New Bill Requires Plymouth Board of Health To Include A Physician

PLYMOUTH, MA — Gov. Charlie Baker passed a bill Tuesday that will amend a Plymouth charter to require the town's board of health seek to appoint one member who is a duly licensed physician.

The bill, presented by MA Sen. Susan L. Moran and Rep. Mathew J. Muratore of Plymouth, would formalize the current membership on the Plymouth Board of Health to ensure members have the skills and knowledge to provide longstanding benefits for the town.

"It's good practice to have as much expertise on the board and working with the board as possible," said Moran.

The second part of the bill will allow the Board of Health to appoint an alternate member for a one-year term, who may act if a regular member is unable to due to absence or conflict of interest. This part of the bill is built in for flexibility, said Moran, due to the fact that volunteering for a board is time consuming and physicians often have tight schedules as it is.

"Right now it is incredibly important because we have the COVID vaccination issue coming right up upon us, so town administrators and residents have a lot of questions, which is understandable," said Moran.

Moran said the bill was ultimately adopted due to the past and current successes involved with having a licensed physician serve on the board.

"It really was based upon the work of the town itself and the board of health," she said.