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NEWS Briefs [Bay State Banner, The (MA)](Bay State Banner, The (MA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Mayor Walsh announces the departure of Dr. Barbara Ferrer Search committee composed of BPHC board members and others to be established Mayor Martin J. Walsh an- nounced this week that Dr. Barbara Ferrer will step down from her po- sition as Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission and will accept a new role as chief strategy officer with the Kellogg Foundation. For more than half of her 25-year public service career, Ferrer has led the city's work to improve the health of all residents, particularly those most vulnerable. Ferrer served first as its deputy director of BPHC, and has served as executive director since 2007. Under her leadership, Boston has seen improvements in childhood obesity rates, a decrease in asthma rates in public housing, a decline in smoking rates, and a significant de- cline in the infant mortality rate for black infants. During her time as the execu- tive director, Ferrer has secured federal and state funding to sup- port critical public health infra- structure and community based programs, with over $35 million awarded in the last year alone. Fer- rer's commitment to make timely public health data accessible to the city's healthcare and public health institutions as well as to residents has led to the development of ev- idence-based programs that allow for progress to be measured. "Barbara Ferrer has been a vital member of our city's leadership team," Walsh said in a statement. "She has made countless contribu- tions and has played an instrumen- tal role directing initiatives that have improved every aspect of health in Boston - from decreasing infant mortality rates to improving access to substance abuse treatment." "It has been a tremendous honor to serve under both Mayor Menino and Mayor Walsh as the Execu- tive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission," Ferrer said. "I am proud of what the BPHC staff, our partners, and the city, have accomplished with and for Boston's residents. I know that I leave the Commission in a strong position to continue its important work. A formal search committee will be established following Dr. Ferrer's departure on October 3, 2014. The committee, co-chaired by BPHC Chair Dr. Paula John- son and Dr. Howard Koh, will be composed of BPHC Board mem- bers as well as non-board mem- bers. During the search process, Dr. Huy Nguyen, medical director for the Commission, will serve as Interim Executive Director. Boston Local Food Festival What better way to celebrate the start of fall than at an event that highlights local food from across New England? The Sustainable Business Network of MA and 100 local vendors from Massachusetts and New England are celebrating the 5th Annual Boston Local Food Festival on Sunday, September 14, 11am-5pm on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The Boston Local Food Festival is a free and zero waste event positioned as New England's largest one-day farmers market and celebration of local food. The festival will take place on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in downtown Boston by Faneuil Hall and the Aquarium T stop. It will feature chef demos, do-it-yourself demos, a seafood throwdown, a family fun zone, and more. Mayor to conduct city-wide audit of every street in Boston Mayor Martin Walsh an- nounced NEW (Neighborhood Engagement Walks) Boston, a com- prehensive audit of every street in every neighborhood across Boston. Starting September 15, represen- tatives from the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services will begin walking the 850 miles of city streets across Boston, in an effort to assess each neighborhood in great detail. The findings will be shared in a "forward-facing story map," con- tinuing the Mayor's pledge for in- creased transparency and account- ability in City government. "This is the first step in revi- talizing our work with Neigh- borhood Services," Walsh said. "Our ONS reps are outstanding, but I want them to know every inch of the area that they repre- sent and the best way to do that is to get on the ground and in the weeds. By combining technology and grassroots engagement, we can - for the first time in our his- tory - truly assess every piece of this city, to better serve the people in our neighborhoods." ONS representatives will survey every part of their respective neighborhood on the ground, evaluating infrastructure challenges, identify- ing constituent concerns through conversations, and cataloging issues facing each neighborhood. NEW Boston will be a cross-departmental effort, with ONS representatives working closely with the city's Inspectional Services Department, Public Works Department, Transporta- tion Department, and Parks De- partment, among others. ONS representatives will be equipped with connected tablets and data will be gathered utiliz- ing mobile technology through existing apps such as Citizens Connect and City Worker. This is another step forward in Mayor Walsh's pledge to upgrade infra- structure through technology, enabling ONS and the city to re- spond to issues effectively and in real-time, with greater transpar- ency and accountability. The data from NEW Boston will be com- piled by Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT), and will be shared with the public through a web-based story map. The map will show the routes that have been covered, highlight the issues that ONS has identified, and dis- play the progress of resolving each issue. This audit will begin on Sept. 15, with a goal of completion by the end of the year. At the close of this audit, each ONS repre- sentative will generate a neigh- borhood report outlining their findings, to be shared with the public and presented to neigh- borhood associations. The ONS representatives lead- ing NEW Boston include: Allston/Brighton - John Laadt (617-635-2678, john.laadt@ boston.gov) Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Kenmore, Mission Hill - Shaina Aubourg (617-635-2679, shaina. [email protected]) Charlestown - Thomas McKay (617-635-3549, thomas.mckay@ boston.gov) Chinatown, Leather District/ Downtown Crossing - Denny Ching (617-635-3891, denny. [email protected]) Dorchester - Alec Bonelli (617- 635-4819, alec.bonelli@boston. gov) East Boston - Corinne Petraglia (617-635-2681, corinne.pe [email protected]) Hyde Park, Roslindale - David McNulty (617-635-4830, david. [email protected]) Jamaica Plain - Jullieanne Doherty (617-635-4855, jul [email protected]) Mattapan, North Dorchester - Farid Dessources (617-635- 2677, farid.dessources@boston. gov) Mid-Dorchester - Flavio Dav- eiga (617-635-1880, flavio.dav [email protected]) North End, Waterfront, West End - Nicole Leo (617 635- 4987, [email protected]) South Boston - Eric Prentis (617-635-2680, eric.prentis@ boston.gov) South End, Bay Village - Jordan Deasy (617-635-4517, jordan. [email protected]) Roxbury - Kaira Fox (617-635- 3296, [email protected]) West Roxbury - Chris Rusk (617-635-4818, christopher. [email protected]) (c) 2014 Bay State Banner |