Swampscott Board of Health

03/02/2021

09/28/2020

SWAMPSCOTT – September 28, 2020 – Starting on Wednesday, September 30, The Town of Swampscott in partnership with Cataldo Ambulance will begin offering free drive-thru COVID-19 testing for all Swampscott residents. Testing will take place on Wednesdays from 2:30-6:30pm and Fridays from 9:00am-1:00pm. The program will be available throughout October with the possibility of being extended further.

Testing is open to residents of all ages and will take place at the First Congregational Church at 40 Monument Ave., across from Town Hall. To access the testing site, you will enter the driveway directly in front of the church from the Monument Ave. entrance. If there is a line of vehicles waiting for testing, please park in line, stay in your vehicle with your mask on, and someone will approach your vehicle to take your registration information prior to being tested. Cataldo Ambulance will take all necessary precautions to ensure testing is safe for residents and emergency personnel. The form of testing that will be performed is the less invasive nasal swab. Results will be returned within 24-48 hours. There is no pre-registration necessary.

“Based on the scientific evidence and the top public health experts, we know that testing and mask-wearing are the two most crucial tools we have to keep our community and one another safe from COVID-19.” Says Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald. “With Swampscott students returning for in-person learning in October and the beautiful weather bringing people out and about, it’s crucial that we give everyone the opportunity to be tested. It’s safe, easy and convenient and I encourage Swampscott residents to take advantage of this free COVID-19 testing program.”

In addition to testing, Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald wants to remind everyone the importance and necessity of wearing masks. “Top public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have stated that face masks are ‘the most important, powerful public health tool we have’ to fight COVID-19. They strongly recommend everyone wear face masks, especially young people who continue to spike the curve of infections. Please wear your masks and get tested to help keep your family and our community safe.”

The Town will utilize CARES Act funding to pay for testing. For more information, please call (781) 595-4050.

03/25/2020

Please join us for an important meeting tonight at 6pm.

Tonight at 6:00pm there will be a VIRTUAL joint Select Board & Board of Health meeting to provide an update on COVID-19. The boards will also discuss and possibly vote on other emergency public health measures INCLUDING A POTENTIAL STAY-AT-HOME ORDER. If you have questions or comments in advance of the meeting, please email Select Board Chair Peter Spellios at pspellios@swampscottma.gov. If you participate through Zoom on your computer or phone, you will be able to raise your hand to ask questions during public comment:

Access to the meeting is available through:

ONLINE
- Go to https://zoom.us/j/116984788
- You will need to download Zoom software to access this meeting and computer speakers in order to hear it. Please note: the capacity of attendees to Zoom has been increased so everyone will be able to attend.

BY PHONE
- Call (929) 205-6099
- Enter webinar ID: 116 984 788

SMART PHONE APPLICATION
- Download the Zoom app on your phone.
- Once opened, enter webinar ID: 116 984 788

ONLINE ON SWAMPSCOTT GOVERNMENT TV
- Go to tv.swampscottma.gov

ON FACEBOOK LIVE
- Tune into this page at 6PM

ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS TV
- Comcast - Channel 22; Verizon - Channel 41

Check us out on channel 22 on Comcast, and channel 41 on Verizon. Watch all Swampscott Regulatory Board meetings, Town Meetings, and other town related events.

03/25/2020

Please note the following updates from the Town of Swampscott as of Tuesday, March 24th, regarding the ongoing COVID-19 emergency response:

PUBLIC HEALTH UPDATE:
Though there is only one confirmed case in Swampscott, the Swampscott Health Department strongly believes that additional unrecognized cases DO exist in Town. Due to the fact that they are undetected, some of these infected individuals may not be properly isolated or quarantined, which is why the Health Department continues to strongly request that everyone practice diligent social distancing and avoid large gatherings.

JOINT SELECT BOARD & BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING:
On Wednesday, March 25 at 6:00pm there will be a VIRTUAL joint Select Board & Board of Health meeting directed at providing some clarity to the community regarding the recent Stay-at-Home Advisory issued by Governor Baker on 3/23, as well as the State order closing non-essential businesses. Access to the meeting is available through the Zoom computer or smartphone application, by telephone, on Government Access TV (online or on TV) and Facebook live. For detail, view the agenda here: http://www.swampscottma.gov/select-board/agenda/select-board-board-health-joint-meeting-3-25-20

FOOD SERVICES"
Thank you to the Swampscott Public Schools and Swampscott Senior Center with the support of Anchor Food Pantry for distributing meals. Since March 16, over 330 free meals have been distributed to families and seniors in Swampscott. For more information on food services available to the public, call 781-596-8866.

VOLUNTEERS:
There are many ways to volunteer your services to the community. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out our volunteer form: https://tinyurl.com/volunteer-swampscott

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE TOWN ALERTS:
Stay up to date on the Town's emergency response to COVID-19 by signing up to receive Town Emergency Notifications via phone, text, and/or email by going to swampscottma.bbcportal.com and entering your information.

Please visit www.swampscottma.gov for more information about the Town’s response to COVID-19.

Swampscott is a beautiful and tranquil seaside community of 13,800 residents located 15 miles northeast of Boston along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Swampscott offers a friendly, welcoming and nurturing family environment, an excellent pre-school to grade 12 public educational system...

03/14/2020

The Swampscott Board of Health and the Swampscott Health Department are in full support of both the Town’s and the School’s decisions to modify or to close down services at this time. Given everything we have learned from the infectious disease experts about the Covid 19 virus, how quickly it can spread, and the risks involved with close contact, this is, in our opinion, the safest decision for the Town of Swampscott and we applaud our Town officials for putting the public’s health first and foremost.

Sincerely,

Marianne Speranza-Hartmann, RN, MPH

Chair of The Swampscott Board of Health

03/13/2020

IMPORTANT TOWN UPDATE
The Town of Swampscott and Swampscott School Department, in consultation with our Emergency Response Team, and local and state officials, are immediately implementing the following measures relating to COVID-19. These measures will remain in place until at least Friday, March 27th. The Town and School Department will continually reassess this quickly evolving situation:

• Town Hall will be closed to the public. Most Town business can be handled online, by mail, through e-mail, or by telephone; and appointments will be scheduled only if entirely necessary by calling 781-596-8850. For more information visit www.swampscottma.gov.

• All Swampscott Public Schools will be closed through March 27th. For more information visit www.swampscottps.org.

• The Senior Center will be closed to the public. Limited services will be available to seniors including access to food services and transportation services. Call 781-596-8866 for more information.

• The Library will be closed to the public.

• All Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services are fully operational. In the event of an emergency, dial 911.

• Trash and Recycling will continue to be picked up on a normal schedule.

• All Town-sponsored public events (recreation, library, senior center, etc.) are postponed.

• All Board, Committee, and other public meetings are cancelled while we explore virtual meeting solutions.

Thank you for working with us and helping to keep Swampscott safe.

02/27/2020

Please click on this link for more information about the novel coronavirus:
http://www.swampscottma.gov/health/news/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-information

10/04/2019