Concord Board of Health Approves Two Nominations, Reviews Community Health Plan

CONCORD -- May 20, 2026, Concord Board of Health unanimously approves two personnel nominations and hears broad public health update. The board voted Wednesday to appoint new hire Rachel Arsenault as a Board of Health agent and to name Public Health Director Melanie Jannene as Concord's commissioner to the East Middlesex Mosquito Control District, which Concord funds at roughly $22,000 annually; the previous commissioner became ineligible after relocating to Carlisle. Public Health Nurse Katie Stanislauskis reported 10 Lyme disease cases in April and flagged the first locally acquired case of alpha gal syndrome, a red-meat allergy triggered by the lone star tick, in a Concord resident with no out-of-state travel. Jannene presented the Community Health Improvement Plan, built on a survey of more than 528 residents, finding that over 50 percent reported mental health concerns and 63 percent reported weekly alcohol consumption; goals include distributing 50-plus Narcan kits annually and training all Concord-Carlisle High School 10th graders in Narcan and CPR.