Western MA Public Health Association Member Update

MEMBER UPDATE

SAPHE 2.0 Act Returned by Governor

Last week Governor Baker returned the SAPHE 2.0 Act to the legislature with changes that significantly weaken the bill. His proposed amendment would make minimum public health standards optional for municipalities, undermining the purpose of the legislation, which is to protect all residents by creating minimum standards for every community. The bill is now in front of the legislature, which is holding informal sessions. WMPHA and our partners in the Coalition for Local Public Health, lead by MA Public Health Assn, are urging the legislature to reject the amendment and send the bill back to the governor's desk.

Stay tuned for opportunities to take action in the coming weeks. Thank you for your continued support of this key health equity measure, which will ensure that ALL Massachusetts residents benefit from public health protections!

BOH RESPONSIBILITIES WITH PRIVATE WELLS AND PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES -- DEP WORKSHOP

Thursday Sept 8 PM 3:30 PM

On Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 3:30pm, the MassDEP Drinking Water Program will be holding a workshop on DEP Public Water Supply and Private Wells, cosponsored by WMPHA and BCBOHA.

For more information, see the below flyer or click here. To register, click here.

SAVE THE DATE:

TOTALLY TITLE 5 CONFERENCE

10/25/2022 from 8:30-4:30 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke

MA Environmental Health Assn Yankee Conference

September 28-30 in Plymouth MA

Please view the flyer r here, or click here to register.

Is Your Town Interested in Joining the State-Funded Wastewater COVID Testing Program?

As our testing data becomes less reliable due to the preponderance of at-home tests, the state is stepping up access to Biobot wastewater monitoring ( you can see it here: https://biobot.io/data/). Massachusetts will cover the costs of wastewater COVID monitoring for FY23. If your town has a wastewater treatment plant and you are interested in exploring if the testing will work there, reach out to Tami Segal at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services at tami.segal@mass.gov.

WMPHA JOB BOARD

Hadley Health Agent Posting

Hadley Community Health Nurse Posting

Send your postings to walker@frcog.org for inclusion.

Northampton Hosts Documentary on

Health Equity Work in WM

The Northampton Department of Health and Human Services invites you to a screening of Mosaic with a panel discussion to follow. This will be held at the Academy of Music, 274 Main Street in Northampton. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the intro and film will be at 7:00.The Event is FREE and open to the public!

Mosaic (2022) captures the stories of people of color across Western Massachusetts leading the way toward healthier communities and advocating for a better world. Commissioned by the Western Mass Health Equity Network and created by young local filmmaker Michelle Falcón Fontánez. Following the screening will be a panel of community leaders–some featured in the film and all to expand the conversation around what public health equity, justice, representation, and transformation has and can look like in our communities. There will also be updates about the Department of Community Care (DCC) and Community Resilience Hub projects. See flyer below.

Masks encouraged and available.

Registered Sanitarian Study Supports!

Are you interested in taking the Registered Sanitarian exam? WMPHA has study guides available for free to help Health Department staff from Western Massachusetts attain this important credential. They can be checked out for three months at a time. If you are interested, contact Executive Committee member Bri Eichstaedt.