​Stratford Health Department Launches Social Media Campaign

From the Stratford Health Department: The Stratford Health Department will celebrate National Public Health Week by launching its social media campaign educating customers on what to expect when purchasing a manicure or pedicure in Stratford nail salons. The #worththewait campaign is the department’s alternative approach to ensure compliance from nail salon owners and their workers.

“Disease transmission associated with getting a manicure or pedicure can be lessened significantly if proper precautions are taken,” says Andrea Boissevain, Director of Health at the Stratford Health Department. Health risks can include serious bacterial infections, fungal infections of the nail and surrounding skin.

Connecticut law currently does not require nail technicians to hold a license to perform their services, but that the salons must still be licensed and routinely inspected by the Health Department. “We license and inspect salons in Stratford and provide the technicians with education and direction about safe and sanitary practices, but there is a lot of consumer education that also needs to happen as an added safeguard to protect the public,” adds Boissevain.

Recently, there have been several nail salon closures throughout town—closures due to repeated health code violations, despite the Health Department providing free annual training for nail salon owners and their technicians, including providing some material in Chinese and Spanish.

“This year we’re trying two new approaches,” Boissevain noted. “We are conducting our annual training in multiple languages. We will have Chinese and Spanish translators present at the training as well as side-by-side translations of the presentation in Vietnamese and Korean.”

The second approach, Boissevain explained, will be launching a series of educational posts through the @HealthStratford Twitter feed and the department’s Instagram account and Facebook page aimed at customers. Social media posts along with a newly designed brochure will highlight safe and sanitary practices. The #worththewait campaign gets it moniker from the requirement that pedicure tubs must be cleaned and sanitized before each customer for a minimum of ten minutes. While a little challenging in the summer season when everyone wants their toes looking pretty, it is “worth the wait” rather than to potentially suffer a nail infection or skin rash.

• Both the client and nail technician should wash their hands before and after each service.
• The salon should be using commercial grade equipment.
• Wooden implements, such as orange sticks, emery boards should be discarded after each client.
• Disinfecting metal or plastic implements with a sanitizer such as Barbicide for a minimum of 10 minutes after each use.
• The nail workstations should be disinfected after each use and neat and free of nail clippings or filing dust; suction screens of the pedicure tubs are to be removed and cleaned.
• Nail technicians should not cut nail beds, corns or calluses or perform any medical treatment involving the foot or ankle.
• The use of razors or credo blades is illegal and should never be used.
• Customers with an infection, nail fungus, boil or ulceration on their feet or legs can be refused service—that’s public health courtesy.

One of the best protections against infection is for the consumer to bring his or her own instruments to the salon. Manicure and pedicure sets are inexpensive and can be purchased at local beauty supply stores or pharmacies.

“Everyone plays a role in assuring a clean, disease free environment. Health department staff can provide guidance and education to salon staff. Salon owners are responsible for educating their staff about sanitary practices and assuring that those practices are consistently followed. The nail salon customer should be aware that they can request that these practices are followed, as well as take steps to protect their own health,” says Boissevain.

The new educational brochure about what the consumer should know before receiving a manicure and pedicure at a salon is available on our website at www.townofstratford.com/health/salons or call (203) 385-4090.

National Public Health Week is celebrated every year in the first week of April across the country. For more information and other events, visit www.nphw.org.

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