General Purpose
The Franklin Health Department is required by state, local laws and regulations to perform many critical duties related to the protection of public health. These duties cover a wide range of public health control and prevention activities, including: disease surveillance; the promotion of sanitary conditions in housing, recreational facilities, and food establishments; elimination of nuisances; the protection of the environment; and numerous other responsibilities and core functions.
Core Functions
● The Health Department conducts bi-annual inspections of 120 food service establishments and 18 retail food establishments (convenience stores) yearly. Each establishment receives a routine inspection and a follow up re-inspection subsequent to the original inspection. Not included in this number are complaint related inspections, and suspect food-borne illness investigations. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires all health departments to submit comprehensive inspection reports and illness worksheets for all suspect cases. The Health Department staff also must inspect and permit mobile food trucks and other seasonal and temporary food events throughout the year.
● In 2025, the health department permitted 23 retail stores and three adult smoke shops. The Board of Health amended the 2023 Sales Regulation restricting the sale of tobacco and vape products to incorporate these minimum standards required pursuant to Massachusetts state law and regulations into the current board of regulations.
● The Health Department is required to review all engineered plans for proposed septic system installations, upgrades and repairs to be in compliance with State Regulations. The Health Department has contracted with a septic consultant to review and approve all engineered plans and to monitor the progress of these installations by conducting a series of site inspections. The permitting process for septic installers continues to be done through the Health Department.
● The Health Department enforces the State Sanitary Code, Minimum Standards of Fitness and Human Habitation and is mandated to investigate all complaints of unsanitary or substandard living conditions of dwellings. The health department participates in the Franklin Crisis Action Team and works with the Senior Center staff, Police, Fire, Veterans departments to share information and strategize on new and existing residential cases to protect the public’s health and prevent harm.
● The Health Department has the responsibility for investigating all reports of public health nuisances, including, but not limited to, refuse, noxious odors, overgrown vegetation and stagnant water.
● In addition to the above-mentioned primary responsibilities, the following is a list of additional departmental functions:
○ Permitting and inspection of public pools and spas
○ Permitting and inspection of recreational camps
○ Permitting and inspection of tanning establishment
○ Permitting and inspection of mobile food trucks
○ Permitting and inspection of body art facilities
○ Permitting and inspection of bodyworks facilities
○ Processing renewal applications yearly
○ Processing plan reviews for all establishments as submitted
● All public swimming pools and spas receive both annual and regularly scheduled inspections by the Health Department. Improper sanitation and maintenance of public pools and spas has resulted in serious disease outbreaks and injuries. Presently, the town has six year round pools, four hot tubs and fifteen seasonal pools that require inspections. Recreational camps for children require an intensive review process by local Health Departments prior to issuance of a permit to operate. All campers’ immunization records must be reviewed thoroughly for required vaccinations by the public health nurse. The facility also requires a detailed inspection for compliance with all state regulations. Most recently the Health Department permitted 8 recreational camps for children.
Staffing
● One (1) Director of Public Health
● One (1) Health Agent
● One (1) Public Health Nurse
● One (1) Regional Health Agent
The Permitting Specialists in the Building Department and the Department of Planning and Community Development provide administrative support to the Health Department. The Health Department pays a portion of their salaries.
Strategic Initiatives & Accomplishments
● Organize and implement a Women’s health expo including a mammogram van.
● Build additional community web resources for community education
● Continue to partner with the fire department to offer residents and schools public health trainings (stop the bleed, hands only CPR, Narcan and other educational trainings)
● Continue to post educational podcasts
● Start a first aid class for the community
● Organize and hold a flu clinic for adults and children
● Organize and hold a fall health fair
● Assess the community’s public health nursing needs and initiate programs and interventions
● Continue to be engaged in the shared service grant community events with Wrentham and Norfolk
● The Public Health nurse organized and held a flu clinic at the Senior Center and vaccinated 90 adults
● The Public Health nurse organized and held a flu clinic at the Senior Center and vaccinated 50 children.
● Conduct annual inspections of recreational camps by auditing medical related records and procedures mandated by the state
● Organized and held a fall and spring health fair held at the library
● Organized and held a Health Brain Expo at the Senior Center
● The Public health nurse continues to partner with the senior center, the fire department and housing authority to give the community health educational
trainings. She also continues being engaged in a shared service grant with Wrentham and Norfolk enabling the health department to have a regional health agent and a shared coordinator on site, assisting with flu clinics and other community educational events
● Partner with the library to have self blood pressure station and blood pressure kits from the American Red Cross being the first library in Mass to have this program and blood pressure kits in the Library of Things
FY27 Requested Budget Highlights
● Staff anticipate the potential to lose state grant funding to support the Metacomet Public Health Alliance. As a result, some small costs will be coming on the budget, most of which are legally mandated costs, such as food inspection. The budget impact is $69,030. Over the past four years of this grant, the town saw some savings, but also increased administrative time to manage.
● The Public Health Excellence grant that funds the Public Health nurse RN salary is not sustainable in the near future from the state and a plan for funding this position needs to be in place in lue of grant funding being defunded therefore, the Public Health nurse, RN to be fully funded through the health department budget.
● The Public Health Excellence grants funds a Regional Health Agent to conduct food establishment inspections 14 hours per week. This grant filled position is also not sustainable in the near future and a plan for the health department to fully fund a Food Consultant will be needed in lue of grant funding to conduct biannual food establishment and grocery store inspections for the health department.
FY27 Requested Budget Summary
The scope of duties mandated by Massachusetts General Laws and DPH regulations for local health departments inherently requires the skills of a Registered Nurse, making a public health nurse essential for fulfilling legal obligations and providing core community health services to the municipality.
The Food Consultant is to replace the Regional Health Agent to inspect food establishments and supermarkets bi-annually to meet the Mass.gov 105 CMR 590.000 (State Sanitary Code Chapter 11) that sets the minimum sanitation standards for food establishments, covering personnel, facility requirements, food handling, and permits. Along with the M.G.L. Chapter 94, Section 184D: General Laws related to inspecting food stores for compliance and handling violations.
The PDF of this section -
The FY 2027 budget information can be found
