Board of Health Minutes

The SOUTHBOROUGH BOARD OF HEALTH is run by a three member elected board and two staff members. Each Board Member serves a three year term. The current Board is comprised of Chairman, Doctor Louis Fazen, III. Ruth C. Brefka, a retired nurse, and Nancy Sacco, R.N. Public Health Director, Paul C. Pisinski oversees the daily activities of the Board of Health Office with assistance from his administrator Barbara M. Luther.

Regular Board of Health Meetings are held once per month, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month in the Thomas W. McAuliffe Hearing Room on the second floor of the Town House. The meeting times alternated between 2:00 PM in the afternoon and 7:00 PM in the evening. Meetings are posted with the Town Clerks office or you may contact the Board of Health Office to confirm dates and times.

The vast majority of this department’s time and effort is spent regulating private and a few public on-site subsurface sewage disposal systems. These systems are administered and enforced through the State Title 5 Code.  The Southborough Board of Health has added some addenda to the State Title 5 Code with regards to septic tanks and percolation rates from 31 to 60 minutes per inch.  The public is encouraged to call the Board of Health office with any questions they may have regarding the operation, maintenance and care of their septic system. Generally septic tanks should be pumped every two to five years, broken components should be fixed immediately, and everyone is reminded that garbage disposal grinders are banned in Southborough. The Board of Health, along with the citizenry of Southborough, are very pro-active in protecting the environment. As such, the Town of Southborough offers, through the Board of Health, a Betterment Loan Program to encourage homeowners to repair/replace failing septic systems. The first two rounds of funding financed the replacement of thirty-eight failing systems.

In 2006, as the Board of Health reorganized following the Town elections, and Dr. Louis Fazen became the chairman. The Board's focus began to include more emphasis on Public Health issues such as Emergency Preparedness. Southborough is part of the Region 4A Emergency Preparedness and during the spring of 2006 the Board of Health began to look at developing a local Medical Reserve Corps or "MRC". This is a national system which brings together people who have skills related to health care as well as citizen volunteers. They serve as a team during times of emergency or need in their own community. MRC units are trained and prepared to respond to emergencies and they provide education, outreach and various health services throughout the year.

Tobacco Control - Six years ago the Southborough Board of Health was one of the charter members of the Route 9 East Tobacco Control Program. In 2001 the Board of Health adopted regulations that ban smoking in all "public buildings" and in the "workplace". The current Board intents to continue the efforts of previous Boards in Tobacco Control with the help of the Worcester Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Program.

Also each fall a free Flu Clinic is offered to all elderly and "high risk" Southborough residents.

The first Saturday in April the Board of Health sponsors an annual Rabies Clinic, along with the Southborough Veterinary Hospital. In 2002 the Board of Health adopted the State regulations for Body Art and Tattooing.

The Board of Health is also charged with enforcing the State Sanitary Code, which includes the Food Code, revised by the Department of Public Health in 2001. The Board of Health is required to conduct inspection on each of the forty-five food establishments in town. Some establishments require as many as four inspections a year.

As part of enforcement of the State Sanitary Code, the Board of Health is also responsible for responding to Housing Complaints regarding rental properties.