HEATH — As they begin to put together a draft budget for fiscal year 2027, Selectboard members heard arguments from the Board of Health this week as to why the town should spend $12,647 to keep the town nurse position.
The future of the position has been questioned lately, with Selectboard members wondering if voters will continue to fund the role after current nurse Claire Rabbitt retires this spring, given other anticipated budget needs, including replacing doors at the Highway Garage and Fire Station, and repaving Number Nine Road.
“Since Claire’s retiring, and we’re going to be saying at [Annual Town Meeting], ‘Claire’s retiring, we’re going to be looking to hire a new person as long as it gets funded again,’ some people might turn around and say, ‘Why do we have to have that position funded?'” Selectboard Chair Robyn Provost-Carlson said. “This is what we want to be able to answer.”
Board of Health members said Heath is one of three towns in Franklin County that has its own public health nurse, with the others being Rowe and Montague. Other towns get nursing services through the Franklin Regional Council of Governments’ Cooperative Public Health Service. This provides services such as vaccinations and monitoring contagious diseases, but cannot meet all the needs of Heath residents for care such as wound cleanings and post-hospitalization follow-ups, the way Rabbitt does.
“Heath is unique in that we have a town nurse who really cares about the people and has a connection with them,” Board of Health Chair Gene Garland said. “They trust her and she does a lot of different things throughout the town.”
The board said Rabbitt has served an average of 30 unique patients in 90 visits per year, and provides 24 phone consultations annually, although Garland said he believes Rabbitt does more work to support people’s health than she reports during her eight hours per week. The town nurse assists with medication management, health education, blood pressure monitoring, glucose monitoring, wound care and more.
“The town nurse program remains a cornerstone of community health in town, providing critical, accessible and compassionate care. Future priorities include expanding outreach efforts, enhancing chronic disease management programs and increasing collaboration with interdisciplinary public health partners,” Board of Health member Susan Gruen wrote in a memo to the Selectboard. “Maintaining town nurse funding protects essential local services that cannot be replaced by staff alone. It also ensures the town remains compliant with Public Health Excellence grant requirements, which prohibit reducing local public health investment.”
FRCOG Director of Community Health Phoebe Walker explained that part of the community health program is paid for by a state grant, and the state does not want to see towns receive the funding and then cut their own contributions to public health.
The nurse position is part-time, eight hours per week, paying $29.50 per hour. Selectboard members asked whether, as part of the goals to reimagine the job and expand services, the position could be regionalized and shared with a few towns to create a full-time role.
Walker said that towns can share nurses, but as there is such a need for full-time nurses currently, it would be difficult to compete with the rates being offered by private companies. She said the town would have more luck finding someone who is looking to cut back hours to transition to retirement or who, for other reasons, cannot work full-time.
Finance Committee members, who did not have a meeting posted on the online calendar for the evening, but did have a quorum and asked questions throughout budget hearings, said that for the right candidate, the position would be about the work rather than the pay.
“If you find that right person, it’s not about the money anyway,” Finance Committee Chair Dena Briggs said. “Not everybody needs the money.”
Other budget matters
The Selectboard and Finance Committee also reviewed draft budget proposals from the Highway and Fire departments, which are seeking a few capital purchases in FY27.
The Highway Department is requesting approximately $12,000 for sidearm mower parts that would upgrade its John Deere tractor so it can cut and blow grass in a single pass, instead of cutting with one tractor and then coming through with a blower. Another $13,000 is sought for new doors for the Highway Garage and Fire Station, which would better seal the building. The cost of a request for two sets of firefighter turnout gear has not yet been determined and a $89,374 pickup truck is also sought.
Highway Superintendent Tyson Howard said the new truck would allow the crew to plow and sand the roads in a single pass, rather than use two vehicles to treat the roads. The department could then give a truck that is used for plowing to the Fire Department to serve as a vehicle for Fire Chief Nicholas Anzuoni.
Howard added that final decisions on what roads should be paved in FY27 have not been made, but he got quotes for several, and to level and do a top coat for Number Nine Road for $242,550 could keep it operational for a few more years while the town saves up to pave it properly. Paving Colrain Stage Road would cost $839,187.
Selectboard members said they are not sure yet if they can support buying a new vehicle in FY27 as they still have more departments to review and they are in negotiations with Colrain to purchase an old police cruiser to serve as the fire chief’s vehicle.
The Selectboard and Finance Committee are expected to continue working on the budget in the coming weeks in preparation to present it to voters at Annual Town Meeting.