Board of Health - What We Do
Mashpee Board of Health strives to provide comprehensive public health services, resources, and guidance to residents, visitors and the business community; promotes a minimum set of community health standards; and facilitates local and regional vaccine clinics. The Board of Health monitors and responds to existing and emerging public health threats (e.g. Coronavirus, Monkeypox, West Nile, EEE, Lyme disease and rabies); enforces isolation and quarantine requirements to control the spread of disease; prevents adulterated food and manages foodborne illness outbreaks; and educates the public about the risks of insect and tick-borne diseases.
The Board of Health enforces state health and sanitary laws, nuisance laws, Town by-laws, and rules and regulations of the Mashpee Board of Health; investigates complaints related to noise, odor, water quality, air quality, asbestos, excessive/chronic dampness, hoarding, illegal dumping, rodents, mosquito control, abandoned properties, nuisances, and other sources of filth and causes of sickness; and assists with animal and vector control through surveillance for and prevention of rabies, rodents, mosquitos, ticks and the illnesses they carry.
The Board of Health inspects and/or permits public and semi-public swimming pools, hot tubs/spas, body work practitioners and facilities, body art practitioners and facilities, funeral directors, tobacco sales establishments, fixed food establishments and operators, mobile and temporary food establishments, marijuana establishments, tanning salons, stables, private drinking wells and irrigation wells; and enforces minimum standards for bathing beaches, retail tobacco sales, as well as regulations relative to lead poisoning and prevention, and the removal and transportation of garbage, offal or offensive substances.
The Board of Health enforces minimum standards of fitness for human habitation; and licenses and inspects recreational camps for children, hotels/motels, mobile home parks, family-type campgrounds and short-term rental dwellings.
The Board of Health assists in guiding residents through the processes of repairing/upgrading their on-site septic systems and connecting to municipal sewer, and enforces standard requirements for the siting, construction, inspection, upgrade and expansion of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems.
The Board of Health plays an important role in planning for natural and manmade disasters, and their potential impact on public health and the environment; monitors and responds to existing and potential environmental issues; delivers public health warnings and posts signage to promote awareness of water quality issues at bathing beaches (e.g. Cyanobacteria and harmful algae blooms); and responds to oil spills and leaks, the release of hazardous materials, the contamination of drinking water and other threats to the public.
In Mashpee, the Board of Health oversees the operation and maintenance of the capped sanitary landfill at Asher’s Path, and the sampling of the bathing beaches from Memorial Day through Labor Day.