Whitman Board of Health Renews Health Agent Contract, Sets September Hazardous Waste Day

WHITMAN — June 8, 2026 — Whitman Board of Health renews health agent's contract and will host a regional hazardous waste day September 12. The three-member board voted unanimously Monday to approve health agent Dan Kelly's fiscal year 2027 contract. Kelly reported a confirmed local case of Alpha-gal syndrome — a tick-triggered allergy to red meat — and warned that tick populations remain elevated despite last winter's severity, noting that tick-removal kits obtained through a town grant are now available. On logistics, Kelly told the board that Whitman is stepping in to host the South Shore Recycling Cooperative's household hazardous waste collection after Abington, the originally scheduled host, lost its health agent and has no functioning health department. The hosting switch saves Whitman $600 in setup fees, with Hanson, Abington, and East Bridgewater each paying $600 to cover costs instead. The board also set its next meeting for Monday, July 20, at 5:30 p.m., with no August session planned.