Message from the Chairman of the Board of Health

The Reorganized Springfield Board of Health

The reorganized Springfield Board of Health (SBOH) recently held its first meetings on Sept. 12 and on Oct. 10 after a two month scheduled break by the previous Board of Health (BOH). The SBOH is now comprised of nine members; the five members of the governing body and four members of the public from the medical or health profession. This is the first time in history of the board that this many doctors have sat on the board of health.

As the new chairman of the board of health, I had the meetings moved into the Kenneth Faigenbaum Committee Chamber and Municipal Court to allow greater public participation and revamped the agenda to conform with the township committee agenda that the public has grown accustomed too. Most significantly, I introduced the SBOH mission statement and established four primary goals the board of health should strive to achieve. Neither of which the BOH had previously and are now posted on the township website.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Township of Springfield Board of Health is to be an advocate for the health of Springfield residents and the surrounding communities. This mission is accomplished through the provision of appropriate services, the enforcement of applicable codes and assessing changing community needs for health services, for the protection of the public’s health, safety, and welfare.

Goals

1. Improved Communication
2. Fiscal Responsibility
3. Policy Development
4. BOH Professional Development

The Westfield Regional Health Department has served Springfield well these past years and the SBOH has no issue with the level or quality of service they have provided. However, it is the prudent upon this or any board of health, especially in these tough economic times, to explore other health service providers. Even the Westfield Health Officer, encourages her boards each year to evaluate the services provided by hers and other health departments.

However, the previous BOH failed to make any significant search or evaluation of other health service providers. This SBOH has done what the residents expect of a board of hleath and to make those inquiries and comparisons without sacrificing the level or quality of services the residents expect.

The Madison Health Department, an equally qualified and respected health department, is able to provide comparable health services to Springfield for $30,000 less than what the Westfield Regional Health Department proposed for 2013. Both health departments had the opportunity to make presentations to the SBOH regarding their qualifications and services. While no formal decision to retain Westfield or to change to Madison has been made by the SBOH, in accordance with the 2012 shared service agreement, the SBOH, as courtesy to Westfield, voted to provide notice to terminate our 2012 agreement. This leaves the SBOH the option to contract with either Westfield or Madison for health services for 2013.

It is incumbent upon any board of health to establish goals, look for cost reductions, search for better services, communicate to the residents and look out for their health interests. As a veteran, I would have classified the previous BOH as “Combat Ineffective." Meaning, they were there, but weren’t up to the task of representing the public’s health interest.