1 nurse slot to be restored; cuts eyed elsewhere.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Byline: Nick Kotsopoulos

WORCESTER - City Manager Michael V. O'Brien intends to restore one of the five public health nursing positions he eliminated in his fiscal 2010 budget proposal so the city can continue performing infectious disease surveillance and reporting work, as well as tuberculosis case management.

In doing so, however, the manager said, it will require a comparable reduction in personnel or services elsewhere in the budget.

Mr. O'Brien's budget retained two of the seven public health nursing positions, but one of those two positions is held by someone currently on leave.

To perform core public health functions requires at least two public health nurses, he said.

"In light of one nurse's leave status, I intend to take action to restore one public health nurse position and will be required to identify funding for that position within the 2010 budget," the manager said last night.

Mr. O'Brien has also advised the City Council that the city's Travel Immunization Clinic will not open today, and will...