April 15 — The Greater Burrows Partnership for Health Advisory Board discussed staffing and software options for fiscal year 2026 during its regularly scheduled April meeting, focusing on whether to hire a part‑time nurse and which human‑services software to buy.

The discussion matters because the board is both spending down remaining FY25 public health excellence funds and shaping FY26 recurring costs. The state is rolling out a new metric/data platform (to be phased in starting fall 2025) that officials said could replace the current Relevant platform by FY27, freeing roughly $30,000 in future operating costs. That timeline influenced members’ thinking about one‑time vs. recurring software purchases.

Board staff outlined two budget scenarios. Option 1 keeps the current Salmon VNA contract at $65,000 for 30 hours per week and preserves the per‑diem rate line for ad hoc nursing work; option 1 also assumes retaining Relevant for environmental health inspections and adding analytics (Tableau) and a higher‑end nursing/human‑services product (MyJuna) in the budget. Option 2 would add a part‑time, non‑benefited nurse at about 14–16 hours per week (estimated $45–$48 per hour) while keeping the Salmon VNA flat contract and selecting a lower‑cost human‑services package (My Senior Center) instead of MyJuna.

Staff explained the Salmon VNA contract itself remains $65,000 for 30 hours weekly; the change is to the per‑diem rate, which the transcript shows would rise from $45 to $75 per hour for additional, on‑call hours. The Relevant inspection software line was reported at about $32,000 for current services; staff said MyJuna would cost roughly $2,000 more in the first year than My Senior Center and noted MyJuna is stronger for detailed clinical nursing notes while My Senior Center is a flat, non‑per‑user fee with stronger event and outreach features.

Members raised practical concerns about hiring. The Salmon contract will be circulated in May, and staff said a response would likely be needed by June; members said that timeline affects whether to add a part‑time nurse now or continue relying on per‑diem hours under the Salmon contract. Board members also noted the state is exploring a statewide HIPAA‑compliant nursing/human‑services platform but that no firm schedule was known and it would likely not be available in time for FY26 procurement decisions.

No formal vote on the staffing/software mix was taken at the meeting. Board staff said they will circulate slides and additional information and the group plans to revisit and vote on the FY26 software/staffing decision at the May 8 meeting. The board also set an in‑person followup meeting for June 18 at 1:00 p.m. to finalize budget items if needed.

Background and next steps: staff will send the Salmon contract when received, follow up with each town IT/contact‑approval leads about compatibility (some towns already use My Senior Center at their senior centers), and circulate cost comparisons and demo feedback from town staff before the May 8 vote.