--- title: A little help from our friends date: 2006-04-07T14:03:26-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/a-little-help-from-our-friends" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / # A little help from our friends By Debra Filcman/ Staff Writer Thursday, April 6, 2006 Everyone asks a neighbor for help once in a while, even cities and towns, but there aren’t official procedures in place to do it. That may soon change if voters approve Article 16 at Town Meeting this year. The article would create a formal mutual aid agreement, much like those used by fire departments, between the health departments of 28 cities and towns in the commonwealth. “It’s just a structure for requesting aid from other communities,” Health Director Janice Berns said. “We already have an informal understanding with other towns; this just formalizes it.” Nearby towns – including Dedham, Newton, Brookline, Cambridge, Watertown and most recently, Boston – signed on to the agreement. According to the Town Meeting warrant: “This agreement is to provide for mutual aid and assistance between the municipalities entering into the agreement when the resources normally available to a municipality are not sufficient to cope with a situation which requires public health action.” The aid could be provided in the form of supplies, personnel or a combination thereof, but is not meant to stand in lieu of each town’s respective services. Selectman Jim Healy questioned if it would be another situation like that of the fire department’s mutual aid, where Needham provides more than it receives. “If a town in our region decides to cut back their health department or just has a weak department, it would be reasonable for us to say no,” Board of Health Vice Chairman Denise Garlick said. “We’re not going to staff other towns’ health departments.” The agreement isn’t meant to cover catastrophic problems like a bomb, for instance. It could, however, help with day-to-day troubles. Assistance would be utilized in an event such as a salmonella outbreak, which could easily affect 100 people at a time. Garlick referenced Arlington’s recent outbreak of hepatitis, which required 3,000 people to seek shots, as another instance in which the proposed agreement would be needed. Boston signed as of Tuesday, which encouraged the board. Regardless, Berns emphasized, the town has the ability to refuse the mutual aid if it feels its own resources are too strained. Likewise, the town can withdraw from the agreement entirely with just 14 days notice to the other municipalities. “But what happens if everyone says no?” Selectman Chairman John Bulian said. “What good is the agreement? If one of the 28 towns is refused aid by one neighbor after the next, he said, the agreement becomes moot, he said. “How many times can we say no to other towns before they say no to us?” Healy said. Berns said these towns have already provided mutual aid to one another for years; in her tenure as director, only eight informal requests have been made for mutual aid. “It has not been abused,” she said. Selectman Jerry Wasserman said although he supported the idea of mutual aid, he feels various forms of aid need to be unified. “One of the biggest lessons Katrina taught us is about lack of coordination,” Wasserman said. “At some point all of the mutual aid – fire, medical, health – need to be coordinated into one form of mutual aid. They all overlap.” The board voted to support the article at Town Meeting. Debra Filcman can be reached at dfilcman@cnc.com. ### Other Hepatitis A Lawsuits [La Serranita Concha Negra Frozen Clam Hepatitis A Outbreak Lawsuits](https://marlerclark.com/la-serranita-concha-negra-frozen-clam-hepatitis-a-outbreak-lawsuits) [Washington and California Hepatitis A Outbreak linked to Imported Strawberries](https://marlerclark.com/washington-hepatitis-a-outbreak-linked-to-imported-strawberries) [Hepatitis A outbreak - Strawberries sicken 27 in Canada and United States](https://marlerclark.com/hepatitis-a-outbreak-strawberries-sicken-27-in-canada-and-united-states) [Gino's Ristorante & Pizzeria linked to Hepatitis A Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/ginos-ristorante-pizzeria-linked-to-hepatitis-a-outbreak) [Famous Anthony's Hepatitis A Outbreak; 52 sick, 36 hospitalized and 4 deaths](https://marlerclark.com/hepatitis-a-outbreak-linked-to-roanoke-famous-anthonys-restaurants) [Los Angelos Hepatitis A Outbreak linked to 555 East American Steakhouse](https://marlerclark.com/los-angelos-hepatitis-a-outbreak-linked-to-555-east-american-steakhouse) [Marler Clark retained in Hepatitis A cases linked to Fresh Thyme or Woodman’s blackberries](https://marlerclark.com/marler-clark-retained-in-nebraska-hepatitis-a-case-linked-to-fresh-thyme-farmers-market-blackberries) [Mendham Golf & Tennis Club Hepatitis A Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/mendham-golf-tennis-club-hepatitis-a-outbreak) [Hawaii Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Genki Sushi Restaurants](https://marlerclark.com/oahu-hepatitis-a-outbreak-investigation) [New Hawaii Sea Restaurant Hepatitis A Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/new-hawaii-sea-restaurant-hepatitis-a-outbreak) [Townsend Farms organic frozen berries from Costco and Harris Teeter linked to hepatitis A outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/townsend-farms-organic-frozen-berries-from-costco-linked-to-hepatitis-a-out) [A Tom's Gyro Restaurant Employee Tests Positive for Hepatitis A in Idaho](https://marlerclark.com/a-toms-gyro-restaurant-employee-tests-positive-for-hepatitis-a-in-idaho) ### Lawsuit updates about foodborne illnesses [Reactive Arthritis Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=reactive-arthritis&year=all) [E. coli Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=e-coli&year=all) [Guillain-Barre Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=guillain-barre-syndrome&year=all) [Salmonella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=salmonella&year=all) [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hemolytic-uremic-syndrome&year=all) [Listeria Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=listeria&year=all) [Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=irritable-bowel-syndrome&year=all) [Hepatitis A Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hepatitis-a&year=all) [Norovirus Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=norovirus&year=all) [Botulism Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=botulism&year=all) [Campylobacter Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=campylobacter&year=all) [Shigella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=shigella&year=all) [Cyclospora Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=cyclospora&year=all) ### Lawsuits updates by year [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1998](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1998) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1999](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1999) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2000](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2000) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2001](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2001) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2002](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2002) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2003](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2003) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2004](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2004) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2005](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2005) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2006](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2006) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2007) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2008](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2008) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2009) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2010) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2012) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2013) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2014) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2015) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2016) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2017) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2018) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2019) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2020) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2021) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2022) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2023](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2023) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2024](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2024) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2025](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2025) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2026](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2026) ##### Get Help #### Affected by an outbreak or recall? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Hepatitis A Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/about-hepatitis) An Introduction to Hepatitis A Viral hepatitis is a major global public health problem affecting hundreds of millions of people and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Five biologically... ###### [The Incidence of Hepatitis A Infection](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/how-common-is-hepatitis-a-infection) How common is Hepatitis A infection? Hepatitis A incidence varies between regions and is much more common in countries with underdeveloped sanitation systems; thus, contracting hepatitis A is a risk... ###### [Transmission of Hepatitis A](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/how-does-hepatitis-a-spread) How does Hepatitis A spread? Hepatitis A is a communicable (or contagious) disease that is acquired primarily by the fecal oral route either from person to person or through contaminated... ###### [Symptoms of Hepatitis A Infection](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/hepatitis-symptoms-risks) What are the symptoms of Hepatitis A infection? Hepatitis A may cause no symptoms at all when it is contracted, especially in children. Asymptomatic individuals may only know they were... ###### [Complications of Hepatitis A Infection](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a/hepatitis-complications) Fulminant hepatitis A, or acute liver failure, can be a complication of hepatitis A infection. Fulminant hepatitis A is a rare but devastating complication of HAV infection. As many as... ##### Outbreak Database #### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ View Outbreak Database ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)