[MaryAnn O'Connor]: All right, good afternoon, everyone. Happy spring, beautiful day. First day of spring. Welcome to the Board of Health meeting for March. Dr. Plattowitz, it's 1243. Would you like to go ahead and open the meeting?
[MCM00001745_SPEAKER_03]: Yes, let's open the meeting. First is the approval of the minutes from January 17th that were emailed out to everybody.
[Adam Hurtubise]: And the majority of that meeting as you may recall, has to do with tobacco regulation.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Right. That's where we updated our tobacco regulations. Exactly.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Motion to approve. The two eyes have it.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Okay, Dr. Plattowitz.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Next is a variance request.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Yes, so today we have with us Ms. Chen. Ms. Chen is the owner of Matsuba, located at 38 Riverside Road. So in accordance with 105 CMI 590 of the state sanitary code and the 2013 federal food code, she has put in a request for variance as per the food code section 81-103.11 for acidification of rice. And I'm going to turn this over to Donnetza to explain what the process is and what Ms. Chen has provided us. And this is for sushi, I believe, correct?
[Emily Hedeman]: Yes. So my name is Annette, I'm one of the sanitarians here at the health department. So the reason for the variance, so we have adopted the 2013 food code. So whenever the 2013 food code requires a variance request to the regulatory authority, with the evidence that the food does not require time-slash-temperature control for food safety. So Ms. Chen is requesting a variance in order to have her sushi rice not being under the, well, acidifying rice for their sushi rice doesn't require to be household, meaning it's not considered non-sushi as food. So that's why we're here.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: in the documentation that she submitted?
[Emily Hedeman]: She has, yes, so she has provided us with the HACCP plan regarding the procedure on how they're going to monitor their sushi rice. They are using a, which I believe is a calibrated meter, in order to test the pH levels of the set of five rice, sushi rice. And they also have provided us with the Parasite Destruction Consumer Advisory from their proof supplier, where they get their seafood, their fish. they gave me the process on their HACCP plan acidification rice menu. So basically as a detailed standard operating, sorry, standard operating procedure where they go in detail how they're going to acidify their rice. What is their procedure? If they cannot lower their pH, which the pH should be below 4.0, then what is their critical point action for that?
[Unidentified]: I hope I summed everything right.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Does anyone else do that in the city?
[Emily Hedeman]: Anyone that is doing this procedure, so yeah, I'll go into detail. So anyone doing this sort of procedure that is not in the food code, they do require a variance. So by them satisfying their rights, it doesn't have to be household, which is now considered non-CCS food.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: So to answer your question too, Dr. Platowicz, yes. Several sushi folks, I don't know, in 2017 Wegmans came in before us to offer the same request for a variance for the acidification of sushi rice. And they had to, like Ms. Chen, they had to submit their standard operating procedures, their hassle plans, their labels and barriers in place to safely administer the process. and all of the procedures that they, like Danetza had referred to, have to be outlined and given to us. So they have satisfied that request. We did grant Wegmans that variance back in 2017 as well.
[MCM00001745_SPEAKER_03]: And is their plan as outlined similar to Wegmans? It's not different in any material way. So what do you think, Danetza? What's your opinion to us?
[Emily Hedeman]: My opinion is that they should be granted. I see no problem in granting the variance request for Ms. Chang. They have provided the required documents that we're going to need on our end in order to conduct a routine inspection and just make sure that they're doing what they need to do during the routine inspection. And they did provide me, like I said, an action plan if they cannot lower their PHD below 4.0.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Ms. Chen, would you like to offer any information or anything different that we laid out?
[SPEAKER_03]: Actually, that's that was everything that whatever. Yeah, that's what I was planning. So whatever that action that I need to do that we will follow the guidelines. Definitely.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Any further discussion? You're muted, Dr. Plattowitz. You're muted.
[MCM00001745_SPEAKER_03]: Motion to approve the variance.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: We have a motion to approve the variance. We'll take a vote. Dr. Plattowitz?
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Kathy Schabbania? Yes. Thank you. Motion passes. Variance will be granted. We will send you documentation, Ms. Chen, in writing that you'll want to hold on to and post in your establishment for this variance. that it was approved so that when the inspectors do come in the future, they see that there and we'll have it, okay?
[Emily Hedeman]: What I suggest to other food establishments is keep a copy of the approved variants request that we'll provide to you. Normally you just put in a binder that you can locate it when we're doing the routine inspection.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, we're good. Thank you.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Thank you, Ms. Chen, you're all set. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Have a good one. Thank you.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Okay.
[Emily Hedeman]: Well, that was easy.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Yeah, good. Well, she worked hard and she actually hired a food consultant as well to help with the process. So she's in good shape. That's good.
[Emily Hedeman]: And I did forget to mention that she did provide her labs. So they're supposed to provide you labs, the initial report, just so they can just put in the evidence with their asset plan.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: So that was the main thing on the agenda today. The only other thing is all the business. So I have a couple updates. Unfortunately, sadly, to report that Sarah Harris public health nurse has moved on. She is. going off to Worcester. So we wish her well, but we're going to miss her severely. So we do have a posting up now for a public health nurse. And I do have a couple of interviews scheduled for next week. So that's hopeful, because we really need, obviously, to have someone in that position as soon as possible. So if anybody knows of anyone interested in being a public health nurse here for the City of Benford, please send them my way. And then next, and probably at the next meeting, we'll have a more in-depth presentation on the opioid settlement. There's another settlement coming our way as well. We had to submit the forms for that by the middle of April, that's been done. So that's a second settlement amount of money. And there is a process that we need to establish. Certainly, we're going to have some listening sessions in the community, particularly, you know, with those with lived experience, family members, as well. The three tiers we're looking at with the funding would be prevention, intervention and then recovery support as well. So again, those priorities will be laid out through the information we receive back from the community, as well as with some of the programming that we currently have going on, making sure that those priorities remain. So more to come on that. And it's a fairly good amount of money and it's over a really long period of time. So it's funding that'll be here for a while. So we're very grateful for that and that's coming out of the agency's office, but there's definitely, you know, a process that we have to follow and there's reporting and all of that so again we'll keep you informed as we, as we move forward. We're hoping to kick off listening sessions I believe by the end of end of this month, early next month to really get the process going. And then the money will have to be appropriated by city council. So we'll be going to city council with the plan for their approval on how to spend the funds. So again, we'll have more information for you at our next meeting. And if we could have a little discussion on and thoughts or ideas that you as board members for the city of Medford obviously have on on how those funds could be spent and how they could help our community going forward. I believe that's all I have for our meeting this month. Thank you for joining us. Can I have a motion to adjourn?
[Adam Hurtubise]: Motion to adjourn.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Dr. Platowicz? Second by Kathy. Vote by Dr. Platowicz. Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes. You bet.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Kathy Chabonet? Yes. Motion to adjourn. OK. Thank you all. And spring is here. So even next month, even nicer, hopefully. We'll see you then. Thank you all.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Bye bye.
[MaryAnn O'Connor]: Have a good one.