Health
Overview
Contact
Julie Federman
Health Director
Bangs Center
70 Boltwood Walk
Amherst,
MA
01002
Ph: 413-259-3077
Fx: 413-259-2404
Hours
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Monday - Friday
While the Health Department and Board of Health both work to promote health in the Amherst community, the two bodies have very different roles.
The Board of Health is responsible for making health policy for the Town of Amherst, which includes:
- Creating new policy
- Holding public hearings on existing policies
- Hearing variance requests for existing policies
The Health Department is responsible for implementing the policies of the Board. As a result, the Department is responsible of the enforcement of policy, including inspections and fines.
Town of Amherst Regulation Prohibiting Smoking In Workplaces and Public Places
The Amherst Board of Heath has been engaged in the review of the Town of Amherst Regulation Prohibiting Smoking In Workplaces and Public Places. The Board of Health has drafted proposed amendments to this regulation including specific language regarding eliminating smoking in outdoor spaces where food and/or beverages are served by an employee, as well as during Registered Events on Town owned property.
The Board of Health will hold a Public Hearing in order to receive public comment regarding the proposed amendments to the regulation. The Public Hearing will take place during the Board of Health’s regularly scheduled meeting on February 25, 2010. The meeting will take place in the Glass Room of the Bangs Community at 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst; the regular meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and the Public Hearing will be opened at 7:15 p.m.
An electronic version of the current regulation, as well as a draft version with the proposed amendments can be viewed on the Town of Amherst website at the link below.
Current Regulation:
/DocumentView.aspx?DID=3014 (PDF)
Regulation with Proposed Amendments:
/DocumentView.aspx?DID=3015 (PDF)
Mission Statement
To promote the health and well-being of the community through the core functions of assurance, assessment, policy development, and promotion.
The Board and the Department meet their mission by focusing on the following practices:
- Assurance: ensuring that all Amherst residents have the services necessary to maintain or restore good health either by providing services directly, by coordinating the delivery of services by other agencies, and by policy or regulation development
- Assessment: systematically collecting, assembling, analyzing, and making available information regarding the health of the community, including statistics on health status, community health needs, and epidemiological studies of health problems
- Policy Development: developing and implementing comprehensive public health policies, regulations, and legislation
- Promotion: providing services and educational opportunities that encourage healthy environments and lifestyles
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