Democracy For All Dedham Candidate Spotlight Colleen Hynes RN

• Please tell our towns voters a little about yourself and why you decided to run for a seat on the Board of Health this year.

I'm seeking to become the next elected member of the Board of Health because I'm deeply committed to Dedham and care immensely about our community. As someone raised in this town and a graduate of Dedham High School, I'm deeply rooted in the community. After years of military service and traveling, I returned home to raise my children here with my husband because Dedham is an exceptional town. As a Veteran and Registered Nurse (RN), my passion lies in service, advocacy, and improving the well-being of others. Dedham has been so wonderful to my family that serving our town would align my passion for service and health advocacy to protect our community's health and environment.

• In the presentation “Designing Dedham 2030: Town of Dedham Master Plan” there is a focus on public health and livability. One of those goals includes implementing more holistic and health promotion interventions. As a sitting member of the Board of Health what commitment would you make to this goal and what steps would you take to implement this?

"Being an RN who has taken care of healthy individuals and those with complex and chronic health conditions, I am certainly an advocate of holistic lifestyle changes and education, such as diet and exercise, to promote health and wellness.

There's an abundance of literature on the enormous positive effects of exercise on cognition and physical body. Fortunately, Dedham has a variety of accessible spaces for exercise activities and it reflects in our park score of 76%, meaning most Dedham residents are within a 10-minute walk of a park.

I am committed to communicating the resources available that align with holistic and health promotion interventions. We have several avenues of communication we can use, such as the town website, social media, e-mail, newspaper, bulletin boards, and other boards and committees."

• As someone currently not on the Board of Health, looking in from the outside, do you see any areas that our board could improve? Do you see health issue(s) that could use more focus in town? What efforts would you make to address the issue(s)?

"I think one of the most pressing issues for Dedham, and probably countless other towns, is that of mental health. Mental health issues like anxiety and depression certainly existed before COVID. Still, we have seen just how much the pandemic exacerbated them, especially with loneliness, grief, and financial consequences. The World Health Organization has cited a 25% increase in anxiety in depression since the onset of COVID and Dedham is not immune to this situation. I want to ensure people are aware of the resources available and have the assistance to connect to them.

I would also like to partner with our health department, school counselors, nurses, staff, and other town organizations, such as the Dedham Youth Commission, to unite our youth and their family members with mental health services. I am also aware that Dedham's Council on Aging is considering on-boarding a social worker, which would be a vital asset in connecting our seniors to the counseling services they need.

In addition to addressing mental health, it's equally important to take a comprehensive and inclusive approach to assessing the community's health by partnering with our health department to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Accomplished through surveys and interviews, a CHNA will provide us with crucial information and data, highlighting health needs that require prioritization and interventions, such as mental health, substance abuse, and social determinants of health. We can create a plan using resources we already have in place and build on them if feasible."

• Recently the Dedham Public Schools lifted its mask policy surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic. If we were to see an uptick in cases, would you support a new mandate or would you allow the parents to make a conscious decision whether to have their children masked or not?

"Being a parent of children in the Dedham Public Schools (DPS), I have kept myself aware of the mask policy and appreciate the schools engagement with parents and the Board of Health (BOH) concerning masking in the schools. When DESE lifted the mandate on February 28th, DPS administration did reach out to parents with a survey regarding lifting the mask mandate and they conferred with the BOH before making their final decision to lift the mandate.

I am hopeful we are near an endemic point where the virus is still around but at a level that isn't causing severe disruptions in daily life. I would like for us to continue current practice in the schools where masks are not mandatory but rather optional. I understand each person has their own risk profile and I'm respectful of that. Our BOH currently follows CDC guidelines and the states mask advisory, which is not a mandate, and I support this guidance."

I thank Colleen for taking the time to answer my questions. Election Day is Saturday, April 9th. Polls are open from 7am to 8pm.