Category Archives: health

COVID-19 information from town

Posted on March 12, 2020 | Comments Off on COVID-19 information from town

Kristine Trierweiler Town Administrator TOWN OF MEDFIELD Office of BOARD OF SELECTMEN TOWN HOUSE, 459 MAIN STREET MEDFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 02052-0315 (508) 906-3011 (phone) (508) 359-6182 (fax) To: Town of Medfield Residents Medfield Boards and Committees From: Kristine Trierweiler, Town Administrator Medfield Board of Selectmen Date: March 12, 2020 Re: Town of Medfield’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Measures The Town of Medfield has taken actions in recent weeks to prepare for the potential spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Last week, Town Administrator Kristine Trierweiler convened a team, comprised of the Town’s Board of Health, Fire Chief, Police Chief, Facilities Director, and the Superintendent of Schools to discuss the Town’s preparations. In addition, on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, the Board of Health met with the Town Administrator and Fire Chief to further discuss public health measures. On Wednesday, March 11, 2020 department heads met to discuss COVID-19 and how the Town will mitigate any impact to operations. At this time, no Medfield residents have tested positive for COVID-19. Town and school officials will continue to meet weekly and remain in close communication daily as the situation evolves. School and Town buildings are being cleaned with particular attention to touch points and high contact surfaces. Areas will continue to be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis. The Town is maintaining a webpage about COVID-19 on its Town website and will post additional information and announcements at this link: https://www.town.medfield.net/1860/Coronavirus-Info-COVID-19 The Medfield Board of Health remains the primary point of contact for any infectious disease outbreaks and will be assisted by Fire Chief Carrico in his role as the Town’s Emergency Management Director. We ask that all Medfield residents, board and committee members, and employees do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (as well as other seasonal illnesses, including the flu and the common cold) by taking the following actions:  Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.  Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.  Clean things that are frequently touched (like doorknobs and countertops) with household cleaning spray or wipes.  Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue or your inner elbow, not your hands.  Stay home if you are sick and avoid close contact with others. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has published additional recommendations, including actions that higher risk individuals, particularly the elderly, can take to reduce exposure.. More information can be found on the DPH website here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-prevention-and-treatment The Town of Medfield has begun following these recommendations and has temporarily closed the CENTER at Medfield. The Town will consider cancelling or postponing large gatherings in the coming days and weeks – announcements will be posted to the Town’s website and on social media. We ask that all boards and committees hold public meetings only if necessary. As a reminder, the Town has a remote participation policy that allows remote participation. Please note, open meeting laws currently require a quorum be physically present before other members can participate remotely. The policy can be found here: https://www.town.medfield.net/DocumentCenter/View/2053/Remote-Participation-Policy-2018. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and provide ongoing updates on the website and on social media.20200312-KT-Medfield COVID-19 Memo to Public_Page_2

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Posted in health, Information

CDC information

Posted on March 7, 2020 | Comments Off on CDC information
03/05/2020 CDC New Site – Organized Covid-19 Information

New Microsite: CDC’s Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) CDC has launched a microsite with resources and information for the general public and healthcare providers from across the agency for understanding and addressing the coronavirus situation. https://t.emailupdates.cdc.gov/r/?id=ha80454c,4caef64,4e217b3

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Posted in health

Coronavirus resources

Posted on March 5, 2020 | Comments Off on Coronavirus resources

An Massachusetts Municipal Association email worth sharing with information worth knowing.  There is also good information at the suggested websites –

MMA-2

Coronavirus resources for local government leaders

 

Governments, agencies and communities around the globe are currently responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in China in December.

 

The virus is named “SARS-CoV-2,” and the disease it causes is “coronavirus disease 2019,” commonly known as COVID-19.

 

Because communities and municipal leaders are often on the front lines in emergency situations, the following are some helpful resources to inform local leaders and help them respond.

Examples of local outreach, preparedness and response

Additional information

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reports that the risk of COVID-19 to the general public in Massachusetts remains low.

 

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the DPH has:

  • Established an Incident Command Structure to facilitate regular dissemination of information from federal and state partners to statewide stakeholders
  • Launched a new website that provides up-to-date information on the status of novel coronavirus for all residents (www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus)
  • Developed and disseminated clinical advisories to all Massachusetts health care providers and issued guidance to hospitals, health systems and Emergency Medical Services
  • Scheduled calls with other key health care partners including local boards of health

On Feb. 28, the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory received approval to begin testing patients for COVID-19, in accordance with guidance from the U.S. CDC. Only those who are experiencing flu-like symptoms and have recently traveled to China or have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 should be tested, according to the DPH.

 

Those who have traveled to affected areas within the past 21 days are advised to contact their local board of health or health department. Those who have recently traveled to affected areas and are experiencing lower respiratory illness symptoms, such as, but not limited to, fever, cough, and shortness of breath, are advised to also contact their health care provider immediately.

 

Clinicians who have patients they think may have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should contact the DPH via the 24/7 EPI line (617-983-6800).

 

Individuals who are in voluntary self-quarantine continue to be monitored by their local boards of health.

 

Currently, there is no vaccine available to prevent COVID-19 and no medication available to treat the disease. Treatment is supportive care and relief of symptoms.

 

Local officials are encouraged to remind residents and businesses of the following best practices to avoid exposure to the virus:

  • Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at a time.
  • Using alcohol-based hand rubs and gels.
  • Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
  • Avoid sharing food utensils, containers and other personal items.

Those who have any cold or flu symptoms can help others by:

  • Staying home when you are sick.
  • Covering your cough or sneezes.
  • Wearing a mask if you leave home and have a cough.

This is a rapidly evolving situation, and this information may change as updates are available from the DPH and U.S. CDC.

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Posted in health, Massachusetts Municipal Association, Select Board matters

Inaugural MFi Legacy Fund grant wins MCAP a huge Federal grant

Posted on December 2, 2019 | Comments Off on Inaugural MFi Legacy Fund grant wins MCAP a huge Federal grant

mfilf-20191129-event

The Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund Grant Presentation Ceremony
(Pictured from left to right) Todd Trehubenko, MFi Legacy Fund Co-Chair; Christian Donner, Friends of the Medfield Rail Trail; Dawn Alcott, Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP); Jean Mineo of the Cultural Alliance of Medfield; Chris Cahill, MFi Legacy Fund Co-Chair

Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund Grant Pays Huge Dividends to Medfield

 When the Medfield Youth Outreach team from Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) submitted a grant request to the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund team to hire Bright Solutions Consulting to review and assist with writing MCAP’s federal Drug Free Communities grant application, it seemed like a long shot. Those involved all believed that the goal of making Medfield a recognized Drug Free Community was worth pursuing.

The Legacy Fund team took a chance on MCAP and awarded it a $5,000 grant in November 2018 and MCAP immediately went to work with the consultant on their federal grant application. The grant request was submitted in early 2019 and the team waited for the big announcement. On November 6, 2019 it was announced that MCAP was awarded a FY 2019 Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant in the amount of $625,000 paid over five years by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, in cooperation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This grant will allow the coalition to hire a full-time prevention coordinator who will carry out evidence-based strategies aimed at preventing youth substance use in the Medfield community, services that have been proven to reduce substance abuse in other towns.

“The MCAP coalition owes the success of the DFC grant application to the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund grant, which allowed MCAP to hire an experienced grant writer,” said Chelsea Goldstein-Walsh LICSW, the Interim Director of Medfield Youth Outreach. “We are looking forward to launching a proactive and comprehensive effort to decrease youth substance use and promote wellness in the community.”

The Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund is an endowment established for the long-term benefit of the Medfield community which will also engage in annual grant-making to support community-driven projects. “This is exactly how we see the funds from the Legacy Fund being used to benefit Medfield,” said Todd Trehubenko, co-chair of the MFi Legacy Fund. “We think of the grants we can provide to be like an accelerant, helping add fuel to help grow programs and services that benefit Medfield residents.”

The Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund’s fundraising goal of $1,000,000 will enable the fund to grant annual funding requests. They are currently looking for founders/investors to help build the endowment which will enable this level of giving back to the community.

 

About Medfield Foundation

The Medfield Foundation (MFi) is a 100% volunteer run 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable corporation whose mission is to enrich the lives of Medfield residents, build a stronger community, and facilitate the raising and allocation of private funds for public needs in the town of Medfield. Since its inception in 2001, the Medfield Foundation has raised over $2,300,000 (Yes, two million three hundred thousand dollars!) to support community-wide initiatives in Medfield.

MFi was founded based on the realization that some residents were interested in contributing more than town taxes to support projects and services that would enrich life in Medfield. You are urged to go to http://medfieldfoundation.org to learn more.

 

For more information please contact:

 

Todd Trehubenko, MFi Legacy Fund Co-Chair

617-785-5619

legacyfund@medfieldfoundation.org

 

or

 

Evan Weisenfeld, MFi President

508-740-4367

evan@medfieldfoundation.org

give local

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Posted in Charity, Cultural Alliance of Medfield, health, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, Medfield Foundation, Medfield Outreach, Medfield Rail Trail, Teens

MCAP Receives $625K Grant

Posted on November 25, 2019 | Comments Off on MCAP Receives $625K Grant

MCAP Logo_1C_300

MCAP Announces Receipt of $625K Federal Grant

The Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) substance abuse prevention coalition, a Medfield Foundation Initiative, announced that it was awarded a FY 2019 Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant in the amount of $625,000 over five years by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, in cooperation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This grant will allow the coalition to hire a full-time prevention coordinator who will carry out evidence-based strategies aimed at preventing youth substance use in the Medfield community. Superintendent of the Medfield Public Schools and MCAP coalition member, Dr. Jeff Marsden, responded to the news of the grant award: "I'm so happy for our kids and community that we will have someone dedicated to substance use prevention. The collective efforts of MCAP really came through for our community and our district looks forward to this important work." Medfield is honored to receive this grant and is prepared to launch a proactive and comprehensive effort to decrease substance use. The goals of the Medfield Cares About Prevention coalition are to establish and strengthen community collaboration in support of local efforts to decrease youth substance use. The coalition will seek to achieve its goals by implementing the following strategies: providing information and support, enhancing skills, providing incentives and disincentives for youth substance use, changing the physical environment, and modifying policies. The coalition will specifically target alcohol and electronic vapor products and will promote positive alternatives to substance use through community collaboration. This successful grant application was made possible by the tireless efforts of coalition members, as well as by a coalition consultant, Amanda Decker of Bright Solutions Consulting. MCAP was able to contract with Bright Solutions Consulting thanks to a generous grant from the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest. Securing this mini grant of $5,000 positioned MCAP to secure grant writing consultation services and set the coalition up for a successful award of the DFC grant.

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Posted in Children, health, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, Medfield Outreach, Teens, Uncategorized

Mosquitos are gone

Posted on November 4, 2019 | Comments Off on Mosquitos are gone

mosquito

From: Marsden, Jeffrey <aspen-sysadmin@myfollett.com>
Date: Mon, Nov 4, 2019 at 9:16 AM
Subject: Message from the Superintendent-Important EEE Information
To: <jmarsden@email.medfield.net>

 

Dear Parents,

I have received confirmation from the Norfolk County Mosquito Control that we had a hard frost last night that would have killed any remaining mosquitoes in our area. The risk is now “minimal” and the curfew for outside school and town activities has now ended.

Thank you for your cooperation and patience over the past two months.

Sincerely,

Jeff Marsden

 

Jeffrey J. Marsden, Ed.D

Superintendent

Medfield Public Schools

508-359-2302

Follow me on Twitter @JeffreyJMarsden

#medfieldps  #medfieldpln

 

—

 

Jeffrey J. Marsden, Ed.D

Superintendent

Medfield Public Schools

508-359-2302

Follow me on Twitter @JeffreyJMarsden

#medfieldps  #medfieldpln

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Posted in health, Schools

MCAP gets $625K Federal grant

Posted on October 30, 2019 | 1 comment

MCAP Logo with URL_1C_300

Chelsea Goldstein-WalshChelsea Goldstein-Walsh, Interim Director of Medfield Youth Outreach announced this afternoon that Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) (www.MedfieldCares.org) was today awarded a Drug-Free Communities grant of $625,000, to fund a Substance Use Prevention Coordinator who will run MCAP’s  prevention efforts.  The Federal grant will pay MCAP $125,000 per year for five years,  with the hope that the Substance Use Prevention Coordinator position will become permanent after five years.  About 150 DFC grants nation wide were awarded this year.  Towns that have received past DFC grants have seen a statistical decrease is substance abuse.

Medfield Youth Outreach, first through Dawn Alcott and now Chelsea, initiated, oversee, and manage the MCAP coalition.  MCAP had come exceedingly close to getting the Federal grant in prior years it applied. 

This year, however, MCAP had the added benefit of having received a $5,000 grant from the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund’s 2018 inaugural round of grants, which monies MCAP used to hire a grant writer, thereby parlaying the Legacy Fund grant into the $625,000 of benefit for the Town of Medfield. 

 

mfi-legacy-fund

The Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund is an endowment, created and being funded to make life better in Medfield.

mfilf-20191129-event

Above photo was from the inaugural Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund grant awards celebration. From L to R are Todd Trehubenko, Christian Donner of the Medfield Rail Trail, Dawn Alcott of MCAP, Jean Mineo of the Cultural Alliance, and Chris Cahill (Todd and Chris are the Co-chairs of the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund’s Community Board).

 

The following was Chelsea’s email announcing her good news to MCAP –

********************************************************************

I am happy to report that Medfield Cares About Prevention was selected as one of the Drug-Free Communities grant recipients for this funding cycle! Our town will receive $125,000 a year for 5 years ($625,000 total) to implement prevention strategies aimed at reducing youth substance use. You can see the list of recipients here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/FY-2019-DFC-New-Grant-Award-Recipients-10.29.2019.pdf

Thank you all for your hard work in making our grant application a success! Our next step is to solidify the hiring process for a full-time coalition coordinator with the grant funding to help us implement this work. Our next MCAP meeting on Monday, November 4th at 11:30 am will largely be dedicated to coming up with a hiring plan. I’ve attached a copy of the job description for the coalition coordinator for your reference.

Congratulations to you all for this successful team effort!

Warmly,

Chelsea

Medfield Youth Outreach

 

 

 

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Posted in Federal Government, health, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, Medfield Foundation, Medfield Outreach, Safety, Teens

Yoga on the Turf 9/22

Posted on September 19, 2019 | 1 comment

Sponsored by the Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention –

Tracy Buckley of Medfield Yoga Studio is kindly teaching the class.

Sunday, Sept. 22 from 12-1pm:

Community YOGA on the Medfield High School Turf

  • ALL WELCOME: all ages and all levels!
  • Bring your own mat or towel
  • Free class, however donations supporting our MedfieldCSP efforts will be happily and gratefully accepted!

PLEASE pass on the attached flyer to your network of people…should be a gorgeous day!

Many thanks!!!

Anna Mae

YOGA ON THE TURF S u n d a y , S e p t e m b e r 2 2 M e d f i e l d H i g h S c h o o l T u r f 1 2 : 0 0 p m - 1 : 0 0 p m F r e e C l a s s ! ( D o n a t i o n s a p p r e c i a t e d t o b e n e f i t M e d f i e l d C S P . o r g ) B r i n g y o u r o w n m a t / t o w e l A l l a g e s a n d a l l l e v e l s w e l c o m e ! H o s t e d b y t h e M e d f i e l d C o a l i t i o n f o r S u i c i d e P r e v e n t i o n a n d M e d f i e l d Y o g a S t u d i o V i s i t w w w . m e d f i e l d c s p . o r g f o r m o r e i n f o . SUPPORT THE MEDFIELD COALITION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION

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Posted in health, MCSP - Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention, Medfield High School, Teens

Aerial Mosquito Spraying in Medfield

Posted on September 10, 2019 | Comments Off on Aerial Mosquito Spraying in Medfield

Alert from the Town of Medfield  –

mosquito

September 10, 2019 1:56 PM

Aerial Mosquito Spraying in Medfield

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced that it will conduct aerial mosquito spraying in Massachusetts, including Medfield. Spraying will take place after dusk and overnight, beginning September 10, 2019

DPH has not announced the specific night that Medfield will be sprayed, but has announced that no precautions are necessary for the aerial spraying. Spraying will take place in the evening and overnight, beginning at 7:15 pm.

Residents are asked to continue to take caution. Avoid mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves and pants, avoid the hours when mosquitoes are most active (dusk through dawn), wear insect repellent, and mosquito-proof your home by limiting the number of places for mosquitoes to breed by draining or discarding items that hold water.

DPH has posted additional information about spraying here: https://www.mass.gov/news/state-officials-announce-additional-aerial-spraying-for-eee-in-critical-and-high-risk

Additional information about EEE here: https://www.mass.gov/guides/eee-in-massachusetts#-september-2019-aerial-spraying-information–

As we previously announced, a Medfield horse contracted and died from EEE. Town and school outdoor activities now end at dusk. Norfolk County Mosquito Control District conducted town-wide spraying and are continuing to spray Medfield on Tuesday nights. Visit their website for more information: http://www.norfolkcountymosquito.org/

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Posted in health

Youth Outreach – clinical services questioned

Posted on August 31, 2019 | 3 comments

mfi youth &amp; rec

Medfield Youth Outreach – future of clinical services questioned

At the Select Board meeting Thursday night, I was surprised when the Board refused to reappoint the Medfield Youth Outreach Advisory Board, created in 2016, with one member suggesting that it did not even need to be a town board, but could instead operate informally.

Additional surprise came when Kristine Trierweiler reported that the Select Board needed to resolve the future existence of the Medfield Youth Outreach clinical services prior to her posting to hire the new Director of the Medfield Youth Outreach, a position that has been vacant since Dawn Alcott left in the spring.

I am informed that there is still unresolved concern over whether the Medfield Youth Outreach should continue to exist in its current form, namely whether Medfield Youth Outreach should provide clinical counseling services, or whether Medfield Youth Outreach should instead just be referring all counseling clients to services provided by third parties.  Medfield Youth Outreach has been providing clinical services to Medfield’s youth for the past forty years, and a question has been raised as to whether that should continue.

There are reportedly also concerns about potential liability and HIPAA compliance –

  • note 1: any town service can create liability, and therefore the town buys insurance.  Also, both Medfield Youth Outreach employees carried their own insurance as well;
  • note 2: Medfield Youth Outreach has been doing clinical counseling for the forty years of its existence.
  • note 3: any health care worker must comply with HIPAA.

The Select Board had extensive discussions about the Medfield Youth Outreach program at the Board’s June 18 meeting with both the Interim Director of Medfield Youth Outreach and members of the Medfield Youth Outreach Advisory Board. I thought the Select Board had resolved all these MYO issues that night, and that the hiring was proceeding.

All these matters will reportedly be discussed by the Select Board, again, at its meeting on September 17, and hopefully this time a resolution will be reached that allows for the posting and prompt hiring of a new MYO Director.

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Posted in Children, health, Medfield Outreach, Teens