TOWN OF KILLINGWORTH
Public Health Agency
323 Route 81
niCY
et
Killingworth, CT 06419
MINUTES
September 10, 2014
Ass`t
o
9llkfWow
Members Present: Chair Natalie Ortoli Drew, Betty Dennis, Catherine lino, Sue Nes i, ^\
Ernest Pizzuto, RS and Health Director Paul Hutcheon
Members Absent: Martha Hogan, Barbara Klein, Laurie Kumnick, and Daniel Ott
Chair Natalie Ortoli Drew called the meeting to order at 7: 11 pm.
Minutes
MOTION: Betty Dennis moved and Ernest Pizzuto seconded acceptance of the August
13' minutes. Voting in favor: Natalie Ortoli Drew, Betty Dennis, Sue Nesci, and Ernest
Pizzuto; Opposed: 0; Abstentions- Catherine lino. The motion carried: 4: 0: 1.
First Selectman Update
Cathy reported that Killingworth met the qualifications for a heart safe community. When
final approval is received, signs will be posted.
The Board of Selectmen has declared October Domestic Violence Awareness Month in
Killingworth. Purple ribbons will be used to mark the month.
As part of an Eagle Scout project, Boy Scouts will be surveying all houses in the town to
insure house numbers are visible. The Scouts will be in uniform and knocking on doors.
They will give homeowners numbers or ask that they put up numbers.
The pharmacy discount cards that the town provided over the past two years at town hall
and Killingworth Family Pharmacy have saved residents $36, 000 in prescription costs.
Health Director Update
Paul provided the following updates on some of the ten essential health department
services:
Monitor health status- The annual report to the state health department has been
completed.
Students from Yale University's Food Net program have agreed to take on investigation
of salmonella cases to see if they can determine sources for the exposures. The Food
Net program does a more extensive interview.
Inform and Educate- Paul sent out a press release on free water testing for arsenic and
uranium to the first 250 people to visit the state Department of Public Health booth at
certain
local fairs.
Paul also sent out a press release regarding a grant program available for the removal
or replacement of outdoor wood furnaces.
Mobilize Community PartnersPaul reported that the Fire House looked like the best location for an Animal First Aid
Program. He heard from Jon Nowinski, Operations Director for Emergency Animal
Response Service ( EARS) regarding the educational services they offer.
Their" Pet Preparedness" presentation lasts approximately 2 hours (with time given for
Q& A) and includes two parts for pet owners - disaster/ emergency preparedness, and a
basic first aid overview. Each part includes a slide presentation that is approximately 30
minutes long, with a short break in between. They also provide a handout packet for all
attendees that includes a pet first aid booklet, emergency pet information forms, and tips
for helping to prepare for disasters with pets. They use examples from their responses
to incidents in CT, including Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, the winter blizzards, and
several individual incidents such as house fires. They have given these presentations to
groups as small as 10 and as large as 50, and are flexible on the attendance. They
normally do not charge to give this presentation and ask that in return they be allowed to
offer their pet first aid kits for purchase by attendees at the event.
The Red Cross charges $ 70/ person for their program and a $ 250 delivery fee.
The committee recommended the EARS program. Killingworth Animal Hospital has
indicated that they are also willing to participate. Paul will work on securing a date for a
Saturday, 10am- noon and tentatively looking at November 8, 2014.
The VNA will offer flu shots to anyone age 18 or over this fall at the following locations:
Jensen' s Community Club House, Oct. 8, 9:30- 11: 30am
Killingworth Congregational Church, Oct. 17, 10: 30am- 12: 30pm.
The Chatham Health District will sponsor school- based clinics for children. Other clinics
for those 6 months and older and adults can be found on the Chatham Health District
website: www. chathamhealth. org.
Paul will cover for the Health Director for the Connecticut River Area Health District while
he is on vacation. The Connecticut River Health Area Health District Director covered
for Paul when he was on vacation in August.
Develop Policies and Plans— The Middlesex County Coalition on Community
Wellness, coordinated by the Chatham Health District, has completed a Community
Health Assessment and a Community Health Improvement Plan. The Plan addresses
the issues identified by the Assessment including high blood pressure, smoking in parks
and drug and alcohol use.
Enforce laws/ regulations to protect public health- Final inspection on a septic repair
that spanned two towns (tank in Killingworth; leach fields in Clinton) was coordinated
with the Connecticut River Area Health District.
Soil testing for the septic system for the new Emergency Operations Center is planned.
Paul completed a day care inspection for the Haddam- Killingworth Recreation
Department.
MOTION- Cathy lino moved and Betty Dennis seconded a motion to adjourn. Voting in
favor: Chair Natalie Ortoli Drew, Betty Dennis, Catherine lino, Sue Nesci, and Ernest
Pizzuto; Opposed: 0; Abstentions: 0. The motion carried: 5: 0: 0.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:59pm. The next meeting
will be October 8th.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Nesci,
Secretary