After welcoming Princeton’s new Animal Control Officer Nate Barson to the municipality (see page one story), Health Officer Jeffrey C. Grosser and the rest of the Board got down to business at the Princeton Board of Health’s regular monthly meeting last week.

First on the agenda was a discussion of the transportation gap resulting from the cancelation by New Jersey Transit of the 655 bus line local residents use to get to the University Medical Center of Princeton, following the hospital’s move from Witherspoon Street to Plainsboro.

“The line will be gone as of the first week of September,” said Mr. Grosser, who had met with hospital administrators earlier in the day. The plan, he said, is to set up an on-demand taxi service as an alternative. Rather than a voucher system, it would work on an honor system. UMCPP would operate the phone for the taxi-service.
Anyone going to the hospital would call up and state the time of their appointment. The taxi would pick up residents a minimum of a half hour prior to their appointments. The taxi system would not be used for emergencies, which would still be served by a 911 call. The Community Health Center and outpatient offices are not open 24/7, so after 7 p.m. any visits to the ER would necessitate a 911 call. But before 7 p.m. an non-emergency trip to the ER could be made by taxi, which could also be used for clinic walk-in visits.

Members of the Board discussed how to get the word out about the new service. Mr. Grosser said that the hospital has offered to pay for flyers. The details would be discussed by members of Princeton Council next month.

“It’s important that residents continue to have access to the hospital, whether for outpatient appointments, to visit a patient in the hospital, or to commute for work,” commented Council member Heather Howard, municipal liaison to the Board of Health.

 “To that end, the Princeton departments of health and human services have been working with UMCP to ensure that residents of the neighborhood around the hospital still have access to transportation to the hospital, and we will have an announcement soon on a plan,” said Ms. Howard.

Nail Salon Ordinance

With respect to a new Nail Salon Ordinance for Princeton prompted by a recent New York Times investigative series on the conditions for nail salon workers, Mr. Grosser reported on his research on model ordinances from other jurisdictions.

The issue of air quality is one that affects both nail salon workers and customers and the Board agreed to continue researching the issue with a view to having an informed ordinance for Princeton.

Currently enforcement is covered by the State Board of Cosmetology said Mr. Grosser, who had discussed the issue with the office of the State Deputy Attorney General. “I have looked at legislation on this and I am impressed by Boston’s, which gets into the nitty gritty of air quality in a way that New Jersey’s does not. We need to think out of the box on this, and find something more comprehensive, with respect to indoor air quality to protect people in Princeton.»

According to Mr. Grosser there are currently 26 such facilities in Princeton, 12 of which are nail salons. He noted that 80 percent of nail salon workers are young women of child-bearing age and that the current code stipulates that their work environment should be “well-ventilated.”

“Boston goes further by requiring specifically engineered air handling ensuring proper changover of fresh air and we want to see air changing over in these places,” said Mr. Grosser, noting that he had statistics on air quality that he would distribute to Board members.

The goal for Princeton, he said, was to go provide the protection necessary, to both salon patrons and workers, beyond the current state requirements.

One other health issue that was raised concerned the use of formaldehyde in hair treatments (smoothing treatments applied with heat).

This led to a question from a Board member on the scope of the new ordinance. What would it be called? Clearly it must be broad enough to include all places where chemicals were being used and there is a ventilation issue and a potential impact on health.

Other Issues

Mr. Grosser also mentioned plans for a Pedestrian Safety Awareness Campaign, which is “much needed in Princeton because it is certainly a walking town.”

Princeton University was commended for putting in new regulations at its eating clubs. “We consider that an accomplishment,” said Mr. Grosser who had personally visited the eating clubs to push for a stronger no-smoking policy.

The University has prohibited smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes, within 25 feet of all workplaces and buildings of public access. The new policy exceeds that for the state of New Jersey, which, as yet, does not define a distance outside of a building in which smoking is permitted.

Among other items discussed, including a decline in the number of rabid bats this year compared to last year, Mr. Grosser also announced a food safety course that would be offered to area restaurants in advance of the upcoming norovirus season.

As Ms. Howard remarked, the Board “covered a lot at the meeting.”