SALEM — Salem residents receiving benefits through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) may soon be able to have their benefit cards refilled at the health department.

During the board of health’s June meeting, Health Commissioner Chelsea Clark told the board that she had spoken with WIC about potentially setting a monthly refill date in Salem.

Clark said that while there was no current start date, she was hopeful to begin hosting WIC at the health department soon. She noted that the department has been working to organize the partnership for a few years, but it hasn’t been possible due to WIC being stretched thin providing for multiple counties.

“So it won’t be for new people that need to apply for WIC, but if they are already [enrolled] and need to refill their card. They’re going to start coming out here once a month, hopefully soon, which I’m really happy about because we’ve asked for two years and they’ve finally got us on their radar,” Clark said.

Registrar of Vital Statistics Kim Williams said they had also discussed potentially doing satellite visits through the health department, which would benefit residents who would otherwise need to travel to Lisbon.

“Even if they came and did satellite, we could set them up here and they could do their visits and people wouldn’t have to go to Lisbon and that’s a huge thing. Because if you’re on WIC, you probably don’t have the money to go to Lisbon,” Williams said.

The board also discussed the department’s printer service.

Clark said that the department currently has two color printers, one that is fully paid off, and one that it currently pays $118 per month for. She said that she had reviewed the departments’ options and could not reduce the monthly payment for the printer, even by changing its service provider. However, the auditor’s office currently has a smaller black and white printer which it is interested in exchanging with the health department for its color copier.

Clark said that switching the units would reduce the health department’s monthly payment to $45, saving $73 per month. She said that the department could have the city do the switch directly, but would retain liability to repair any potential damage, or have Access Consultants do it at a cost of $299 who would then be responsible for any damage instead. Clark also noted that the auditor’s office was willing to split that moving fee, meaning the health department would only pay approximately $150.

The board voted unanimously to approve the exchange and to pay for Access Consulting to move the machine.

During her report Clark told the board that the new location for the department’s fifth annual Health Resource Fair on June 18 was well liked, and that the bounce house and raffle also received positive responses and attracted lots of families. She also said that the event’s sponsor Myers Family Insurance had been in attendance and said that they would sponsor the event annually going forward.

“I got a lot of good feedback; everyone seemed to like that location,” Clark said.

Clark also told the board that the department would be hosting a back-to-school vaccination clinic in August, but that the date had not been finalized yet. Clark said that the department would also begin offering the PENMENVEY vaccine, a combined meningitis A, B, C, W, and Y vaccine. Clark said that previously meningitis vaccination was conducted as two separate vaccines, one which immunized against groups A, C, Y, and W, and one which immunized against group B, while the PENMENVY vaccine prevents all five. PENMENVY is intended for individuals aged 10-25 and is administered as a two-dose series with the second shot following six months after the first.

The meeting concluded with an executive session for personnel matters with no action to follow.

The board of health will meet next at 2 p.m. on July 15.