The Swampscott public health nurse position is once again in jeopardy of being eliminated, Director of Public Health Jeff Vaughan announced at Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting.

“We have no funding beyond February 28,” Vaughan said. “This is ridiculous.”

The public health nurse position was also at risk over the summer. Voters approved a town budget at the May Town Meeting that reduced the position. Board of Health Chair Gargi Cooper said at the December 17 meeting that “the process wasn’t followed and it was confusing.”

Public health nurses typically oversee health education, disease prevention, and wellness initiatives within the community. They collaborate with key community members, such as the school, public safety officials and other partners. 

Swampscott established its full-time public health nurse position in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It went from 20 hours when I got here back to 17 to 15, and we fought it back up a little bit. Somewhere right before the pandemic — when we didn’t have anything — we brought Neia (Illingworth) on,” Vaughan said. “Then the pandemic hit, and because she’s not just a public health nurse — she also has her masters in public health — she’s been doing obviously a lot of other public health work.”

Over the summer, the Board of Health said members felt blindsided by the decision to eliminate the nurse position. Select Board Chair Katie Phelan had told the board that “through the budget process, there were conversations about cuts to a myriad of potential individual departments.” 

Cooper raised the issue of opioid abatement funds. She had raised the idea during the summer as well, suggesting the position could be saved by using “any of the opioid abatement funds, given that she’s the one programmatically running all of the programs.”

“There are people that get paid for that,” Cooper said at the December 17 meeting. 

Illingworth said at the meeting that the administrative work for the opioid abatement fund program would require a “separate position.” She also said she was told administrative costs could only account for 10% of total spending in the fiscal year.

Cooper said she was hoping the funds could at least be used between February 28 and the Town Meeting on May 18. 

Vaughan noted that the Board of Health is allowed to vote to appoint a clerk, though the clerk is not required to be a member of the Department of Public Health.

The board is planning to vote on a clerk, particularly to take meeting minutes, at their next meeting in January. 

Vaughan and Cooper said they will provide Town Administrator Nick Connors with detailed information on Illingworth’s responsibilities.

The Swampscott Tides left a voicemail and email for Connors to comment on the story. 

“Whether he’s able to regionalize something, I don’t know,” Vaughan said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next two and a half months.”

Cooper added she has advocated for the position in several meetings already. 

“I was able to talk with the town administrator about a lack of process, transparency and the feelings of the board,” Cooper said. 

Cooper said the board is hoping this will go in front of residents again. 

“We’re trying to get to a spring town meeting where we can have a dialogue with Town Meeting Members about the importance of a full-time nurse,” she said.

Updated December 18 at 7:45 p.m. with the correct spelling of Illingworth’s name