whoever “you” are? Or did you miss the message because it seemed to be for somebody else?
It is interesting to me that even though we are inundated with information all day long, simple messages on a sign still have their place in a world quickly being taken over by daily blog entries and moment-to-moment text messages and twitters. The need for good old fashioned signage makes sense to me though. People call my office occasionally to request a pooper-scooper sign. (These animal waste abatement signs alert people with simple graphics that Halifax has regulations on this topic and that it is just not cool to leave your dog’s deposits behind for others to step in.) They want the sign as a daily reminder. They want the sign because it is physical. If you turn your head away, it is still there when you look back. You can’t say that about blips across the bottom of your television screen. Mostly that is annoying but occasionally you caught part of a message and wished you saw the rest of it.
This summer’s frustration with the challenges in reporting accurate and timely information about algae week to week for the Monponsett Ponds led me to make inquiries as to who might be interested in building signboards for the ponds. I wanted something like what I have seen at nature trails: solid posts supporting a backing, covered by a little roof to protect the information from the elements, faced with Plexiglas lockable doors. There would be enough room for some history of the ponds, information about the watershed, various factors influencing the health of the ponds, such as keeping fertilizers of it and health factors for those who use the pond, such as avoiding the algae.
I shared my vision with anyone who would listen and you know what? Someone did. A handsome young man, Joseph Garuti, seventeen years old, seeking to earn his classification as an Eagle Scout showed an interest. When we first chatted about it earlier this summer, he enthusiastically added, “And it could have information about invasive weeds, too! I’ve seen signs about that where we visit in Vermont.”
Last week that young man’s interest was demonstrated by his official written proposal for informational signboards for the Monponsett Ponds in Halifax Massachusetts. It was an honor for me to sign his proposal.
He has more work to do, of course. He needs to raise funds, gather some helpers and meet with the Board of Selectmen to seek permission for placing these signboards on town property. By the time he’s done, he will have learned so much and accomplished so much and I get my wish! Just think; I will be able to unlock those doors and replace the algae updates with the latest information and there it will be for the people who use and love the ponds. Thank you, Joe!
When there are young people who care and care enough to accomplish a good thing; that is a good sign! And it is a good sign for our whole country.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. Do you have ideas for getting the word out? Let her know at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Friday, December 25, 2009
Behind the Scenes Action 9-18-09
9-18-09 Behind the Scenes Action
When I was listening to WGBH’s radio show, “From The Top” last Sunday, I was reminded, once again, how much the domains of parenting and public health share. I was listening to these young people who are so accomplished in classical music and I thought about the effort, the focus, the dedication and love they devote to their craft. Then I thought about their parents and all the work and support they offered all through the years so that their children could, in fact, arrive at and enjoy those accomplishments.
Never listened to the show? Don’t make assumptions here. These still growing and developing youth are funny and well adjusted and so is the show. In fact, they present themselves in such a light of “normalcy”, that we relate even if our family has not reached their pinnacles, let alone even considered it. What we do relate to, though, is the planning, effort and coordination that goes into every school play, art show, book report with diorama and science fair. On the day of the culminating event, with anxiety, relief and hopefully, pride and satisfaction, we witness the fruits of our labor and then, in minutes or hours, the much practiced event is over. The lessons and benefits last a life-time, though, don’t they?
The same pride and effort is expended toward public health programs all the time, most of it quietly and behind the scenes in response to events past and in preparation for those in the future. The current issue just passing the peak of a learning curve is our response to swine flu, now referred to as H1N1. First there was fear. Then, as the numbers came in, it was compared to seasonal flu and it was reined back in by many to the arena of ‘usual” and “normal”. Then it spread to the point of being worldwide and for the first time in many decades, the much-dreaded word ‘pandemic’ was applicable. Still, at this point, it has fortunately not changed in severity. This influenza is still very much among us though and lives have been lost to it. Across the nation our state departments of public health have been conferring with the Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) gathering data and learning from the virus’ patterns in order to prepare, minimize, mitigate and appropriately respond.
Updates by email have been numerous but they are never sufficient in an important and evolving situation. Posters, pamphlets can be ordered for free. There are templates for letters and situation specific guidance for school teachers and administrators, preschool through college. I, for one, am grateful for the numerous conference calls allowing for questions and dialogue.
This learning process and the production of the vaccine for the H1N1 has taken us right to the point where we are now chomping at the bit for the seasonal flu vaccinations and ramping up for the H1N1. Your local boards of health have begun coordinating efforts with new players and new program components. While the seasonal vaccinations should play out without a problem and with the usual providers, both commercial and public, the new flu inoculation response will be so widespread that no one sector could handle it all. Pediatricians have said they could not handle the influx of appointments. If they can vaccinate the little ones, we can initiate a plan that hasn’t been used since my childhood: school based vaccinations. We will probably see a combination of students vaccinated in school with a consent form and also family clinics after school or on a Saturday, to allow parents to accompany their children. Information about that will soon be sent home to parents of school age children.
If the high risk groups for this new virus were the elderly, those with chronic conditions and pregnant women, they could probably be seen by their primary care physician and OBGYN. With our young people of six months old to 24 years old being at high risk, we need to vaccinate as many of that huge number of our society as fast as we can to slow down the virus and to create a “herd immunity” offering protection to us all.
New situations require new responses. We will need more nurses to assist the public health nurses and the school nurses. Their earned praises will follow when all of this has calmed down. The vaccine will be provided for free but new entities, such as the schools, will need to register and apply in order to receive it. That takes time. There is funding from several federal avenues to pay for or reimburse H1N1 related costs. Documenting those costs also takes time. These extra efforts will exact a toll of their own from health agents. Routine inspections may be delayed or missed. Paperwork may not be filed or phone calls returned. However, this is an unusual need requiring out of the ordinary responses. Isn’t saving a life worth it?
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. More information about this developing issue is right around the corner. What do you think about your child receiving the H1N1 vaccine? She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
When I was listening to WGBH’s radio show, “From The Top” last Sunday, I was reminded, once again, how much the domains of parenting and public health share. I was listening to these young people who are so accomplished in classical music and I thought about the effort, the focus, the dedication and love they devote to their craft. Then I thought about their parents and all the work and support they offered all through the years so that their children could, in fact, arrive at and enjoy those accomplishments.
Never listened to the show? Don’t make assumptions here. These still growing and developing youth are funny and well adjusted and so is the show. In fact, they present themselves in such a light of “normalcy”, that we relate even if our family has not reached their pinnacles, let alone even considered it. What we do relate to, though, is the planning, effort and coordination that goes into every school play, art show, book report with diorama and science fair. On the day of the culminating event, with anxiety, relief and hopefully, pride and satisfaction, we witness the fruits of our labor and then, in minutes or hours, the much practiced event is over. The lessons and benefits last a life-time, though, don’t they?
The same pride and effort is expended toward public health programs all the time, most of it quietly and behind the scenes in response to events past and in preparation for those in the future. The current issue just passing the peak of a learning curve is our response to swine flu, now referred to as H1N1. First there was fear. Then, as the numbers came in, it was compared to seasonal flu and it was reined back in by many to the arena of ‘usual” and “normal”. Then it spread to the point of being worldwide and for the first time in many decades, the much-dreaded word ‘pandemic’ was applicable. Still, at this point, it has fortunately not changed in severity. This influenza is still very much among us though and lives have been lost to it. Across the nation our state departments of public health have been conferring with the Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) gathering data and learning from the virus’ patterns in order to prepare, minimize, mitigate and appropriately respond.
Updates by email have been numerous but they are never sufficient in an important and evolving situation. Posters, pamphlets can be ordered for free. There are templates for letters and situation specific guidance for school teachers and administrators, preschool through college. I, for one, am grateful for the numerous conference calls allowing for questions and dialogue.
This learning process and the production of the vaccine for the H1N1 has taken us right to the point where we are now chomping at the bit for the seasonal flu vaccinations and ramping up for the H1N1. Your local boards of health have begun coordinating efforts with new players and new program components. While the seasonal vaccinations should play out without a problem and with the usual providers, both commercial and public, the new flu inoculation response will be so widespread that no one sector could handle it all. Pediatricians have said they could not handle the influx of appointments. If they can vaccinate the little ones, we can initiate a plan that hasn’t been used since my childhood: school based vaccinations. We will probably see a combination of students vaccinated in school with a consent form and also family clinics after school or on a Saturday, to allow parents to accompany their children. Information about that will soon be sent home to parents of school age children.
If the high risk groups for this new virus were the elderly, those with chronic conditions and pregnant women, they could probably be seen by their primary care physician and OBGYN. With our young people of six months old to 24 years old being at high risk, we need to vaccinate as many of that huge number of our society as fast as we can to slow down the virus and to create a “herd immunity” offering protection to us all.
New situations require new responses. We will need more nurses to assist the public health nurses and the school nurses. Their earned praises will follow when all of this has calmed down. The vaccine will be provided for free but new entities, such as the schools, will need to register and apply in order to receive it. That takes time. There is funding from several federal avenues to pay for or reimburse H1N1 related costs. Documenting those costs also takes time. These extra efforts will exact a toll of their own from health agents. Routine inspections may be delayed or missed. Paperwork may not be filed or phone calls returned. However, this is an unusual need requiring out of the ordinary responses. Isn’t saving a life worth it?
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. More information about this developing issue is right around the corner. What do you think about your child receiving the H1N1 vaccine? She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
When I was listening to WGBH’s radio show, “From The Top” last Sunday, I was reminded, once again, how much the domains of parenting and public health share. I was listening to these young people who are so accomplished in classical music and I thought about the effort, the focus, the dedication and love they devote to their craft. Then I thought about their parents and all the work and support they offered all through the years so that their children could, in fact, arrive at and enjoy those accomplishments.
Never listened to the show? Don’t make assumptions here. These still growing and developing youth are funny and well adjusted and so is the show. In fact, they present themselves in such a light of “normalcy”, that we relate even if our family has not reached their pinnacles, let alone even considered it. What we do relate to, though, is the planning, effort and coordination that goes into every school play, art show, book report with diorama and science fair. On the day of the culminating event, with anxiety, relief and hopefully, pride and satisfaction, we witness the fruits of our labor and then, in minutes or hours, the much practiced event is over. The lessons and benefits last a life-time, though, don’t they?
The same pride and effort is expended toward public health programs all the time, most of it quietly and behind the scenes in response to events past and in preparation for those in the future. The current issue just passing the peak of a learning curve is our response to swine flu, now referred to as H1N1. First there was fear. Then, as the numbers came in, it was compared to seasonal flu and it was reined back in by many to the arena of ‘usual” and “normal”. Then it spread to the point of being worldwide and for the first time in many decades, the much-dreaded word ‘pandemic’ was applicable. Still, at this point, it has fortunately not changed in severity. This influenza is still very much among us though and lives have been lost to it. Across the nation our state departments of public health have been conferring with the Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) gathering data and learning from the virus’ patterns in order to prepare, minimize, mitigate and appropriately respond.
Updates by email have been numerous but they are never sufficient in an important and evolving situation. Posters, pamphlets can be ordered for free. There are templates for letters and situation specific guidance for school teachers and administrators, preschool through college. I, for one, am grateful for the numerous conference calls allowing for questions and dialogue.
This learning process and the production of the vaccine for the H1N1 has taken us right to the point where we are now chomping at the bit for the seasonal flu vaccinations and ramping up for the H1N1. Your local boards of health have begun coordinating efforts with new players and new program components. While the seasonal vaccinations should play out without a problem and with the usual providers, both commercial and public, the new flu inoculation response will be so widespread that no one sector could handle it all. Pediatricians have said they could not handle the influx of appointments. If they can vaccinate the little ones, we can initiate a plan that hasn’t been used since my childhood: school based vaccinations. We will probably see a combination of students vaccinated in school with a consent form and also family clinics after school or on a Saturday, to allow parents to accompany their children. Information about that will soon be sent home to parents of school age children.
If the high risk groups for this new virus were the elderly, those with chronic conditions and pregnant women, they could probably be seen by their primary care physician and OBGYN. With our young people of six months old to 24 years old being at high risk, we need to vaccinate as many of that huge number of our society as fast as we can to slow down the virus and to create a “herd immunity” offering protection to us all.
New situations require new responses. We will need more nurses to assist the public health nurses and the school nurses. Their earned praises will follow when all of this has calmed down. The vaccine will be provided for free but new entities, such as the schools, will need to register and apply in order to receive it. That takes time. There is funding from several federal avenues to pay for or reimburse H1N1 related costs. Documenting those costs also takes time. These extra efforts will exact a toll of their own from health agents. Routine inspections may be delayed or missed. Paperwork may not be filed or phone calls returned. However, this is an unusual need requiring out of the ordinary responses. Isn’t saving a life worth it?
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. More information about this developing issue is right around the corner. What do you think about your child receiving the H1N1 vaccine? She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
When I was listening to WGBH’s radio show, “From The Top” last Sunday, I was reminded, once again, how much the domains of parenting and public health share. I was listening to these young people who are so accomplished in classical music and I thought about the effort, the focus, the dedication and love they devote to their craft. Then I thought about their parents and all the work and support they offered all through the years so that their children could, in fact, arrive at and enjoy those accomplishments.
Never listened to the show? Don’t make assumptions here. These still growing and developing youth are funny and well adjusted and so is the show. In fact, they present themselves in such a light of “normalcy”, that we relate even if our family has not reached their pinnacles, let alone even considered it. What we do relate to, though, is the planning, effort and coordination that goes into every school play, art show, book report with diorama and science fair. On the day of the culminating event, with anxiety, relief and hopefully, pride and satisfaction, we witness the fruits of our labor and then, in minutes or hours, the much practiced event is over. The lessons and benefits last a life-time, though, don’t they?
The same pride and effort is expended toward public health programs all the time, most of it quietly and behind the scenes in response to events past and in preparation for those in the future. The current issue just passing the peak of a learning curve is our response to swine flu, now referred to as H1N1. First there was fear. Then, as the numbers came in, it was compared to seasonal flu and it was reined back in by many to the arena of ‘usual” and “normal”. Then it spread to the point of being worldwide and for the first time in many decades, the much-dreaded word ‘pandemic’ was applicable. Still, at this point, it has fortunately not changed in severity. This influenza is still very much among us though and lives have been lost to it. Across the nation our state departments of public health have been conferring with the Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) gathering data and learning from the virus’ patterns in order to prepare, minimize, mitigate and appropriately respond.
Updates by email have been numerous but they are never sufficient in an important and evolving situation. Posters, pamphlets can be ordered for free. There are templates for letters and situation specific guidance for school teachers and administrators, preschool through college. I, for one, am grateful for the numerous conference calls allowing for questions and dialogue.
This learning process and the production of the vaccine for the H1N1 has taken us right to the point where we are now chomping at the bit for the seasonal flu vaccinations and ramping up for the H1N1. Your local boards of health have begun coordinating efforts with new players and new program components. While the seasonal vaccinations should play out without a problem and with the usual providers, both commercial and public, the new flu inoculation response will be so widespread that no one sector could handle it all. Pediatricians have said they could not handle the influx of appointments. If they can vaccinate the little ones, we can initiate a plan that hasn’t been used since my childhood: school based vaccinations. We will probably see a combination of students vaccinated in school with a consent form and also family clinics after school or on a Saturday, to allow parents to accompany their children. Information about that will soon be sent home to parents of school age children.
If the high risk groups for this new virus were the elderly, those with chronic conditions and pregnant women, they could probably be seen by their primary care physician and OBGYN. With our young people of six months old to 24 years old being at high risk, we need to vaccinate as many of that huge number of our society as fast as we can to slow down the virus and to create a “herd immunity” offering protection to us all.
New situations require new responses. We will need more nurses to assist the public health nurses and the school nurses. Their earned praises will follow when all of this has calmed down. The vaccine will be provided for free but new entities, such as the schools, will need to register and apply in order to receive it. That takes time. There is funding from several federal avenues to pay for or reimburse H1N1 related costs. Documenting those costs also takes time. These extra efforts will exact a toll of their own from health agents. Routine inspections may be delayed or missed. Paperwork may not be filed or phone calls returned. However, this is an unusual need requiring out of the ordinary responses. Isn’t saving a life worth it?
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. More information about this developing issue is right around the corner. What do you think about your child receiving the H1N1 vaccine? She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
A Sign for The Times 9-11-09
9-11-09
A Sign for The Times
A few weeks back I sent out some group emails to practice my emergency notification contact list and also to practice something else. My request was for assistance in setting up the floor plan for an emergency dispensing site. The floor plan I designed was for circumstances with more dire consequences than the H1N1 is currently bringing. However, the possibility of this virus changing, where it becomes more deadly than it is right now, or of the appearance, at any time, of an illness requiring a speedier response continues to be on my mind. Those circumstances involve a complicated floor plan where people are triaged, the ill separated and sent home or to a hospital, the well people are screened for contraindications and medication is dispensed. In a perfect world, there is even a room for those who are in despair and trained people are there to help them. And because these emergency dispensing sites are thought to be 48 hour ‘round-the-clock clinics, there are also staff break rooms, childcare and meal preparation and/or eating area.
This is what I have been taught for some years now. Prepare for a response to smallpox or the plague or to anthrax. The floor plan for these deadly situations is a complicated one, with lots of signage. Triage. Fill Out Form. Medical Evaluation. Medication. Wait Here. Behavioral Health Response. Staff Only. Bathroom. And there are lots of arrows.
Federal and State funding provided signs for these situations. They are white with black lettering, light-weight and durable. I’d like them to be larger but they’ll do. (They’re about 24” by 30”.) There is one problem: no one thought of or provided a way to hang them up. There were no holes in the corners. Stands were not provided either.
I know of only a few people who have practiced their floor plan. One person told me, “As I watched from the sides to make notes for the documentation, I saw that taping signs to chairs with duct tape was not effective. As people began milling around, the signs were obstructed and many fell to the floor as the tape loosened. So, in our briefing, we decided to use color-coded helium balloons the next time for the various stations.”
“Oh, oh!” I thought. We are in trouble if our emergency preparedeness experts think we are actually going to be getting balloons filled in an emergency and color-coded, to boot!” An image of substituting sponge Bob Square Pants balloons for yellow and Princess balloons for pink flashed before my eyes and then, as thought that wasn’t bad enough, the thought of them drooping as they deflated was too much. I had to come up with something more practical and reliable.
I decided to try out this floor plan, with the signs, see how long it would take to set up the traffic pattern and how many people I would need.
The practice went well for our first shot at this. I found that it takes two custodians about one hour to find and deliver from various locations in the school, some things I requested such as half walls and moveable chalkboards (a scarcity these days) to be used as dividers. I learned from the custodians how to roll back the bleachers, in case the floor space is needed.
The two CERT members, a selectman, an emergency preparedness contractor, a police officer and the police chief and myself were enough to set up chairs, line up the dividers, place the signs and roll back the bleachers. Two hours is enough time for set up. A couple more people would be needed for setting up our several canopies outside the entrance. So, let’s say, ten people and two hours. That’s good news.
The bad news was the signs are important and hanging them needs improvement. On the morning of the exercise, I melted holes into the corners and centers of all the signs by heating an ice pick at the gas stove. (This was how I made bug boxes for my children from empty plastic peanut butter jars.) I found that I could melt right through at least three layers of signs at once. The holes were for wire. I had a small supply of the thin colorful plastic coated copper wire that used to carry our telephone messages before they were replaced by fiber optics. They’ve come in handy over the years and now they were put to use again. Duct tape going through a loop of wire would support the signs better than just taping one surface to another.
Next, I was in search of something tall, narrow, strong and light-weight to hold up the signs. Bamboo poles served the purpose but they were dependent on chairs for a base. The backs of chairs are angled, which left the signs angled. The Police Chief had a set of really cool collapsible flag posts. They were light-weight, durable, telescoping and sat on a tripod base. My wires wrapped around them and held the signs with duct tape very well. But, the poles were so light-weight, they tipped over easily and the telescoping aspect was useful for packing up and storing but were tricky to handle without them collapsing.
Since this exercise in creative thinking and making do, I have been on the lookout for sign poles. You know what? They are everywhere for people who use signs at their work place. That makes sense, of course; I just never paid attention to what held up a sign saying something is on SALE or Clearance or Holiday Special. Now that I see the perfect sign-posts in stores, I have begun to introduce myself to store managers. I want them to be aware of the need and have asked that if they ever are ready to throw them in the dumpster or recycling bin, to please contact their local board of health instead.
Will you keep your eyes open for me, too? I could use your help.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. She believes being ready is a good thing and getting help with readiness is even better. Tell her your ideas at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
A Sign for The Times
A few weeks back I sent out some group emails to practice my emergency notification contact list and also to practice something else. My request was for assistance in setting up the floor plan for an emergency dispensing site. The floor plan I designed was for circumstances with more dire consequences than the H1N1 is currently bringing. However, the possibility of this virus changing, where it becomes more deadly than it is right now, or of the appearance, at any time, of an illness requiring a speedier response continues to be on my mind. Those circumstances involve a complicated floor plan where people are triaged, the ill separated and sent home or to a hospital, the well people are screened for contraindications and medication is dispensed. In a perfect world, there is even a room for those who are in despair and trained people are there to help them. And because these emergency dispensing sites are thought to be 48 hour ‘round-the-clock clinics, there are also staff break rooms, childcare and meal preparation and/or eating area.
This is what I have been taught for some years now. Prepare for a response to smallpox or the plague or to anthrax. The floor plan for these deadly situations is a complicated one, with lots of signage. Triage. Fill Out Form. Medical Evaluation. Medication. Wait Here. Behavioral Health Response. Staff Only. Bathroom. And there are lots of arrows.
Federal and State funding provided signs for these situations. They are white with black lettering, light-weight and durable. I’d like them to be larger but they’ll do. (They’re about 24” by 30”.) There is one problem: no one thought of or provided a way to hang them up. There were no holes in the corners. Stands were not provided either.
I know of only a few people who have practiced their floor plan. One person told me, “As I watched from the sides to make notes for the documentation, I saw that taping signs to chairs with duct tape was not effective. As people began milling around, the signs were obstructed and many fell to the floor as the tape loosened. So, in our briefing, we decided to use color-coded helium balloons the next time for the various stations.”
“Oh, oh!” I thought. We are in trouble if our emergency preparedeness experts think we are actually going to be getting balloons filled in an emergency and color-coded, to boot!” An image of substituting sponge Bob Square Pants balloons for yellow and Princess balloons for pink flashed before my eyes and then, as thought that wasn’t bad enough, the thought of them drooping as they deflated was too much. I had to come up with something more practical and reliable.
I decided to try out this floor plan, with the signs, see how long it would take to set up the traffic pattern and how many people I would need.
The practice went well for our first shot at this. I found that it takes two custodians about one hour to find and deliver from various locations in the school, some things I requested such as half walls and moveable chalkboards (a scarcity these days) to be used as dividers. I learned from the custodians how to roll back the bleachers, in case the floor space is needed.
The two CERT members, a selectman, an emergency preparedness contractor, a police officer and the police chief and myself were enough to set up chairs, line up the dividers, place the signs and roll back the bleachers. Two hours is enough time for set up. A couple more people would be needed for setting up our several canopies outside the entrance. So, let’s say, ten people and two hours. That’s good news.
The bad news was the signs are important and hanging them needs improvement. On the morning of the exercise, I melted holes into the corners and centers of all the signs by heating an ice pick at the gas stove. (This was how I made bug boxes for my children from empty plastic peanut butter jars.) I found that I could melt right through at least three layers of signs at once. The holes were for wire. I had a small supply of the thin colorful plastic coated copper wire that used to carry our telephone messages before they were replaced by fiber optics. They’ve come in handy over the years and now they were put to use again. Duct tape going through a loop of wire would support the signs better than just taping one surface to another.
Next, I was in search of something tall, narrow, strong and light-weight to hold up the signs. Bamboo poles served the purpose but they were dependent on chairs for a base. The backs of chairs are angled, which left the signs angled. The Police Chief had a set of really cool collapsible flag posts. They were light-weight, durable, telescoping and sat on a tripod base. My wires wrapped around them and held the signs with duct tape very well. But, the poles were so light-weight, they tipped over easily and the telescoping aspect was useful for packing up and storing but were tricky to handle without them collapsing.
Since this exercise in creative thinking and making do, I have been on the lookout for sign poles. You know what? They are everywhere for people who use signs at their work place. That makes sense, of course; I just never paid attention to what held up a sign saying something is on SALE or Clearance or Holiday Special. Now that I see the perfect sign-posts in stores, I have begun to introduce myself to store managers. I want them to be aware of the need and have asked that if they ever are ready to throw them in the dumpster or recycling bin, to please contact their local board of health instead.
Will you keep your eyes open for me, too? I could use your help.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. She believes being ready is a good thing and getting help with readiness is even better. Tell her your ideas at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Local Public Health Websites 8-28-09
8-28-09 Local Public Health Websites
Most of us depend on websites for contact information and up to the minute situation reports. Even if your head functions in an old fashioned way, as mine still does much of the time, we discover that the old ways of finding information are time consuming and may not even exist. For instance, a recent look at my small phone book left me wondering what happened to Plympton, Town of and Halifax, Town of. That’s when I whacked my forehead with the heel of my hand and announced, “I could’ve had a V-Eight!” That’s my euphemism for “dah!” I was once again reminded that it is now faster and more accurate (usually) to go to an organization’s website than it is to look for information in a phone book, make a call and ask routine questions.
Not having to pick up the phone to answer routine questions also allows employees to use more of their time for actually accomplishing necessary tasks. That’s a good thing. Some employees, however, are so diligent and shall I say, antsy, that they just have to keep busy, busy, busy. I am blessed with working with one of those antsy, I mean, amazing people who love to get stuff done. My Peggy has been the Halifax Board of Health’s administrative assistant for two years now. Early on she realized that we did not have any information on the town website. In her own time, without compensation, except for personal satisfaction, she learned how to make a website and little by little, built one just for us, and for you, too.
So, tah-da! And drum roll, please, as we welcome you our own website world within the Town’s site. Visit the Halifax MA website and go to the Town Departments and click on Health, Board of. The door opens to show you most of what we do. You’ll get a feel for the wide variety of topics a board of health deals with. You can look up meeting minutes, regulations, my columns, forms and applications and more. While there, use the links to stay informed on such important issues as the H1N1 virus. You’ll notice Peggy’s favorite topic with all her links on animal issues.
Including useful links is important because when we are looking, wondering or researching, one question leads to another. That’s how we learn. Why go to five websites when we can start with one and have that link lead us to the next logical place? It is useful for me, too, because if I am to address current issues of algae, inspections, and recent queries, then I can’t also be giving you the latest on one ongoing topic such as influenza. I don’t think you would be reading this now if I talked about the same topic each week for six months. So, dip into it as needed with those useful links, added by our friend, Peggy.
Some sites have also included blogs. I don’t have the time for that but our State Public Health Department has modernized its ways of communicating by adding one to their H1N1 reports. Some people like the interactive aspect of blogs. It’s conversational, as you can comment on it and read other’s comments.
While I don’t have the time to converse with blogs on a daily basis, I just thought of a way to dip into one. I can comment, at least once, on MA DPH’s H1N1 blog. With that one action, I can help the State of Massachusetts know what a health agent is wondering and, if you look at the blog, you can look at the comments.
Keeping in mind, again, how we learn and the social psychology aspects of interacting, the ability to comment on a blog is interesting. It does not matter how old we are. Many of us still feel like shy children when it comes to commenting, especially if we are the first. Once that first response is out there, though, then we are more likely to jump into the conversation.
So, even though I can feel my heart rate increase at the thought of being the first, I will ignore the inner child’s insecurities and comment on DPH’s H1N1 blog. I have several questions needing answers before we can respond appropriately this fall to the seasonal flu and the pandemic one.
Who knows, maybe my comment will trigger another and maybe, just hopefully and maybe, it will lead to some answers. But, for now, please don’t go directly to the MA DPH site. Please visit Halifax’s and open the door to the world of public health through our brand spanking new Board of Health website, a gift to us from amazing Peggy.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She welcomes your comments and says it’s even OK to be the first to do so! She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
P.S. After composing my comment on the H1N1 blog at MA DPH, I posted it and received the response that it could not post my data! Gotta love this online stuff! I then went to a “comment” section on the website to tell them of the problem. I hope they respond. (And to think that I was going to be the first in a conversation!)
P.P.S. Thank you to all the people who called and emailed with bat stories and bat questions in response to the two-part column on bat facts and how they are beneficial. It was great hearing from you.
Most of us depend on websites for contact information and up to the minute situation reports. Even if your head functions in an old fashioned way, as mine still does much of the time, we discover that the old ways of finding information are time consuming and may not even exist. For instance, a recent look at my small phone book left me wondering what happened to Plympton, Town of and Halifax, Town of. That’s when I whacked my forehead with the heel of my hand and announced, “I could’ve had a V-Eight!” That’s my euphemism for “dah!” I was once again reminded that it is now faster and more accurate (usually) to go to an organization’s website than it is to look for information in a phone book, make a call and ask routine questions.
Not having to pick up the phone to answer routine questions also allows employees to use more of their time for actually accomplishing necessary tasks. That’s a good thing. Some employees, however, are so diligent and shall I say, antsy, that they just have to keep busy, busy, busy. I am blessed with working with one of those antsy, I mean, amazing people who love to get stuff done. My Peggy has been the Halifax Board of Health’s administrative assistant for two years now. Early on she realized that we did not have any information on the town website. In her own time, without compensation, except for personal satisfaction, she learned how to make a website and little by little, built one just for us, and for you, too.
So, tah-da! And drum roll, please, as we welcome you our own website world within the Town’s site. Visit the Halifax MA website and go to the Town Departments and click on Health, Board of. The door opens to show you most of what we do. You’ll get a feel for the wide variety of topics a board of health deals with. You can look up meeting minutes, regulations, my columns, forms and applications and more. While there, use the links to stay informed on such important issues as the H1N1 virus. You’ll notice Peggy’s favorite topic with all her links on animal issues.
Including useful links is important because when we are looking, wondering or researching, one question leads to another. That’s how we learn. Why go to five websites when we can start with one and have that link lead us to the next logical place? It is useful for me, too, because if I am to address current issues of algae, inspections, and recent queries, then I can’t also be giving you the latest on one ongoing topic such as influenza. I don’t think you would be reading this now if I talked about the same topic each week for six months. So, dip into it as needed with those useful links, added by our friend, Peggy.
Some sites have also included blogs. I don’t have the time for that but our State Public Health Department has modernized its ways of communicating by adding one to their H1N1 reports. Some people like the interactive aspect of blogs. It’s conversational, as you can comment on it and read other’s comments.
While I don’t have the time to converse with blogs on a daily basis, I just thought of a way to dip into one. I can comment, at least once, on MA DPH’s H1N1 blog. With that one action, I can help the State of Massachusetts know what a health agent is wondering and, if you look at the blog, you can look at the comments.
Keeping in mind, again, how we learn and the social psychology aspects of interacting, the ability to comment on a blog is interesting. It does not matter how old we are. Many of us still feel like shy children when it comes to commenting, especially if we are the first. Once that first response is out there, though, then we are more likely to jump into the conversation.
So, even though I can feel my heart rate increase at the thought of being the first, I will ignore the inner child’s insecurities and comment on DPH’s H1N1 blog. I have several questions needing answers before we can respond appropriately this fall to the seasonal flu and the pandemic one.
Who knows, maybe my comment will trigger another and maybe, just hopefully and maybe, it will lead to some answers. But, for now, please don’t go directly to the MA DPH site. Please visit Halifax’s and open the door to the world of public health through our brand spanking new Board of Health website, a gift to us from amazing Peggy.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She welcomes your comments and says it’s even OK to be the first to do so! She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
P.S. After composing my comment on the H1N1 blog at MA DPH, I posted it and received the response that it could not post my data! Gotta love this online stuff! I then went to a “comment” section on the website to tell them of the problem. I hope they respond. (And to think that I was going to be the first in a conversation!)
P.P.S. Thank you to all the people who called and emailed with bat stories and bat questions in response to the two-part column on bat facts and how they are beneficial. It was great hearing from you.
A Rhyme in Time 8-21-09
8-21-09 A Rhyme in Time
I’ve been thinking of writing a list of rhyming phrases for public health. I was thinking of health agent work, though, rather than health, in general. I mean, if I was talking about any and all health topics, sure, I could come up with something about diet and riot or blood and crud but, as I said, I had health agent work in mind. And that work is with people and in the field. It is reality based and experiential, as opposed to purely theoretical or statistical.
So, here’s my first rhyme, just in time, for this week’s column, to you from mee-um: When nothing else seems to make sense, turn your attention to nuisance.
Rhyming ditties, I admit, have a way of sounding trite but they do assist the memory and that is important. Memory hooks pull you back to the point at any age. Now, what is the point of the nuisance law for health agents?
First of all, it lies within Part I of Massachusetts General Law. That section is dedicated to the Administration of the Government. Within that part I, is Title XVI, and there we find Chapter 111, referring to Public Health. Now that we have honed in on the correct chapter, there we find many sections talking about various topics with which boards of health are entrusted with the duty of enforcing.
An often-quoted section is 143: Noisome Trades. This section includes noisome and injurious odors, which concludes with, “this section shall apply to the operations of piggeries.”
Massachusetts’ first board of health was concerned about numerous activities taking place at the time, such as those piggeries. They also wanted to know if fish were being properly gutted and cleaned before being brought inland. Feathers could not be “landed” without an inspection determining they carried no infection. Were they concerned about mites? I don’t know. They did not say. Oysters could not be possessed or sold from the first day of June to the first day of September. Maybe they knew about red tide. I don’t know.
What I do know is they were wise enough to understand and foresee that while the general law was necessary as far as its intention was concerned, the particulars might change with time. Yesteryore’s squealing pigs are today’s dirt bikes. A recent inquiry from a person greatly bothered by his neighbor’s dirt bike activities was interesting. As he began his summary, I responded with, “Yes, we have dealt with this issue.” He continued to indicate that I probably did not realize how distressing the noise could be and so, he wanted to show me something he found online. It was an enforcement letter from a health agent to a resident regarding the dust, odors and noise created by dirt bikes. It was an “Abate a Nuisance” letter. I took the printout from the man and began to read. It seemed so familiar. The names and addresses had been removed. I finally said, “Hey, this is my letter! This is the case I was referring to!” It was a small world moment.
The most recent call to the office in the nuisance category was that of a cow carcass on a roof. Yes, that is correct. Well, it wasn’t a whole carcass. It was just the skull of a slaughtered cow, with skin still intact. The police department was called regarding this concern of… of what? Perhaps the caller thought it wasn’t “normal” (problematic; so many definitions!), legal or safe. I don’t know but when I was informed of the situation by the police department, I said, “Oh, that’s a nuisance situation. The cow skull can attract insects and wild animals. I’ll talk to the owner”
Upon seeing the skull, with horns and skin intact, on the lower portion of the small barn, facing the sun, I mentally placed my bet that the property owner was waiting for nature to take its cleansing course so that he could have something worthy of a Georgia O’Keefe painting.
I quickly filled out my “I received a call about the following” form. I confirmed the cow skull, asked for a call so that we could discuss the intention, and, in the meantime, I asked that the owner please move the skull out of view from the road. I stuck the folded paper in the front door with my card and left, as knocks and calls did not produce any response. The following day, the message on the office answering machine indicated a not-too-happy customer but one who would be willing to comply with my request. (And I was right! He was not finished with “the process”. He was just trying to preserve the skull.)
Public health is never dull. Who knows what’s next? I hope not another skull.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. What do you think is a nuisance? And is it just annoying or is there any actual health hazard? Let me know at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
I’ve been thinking of writing a list of rhyming phrases for public health. I was thinking of health agent work, though, rather than health, in general. I mean, if I was talking about any and all health topics, sure, I could come up with something about diet and riot or blood and crud but, as I said, I had health agent work in mind. And that work is with people and in the field. It is reality based and experiential, as opposed to purely theoretical or statistical.
So, here’s my first rhyme, just in time, for this week’s column, to you from mee-um: When nothing else seems to make sense, turn your attention to nuisance.
Rhyming ditties, I admit, have a way of sounding trite but they do assist the memory and that is important. Memory hooks pull you back to the point at any age. Now, what is the point of the nuisance law for health agents?
First of all, it lies within Part I of Massachusetts General Law. That section is dedicated to the Administration of the Government. Within that part I, is Title XVI, and there we find Chapter 111, referring to Public Health. Now that we have honed in on the correct chapter, there we find many sections talking about various topics with which boards of health are entrusted with the duty of enforcing.
An often-quoted section is 143: Noisome Trades. This section includes noisome and injurious odors, which concludes with, “this section shall apply to the operations of piggeries.”
Massachusetts’ first board of health was concerned about numerous activities taking place at the time, such as those piggeries. They also wanted to know if fish were being properly gutted and cleaned before being brought inland. Feathers could not be “landed” without an inspection determining they carried no infection. Were they concerned about mites? I don’t know. They did not say. Oysters could not be possessed or sold from the first day of June to the first day of September. Maybe they knew about red tide. I don’t know.
What I do know is they were wise enough to understand and foresee that while the general law was necessary as far as its intention was concerned, the particulars might change with time. Yesteryore’s squealing pigs are today’s dirt bikes. A recent inquiry from a person greatly bothered by his neighbor’s dirt bike activities was interesting. As he began his summary, I responded with, “Yes, we have dealt with this issue.” He continued to indicate that I probably did not realize how distressing the noise could be and so, he wanted to show me something he found online. It was an enforcement letter from a health agent to a resident regarding the dust, odors and noise created by dirt bikes. It was an “Abate a Nuisance” letter. I took the printout from the man and began to read. It seemed so familiar. The names and addresses had been removed. I finally said, “Hey, this is my letter! This is the case I was referring to!” It was a small world moment.
The most recent call to the office in the nuisance category was that of a cow carcass on a roof. Yes, that is correct. Well, it wasn’t a whole carcass. It was just the skull of a slaughtered cow, with skin still intact. The police department was called regarding this concern of… of what? Perhaps the caller thought it wasn’t “normal” (problematic; so many definitions!), legal or safe. I don’t know but when I was informed of the situation by the police department, I said, “Oh, that’s a nuisance situation. The cow skull can attract insects and wild animals. I’ll talk to the owner”
Upon seeing the skull, with horns and skin intact, on the lower portion of the small barn, facing the sun, I mentally placed my bet that the property owner was waiting for nature to take its cleansing course so that he could have something worthy of a Georgia O’Keefe painting.
I quickly filled out my “I received a call about the following” form. I confirmed the cow skull, asked for a call so that we could discuss the intention, and, in the meantime, I asked that the owner please move the skull out of view from the road. I stuck the folded paper in the front door with my card and left, as knocks and calls did not produce any response. The following day, the message on the office answering machine indicated a not-too-happy customer but one who would be willing to comply with my request. (And I was right! He was not finished with “the process”. He was just trying to preserve the skull.)
Public health is never dull. Who knows what’s next? I hope not another skull.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. What do you think is a nuisance? And is it just annoying or is there any actual health hazard? Let me know at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Bats Are Beneficial, Too 8-14-09
8-14-09 Bats Are Beneficial, Too
My oldest daughter, Kate, lives in charming Connecticut with her husband, Jim, and their two children. The local bats think it is charming, also. In fact, they enjoy it so much, they have visited her house six times in the last year. The elderly woman who lives across the street grew up in Kate’s house as the first family, with Katie’s being only the second. She tells my daughter, “Oh, yes, they liked to fly into that house when I lived there, too.”
Well, after venturing to hospitals in the middle of the night and having wildlife handlers remove bats, my daughter and son in law decided enough was enough. They were going to take measures to prevent future visits from these mysterious creatures and, so, on July 25,my son in law was on bat duty, plugging up any tiny holes he could find into the attic.
The following week, while out during their first ever use of a babysitter, they received a call from, you guessed it, the babysitter. There was a very small bat flying down the stair well and into the living room. They booked it back to Mystic, CT from Massachusetts and on the way gave a call to the wildlife guy who captured their first bat visitor in June of 2008.
“You plugged up holes in July?” he asks. “It’s best to wait until the middle of August, when the newly weaned youngsters are venturing out on their own for the first time. Before that, they are stuck in the roosting area, with only some practice flying going on, perhaps, while Mom is out.”
Oh, how I could relate! You know how that goes if you’ve had teenagers. You don’t want them practicing their driving skills in your yard while you are out, now do you? Of course you don’t.
Here’s what they learned about keeping bats out of the attic:
If there is more than one exit, plug all but one with steel wool stuffed in and filling with foam insulation over it. Give them a few days to practice using the one remaining hole and then, after dark, you can plug that one in the same manner. While this project is going on, plan on sealing with wide tape around your door or pull-down from the attic each time you leave it, as this was the most recent entry point at my daughter’s house. A baby bat slipped into her house through the edge of the pull-down stairs and could not figure out how to back into the attic. Poor little thing! It did not know how to get out from this new place inside the home or how to get back to its cozy insulated home
Once you’ve prevented bats from living in your belfry or you’ve discovered that they are only living harmlessly outdoors, it’s time to sit back and appreciate them. That’s right! They are amazing mammals and wonderfully beneficial to the earth’s ecosystem.
Some bats visit plants and eat fruit, helping to pollinate them and to spread their seeds, greatly assisting our troubled and diminishing supply of bees. Each insect-eating bat consumes thousands each night. They eat so many insects that along with birds and bees, they are a farmer’s best friends.
In fact, a few decades ago, Betty and Tony Koch of Oregon became so concerned about the amount of pesticides they were using at their 219 acre orchard that they decided to attract insect eating wildlife to their farm in hopes they could make a difference. When they saw that hundreds of birdhouses were reducing the need for pesticides, Tony started to build bat houses as well. With many refinements and discoveries made along the way, with his scientific approach of trial and error, Tony Koch became convinced he was not wasting his time.
His hunch, his hard work and his observations paid off. By allowing and assisting the bats to proliferate, they ate insects after dark and birds did in the daytime. Tony saw a significant reduction in the earworms found on his corn. In fact, he went from spraying his orchards and cornfields thirteen times a season to only twice, applied after the birds and bats left for their winter migration.
I found this story of the Koch’s Bird Haven Farm on the Bat Conservation International website. This is the best, most informative and most interesting site I have found on bats. As you can guess from the title, the website is trying to bring worldwide attention to the importance of bats and the worrisome reduction in their breeding and feeding habitats. I learned that bats have very specific methods of and places for feeding. One prefers water’s edge. Another prefers to feed while flying over open fields. Some roost in old growth forests, while others prefer manmade structures.
At this fantastic interactive website, I also read accounts from the nineteenth century of the skies being blackened with huge numbers of migrating bats. That certainly is not the case anymore. Those thousands of bats lived somewhere before they migrated. Perhaps their homes of the past no longer exist. Maybe we can do something about that.
Not only can we live with nature, we must never forget that we are dependent on it. That’s a fact.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. She is in favor of helping people to keep bats out of their houses but also supporting bats in our outdoor environments. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
My oldest daughter, Kate, lives in charming Connecticut with her husband, Jim, and their two children. The local bats think it is charming, also. In fact, they enjoy it so much, they have visited her house six times in the last year. The elderly woman who lives across the street grew up in Kate’s house as the first family, with Katie’s being only the second. She tells my daughter, “Oh, yes, they liked to fly into that house when I lived there, too.”
Well, after venturing to hospitals in the middle of the night and having wildlife handlers remove bats, my daughter and son in law decided enough was enough. They were going to take measures to prevent future visits from these mysterious creatures and, so, on July 25,my son in law was on bat duty, plugging up any tiny holes he could find into the attic.
The following week, while out during their first ever use of a babysitter, they received a call from, you guessed it, the babysitter. There was a very small bat flying down the stair well and into the living room. They booked it back to Mystic, CT from Massachusetts and on the way gave a call to the wildlife guy who captured their first bat visitor in June of 2008.
“You plugged up holes in July?” he asks. “It’s best to wait until the middle of August, when the newly weaned youngsters are venturing out on their own for the first time. Before that, they are stuck in the roosting area, with only some practice flying going on, perhaps, while Mom is out.”
Oh, how I could relate! You know how that goes if you’ve had teenagers. You don’t want them practicing their driving skills in your yard while you are out, now do you? Of course you don’t.
Here’s what they learned about keeping bats out of the attic:
If there is more than one exit, plug all but one with steel wool stuffed in and filling with foam insulation over it. Give them a few days to practice using the one remaining hole and then, after dark, you can plug that one in the same manner. While this project is going on, plan on sealing with wide tape around your door or pull-down from the attic each time you leave it, as this was the most recent entry point at my daughter’s house. A baby bat slipped into her house through the edge of the pull-down stairs and could not figure out how to back into the attic. Poor little thing! It did not know how to get out from this new place inside the home or how to get back to its cozy insulated home
Once you’ve prevented bats from living in your belfry or you’ve discovered that they are only living harmlessly outdoors, it’s time to sit back and appreciate them. That’s right! They are amazing mammals and wonderfully beneficial to the earth’s ecosystem.
Some bats visit plants and eat fruit, helping to pollinate them and to spread their seeds, greatly assisting our troubled and diminishing supply of bees. Each insect-eating bat consumes thousands each night. They eat so many insects that along with birds and bees, they are a farmer’s best friends.
In fact, a few decades ago, Betty and Tony Koch of Oregon became so concerned about the amount of pesticides they were using at their 219 acre orchard that they decided to attract insect eating wildlife to their farm in hopes they could make a difference. When they saw that hundreds of birdhouses were reducing the need for pesticides, Tony started to build bat houses as well. With many refinements and discoveries made along the way, with his scientific approach of trial and error, Tony Koch became convinced he was not wasting his time.
His hunch, his hard work and his observations paid off. By allowing and assisting the bats to proliferate, they ate insects after dark and birds did in the daytime. Tony saw a significant reduction in the earworms found on his corn. In fact, he went from spraying his orchards and cornfields thirteen times a season to only twice, applied after the birds and bats left for their winter migration.
I found this story of the Koch’s Bird Haven Farm on the Bat Conservation International website. This is the best, most informative and most interesting site I have found on bats. As you can guess from the title, the website is trying to bring worldwide attention to the importance of bats and the worrisome reduction in their breeding and feeding habitats. I learned that bats have very specific methods of and places for feeding. One prefers water’s edge. Another prefers to feed while flying over open fields. Some roost in old growth forests, while others prefer manmade structures.
At this fantastic interactive website, I also read accounts from the nineteenth century of the skies being blackened with huge numbers of migrating bats. That certainly is not the case anymore. Those thousands of bats lived somewhere before they migrated. Perhaps their homes of the past no longer exist. Maybe we can do something about that.
Not only can we live with nature, we must never forget that we are dependent on it. That’s a fact.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. She is in favor of helping people to keep bats out of their houses but also supporting bats in our outdoor environments. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Bat Facts 8-7-09
8-7-09 Bat Facts
Each year around this time of year, I receive a notice from our friends at the Department of Public Health reminding us that bats can carry the rabies virus and that bats have incredibly small teeth. If you have ever seen a bat, you know how tiny the mouth is and so you might think it funny that DPH bothers to point out the obvious: small mouths have small teeth. They take the time to tell us because, in the case of bats, there may not be a visible mark left by a bite. You also might wonder why we need to see the mark since getting bitten would be a known event. Right? But what if the victim of the bat bite was an infant and could not tell you? What if the recipient of the bat’s attention was intoxicated, asleep or in any way mentally impaired? In those cases, if we can’t be certain about contact, then catching and submitting the bat for rabies testing is in order. Within 48 hours you’d have the results and if negative, you’re all set. If positive, then you can’t take the chance. Rabies can be prevented with a series of vaccinations but cannot be treated once it has developed. In that case, the exposed person dies.
Considering this set of possibilities, it is a good idea to keep your screens repaired and vents covered with wire mesh to prevent bats from entering your home. If we can prevent the bats from entering the home, we are unlikely to ever have contact with them. It would be nice to avoid ever having to worry about the exposure to the deadly rabies virus.
Just ask my daughter, Kate. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, one year old Taryn and four year old Colin. In early June of 2008 she was awakened in the middle of the night by two year-old Colin’s cry for help because a bat was in his room. The wildlife guy she called to remove it knew that since my daughter could not be certain that her son was not bitten by the bat, he would catch it and send it to their state lab for testing. Since that time, they have had five other bat encounters in their house and they have learned a lot about bats. Here’s just a little of that knowledge and why she learned making it imperative to learn about these creatures:
The first warm day in the spring is the first peak of bat activity. (That was Kate’s first encounter. When she called the wildlife handler at 1:30 in the morning, he went over the various services and charges and told her to make up her mind before he crossed the bridge because he had been out responding to bat calls since 5:00 a.m. the previous day! ) After the awakening with spring fever, bats do a little figuring out on that first day of adventure and then they settle in to having their babies. In August those babies have been weaned and are venturing out on their own for the first time. They behave like any other child; they make mistakes and learn by them.
When looking for evidence of bats living in your home, look for their small droppings on doorsteps, decks or in the attic. They are not as skinny as mice droppings and they are filled with the iridescent bits and pieces of the insects they eat. If the bats reside under overhangs on the exterior of your home, you can expect to see blackened streaks from their urine. If these fascinating little mammals have to rub against something while skooching their way under say, a vent or shingle, you will find a dark somewhat greasy looking stain, like the ones cats leave from rubbing their backs against their favorite corner in your house while they purr and give you that look that says, ‘Don’t you just love me and don’t you want to feed me or scratch my back?”
Once you see and understand the evidence, begin to look for their exits by sitting outdoors and watching at dusk. As it begins to get dark, make note of how many and from what openings they leave. If they are only individuals roosting under a shingle or overhang, then do nothing. Think of them as your bug reduction program. If they are exiting from your attic, then you should start to plug those holes. That’s what Kate’s husband did on July 25.
What happened next? Did he plug them up sufficiently? Was it the best time of the year and the optimal time of the day or night when he did that work? Find out next week as I continue the story and as I discover how much we need bats in our local environment and throughout the world, because that’s a fact, also.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. Do you have any bat tales for her? (She collects insects, too.) She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Each year around this time of year, I receive a notice from our friends at the Department of Public Health reminding us that bats can carry the rabies virus and that bats have incredibly small teeth. If you have ever seen a bat, you know how tiny the mouth is and so you might think it funny that DPH bothers to point out the obvious: small mouths have small teeth. They take the time to tell us because, in the case of bats, there may not be a visible mark left by a bite. You also might wonder why we need to see the mark since getting bitten would be a known event. Right? But what if the victim of the bat bite was an infant and could not tell you? What if the recipient of the bat’s attention was intoxicated, asleep or in any way mentally impaired? In those cases, if we can’t be certain about contact, then catching and submitting the bat for rabies testing is in order. Within 48 hours you’d have the results and if negative, you’re all set. If positive, then you can’t take the chance. Rabies can be prevented with a series of vaccinations but cannot be treated once it has developed. In that case, the exposed person dies.
Considering this set of possibilities, it is a good idea to keep your screens repaired and vents covered with wire mesh to prevent bats from entering your home. If we can prevent the bats from entering the home, we are unlikely to ever have contact with them. It would be nice to avoid ever having to worry about the exposure to the deadly rabies virus.
Just ask my daughter, Kate. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, one year old Taryn and four year old Colin. In early June of 2008 she was awakened in the middle of the night by two year-old Colin’s cry for help because a bat was in his room. The wildlife guy she called to remove it knew that since my daughter could not be certain that her son was not bitten by the bat, he would catch it and send it to their state lab for testing. Since that time, they have had five other bat encounters in their house and they have learned a lot about bats. Here’s just a little of that knowledge and why she learned making it imperative to learn about these creatures:
The first warm day in the spring is the first peak of bat activity. (That was Kate’s first encounter. When she called the wildlife handler at 1:30 in the morning, he went over the various services and charges and told her to make up her mind before he crossed the bridge because he had been out responding to bat calls since 5:00 a.m. the previous day! ) After the awakening with spring fever, bats do a little figuring out on that first day of adventure and then they settle in to having their babies. In August those babies have been weaned and are venturing out on their own for the first time. They behave like any other child; they make mistakes and learn by them.
When looking for evidence of bats living in your home, look for their small droppings on doorsteps, decks or in the attic. They are not as skinny as mice droppings and they are filled with the iridescent bits and pieces of the insects they eat. If the bats reside under overhangs on the exterior of your home, you can expect to see blackened streaks from their urine. If these fascinating little mammals have to rub against something while skooching their way under say, a vent or shingle, you will find a dark somewhat greasy looking stain, like the ones cats leave from rubbing their backs against their favorite corner in your house while they purr and give you that look that says, ‘Don’t you just love me and don’t you want to feed me or scratch my back?”
Once you see and understand the evidence, begin to look for their exits by sitting outdoors and watching at dusk. As it begins to get dark, make note of how many and from what openings they leave. If they are only individuals roosting under a shingle or overhang, then do nothing. Think of them as your bug reduction program. If they are exiting from your attic, then you should start to plug those holes. That’s what Kate’s husband did on July 25.
What happened next? Did he plug them up sufficiently? Was it the best time of the year and the optimal time of the day or night when he did that work? Find out next week as I continue the story and as I discover how much we need bats in our local environment and throughout the world, because that’s a fact, also.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. Do you have any bat tales for her? (She collects insects, too.) She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Taking The Housing Hint 7-31-09
7-31-09 Taking The Housing Hint
I recently had the pleasure of observing a family of cardinals in my backyard. The mother was rarely seen. I suspect she was sitting on the next brood. The father was also a family guy, taking over the feeding schedule of the two youngsters. By the time the little ones turned to adolescents, they appeared to be about the same size as dad but were still dependent on him. On a Thursday morning the father was very attentive, especially to the one making the most noise and fluttering its wings more actively than its sibling. Each day and all day, the father gathered seeds and fed his children. Four days later, on Sunday morning I saw them return and, once again, begin the ritual. Children were nearby waiting expectantly and the father gathered seeds. Then he flew to his children, with the noisy one being the first recipient, as usual, of his attention. But this time, instead of food, the needy child received the blows of flapping wings instead of food. Whap, whap, whap went the father’s wings into the face of its teenager, as if to say, “This is so over! Get out and feed yourself!” The not-so-dependant child, who had, by the way, begun to look for seeds on its own rather than only waiting for dad’s arrival, looked stunned but took the hint and flew off before receiving more of the same.
I, as a mother of six, who loved having and raising children, could only smile and relate, in a way. I thanked the cardinal for making me laugh!
As a health agent, though, I shook my head and thought of all the housing situations where people don’t take the hint. It could be tenants not realizing their responsibility to maintain the property they are renting. Then there are the landlords who don’t pay attention to the laws designed to protect the tenants from unsanitary or unsafe conditions or even retaliation by attempting to evict the tenants after they have talked to the board of health. In those situations, I am glad I have a booklet, written by our Bureau of Consumer Affairs, to share with all the involved parties. One is entitled “The Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords” and the other is “The Rights and Responsibilities of Tenants.” Even after reading these guidelines, some people just don’t get it; they have responsibilities and if they don’t keep their end of the bargain, there are consequences.
If the board of health has issued a permit, holding a hearing where the revoking of said permit will be discussed is usually the best way to get someone’s attention. It is not so easy if there is not an actual permit issued. The consequences of not abiding by the law can include fines and if that does not work, or if the fine is not paid, a 21-D ticket can be issued. They look just like and are handled just like a parking ticket. The receiving party either pays the fine to the town clerk or they appeal and tell their story to the clerk magistrate.
Before fines or tickets are issued, not only has a lot of time been invested explaining the law, writing letters with orders of correction with specific deadlines and making site visits, but options are also spelled out. They are entitled to a hearing. They are entitled to review pertaining records. They may request a hearing in writing and need to submit it within seven days of receipt of the letter. They are told that fines or tickets may be issued if they do not make the necessary corrections.
Not making corrections is “only” a civil matter. Not paying the fine is a criminal offense. They can tell their story to the judge.
Sometimes a housing situation is so immediate and of such an emergency nature and it is compounded by a noncompliant person, that a visit to court is appropriate.
If the owner or the tenant denies the health agent access, yet there were indications of unsafe conditions, the agent can go to the housing court to request an administrative search warrant. That warrant will allow access for specific reasons and for specific people. The agent needs to list, for instance, specific police officers, if that is desired. Any person not listed on that warrant, may not enter without permission.
Also in housing court anyone can request a temporary restraining order. Did you know that? For instance, in a recent case, in response to finding her family locked out of the apartment, the tenant filed for and was approved for an order that the landlord restrain from evicting the tenants without due process. The landlord either did not understand the oblique wording or did not care, for she did not remove the padlock.
In that case, it was back to court. The language became more specific and the judge learned to say, “You are ordered to remove the padlock.”
We all have lessons to learn from life. Some are forced upon us, when we don’t get the hint. Others are subtler and await observation.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. Do you have any tenant/landlord stories for her? She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
I recently had the pleasure of observing a family of cardinals in my backyard. The mother was rarely seen. I suspect she was sitting on the next brood. The father was also a family guy, taking over the feeding schedule of the two youngsters. By the time the little ones turned to adolescents, they appeared to be about the same size as dad but were still dependent on him. On a Thursday morning the father was very attentive, especially to the one making the most noise and fluttering its wings more actively than its sibling. Each day and all day, the father gathered seeds and fed his children. Four days later, on Sunday morning I saw them return and, once again, begin the ritual. Children were nearby waiting expectantly and the father gathered seeds. Then he flew to his children, with the noisy one being the first recipient, as usual, of his attention. But this time, instead of food, the needy child received the blows of flapping wings instead of food. Whap, whap, whap went the father’s wings into the face of its teenager, as if to say, “This is so over! Get out and feed yourself!” The not-so-dependant child, who had, by the way, begun to look for seeds on its own rather than only waiting for dad’s arrival, looked stunned but took the hint and flew off before receiving more of the same.
I, as a mother of six, who loved having and raising children, could only smile and relate, in a way. I thanked the cardinal for making me laugh!
As a health agent, though, I shook my head and thought of all the housing situations where people don’t take the hint. It could be tenants not realizing their responsibility to maintain the property they are renting. Then there are the landlords who don’t pay attention to the laws designed to protect the tenants from unsanitary or unsafe conditions or even retaliation by attempting to evict the tenants after they have talked to the board of health. In those situations, I am glad I have a booklet, written by our Bureau of Consumer Affairs, to share with all the involved parties. One is entitled “The Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords” and the other is “The Rights and Responsibilities of Tenants.” Even after reading these guidelines, some people just don’t get it; they have responsibilities and if they don’t keep their end of the bargain, there are consequences.
If the board of health has issued a permit, holding a hearing where the revoking of said permit will be discussed is usually the best way to get someone’s attention. It is not so easy if there is not an actual permit issued. The consequences of not abiding by the law can include fines and if that does not work, or if the fine is not paid, a 21-D ticket can be issued. They look just like and are handled just like a parking ticket. The receiving party either pays the fine to the town clerk or they appeal and tell their story to the clerk magistrate.
Before fines or tickets are issued, not only has a lot of time been invested explaining the law, writing letters with orders of correction with specific deadlines and making site visits, but options are also spelled out. They are entitled to a hearing. They are entitled to review pertaining records. They may request a hearing in writing and need to submit it within seven days of receipt of the letter. They are told that fines or tickets may be issued if they do not make the necessary corrections.
Not making corrections is “only” a civil matter. Not paying the fine is a criminal offense. They can tell their story to the judge.
Sometimes a housing situation is so immediate and of such an emergency nature and it is compounded by a noncompliant person, that a visit to court is appropriate.
If the owner or the tenant denies the health agent access, yet there were indications of unsafe conditions, the agent can go to the housing court to request an administrative search warrant. That warrant will allow access for specific reasons and for specific people. The agent needs to list, for instance, specific police officers, if that is desired. Any person not listed on that warrant, may not enter without permission.
Also in housing court anyone can request a temporary restraining order. Did you know that? For instance, in a recent case, in response to finding her family locked out of the apartment, the tenant filed for and was approved for an order that the landlord restrain from evicting the tenants without due process. The landlord either did not understand the oblique wording or did not care, for she did not remove the padlock.
In that case, it was back to court. The language became more specific and the judge learned to say, “You are ordered to remove the padlock.”
We all have lessons to learn from life. Some are forced upon us, when we don’t get the hint. Others are subtler and await observation.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. Do you have any tenant/landlord stories for her? She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
What Color Is Your Water? 7-25-09
7-25-09 What Color Is Your Water?
As the popularity of bottled water waned in response to the awareness of global warming, people purchased reusable bottles for their tap water and the producers of bottled water became nervous. Would something so incredibly popular and seemingly necessary to so many, be here one day and gone the next? What would Poland and Pepsi do? They would give us designer water, that’s what. Don’t care for water but you know you’re supposed to be drinking it? Maybe flavored water is for you. On a diet? Maybe a colorful tasty drink with artificial sweetener would help out. Need more energy? There’s power waters for you. Forgot your vitamins this morning? Vitamin water fits your needs today. More interested in the healing powers of herbs? They’ve got that kind of water, too.
To each his own. I hope the choices will be informed choices. Just because the purchased drinks are from approved sources, does not mean they are good for us. It just means they are not poisonous. Well, at least it means they are not supposed to be. Accidents and sloppy ways do happen.
What about the water we like to play in? Massachusetts is blessed with an abundance of rivers, ponds and lakes. Some serve as surface water supplies and many of them as recreational water bodies. These waters come in lots of colors, too. It might be reddish brown from the tannins in leaves and branches or from high iron content. It might be brown from sediment. It might be green from algae. These colors are not in and of themselves an indication of something harmful. The clearest of water can be full of bacteria. Colors can be an indicator, though, of health risks and while we read and learn about our rainbow of beverage choices, we might as well learn about the various shades and hues of recreational waters.
Massachusetts is not only blessed with both ocean and fresh waters, it is also blessed with a Department of Public Health with guidelines for cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in freshwater recreational water bodies. Not all states do, you know. The protocol is based on the research that has been going on worldwide for several years now. The most widely referenced is probably that published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2003. Since then, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council issued Guidance on Managing Risks in Recreational Waters in 2005 and California’s State Water Resources Control Board developed Guidance about Harmful Algal Blooms in 2006 and the Oregon and Vermont Framework published Addressing Public Health Risks for Cyanobacteria in Water in 2007, just to name a few. These are not exactly small time players here. Scientists have been watching for many years what was at first anecdotal evidence. There were stories of livestock dying after drinking green water from farm ponds, children vomiting after playing in pond water, people developing skin rashes or respiratory problems, heart and liver damage and even a tragic story of a young man dying of a heart attack after jumping into a golf course pond.
There are numerous variables at play here. People respond differently to the same thing. Some are prone to asthma, others to eczema. The exposures vary also. Some people keep their head above the water when swimming, while others swim under the water. Children and pets are likely to spend more time in the water, ingest lots of water and their smaller body size puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to exposure.
Then, of course, there are the differences in the algae themselves. There are different types and some of them produce toxins. And they change quickly. During the hot days of summer, the numbers can grow rapidly, forming a bloom so thick that it forms a scum on the surface and is so thick that you can’t see your hand reaching down into it.
We’ve recently had our first closing of beaches for this year due to high algae counts in Halifax at the West Monponsett Pond. (Last summer was the first closing ever because of algae.) The MA DPH guidance recommends closing of beaches when the cell count exceeds 70,000 per milliliter. Our last sample count was 178,000+. And, I’ve got to tell you: It didn’t really look that bad, (compared to last year’s pea soup with an even higher cell count). And, I suspect, it is the look of the water that most people use to determine whether or not it is safe to enter.
I suppose we also don’t ever have our guard up to react to green water if we have simply become accustomed to that appearance. It seemed that’s what people were thinking on last Saturday. I was in town for a housing matter and it was hot sunny day when I drove by the West Monponsett Pond. People were sailing and jet skiing and fishing and throwing balls to a dog at the State Boat Ramp. I could not just drive by.
I introduced myself, told the people they should stay out of the water because of a high cell count for algae that can be very harmful and I tried to hand out a fact sheet. Only one man took it. Everyone else said, “No, that’s all right. I’m good.” “No, thanks. I’m just going to jet ski.” I tried to tell the jet skier that the spray can get in his eyes and that the algae can become aerosolized, getting into his lungs. He indicated that he wasn’t concerned. That has to mean that he did not believe what I was telling him.
At least I tried. I just wanted them to have the information; to be able to make an informed choice. Those were not really informed choices, though. They were more like ignored choices. Listening and learning take time, though. I’ll keep trying. Please help spread the word. Confirm what I’m telling you (Google cyanobacteria health risks) and pass it on.
What color water would you like? I’m going for clear, clean and safe.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for Halifax, MA. Let her know of fish kills, sick pets, sick children or any health problems that seemed to develop after contact with algae filled waters. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
As the popularity of bottled water waned in response to the awareness of global warming, people purchased reusable bottles for their tap water and the producers of bottled water became nervous. Would something so incredibly popular and seemingly necessary to so many, be here one day and gone the next? What would Poland and Pepsi do? They would give us designer water, that’s what. Don’t care for water but you know you’re supposed to be drinking it? Maybe flavored water is for you. On a diet? Maybe a colorful tasty drink with artificial sweetener would help out. Need more energy? There’s power waters for you. Forgot your vitamins this morning? Vitamin water fits your needs today. More interested in the healing powers of herbs? They’ve got that kind of water, too.
To each his own. I hope the choices will be informed choices. Just because the purchased drinks are from approved sources, does not mean they are good for us. It just means they are not poisonous. Well, at least it means they are not supposed to be. Accidents and sloppy ways do happen.
What about the water we like to play in? Massachusetts is blessed with an abundance of rivers, ponds and lakes. Some serve as surface water supplies and many of them as recreational water bodies. These waters come in lots of colors, too. It might be reddish brown from the tannins in leaves and branches or from high iron content. It might be brown from sediment. It might be green from algae. These colors are not in and of themselves an indication of something harmful. The clearest of water can be full of bacteria. Colors can be an indicator, though, of health risks and while we read and learn about our rainbow of beverage choices, we might as well learn about the various shades and hues of recreational waters.
Massachusetts is not only blessed with both ocean and fresh waters, it is also blessed with a Department of Public Health with guidelines for cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in freshwater recreational water bodies. Not all states do, you know. The protocol is based on the research that has been going on worldwide for several years now. The most widely referenced is probably that published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2003. Since then, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council issued Guidance on Managing Risks in Recreational Waters in 2005 and California’s State Water Resources Control Board developed Guidance about Harmful Algal Blooms in 2006 and the Oregon and Vermont Framework published Addressing Public Health Risks for Cyanobacteria in Water in 2007, just to name a few. These are not exactly small time players here. Scientists have been watching for many years what was at first anecdotal evidence. There were stories of livestock dying after drinking green water from farm ponds, children vomiting after playing in pond water, people developing skin rashes or respiratory problems, heart and liver damage and even a tragic story of a young man dying of a heart attack after jumping into a golf course pond.
There are numerous variables at play here. People respond differently to the same thing. Some are prone to asthma, others to eczema. The exposures vary also. Some people keep their head above the water when swimming, while others swim under the water. Children and pets are likely to spend more time in the water, ingest lots of water and their smaller body size puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to exposure.
Then, of course, there are the differences in the algae themselves. There are different types and some of them produce toxins. And they change quickly. During the hot days of summer, the numbers can grow rapidly, forming a bloom so thick that it forms a scum on the surface and is so thick that you can’t see your hand reaching down into it.
We’ve recently had our first closing of beaches for this year due to high algae counts in Halifax at the West Monponsett Pond. (Last summer was the first closing ever because of algae.) The MA DPH guidance recommends closing of beaches when the cell count exceeds 70,000 per milliliter. Our last sample count was 178,000+. And, I’ve got to tell you: It didn’t really look that bad, (compared to last year’s pea soup with an even higher cell count). And, I suspect, it is the look of the water that most people use to determine whether or not it is safe to enter.
I suppose we also don’t ever have our guard up to react to green water if we have simply become accustomed to that appearance. It seemed that’s what people were thinking on last Saturday. I was in town for a housing matter and it was hot sunny day when I drove by the West Monponsett Pond. People were sailing and jet skiing and fishing and throwing balls to a dog at the State Boat Ramp. I could not just drive by.
I introduced myself, told the people they should stay out of the water because of a high cell count for algae that can be very harmful and I tried to hand out a fact sheet. Only one man took it. Everyone else said, “No, that’s all right. I’m good.” “No, thanks. I’m just going to jet ski.” I tried to tell the jet skier that the spray can get in his eyes and that the algae can become aerosolized, getting into his lungs. He indicated that he wasn’t concerned. That has to mean that he did not believe what I was telling him.
At least I tried. I just wanted them to have the information; to be able to make an informed choice. Those were not really informed choices, though. They were more like ignored choices. Listening and learning take time, though. I’ll keep trying. Please help spread the word. Confirm what I’m telling you (Google cyanobacteria health risks) and pass it on.
What color water would you like? I’m going for clear, clean and safe.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for Halifax, MA. Let her know of fish kills, sick pets, sick children or any health problems that seemed to develop after contact with algae filled waters. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Center for Domestic Preparedness 7-17-09
7-17-09 Center for Domestic Preparedness
How often do health agents, emt’s, fire fighters, police officers, public works department, doctors and nurses meet in the same room to talk about emergency preparedness? Maybe the answer is “Not frequently enough.”
We’re all busy with our own day-to-day obligations and that makes it difficult to attend classes for future possibilities with a may-or-may-not classification when it comes to degree of inevitability.
All emergency responders recognize the need to train and be informed but we also recognize the need to choose wisely when it comes to time commitments and budget. We are always on the lookout for a class offering hands-on training, excellent presenters and an affordable price. And you know what? I recently found a gem of a training center, free of cost to local and state responders from ten disciplines: emergency management, emergency medical service, fire service, governmental administrative, hazardous materials, healthcare, law enforcement, public health, public safety communications and public works.
That’s right, a gem. And it is, admittedly, difficult to share a good thing when the sharing might reduce one’s future chances of being a recipient of the good thing. I am convinced, however, of the training center’s desire and ability to offer more classes. So, here goes. I am going to share.
Last week I attended a class on environmental health with other health agents, police officers and fire fighters. The class was one of several offered that week at our nation’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Alabama. The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). I admit that these titles are not only a mouthful but also a tad intimidating for a small town health agent. I may have been skeptical and intimidated when I was applying but those concerns disappeared when I was welcomed to this class as much as the police officers and fire fighters were. I may not be a first responder to many emergencies but public health is still an emergency responder, quite often being called in as the first-and-one-half responder. The classic example is this: The fire is out and now the board of health needs to decide if the building is safe to reoccupy or the air safe to breathe
So it was with respect and appreciation that I discovered the CDP’s offerings are interdisciplinary. And don’t we need that variety and meeting of disciplines in real life situations? The course topics covered many environmental situations and factors affecting public health. Topics such as food and water safety, vector control, responder safety and shelter management are all areas of concern to a health agent but it was so helpful to have them presented by engaging instructors from a variety of disciplines. Some of them were downright talented at story telling and comic relief. This was all a relief, indeed, compared to the frequently encountered “death by power point”.
I took this class with 46 other people from all over the country. It was fun being among my peers. We washed hands and used paper towels to open bathroom doors! We all participated in the class and learned, even enjoying ourselves along the way. Our learning was measured by a pre and post-test and, yes, mine indicated that I learned.
The list of course offerings at the CDP is too numerous to list in its entirety here but includes the following: Weapons of Mass Destruction (several, such as Respiratory Protection), Managing Civil Actions in Threat Incidents, (such as Protestor Devices), Incident Command System, several Train the Trainer, Advanced Public Information Officer and Pandemic Influenza Planning and Preparedness.
So spread the word to your Police, Fire, Health, Accounting (Who’s going to track all those finances during the emergency?) and Public Works Departments, your local doctors and emergency room staff. This training is free of charge and is high caliber, making it well worth your time.
One more thing to consider: It is not only a privilege to be accepted for this training, once there, your confidence grows, in yourself and your country. That is a much needed outcome even if it is not immediately measured by a post test.
For additional information about the CDP’s training programs, visit cdp.dhs.gov
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. During her visit she read a sign stating, “Alabama, The Beautiful Welcome” and it was. New Englanders could learn from their polite, courteous, friendly ways.
Questions on the training? Feel free to contact Cathleen at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
How often do health agents, emt’s, fire fighters, police officers, public works department, doctors and nurses meet in the same room to talk about emergency preparedness? Maybe the answer is “Not frequently enough.”
We’re all busy with our own day-to-day obligations and that makes it difficult to attend classes for future possibilities with a may-or-may-not classification when it comes to degree of inevitability.
All emergency responders recognize the need to train and be informed but we also recognize the need to choose wisely when it comes to time commitments and budget. We are always on the lookout for a class offering hands-on training, excellent presenters and an affordable price. And you know what? I recently found a gem of a training center, free of cost to local and state responders from ten disciplines: emergency management, emergency medical service, fire service, governmental administrative, hazardous materials, healthcare, law enforcement, public health, public safety communications and public works.
That’s right, a gem. And it is, admittedly, difficult to share a good thing when the sharing might reduce one’s future chances of being a recipient of the good thing. I am convinced, however, of the training center’s desire and ability to offer more classes. So, here goes. I am going to share.
Last week I attended a class on environmental health with other health agents, police officers and fire fighters. The class was one of several offered that week at our nation’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Alabama. The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). I admit that these titles are not only a mouthful but also a tad intimidating for a small town health agent. I may have been skeptical and intimidated when I was applying but those concerns disappeared when I was welcomed to this class as much as the police officers and fire fighters were. I may not be a first responder to many emergencies but public health is still an emergency responder, quite often being called in as the first-and-one-half responder. The classic example is this: The fire is out and now the board of health needs to decide if the building is safe to reoccupy or the air safe to breathe
So it was with respect and appreciation that I discovered the CDP’s offerings are interdisciplinary. And don’t we need that variety and meeting of disciplines in real life situations? The course topics covered many environmental situations and factors affecting public health. Topics such as food and water safety, vector control, responder safety and shelter management are all areas of concern to a health agent but it was so helpful to have them presented by engaging instructors from a variety of disciplines. Some of them were downright talented at story telling and comic relief. This was all a relief, indeed, compared to the frequently encountered “death by power point”.
I took this class with 46 other people from all over the country. It was fun being among my peers. We washed hands and used paper towels to open bathroom doors! We all participated in the class and learned, even enjoying ourselves along the way. Our learning was measured by a pre and post-test and, yes, mine indicated that I learned.
The list of course offerings at the CDP is too numerous to list in its entirety here but includes the following: Weapons of Mass Destruction (several, such as Respiratory Protection), Managing Civil Actions in Threat Incidents, (such as Protestor Devices), Incident Command System, several Train the Trainer, Advanced Public Information Officer and Pandemic Influenza Planning and Preparedness.
So spread the word to your Police, Fire, Health, Accounting (Who’s going to track all those finances during the emergency?) and Public Works Departments, your local doctors and emergency room staff. This training is free of charge and is high caliber, making it well worth your time.
One more thing to consider: It is not only a privilege to be accepted for this training, once there, your confidence grows, in yourself and your country. That is a much needed outcome even if it is not immediately measured by a post test.
For additional information about the CDP’s training programs, visit cdp.dhs.gov
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. During her visit she read a sign stating, “Alabama, The Beautiful Welcome” and it was. New Englanders could learn from their polite, courteous, friendly ways.
Questions on the training? Feel free to contact Cathleen at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Slimey Waters Drawing Attention 7-10-09
7-10-09 Slimey Waters Drawing Attention
People love to live near the water. The breezes refresh. The sunrises delight. It calms the soul and soothes the spirit.
When water is clean we can play and swim to our hearts’ content without any concerns. When water is polluted it can be ugly to look at and downright dangerous to enter.
There are many kinds of pollution. For many years now, the Department of Public Health has required that health agents sample the public bathing waters once a week for one kind of pollution: for levels of bacteria indicative of human waste. We also fill out a field data report, indicating such factors as temperature, weather, and amount of last rain and is we notice weeds, trash, birds or algae. While I may have wondered in the past if anyone is really reading them or using the information I put in the report, I wonder no longer. Last summer our Department of Public Health responded to my concerns about high levels of algae in Halifax’s west Monponsett Ponds. They traveled to Halifax to sample the water and confirmed that there was an algal bloom of the blue green cyanobacteria that is known to be toxic to animals and people. They ordered the West Pond closed and guided me with that protocol.
Since last year, MA DPH has received grant funding from CDC to study the potentially toxic algae for the next five years. Halifax’s West Monponsett Pond was chosen as one of only five in the whole State to study. While that may not initially sound like the kind of recognition we were hoping for, I am thrilled to receive the assistance in solving the problem. We get data for free. That data is worth many thousands and can be used to discover the cause or causes of the algae. That data will also guide the treatment.
DPH is not the only interested party. Residents around White Island Pond in Wareham have been using their own funds to determine the cause of their increase in algae. They have concluded the cranberry bogs are at fault for releasing fertilizers into the pond. Pembroke is spending money to treat their ponds for both weeds and algae. In a rare instance of overlap between DPH and DEP, I received a call recently from DEP with concerns about the turbidity of the West Monponsett Pond. I recall that several years ago, my office received notice that the West Monponsett Pond was on a State’s “impaired waters” list because it was so murkey with sediment. Lack of clarity alone can be deadly. Children sometimes drown in these waters simply because they could not be seen when they went under.
Representatives from DEP will be taking samples of pond water and will be, in particular, looking at water near the cranberry bogs for evidence of fertilizer releases, which, of course, also feed weeds and algae. I believe they will be issuing a TMDL at the conclusion of their study. That stands for Total Maximum Daily Load. So, if DEP finds that a factor, such as turbidity or a chemical such as urea, is dangerous, they will determine what the safety threshold is for that particular factor. The representative from DEP did not know about DPH’s concurrent study. So, it was, shall we say, interesting, to be able to introduce them.
Halifax has also spent its own town funds to Dr. Lyman to study the weed and algae growth and to make recommendations. I hope that before more money is spent by the Town of Halifax, people will listen to what all these scientists find. I am sure there will be a lot of concurrence on the contributing factors. Fertilized lawns. Cranberry bogs not being careful enough about control of the fertilized waters. The more difficult decision will be to decide if we shall spend now for a quick but temporary fix or are we motivated enough to make lifestyle changes and to insist on the same from our local business partners?
Stay tuned. This is going to be interesting.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. Let her know if you suspect illness or rashes are caused by contact with this summer’s pond water and if you see any fish kills. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us.
People love to live near the water. The breezes refresh. The sunrises delight. It calms the soul and soothes the spirit.
When water is clean we can play and swim to our hearts’ content without any concerns. When water is polluted it can be ugly to look at and downright dangerous to enter.
There are many kinds of pollution. For many years now, the Department of Public Health has required that health agents sample the public bathing waters once a week for one kind of pollution: for levels of bacteria indicative of human waste. We also fill out a field data report, indicating such factors as temperature, weather, and amount of last rain and is we notice weeds, trash, birds or algae. While I may have wondered in the past if anyone is really reading them or using the information I put in the report, I wonder no longer. Last summer our Department of Public Health responded to my concerns about high levels of algae in Halifax’s west Monponsett Ponds. They traveled to Halifax to sample the water and confirmed that there was an algal bloom of the blue green cyanobacteria that is known to be toxic to animals and people. They ordered the West Pond closed and guided me with that protocol.
Since last year, MA DPH has received grant funding from CDC to study the potentially toxic algae for the next five years. Halifax’s West Monponsett Pond was chosen as one of only five in the whole State to study. While that may not initially sound like the kind of recognition we were hoping for, I am thrilled to receive the assistance in solving the problem. We get data for free. That data is worth many thousands and can be used to discover the cause or causes of the algae. That data will also guide the treatment.
DPH is not the only interested party. Residents around White Island Pond in Wareham have been using their own funds to determine the cause of their increase in algae. They have concluded the cranberry bogs are at fault for releasing fertilizers into the pond. Pembroke is spending money to treat their ponds for both weeds and algae. In a rare instance of overlap between DPH and DEP, I received a call recently from DEP with concerns about the turbidity of the West Monponsett Pond. I recall that several years ago, my office received notice that the West Monponsett Pond was on a State’s “impaired waters” list because it was so murkey with sediment. Lack of clarity alone can be deadly. Children sometimes drown in these waters simply because they could not be seen when they went under.
Representatives from DEP will be taking samples of pond water and will be, in particular, looking at water near the cranberry bogs for evidence of fertilizer releases, which, of course, also feed weeds and algae. I believe they will be issuing a TMDL at the conclusion of their study. That stands for Total Maximum Daily Load. So, if DEP finds that a factor, such as turbidity or a chemical such as urea, is dangerous, they will determine what the safety threshold is for that particular factor. The representative from DEP did not know about DPH’s concurrent study. So, it was, shall we say, interesting, to be able to introduce them.
Halifax has also spent its own town funds to Dr. Lyman to study the weed and algae growth and to make recommendations. I hope that before more money is spent by the Town of Halifax, people will listen to what all these scientists find. I am sure there will be a lot of concurrence on the contributing factors. Fertilized lawns. Cranberry bogs not being careful enough about control of the fertilized waters. The more difficult decision will be to decide if we shall spend now for a quick but temporary fix or are we motivated enough to make lifestyle changes and to insist on the same from our local business partners?
Stay tuned. This is going to be interesting.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. Let her know if you suspect illness or rashes are caused by contact with this summer’s pond water and if you see any fish kills. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us.
Survival of The Fittest 7-3-09
7-3-09 Survival of The Fittest
My father nurtured a love of nature by filling my childhood with walks, camping, fishing, stargazing and more walking in all seasons and in all kinds of weather. While driving he would call out, “Hawk at 2:00!” or “Chipmunk on stonewall at 4:00!” When out walking in the woods, we felt rewarded at the sight of finding rabbit droppings. After dark he would turn the car into a schoolyard just to allow the headlights to pan across the grassy fields and reflect off of rabbit eyes. We had to work at finding the wildlife and it paid off to be patient.
We don’t have to be patient or work hard this summer of 2009 in order to find the wildlife around us. Have you ever seen so many rabbits, chipmunks and red squirrels in all your life?
The abundance of small mammals is providing a bumper crop of fast food for hawks, foxes and coyotes. Survival of the fittest is in full swing as the rainiest summer of all times turns all vegetation into a green jungle, luring the rabbits out in the middle of the day to feast away.
One such feasting lagamorph was not so lucky last week in Halifax. It was not saved by its binocular vision, as it became a meal for a fox, in the middle of the day, in a densely populated area of town. If I had not been seeing rabbits everywhere casually hopping about in daylight all summer long, I might have thought this was odd. The question remained; was it abnormal for the fox to be out in daylight near buildings or was the presence of the rabbits too much for a fox to resist?
The question of the state of fox’s health and normality was already being asked before it killed the rabbit. You see, the fox had already jumped out and attacked a man and then ran after another, nipping the first in the sneaker and the second on his pant leg. Worried that it was a rabid fox, I went to the scene, with two police officers to interview the victims and to search for the fox. When I saw where the fox had jumped out, I felt it was possible for the fox to be hiding in a hedge to hunt rabbits and was taken by surprise when the man walked by. Circumstances such as being startled or provoked or being cornered can explain an animal’s defense. Self-defense is understandable and does not require killing of the fox to make mankind safe. Sometimes wildlife and people cross paths and we just need to excuse ourselves and leave the animal alone.
In this case, we weren’t sure yet of the explanation for the fox nipping at the heels of a man walking next to it. More observation would be necessary. A half an hour later, the report came in that the fox had just killed a rabbit. I asked if the fox seemed to be eating the rabbit. I was told, yes. I was also told that the fox took the rabbit in its mouth and went into the woods. The police officer and I looked at each other. We had the same thought. This sounds like an animal healthy enough to know hunger and to hunt. We thought rabid animals are either sick to the point of lethargy or crazy with the disease to the point of attacking anything in sight. Did the fox attack the rabbit simply because the rabbit moved or because the fox was hungry? I did not know but I was leaning toward the healthy hunger explanation.
As a precaution, however, the “Communicator”, or “Reverse 911” was used to warn people in the area of an aggressive fox that was possibly rabid. The message is sent by email to the sheriff’s office, is recorded and sent as a voice message to all listed numbers in the immediate area. It is wonderful resource.
The next sighting of the fox reported that lawn ornaments were just attacked. Now that description was something useful for determining the abnormality of the fox’s behavior! The man and woman who had just witnessed this were still shaken up by the sight of this little fox biting and shaking these two inanimate objects. The fox was, once again, nowhere in sight.
Moments later, a call came in from a few houses away. An officer spotted the fox attacking a sneaker. A woman opened her side door, ten feet from where the fox died with her sneaker in its mouth, and asked, “Is everything all right?” She had placed those sneakers on her little front steps only minutes earlier after her gardening. She felt lucky for not having been in contact with the fox herself and she was, indeed.
Because there had been so many instances of contact and crossing paths with the fox in only a couple hours and because the area was densely populated and there were many people out for walks and gardening and sitting in lawn chairs during this short respite from rain, I felt it was important to submit the fox for rabies testing.
Reverse 911 was used again the following morning to inform people of the likelihood of rabies and the importance of reporting any bites or scratches from the fox. The rabies virus is fatal if contracted but can be prevented after exposure with prophylactic injections.
On Monday afternoon I received the call from the Department of Public Health’s State Lab in Jamaica Plain. The fox had tested positive for rabies. The rabbit had simply been a moving object unable to escape from a very sick fox, so crazy with rabies that even a lawn ornament was attacked. The only fittest to survive that day were the people lucky enough to escape exposure to rabies-laden saliva and who knew enough to report wild animals acting strangely. I am glad they did.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She hopes you vaccinate your pets for rabies and stay safe while enjoying wildlife from a distance. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
My father nurtured a love of nature by filling my childhood with walks, camping, fishing, stargazing and more walking in all seasons and in all kinds of weather. While driving he would call out, “Hawk at 2:00!” or “Chipmunk on stonewall at 4:00!” When out walking in the woods, we felt rewarded at the sight of finding rabbit droppings. After dark he would turn the car into a schoolyard just to allow the headlights to pan across the grassy fields and reflect off of rabbit eyes. We had to work at finding the wildlife and it paid off to be patient.
We don’t have to be patient or work hard this summer of 2009 in order to find the wildlife around us. Have you ever seen so many rabbits, chipmunks and red squirrels in all your life?
The abundance of small mammals is providing a bumper crop of fast food for hawks, foxes and coyotes. Survival of the fittest is in full swing as the rainiest summer of all times turns all vegetation into a green jungle, luring the rabbits out in the middle of the day to feast away.
One such feasting lagamorph was not so lucky last week in Halifax. It was not saved by its binocular vision, as it became a meal for a fox, in the middle of the day, in a densely populated area of town. If I had not been seeing rabbits everywhere casually hopping about in daylight all summer long, I might have thought this was odd. The question remained; was it abnormal for the fox to be out in daylight near buildings or was the presence of the rabbits too much for a fox to resist?
The question of the state of fox’s health and normality was already being asked before it killed the rabbit. You see, the fox had already jumped out and attacked a man and then ran after another, nipping the first in the sneaker and the second on his pant leg. Worried that it was a rabid fox, I went to the scene, with two police officers to interview the victims and to search for the fox. When I saw where the fox had jumped out, I felt it was possible for the fox to be hiding in a hedge to hunt rabbits and was taken by surprise when the man walked by. Circumstances such as being startled or provoked or being cornered can explain an animal’s defense. Self-defense is understandable and does not require killing of the fox to make mankind safe. Sometimes wildlife and people cross paths and we just need to excuse ourselves and leave the animal alone.
In this case, we weren’t sure yet of the explanation for the fox nipping at the heels of a man walking next to it. More observation would be necessary. A half an hour later, the report came in that the fox had just killed a rabbit. I asked if the fox seemed to be eating the rabbit. I was told, yes. I was also told that the fox took the rabbit in its mouth and went into the woods. The police officer and I looked at each other. We had the same thought. This sounds like an animal healthy enough to know hunger and to hunt. We thought rabid animals are either sick to the point of lethargy or crazy with the disease to the point of attacking anything in sight. Did the fox attack the rabbit simply because the rabbit moved or because the fox was hungry? I did not know but I was leaning toward the healthy hunger explanation.
As a precaution, however, the “Communicator”, or “Reverse 911” was used to warn people in the area of an aggressive fox that was possibly rabid. The message is sent by email to the sheriff’s office, is recorded and sent as a voice message to all listed numbers in the immediate area. It is wonderful resource.
The next sighting of the fox reported that lawn ornaments were just attacked. Now that description was something useful for determining the abnormality of the fox’s behavior! The man and woman who had just witnessed this were still shaken up by the sight of this little fox biting and shaking these two inanimate objects. The fox was, once again, nowhere in sight.
Moments later, a call came in from a few houses away. An officer spotted the fox attacking a sneaker. A woman opened her side door, ten feet from where the fox died with her sneaker in its mouth, and asked, “Is everything all right?” She had placed those sneakers on her little front steps only minutes earlier after her gardening. She felt lucky for not having been in contact with the fox herself and she was, indeed.
Because there had been so many instances of contact and crossing paths with the fox in only a couple hours and because the area was densely populated and there were many people out for walks and gardening and sitting in lawn chairs during this short respite from rain, I felt it was important to submit the fox for rabies testing.
Reverse 911 was used again the following morning to inform people of the likelihood of rabies and the importance of reporting any bites or scratches from the fox. The rabies virus is fatal if contracted but can be prevented after exposure with prophylactic injections.
On Monday afternoon I received the call from the Department of Public Health’s State Lab in Jamaica Plain. The fox had tested positive for rabies. The rabbit had simply been a moving object unable to escape from a very sick fox, so crazy with rabies that even a lawn ornament was attacked. The only fittest to survive that day were the people lucky enough to escape exposure to rabies-laden saliva and who knew enough to report wild animals acting strangely. I am glad they did.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She hopes you vaccinate your pets for rabies and stay safe while enjoying wildlife from a distance. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Harder Right or The Easier Wrong 6-26-09
6-26-09 The Harder Right or The Easier Wrong
I’ve heard that generals in the armed forces sometimes counsel the less experienced with the advice that it is best, in the long run, to take the course for the right thing to do, even though difficult, rather than the oh, so tempting choice of the easier way out.
I think of that “fatherly” advice frequently when it comes to public health programs (and, oh, yes, my own much respected father would have said the same). The contexts may differ but in both situations, lives are threatened and people are working hard to spare as many as possible. Anyone in the field of protection also has the challenge of crafting messages for their troops and for the public. Sometimes those announcements are difficult because they have to explain a retreat or defend a reversal of policy. If the leaders have acted out of knowledge, and as much as they could gather, then it was an informed decision. The decisions may vary as the information coming in varies. The goal is the same: Protect.
I thought of this recently when I received a call from the dispatcher on a weekend. She was apologetic about it being a Sunday but explained that this man with a sick bird in his yard would just not be appeased. I told her I did not mind. Either I could help or I couldn’t but I’d be happy to try. She explained he had a bird in his yard that was apparently dying and he had already tried calling the place, the bird number, about it but there wasn’t anyone there to help. I was a bit confused, so I asked, “Do you mean Audubon?” “Wildlife and Fisheries?” And then it dawned on me. The man wanted to report a soon-to-be dead bird to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He may have called the West Nile virus hotline and was frustrated by this year’s message. Birds (dead birds) are not being tested this year.
The dispatcher confirmed this guess of mine. I explained to the dispatcher that birds were no longer being tested for WNv. I did not hear back on the matter. I wonder how the discussion went. The poor woman has enough to do, tracking information and updates on car accidents, medical calls, complaints, requests for assistance and fires, without also receiving calls on sick birds. But they have taken these calls for the last nine years and now they are left saying, “That’s not done anymore.”
This one call from the dispatcher brought back so many memories. I was brand spanking new as a health agent when West Nile virus entered the U.S.A. in 2000. It was scary because it was new. I wanted to get the word out that the mosquitoes carrying this virus prefer to breed in containers. Thus, this disease, which tends to bring down those over fifty years old, (Yikes! Save me!) was actually very much under our control because we can control containers.
When the Massachusetts Department of Public Health began the testing program, I was thrilled because it gave everybody a chance to participate in this important scientific study. Where is the disease? Which birds are carrying it? I used to thank people for calling about dead birds, telling them every call-in was documented and that every bird with WNv became a dot on a map, documenting the spread of this disease and that, they, the concerned citizens, made that possible. That was all true, of course.
Then, while information was being gathered, various aspects of the disease became better understood and the virus itself ran into different circumstances as the birds developed immunity to it.
Have you noticed the return of the crows? They are not dying left and right from WNv but that does not mean it is not out there. Wnv is out there and will be documented (along with the presence of EEE, Eastern Equine Encephalitis) by testing the carriers of this disease: the mosquitoes. Massachusetts DPH will be gathering mosquitoes and testing them, as usual, and keeping us informed as to any risks.
If we can save resources and be informed, then we have a good plan. It can feel as though we are not doing enough when we cannot have a dead bird picked up for testing. Right now is the critical time to refocus our attention. The bird was just a warning but it built up its immunity and no longer serves as a signal. The mosquito is the enemy. We can do the harder right thing by removing the containers for breeding. The easier wrong thing to do would be to walk away in frustration and say something like, “Oh, forget it then! Those state people don’t want my information.”
For more details on this topic, go the MA DPH website. Or, you can still call the toll free reporting line at 866-627-7968 for recordings on West Nile virus. They just don’t want your dead birds.
It’s easy to complain or poke fun at people. It is easy to spray pesticides. It is more difficult to be responsible for our own environment and reduce mosquito breeding grounds. I hope you will do the “harder right thing”. We could use your help.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for Halifax, MA. She was mortified to find mosquito larvae in her soothing sounding little patio fountain last summer! Flushing it every few days resolved the problem. She is interested in your stories and can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
I’ve heard that generals in the armed forces sometimes counsel the less experienced with the advice that it is best, in the long run, to take the course for the right thing to do, even though difficult, rather than the oh, so tempting choice of the easier way out.
I think of that “fatherly” advice frequently when it comes to public health programs (and, oh, yes, my own much respected father would have said the same). The contexts may differ but in both situations, lives are threatened and people are working hard to spare as many as possible. Anyone in the field of protection also has the challenge of crafting messages for their troops and for the public. Sometimes those announcements are difficult because they have to explain a retreat or defend a reversal of policy. If the leaders have acted out of knowledge, and as much as they could gather, then it was an informed decision. The decisions may vary as the information coming in varies. The goal is the same: Protect.
I thought of this recently when I received a call from the dispatcher on a weekend. She was apologetic about it being a Sunday but explained that this man with a sick bird in his yard would just not be appeased. I told her I did not mind. Either I could help or I couldn’t but I’d be happy to try. She explained he had a bird in his yard that was apparently dying and he had already tried calling the place, the bird number, about it but there wasn’t anyone there to help. I was a bit confused, so I asked, “Do you mean Audubon?” “Wildlife and Fisheries?” And then it dawned on me. The man wanted to report a soon-to-be dead bird to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He may have called the West Nile virus hotline and was frustrated by this year’s message. Birds (dead birds) are not being tested this year.
The dispatcher confirmed this guess of mine. I explained to the dispatcher that birds were no longer being tested for WNv. I did not hear back on the matter. I wonder how the discussion went. The poor woman has enough to do, tracking information and updates on car accidents, medical calls, complaints, requests for assistance and fires, without also receiving calls on sick birds. But they have taken these calls for the last nine years and now they are left saying, “That’s not done anymore.”
This one call from the dispatcher brought back so many memories. I was brand spanking new as a health agent when West Nile virus entered the U.S.A. in 2000. It was scary because it was new. I wanted to get the word out that the mosquitoes carrying this virus prefer to breed in containers. Thus, this disease, which tends to bring down those over fifty years old, (Yikes! Save me!) was actually very much under our control because we can control containers.
When the Massachusetts Department of Public Health began the testing program, I was thrilled because it gave everybody a chance to participate in this important scientific study. Where is the disease? Which birds are carrying it? I used to thank people for calling about dead birds, telling them every call-in was documented and that every bird with WNv became a dot on a map, documenting the spread of this disease and that, they, the concerned citizens, made that possible. That was all true, of course.
Then, while information was being gathered, various aspects of the disease became better understood and the virus itself ran into different circumstances as the birds developed immunity to it.
Have you noticed the return of the crows? They are not dying left and right from WNv but that does not mean it is not out there. Wnv is out there and will be documented (along with the presence of EEE, Eastern Equine Encephalitis) by testing the carriers of this disease: the mosquitoes. Massachusetts DPH will be gathering mosquitoes and testing them, as usual, and keeping us informed as to any risks.
If we can save resources and be informed, then we have a good plan. It can feel as though we are not doing enough when we cannot have a dead bird picked up for testing. Right now is the critical time to refocus our attention. The bird was just a warning but it built up its immunity and no longer serves as a signal. The mosquito is the enemy. We can do the harder right thing by removing the containers for breeding. The easier wrong thing to do would be to walk away in frustration and say something like, “Oh, forget it then! Those state people don’t want my information.”
For more details on this topic, go the MA DPH website. Or, you can still call the toll free reporting line at 866-627-7968 for recordings on West Nile virus. They just don’t want your dead birds.
It’s easy to complain or poke fun at people. It is easy to spray pesticides. It is more difficult to be responsible for our own environment and reduce mosquito breeding grounds. I hope you will do the “harder right thing”. We could use your help.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for Halifax, MA. She was mortified to find mosquito larvae in her soothing sounding little patio fountain last summer! Flushing it every few days resolved the problem. She is interested in your stories and can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Communications at Risk 6-19-09
6-19-09 Communications at Risk
My youngest son, 24 year-old Eric, and I recently had an amusing moment of confusion as we failed to communicate while speaking only a few words each, both of us confident that we were making ourselves perfectly clear.
Eric was standing in the hallway near the door to my home office. He called me and I looked down the hallway. His voice is very low and can sound kind of monotone, so I am accustomed, as his mother, to hearing only slight fluctuations in his voice. I thought he said, “You have a mouse.” I panicked and screamed in response, “I do???!!!
Then, switching to non-verbal communication, Eric held his right hand out in the air, palm down, index finger sticking out, fingers slightly curved downward, while the whole hand moved in a slow and deliberate circular motion. Then, seeing the look of recognition on my face, he said with slow, calm and patient enunciation, “Do-you-have-a-mouse?”
I breathed a sigh of relief and laughed.
At least we realized the miss-communication early on. So often, we are completely unaware of the problem and we go on our way, confident our message was received just as we intended it to be. The truth of the matter is, it is not that easy to communicate effectively. Several decades ago, when I returned to college, one of the first Continuing Ed courses I took was “Communication”. Most of us have heard the statistics. Experts tell us that less than 10 percent of communication is verbal. Most of it is non-verbal. I suppose, as a human species, we are still evolving (hopefully) and our past involves far more experience in using all our senses to understand life. We test the waters, scope out the situation, sniff out the enemy, place our ear to the ground, observe discrepancies, catch the drift, have a finger on the pulse and sense the vibes. Compared to the last one hundred thousand years, we have just recently begun our attempts to verbalize what we are thinking and to understand others by listening to their spoken message and reading the written ones. It is not easy to get it right.
Some health agents have had the privilege of hearing Dr. Susan Santos speak about communication skills in her “Risk Communication” classes. She is an internationally recognized expert on communication, in particular, the skills needed to effectively communicate the actual risk of health threats to the public. That’s not easy either. In fact, it is downright difficult.
One key challenge to informing the public is trying to understand the public’s perception of the risk. If the risk is seen as minimal, public health authorities are mocked for their overreaction. If the risk is seen as great, there is a great outcry for more assistance when the public health authorities seem to be doing little to mitigate the problem. So, you see, how the message is received, has a great deal to do with whether or not the message is effective and how the message is received depends on how the receiver feels about the message.
The factors influencing our perception of risk is pretty interesting. You may have seen the list. We have stronger reactions of fear, concern, anger or anxiety if we see children as the victim (think EEE), if the problem is new (think WNv back in 2000), if the problem is not understood (think suicide bombers), if the enemy is ugly (think ticks compared to mosquitoes) and if it is out of our control (think acts of terrorism).
So it is with great concern and effort that boards of health attempt to craft their messages and the timing of their delivery. Even if we can find the right words and we think we are reminding and informing at the most critical times, we may discover that some portion of society feels fully informed already and another portion is tired of hearing so much about the same topic. Both will have turned their attention elsewhere.
In that case, the public health people are back at the beginning, wondering how to get and maintain the attention without alarming unnecessarily. That is where we are at with the H1 N1 virus. How are we doing?
You know what would help us? Feedback helps. When a message goes out, the receiver catches it, mulls it over and then reacts in one way or another. If you take the time to pass along that reaction, you then become the active conveyor of information. Feedback is a reality check, report card and a response with potentially useful information. Every time someone takes the time to call the commission, write the editor, email the agent, twitter the front desk, there is an increased chance of making improvements. Communication is an exchange of information and back and forth is superior to back and back or forth and forth.
So, as a professor of mine used to say, “Please, take my hand and we shall walk this journey together.” I mean, don’t really take my hand and we don’t have to really walk. Well, you know what I mean, don’t you?
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She does want the feedback. Really. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
My youngest son, 24 year-old Eric, and I recently had an amusing moment of confusion as we failed to communicate while speaking only a few words each, both of us confident that we were making ourselves perfectly clear.
Eric was standing in the hallway near the door to my home office. He called me and I looked down the hallway. His voice is very low and can sound kind of monotone, so I am accustomed, as his mother, to hearing only slight fluctuations in his voice. I thought he said, “You have a mouse.” I panicked and screamed in response, “I do???!!!
Then, switching to non-verbal communication, Eric held his right hand out in the air, palm down, index finger sticking out, fingers slightly curved downward, while the whole hand moved in a slow and deliberate circular motion. Then, seeing the look of recognition on my face, he said with slow, calm and patient enunciation, “Do-you-have-a-mouse?”
I breathed a sigh of relief and laughed.
At least we realized the miss-communication early on. So often, we are completely unaware of the problem and we go on our way, confident our message was received just as we intended it to be. The truth of the matter is, it is not that easy to communicate effectively. Several decades ago, when I returned to college, one of the first Continuing Ed courses I took was “Communication”. Most of us have heard the statistics. Experts tell us that less than 10 percent of communication is verbal. Most of it is non-verbal. I suppose, as a human species, we are still evolving (hopefully) and our past involves far more experience in using all our senses to understand life. We test the waters, scope out the situation, sniff out the enemy, place our ear to the ground, observe discrepancies, catch the drift, have a finger on the pulse and sense the vibes. Compared to the last one hundred thousand years, we have just recently begun our attempts to verbalize what we are thinking and to understand others by listening to their spoken message and reading the written ones. It is not easy to get it right.
Some health agents have had the privilege of hearing Dr. Susan Santos speak about communication skills in her “Risk Communication” classes. She is an internationally recognized expert on communication, in particular, the skills needed to effectively communicate the actual risk of health threats to the public. That’s not easy either. In fact, it is downright difficult.
One key challenge to informing the public is trying to understand the public’s perception of the risk. If the risk is seen as minimal, public health authorities are mocked for their overreaction. If the risk is seen as great, there is a great outcry for more assistance when the public health authorities seem to be doing little to mitigate the problem. So, you see, how the message is received, has a great deal to do with whether or not the message is effective and how the message is received depends on how the receiver feels about the message.
The factors influencing our perception of risk is pretty interesting. You may have seen the list. We have stronger reactions of fear, concern, anger or anxiety if we see children as the victim (think EEE), if the problem is new (think WNv back in 2000), if the problem is not understood (think suicide bombers), if the enemy is ugly (think ticks compared to mosquitoes) and if it is out of our control (think acts of terrorism).
So it is with great concern and effort that boards of health attempt to craft their messages and the timing of their delivery. Even if we can find the right words and we think we are reminding and informing at the most critical times, we may discover that some portion of society feels fully informed already and another portion is tired of hearing so much about the same topic. Both will have turned their attention elsewhere.
In that case, the public health people are back at the beginning, wondering how to get and maintain the attention without alarming unnecessarily. That is where we are at with the H1 N1 virus. How are we doing?
You know what would help us? Feedback helps. When a message goes out, the receiver catches it, mulls it over and then reacts in one way or another. If you take the time to pass along that reaction, you then become the active conveyor of information. Feedback is a reality check, report card and a response with potentially useful information. Every time someone takes the time to call the commission, write the editor, email the agent, twitter the front desk, there is an increased chance of making improvements. Communication is an exchange of information and back and forth is superior to back and back or forth and forth.
So, as a professor of mine used to say, “Please, take my hand and we shall walk this journey together.” I mean, don’t really take my hand and we don’t have to really walk. Well, you know what I mean, don’t you?
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She does want the feedback. Really. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Who Will Replace The Greying Baby Boomers? 6-12-09
6-12-09 Who Will Replace The Greying Baby Boomers?
The first time I gave any serious thought to the so-called baby boomers was when I was a student working on my Masters program in Health Promotion. At that time I felt young. Heck, I was young! Even though I was the oldest student in all my classes at age 40, I felt young. The classes I was taking gave me reason to think about the future of health care and it raised a lot of concerns. I was a baby boomer and this had great significance for students of health promotion because it meant that the 76 million people who were born in the United States between 1946 and1964 would all be turning old together, retiring together, some receiving pensions, many needing Medicare, many unable to survive on Social Security alone and millions more of all ages wondering if the much needed reform of our health care system would ever arrive.
With so many retiring, I’ve recently joked that this is good for the restaurant and country club business, as we need large spaces for those parties where we tell stories and jokes, take pictures and, of course, give plaques. Who will replace the retirees? Who will replace the teachers, the town clerks, the librarians, the volunteer boards and commissions? Many of those positions are filled by women. At least the teachers have a union and it is a profession that is matched in the education system. How many young people say they think they want to be a town clerk or serve on the board of selectmen?
How many young people aspire to be a health agent? How many adults even know of the job? I don’t know but do I remember the day I discouraged an eighteen year old from considering it. At the time I was still fairly new as a health agent and I felt overworked and underpaid. The job was stressful, the challenges many, the paperwork and filing was staggering and, to top it off, the position was fairly invisible most of the time. I encouraged the young woman to take her interest in the environment and in people elsewhere, someplace where she could be valued and rewarded for her work.
Many health agents feel the same way when they start. It takes time to build relationships, to get to know their community and its needs and to learn how to bring a voice for the needs to those who must listen. It takes time to demonstrate that assistance is needed and how much more can be accomplished with assistance.
Now, nine years later, I would encourage that same young woman. It turns out that it is rewarding after all. With assistance and support, problems can be solved and, better yet, problems can be prevented. However, without the support of staff and direction by a board with integrity, the agent is a slave to reactionary movements, hopping here and there to put out fires.
So, future health agents, take note: At the time of interview, (and before) find out about the board of health. What are their occupations? How often do they have a quorum? What do they see as the needs of the community? What do they expect of you? Are they willing to listen to your ideas? How much office staff is available?
Of course, you want to be able to tell the board why you want this job and why you are well qualified for it. As the Talking Heads sang, (somewhat), How did you get there? Well, there is more than one answer and that can be a good thing.
Maybe you studied biology and this will apply to food and water and the environment. Maybe you loved earth science and thought this would apply to soil evaluation for perc tests. Maybe you love people and want to help them. Those are all good preparation for and good reasons for becoming a health agent.
Currently we do, in fact, arrive from different backgrounds. Some are Certified Health Officers. Some are Registered Sanitarians. Some have a Masters in Health Promotion. While the arrival my not be standardized, the goals are. We need to be able to conduct inspections for housing, beaches, spas, schools, restaurants, motels, funeral homes, body art establishments, the environment, plan ahead for emergencies, respond to complaints and talk to distraught people.
There is room and there are pathways for both horizontal and upward mobility, too. A health agent may specialize in one aspect of inspectional services. Another may become a consultant. Another may move on to work for the State’s Department of Public Health or Environmental Protection. Some are specializing in emergency preparedness or writing grants. The learning curve is ongoing but so aren’t the sources of knowledge.
If this sounds interesting to you or someone you know, there are many opportunities right around the bend. My hair is getting very grey and I am not alone in my professional grey-ness. (Well, I might look alone but the others are coloring their hair!) So, if you eschew boredom, love a challenge and want to help, consider being a health agent.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the town of Halifax, MA. She wants to hear your ideas on what a health agent should do and whether or not you want to be one. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
The first time I gave any serious thought to the so-called baby boomers was when I was a student working on my Masters program in Health Promotion. At that time I felt young. Heck, I was young! Even though I was the oldest student in all my classes at age 40, I felt young. The classes I was taking gave me reason to think about the future of health care and it raised a lot of concerns. I was a baby boomer and this had great significance for students of health promotion because it meant that the 76 million people who were born in the United States between 1946 and1964 would all be turning old together, retiring together, some receiving pensions, many needing Medicare, many unable to survive on Social Security alone and millions more of all ages wondering if the much needed reform of our health care system would ever arrive.
With so many retiring, I’ve recently joked that this is good for the restaurant and country club business, as we need large spaces for those parties where we tell stories and jokes, take pictures and, of course, give plaques. Who will replace the retirees? Who will replace the teachers, the town clerks, the librarians, the volunteer boards and commissions? Many of those positions are filled by women. At least the teachers have a union and it is a profession that is matched in the education system. How many young people say they think they want to be a town clerk or serve on the board of selectmen?
How many young people aspire to be a health agent? How many adults even know of the job? I don’t know but do I remember the day I discouraged an eighteen year old from considering it. At the time I was still fairly new as a health agent and I felt overworked and underpaid. The job was stressful, the challenges many, the paperwork and filing was staggering and, to top it off, the position was fairly invisible most of the time. I encouraged the young woman to take her interest in the environment and in people elsewhere, someplace where she could be valued and rewarded for her work.
Many health agents feel the same way when they start. It takes time to build relationships, to get to know their community and its needs and to learn how to bring a voice for the needs to those who must listen. It takes time to demonstrate that assistance is needed and how much more can be accomplished with assistance.
Now, nine years later, I would encourage that same young woman. It turns out that it is rewarding after all. With assistance and support, problems can be solved and, better yet, problems can be prevented. However, without the support of staff and direction by a board with integrity, the agent is a slave to reactionary movements, hopping here and there to put out fires.
So, future health agents, take note: At the time of interview, (and before) find out about the board of health. What are their occupations? How often do they have a quorum? What do they see as the needs of the community? What do they expect of you? Are they willing to listen to your ideas? How much office staff is available?
Of course, you want to be able to tell the board why you want this job and why you are well qualified for it. As the Talking Heads sang, (somewhat), How did you get there? Well, there is more than one answer and that can be a good thing.
Maybe you studied biology and this will apply to food and water and the environment. Maybe you loved earth science and thought this would apply to soil evaluation for perc tests. Maybe you love people and want to help them. Those are all good preparation for and good reasons for becoming a health agent.
Currently we do, in fact, arrive from different backgrounds. Some are Certified Health Officers. Some are Registered Sanitarians. Some have a Masters in Health Promotion. While the arrival my not be standardized, the goals are. We need to be able to conduct inspections for housing, beaches, spas, schools, restaurants, motels, funeral homes, body art establishments, the environment, plan ahead for emergencies, respond to complaints and talk to distraught people.
There is room and there are pathways for both horizontal and upward mobility, too. A health agent may specialize in one aspect of inspectional services. Another may become a consultant. Another may move on to work for the State’s Department of Public Health or Environmental Protection. Some are specializing in emergency preparedness or writing grants. The learning curve is ongoing but so aren’t the sources of knowledge.
If this sounds interesting to you or someone you know, there are many opportunities right around the bend. My hair is getting very grey and I am not alone in my professional grey-ness. (Well, I might look alone but the others are coloring their hair!) So, if you eschew boredom, love a challenge and want to help, consider being a health agent.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the town of Halifax, MA. She wants to hear your ideas on what a health agent should do and whether or not you want to be one. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
6-4-09 No Matter What You Call It, Try to Understand It
When I became a health agent in March of 2000, one of the many things requiring an adjustment and some fast learning was the vocabulary related to the job. In addition to medical, epidemiological, biological and environmental terms there were the very old fashioned sounding ones. Who says victuals? You see, whenever a new food establishment opens, I send them to the Selectmen’s office because they issue the Common Victualer’s License. Maybe Paul Revere went to the local inn and ate some victuals while discussing politics with his contemporaries but now we call that food, or chewing the fat or a lot of baloney, depending on your political views and who is at the dining table that day. Oh, well, some things are traditions and I’ve come to see some of them as quaint and charming, as they allow me the opportunity to think of people such as Paul Revere.
Another term new to me at the time was “abatement”. When a complaint came in, I went out to confirm it or discover lack of evidence for the alleged problem. When I returned to the office and told the administrative assistant that I did, in fact, see the overflowing septic system or the rubbish bags ripped open with animals eating the garbage, I was told, “You need to send them an “Abate a Nuisance” letter. I made a puzzled look and she told me where I could find the form for this type of letter. Sure enough, it said right up at the top, “Order of Correction to Abate A Nuisance”. Again, I thought, “Who talks like that and how would I feel if I received a letter with that introduction in large bold print?”
Old is new again when it comes to abatement. I’ve had several recent inquiries from people hoping to find evidence that would support their request for tax abatement because the assessor changed the value of their land from “unbuildable “ to “buildable”. These visitors to my office were hoping to find old perc test results. Their stories were similar. Several to many years ago they purchased their property with many acres. They loved the place because it had so much land with it but they did not pay much for all that acreage because they were told, “We tried and tried but we couldn’t get a perc test to pass. Other than where your house and septic system sit, the rest of the land is not developable.”
Years go by. They enjoy the privacy of their land and for all those years they enjoyed something else: lower taxes on the acreage considered to be undevelopable. Then, one day, they receive a letter from their town’s assessor. The letter tells them that they must submit proof as to why their land cannot be developed. If they cannot or until they do, the extra lots will be assessed as buildable.
It is usually right after the receipt of that letter when I meet the resident and we have a very interesting discussion on soils, perc tests, record retention and the various ways in which records used to be filed.
Well, I can’t promise that your board of health will have old soil logs and evidence of failed perc tests, along with documentation of their locations but it is worth a try. It is also the place to begin to understand why soils do and do not pass a perc test and to gather ideas as to what else can be done in hopes of gaining the necessary evidence.
When useful evidence for supporting tax abatement is not found, then the landowner needs to decide if it is worth it to pay for perc tests to be conducted and documented.
I really can’t blame the State for telling the assessors to require proof of the land’s value. It’s not as though we’ve never heard people say, “Oh, that land will never be developed.” and the next thing you know, there’s a house, if not several.
A good paper trail documenting what has happened and what has been attempted on a particular piece of land, filed by location, is best for everyone. It allows us to see the evidence, accept the evidence and deal with it fairly, whether or not we like it.
At our next meeting, June 3, 2009, this topic is on our agenda. Can I perform the perc test for those seeking tax abatement, rather than only witness? My soil evaluator’s license allows me to but does my Board want me to play that role, without an engineer there? How precisely does it have to be surveyed? What would the fee be?
I’ll hear their thoughts and maybe I’ll learn a new word. Maybe I’ll discover an old word. I think that the word “fee” goes back to feudal times. Hmm…that sounds interesting.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She is interested in hearing you thoughts on any public health issues. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
When I became a health agent in March of 2000, one of the many things requiring an adjustment and some fast learning was the vocabulary related to the job. In addition to medical, epidemiological, biological and environmental terms there were the very old fashioned sounding ones. Who says victuals? You see, whenever a new food establishment opens, I send them to the Selectmen’s office because they issue the Common Victualer’s License. Maybe Paul Revere went to the local inn and ate some victuals while discussing politics with his contemporaries but now we call that food, or chewing the fat or a lot of baloney, depending on your political views and who is at the dining table that day. Oh, well, some things are traditions and I’ve come to see some of them as quaint and charming, as they allow me the opportunity to think of people such as Paul Revere.
Another term new to me at the time was “abatement”. When a complaint came in, I went out to confirm it or discover lack of evidence for the alleged problem. When I returned to the office and told the administrative assistant that I did, in fact, see the overflowing septic system or the rubbish bags ripped open with animals eating the garbage, I was told, “You need to send them an “Abate a Nuisance” letter. I made a puzzled look and she told me where I could find the form for this type of letter. Sure enough, it said right up at the top, “Order of Correction to Abate A Nuisance”. Again, I thought, “Who talks like that and how would I feel if I received a letter with that introduction in large bold print?”
Old is new again when it comes to abatement. I’ve had several recent inquiries from people hoping to find evidence that would support their request for tax abatement because the assessor changed the value of their land from “unbuildable “ to “buildable”. These visitors to my office were hoping to find old perc test results. Their stories were similar. Several to many years ago they purchased their property with many acres. They loved the place because it had so much land with it but they did not pay much for all that acreage because they were told, “We tried and tried but we couldn’t get a perc test to pass. Other than where your house and septic system sit, the rest of the land is not developable.”
Years go by. They enjoy the privacy of their land and for all those years they enjoyed something else: lower taxes on the acreage considered to be undevelopable. Then, one day, they receive a letter from their town’s assessor. The letter tells them that they must submit proof as to why their land cannot be developed. If they cannot or until they do, the extra lots will be assessed as buildable.
It is usually right after the receipt of that letter when I meet the resident and we have a very interesting discussion on soils, perc tests, record retention and the various ways in which records used to be filed.
Well, I can’t promise that your board of health will have old soil logs and evidence of failed perc tests, along with documentation of their locations but it is worth a try. It is also the place to begin to understand why soils do and do not pass a perc test and to gather ideas as to what else can be done in hopes of gaining the necessary evidence.
When useful evidence for supporting tax abatement is not found, then the landowner needs to decide if it is worth it to pay for perc tests to be conducted and documented.
I really can’t blame the State for telling the assessors to require proof of the land’s value. It’s not as though we’ve never heard people say, “Oh, that land will never be developed.” and the next thing you know, there’s a house, if not several.
A good paper trail documenting what has happened and what has been attempted on a particular piece of land, filed by location, is best for everyone. It allows us to see the evidence, accept the evidence and deal with it fairly, whether or not we like it.
At our next meeting, June 3, 2009, this topic is on our agenda. Can I perform the perc test for those seeking tax abatement, rather than only witness? My soil evaluator’s license allows me to but does my Board want me to play that role, without an engineer there? How precisely does it have to be surveyed? What would the fee be?
I’ll hear their thoughts and maybe I’ll learn a new word. Maybe I’ll discover an old word. I think that the word “fee” goes back to feudal times. Hmm…that sounds interesting.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She is interested in hearing you thoughts on any public health issues. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Safe Swimming 5-29-09
5-29-09 Safe Swimming
It’s springtime in New England. We’ve been walking and gardening and the first mowing delivers the sight of hay drying in the sun and one of the most wonderful smells on earth. About a week later, the exotic Lady Slippers arrive in the pine groves and the scattered sprinkling of the diminutive bluettes grace our lives with their appearance. We are truly blessed in New England with the changes of seasons. They demand our attention and we want more, as we begin taking items out of storage and packing our picnic baskets. We might not even give a thought to the condition of our favorite outdoor spots. Don’t we assume they will be there, be open and be ready for use? After all, aren’t they natural and isn’t nature always ready to receive us?
Nature might be ready but what have people done to nature since you last visited? That is the question. Have you ever left a beach because you were disappointed to find trash and broken glass? Have you ever turned around and left because you could not find a few square feet spared from little piles of dog, duck and geese doo-doo? Actually, those piles are not so little are they?
If we are fortunate enough to safely reach the water’s edge, we might see a surface covered in greenish yellow dust. At this time of year it is pollen, not algae. We’ll deal with that later on in the summer.
If we can make it to the water’s edge and it is not so turbid that it we cannot see bottom, then the clear water lures us in and in we go without a care! Well, we are wearing a hat, life preservers, sun block and insect repellant but we are ready for a relaxing time at and in the water.
All the issues mentioned so far are but a few of many under the jurisdiction of the Department of Community Sanitation at our Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The Minimum Standards For Bathing Beaches, State Sanitary Code, Chapter VII, is found in our Code of Massachusetts Regulations, 105 CMR 445.000. You can check out the whole code at Massachusetts’ website for the Department of Public Health. There, we read the purpose is to “protect the health, safety and well-being
of the users of bathing beaches, to establish acceptable standards for the operation of
bathing water and to establish a procedure for informing the public of any bathing water
closures.”
Please note the standard required. It is the minimum standard. Local boards of health may add standards and are allowed to make standards stricter but not more lenient. The same is true for other codes in Massachusetts such as those for safe and sanitary housing. They say, “At least do this and at least don’t allow that.” They do not say, “This is perfect.” And they do not claim to have covered every issue. Health agents and boards of health will listen to your concerns if you notice something worrisome at the beaches. In that case, let them know; ask them questions.
Last year, I saw piles of goose droppings, thought for sure to be piles of dog mess left by the same dog, for as the caller said, “You can tell because they are all the same size, shape and color!” I was lucky enough to receive help from people willing to rake up those piles. There’s a reason Halifax has Animal Waste Abatement Regulations. Please clean up after your dog and please don’t feed the ducks and geese and pigeons.
Last year also brought the first beach closings due to blooms of algae. This is an emerging issue for boards of health, departments of public health, biologists and epidemiologists. Not only will we be hearing more about this because of health concerns but also because of environmental ones. Stay tuned to that issue and encourage your water’s edge friends to avoid fertilizers for the lawn and ask cranberry bog owners if they are following all of the manufacturer’s guidance when it comes to the release of fertilized waters back to the ponds from whence they came.
It is time to polish and store my leather health agent shoes and to make sure I have those thigh high boots in my car on Tuesdays. With my boots on and armed with sample bottles, thermometer and chain of custody and field data report papers; I am ready for the first beach report for the summer of 2009.
For health agents, the first water sampling is a springtime rite of passage and an important one, for our findings determine if the beaches are clean enough and safe enough for swimming. Examining our beaches is also a glimpse at water quality conditions in general. If there are high levels of bacteria or oil slicks, what reaches and remains in the groundwater supplying our drinking water?
Protecting ground water is of the utmost importance because all of us depend on private wells, municipal wells or municipal surface water supplies. It’s all connected.
I want safe springs; not the silent ones, of which Rachel Carson wrote.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the town of Halifax, MA. Please contact her with your public health concerns and observations at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
It’s springtime in New England. We’ve been walking and gardening and the first mowing delivers the sight of hay drying in the sun and one of the most wonderful smells on earth. About a week later, the exotic Lady Slippers arrive in the pine groves and the scattered sprinkling of the diminutive bluettes grace our lives with their appearance. We are truly blessed in New England with the changes of seasons. They demand our attention and we want more, as we begin taking items out of storage and packing our picnic baskets. We might not even give a thought to the condition of our favorite outdoor spots. Don’t we assume they will be there, be open and be ready for use? After all, aren’t they natural and isn’t nature always ready to receive us?
Nature might be ready but what have people done to nature since you last visited? That is the question. Have you ever left a beach because you were disappointed to find trash and broken glass? Have you ever turned around and left because you could not find a few square feet spared from little piles of dog, duck and geese doo-doo? Actually, those piles are not so little are they?
If we are fortunate enough to safely reach the water’s edge, we might see a surface covered in greenish yellow dust. At this time of year it is pollen, not algae. We’ll deal with that later on in the summer.
If we can make it to the water’s edge and it is not so turbid that it we cannot see bottom, then the clear water lures us in and in we go without a care! Well, we are wearing a hat, life preservers, sun block and insect repellant but we are ready for a relaxing time at and in the water.
All the issues mentioned so far are but a few of many under the jurisdiction of the Department of Community Sanitation at our Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The Minimum Standards For Bathing Beaches, State Sanitary Code, Chapter VII, is found in our Code of Massachusetts Regulations, 105 CMR 445.000. You can check out the whole code at Massachusetts’ website for the Department of Public Health. There, we read the purpose is to “protect the health, safety and well-being
of the users of bathing beaches, to establish acceptable standards for the operation of
bathing water and to establish a procedure for informing the public of any bathing water
closures.”
Please note the standard required. It is the minimum standard. Local boards of health may add standards and are allowed to make standards stricter but not more lenient. The same is true for other codes in Massachusetts such as those for safe and sanitary housing. They say, “At least do this and at least don’t allow that.” They do not say, “This is perfect.” And they do not claim to have covered every issue. Health agents and boards of health will listen to your concerns if you notice something worrisome at the beaches. In that case, let them know; ask them questions.
Last year, I saw piles of goose droppings, thought for sure to be piles of dog mess left by the same dog, for as the caller said, “You can tell because they are all the same size, shape and color!” I was lucky enough to receive help from people willing to rake up those piles. There’s a reason Halifax has Animal Waste Abatement Regulations. Please clean up after your dog and please don’t feed the ducks and geese and pigeons.
Last year also brought the first beach closings due to blooms of algae. This is an emerging issue for boards of health, departments of public health, biologists and epidemiologists. Not only will we be hearing more about this because of health concerns but also because of environmental ones. Stay tuned to that issue and encourage your water’s edge friends to avoid fertilizers for the lawn and ask cranberry bog owners if they are following all of the manufacturer’s guidance when it comes to the release of fertilized waters back to the ponds from whence they came.
It is time to polish and store my leather health agent shoes and to make sure I have those thigh high boots in my car on Tuesdays. With my boots on and armed with sample bottles, thermometer and chain of custody and field data report papers; I am ready for the first beach report for the summer of 2009.
For health agents, the first water sampling is a springtime rite of passage and an important one, for our findings determine if the beaches are clean enough and safe enough for swimming. Examining our beaches is also a glimpse at water quality conditions in general. If there are high levels of bacteria or oil slicks, what reaches and remains in the groundwater supplying our drinking water?
Protecting ground water is of the utmost importance because all of us depend on private wells, municipal wells or municipal surface water supplies. It’s all connected.
I want safe springs; not the silent ones, of which Rachel Carson wrote.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the town of Halifax, MA. Please contact her with your public health concerns and observations at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Seasonal Update and H-4 5-22-09
5-22-09 Seasonal Update and H-4
Throughout the State of Massachusetts health agents are gearing up for the summer season. Public pools will be inspected. Camps will register with a whole packet of information and be inspected. Ice cream truck owners will apply for a license, have their truck inspected and a photo taken of the driver and truck. Farmer’s markets are preparing for another season of selling a variety of foods, including eggs, produce, baked goods and even locally raised meat. Public beach waters will be sampled once a week, with samples sent to the labs to be tested for bacteria levels determining whether a beach stays open or closes. Irrigation wells will be dug and water quality tests submitted, if required by their town’s board of health. Even with the slump in the real estate market, Title V inspections will be done for all those homes to be sold, including the bank owned ones. Building applications will be reviewed and signed. Food establishments will be inspected. On a continual basis, little by little, the emergency preparedness plans are updated and reviewed and, hopefully, practiced in numerous small ways, if not large, in the day-to-day real events faced by Boards of Health, Police, Fire, Highway, Building and their helpers, such as the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
This summer of 2009 will most likely be bringing a new task. Boards of Health will be at least reviewing, if not practicing, the use of their Emergency Dispensing Sites, now that a new influenza virus is spreading human to human and has reached many countries. The initial news of the Swine Flu, more accurately known as H1 N1, did not necessitate the opening of an emergency dispensing site because a vaccine did not exist for this newcomer. As time goes by and scientists watch, learn and develop protocol, there may be time to prepare a vaccine to prevent most of the new influenza virus, just as there is each year for the seasonal flu (short for influenza). Talk of that possibility causes health agents to want to be informed, stay informed and to be working on their plans for flu clinics that would be much larger and more complicated than the usual autumn clinic.
For instance, a few years ago there was a shortage of the seasonal flu vaccine. The shortage resulted in the disbursement being prioritized, with the very young, the old, those with chronic conditions and pregnant women being the top priority groups. People became concerned, many calls were made to local health departments and at the clinics many were down right cranky, even though we provided coffee and cookies. I guess that’s to be expected when people are worried and that was just an ordinary kind of flu.
If a vaccine is made in time for this fall, will it be held back or administered as a mass prophylaxis as it was in 1976? Will there be two clinics, one for the “swine flu” and one for seasonal? We don’t know at this time.
We do know how to respond to influenza, though. We prevent it and/or at least reduce its capacity to spread with the H-B-4 Prevention Methods. That’s Hygiene Behaviors Four: Cough etiquette, Hand washing, Isolation/Quarantine and Social distancing. That’s it. It’s in our hands and off our hands, if we washed them.
The reason that our State’s Communicable Disease people feel so confident about this protocol and this message is that it has been used and watched and used and tested and compared and studied for a long time. What they found out is that if the germ is so tiny that it is aerosolized, that many measures are needed to prevent it from spreading, including negative pressure rooms in health care settings and the use of N-95 masks. If the germ is held within moist droplets, as is the influenza virus, those droplets spray out from an uncovered cough several feet (three to six) and then sink to the ground where they will not live long. So, for the flu virus, less expensive surgical masks can be used during close contact, such as when specimen swabs are being taken or a caregiver is close to the patient. In that case, both would wear the mask.
For now, stay informed, prevent the spread of lots (and most) of germs with improved and sensible hygiene methods (the H-4) and consider joining your local MRC or CERT. We could use your help.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She is interested in your ideas. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Throughout the State of Massachusetts health agents are gearing up for the summer season. Public pools will be inspected. Camps will register with a whole packet of information and be inspected. Ice cream truck owners will apply for a license, have their truck inspected and a photo taken of the driver and truck. Farmer’s markets are preparing for another season of selling a variety of foods, including eggs, produce, baked goods and even locally raised meat. Public beach waters will be sampled once a week, with samples sent to the labs to be tested for bacteria levels determining whether a beach stays open or closes. Irrigation wells will be dug and water quality tests submitted, if required by their town’s board of health. Even with the slump in the real estate market, Title V inspections will be done for all those homes to be sold, including the bank owned ones. Building applications will be reviewed and signed. Food establishments will be inspected. On a continual basis, little by little, the emergency preparedness plans are updated and reviewed and, hopefully, practiced in numerous small ways, if not large, in the day-to-day real events faced by Boards of Health, Police, Fire, Highway, Building and their helpers, such as the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
This summer of 2009 will most likely be bringing a new task. Boards of Health will be at least reviewing, if not practicing, the use of their Emergency Dispensing Sites, now that a new influenza virus is spreading human to human and has reached many countries. The initial news of the Swine Flu, more accurately known as H1 N1, did not necessitate the opening of an emergency dispensing site because a vaccine did not exist for this newcomer. As time goes by and scientists watch, learn and develop protocol, there may be time to prepare a vaccine to prevent most of the new influenza virus, just as there is each year for the seasonal flu (short for influenza). Talk of that possibility causes health agents to want to be informed, stay informed and to be working on their plans for flu clinics that would be much larger and more complicated than the usual autumn clinic.
For instance, a few years ago there was a shortage of the seasonal flu vaccine. The shortage resulted in the disbursement being prioritized, with the very young, the old, those with chronic conditions and pregnant women being the top priority groups. People became concerned, many calls were made to local health departments and at the clinics many were down right cranky, even though we provided coffee and cookies. I guess that’s to be expected when people are worried and that was just an ordinary kind of flu.
If a vaccine is made in time for this fall, will it be held back or administered as a mass prophylaxis as it was in 1976? Will there be two clinics, one for the “swine flu” and one for seasonal? We don’t know at this time.
We do know how to respond to influenza, though. We prevent it and/or at least reduce its capacity to spread with the H-B-4 Prevention Methods. That’s Hygiene Behaviors Four: Cough etiquette, Hand washing, Isolation/Quarantine and Social distancing. That’s it. It’s in our hands and off our hands, if we washed them.
The reason that our State’s Communicable Disease people feel so confident about this protocol and this message is that it has been used and watched and used and tested and compared and studied for a long time. What they found out is that if the germ is so tiny that it is aerosolized, that many measures are needed to prevent it from spreading, including negative pressure rooms in health care settings and the use of N-95 masks. If the germ is held within moist droplets, as is the influenza virus, those droplets spray out from an uncovered cough several feet (three to six) and then sink to the ground where they will not live long. So, for the flu virus, less expensive surgical masks can be used during close contact, such as when specimen swabs are being taken or a caregiver is close to the patient. In that case, both would wear the mask.
For now, stay informed, prevent the spread of lots (and most) of germs with improved and sensible hygiene methods (the H-4) and consider joining your local MRC or CERT. We could use your help.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax, MA. She is interested in your ideas. She can be reached at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Just Imagine This Music 5-15-09
5-15-09 Just Imagine This Music
Just imagine being a not-for-profit organization, such as WGBH, and you receive a call from a member. The caller says, “Hi, I was looking at my membership card and I realized that it is time to renew. So, I’d like to do that now, at the same level as last year.”
Wouldn’t they be thrilled? It must, I am guessing, be rare for them to receive such a call, when it is so much easier for most of us to assume we will get that call when it is time and we’ll think about it then. Why bother with it ahead of time or even on time, when we know they’ll contact us?
Now, also imagine the time and personnel and volunteers and advertising and radio time and the cost of mass mailings, simply to remind people of their membership. All that adds up to the very high and very real cost of program administration. Just thinking about it makes me want to spare my favorite recipients the cost of reminding me of planned and expected contributions and give them more time for pursuing new funding sources and more time for what they do best.
Now imagine if that on-time responsible caller also wanted to share some feedback and ask some questions about the funded programs. That would complete the fundraiser’s dream call: continuation of funding, offered independently and the sharing of useful information.
Now imagine your local town hall as the annual recipient of your contributions. Imagine also asking questions, receiving answers and offering suggestions and feedback. Not only could we save our town a lot of money but also we can make the town employees’ day by asking for their help and thanking them for it.
Add to the above scenarios the concept of enforcement. NPR is not going to issue a fine if I don’t contribute (although they may threaten the possible loss of programming) but many town departments deal with overseeing compliance with laws and regulations and have little choice when it comes to enforcing them. When a person or business calls ahead of time, pays fees on time and communicates with the appropriate boards and town hall departments, well, that is just music to the ears of the very fortunate town employee receiving that oh-so-helpful call.
I received a couple such calls recently. I consider myself very fortunate for having received them. One call was to talk about the new Virginia Graham Baker law regarding safety measures for swimming pool and hot tub filter pumps. Many board of health regulations come into existence in response to a tragedy and this is no exception. After the tragic drowning death of Virginia Graham Baker, granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker, it was realized that these accidents could be prevented by requiring that all public swimming pools and spas be equipped with anti-entrapment drain covers and/or a safety vacuum release, a suction-limiting vent system, a gravity drainage system, or an automatic pump shut-off.
When I received the call from the property manager months ahead of swimming season, I knew I was talking to someone who wanted to prevent problems and not leave this important issue to the last minute. I actually received the call moments after thinking about this new law and where it might apply in Halifax. Don’t you just love it when that happens?
That ESP thing happened again recently with a call from a preschool wanting to have a camp. Camps are regulated by 105 CMR 430.000 Minimal Standards for Recreational Camps for Children and for good reason. Who wants their children to be unsafe in any way, medically or physically? I had just been thinking, “April vacation reminds me of school’s summer vacation and that means there will be at least a couple camps. I sure would like to simplify that application process.” Well, not so much simplify it as to streamline it. It was so time-consuming last year because their package of responses was out of sync with the State’s checklist; so it just took more time going back and forth confirming completion of the application. I thought maybe I could share the checklist and ask the camp directors to submit their information in the same order. All they had to do was copy and paste their responses to line up with my checklist. Then we could fly through every item, check-check-check and still feel certain we hadn’t missed anything.
Then the phone rang. “Hi, I wanted to talk about this summer’s camp. It isn’t too early, is it?” Ah…music to my ears.
If this is the music of reason, sanity and cost savings, then, please, play on.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. She looks forward to your questions and comments, considering this to be music to her ears. She can be contacted at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
Just imagine being a not-for-profit organization, such as WGBH, and you receive a call from a member. The caller says, “Hi, I was looking at my membership card and I realized that it is time to renew. So, I’d like to do that now, at the same level as last year.”
Wouldn’t they be thrilled? It must, I am guessing, be rare for them to receive such a call, when it is so much easier for most of us to assume we will get that call when it is time and we’ll think about it then. Why bother with it ahead of time or even on time, when we know they’ll contact us?
Now, also imagine the time and personnel and volunteers and advertising and radio time and the cost of mass mailings, simply to remind people of their membership. All that adds up to the very high and very real cost of program administration. Just thinking about it makes me want to spare my favorite recipients the cost of reminding me of planned and expected contributions and give them more time for pursuing new funding sources and more time for what they do best.
Now imagine if that on-time responsible caller also wanted to share some feedback and ask some questions about the funded programs. That would complete the fundraiser’s dream call: continuation of funding, offered independently and the sharing of useful information.
Now imagine your local town hall as the annual recipient of your contributions. Imagine also asking questions, receiving answers and offering suggestions and feedback. Not only could we save our town a lot of money but also we can make the town employees’ day by asking for their help and thanking them for it.
Add to the above scenarios the concept of enforcement. NPR is not going to issue a fine if I don’t contribute (although they may threaten the possible loss of programming) but many town departments deal with overseeing compliance with laws and regulations and have little choice when it comes to enforcing them. When a person or business calls ahead of time, pays fees on time and communicates with the appropriate boards and town hall departments, well, that is just music to the ears of the very fortunate town employee receiving that oh-so-helpful call.
I received a couple such calls recently. I consider myself very fortunate for having received them. One call was to talk about the new Virginia Graham Baker law regarding safety measures for swimming pool and hot tub filter pumps. Many board of health regulations come into existence in response to a tragedy and this is no exception. After the tragic drowning death of Virginia Graham Baker, granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker, it was realized that these accidents could be prevented by requiring that all public swimming pools and spas be equipped with anti-entrapment drain covers and/or a safety vacuum release, a suction-limiting vent system, a gravity drainage system, or an automatic pump shut-off.
When I received the call from the property manager months ahead of swimming season, I knew I was talking to someone who wanted to prevent problems and not leave this important issue to the last minute. I actually received the call moments after thinking about this new law and where it might apply in Halifax. Don’t you just love it when that happens?
That ESP thing happened again recently with a call from a preschool wanting to have a camp. Camps are regulated by 105 CMR 430.000 Minimal Standards for Recreational Camps for Children and for good reason. Who wants their children to be unsafe in any way, medically or physically? I had just been thinking, “April vacation reminds me of school’s summer vacation and that means there will be at least a couple camps. I sure would like to simplify that application process.” Well, not so much simplify it as to streamline it. It was so time-consuming last year because their package of responses was out of sync with the State’s checklist; so it just took more time going back and forth confirming completion of the application. I thought maybe I could share the checklist and ask the camp directors to submit their information in the same order. All they had to do was copy and paste their responses to line up with my checklist. Then we could fly through every item, check-check-check and still feel certain we hadn’t missed anything.
Then the phone rang. “Hi, I wanted to talk about this summer’s camp. It isn’t too early, is it?” Ah…music to my ears.
If this is the music of reason, sanity and cost savings, then, please, play on.
Cathleen Drinan is the health agent for the Town of Halifax. She looks forward to your questions and comments, considering this to be music to her ears. She can be contacted at 781 293 6768 or cdrinan@town.halifax.ma.us
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