Senior Public Health Nurse Judy Fenton plans to wrap up her 16 year career with the Town, retiring on February 6.
Fenton began her career as a nurse in the 1970s and worked at three local hospitals doing medical/surgical nursing. She has also worked with multiple doctors in private practice in the fields of internal medicine, dermatology, gynecology and urology during her career.
During her time in Wrentham she focused on several health topics, including substance use disorder and addiction. In 2017, Fenton put together an informative forum at King Philip Regional High School where a doctor who specializes in addiction medicine spoke about substance use disorder, addiction, teen brain development and how the addiction process occurs. In 2014, Fenton obtained grant funding for a sharps/needle disposal kiosk, located in the Wrentham Public Safety Building. The town currently collects about 50 pounds of sharps waste every six weeks, removing those hazards from potentially ending up in the streets or in the waste stream. "To me the most important thing is our residents and their individual physical or emotional needs, whether it is providing assessments for an illness someone is dealing with, helping with medication management or the need for an advocate or referral resource," Fenton said. "Our office is available, with the goal of keeping our residents healthy, safe and happy in their own homes for as long as possible. This to me is the most satisfying accomplishment in my career in Wrentham. Caring about all of our residents, helping when we can and hopefully making a small difference in their lives."
Over the years, Fenton, along with her fellow public health nurses in town, has been involved with public health emergency dispensing site planning for Wrentham. The Wrentham Public Health Nurses Department works closely with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance and planning purposes in regard to its emergency planning. Her department has also maintained a volunteer call list of local medical and non-medical professionals and paraprofessionals to utilize in the event of an emergency dispensing site being activated during a public health emergency.
