[Ord. No. 934, § 1, 10-12-2004[1]]
A Board of Health is hereby established to advise on and manage
all masters relative to health and sanitation in the City, and to
promulgate health regulations in conformity with law.
[1]
Editor’s Note: This ordinance also repealed former Art.
XVIII, Advisory Council of Health, adopted by Ord. No. 40, § 1,
as amended 2-24-2004 by Ord. No. 922.
[Ord. No. 934, § I, 10-12-2004; Ord. No. 1039,
§ I, 5-25-2010; Ord. No. 1113,
§ I, 3-10-2015; Ord.
No. 1142, § XXIV, 9-29-2015]
In accordance with Article 2, Section 2-10 and Article 3, Section 3-3 of the City Charter enacted by Chapter 72 of the Acts of 2013, the Mayor shall appoint all five members to the Board of Health, subject to City Council approval, one of whom shall be a physician. Each member shall serve a term of three years. In the event of a vacancy, the Mayor shall appoint a successor as soon as practicable, subject to City Council approval, and said successor shall fulfill the unexpired term of the member whose seat was vacated. Members of the Board shall receive compensation as the City Council may determine. In accordance with Article 10, Section 10-6(a) of the City Charter enacted by Chapter 72 of the Acts of 2013, every such Board shall elect a chair, a vice chair, and a secretary and any other officer it deems necessary. It may make rules and regulations for its own governance and for the governance of its officers, agents and assistants. The Board may choose a clerk, who is not a member of the Board, and it may employ the necessary officers, agents and assistants to execute the health laws and its regulations. It may fix the salary or other compensation of such physician and its clerk and other agents and assistants, subject to appropriation by the Mayor and City Council.
[Ord. No. 934, § I, 10-12-2004]
The Board of Health may appoint agents or directors of public
health to act for it in cases of emergency or if it cannot conveniently
assemble, and any such agent or director shall have all the authority
of the Board; but he/she shall, in each case, within two days report
his/her action to the Board for its approval, and shall be directly
responsible to it and under its direction and control. An agent or
director of public health appointed to make sanitary inspections may
make complaint of violations of any law or ordinance relative to the
public health.
[Ord. No. 1088, § I, 11-25-2014]
In accordance with Section 23, Paragraph (7) of Chapter 72 of
the Acts of 2013, there shall be a Director of Public Health. The
Director of Public Health shall be appointed by the Board of Health.
[Ord. No. 1088, § I, 11-25-2014]
(1)
The Director of Public Health shall be responsible for evaluating
community health resources and requirements. He/She shall review the
adequacy and/or need of division programs, and then directly implement
the newly initiated department and divisional policies and programs.
He/She shall oversee the City's implementation of state-regulated
pesticide programs. He/She must be available for evening meetings
and emergencies.
(2)
The Director of Public Health shall direct environmental sanitation
programs and advise inspectors on problem cases. He/She shall make
recommendations regarding the granting of licenses for motels, restaurants,
mobile canteens and dispensers of mile and food establishments. He/She
may perform as a sanitarian inspector as required to inspect restaurants,
food cafeterias, food processing facilities and other food establishments
for cleanliness of premises and acceptable sanitary standards and
practices. He/She shall perform other inspections, including sanitary,
environmental, asbestos and Housing Code. He/She shall make required
open water inspections. He/She may respond to reported oil spills
and take appropriate action. He/She shall enforce applicable regulations
and seize unfit products in violation. He/She shall participate in
hazardous waste coordination efforts within the City of Pittsfield.
(3)
The Director of Public Health shall be responsible for the investigation,
either directly or through subordinate inspectors, of all complaints
regarding public health nuisances. He/She may act as a hearing officer
on Housing Code violations or participate in hearings, take testimony
of all parties involved, research applicable statutes or code and
make appropriate decisions and findings which result in either the
sustaining, modifying, or revoking previously initiated orders.
(4)
The Director of Public Health shall prepare the budget for the
Health Department and shall administer all budgets that have been
approved. He/She shall apply for grants and administer grant funding
for designated projects.
(5)
The Director of Public Health shall direct, instruct, advise,
and assist his/her subordinates on objectives and matters affecting
their work such as safety precautions, standards of performance and
methods of performance. The Director of Public Health shall check
the efficiency of his/her subordinates, and he/she shall instruct
and/or reassign personnel as necessary. He/She shall anticipate or
investigate causes of delay and/or inadequate performance of all of
his/her subordinates, and he/she shall take corrective action if necessary.
(6)
The Director of Public Health shall initiate recommendations
as to possible improvements in procedures, methods and objectives.
He/She shall maintain discipline, morale and harmonious personnel
relations. He/She shall handle complaints and grievances made by Health
Department employees.
(7)
The Director of Public Health shall attend and/or participate
in a variety of conferences and other meetings. He/She shall discuss
developments, directions and problems in other areas. He/She shall
attend seminars, subscribe to periodicals and publications in order
to keep abreast of developments in the field of endeavor, innovations
and trends.
[Ord. No. 1088, § I, 11-25-2014]
There shall be a Public Health Nurse Manager. The Public Health
Nurse Manager shall be appointed by the Board of Health and shall
serve under the direction of the Director of Public Health.
[Ord. No. 1088, § I, 11-25-2014]
(1)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall be responsible performing
all public nursing functions that require the interpretation and application
of public health and emergency practices, laws and regulations relating
to changing conditions, threats and public health problems.
(2)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall provide case management
for patients with communicable diseases and their contacts, including
identification of those at risk, administration of testing, education
and referral for evaluation. He/She shall maintain a communicable
disease surveillance system through follow up of disease reports and
investigations, recognize and report trends, enforcement of isolating
and quarantine regulations and control outbreaks.
(3)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall determine the etiology
of communicable diseases as well as other community diseases affecting
the public health.
(4)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall assess community public
health needs by utilizing surveillance data sources and develop an
annual community public health outreach plan. He/She shall work collaboratively
with traditional and non-traditional partners to achieve public health
goals.
(5)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall plan, implement and evaluate
immunization clinics for the general public and City of Pittsfield
employees. He/She shall oversee the mandates of a tuberculosis program
for the City of Pittsfield. He/She shall act in the capacity of a
Public Health Nurse Educator.
(6)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall assist Health Department
staff in functions such as inspections of camp health records, food-borne
outbreak investigations, etc. He/She shall also be responsible for
the planning, collaboration and implementation of emergency preparedness
protocols for the City of Pittsfield. He/She shall be responsible
for implementing clinical personnel practices and protocol for all
emergency dispensing sites. He/She shall coordinate recruitment and
training activities to ensure adequate staffing resources for EDS
implementation.
(7)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall provide education and
supervision to contracted per diem and volunteer nurses.
(8)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall ensure coverage of nursing
services for daily MAVEN surveillance and responses, DOT coverage
(home visits) and flu clinics.
(9)
The Public Health Nurse Manager shall perform all related public
health nursing duties and responsibilities normally associated with
this position as well as other duties assigned to him/her by the Director
of Public Health.
[Ord. No. 934, § I, 10-12-2004]
The Board of Health shall annually in January make a full and
comprehensive report to the City Council of its acts during the preceding
year and of the sanitary condition of the City. It shall also, if
the City Council or the standing committee on finance thereof so requires,
send to the City Auditor a detailed estimate of the appropriation
required by its department for the next financial year.
[Ord. No. 934, § I, 10-12-2004]
The Board of Health shall send to the department every week,
upon forms to be prescribed by it, a report of deaths in their towns
for the week ending Saturday noon, from all diseases declared by the
department to be dangerous to the public health.
[Ord. No. 934, § I, 10-12-2004]
The Board of Health may make reasonable health regulations.
A summary, which shall describe the substance of any regulation made
by a Board of Health, shall be published once in a newspaper of general
circulation in the City, and such publication shall be notice to all
persons. No regulation or amendment thereto which relates to the minimum
requirements for subsurface disposal of sanitary sewage as provided
by the State Environmental Code shall be adopted until such time as
the Board of Health shall hold a public hearing thereon, notice of
the time, place and subject matter of which, sufficient for identification,
shall be given by publishing in a newspaper of general circulation
in the City once in each of two successive weeks, the first publication
to be not less than 14 days prior to the date set for such hearing.
Prior to the adoption of any such regulation or amendment which exceeds
the minimum requirements for subsurface disposal of sanitary sewage
as provided by the State Environmental Code, the Board of Health shall
state at said public hearing the local conditions which exist or reasons
for exceeding such minimum requirements. Whoever, or by his/her servant
or agent, or as the servant or agent of any other person or any firm
or corporation, violates any reasonable health regulation, made under
authority of this section, for which no penalty by way of fine or
imprisonment, or both, is provided by law, shall be punished by a
fine of not more than $1,000. The Board of Health shall file with
the Department of Environmental Protection, attested copies of sanitary
codes, and all rules, regulations and standards which have been adopted,
and any amendments and additions thereto, for the maintenance of a
central register.
[Ord. No. 934, § I, 10-12-2004]
The Board of Health shall, from time to time, make rules and
regulations for the control of the removal, transportation or disposal
of garbage, offal or other offensive substances. Whoever violates
any provision of MGL c. 111, § 31A, or of any rule or regulation
made there under, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000.
