By Journal Staff
The Revere Board of Health (BoH) held its regular monthly meeting last Thursday, April 23, in the Revere City Hall City Council Chambers. On hand for the session were BoH members Kathleen Savage (who served as Acting Chair) and Viviana Catano. Also in attendance were Director of Public Health Lauren Buck, Health Agent/Director of Inspectional Services Michael Wells, and Board of Health Clerk Paula Sepulveda.
Buck presented the Communicable Disease monthly report. She said that there was a “relatively low burden” of disease in March, with only 44 reported cases of flu, two for COVID, and one for Lyme Disease.
Buck noted that tick season is officially underway in the Northeastern U.S. She spoke briefly about the causes and symptoms of Lyme disease. She also offered
advice to avoid the disease, including: Using insect repellent, avoiding tick habitat (grassy, wooded and brushy areas), and checking clothing and skin after coming in from the outdoors.
Buck also mentioned that the social media company Meta recently had been found liable by two juries for harm caused by its products to teenagers. Although Buck pointed out that whether social media can cause mental illness is still subject to research, she advised parents of teens to delay the introduction of social media. When parents do allow their children to engage in social media, parents should do so “with plenty of oversight,” Buck said.
Buck noted that May 1 begins the growing season for the Revere Community vegetable garden. She reminded prospective gardeners that the annual fee and application must be submitted by May 1 to reserve a spot. Buck added that a Farmer’s Market will be held on May 2 from 11-2 at the Yard in Beachmont Square.
Wells then presented the monthly report of the Inspectional Services Dept. Wells presented the ISD report for April. Wells said that in the past month, ISD issued 58 certificates of fitness for housing units; performed 89 reinspections; and received six interior complaints.
In the food department, ISD performed 35 routine food inspections, 13 reinspections, eight complaint inspections, two pre-opening inspections, and 25 temporary food inspections.
In the exterior sanitation division, ISD agents issued 365 total citations for trash violations; 43 for overflowing dumpsters; 11 for junk heaps, dumps, and automobile graveyards; and eight for multiple unregistered motor vehicles.
The board heard from Buck, CarrieAnn Salemme, the Program Manager of the city’s office of Substance Use Disorder & Homeless Initiatives (SUDHI), and
Nicole Palermo, an SUDHI clinician, about the SUDHI’s Opioid Abatement program’s annual spending plan.
Buck said that in FY 26, the program spent $211,143, but has a goal of spending $243,000 per year for the next five years. There are three categories of spending: housing, community engagement and prevention, and harm reduction. The Opioid Abatement community working group, which meets quarterly, determines how to spend the funds, the source of which is the settlement money from the lawsuit brought against the drug companies whose products contributed significantly to the opioid crisis.
Buck said that among the items on which SUDHI expended funds this past year were: $97,000 on two homeless programs ($48,500 for a sober home and detox voucher program and the other $48,500 for a high-intensity case manager program both operated by Atlantic Hill Nursing and Wellness); $50,000 to RAW, a youth-oriented program; $10,000 for a grief support program for families; $13,000 for an outreach educational program to businesses for employee training in the use of NARCAN; $33,000 for a street medicine program; and $8000 for the basic needs of individuals encountered by outreach workers.
Salemme and Palermo then broke down each of the line items, highlighting the accomplishments of the past fiscal year.
“I think you guys are doing a great job,” said Catano at the conclusion of the presentation.
The board approved the annual heating variances which will allow managers of five condo buildings (most of which are at Revere Beach and were built in the 1970s-80’s) to shut off the heat (prior to the state-mandated date of May 31) in favor of turning on the air conditioning in those older buildings in which the heat and AC are operated through the same HVAC unit. Wells said that the strong sun in May means that the HVAC units can be switched from heat to AC for the comfort of residents.
The BoH also approved temporary body art licenses for weekend dates throughout the year for an experienced tattoo artist to provide tattoos at the Boston Harley-Davidson dealership on Squire Rd.