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Select Board votes to approve job listing for temporary per diem nurse

Former public health nurse Kasey Mauro prepares a vaccine at a regional clinic in Westborough in 2021. PHOTO/DAKOTA ANTELMAN

With a recent approval from the Select Board, the Hopkinton Health Department will be able to hire a temporary per diem nurse.

The Select Board voted unanimously on a measure to approve posting the position during its meeting Tuesday night. The official job listing was posted as of Thursday morning.

The per diem nurse position will “play a vital part in ensuring the health and safety” of residents, primarily by supporting vaccination efforts, according to the job listing.

A memorandum from health director Shaun McAuliffe to the Select Board also notes that the per diem position will assist public health nurse Simone Carter with communicable disease reports, Narcan training, outreach and other vital functions. The town’s growing senior population will be an area of focus.

The aim of hiring a new nurse is to help reduce Carter’s current workload. McAuliffe estimated in his memorandum to that her current work week ranges between 50-60 hours.

The Health Department will pay for per diem nurse services with a $30,000 grant from the Metrowest Health Foundation, a $25,000 Friends of Senior Center grant and the department’s fiscal year 2025 budget for nursing services.

Although the position is temporary, the Health Department anticipates maintaining per diem nurses through fiscal year 2026. It recently negotiated a per diem nurse as part of its FY 26 budget. A revolving fund approved for the department at the Special Town Meeting in November is expected to fund more full-time nurses in the future.

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Ice and snow form around the base of a tree.

PHOTO/AMIT JAGDALE