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>> CASTILLO: THE TIME IS 2:00 P.M., THE COMMUNITY HEALTH MEETING IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.
>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING FROM FEBRUARY 26, 2024. CAN I GET A MOTION?
>> SO MOVED. >> SECOND. >> CASTILLO: WE HAVE A
MOTION AND SECOND. CAN WE PLEASE VOTE? >> AYE.
>> CASTILLO: MOTION PASSES. IS THERE ANYONE SIGNED UP
FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? >> CLERK: NO, MA'AM. >> CASTILLO: AND WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST HERE TODAY FROM U.T. HEALTH SO IF IT'S OKAY WITH MY COLLEAGUES, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AGENDA ITEM 3 FIRST. A BRIEFING ON THE NEW U.T.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN SAN ANTONIO. >> HI, GOOD AFTERNOON.
IT'S A REAL HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE BEFORE THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY AND I REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT EACH ONE OF YOU DOES. I'M HERE TO GIVE YOU A REPORT ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE U.T. SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH OVER THE PASTTH EIGHT MONTHS.
PUBLIC HEALTH WHICH INVOLVES U.T. IN SAN ANTONIO AS WELL AS UTSA.
AND WHAT YOU SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE IS THE WAY WE DESCRIBE OUR SCHOOL AND I'LL SPEND A LITTLE MOMENTS DOWNSTREAM TELLING YOU WHY WE ARE THE PEOPLE'S SCHOOL.
OR MISSION IS VERY SIMILAR AND MATCHES WHAT'S THAT OF THE CITY AS WELL AS THE COUNTY. WE WANT SOUTH TEXAS TO HAVE DYNAMIC CONDITION WHERE THE COMMUNITY CAN THRIVE. AND THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH SEES ITS IN A STEWARDSHIP ROLE ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS WILL BE THERE ON SUBSEQUENT SLIDE.
SO THIS SLIDE TALKS ABOUT WHY WE CALL OURSELVES THE PEOPLE'S SCHOOL.
AND OUR MOTTO IS -- IT MEANS THAT WE HOPE TO BE SERVING WITH KNOWLEDGE AND WORKING FOR THE COMMUNITY.
AND WHAT WE BELIEVE IS NOTHING WITH THE COMMUNITY WITHOUT THE COMMUNITY AND THAT IS REFLECTED IN OUR METHODS, IN OUR CONTEXT, AND THE POWER OF THE SCHOOL LIES IN THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE. AND THAT'S THE WAY WE DEFINE OURSELVES.
A QUICK SUMMARY OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS.
WE HAVE GONE ABOUT CREATING THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE SCHOOL WHICH INCLUDES THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE PROCESSES, THE POLICIES AND HIRING OF SOME OF THE STAFF.
BUILDING OUR ECONOMIC PROGRAMS AND OUR FLAGSHIP PROGRAM, THE MASTER'S IN PUBLIC HEALTH, A GRADUATE DEGREE. AND GO ABOUT HIRING OUR FACULTY AND I'LL TELL YOU WHERE WE ARE IN THAT PROCESS.
OUR GRADUATE PROGRAM, OUR MASTER'S IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE AND ADMINISTRATION OPENS TO OUR STUDENTS IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF RECRUITMENT AND WE HAVE ABOUT 13 STUDENTS ENROLLED AND THE TARGET IS BETWEEN 35 AND 40 STUDENTS. THE FOCUS ON THE COMMUNITY IS THE SENSE OF THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, WE NOT ONLY TALK ABOUT OUTREACH, NOT ONLY ABOUT ENGAGEMENT WHICH IS TRANSACTIONAL, WHAT WE CALL COMMUNITY INTEGRATION. THAT IS WHY WE CALL IT THE PEOPLE'S SCHOOL.
THE PEOPLE ARE IN THE CENTER AND THE FOCUS OF THE SCHOOL. LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST -- SORRY, I JUST SKIPPED THE LAST BULLET. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAM AND DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE CONTEXT FOR OUR RESEARCH. MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR SCHOOL IS EXTREMELY FORTUNATE BECAUSE OF OUR PARTNERSHIPS. FOREMOST I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE PARTNERSHIP OF [INAUDIBLE]. WE WOULDN'T BE WHERE WE ARE BUT FOR THE STRONG SENSE OF PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY AND WITH METRO HEALTH.
AS I MENTIONED, IT'S A COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SO WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH UTSA
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AND WE ALSO HAVE A COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNTY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF --.THE STRENGTH OF THE SCHOOL LIES IN THESE STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS AND THE PEOPLE ARE IN THE CENTER OF THIS PARTNERSHIP. SO OUR MISSION LIKE MOST SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC HEALTH IS -- JUST TO HIT A FEW HIGH POINTS, WE BELIEVE THAT THE LEARNING SHOULD BE PRACTICAL. THAT MEANS WE NEED TO RECRUIT LOCALLY, ENROLL LOCALLY, PLACE LOCALLY FOR OUR APPLIED PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES, AND THAT'S THE ARMY THAT WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING THE WORKFORCE WITHIN THE CITY AEN THE REGION. -- AND THE REGION.
WE WANT TO DO RESEARCH THAT MATTERS TO THE COMMUNITY. AND ALSO SERVICE THAT COUNTS FOR THE COMMUNITY. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THIS? THAT'S THE EDUCATION, THE RESEARCH OF THE SERVICE AS PARTICIPATORY FOR THE STUDENTS AND THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATE IN THIS TRIPARTITE COMMISSION. WE SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CO-LEARNING. WE SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CO-CONTRIBUTORSHIP.
AND WE SEE IT AS A MODEL WHERE WE OFTEN THEY USE THE WORD EMPOWERMENT, WE USE THE WORD IMPOWERMENT, RELEASING THE POWER WITHIN TEAM TO MAINTAIN HEALTH AND WORKING WITH THEM. WHETHER IT'S RESEARCH, EDUCATION OR SERVICE, IT IS INFORMED AND DRIVEN BY THE COMMUNITY WITH A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP.
HOW DO WE DO THAT? I'LL TELL YOU SOME OF OUR INITIAL MOVES.
SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC HEALTH HAVE THEIR OWN CHARACTERS. I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT DIFFERENTIATE US IS A FOCUS ON SAN ANTONIO, ON BEXAR COUNTY, ON HEALTH IN THE VALLEY, RURAL HEALTH. AND THERE'S SPECIFIC SEGMENTS OF SOLE WE WISH TO FOCUS ON AS A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. FOCUS ON HISPANIC COMMUNITY.
WE ARE IN A MAJORITY MINORITY CITY. FOCUSING ON THE PEOPLE WITH COLLEGE CENTERING WHO HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN IN THE MARGINS.
VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON THE INFANTS, ELDERLY. VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON WOMEN, GIRLS AND THEIR EMPOWERMENT, IF YOU WILL. IN TERMS OF DISEASE STATES, ALL OF YOU KNOW WE HAVE MAJOR STAGES OF MORBIDITY AND SOME OF OUR AREAS OF INTEREST, OBESITY, CHILD HEALTH, BRAIN HEALTH. MOST IMPORTANTLY WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS WORK WITH THE CITY, WORK WITH THE STAKEHOLDERSERS, WORK WITH THE PARTNERS. AND WHAT WE CALL THE LIFE RAID YES, RADIUS.
VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO PARTNER WITH SOME OF THE HEALTH AGENCIES BUT ALSO WITH THE NON-HEALTH AGENCIES SO WE CAN MOVE TOWARDS WELLNESS IN RELATION TO JUST HEALTH. WHAT HAVE WE DONE IN SEPTEMBER OF 2022 I JOINED.
I WAS THE SOLE MEMBER IN A LARGE FIVE-STORY BUILDING. FAST FORWARD 18 MONTHS, WE HAVE GOT THREE DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, WE'VE GOT TWO ASSOCIATE DEANS.
WE HAVE A CHAIR -- WE HAVE STAFFING OF ABOUT 20. AND VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON MOVING OUR EDUCATION MISSION TO WELCOME OUR STUDENTS. WE ARE REALLY GEARED TO WELCOMING THE FIRST BATCH IN AUGUST. RESEARCH IS BEGINNING TO GAIN SHAPE. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS ONE OF THE ONE OF THE KEY AREAS WE WANT TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME. WE ARE LOCATED ON THE GREELY CAMPUS. WE HAVE A FIVE-STORY BUILDING.
IT'S ABOUT 70,000 SQUARE FEET. AND IT WAS USED FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE AND WE WENT ABOUT REMODELING FLOOR BY FLOOR, BRICK BY BRICK.
WE ARE ABOUT 75 TO 90% DONE FLOOR BY FLOOR. SO WHEN WE OPEN OUR DOORS TO THE STUDENTS, WE'LL BE WELL SET TO WELCOME OUR FIRST BATCH AND THAT TARGET DATE IS AUGUST OF 2024. IT'S TAKEN A VILLAGE TO DO THIS, IT'S NOT JUST THE DEAN OR THE STAFF, IT INVOLVES U.T. AS A WHOLE. WHAT'S OUR FIRST SIGNATURE COURSE? IT'S TO SOMEBODY THE FUTURE WORKFORCE THAT WILL BE -- TO SERVE THE FUTURE WORKFORCE. WE CALL IT PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE AND ADMINISTRATION.
AS WE ALL KNOW IN THE PUBLIC WORKFORCE WAS STRETCHED THEN BY THE PANDEMIC.
WE ARE HOPING THAT OUR STUDENTS CAN HAVE APPLIED PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES WITH
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COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS WITH SOME OF THE OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS AND AGENCY WITH METRO HEALTH SO WHAT WE TEACH THEM IN THE PRACTICE IT'S ACCOMPANIED BY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES. AND THAT'S WHAT IS SKETCHED OUT ON THIS.I SAID LEARNING THAT IS PRACTICAL, LEARNING THAT IS NOT JUST PRESENTATIONAL NOR PROPOSITIONAL, BUT MUCH MORE THEY LEARN ON THE JOB SO THE FIRST JOB THEY GET THEY DON'T HAVE A LEARNING CURVE BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALREADY PRACTICED AND PARTICIPATED IN SOME OF THE AGENCIES. THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE OVER HERE.
IN TERMS OF OUR STUDENT ENROLLMENT TIME LINE, WE BEGAN IN DECEMBER WHEN THE TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION CONTROL BOARD GAVE US PERMISSION TO GO.
WE STARTED ACCEPTING THE APPLICATIONS IN DECEMBER. WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS THROUGH JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, AND OUR TARGET IS BY APRIL, MAY, WE'LL HAVE ABOUT 35 STUDENTS AND WE HOPE TO OPEN OUR DOORS -- LET'S SEE IF THIS WORKS. IN AUGUST OF 2024. SO A LITTLE ABOUT COMMUNITY INTEGRATION. THIS IS THE COMMUNITY HEALTH MEETING AND WE BUILD IT ON THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN JUSTICE. WE KNOW THAT CHANGE OCCURS IN THE SPIRIT OF TRUST. WE HAVE STARTED THE PROCESS OF BUILDING LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS. CONSOLIDATING SOME OF THE PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS, BUT LARGELY WHAT WE DO, WHAT WE CALL GOING ON A LISTENING TOUR WHERE WE TELL PEOPLE HERE WE ARE TO SERVE YOU. TELL US MORE ABOUT YOU. WHAT CAN WE DO, HOW CAN WE BE OF USE TO YOU. THAT'S THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING TRUST.
SOCIAL JUSTICE, FAIRNESS ARE ESSENTIALS, ESSENTIAL PART OF OUR MISSION.
THERE CAN BE NO HEALTH EQUITY WITHOUT EQUITY IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SUPPORT THE EMPOWERMENT OR THE IMFOURTH, IF YOU WILL, AND THE RIGHT OF -- OF THE PEOPLE IN PARTNERING WITH THEM. OUR COMMITMENT IS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. HERE'S A DEEPER DIVE. THIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS A JOURNEY WHERE WE ARE GOING ABOUT BUILDING OUR TRUST DURING DEEP LISTENING SESSIONS. INVITING PEOPLE TO COME TO OUR SCHOOL SO THEY FEEL PART OF THAT SCHOOL. AND THE NEXT SLIDE GIVES YOU SORT OF A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS. WE -- NINE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS. LARGELY WE'RE TELLING PEOPLE INTRODUCING OURSELVES THAT HERE WE ARE AS A SCHOOL AND THIS IS YOUR SCHOOL AND WE ARE HERE TO BUILD IT IN THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE BUILT. ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE YOU SEE A LIST OF NAMES THAT WILL BE FAMILIAR WITH YOU. GULF COAST AMERICA, THESE ARE ALL ICONIC, YOU KNOW, AGENCIES AND WE HAVE INTRODUCED OURSELVES TO THEM TO SEE HOW WE CAN FURTHER THE MISSION OF THESE AGENCIES. TO GIVE YOU A FLAVOR, THIS IS NOT JUST STOCK. APRIL 27TH IS NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK.
WE START OFF ON A MONDAY WITH NATIONAL WEBINAR ON RURAL HEALTH CARE.
WE ARE ALL PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT SOMETIMES WHEN WE SAY WE ARE ALL PUBLIC HEALTH, WE FORGET ABOUT RURAL AMERICA, AND LARGE PARTS OF TEXAS IS RURAL AMERICA.
A NATIONAL WEBINAR. OUR CURRENT REGISTRATION IS ABOUT 165 PEOPLE REGISTERED FOR THIS ONE-HOUR SEMINAR. AND ABOUT 115 OF THESE ARE OUTSIDE THE STATE OF TEXAS.
THAT TELLS YOU THIS IS REALLY A NATIONWIDE OUTREACH.
TUESDAY WE HAVE A TALK, A PANEL DISCUSSION AT U.T. HEALTH SAN ANTONIO.
WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE THAT MAYOR NIRENBERG WILL BE THERE AND JUDGE NELSON WOLFF WILL BE THERE. AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHY OUR GARDENS AND -- FOR HEALTH IN GENERAL, FOR WELL-BEING. THAT'S A PANEL DISCUSSION AND THE HAWLEY AUDITORIUM ACCOMMODATES ABOUT 700 PEOPLE.
THE ABILITY TO DRAW IN PEOPLE. ON THE EVENTS DAY WE GO DOWN TO THE WEST SIDE TO THE GUADALUPE LOT CENTER WITH WHOM WE HAVE BEEN WORKING CLOSE TO A YEAR. THERE'S A CONFLUENCE OF SIMILAR CULTURAL ART CENTERS IN THAT AREA, AND WE HAVE A DISCUSSION WHERE WE HAVE A PROFESSOR FROM -- COME AND SPEAK ABOUT THE BEST. AND THE FOCUS THAT IS ON COMMUNITY STRENGTH AND ALSO
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WHY ART AND CULTURE ARE SO CENTRAL TO PUBLIC HEALTH. ON THE THURSDAY WE HAVE A COMMEMORATIVE TREE PLANTING CEREMONY. WE'RE GOING TO PLANT A TREE AND WE'RE GOING TO ACT IN THE WAY WE DO TO PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT.IN THE EVENING THAT DAY WE HAVE AN ASTRONOMER COME TO U.T. HEALTH AND TALK.
HE'S A VERY FUNNY SPEAKER AND HE'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE AN ECLIPSE, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH.
ON FRIDAY WE GO DOWN TO THE SAN PEDRO PLAYHOUSE AND WE HAVE AN EVENT ABOUT 300 PEOPLE, THIS IS COLLABORATIVE WITH UTSA. AND THE TEAM IS THEATER IS PUBLIC HEALTH. HORNING IN ON THE NOTIONS OF WELL-BEING IN RELATION TO JUST PHYSICAL HEALTH. ON THAT SATURDAY WE HAVE A WALK IN OB SCHNABEL PARK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR PRIMARY CARE WHERE WE WELCOME PEOPLE TO WALK WITH US AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. THROUGHOUT THIS WEEK WE HAVE A NATURE PROGRAM.
IT'S CALLED MOVE SAN ANTONIO. WHEREVER, HOWEVER, WHENEVER.
SO WE HAVE A WEBSITE THAT WE GO LIVE, PEOPLE CAN LOG ONTO IT AND THEY CAN JUST TELL US HOW MANY STEPS THEY WALKED AND WE'LL DRAW A LOTTERY SYSTEM AND THE CHILDREN, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN WILL GET WATER BOTTLES, INSTEAD OF BEVERAGES AND MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLERS WILL GET A T-SHIRT SO WE CAN ATTRACT OUR FUTURE.
THE ADULTS WILL GET AN H.E.B. GIFT CARD TO BE SPENT IN THE GROCERY SECTION AND A RECYCLABLE BAG. THAT GIVES YOU A FLAVOR OF WHAT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH IS ABOUT. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT THE STRONG SUPPORT FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND FROM OUR PARTNERS IN METRO HEALTH WHO ARE OVER THERE. I'M HERE TO SERVE AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. MY EMAIL IS OVER THERE IF ANYONE WANTS TO VISIT THE SCHOOL. THIS IS YOUR SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
THANK YOU. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. YES. [APPLAUSE] CONGRATULATIONS. THIS IS REALLY EXCITING TO SEE THE U.T. SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH COME INTO FRUITION AND IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THE MODEL THAT YOU ALL HAVE PROPOSED. ONE OF MY FAVORITE UNIONS, THEIR SLOGAN IS NOTHING ABOUT IT WITHOUT OUT ENSURING EVERYONE IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION WHEN DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE AND DIRECTIONS GIVEN. IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S SCHOOL AND WHAT YOU HAVE TORCH TO ENGAGE COMMUNITY.
WHAT COMES TO MIND, I'M SURE IT HAPPENS TO SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL, AT THE START OF EVERY SEMESTER WE HAVE NURSING STUDENTS TO SURVEY OUR CONSTITUENTS SERVICES TEAM ON STATS. WHAT ARE WE SEEING COME THROUGH OUR OFFICE AND ESSENTIALLY JUST GAUGE THOSE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.
I THINK WHAT WOULD BE EXCITING IS TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR OFFICES ON WHAT -- HOW CAN WE HELP USE THOSE STATS TO MATERIALIZE OR CO-CREATE SOME TYPE OF POLICY. WE HAVE THESE STUDENTS COME INTO OUR OFFICE, I'M LIKE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. WE SHARED THE INFORMATION AND HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO ADDRESS THESE INEQUITIES WE'RE SEEING. I SEE OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT.
>> RECEIVED WITH A LOT OF GRATITUDE AND WE WILL BE KNOCKING ON YOUR DOORS.
WE ALREADY ARE TALKING TO A LOT OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND DEVELOPING MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING SO THE STUDENTS ARE MORE SEEN AS A GIFT FOR THE AGENCIES. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE COMMENT AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP
AND KNOCK ON YOUR DOORS. >> CASTILLO: GREAT. THANK YOU.
AND THEN JUST A COUPLE OF PIECES, I THINK IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO SEE YOU ALL GOING ALL THROUGHOUT THE SAN ANTONIO. YOU ALL HAVE AN EVENT IN DISTRICT 5 AT THE GUADALUPE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, AND JUST SEEING THE INITIATIVE OF GOING BEYOND -- GOING INTO THE DISTRICTS AND THE COMMUNITY IS REALLY IMPACTFUL. WE COULD GO AHEAD AND START CONVERSATION IF FOLKS WOULD LIKE TO SIGNAL TO ME AND IF WE COULD HAVE THE RECORD REFLECT COUNCILWOMAN KAUR IS
SCHEDULED. >> GARCIA: I THINK I HAD BEEN ASKING ABOUT IT TOO EARLY. THE VERY FIRST BUDGET THAT WE PASSED THAT HAD SOME ALLOCATED FUNDING, I WANTED IT TO BE DONE LIKE SIX MONTHS OR SOMETHING.
I'M HAPPY THAT WE'RE HERE. I DO HAVE A QUESTION OR A FEW QUESTIONS SO I'LL START OFF WITH YOUR SLIDE, THE CURRICULUM COURSE PLAN. I WAS THE CHAIR OF THE
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CURRICULUM COUNCIL FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN MY OTHER CAPACITY.ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SAW OF THE ELECTIVE COURSES YOU HAVE, HEALTH COMMUNICATION.
AND TO ME HEALTH LITERACWEY IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE SAW DURING THE PANDEMIC HOW IMPORTANT THAT WAS AND HOW IT WAS AFFECTED.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT SHOULD BE AN ELECTIVE OR IS THERE ANY WAY YOU ALL COULD
ADDING ADDITIONAL HEALTH LITERACY IN OTHER AREAS? >> THAT COMMENT IS RECEIVED WITH A LOT OF GRATITUDE. THE WAY WE HAVE ENLISTED THIS PROCESS AND WE WORK WITH TWO VERY SENIOR CONSULTANTS AND EVERY CONCENTRATION -- AS PART OF OUR FOUNDATIONAL COURSE, HEALTH COMMUNICATION AND HEALTH LITERACY ARE VERY IMPORTANT. WHEN YOU FORM A CONCENTRATION, YOU HAVE TO HAVE COURSES THAT TAKE IT TO A HIGHER LEVEL. WE HAVE A DEPARTMENT CALLED HEALTH, BEHAVIOR AND SOCIETY, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE A CONCENTRATION SPECIFIC TO
HEALTH COMMUNICATION. >> GARCIA: GREAT. >> IF YOU PUT IT INTO THIS PRACTICAL ADMINISTRATION, WE WOULD PROBABLY GO INTO ANOTHER CONCENTRATION IN THE
FUTURE WITH FOCUSES ON HEALTH COMMUNICATION PER SE. >> GARCIA: I LOVE THAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT'S ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES WHEN I GOT INTERESTED IN HEALTH COMMUNICATION IS WHEN I WAS A PH.D. AT U.T. AUSTIN AND WE WOULD DO A LOT
OF STUDIES IN AUSTIN. >> YOUR POINT IS VERY WELL TAKEN.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU. THE OTHER ONE IS THE MAP THAT YOU SHOWED OF THE DEEP LISTENING SESSIONS, I LOVE THAT YOU ALL HAVE THE DEEP LISTENING SESSIONS.
I THINK THIS IS JUST ANOTHER REMINDER THAT THERE'S A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES IN THE SOUTHERN SECTION OF SAN ANTONIO. BECAUSE THERE'S NOT TOO MANY CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING IN THE SOUTHERN SECTION BECAUSE THERE IS NOBODY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH. THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY A WHOLE LOT OF HEALTH FACILITIES, ET CETERA, SO I JUST WANTED TO APPRECIATE THAT YOU DID REACH OUT TO THE ONES THAT ARE OUT THERE. I DON'T SEE -- I THINK MAYBE ONE OF THEM IS IN MY DISTRICT THAT YOU TALKED TO, BUT SAFE CLINIC IS IN D3 ALREADY.
SO I WOULD JUST LOVE TO SEE IF MAYBE WE COULD CONNECT YOU WITH MAYBE THE FOLKS WHO DID SOME OF THE OUTREACH DURING COVID IN D4 BECAUSE I DON'T SEE D4 REPRESENTED AT ALL IN THESE CONVERSATIONS. AND I THINK LITERALLY IS -- YOU HAVE TO LIKE REALLY KNOW THE COMMUNITY WHO IS DOING WHAT TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT THESE THINGS. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FIND IT ON A GOOGLE SEARCH. SO I WOULD LOVE TO HELP WITH THAT.
AND THEN AS FAR AS RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THE TYPE OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES THAT WILL GO ON IN YOUR SCHOOL OF -- WELL, IN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL?
>> I THINK THE -- MULTIFACETED. ONE OF THE THINGS I MOVED 18 MONTHS FROM BOSTON. ONE OF THE THINGS WE BROUGHT TO SAN ANTONIO FROM BOSTON WAS WE HAVE A STUDY CALLED THE [INDISCERNIBLE]. IT'S FUNDED BY THE NIH.
IT'S A STUDY THAT WORKS IN REMOTE RURAL AREAS IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIA AND MISSISSIPPI DELTA. TO GET TO THESE PLACES, IT WILL TAKE YOU FIVE TO EIGHT HOURS TO GET TO THESE PARTS. WE DESIGNED A MOBILE APPROACH, 50-FOOT TRAILER DESIGNED AS THE FOSTER CITY SCANNER, CARD KNACK IMAGING, A MOBILE -- WE ARE BRINGING -- HAVING TRIED IT, WE HOPE TO USE A SIMILAR APPROACH IN PARTS OF RURAL TEXAS. AND THAT'S WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF RENEWAL OF THE RURAL GRANT. THAT'S OUR RURAL TEAM. FOR THE URBAN TEAM, WE HAVE INITIAL INCLINICIAN OF SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION FOR -- WHERE WE ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT ABOUT 100 INTERGENERATIONAL FAMILIES, LOOKING AT THE NON-MEDICAL NEEDS SPECIFICALLY IN THE ZIP CODES HARD HIT BY COVID-19, FOR EXAMPLE.
AND WE WANT TO DRILL A LITTLE DEEPER BECAUSE THE PANDEMIC IS OVER, BUT THE -- IT DEALS WITH MENTAL HEALTH, IT DEALS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST CAREGIVERS, GRANDPARENTS, PEOPLE WHO -- THAT'S A STUDY WE ARE WAITING FOR IT TO BE FUNDED AND WE'VE GOT INITIAL INCLINATION THERE IS INTEREST IN FUNDING IT, BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF RESEARCH
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WHICH IS COMMUNITY DRIVEN, COMMUNITY INFORMED, BOTTOMS UP WHERE THE -- CAN BE SHARED WITH THE CITY AND WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS SO THAT SOMETHING CAN BE DONE WITH THE DATA. SO THAT'S THE MODEL THAT WE ARE USING.>> GARCIA: WELL, AND I APPRECIATE THAT AND I ALSO WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU ALL ON THE LOSS OF YOUR LEADER, HE WAS SO WONDERFUL AND AN ADVOCATE FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
SO I KNOW THAT HE'S WATCHING DOWN ON THIS WORK AND YOU ALL ARE GOING TO HAVE SUCCESS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANYTHING I CAN DO TO BE
HELPFUL, COUNT ME IN. THANK YOU. >> CASTILLO: COUNCILMEMBER
KAUR. >> KAUR: WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU.
THE SCHOOL AND THE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IS NEW FOR ME BECAUSE I WASN'T AROUND WHEN THE FUNDING AND CONVERSATION FIRST STARTED, SO IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THIS COME TO FRUITION. A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT I HAD.
ONE, ARE YOU GUYS OFFERING ANY DUAL DEGREE PROGRAMS? OFTENTIMES WHEN PEOPLE PICK MPHS, THEY TIE IT ON TO SOMETHING THEY ARE ALREADY TAKING.
>> I THINK THERE ARE THREE DUAL DEGREE PROGRAMS. ONE OF THEM WILL BEGIN IN 2025. THAT'S OUR MD-MPH PROGRAM. THERE'S A STRONG DEMAND FOR MDS WHO UNDERSTAND AND ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY. THAT WAS A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY THE U.T. HOUSTON SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
THAT IS MOVING TO US NEXT YEAR. BUT WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING TOGETHER THE -- THAT'S A BATCH THAT WILL BE RECRUITED STARTING IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR. THAT FORMALLY BEGINS. WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH UTSA BECAUSE THERE IS A MBA-MPH PROGRAM AND WE HOPE RIGHT NOW WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS CREATE A CRITICAL MASS BEFORE WE SCALE UP, BUT THOSE DISCUSSIONS ARE IN PROGRESS. A THIRD ONE IS [INDISCERNIBLE] AND THAT'S A NOTION OF PUBLIC HELD INDUSTRY. WE BEGIN THOSE PROCESSES SO AS YOU BRING THE PROGRAM ONLINE, YOU CAN QUICKLY FOLLOW IT AND SCALE UP.
>> KAUR: I THINK THOSE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEN THEY ARE DEVELOPING LEADERS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY THAT HAVE A DUAL PERSPECTIVE AND THAT ARE ABLE TO LEAD FROM WHETHER THEY ARE IN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION OR BUSINESS PROFESSION OR IN
DENTISTRY WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE FOREFRONT. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> KAUR: SO AND I KNOW I'M SURE YOU GUYS ARE ALREADY CONSIDERING HOW YOU CAN SHORTEN OR ADD SUPPLEMENTS FOR THEM SO THEY ARE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM ALL OF THIS
WORK. >> RIGHT. >> KAUR: I ALSO NOTICED YOU GUYS ARE DOING AN EVENT AT SAN PEDRO PLAYHOUSE. WE WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER WITH OUT THAT EVENT. I JUST LOOKED UP THE ARTS AND CULTURE LINK FOR IT.
DO YOU ALREADY HAVE -- YOU MENTIONED 300 PEOPLE. DO YOU ALREADY HAVE THOSE
300 PEOPLE SIGNED UP OR IS THAT THE TARGET? >> I THINK THAT'S THE TARGET. CURRENT ENROLLMENT AS OF TODAY IS ABOUT 100.
WE'RE COUNTING ON -- UTSA IS A KEY PART OF THE HONORS COLLEGE SO THEY WANT TO BUS SOME STUDENTS OVER THERE. WE WILL OPEN IT UP AND YOU ARE WELCOME TO EXTEND THE INVITATION. THE THEATER CAN ACCOMMODATE UP TO ABOUT 350 PEOPLE.
WE ARE NOT -- THERE'S LOTS OF ROOM. >> KAUR: AWESOME.
IF IT'S OKAY, OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP. >> THAT WILL BE LOVELY.
>> KAUR: I KNOW IT'S COMING UP NEXT WEEK SO WE'RE EXCITED.
THERE'S GOING TO BE EASTER THIS WEEKEND AT THE PARK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. EXCITED TO SEE THIS COME TO FRUITION.
>> CASTILLO: COUNCILMEMBER GAVITO. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU.
I JUST NOTICED WE HAVE TWO DOCTORS AND COUNCILWOMAN ON THIS.
TALKING ABOUT SCHOOLS AND, YOU KNOW. I'M JUST PROUD.
ANYWAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I THINK SAN ANTONIO IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR THIS SCHOOL. AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, CITIES LIKE OURS DO GET HIT HARDER WHEN PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS ARRIVES.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT ALL THESE EFFORTS YOU HAVE GOING ON HERE.
I DO H QUESTIONS AND I DO FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I WAS A LITTLE LATE SO I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. BUT ON SLIDE 2, YOU NOTED THE PUBLIC HEALTH CORRIDOR.
CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT? >> YEAH. I THINK U.T. HEALTH SAN ANTONIO ALWAYS HAD A -- THERE'S A 38-COUNTY AREA. ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE VERY MUCH AWARE OF, SOUTH TEXAS IS AN IMPORTANT PART, BUT WE CALL IT A PUBLIC HEALTH CORRIDOR BECAUSE WE KNOW THIS AREA IS EXPLODING AS WE SPEAK, THIS WHOLE AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO -- AND UNDERSTANDING THE ESTIMATE IS BY 20.
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>> IT WOULD BE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 4.5 MILLION AND 8 MILLION.
WE WANT TO BE MORE OUTWARD LOOKING. THAT GIVES US TIME TO ACQUIRE A CRITICAL MASS BY SERVING THE PEOPLE IN OUR IMMEDIATE PROXIMITY.
BUT WE WANT TO BE RELEVANT TO THE STATE AS WELL. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE IN DEVELOPMENT THAT WE ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM WITH OUR PROGRAMMING. THAT'S WHY WE CALL IT A CORRIDOR BECAUSE IT'S A LARGER AREA THAN A 38-COUNTY MEDICAL NEEDS THAT U.T. HEALTH SAN ANTONIO HAS
SERVED TRADITIONALLY. >> GAVITO: THAT'S INTERESTING.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. JUST A SIDE NOTE, PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY AUSTIN HAS THIS AND SAN ANTONIO DOESN'T HAVE THIS. BUT I THINK WHAT SAN ANTONIO HAS IS ALL OF OUR MEDICAL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS A HUGE GAME CHANGE THEIR, YOU KNOW, OUR CITY DOESN'T HAVE. THAT ADDS TO THAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WHAT ARE THE ENROLLMENT FORECASTS FOR THE INAUGURAL CLASS?
>> I THINK OUR SQUARE FEET SPOT FORGIVEN OUR DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE AND THE FACULTY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 35 AND 40 STUDENTS. IN 2025, WE WILL SCALE UP TO ABOUT 75 STUDENTS, 30 OF THEM THE MD-MPH STUDENTS. WE HOPE TO SCALE UP TO 120.
>> GAVITO: AND I SAW YOU ALL ARE GOING TO DO EXPERIENCE SHALL
OPPORTUNITIES. >> WE ARE IN TOUCH WITH 15 ORGANIZATIONS SOME OF WHOM YOU SAW ON THE MAP. AND I THINK THE WHOLE BEHIND THAT IS HOW DO WE BUILD THE NOTION OF CULTURAL CAPITAL, CRITICAL REFLECTION AND ALSO PLACE PEOPLE IN POSITIONS WHERE THEIR FUTURE JOBS MIGHT LIE. WE UNDERSTAND THAT GRADUATE DEGREES ARE INTERESTING, BUT WHAT PEOPLE NEED ARE JOBS AND WHAT PEOPLE NEED ARE JOBS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO THEIR COMMUNITY. SO WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO A LOT OF THE AGENCIES, I GO BACK TO THAT LAST SLIDE -- I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU CAN TAKE ME FASTER TO THE LAST SLIDE. THIS IS PAINFUL.
>> GAVITO: YOU'RE FINE. DON'T WORRY. ALL THOSE ANIMATIONS.
>> WE WERE TALKING TO THE SAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK, AND AS YOU KNOW THEIR MOTTO IS FOOD FOR TODAY, FOOD FOR A LIFETIME. THAT'S A CLASSIC WHAT HOSPITALS DO OR PATIENTS DO, HEALTH FOR TODAY. WE HOPE TO USE THAT SAME MOTTO HEALTH FOR TODAY, HEALTH FOR TOMORROW, HEALTH FOR A LIFETIME.
AND THAT DEALS WITH THE NOTIONS OF PRIMARY INTERVENTION.
WE HAVE DEVELOPING MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING. EACH OF THESE AGENCIES HAVE THEIR OWN REQUIREMENTS. OUR TORT IS BY JULY OF THIS YEAR WE'LL HAVE 15 MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING TO PLACE OUR INITIAL BATCH OF ABOUT 35 STUDENTS IN THESE VARIOUS AGENCIES. AND THERE'S A STRUCTURE WHERE THERE IS A LOCAL SCHOOL MENTOR, THERE IS AN AGENCY MENTOR, THERE'S A DEFINITION OF WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE STUDENTS, APPLIED PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AND RULES ABOUT HOW MANY HOURS OF WORK OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL PER STUDENT. THAT'S A LOT OF WORK THAT THE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO OFFER. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE VALUE ADDED TO THE AGENCIES WHERE WE ARE SENDING THEM.
SO YOU SEE A LIST OF -- YOU KNOW, AGENCIES WE ARE DEVELOPING A PARTNERSHIP TO SEE HOW CAN OUR STUDENTS BE OF USE AND NOT NECESSARILY GET IN THE WAY OF ALL THE WORK. THAT'S OUR APPROACH.
>> GAVITO: OKAY. THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL. THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION. I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE A TOUR OF THE FACILITY.
>> IT'S AN OPEN INVITATION FOR ANYBODY IN THIS ROOM AND MY EMAIL IS ON THE LAST SLIDE. IF YOU SEND AN EMAIL TO PEE, WE CAN ORGANIZE.
YOU CAN COME ONE BY ONE -- THIS IS YOUR SCHOOL. >> GAVITO: THANKS AGAIN FOR HAVING EVENTS AROUND THE DISTRICT. I SAW THE WALK WITH A DOC AT SCHNABEL PARK. WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A PRESENCE THERE AS WELL.
>> THAT WOULD BE LOVELY. >> GAVITO: THANKS SO MUCH AND THANKS FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR COMMUNITY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANKS, CHAIR.
>> WE HOPE TO INVITE THE COMMUNITY INTO THE SCHOOL. THANK YOU.
[00:35:01]
>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN. >> VIAGRAN: YES, THANK YOU. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, REGARDING INCIDENTS OF LATELY FOR ME PERSONALLY, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT AND SO NECESSARY. AND IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS IS GOING TO DO FOR THE SOUTHERN CORRIDOR, AS WE NEED COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS THAT KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT AREA. SO I JUST WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE SLIDE REGARDING ACADEMIC PRIORITIES AND TARGET PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS.
I THINK EVERYONE IS GREAT. MY ONLY SUGGESTION IS THAT AS WE LOOK AT WOMEN'S AND GIRLS ISSUES THAT WE REALLY DIG INTO THE COMMUNITY AND START HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE FACING AND WHAT THEY SEE LATELY. WHERE THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO TECHNOLOGY TO GET THINGS DONE. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT WE FIND OUT THERE. AND THE OTHER THING IN TERMS OF PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES, I WILL DEFINITELY SAY OBESITY AND NUTRITION IS ONE OF THEM.
AND WE'RE DOING OUR PART IN THE CITY WITH HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD STORES AND CORNER STORES TO TRY AND ADDRESS THAT. BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS WE GO OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, OBESITY ISN'T THE ONLY -- LOSING WEIGHT ISN'T THE ONLY SOLUTION TO YOUR HEALTH PROBLEMS. AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KIND OF STRESS THE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S OUT THERE FOR SCANS AND X-RAYS AND VISITS AND TESTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR RURAL COMMUNITY AND TO OUR COMMUNITY AT THE WHOLE. BUT I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
I'M EXCITED TO SHARE WITH THE NURSES AND THE STAKEHOLDERS AS WE SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR DISTRICT AND JUST REALLY -- COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA AND I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ADDRESS THE FACT WE DID LOSE A HOSPITAL, WE HAVE ONE COMING, BUT MAKING SURE THAT WE GET MORE DOCTORS AND SERVICES IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR AND ON THE WEST AND THE EAST SIDE. BECAUSE IF COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ WAS HERE, HE WOULD REMIND ME THERE'S NO HOSPITAL ON THE EAST SIDE EITHER. MAKING SURE THAT WE GET THE DOCTORS SO THEY CAN DO THE APPOINTMENTS THAT THEY NEED. I THINK KEY IS HAVING THE PROFESSIONALS THERE AND I THINK YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB AT THAT. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING AND I JUST HOPE THAT WE -- WE ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS SO
THEY CAN TELL THEIR STORIES. THANK YOU. >> VERY WELL RECEIVED AND
WE'LL WORK SOME OF THE IDEAS YOU IDENTIFIED. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU SO MUCH. KEEPING IN MIND AS WE HAVE THE BUDGET CONVERSATIONS AND WHILE WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR INVESTMENT IN PARKS, BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY HEALTH, ALL OF THESE PIECES ARE PUBLIC HEALTH. AND I'M LOOKING OVER AT THE COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST. MY DISTRICT HAS THE COUNTY JAIL AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU ALL HAVE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY AS WELL.
BUT I THINK WHAT WOULD BE INTERESTING AND HELPFUL IS TO EXPLORE HOW CAN WE SUPPORT FOLKS WHO ARE FORMERLY INCARCERATED. I'M REMINDED OF A CONVERSATION WE HAD WHEN WE VISITED THE U.T. DENTAL SCHOOL AND FROM OUR READY TO WORK PROGRAM WHERE HE EXPRESSED THAT SOME APPLICANTS, HOW THEIR ACCESS TO DENTAL CARE IMPACTS THEIR CONFIDENCE TO SEEK EMPLOYMENT, TO SEEK WORKFORCE TRAINING AND HOW CAN WE HAVE WRAP-AROUND SERVICES TO ENSURE FOLKS HAVE ACCESS TO RESOURCES. ULTIMATELY I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR PRESENTING TO US AND SHARING THIS INFORMATION. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM. THIS IS EXCITING FOR SAN ANTONIO.
THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> CASTILLO: WE COULD NOW GO ON TO ITEM 2, A BRIEFING ON THE 2024 NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK AND METRO HEALTH
FY 2023 REPORT. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMITTEE CHAIR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMITTEE CHAIR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS. MY NAME IS MARIO MARTINEZ, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, OVERSEE THE OPERATIONS DIVISION OF METRO HEALTH.
DR. JACOB SENDS HIS REGARDS. HE IS CURRENTLY AT A NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS SUMMIT AND HE DID WANT ME TO INFORM YOU THAT THIS NATIONAL CONFERENCE IS COMING TO SAN ANTONIO NEXT YEAR. THAT'S REALLY SOME GOOD NEWS FOR OUR CITY.
[00:40:02]
JOINING ME TODAY WE HAVE DR. CUR COMMUNICABLE DISEASE DIVISION.WE ALSO HAVE MARJORIE WHITE AND SHE OVERSEES OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY DIVISION. WE ALSO HAVE OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT HERE WITH ME TODAY. BEFORE I BEGIN, I DO WANT TO THANK DR. RAMASHANDAN FOR JOINING US AND FOR HIS PRESENTATION AND FOR THE ONGOING AND COLLABORATIVE WORK TO STRENGTHEN OUR PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE ENDEAVORS AND COLLABORATIONS AND WE HOPE THAT YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WILL SEE THE FRUITS OF THAT WORK. WE DID HAVE SOME MATERIALS FOR YOU TODAY, BUT I BELIEVE THOSE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO YOUR OFFICES. SO THOSE INCLUDED THE METRO HEALTH FISCAL YEAR 2023 ANNUAL REPORT. WE ALSO HAD AN INVITATION FOR YOU TO JOIN THE UTSA DEAN'S LECTURE SERIES ON APRIL 3RD.
THERE'S ALSO A ONE-PAGER HANDOUT ON OUR APRIL 4TH PUBLIC HEALTH FEST. SO I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THOSE ACTIVITIES IN MY PRESENTATION. OH, AND THE OTHER THING, YOU'LL ALSO SEE SOME FIESTA MEDALS. SO LOOK FORWARD TO THAT.
WE'LL DEFINITELY HAVE MORE OF THOSE AT OUR PUBLIC HEALTH FEST.
FOR TODAY'S BRIEFING, I WILL SHARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR ANNUAL REPORT AND THEN SPEAK ON OUR NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK ACTIVITIES. THIS YEAR'S ANNUAL REPORT INCLUDES SEVEN SECTIONS, AND FOR THIS AFTERNOON I WILL HIGHLIGHT OUR ORGANIZATION.
A FEW OF OUR DIVISION HIGHLIGHTS AND ALSO TOUCH ON A FEW SELECT SA FORWARD YEAR 2 PERFORMANCE MEASURES. AND THEN ALSO GO INTO OUR NATIONAL AWARDS.
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, METRO HEALTH BUDGET IN 2023 WAS $104.6 MILLION.
THIS INCLUDED 34.7 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND, 30 MILLION IN STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS, AND 41.8 MILLION IN CARES AND ALSO ARPA FUNDING.
THE GENERAL FUND AMOUNT INCLUDED A 3.8 MILLION INVESTMENT IN OUR SA FORWARD PLAN. AND ALSO A $2 MILLION INVESTMENT FOR THE U.T.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. IN FISCAL YEAR 2023, OUR DEPARTMENT COMPRISED OF 643 FULL-TIME POSITIONS. AND ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS SLIDE YOU'LL SEE THE DEPARTMENTS' DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE. OUR ANNUAL REPORT INCLUDES SEVERAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR EACH OF OUR DIVISIONS, BUT FOR TODAY'S BRIEFING, I WILL HIGHLIGHT ONE KEY PERFORMANCE MEASURE FOR EACH DIVISION AND IN BENEFIT TO OUR COMMUNITY. FOR OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY DIVISION, 880 OR 89% EARLY HEAD START CHILDREN RECEIVE TOOTH DECAY PREVENTION SERVICES.
THE BENEFIT OF EARLY PREVENTIVE DENTAL SERVICES IS SHOWN TO HELP CHILDREN AVOID TOOTH DECARE. UNDER THE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE, OUR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONDUCTED OVER 90,000 INFECTIOUS DISEASE INVESTIGATIONS.
THIS HELPS METRO HEALTH TO IDENTIFY OUTBREAKS AND CONTROL AND GUIDE CONTROLLED PREVENTION SERVICES TO STOP THE SPREAD OF DISEASES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
IN ADDITION, THESE INVESTIGATIONS ALSO ENABLE OUR DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY AND IDENTIFY DISEASE TRENDS. FOR OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND OPERATIONS DIVISION, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICERS CONDUCTED OVER 370,000 INSPECTIONS, FOR FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS, SWIMMING POOLS IN OUR COMMUNITY, MOBILE VENDORS AND TEMPORARY FOOD EVENTS. AS PART OF OUR FOOD SAFETY EFFORTS, 92% OF OUR FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS SCORED A 90 OR HIGHER ON THEIR HEALTH INSPECTIONS IN FISCAL YEAR 2023. FOR AS FORWARD, OUR
[00:45:05]
COMMUNITY GROUP BRAND FOR SAN ANTONIO, WE HAVE SIX PRIORITY AREAS.I'LL HIGHLIGHT ONE PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR EACH OF THE AREAS AND ALSO THE BENEFIT TO OUR COMMUNITY. UNDER [INAUDIBLE] CARE, 175 MEDICAL PROVIDERS OR 75% OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED BEAMED'S WORKSHOP STATED THEIR INTENTION TO IMPLEMENT INFORMATION, TOOLS AND STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO CARE. THESE EFFORTS WILL IMPROVE PROVIDER SYSTEM CHANGES TO HELP INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO EXPERIENCE A DISCONNECT WITH THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND TO HELP THEM RECONNECT WITH THOSE HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS FOR PREVENTIVE SERVICES AND ALSO FOR TREATMENTS. UNDER DATA AND TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE, METRO HEALTH SUCCESSFULLY SECURED AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE FORECASTING AND MODELING SYSTEMS GRANT. THIS FUNDING WILL ASSIST TO BETTER PREDICT THE FUTURE COURSE OF OUTBREAK AND ALSO STRATEGIES IN EPIDEMIC.
UNDER FOOD AND SECURITY NUTRITION, 40 HEALTHY CORNER STORES FOR A COMBINED 72,000 POD VEGETABLES, THEREBY HELPING RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN FOOD DESERTS HAVE BETTER ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS. UNDER HEALTH EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, OUR OFFICE OF POLICY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT DEVELOPED A FOOD INSECURITY DASHBOARD FOR BEXAR COUNTY AND PUBLISHED A REVIEW ON FOOD INSECURITY. THIS INFORMATION WILL ASSIST OUR COMMUNITY TO ADVOCATE FOR POLICY CHANGES AND OTHER STRATEGIES TO HELP REVERSE THE CURRENT TRENDS RELATED TO FOOD INSECURITY. UNDER MENTAL HEALTH IN AUDIO] 17 DEPARTMENTS IN SAN ANTONIO IN FISCAL YEAR 2023.
BY FISCAL YEAR 2026, OUR AIM IS TO INITIATE THE TRAUMA INFORMED CERTIFICATION PROCESS WITH ALL THE REMAINING CITY DEPARTMENTS. AND FINALLY UNDER VIOLENCE PREVENTION, OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INITIATIVE PROVIDED CRISIS ADVOCACY TO OVER 10,000 INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE REFERRED FROM THE SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT. OUR STAFF HELPED INDIVIDUALS TO DEVELOP SAFETY PLANS, FIND SAFE PLACES TO LIVE AND PROVIDED THEM WITH THE NEEDED RESOURCES AND REFERRALS FOR LEGAL SERVICES, COUNSELING AND OTHER PERSONAL AND FAMILY NEEDS. AS I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR OUR DIVISION, OUR DIFFERENT DIVISIONS IN METRO HEALTH AND ALSO FOR THE SA FORWARD COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY BLUEPRINT.
TWO NATIONAL AWARDS ARE MENTIONED IN OUR ANNUAL REPORT.
THOSE INCLUDE A FIVE-YEAR CDC GRANT AWARD UP TO $5 MILLION TO IMPROVE OUR PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE AND WORKFORCE. THIS AWARD WAS MADE PUBLIC IN NOVEMBER 2022. AND THIS FUNDING HELPS US SUPPORT OUR SA FORWARD IMPLEMENTATION, BUT ALSO THE METRO HEALTH 2.0 STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND LAST YEAR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WAS RECOGNIZED WITH AN OVERALL GOLD MEDAL BY CITY HEALTH FOR PASSING POLICIES THAT IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF RESIDENTS BY -- SAN ANTONIO WAS ONE OF SEVEN CITIES ACROSS THE NATION AND THE ONLY CITY IN TEXAS TO HAVE THIS RECOGNITION. AS THE DOCTOR MENTIONED EARLIER, NEXT WEEK IS NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK. AND METRO HEALTH IS WORKING WITH SEVERAL PARTNERS TO INCLUDE THE U.T. SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND UTSA AND OTHER COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS ON DIFFERENT EVENTS. THIS YEAR'S THEME IS PROTECTING, CONNECTING AND THRIVING. WE ARE ALL PUBLIC HEALTH. AT THIS TIME WE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A PREVIEW OF OUR NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
THAT WILL START AIRING NEXT WEEK. >> PUBLIC HEALTH MORE THAN JUST HEALTH CARE. PUBLIC HEALTH LOOKS AT THE HEALTH OF A COMMUNITY.
AT METRO HEALTH WE RESEARCH THE ILLNESS AND TAKE ACTIONS TO STOP SPREAD OF DISEASES THAT HELP INDIVIDUALS ENJOY HEALTHIER LIVES AND PROTECT AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARDS. WE ARE ALL PUBLIC HEALTH. CELEBRATE NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK WITH US. LEARN MORE AT SA.GOV/HEALTH.
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>> THANK YOU. SO FOR EACH DAY NEXT WEEK -- LET ME GO BACK TO THAT SLIDE. FOR EACH DAY NEXT WEEK, METRO HEALTH WILL PROMOTE DIFFERENT SERVICES IN THEIR DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY ENSURING THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THE MEANING OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE SERVICES THAT WE OFFER FOR THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY. OUR MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HAS ALSO CONFIRMED 30 INTERVIEWS ON LOCAL DAYTIME TALK SHOWS ON ENGLISH AND SPANISH NETWORKS.
AND WE WILL ALSO HAVE PROMOTIONAL SPOTS DURING THE WEATHER SPOTS.
AND ALSO UNIVISION WILL FEATURE MEDICAL EXAMINER DURING ONE OF THEIR 5:00 P.M. NEWS SEGMENTS. ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 12:00 TO 1:00 P.M. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UTSA DEAN'S LECTURE SERIES, WE WILL CO-HOST A CONVERSATION ON PUBLIC HEALTH IN HONOR AND MEMORY OF DR. AGUERRA, HEALTH DIRECTER FROM 19878 TO 2010.
-- 1987. THIS WILL TAKE PLACE AT UTSA'S MAIN CAMPUS.
ALSO ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3RD, METRO HEALTH WILL PARTICIPATE IN A NATIONAL CONVERSATION ENGAGING WITH OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ON PUBLIC HEALTH ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE U.S. ON APRIL 4TH, WE'LL BE JOINING YOU AT CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS FOR CITY COUNCIL A SESSION FOR A MAYOR'S PROCLAMATION FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK. ON THAT SAME DAY, WE WILL BE HOSTING OUR ANNUAL PUBLIC HEALTH FEST FROM 3:00 P.M. TO 6:00 P.M. AT MISSION COUNTY PARK.
WE WILL HAVE OVER 30 VENDORS INCLUDING METRO HEALTH PROGRAMS, COMMUNITY PARTNER, SCHOOL PUBLIC HEALTH. WE WILL HAVE GIVE-AWAYS OF FEST MEDALS AND ECLIPSE GLASSES AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY. GAMES, MUSIC AND FOOD THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO THE COMMUNITY. WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US FOR YOU ALL THESE EVENTS NEXT WEEK. THIS CONCLUDES MY BRIEFING FOR THIS AFTERNOON. WE CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AND ON BEHALF OF THE METRO HEALTH EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP STAFF, WE DO APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT ON OUR WORK IN
SAN ANTONIO 6789. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AS ALWAYS, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR THE NATIONAL RECOGNITION THAT YOU ALL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE. IT'S REALLY EXCITING. I RECENTLY HAD A VISIT WITH CULTURAL ENGLL AND THE AFGHAN RESETTLEMENT. IT EMPHASIZES ACCESS TO CARE AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN GENERAL. AND IT PROVIDES POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS THAT WE CAN DEPLOY AND IMPLEMENT IN PREPARATION FOR AN INFLUX OF ANY OTHER POPULATION THAT HAPPENS TO MAKE ITS WAY TO SAN ANTONIO. AND WITHIN IT THEY HIGHLIGHT THAT JUST ACCESS TO CARE IN GENERAL FROM THEIR HOME LAND TO HERE, JUST BEING SURPRISED AT HOW LONG IT TAKES TO SEE A DOCTOR, TRYING TO NAVIGATE AND FIND WHERE TO GET VACCINATIONS AND ALL THESE PIECES. WE'VE BEEN GRATEFUL THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK -- OF COURSE LIKE METRO HEALTH'S RESOURCES, TO MAKE SURE FOLKS ARE CONNECTED, BUT I THINK THERE WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE A PRESENTATION SO WE CAN LEARN ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE IDENTIFIED AS SOLUTIONS.
IF ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE QUESTIONS, I COULD START THE CONVERSATION.
COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET US STARTED? >> VIAGRAN: YES.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD. I KNOW MY STAFF WAS ONE OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT DID THE TRAUMA-INFORMED CERTIFICATION PROCESS AND THEY LEARNED A LOT. AND THIS WAS IMPORTANT FOR THEM AND I -- IF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVEN'T HAD THEIR STAFF DO THE CERTIFICATION, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE NUMBER OF WALK-INS WE HAVE COMING IN.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE IF THERE IS MENTAL ILLNESS OR SOMETHING WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF. THANK YOU FOR THAT PROCESS AND DOING IT WITH THE CITY DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE THE FRONT LINE AND FACES THAT SEE OUR RESIDENTS.
I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF OF DO NEED TO LOOK AT, AS WE DO THE OUTREACH, WHAT NEW THINGS HAVE COME BECAUSE OF
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THE PANDEMIC AS WE LOOK AT WHAT PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING WITH, THE MENTAL HEALTH, NOT MAKING APPOINTMENTS, MAKING APPOINTMENTS THAT THEY HAVEN'T HAD IN YEARS AND THEN FINDING OUT THAT THEY NEED SO MUCH DONE. AND THE OTHER THING I THINK, AND I THINK COUNCILMEMBER ROCHA GARCIA BROUGHT IT UP IN THE LAST PRESENTATION OR THE ONE BEFORE THAT IS UNDERSTANDING THEIR RIGHTS AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE CAN ASK FOR IF THEY NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR, IF THEY NEED TO -- IF THEY NEED A SPECIAL EXAMINATION TO SEE A SPECIALIST. A LOT OF RESIDENTS, THEY HAVE THEIR INSURANCE, THEY'VE RETIRED AND THEY ARE STILL HAVING ONE APPOINTMENT AFTER ANOTHER OR IT'S BECOMING TROUBLESOME TO SEE THE DOCTOR THAT THEY NEED TO. AS WE MOVE FORWARD HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS TOO.SO JUST THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT CONVENTION COMING NEXT YEAR TO SAN ANTONIO AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL STILL BE ON THIS COMMITTEE AND ALL OF US CAN GO JOIN CLAUDE THERE AND WATCH HIM IN ACTION.
THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
COUNCILMEMBER GAVITO. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. IT WAS GREAT.
ALSO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT YOU ALL DO FOR OUR CITY.
I HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. ON SLIDE 4, LOOKING AT Y'ALL'S BUDGET, I SEE THAT A GOOD CHUNK, 41.8, COMES FROM ARPA. I WAS WONDERING WHAT IS Y'ALL'S PLAN TO CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM ONCE THE ARPA DOLLARS RUN OUT.
>> RIGHT, THAT'S WHERE WE'LL PROBABLY NEED DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL.
>> GAVITO: OOPS. TODAY I SET YOU UP FOR THAT? >> BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF
WORK THAT WE DO. >> GAVITO: SURE. >> THAT'S ALREADY COME THROUGH YOUR GUIDANCE OVER THE YEARS. MENTAL HEALTH, FOR EXAMPLE, A BIG PART OF THAT. AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT
THAT WILL LOOK LIKE AS WE GO INTO 2026. >> GAVITO: YEAH, AND ACTUALLY AND THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A TANGENT, BUT WE PROBABLY WILL NEED TO TALK ABOUT BECAUSE THIS MORNING MY TEAM AND I DID A TOUR WITH THE AUTISM COMMUNITY NETWORK, A WONDERFUL NON-PROFIT THAT DOES SO MUCH TO SUPPORT FAMILIES IN THE CITY. WHEN ONE OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS HAS AUTISM.
THERE'S SO MANY NONPROFITS OR ORGANIZATIONS WHO RELY HEAVILY ON ARPA FUNDS.
WE'LL NEED TO CONTINUE OUT HOW WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT WHEN THOSE FUNDS RUN OUT.
JUST BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH RELIANCE THAT HAS BEEN BUILT ON THOSE FUNDS.
SORRY. ANOTHER QUICK QUESTION -- ACTUALLY A COMMENT.
I SAW THE METRO HEALTH STAFF PROFILE AND I THOUGHT IT WAS AWESOME BECAUSE IT'S REALLY REFLECTIVE OF SAN ANTONIO. SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT AND THANK YOU
ALL FOR THAT GREAT WORK. WE DON'T SEE THAT OFTEN. >> RIGHT.
>> GAVITO: AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY COOL HIGHLIGHT TO SEE HERE.
ALSO TOO, I SAW THE -- A SLIDE 7, I BELIEVE, THE FOOD INSECURITY DASHBOARD.
WHERE CAN WE FIND THAT? >> SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING ON HAVING THAT ON OUR WEBSITE ALONG WITH UPDATING THE SA FORWARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES ON WHAT WE CALL THE MY SIDEWALK DASHBOARD. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE CITY WEBSITE THAT'S BEEN REDESIGNED AND SO WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING UP WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT DASHBOARDS AND INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU AND ALSO TO THE PUBLIC.
MORE TRANSPARENCY. >> GAVITO: COULD YOU ALL SEND THAT TO THIS COMMITTEE WHEN IT'S READY? BECAUSE I DO THINK WE'LL WANT TO DIG IN DISTRICT BY
DISTRICT AND MAKE SURE WE'RE SUPPORTING AS WE CAN. >> THAT AND ALSO THE LINK TO THE MY SIDEWALK DASHBOARD WHEN THAT'S AVAILABLE. WE HOPE THAT'S GOING TO BE AVAILABLE LATER THIS -- WELL, APRIL. WE'LL DEFINITELY LET YOU
KNOW. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ALL OF THE PROGRAMMING FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK. THANKS SO MUCH.
THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> CASTILLO: DR. ROCHA GARCIA.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. I'M VERY HAPPY ALSO, COUNCILMEMBER GAVITO POINTED OUT THAT THE DIVERSITY WAS GREAT.
I'M WONDERING DO YOU HAVE THE BREAKDOWN FOR WOMEN? >> YES, WE DO ACTUALLY.
LET ME SEE IF I CAN PULL THAT UP ON OUR ANNUAL REPORT.
>> GARCIA: I SEE THEM ALL OVER SO I THINK IT'S A MAJORITY.
BUT I COULD BE WRONG. >> I DON'T WANT TO GUESS, BUT IT IS --
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>> GARCIA: AND THEN WHILE YOU DO THAT ALSO I'LL TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH MY COLLEAGUES THAT I GOT TO VISIT THE -- FOR WORLD TB DAY LAST YEAR, WE GOT TO VISIT YOUR FACILITY AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE. DR. CURIAN WAS THERE, BUT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IF MY COLLEAGUES GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK THAT OUT AS WELL. JUST PHENOMENAL WORK GOING ON OVER THERE.
I DIDN'T REALIZE WE WERE ONE OF THE ONLY CENTERS, REALLY I THINK THEY SAID OUT OF 23 IN THE WORLD WE HAVE ONE OF THE ONLY ONES IN THE UNITED STATES AND WE TREAT PEOPLE FROM MEXICO AND GUATAMALA AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE OTHER MAJOR ONE BUT I WAS SO EXCITED TO BE DOING THAT WORK TO CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR TEAM FOR THAT.
>> THE BREAKDOWN BY GENDER IS 73% FEMALE AND 25% MALE. >> GARCIA: VERY NICE.
OKAY. GOOD. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND THEN ALSO WE HAVE -- WE SAW SOME -- SOME OF THE EVENTS, ARE THOSE ALL OF THE EVENTS YOU HAVE GOING ON OR IS THERE ANOTHER MORE COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE WE
COULD FIND MORE EVENTS? >> YOU WILL HAVE AT YOUR OFFICE A ONE-PAGER THAT HAS THE NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SUMMARY AND LIST OF ACTIVITIES ON THERE.
AND THEN OUR WEBSITE WILL ALSO HAVE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE.
IT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE WE ARE WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH FOR SOME OF THEIR ACTIVITIES AND ALSO WITH UTSA.
SO IT'S A COLLABORATIVE TESTIMONY TO PROMOTE ALL THE DIFFERENT PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES THAT ARE THROUGH THE DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
>> GARCIA: OKAY. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A LACK OF HEALTH INSTITUTIONS IN DISTRICT 4, FOR INSTANCE, I DON'T SEE ANY EVENTS IN THE AREA. AND SPECIFICALLY DIABETES IS ONE OF THE BIG ONES, ASTHMA IS REALLY BIG AS WELL. AND SO I'M WONDERING IF -- FOR FUTURE PUBLIC HEALTH WEEKS IF WE COULD MAYBE TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AND MAYBE IF THERE'S NOT AREAS THERE THAT WE COULD PARTNER WITH OTHER ENTITIES LIKE PALO~ALTO COLLEGE OR
DIFFERENT AREAS WE CAN MAYBE HOST SOMETHING LIKE THIS. >> WE CAN GO BACK AND FIND OUT WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE HAPPENING IN DIFFERENT COUNCIL DISTRICTS AND FOLLOW
UP. >> GARCIA: WONDERFUL. I NOTICE YOU ALL HAVE SCHOLARSHIPS THAT ARE -- SO CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS OR HOW WE COULD MAYBE SHARE THAT AS WELL ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
>> THERE'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE FOUR SCHOLARSHIPS IN MEMORY OF DR. FERNANDO GUERRA. TWO ARE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND THEN TWO OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE GOING TO BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS.
THOSE ARE SPECIFIC TO STUDENTS ATTENDING THE U.T. SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
THE UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE TO ANY STUDENT IN
SAN ANTONIO. >> GARCIA: AWESOME. >> AND THOSE ARE GOING TO BE OPENED, I BELIEVE, THE BEGINNING OF APRIL AND THEY WILL RUN THROUGH PROBABLY MAY. AND THOSE AWARDS WILL BE MADE DURING THE MID-TO-LATE SUMMER AS STUDENTS GET READY TO ENROLL IN SCHOOL. BUT THE KICKOFF FOR THAT ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE APRIL 3RD AT THE UTSA LECTURE SERIES.
>> GARCIA: WONDERFUL. WELL THEN WE'LL HOLD IT UNTIL THEN.
ON THE APPLICATIONS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD -- OR FOR HEAD START, EARLY HEAD
START, HAVE WE SEEN AN INCREASE? >> I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY IF THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN NUMBER OF CHILDREN. IN REGARDS TO SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE FOR THOSE CHILDREN IN THAT PROGRAM, WE ARE VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE SEEING THE MAJORITY. OF COURSE, THERE'S ALWAYS FAMILIES THAT WE CANNOT REACH, BUT 89% OF THE REACH FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD CHILDREN, I THINK THAT'S A
GOOD STATISTIC. DO YOU WANT TO -- >> SORRY TO INTERRUPT.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HAS AN EARLY HEAD START AND HEAD START PROGRAM AS WELL AS THE CHILDCARE SUBSIDY PROGRAM. WE HAVEN'T NECESSARILY SEEN AN INCREASE, BUT WE SEE THE SAME UNMET NEED IN THE COMMUNITY.
THE CHILDCARE SERVICES PROGRAM HAS A WAITING LIST OF [INAUDIBLE] CHILDREN.
THERE'S GREAT NEED IN THE COMMUNITY FOR THOSE SERVICES.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS.
AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS. I THINK YOU ALL ARE DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT-OUT BECAUSE WE HAVE A FEW OF YOU ALL IN THE AUDIENCE THAT DO THE WORK EVERY DAY. AND SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO AND JUST YOU ALL ARE SO FRIENDLY ALL THE TIME. WHEN IF HE -- WHEN METRO
HEALTH COMES IN I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT IT. >> KAUR: IS SEGOVIA ONE OF
[01:05:05]
THE EVENTS YOU ARE RESPONSESSERRING? >> YES.
>> KAUR: I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT SINCE IT'S ON THE TRI-POINT Y AND WE'RE EXCITED WE'RE GOING TO BE HIGHLIGHTING ST. MARY'S JUST OPENED BUT OBVIOUSLY PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK AND ALL THE WORK YOU ALL ARE DOING. THERE'S GOING TO BE LOTS OF FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENTS SO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO COME OUT.
APRIL 7TH FROM 10:00 TO 2:00. >> THANK YOU FOR PLUGGING
THAT. IT IS ON THE SCHEDULE. >> KAUR: I LOVE IT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> CASTILLO: I'M LOOKING AT THE PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK AND I SEE FRIDAY IT'S STI PREVENTION.
I WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH YOUR TEAM HOW WE COULD INCENTIVIZE FOLKS TO GET TESTED. IF WE COULD COME UP WITH A WAY TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO GET TESTED, I WOULD LOVE TO TEAM UP WITH YOU HOW WE CAN BEST DO THAT IN DISTRICT 5.
>> WE'LL REACH OUT TO YOUR OFFICE ON THAT. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
ITEM 4, A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON A CRISIS YOU NURSERY PROGRAM
PRESENTED, I BELIEVE -- OKAY. >> THANK YOU, COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I'M ONE OF THE ASSISTANT DIRECTORS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. TODAY I'M GOING TO BE PROVIDING A PRESENTATION RELATED TO A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST THAT WAS SUBMITTED BY DR. ROCHA GARCIA AND COUNCILMEMBER PELÁEZ RELATED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT -- OH, SORRY.
THIS TRIPS EVERYBODY UP. RELATED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAM.
I AM JOINED BY REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUR HEALTH AND POLICE DEPARTMENT WHO ARE JOINING DHS IN ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT HAVE JOINED US THAT ARE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN WORK RELATED TO RESPITE SERVICES, CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROGRAMMING, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE AS WELL AS FAMILY AND CHILDREN SERVICES IN GENERAL. SO SPECIFICALLY DURING TODAY'S PRESENTATION, I'LL BE REVIEWING THE BACKGROUND RELATED TO THE CCR REQUEST AS WELL AS PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF THE TYPICAL PROGRAM MODEL NATIONWIDE. AND THEN ALSO REVIEWING PROPOSED NEXT STEPS. SO JUST BY WAY OF BACKGROUND ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2023, THE CCR REQUEST WAS FILED AND IT REALLY DIRECTED STAFF TO EXPLORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COST-FREE CRISIS NURSERY IN SAN ANTONIO. THE GOAL OF THE NURSERY PROGRAM WOULD BE TO PROVIDE RESPITE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE IMMEDIATE RISK FOR CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, WHILE ALSO ASSISTING IN CONNECTING THEIR PARENTS TO SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THAT WILL HELP ADDRESS THAT CRISIS THEY ARE EXPERIENCING. PART OF THE REQUEST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ADDRESSING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SERVICES NOT ONLY FOR THE CHILDREN BUT THE PARENTS WE'RE CONNECTING. ON MARCH 20, 2024, WE PRESENTED TO THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE AND THEY APPROVED A RECOMMENDATION TO BRING BACK CONSIDERATION OF THIS ITEM TO THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE FOR DISCUSSION. SO JUST OVERALL NATIONALLY, THE CRISIS NURSERY MODEL FIRST STARTED IN THE 1970S AND IT REALLY CAME OUT OF A GRASS-ROOTS MOVEMENT OF AGENCIES THAT WERE LOOKING AT HOW DO THEY PROVIDE IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS AND PARENTS THAT WERE EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT STRESS IN THEIR LIVES AND WAS PUTTING CHILDREN AT RISK FOR CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. SO AT A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL, CRISIS NURSERIES PROVIDE RESPITE FOR THE PARENT WHILE ALSO ADDRESSING -- SO THEY CAN ADDRESS THAT CIRCUMSTANCE THAT'S CAUSING THEM TO SEEK CARE WHILE ALSO PROVIDING SAFE CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN THAT'S IN A PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT. TYPICAL SERVICES INCLUDE INITIAL CRISIS ASSESSMENT AS WELL AS TRIAGING, RESIDENTIAL CARE, EMERGENCY SERVICES, AND FOLLOW-UP SERVICES FOR THE FAMILY AND FOR THE CHILD.
MOST IMPORTANTLY SERVICES ARE PROVIDED WITH NO WAITING PERIOD FOR FAMILIES THAT ARE SEEKING THAT CARE AND AT NO COST TO THE FAMILY SO THEY CAN IMMEDIATELY ADDRESS THAT CRISIS SITUATION. PROGRAMS CAN BE OPERATED IN A RANGE OF DIFFERENT MODELS.
THEY INCLUDE CENTER-BASED FACILITIES, PRIVATE HOMES, AS WELL AS EMERGENCY SHELTERS AND THE ONE COMMONALITY BESIDES THE TYPES OF SERVICES PROVIDED IS THAT ALL OF THOSE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED IN LICENSED FACILITIES THAT ARE LICENSED BY THE STATE IN WHICH THEY OPERATE. OVER TIME, THE CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAM MODEL HAS EVOLVED BEYOND JUST SHORT-TERM INTERVENTION AND REALLY WAS DONE LEVERAGINGS AGENCY SPECIFIC AND COMMUNITYWIDE SERVICES TO INCLUDE THINGS LIKE PARENTING EDUCATION, SUPPORT GROUPS, CRISIS COUNSELING, CONNECTION TO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT OR SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT IF THAT'S NEEDED, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND HOUSING SERVICES AND MANY OTHERS.
AND REALLY THE ACTUAL SERVICES THAT ARE USED TO PROVIDE TO SUPPORT THE
[01:10:02]
FAMILIES IS BASED ON WHAT THEY ORIGINALLY CAME AND TO SEEK THE CARE FOR AS WELL AS WHAT KINDS OF THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO HELP IMPROVE OVERALL LONG-TERM STABILITY FOR THE FAMILY. FUNDING MODELS ALSO VARY ACROSS PROGRAMS AND IT REALLY VARIES ACROSS STATES. IT TYPICALLY INCLUDES A COMBINATION OF FOUNDATION GRANTS I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAMS OPERATING IN SAN ANTONIO AND IN TEXAS WE DO KNOW OF A PROGRAM OPERATING IN EL PASO, BUT WE ARE STILL DOING SOME OF THAT RESEARCH TO FULLY IDENTIFY THE COMMUNITY OF CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I DO ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS IN SAN ANTONIO AS REALLY BEEN IDENTIFYING THE NEED AND ADVOCATING FOR EXPANSION BUT A MODEL.MORE RECENTLY OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, THESE NON-PROFIT PARTNERS HAVE GOTTEN TOGETHER AND IN A MORE STRATEGIC AND FOCUSED WAY ARE EXPLORING WHAT THE ACTUAL NEED IN SAN ANTONIO IS AND WHAT AVAILABLE SUPPORT THERE IS TO ESTABLISH A PILOT PROGRAM. BASED ON THE CCR, HUMAN SERVICES HEALTH AND POLICE FORMED AN INTERNAL WORKING GROUP TO EXPLORE THE OPTIONS WE HAVE BEFORE US AS A CITY TO LOOK AT IMPLEMENTING SOMETHING LOCALLY. AS PART OF THIS GROUP'S WORK, WE'RE GOING TO BE MEETING WITH THOSE NON-PROFITS THAT HAVE EXPERTISE IN THESE AREAS AND HAVE BEEN CHAMPIONING THIS ISSUE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO AND GET FROM THOSE CONVERSATIONS IS WHAT'S THE OVERALL NEED IN THE COMMUNITY, WHAT IS THE CAPACITY OF LOCAL NON-PROFIT PARTNERS TO PROVIDE THESE TYPES OF SERVICE, AND WHAT ARE OTHER POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
INTERNAL WORKING GROUP WOULD DEVELOP A FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT THAT WE WOULD BRING BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE NOT ONLY BEST PRACTICES BUT SIMILAR PROGRAMS IN SAN ANTONIO THAT COULD BE EXPANDED OR NEW PROGRAMS THAT ARE NEEDED AS WELL AS A PROPOSED SCOPE OF SERVICES. SO AGAIN WE WOULD BE PROPOSING TO RETURN TO THIS COMMITTEE IN MAY TO PRESENT INFORMATION BASED ON THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD, THAT PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT, AS WELL AS DISCUSS ANY NEXT STEPS. AND THAT DOES CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION.
WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT STAFF'S RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.
>> >> CASTILLO: I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO DR. ROCHA GARCIA TO
KICK US OFF. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU, CHAIR I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE SOME PARTNERS ALSO IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY.
AND I WANT TO, IN PARTICULAR, TAKE THE TIME TO THANK REBECCA FROM RESPITE CARE SA.
SHE'S ALSO AN INDUCTEE THIS YEAR TO THE WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME, SO SHE'S BEEN DOING SOME GREAT WORK. CONGRATULATIONS, REBECCA . BUT SHE HAS A VERY PARTICULAR FOCUS SET AS WELL AND THAT'S OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. LAST SEMESTER I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO -- MY CLASS DID SOME MARKETING MATERIALS FOR HER SO WE WERE ABLE TO LEARN A LOT ABOUT THE NEEDS OF RESPITE CARE SA. I THINK THIS YEAR ONE OF THOSE FORMER STUDENTS IS NOW AN INTERN OF HERS. I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING ALONG IN HER JOURNEY. SO THERE'S DIFFERENT AREAS THAT REQUIRE VERY SPECIFIC HELP AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID RECENTLY IN DISTRICT 4, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, WE DID A GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR A FACILITY THAT TREATS KIDS WITH G-TUBES OR DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEEDS. IN THIS CONVERSATION I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU ALSO HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY SPECIFIC TO THAT. BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE FOLKS WHO ARE IN THAT SITUATION, ESPECIALLY WITH THOSE CRITICAL NEEDS OR ELEVATED NEEDS OF CARE FOR THEIR KIDS COME TO EVEN MORE OF A PROBLEM WITH FINDING ACCESS.
SO ARE WE ALSO EXPLORING THESE DIFFERENT POPULATIONS THAT WE MIGHT THINK MIGHT NOT NEED
>> ABSOLUTELY. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT MODELS.
MOST OF THE NATIONAL MODELS THAT WE'VE SEEN, ESPECIALLY PROVIDENCE HOUSE, WHICH IS SORT OF KNOWN AS KIND OF THE NATIONAL MODEL THAT A LOT OF AGENCIES LOOK TO, HAVE SERVICES FOR MEDICALLY-FRAGILE CHILDREN AS WELL AS THOSE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS AND ALSO OTHER OPEN SLOTS FOR CHILDREN THAT MAYBE DON'T HAVE THOSE SAME DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS OR MEDICAL ISSUES BUT STILL NEED THAT EMERGENCY CRISIS CARE SO THAT THEIR FAMILIES CAN ADDRESS ISSUES THAT THEY'RE FACING THAT'S REALLY PUTTING THE CHILD AT RISK FOR CHILD ABUSE AND PREVENTION -- OR NEGLECT.
>> GARCIA: SO I FEEL THAT THIS WOULD BE IN ANTICIPATION OF THE WORK THAT CHILD SAFE DOES.
[01:15:05]
SO CHILD SAFE, ANOTHER GREAT COMMUNITY PARTNER. I KNOW THE CARDBOARD KIDS CAMPAIGN IS COMING UP, ANOTHER IMPORTANT TIME FOR US. BUT WHAT THEY DO WITH THEIR KIDS THERE I FEEL IS A GREAT EXAMPLE, WITH THE ZIP LINES THEY HAVE AND ACTIVITY CENTERS.I RECENTLY LEARNED THAT THERE WAS A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT COME IN, EVERYBODY INVOLVED IN THAT CHILD'S SITUATION COME IN. KIM MADE A VERY IMPORTANT POINT. SHE SAID, GOSH, IF THESE WALKS COULD TALK AND IF WE COULD HEAR ALL THE STORIES OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT THAT HAPPEN.
I FEEL LIKE THIS IS THAT STEP BEFORE SOMETHING ESCALATES TO THAT LEVEL BECAUSE I DO FEEL THAT WOMEN, IN PARTICULAR, HAVE A HARD TIME LEAVING SITUATIONS BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD. THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS OR THEY'RE NOT NEARBY.
I NOTICE THAT IN THE ST. LOUIS MODEL THERE'S SEVERAL. THERE'S ONE ON THE CENTER, WEST SIDE, THE EAST SIDE. THERE'S SEVERAL AND SO I KNOW WE'RE JUST EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY RIGHT NOW OF MAYBE ONE BUT IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK WITH OUR EXISTING PARTNERS THAT ARE ALREADY DOING THIS SIMILAR WORK AND MAYBE ALSO SCALE THEM UP TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME IN EVERY AREA. AND THEN WHEN WE'RE LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THE SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM CARE, I KNOW THIS IS INTENDED TO BE SHORT-TERM BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT IS LONG TERM? I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
IN MY DISTRICT I HAD A FAMILY THAT WAS DISPLACED BY A FIRE AND SO THEY HAVE TO BUILD THE ENTIRE HOUSE AND SO THEY'VE BEEN DISPLACED FOR A FEW WEEKS. AND THEY WILL BE DISPLACED SO IF THEY HAD CHILDREN AND THEY DIDN'T WANT THAT TO AFFECT THEM, LIKE WE WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE SYSTEMS THAT TALK TO OTHER SYSTEMS THAT CONNECT THEM TO OTHER RESOURCES THAT THE CITY,
FOR INSTANCE HAS, OR EVEN OR NONPROFITS? >> YES.
THAT'S REALLY THE GOAL OF THE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. SO WHEN A FAMILY GOES IN FOR THAT INITIAL ASSESSMENT, IT CAN BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A MOM HAS APPENDICITIS AND SHE NEEDS TO BE TREATED AT THE HOSPITAL AND SHE HAS NO FAMILY, NO RELATIVES.
RELATIVELY SHORT TIME IN THE HOSPITAL AND WHEN SHE'S RELEASED SHE'S READY TO RESUME CARE OF HER CHILDREN. FOR LONGER-TERM ISSUES RELATED TO HOUSING ISSUES, SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT -- AND LOOKING AT SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT OTHER NATIONAL MODELS HAVE SERVED, THERE IS A HIGH POPULATION OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE HOMELESS, THOSE THAT ARE FACING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND REALLY SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE LONGER-TERM SERVICES.
AND SO THAT WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES IS CONNECTING TO SUPPORTIVE SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY AND LEVERAGING EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
>> GARCIA: GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JESSICA. IT'S A GREAT START AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED CONVERSATION. THANK YOU, CHAIR.
>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN ALDERETE GAVITO. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
FIRST, I DO WANT TO THANK COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA GARCIA AND COUNCILMAN PELAEZ FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT PROVIDING A SAFE PLACE FOR PARENTS TO LIVE THEIR CHILDREN DURING CRISIS SITUATIONS CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER AND GOING INTO THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS. I ALSO -- WE DID ALSO GET AN E-MAIL FROM REBECCA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU SHARED ABOUT Y'ALL'S WORK ON THIS TOPIC. ONE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME IN THE E-MAIL WAS, YOU KNOW, ONE, THEY ARE PARTNERING WITH NONPROFITS.
YMCA, YWCA, A AVANCE, CHILD SAF. IT IS SO IMPORTANT WHEN THERE'S ALREADY AN EXISTING AUDIO] EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. IF THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT JUST GOING TO DROP OFF THEIR KIDS WITH ANYONE AND HAVING BEEN IN NONPROFIT SPACE, THAT TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY IS JUST SO IMPORTANT. SO JUST TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH REBECCA AND RESPITE CARE, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE UTILIZING THEM AND ALSO, TOO, TO COUNCILWOMAN ADRIANA ROCHA GARCIA'S POINT, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ONE LOCATION, WHAT DOES THAT POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIP LOOK LIKE WITH THESE NONPROFITS TO EXPAND AND SCALE? I KNOW THAT WE NEED TO DO A
FEASIBILITY STUDY BUT I CAN ANTICIPATE THE NEED TO BE HIGH. >> AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT, WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT A DECENTRALIZED MODEL AS WELL AS A CENTRALIZED MODEL. AT THIS POINT NOTHING IS REALLY OFF THE TABLE.
TO YOUR POINT, WE ARE GOING TO RELY ON THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT HAVE
[01:20:02]
BEEN DOING THE WORK AND DOING THE GROUNDWORK LEADING UP TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY WITH THISCCR. >> GAVITO: PERFECT. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. I DID HAVE A QUICK QUESTION -- AND THIS IS NEW TO ME.
I WANTED TO SEE WHAT SORT OF SAFEGUARDS ARE IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT ONLY SAFE INDIVIDUALS CAN PICK UP CHILDREN FROM THE NURSERY. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF A WOMAN IS FLEEING A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION AND LEAVES HER CHILD THERE, HOW DO WE ENSURE THE
ABUSER COULDN'T JUST COME PICK UP THE CHILD? >> AND THIS IS TRUE OF ALL NATIONAL PROGRAMS. THEY'RE ALL LICENSED BY THE STATE IN WHICH THEY OPERATE.
AND SO HERE IN TEXAS WE WOULD FALL UNDER CHILDCARE LICENSING REGULATIONS FOR TEXAS.
IT MANDATES -- AND IT'S A PRETTY THICK MANUAL OF WHAT CHILDCARE LICENSING REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS ARE. THEY HAVE PRESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION ABOUT WHO CAN PICK UP THAT CHILD. THEY WILL CHECK I.D.S. THEY WILL SIGN THEM IN AND OUT.
ALL OF THOSE RULES WOULD BE FOLLOWED UNDER ANY MODEL. >> GAVITO: WHEN DO WE
ANTICIPATE THE FEASIBILITY STUDY TO BE DONE? >> SO WE'RE GOING TO DO AN INTERNAL FEASIBILITY STUDY JUST BASED ON -- SO I DON'T WANT TO SET EXPECTATIONS TOO HIGH.
IT WILL BE A VERY PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TO REALLY HELP INFORM RECOMMENDATIONS MOVING FORWARD. WE'RE GOING TO BRING THAT BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE IN MAY.
>> GAVITO: PERFECT. AWESOME. THANK YOU.
AND THANKS AGAIN TO COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA GARCIA AND COUNCILMAN PELAEZ FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE, CHAIR.
THANK YOU. >> MAYOR .>> CASTILLO: COUNCILWN DR. KAUR.
>> KAUR: THAT FEASIBILITY STUDY YOU BRING TO US
>> THAT WOULD BE THE GOAL THAT WE OUTLINE NEXT STEPS, PROPOSED NEXT STEPS, ALONG WITH SOME
ASSOCIATED COSTS. >> KAUR: I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US PUT SOME DOLLARS TOWARDS THE CREATION OF SOME PROGRAMMING. AND I WANTED TO DOUBLE DOWN.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE CCR FORWARD BUT I ALSO WANTED TO DOUBLE DOWN ON WHAT COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA GARCIA SAID ABOUT INVESTING IN EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE.
THERE'S NO REASON WHY WE NEED TO CREATE NEW THINGS. I'M SUPER PROUD TO HAVE RESPITE CARE IN DISTRICT 1 AND OUR STAFF HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO VISIT.
AND THE FACILITY IS INCREDIBLE. NOT ONLY DO THEY DO A REALLY GOOD JOB AT THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDE ON THAT FRONT, BUT THEY ALSO PROVIDE CHILDCARE SERVICES AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT LAST WEEK WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND THEIR PROGRAM IS FOUR-STAR RATED.
IT'S HIGH-QUALITY SUPPORTING SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS SO I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITY TO EXECUTE. SO I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE MY SUPPORT FOR THAT.
AND THEN ALSO REITERATE MY SUPPORT FOR THE COMMENTS AROUND SHORT TERM AND LONG-TERM SUPPORTS AND MAYBE WE'RE PILOTING BOTH COMPONENTS SO WE CAN SEE WHAT'S EFFECTIVE, WHAT'S BEING USED MORE AND WHAT'S NEEDED SO THAT WE'RE NOT PUTTING PEOPLE BACK IN A SITUATION WHERE THEY CAN'T GET OUT OF. SO, ANYWAYS, WANTED TO ABSOLUTELY SAY PLEASE MOVE FORWARD. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE FEASIBILITY STUDY WHEN IT COMES
BACK AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
COUNCILWOMAN VIAGRAN. >> VIAGRAN: YES. THANK YOU, JESSICA.
I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I'M HEARING TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
I'M HEARING PARENTS IN CRISIS AND KIDS WITH ABUSE. AND THEN I'M HEARING SPECIAL NEEDS. AND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE AND THEN THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN THE CARE. SO I'M GOING TO NEED YOU, WHEN YOU COME BACK WITH THIS STUDY, TO SEE HOW WE'RE GOING TO SEPARATE THAT. THE OTHER THING THAT I'M HEARING IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO COST TO GET THIS STATE -- THE STATE FUNDING.
I AM CONCERNED IF WE'RE TRYING TO DO CRISIS WHERE THEY DON'T GET INTO THE STATE PROGRAM OR THEY'RE NOT SUBJECT TO SOCIAL WORK AND POSSIBLY AND WE'RE PART OF THAT PROCESS. SO I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. AND, AS Y'ALL KNOW, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ABUSE OF THE CHILDREN NORMALLY HAPPENS WITH AN ABUSIVE SPOUSE.
SO I WANT TO SEE A SOLUTION. HOWEVER, WHAT I'M HEARING IS WE REALLY NEED TO TALK TO THE STAKEHOLDERS. BECAUSE IF IT'S A PARENT THAT ABUSES, THEY NEED TO BE WORKING A PROGRAM. AND IF THEY'RE NOT WORKING A PROGRAM, IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY HARD TO SEE SOME CHANGES. SO AND I THINK I'D LIKE TO HEAR OFFLINE FROM THE AGENCIES THAT
[01:25:04]
DO THIS ALREADY AND HOW WE CAN DO THIS EFFECTIVELY. BECAUSE I'M ALL FOR HELPING THOSE IN CRISIS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE WORKING A PROGRAM, AND JUST HAVE A BAD DAY OR NEED THAT. BUT THIS IS REALLY VAGUE AND WIDE AND I'M CONCERNED AT WHAT I'M HEARING RIGHT NOW. JESSICA, I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU OFFLINE AND I WOULD -- I DO LOOK FORWARD TO YOU BRINGING THIS BACK AND TYING IT UP. THANK YOU.>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. I WANTED TO THANK COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA AND COUNCILMAN PELAEZ AS WELL FOR INITIATING THIS CONVERSATION. A LOT OF INTERESTING DISCUSSION AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A COMMITTEE THAT'S CREATED.
I DO THINK IT WOULD BE OF VALUE TO PLUG IN THE COUNTY COURT TO POTENTIALLY GIVE INPUT ON WHAT THIS COULD LOOK LIKE. I THINK ONE THING TO CONSIDER TOO IS SOMETIMES IT REQUIRES HAVING A POLICE REPORT TO ACCESS SPECIFIC SERVICES AND I THINK SOMETIMES SOME DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS ARE HESITANT TO MAKE THAT REPORT, RIGHT? I THINK IF WE CAN CONSIDER A MODEL WHERE THAT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT, I THINK WOULD HELP PROVIDE SERVICES TO MORE WOMEN.
THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS AS IT EVOLVES.
>> COUNCILWOMAN, WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT A MODEL WHERE THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO FILE A POLICE REPORT. THIS IS REALLY INTENDED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS TO THE POINT OF ABUSE ACTUALLY HAPPENING. WE'LL STILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT CHILD ABUSE INTERVENTION PROGRAM THAT WE DO IN THE CITY AS WELL AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMMING BUT THIS WOULD BE INTENDED AS A PARENT IS FACING THAT IMMEDIATE CRISIS AND NEEDS THE RELIEF AND IT'S SOMEWHERE FOR THEM TO GO TO
GET THAT. >> CASTILLO: ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT AND ALSO YOU TOUCHED ON IT AS WELL. PROVIDING SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN RECOVERY WILL BE VERY IMPACTFUL. THANK YOU. THANKS, EVERYONE.
ANY LAST COMMENTS BEFORE WE WRAP UP? THAT CONCLUDES OUR MEETING.
THANK Y'ALL.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.