Published in the September 17, 2015 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — The next prong in the town’s effort to rid itself of massage parlors functioning as prostitution operations is in the works as the Health Department expects to hold a public hearing on new draft regulations in October and the Board of Health could vote on them as soon as November.
The Wakefield Police have already made a number of arrests in recent months on charges of sex for a fee at several spas.
Health Director Ruth Clay has been working on updating the town’s old massage parlor regulations that were in place before the state took over that function a number of years ago. The problem that Wakefield and other towns have encountered is a loophole in the state regulations with respect to establishments operating under the name “body work.” That loophole has been exploited by operations serving as fronts for prostitution.
The Board of Health last night agreed with Clay that the updated local regulations should stick to health related issues and not, as some towns have done, try to directly address law enforcement issues like prostitution and human trafficking, which has also been a concern at these establishments.
“The purpose is to discourage people who do illegal practices with body work,” Clay said.
Chairman Alison Mehlman said that she wanted to steer clear of police matters, noting that prostitution is already illegal.
Clay advocated emphasizing requirements for positive identification, criminal background checks and inspections for cleanliness in the draft regulations.
Board members agreed that merely requiring them to come to the Health Department and get a license would likely discourage a lot of these operations from coming to town.
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The Health Department has also been busy updating its tobacco regulations to include language that addresses flavored tobacco products and newer nicotine delivery technologies like e-cigarette products.
The updated regulations also deal with other types of tobacco products that are in quantity, price or packaging marketed to young people.
The board reviewed the changes last night and scheduled a public hearing on the updated regulations for it Oct. 21 meeting.
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Clay updated the board on a $350,000 grant from the federal Food and Drug Administration that has been secured on behalf of six communities including Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham, Malden, Medford and Winchester.
The funds, Clay said, will be used for a new electronic inspection program, advanced training for inspectors, codifying policies and procedures and purchasing inspection equipment.
The Board of Health also discussed and approved adoption of the FDA’s risk-based inspection schedule, basing inspection frequency on risk. Various food establishment categories would be placed on inspection schedules based on the type of business, the types of food they sell and the clientele they serve.
Stores that sell mainly prepackaged snack foods would be inspected less frequently than full-service restaurants. Operations that serve food to the high risk populations like children (nursery schools) or the elderly (nursing homes) could be inspected as many as four times a year.
Clay said that establishments that have demonstrated a high level of compliance could move up a level to a less frequent inspection rate.
The Health Department will schedule a series of meetings with food establishments to explain the updated food code, which will go into effect Jan. 1.
