LAWRENCE — Until two months ago, the city had two public health nurses who checked on tuberculosis patients, dispensed flu shots and immunizations, and investigated all kinds of communicable disease reports.
But this week, with the sole remaining nurse on vacation, there's no one doing that job.
"This city is on the verge of a public health crisis. It's just incredible to me," said Catherine Ouellette, a Lawrence public health nurse who was laid off in December because of city budget cuts.
Ouellette, 60, plans to speak to city councilors tonight about the need for her job in Lawrence, a city of 74,000 people — many of them immigrants whose first encounter with the health care system happens here. Ultimately, though, the decision to rehire her will be with Mayor Michael Sullivan who, at this point, is not necessarily convinced he should restore the position.
"This is the first time I'm hearing there's a real health issue here," Sullivan said yesterday evening. He pointed to the "many health professionals in the city that would take care of emergencies," including Lawrence General Hospital, city health clinics and close to three dozen school nurses across the city.
Ouellette said a priority for public health nurses are TB patients who, if not properly medicated and cared for, can be highly contagious. Lawrence currently has four active TB patients and approximately 100 people with a latent form of the lung disease.
Since Ouellette was laid off, the city's remaining public health nurse, Brian Zahn, has been keeping tabs and dispensing medicines to the TB patients. But Zahn is on vacation this week, and the public health office, located in the basement of City Hall, is essentially shut down until his return. Ouellette offered to cover for him, but she said the city couldn't come up with the money to pay her salary of $807 a week.
"There's a secretary there, but she can't give out shots or medicines," Ouellette noted.
In the 1980s, the city had six public health nurses. When Ouellette was hired in 2001, she was among a staff of three.
Ouellette said she hopes to reinforce tonight the need for the $42,000-per-year job and illuminate what public health nurses do. Her supporters include Dr. Joel Gorn, the city physician, and members of the Massachusetts Nursing Association, the union that represents Ouellette and Zahn.
Public health nurses are vital to communities because they respond immediately to health crises, said David Schildmeier, MNA spokesman.
"So you don't create an epidemic in a community," Schildmeier said. Lawrence, he noted, has a "high transient population," which at times lends itself to dangerous health situations.
Gorn described Ouellette's layoff, one of 42 in the city, as a "shortsighted" move. Public health nurses educate, do outreach, immunize, medicate and investigate. With just one such nurse in Lawrence, "it puts the city at risk for a serious public health emergency."
"The public needs to understand the current budget leads to levels that are unacceptable in that office," Gorn said. "People really need to look at the demographics of the city of Lawrence ... Many have never seen a doctor, and their first contact is our health department."
A Lawrence native, Ouellette said she's always been committed to the health of the city. She's always lived here, except for seven years when her husband was in the military.
"It's our obligation to protect those people," she said.
City Council president Patrick Blanchette said he believes the Public Health Department "has always been made up of true healthcare professionals."
"And, in the grand scheme of things, we retain their services at a bargain price," he said. But, he said, it's unfortunate the current administration "has dwindled the staff down to one employee and placed the citizens at risk."
"I support any effort to bring the staffing to levels that are appropriate, moral and humane for our city," Blanchette said.
Ouellette said that because the public health office is located in the basement of City Hall, some believe the nurses were there to care solely for city employees.
"No, we are here for the 74,000 people on the outside," Ouellette said.
Staff reporter Jill Harmacinski can be reached at 978-946-2209 or by e-mail at JHarmacinski@eagletribune.com.
By the numbers
Here's some of thing Lawrence public health nurses did in 2007
r 104 blood pressure clinics
r 560 home visits
r 572 tuberculosis tests
r 196 communicable disease investigations (hepatitis, salmonella, giardia, Lyme disease, strep pneumonia, legionaire's, pertussis, mumps and more.)
r 38,845 regional vaccine distributions
