Tweet
This is snipped from today's Times Argus. Mayor Lauzon blames misinformation... he makes a point. Maybe that's because the local newspapers give almost no information.
Lauzon: Barre needs a flu czar
By David Delcore TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: October 15, 2009
BARRE ? The Granite City could soon be in the market for a flu guru.
Mayor Thomas Lauzon made a pitch for expanding what is currently a figurehead position, health officer, to a full-time job in anticipation of what could be an unusually brutal flu season. In other business, councilors advanced a plan that would enable bars to serve alcohol an hour longer than the city currently permits.
Lauzon's meeting-ending request came even as he expressed concern that that too few of the city's most vulnerable residents, its children, would receive vaccinations for the H1N1 flu virus in coming weeks.
"I am very concerned ? that the permission rate ? among children will be low," he said, citing statistics that suggest a participation rate of between 40 and 50 percent.
Lauzon blamed what he described as "? a tremendous amount of misinformation" about the flu vaccine for driving down projections nationally and said he hoped to combat that in Barre with an as-yet-unscheduled forum aimed directly at parents.
"It is my goal to have 80 percent of children under age 10 (vaccinated)," he said.
However, Lauzon, who serves on a regional council appointed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he believed the city needs to act now to minimize the effects of flu season given the aggressive nature of the H1N1 virus.
"It can transmit very fast, and if you haven't prepared your community for that, it's sort of like jumping into a pool when you don't know how to swim," he said. "It's too late at that point."
Doing his best to not sound like an alarmist, Lauzon said the council should seriously consider creating a "temporary full-time position" to handle all things flu-related.
"I'm not seeing the coordination between the schools and the city and the first responders and the hospital that I would like to," he said. "Unless we get a handle on this I think we're going to regret it."
Lauzon said the position he envisioned would pay perhaps $600 a week and cost the city approximately $8,000.
Asked by Councilor Peter O'Grady where the city would come up with the money to cover the unbudgeted expansion of the health officer's position ? a position now assigned to Steve Micheli, who is the full-time director of the city's streets, water and sewer departments ? Lauzon said he would leave that to City Manager John Craig.
"It's the manager's job to manage the budget," he said, defending an expense he believed was justified.
"In some respects, councilor, we can't afford not to (do it)," he said. "We cannot afford to ignore it."
According to Lauzon, that is precisely what is happening in far too many communities.
"Local leaders are not thinking about this issue enough," he said. "We need to be thinking about it more."
Lauzon said that is particularly true given the potential for the H1N1 virus to spread rapidly, perhaps taking a toll on the city's first responders and members of its street department in the middle of winter.
"If you have 30 percent of your police force or your fire department ? out at one time, we don't have enough personnel to cover that," he said, outlining what for him would be a "worst-case scenario."
"I'm not saying it's the black plague, and I'm not trying to scare anyone, but it could be very expensive and very inconvenient," he said. "Hopefully it won't be."
Lauzon found an ally in Councilor Paul Poirier, who agreed with the mayor's call for a proactive response to a health problem that could spread quickly in a community with a comparatively high percentage of low-income residents, children and senior citizens.
"It's not an issue of scaring people or anything else (but) the facts are the facts," Poirier said. "This could have severe repercussions in terms of public health."
"Barre is certainly demographically a community at risk," Lauzon agreed.
Although the council stopped well short of embracing Lauzon's proposal to invest in the expansion of the health officer's position this winter, they did agree to authorize Craig to explore the idea and report back.
Lauzon said that was enough for him.
"I just want assurances that this community is prepared, and if they think they can do that with the existing staff, super, but there's not going to be any excuses if we're not (prepared)," he said.
Lauzon: Barre needs a flu czar
By David Delcore TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: October 15, 2009
BARRE ? The Granite City could soon be in the market for a flu guru.
Mayor Thomas Lauzon made a pitch for expanding what is currently a figurehead position, health officer, to a full-time job in anticipation of what could be an unusually brutal flu season. In other business, councilors advanced a plan that would enable bars to serve alcohol an hour longer than the city currently permits.
Lauzon's meeting-ending request came even as he expressed concern that that too few of the city's most vulnerable residents, its children, would receive vaccinations for the H1N1 flu virus in coming weeks.
"I am very concerned ? that the permission rate ? among children will be low," he said, citing statistics that suggest a participation rate of between 40 and 50 percent.
Lauzon blamed what he described as "? a tremendous amount of misinformation" about the flu vaccine for driving down projections nationally and said he hoped to combat that in Barre with an as-yet-unscheduled forum aimed directly at parents.
"It is my goal to have 80 percent of children under age 10 (vaccinated)," he said.
However, Lauzon, who serves on a regional council appointed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he believed the city needs to act now to minimize the effects of flu season given the aggressive nature of the H1N1 virus.
"It can transmit very fast, and if you haven't prepared your community for that, it's sort of like jumping into a pool when you don't know how to swim," he said. "It's too late at that point."
Doing his best to not sound like an alarmist, Lauzon said the council should seriously consider creating a "temporary full-time position" to handle all things flu-related.
"I'm not seeing the coordination between the schools and the city and the first responders and the hospital that I would like to," he said. "Unless we get a handle on this I think we're going to regret it."
Lauzon said the position he envisioned would pay perhaps $600 a week and cost the city approximately $8,000.
Asked by Councilor Peter O'Grady where the city would come up with the money to cover the unbudgeted expansion of the health officer's position ? a position now assigned to Steve Micheli, who is the full-time director of the city's streets, water and sewer departments ? Lauzon said he would leave that to City Manager John Craig.
"It's the manager's job to manage the budget," he said, defending an expense he believed was justified.
"In some respects, councilor, we can't afford not to (do it)," he said. "We cannot afford to ignore it."
According to Lauzon, that is precisely what is happening in far too many communities.
"Local leaders are not thinking about this issue enough," he said. "We need to be thinking about it more."
Lauzon said that is particularly true given the potential for the H1N1 virus to spread rapidly, perhaps taking a toll on the city's first responders and members of its street department in the middle of winter.
"If you have 30 percent of your police force or your fire department ? out at one time, we don't have enough personnel to cover that," he said, outlining what for him would be a "worst-case scenario."
"I'm not saying it's the black plague, and I'm not trying to scare anyone, but it could be very expensive and very inconvenient," he said. "Hopefully it won't be."
Lauzon found an ally in Councilor Paul Poirier, who agreed with the mayor's call for a proactive response to a health problem that could spread quickly in a community with a comparatively high percentage of low-income residents, children and senior citizens.
"It's not an issue of scaring people or anything else (but) the facts are the facts," Poirier said. "This could have severe repercussions in terms of public health."
"Barre is certainly demographically a community at risk," Lauzon agreed.
Although the council stopped well short of embracing Lauzon's proposal to invest in the expansion of the health officer's position this winter, they did agree to authorize Craig to explore the idea and report back.
Lauzon said that was enough for him.
"I just want assurances that this community is prepared, and if they think they can do that with the existing staff, super, but there's not going to be any excuses if we're not (prepared)," he said.
Comment