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Health director says grant-related staffing changes raised concerns; DPH told board grant should not supplant employees
Summary
At a May 13 meeting, Health Director Kendell Longo told the Public Health Excellence Grant Advisory Board she believes a PHE grant may be being used to reduce her hours; Boxford officials denied that and DPH staff said the grant is intended to enhance services, not supplant positions.
Kendell Longo told the Public Health Excellence Grant Advisory Board on May 13 that she believes the Town of Boxford is moving to reduce her hours starting July 1 in a way she attributes to administration of a Public Health Excellence (PHE) grant.
Longo told the board she has been in contact with Department of Public Health staff about the change, saying it appears the town is “supplanting” local work with grant-funded activities. The minutes record that the Boxford Town Administrator denied the change was driven by the PHE grant; DPH staff Mike Hugo and Kristin Black told the board the PHE grant is intended to enhance public‑health capacity rather than replace existing employees. Board members said DPH will follow up to clarify the situation.
The dispute matters because federal and state grant rules typically prohibit using grant funds to supplant established local positions. Longo asked the board for follow-up and for clear guidance from DPH on allowable uses of the grant funds, saying the change could reduce town-level public‑health capacity.
Board members did not take a formal vote on the issue at the meeting. The minutes show the discussion concluded with DPH agreeing to follow up with the towns to clarify whether proposed scheduling changes comply with the PHE grant’s requirements.
The board’s next meeting is set for June 27; members did not list a deadline for the DPH follow-up during the meeting.
