Board of Health — Burlington, VT
Date: 2025-09-09
Time: 18:00

Board of Health Meeting
 Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 6:00 PM,
 Mapping Conference Room 645 Pine Street OR REMOTELY via ZOOM

6:00 pm, Mapping Conference Room 645 Pine Street OR Remotely via ZOOM:
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1. Agenda
  1.1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda

2. Approval of August 2025 draft minutes

3. Public Forum
  Subject 3.1. Verbal Comments
  Meeting September 9, 2025 - Board of Health - Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 6:00 PM,
 Burlington Board of Health
 Mapping Conference Room 645 Pine Street OR REMOTELY via ZOOM
  Category 3. Public Forum
  Department Council and Board


  Type

4. Cooling Centers and Warming Shelters review

5. Substance Abuse and Safe Syringe Disposal

6. Chair Report

7. Public Outreach / Communications

8. Adjournment
  Subject 8.1. Motion to adjourn

September 9, 2025 BOH draft minutes
Spreadsheet Review and Distribution
The meeting began with Celia, Jennifer, Jane and Bianka participating with Deputy Health
Officer Rob Strasenburgh staffing the meeting.

Board of Health Meeting Updates
The Board of Health meeting began with Celia calling the session to order at 5:41 pm and
discussing the agenda, which included reviewing draft minutes from the previous month, public
input, and a planned presentation on cooling centers. Due to the absence of the scheduled
presenter, the board decided to table the cooling centers discussion for a future meeting where
Sarah Russell and the Mayor's special assistant on homelessness would speak. The agenda was
approved with a motion to table item four, and the board reviewed the August meeting
minutes, noting some minor corrections to the attendees' names and the need to add the year
to the date. Amended agenda approve by Jane, seconded by Jenny- Unanimous in favor.
Correcting Meeting Minutes Clarifications
The group discussed corrections to meeting minutes, focusing on clarifying the reasons for the
pain study's exemption from informed consent and the recipients of the 500 survey responses.
They identified that community members, rather than participants, were likely the survey
recipients, and agreed to seek clarification on these points. The team also noted that the last
paragraph of the minutes contained a misspelling of "LITE-S" and discussed the need to
document their changes to the minutes.
Board Minutes Approval Review
The board reviewed and approved changes to the draft meeting minutes, including correcting
the spelling of Bianca's name and clarifying that the 2022 Board of Health recommendations
were treated as mandates rather than guidance. They agreed to simplify the draft minutes
section to reflect that the board viewed, amended, and approved the minutes. Celia will make
the necessary changes to the actual minutes document and send them back to Bill for final
approval.
Public Forum Substance Abuse Discussion
The group discussed the status of a public forum and reviewed a document containing questions
about substance abuse and safe syringe disposal. Celia shared that she needed help answering
these questions and mentioned that Jennifer had made some changes. Jennifer provided an
update on a recent subcommittee meeting she attended, where she learned about an Age
Strong Burlington report and Teresa Vezina's work on setting up a supervised consumption site.
The group agreed to submit answers to the questions and follow up with Evan and Ali Schachter
for further guidance on next steps.


Public Outreach and Funding Discussion
The group discussed a document containing questions about public outreach and chair report
activities. Celia explained that she would email the document to Bianca, Jane, and Jennifer, who
needed to request access. They reviewed the questions, focusing on those from the initial
meeting versus follow-up emails. Jennifer mentioned that Councilor Litwin had already reached
out to the Vermont Department of Health for data and funding information after the August
20th CDNR meeting. Bianka advised against spending too much time on funding
recommendations due to uncertainty about state funding, suggesting the city council or
Department of Health should seek additional information instead. The group agreed to format
the document to clearly distinguish between meeting and email questions.

Needle Litter and Public Health
The group discussed public health risks associated with needle litter, with Celia noting that while
needle stick injuries are relatively rare, they should be tracked more comprehensively. Bianka
suggested conducting additional research on needle stick injury rates among waste workers and
called for more data collection in the Burlington community, while Jane emphasized that the
report clearly distinguishes between needle exchanges and safe syringe programs. The team
agreed to highlight the need for better data collection methods, particularly through public
health departments, and to clarify that SSPs provide important public health services by
encouraging safe needle disposal.

Service Provider Accountability Discussion
The group discussed editing and formatting issues in a document, particularly regarding a section
about service provider accountability. They agreed that the question of how service providers
are established and regulated is complex and varies by location, with Jennifer noting that the
CDC provides guidance and works with state health departments. The discussion concluded with
an agreement to focus on broader community issues rather than specific service providers, with
Jennifer offering to research requirements for becoming an SSP in Vermont.

Community Syringe Disposal Programs
The group discussed syringe disposal programs and community cleanup efforts. They learned
that three SSPs in Burlington already receive funding for sharps containers and gloves, and
Jennifer mentioned that the city is already providing some disposal containers. Bianka and
Jennifer shared information about Boston's mobile collection program, which evolved into a
cleanup district that hired people to help clean the streets. The group also discussed existing
volunteer cleanup efforts, including those organized by the Peace and Justice Center and VHR.
They agreed to look into the history of successful city-sponsored cleanup programs and to follow
up on redemption programs from parks, though they were unclear about what this referred to.

Councilor Questions and Project Planning

The group discussed follow-up actions regarding Councilor Kane's questions about syringe
disposal, agreeing to draft an email to clarify which questions remain relevant and need further
research. They decided to reach out to Councilor Litwin and President Travers to inquire about
next steps following Jenny's attendance at the Cdnr meeting. The team also reviewed meeting
minutes and discussed the need to identify new community projects to focus on, with Jane
offering to share resources for street safety initiatives through the Front Porch Forum.
The meeting adjourned without objection at 7:12 pm.