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THE TIME IS NOW 2 0 2 ON MONDAY, AUGUST 21ST, 2003, AND THE MEETING OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER.
MADAME CLERK, CAN YOU CALL THE ROLE PLEASE? COUNCIL MEMBER COUR PRESENT.
COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA GARCIA.
I, BEFORE WE GET STARTED INTO ITEM NUMBER ONE, I WANTED TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO EMBARK WITHIN THIS COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS THE EXPERTISE THAT EACH OF ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT BRING TO THIS COMMITTEE.
[Approval of Minutes ]
ON THE AGENDA IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.CAN I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT.
UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO VOICE VOTE.
UM, LIKE, ALL IN FAVOR? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.
IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? MOTION CARRIES.
[Public Comments ]
CAN WE MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT? WE HAVE ONE MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK JACK FINGER.I, I'D LIKE TO HEAR STAFF PRESENTATION BEFORE THAT'S ALL.
YOU COULD GO AHEAD AND GIVE A PUBLIC COMMENT, JACK.
WELL, MADAM CHAIR, ANOTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE.
FINGER, AND, UH, YOU HAD BEFORE YOU, UH, THIS PROPOSITION THAT, UH, UH, RACISM IS A, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
UH, THAT REALLY DOESN'T JIVE, UH, THAT RACISM STILL EXISTS IN A, UH, SOCIETY THAT, UH, ELECTED A BLACK UNITED STATES PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
YOU'RE CONTENDING, UH, SYSTEMIC, INSTITUTIONAL RACISM EXISTS IN A CITY THAT ELECTED A BLACK WOMAN AS MAYOR IVY TAYLOR, THAT EXISTS IN A CITY THAT HAS ELECTED SEVERAL HISPANIC MAYORS.
YOU KNOW, UH, SKIN IS COLORED BROWN, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH LIKE MA, MANY OF YOURS THERE.
UH, AND THAT, UH, I MEAN, LOOK AT YOURSELVES.
YOU ARE HELLO, MS. ROCHA GARCIA.
YOU ARE PART OF THE COMPOSITION OF A CITY COUNCIL THAT IS 50% PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND, UH, 50% WOMEN.
AND YOU'RE STILL CONTENDING IT.
SYSTEMIC INSTITUTIONAL RACISM EXISTS.
NOW, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PROVE TO ME THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY THE CASE, OTHERWISE, BY YOUR ACTIONS OR NOTIONS, I'M GONNA CALL, CALL THIS FOR THE REALLY A, THE CROCK THAT IT IS.
AND, UH, YOU SAY IT'S A, A RACISM IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN WILL, IF IT'S THAT MUCH OF A, OF A PROBLEM, THEN, UH, SHOULDN'T WE BE, IF IT'S REALLY A CRISIS, SHOULDN'T WE BE LOCKING DOWN PEOPLE AS WE DID WITH THE COVID CRISIS? AND, UH, YEAH.
AND HOW WILL WE DETERMINE WHO HAS THIS DISEASE? HMM.
WOULD THEY TAKE, UH, DRAW BLOOD SAMPLES OR SOMETHING? IF YOU, THANK YOU.
THAT IS ALL WE HAVE SIGNED UP FOR ALLOWING MEMBERS TO SPEAK TWO ROUNDS OF COMMENTS PER ITEMS WITH, UH, THREE MINUTES FOR THE FIRST ROUND, AND TWO MINUTES FOR THE SECOND ROUND, OR FIVE MINUTES RATHER.
[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
TWO IS UPDATES ON THE RESOLUTION OF RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND THE SECOND ANNUAL HEALTH EQUITY SYMPOSIUM HIGHLIGHTS.SO FIRST THINGS FIRST, MADAM CHAIR, WE'LL ACTUALLY HAVE, UH, DR.
MATA WILL BEGIN, AND ALSO, I'LL LET HER INTRODUCE THE OTHER SPEAKER FOR TODAY.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR
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ALLOWING US THIS TIME TO SPEAK.I'M THE DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY.
AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO INTRODUCE MARJORIE WHITE.
SHE'S THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF METRO HEALTH, AND WE WILL BOTH BE PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY.
SO, BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE RESOLUTION IN AND OF ITSELF, I'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION DECLARED RACISM AN ONGOING PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
THEY DID SO IN 2016, DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF DR.
KAMARA JONES, SHE LAUNCHED A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAIN, AGAINST RACISM.
THEREAFTER, WE SEE VARIOUS UNI MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES ALSO DECLARING RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
SO, ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT INEQUITIES STEM FROM STRUCTURAL RACISM.
SO RACISM SHAPES PEOPLE'S OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS TO HEALTH AND RESOURCES.
SO THEREFORE, IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT STRUCTURAL RACISM AND THE WAY THAT PEOPLE ACCESS, UM, UH, HEALTHCARE, WE DO SEE HISTORICAL DISPARITIES THAT UNEVENLY AFFECT DIFFERENT POPULATIONS.
ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THE CONCEPT OF WEATHERING.
WHEN YOU COME FROM A COMMUNITY THAT IS CONTINUALLY COPING WITH THE STRESS OF STRUCTURAL AND INTERPERSONAL BIAS THAT IS EMBEDDED WITHIN OUR SYSTEMS, THAT CAUSES VERY REAL LIFETIME PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES, WE HAVE ENOUGH DATA AND SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT IS SO.
ALSO, WE KNOW THAT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, IT ALSO LEADS TO ACCELERATED AGING AND AN INCREASED RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE, AS WELL AS OTHER HEALTH OUTCOMES IN ADVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES, INCLUDING PREMATURE DEATH.
WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, RELU RESOLUTION, I NOTED THAT IN 2016, AFTER THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION LAUNCHED THEIR, UH, CAMPAIGN AGAINST RACISM, AND WE SEE THESE NEW MUNICIPALITIES ALSO PASSING RESOLUTIONS.
WE KNOW THAT IN 2020, WITH THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD, WE SEE EVEN MORE MUNICIPALITIES DECLARING RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
IN 2022, THE NUMBER OF DECLARATIONS TRACKED REACHED OVER 262, AND SAN ANTONIO IS ONE OF THOSE CITIES THAT DECLARED RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
IN LOOKING AT SAN ANTONIO'S RESOLUTION, WE KNOW THAT, UM, IN, UH, THE RESOLUTION WAS ORIGINALLY DRAFTED BY DISTRICT TWO AND DISTRICT SEVEN.
THE FIRST DRAFT WAS BY COUNCILMAN ANDREW SULLIVAN, WHO THEN, UM, A FEW MONTHS LATER IN, UM, EXCUSE ME, IN JULY, 2020, WE ALSO SEE ANOTHER DRAFT WRITTEN BY, UH, THE PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH WAS ALSO SUPPORTED BY COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL.
SO THESE TWO DRAFTS THEN WERE MERGED BY THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND SAN ANTONIO'S OFFICE OF HEALTH EQUITY INTO THE DOCUMENT THAT WOULD SOON BECOME THE RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED BY COUNSEL IN, UH, AUGUST OF 2020.
SO WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THE RESOLUTION IS UNDERSTANDING THAT WITHIN THE RESOLUTION, WE HAD A SERIES OF ACTIONABLE PLANS.
AND SO THESE ACTIONAL ACTIONABLE PLANS RESULTED IN CSSA COMMITMENTS.
SO FIRST THAT COMMITMENT, OR THE FIRST COMMITMENT WAS TO DECLARE RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, WHICH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO DID.
SO, AND THE SECOND PART OF THAT INITIATIVE WAS TO SUPPORT INITIATIVES, POLICIES, PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE RACIAL EQUITY AND WORK WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND ALSO INITIATIVES WITHIN THE CITY.
SO, PART OF COSA COMMITMENTS ARE TO ENSURE THAT HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES ARE PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY SOLUTIONS THAT ARE RELATED TO LOCAL ISSUES RELATED TO HEALTH EQUITY.
MY OFFICE, D E I A ESTABLISHED IN 2022 IS THE DEPARTMENT THAT CENTRALIZES THE CITY'S EFFORTS TO PRIORITIZE AND OPERATIONALIZE DIVERSITY,
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EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY ACROSS DEPARTMENTS.D E I A DOES THIS THROUGH FIVE OFFICES.
WE HAVE THE OFFICE OF THE IMMIGRATION LIAISON, WE HAVE THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE, WE HAVE THE LANGUAGE ACCESS OFFICE, THE OFFICE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MANAGER, AND THE OFFICE OF EQUITY.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT IT IS THE OFFICE OF EQUITY.
THAT IS ONE OF THE MAIN CENTRAL CONTACT POINTS FOR RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
SO THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AT THIS TIME, NORMALIZES OPERATIONALIZE AND OPERATION NORMALIZES OPERATIONALIZE AND ORGANIZES EQUITY PRACTICES ACROSS THE CITY.
AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT THEY DO SO IS THROUGH THE B E T PROCESS OR THE BUDGETING FOR EQUITY.
SO WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THE B E T PROCESS AS IS THAT IT IS DESIGNED TO INTEGRATE EXPLICIT CONSIDERATIONS OF RACIAL, GENDER, ECONOMIC DISABILITY, AC ACCESS AND LANGUAGE ACCESS INTO THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE ASKED OF ALL 40 DEPARTMENTS.
SO ALL 40 DEPARTMENTS ARE GIVEN THIS DOCUMENT.
THEY THEN, UH, FILL OUT THE DOCUMENT, RETURN IT TO US, AND WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT, THEY LOOK AT THE CITY SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE AND ALLOW US TO UNDERSTAND WHERE IT IS THAT THEY ARE ALLOCATING RESOURCES.
THIS IN PARTICULAR, IN PARTICULAR RESOURCES THAT BUDGET FOR EQUITY.
ONCE THEY TURN IN THESE DOCUMENTS TO US, WE THEN PROVIDE A SWOT ANALYSIS.
SO THE SWOT ANALYSIS IS A STRENGTH AND OPPORTUNITIES DOCUMENT, WHERE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS, WE TALK ABOUT THE WAYS THAT THEY ARE PROMOTING EQUITABLE MEASURES THROUGHOUT OUR CITY SERVICES.
THIS OFFICE OF EQUITY ALSO PROVIDES TRAININGS IN THE TERMS, IN THE TERMS OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UM, AND OTHER TYPES OF EQUITY LENS TRAININGS TO OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS AS WELL.
WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT EQUITY ACTION PLANS, IN PARTICULAR, THE EQUITY ACTION PLANS ARE TWO YEAR PLANS.
AND RIGHT NOW WHAT WE HAVE ARE TWO COHORTS.
COHORT ONE IS D H S, HR METRO, AND N H S D.
COHORT TWO IS PARKS LIBRARY, C N E AND 3 1 1.
SO CURRENTLY, WHAT THE OFFICE OF EQUITY DOES IS THEY MEET WITH THESE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, AND THEY DRAW UP A TRUE YEAR PLAN WHERE THEY CREATE MEASURABLE OUTCOMES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR, UH, EQUITY WORK WITH WITHIN THEIR CITY DEPARTMENTS.
CURRENTLY, BECAUSE THE, UH, THE B E T SWATS ARE IN PROCESS RIGHT NOW, WE ARE STILL WORKING ON THE UPDATES THAT, UH, WE WILL BE PRESENTING AT THE, UH, SECOND ANNUAL HEALTH EQUITY SYMPOSIUM.
SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UH, MORE INFORMATION AT THAT TIME.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT IN TERMS OF, OF LOOKING AT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
WE HAVE BEEN AT WORK OR IN COLLABORATION WITH THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK TO LOOK AT, UH, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE, OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
I CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE NUMBERS FOR YOU AT THIS TIME, AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW APPOINTMENTS GOING ON.
SO ONCE WE HAVE THAT, WE WILL AGAIN, BE ABLE TO UPDATE YOU ON WHERE OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS STAND.
BUT I WILL, UH, TELL YOU THAT ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, THE, THE, UH, D E I A DEPARTMENT DID HOST A DINNER FOR WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, AND WE INVITED WOMEN FROM ACROSS THE CITY TO RECRUIT THEM TO SERVE ON OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
I THINK WE HAD ABOUT 60 PEOPLE, UH, TURNOUT FOR THE EVENT.
AND WE ARE NOW, UH, IN THE PROCESS OF, OF GETTING THEM TO APPLY.
AND I WILL ADD THAT WHEN SAMANTHA SMITH, CIVIL RIGHTS MANAGER AND I AND OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERKS STAFF WERE HELPING TO, TO RECRUIT WOMEN, WE PARTICULARLY LOOKED AT WOMEN WHO CAME FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO NOW, UH, ASK MARJORIE WHITE TO COME UP.
METRO HEALTH STARTED BUILDING CAPACITY FOR HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVES IN FISCAL YEAR 2017 WITH THE CREATION OF OUR OFFICE OF HEALTH EQUITY AND THE HIRING OF OUR FIRST MANAGER.
SINCE THEN, OUR DEPARTMENT HAS ESTABLISHED, ESTABLISHED A HEALTH EQUITY POLICY, WHICH WAS ADOPTED IN 2018 AND 2019.
WE DID A DEPARTMENT-WIDE EQUITY ASSESSMENT IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY'S OFFICE OF EQUITY, WHICH LATER RESULTED IN THE ADOPTION OF OUR EQUITY ACTION PLAN IN FISCAL YEAR 21.
WE'VE ALSO EMBEDDED HEALTH EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE AS ONE OF OUR SIX PILLARS WITHIN OUR SA FORWARD AND METRO HEALTH 2.0.
OUR PRIORITIES, AREAS INCLUDED EXPANDING OUR OFFICE
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OF HEALTH EQUITY, IMPLEMENTING OUR EQUITY ACTION PLAN, AS WELL AS ALL THE ACTIONS ARTICULATED IN THE DECLARATION OF RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, WE'VE ALSO DEVELOPED AND PROVIDED TRAINING ON ANTI-RACIST PRACTICES AND POLICIES FOR LOCAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS, WHICH IS BEING FACILITATED BY OUR ACCESS TO CARE UNIT.OUR COMMUNITY ALLIANCE FOR RESULTS IN EQUITY CARE CARE EMPOWERS BLACK AND BROWN PATIENTS IN THEIR SEARCH FOR EQUITABLE STIGMA, FREE MATERNAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE.
WE WILL DO THAT BY PROVIDING A VIRTUAL PLATFORM TO ANNUALLY SHOWCASE CLINICS THAT OFFER A RESPECTFUL QUALITY PATIENT EXPERIENCE FOR ALL.
IN ADDITION, WE'VE ESTABLISHED OUR POLICY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT OFFICE, ALSO KNOWN AS PACE.
PACE PROMOTES EQUITABLE HEALTH OUTCOMES BY BUILDING STRONG CROSS SECTOR AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND COORDINATING POLICY AND SYSTEM CHANGE INITIATIVES.
JUST IN FISCAL YEAR 23, SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDED, UM, SIX POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEY ANALYZE 150 LEGISLATIVE BILLS.
THEY'VE ESTABLISHED A MULTI-SECTOR FOOD AND SECURITY WORK GROUP, DISTRIBUTED $212,000 IN MANY GRANTS TO SIX COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH STUDENTS L G B T Q, YOUTH AND PEOPLE WHO USE SUBSTANCE USE TO END THE H I V EPIDEMIC.
AND THEY'VE ALSO PARTNERED WITH THE SAN ANTONIO AREA FOUNDATION TO DISTRIBUTE CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS WORKING ON REDUCING FOOD INSECURITY AND PROMOTING ACCESS TO RESPECTFUL CARE.
WE ARE SO EXCITED ON BEHALF OF BOTH METRO HEALTH AND OUR D E I A OFFICE TO ANNOUNCE OUR SECOND ANNUAL HEALTH EQUITY SYMPOSIUM, WHICH IS SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND, FROM 9:00 AM TO FOUR 30 AT, UH, REGION 20 EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER.
OUR THEME THIS YEAR IS ROOTED IN CULTURE, WORKING TOGETHER FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE.
IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS YEAR WE REALLY FOCUS ON COMMUNITY INCLUSION, ENSURING THAT THE WORK THAT WE DO IS INCLUSIVE OF THE FOLKS THAT WE SERVE.
THIS SYMPOSIUM WILL BE BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON.
THE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN ON ESSAY SPEAK UP.
WE INVITE ALL OF YOU TO ATTEND AS WELL AS YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
UM, SOME OF THE BREAKOUT SESSIONS INCLUDES, UM, EFFECTIVELY IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING HEALTH INEQUITIES, DECOLONIZING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, IMMIGRANT HEALTH, LANGUAGE ACCESS, DISABILITY JUSTICE, AND ACCESS MASS INCARCERATION.
AND ITS, I IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES, HOUSING EQUITY, HOW DO WE COLLECT DATA REGARDING EQUITY, LOOKING AT OUR FOOD SYSTEMS AND BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH.
WE ALSO HAVE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMITTEE THAT'S PRESENT TODAY AS WELL.
AND, UM, WE'RE JUST SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UM, LAST YEAR WAS WE HAD A GREAT SUCCESS.
WE'RE HOPING FOR CLOSE TO TWO 50.
UM, AND WE JUST INVITE ALL OF YOU TO COME.
AND SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS WITH D E I A AND ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF METRO HEALTH WHO'S BEEN PART OF MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
WHITE FOR THE PRESENTATIONS FOR CONTEXT TO MY COLLEAGUES.
WHEN MR. MCCAREY AND I GOT TOGETHER TO DISCUSS THE AGENDA AND, AND WHAT TO, TO PUT ON THE AGENDA FOR OUR FIRST, UH, COMMUNITY HEALTH MEETING, A COUPLE OF ITEMS. WE WERE TOLD TO WAIT A BIT WHILE DATA WAS COLLECTED, BUT WHEN WE WERE PRE, UH, PRESENTED WITH THIS ITEM, I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT ITEM FOR MY COLLEAGUES, UH, AND I TO GET A BRIEFING ON.
SO THAT WAY WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PATH FORWARD THAT WE INTEND TO TAKE.
UH, WITH THE SYMPOSIUM, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO FACILITATING THE CONVERSATION ON, UH, MASS INCARCERATION AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH.
UM, BUT WITH THAT, UM, IF MY COLLEAGUES COULD SIGNAL TO ME THAT WAY, I CAN GET YOU IN THE QUEUE.
COUNCIL MEMBER FOR THIS, WE HAVE DONE THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
AND I THINK IT'S QUITE FITTING.
UM, 'CAUSE UH, A FEW OF US, WERE JUST AT A LUNCHEON WITH, UH, DR.
LISO OCHOA FROM THE SAFE CLINIC, WHO I THINK YOU'RE FAMILIAR.
SHE'S ON THE SOUTH SIDE DOING VASCULAR SURGERIES, AND SHE DOES HAVE A GREAT IDEA OF HOW TO PLAN OUT, UM, THE, UM, THE GROWTH OF, UM, HEALTH AND WELLNESS ON THE SOUTH SIDE, WHICH I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT.
AND I'M SURE SHE'S TALKED WITH YOU GUYS, IF NOT WE'LL ALL COME TOGETHER.
BUT SHE DOES, YOU KNOW, SHE SHOWS THE MAP, SHE SHOWS THE MAP OF REDLINING.
SHE SHOWS THE MAP OF AMPU, AMPUTATIONS
[00:20:01]
OF HOW MANY PEOPLE WE LOST DURING THE PANDEMIC FOR C O V I D.SO, UM, THIS RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IS RELEVANT.
I REALLY WANT US TO WORK TOWARDS SOME SET GOALS AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UM, THERE WAS SOME GREAT, UM, KIND OF CARTOONISH VIDEOS THIS PAST WEEKEND FOR THE STANDUP FOR CANCER, WHERE THEY TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE IN, UH, LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC NEIGHBORHOODS USING THE EMERGENCY ROOM AS THEIR DIAGNOSIS.
AND IT'S WOMEN, AND I'LL GO BACK TO IT'S WOMEN IN PARTICULAR WHO ARE PUTTING THEIR HEALTH, UH, AS A LAST PRIORITY AND WOMEN OF COLOR THAT WE, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON.
UM, SO MY ONE QUESTION FOR YOU IS, AS WE LOOK AT, UH, AT, AT THIS HEALTH CRISIS, RACISM IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND THE SECOND ANNUAL HEALTH EQUITY SYMPOSIUM, HOW ARE WE GONNA ADDRESS THE FACT THAT ON THE SOUTH SIDE, WE, WE LOST ONE OF THE HOSPITALS, TEXAS VISTA IS NOW CLOSED.
WE HAVE MISSION TRAILS, WHICH IS A PRIVATE HOSPITAL.
SO THE, THE TIMES FOR THE AMBULANCES ARE LONGER.
ARE WE GOING TO ADDRESS THAT AT THE SYMPOSIUM ON, ON HOW WE CAN GET PEOPLE TO, UM, LOOK AT THEIR SYMPTOMS OR RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS? I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEBODY HAS A ANSWER TO THAT IN TERMS OF THE PROGRAMMING.
IT'S PRESENTLY NOT A SPECIFIC TOPIC, BUT I'M SURE IT'S GONNA COME UP AS DURING THE DISCUSSION PIECE.
UM, WITH THE BREAKOUT SESSIONS, WE WANTED MORE INTIMATE, I'M SURE THAT WILL COME UP, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD, WE ARE LOOKING AT WITHIN METRO HEALTH BECAUSE THE ONE THING SOME OF MY RESIDENTS SAY IS THEY WERE LIKE, WELL, WHETHER IT WAS SOUTHWEST GENERAL OR WHETHER IT WAS TEXAS FETA, UM, THERE WAS A LARGE LOSS OF LIFE.
WHAT I DON'T, WHAT I WANNA EXPLAIN TO MY RESIDENTS IS THAT'S BECAUSE THEY WERE SO ILL WHEN THEY WERE BROUGHT THERE.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO BE PREPARED TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN BREAKOUT SESSIONS AND BE PREPARED TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
UM, LARGELY, UH, IN OTHER COMMITTEES AS AND AT BUDGET, AS WE LOOK AT BUDGET AND WHERE WE'RE GONNA PUT OUR DOLLARS, IS THAT THERE IS, THERE IS A CRISIS RIGHT NOW.
AND THIS ISN'T A CRISIS WHERE YOU TELL PEOPLE TO STAY HOME.
YOU TELL THEM, GO GET CHECKED OUT, GET YOUR VACCINATIONS.
UM, I KNOW, UH, A LOT OF BACK TO SCHOOLS OFFER THAT, THAT EYE EXAM OR THAT HEARING EXAM, WE NEED TO TELL PEOPLE TO START THERE BECAUSE IT, IT REALLY IS WITH A SIMPLE EYE EXAM OR EAR EXAM THAT OTHER, OTHER DOCTORS START TO NOTICE THINGS.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND KEEP THAT IN MIND FOR BUDGET.
UH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU CHAIR FOR THIS TOPIC.
I, I THINK WE'LL BE DISCUSSING THIS A LOT IN THIS COMMITTEE AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO MORE INFORMATION AND TO SEE HOW THE SYMPOSIUM AND THE BREAKOUT SESSIONS, WHAT THEY BRING.
YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SO WE'RE NOT UPDATING THE RESOLUTION, WE'RE JUST PRESENTING UPDATES THAT HAVE BEEN BASED ON THE RESOLUTION TO CHECK MY UNDERSTANDING.
UM, SO AS A PART OF THAT RESOLUTION, ONE OF THE ITEMS ON THERE WAS DISAGGREGATING HEALTH DATA BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.
AND I'M WONDERING HOW, UM, DEEP WE'VE GOTTEN IN THAT DATA DISAGGREGATION, LIKE HOW WE INCLUDE SOME OF OUR MIDDLE OR NORTH AFRICAN POPULATIONS IN THAT, UH, DISAGGREGATION YET.
SO WITHIN METRO HEALTH, WE DO HAVE A OFFICE OF INFORMATICS WHERE THEY'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT, AT THAT, WHAT I CAN DO IS WE CAN MAYBE SET UP A MEETING WITH, UM, CLAUDE JACOB, WHO'S OUR DIRECTOR, AND DR.
AGA WHO'S OVERSEES THE INFORMATICS, AND SHE CAN TALK THROUGH THE DIFFERENT DATA COLLECTION EFFORTS THAT HER TEAM'S DOING ACROSS OUR DEPARTMENT, AND HOW ARE WE PUBLICLY SHARING ALL OF THIS ANALYSIS THAT WE ARE CONDUCTING.
SO WE DO HAVE SOME DATA ON OUR METRO HEALTH WEBSITE.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE DASHBOARDS AS WELL, BUT IF THERE'S SPECIFIC ITEMS, WE CAN PULL IT OUT IF WE DON'T CURRENTLY, UM, HAVE IT AT THE MOMENT.
I'M JUST THINKING OVERALL IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION, RIGHT? HOW DO WE SHARE THESE THINGS THAT WE KNOW ARE CHALLENGES SO THAT FOLKS WHEN THEY COME AND PRESENT CAN SEE THE CORRELATION OF WHY RACISM ACTUALLY CONNECTS TO PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF, LIKE, I KNOW THE D E I A OFFICE IS ALSO GETTING AN ADDITIONAL, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK, Y'ALL ARE GETTING AN ADDITIONAL BUSINESS ANALYST.
AND SO IT'D BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO POINT TO A WAY THAT WE CAN MORE EASILY SHARE THIS INFORMATION TO OUR COMMUNITY SO FOLKS ARE AWARE OF THE CHALLENGES AND HOW THOSE
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LINKS ARE MADE.'CAUSE FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT'S LIKE TWO OR THREE CONNECTIONS THEY HAVE TO MAKE TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGE.
AND, AND I AGREE, AND, AND EARLIER I NOTED THE B E T AND THE SWOTS PROCESS.
AS THE OFFICE OF EQUITY IS GATHERING INFORMATION FROM CITY DEPARTMENTS, WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING THOSE MOMENTS IN THOSE PLACES WHERE THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, LARGELY SPEAKING, CAN BE ADDRESSED IN TERMS OF THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND D E I A.
WE ARE NOT ONLY JUST USING DASHBOARDS, BUT WE ARE ALSO USING SOME OF THE STATUS REPORTS THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED BY THE CITY.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND THE STATUS OF YOUNG GIRLS, UM, A STATUS OF YOUNG WOMEN AND GIRLS.
WE'RE ALSO USING THOSE AS WELL.
SO WE GO THROUGH THOSE REPORTS AND WHERE WE SEE PLACES WHERE WE CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SUPPORT DEPARTMENTS TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS OR INITIATIVES OR STRENGTHEN THEIR PROGRAM PROGRAMS OR INITIATIVES IN THIS AREA.
AND IN TERMS OF CREATING THOSE MEASURABLE OUTCOMES, THAT'S WHAT OUR, UH, OFFICE IS OUR DEPARTMENT AND THE OFFICE OF EQUITY IS DOING AT THIS POINT.
AND THEN ONCE YOU DO LIKE THE A**L, LIKE YOUR, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY IN OUR COMMITTEE LAST WEEK, THERE WAS AN EQUITY INDICATOR THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT FOR EACH FIRE STATION IN THAT REPORT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL HELPED WITH, IS THAT RIGHT OR NO? WELL, NOT THE, I DON'T KNOW WHICH SPECIFIC REPORT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN, YEAH.
SO I WASN'T SURE IF THAT EQUITY INDICATOR, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT EQUITY INDICATOR WAS ALSO USING THE SAME METRICS THAT THE D E I A OFFICE HAD BUILT.
SO D E I A IS, AS YOU NOTED IN THE PROCESS, HOPEFULLY WITH THE NEW BUDGET CYCLE, GOING TO ACQUIRE A DATA ANALYST TO HELP US MERGE ALL OF THIS DATA TOGETHER INTO ONE CENTRALIZED LOCATION.
'CAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT, RIGHT? IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TRACK AND MONITOR, ASSESS SO THAT WE CAN, UH, BE THAT CENTRALIZED, UH, LOCATION POINT.
I MIGHT FIND, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
NO, I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT I THINK THE FACT THAT THE EQUITY ATLAS IS IN PLACE HAS ALLOWED MANY DEPARTMENTS TO ACTUALLY UTILIZE THAT TOOL TO SEE WHAT ARE OUR DEMOGRAPHICS, HOW ARE THOSE THINGS ALIGNED WITH SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE.
SO THAT WAS CREATED IN YOUR DEPARTMENT.
UM, THANKS SO MUCH, UM, TO THIS COMMITTEE.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING ALONGSIDE YOU ALL.
I ALSO APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE.
UH, WE ALL HAVE SEEN THE IMPACTS OF REDLINING IN OUR CITY, DEPENDING ON WHAT SIDE OF HILDEBRAND YOU, YOU WERE BORN ON, YOU KNOW, SO WE KNOW THIS, UM, EXTREMELY WELL.
SO I'M, I'M APPRECIATIVE THAT WE'RE CALLING, UM, ATTENTION TO IT AND BRINGING AWARENESS TO IT.
AND LIKE COUNCILWOMAN VIE GRAND SAID YES.
LISO OCHOA SHOWED US AND SHARED WITH US THE LACK OF MEDICAL, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
COUNCILWOMAN CORE, HOW DO, HOW DO WE DO IT? COUNCILWOMAN? DR.
THIS IS, THIS IS A GOOD PROBLEM.
THERE'S A LOT OF HEFTY TITLES IN THERE, UM, AS SHE WAS ASKING.
I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THOSE SWOT ANALYSIS AND THE DASHBOARDS.
IS THERE, IS THERE A PLACE THAT WE CAN ACCESS IT? RIGHT NOW? THEY'RE CURRENTLY NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
HOWEVER, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH OUR OFFICE, WE WOULD BE VERY WILLING TO GIVE YOU A PRESENTATION.
GIVE YOU AN UPDATE AS TO, UH, WHERE SOME OF OUR, OUR DATA IS AND WHERE SOME OF OUR INFORMATION IS.
SO WE WOULD BE VERY MUCH WILLING TO INVITE THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AS WELL TO, TO PRESENT THAT INFORMATION TO YOU.
BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW THIS IMPACTS PUBLIC WORKS DECISIONS, HOW IT IMPACTS A C S DECISIONS, HOW IT IMPACTS ALL OF THESE DEPARTMENTS.
I'M WONDERING ALSO, TOO, AND, AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN NOTE FOR NEXT TIME, IF IT'S A MISS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET GETS APPROVED ON THE 14TH, BUT THE SYMPOSIUM'S NOT TILL THE 22ND.
IT'D BE GREAT IF WE COULD HAVE THIS INFORMATION BEFOREHAND SO THAT AS WE'RE ALL FINE TUNING THE BUDGET, WE CAN USE IT AND, AND REALLY DRILL DOWN AND MAKE THE KIND OF THE HEFTIER IMPACTS THAT WE WANNA SEE.
BUT I'M OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE HEALTH EQUITY SYMPOSIUM AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL FINE TUNE THE PROCESS SO THAT WAY WE GET THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF ALL THIS INFORMATION, UH, BEFORE THE BUDGET SEASON, SO THAT WAY WE CAN ALL BE MAKING IMPACTFUL DECISIONS ABOUT IT.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.
PART OF THAT TOOL IS DESIGNED FOR DEPARTMENTS TO REALLY TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THEIR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES JUST TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING POLICIES THAT FURTHER MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, UH, LOW INCOME INCOME COMMUNITIES, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
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OF THE BENEFITS FOR THAT EQUITY TOOL IS TO NOT ONLY ADVANCE THAT, BUT TO HAVE EACH DEPARTMENT DO THEIR PART FOR IT.ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THIS SYMPOSIUM, AND AS FAR AS THE RESOLUTION IS TWICE A YEAR WE ARE CHARGED WITH COMING BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE TO COUNCIL TO HAVE A PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM EACH YEAR SO THAT NOTHING GETS LOST AND WE CAN BUILD ON IT.
SO AS YOU SEE THESE FUTURE DASHBOARDS CREATED AND DEVELOP, YOU'LL ACTUALLY CAN HELP GUIDE WHAT GETS IM IMPLEMENTED OR ADDED TO IT.
SO YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE IN THE SECOND YEARS KIND OF STILL IN THAT DEVELOPMENT STAGE, BUT YOU'RE ON THE GROUND FLOOR, SO WE'RE IN A GOOD SPACE.
AND, AND CHAIRWOMAN CASTILLO, IF I MAY.
I, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I REALLY WANT TO USE THAT DATA THAT WE ARE LEARNING AND, AND I UNDERSTAND NOW THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL FORMING, UM, BUT TO LOOK AT WHERE PUBLIC WORKS IS ALLOCATING THEIR DOLLARS, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE, I KNOW ALL OF OUR DISTRICTS HAVE SO MUCH UNUSABLE OR NON-EXISTENT SIDEWALK, AND SO WHEN WE HAVE THE DATA BEHIND US, WE CAN PUSH 10 TIMES HARDER.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? COUNCIL? THE ONLY THING I WAS GONNA SAY WAS IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE'RE USING THIS DATA THAT YOU'RE, UH, LIKE THE SWOT ANALYSIS THAT YOU'RE PRESENTING.
IF WHEN WE'RE BRIEFED BY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, THEY START THE MEETING WITH THAT.
LIKE, IT'S LIKE A I AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD REQUIRE, HOW EASY THAT WOULD BE, BUT, UM, NOT ONLY DO WE PRESENT THEM WITH THE DATA, BUT THEN WE'RE ACTIVELY SEEING, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE GOOD NEIGHBOR PROGRAM LAST WEEK, IT WOULD'VE BEEN GREAT TO SEE THEIR, THE GOOD NEIGHBOR PROGRAM SWOT ANALYSIS BEFORE PRESENTING THAT CONVERSATION.
A COUPLE OF THINGS COME TO MIND, RIGHT? IS, UH, THE HOUSING PIECE WHEN IT COMES TO THIS, AND I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE INCLUDED WITHIN THE SYMPOSIUM, BUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE EAST SIDE IN PARTICULAR, RIGHT? UM, WE KNOW IT'S, IT'S MADE ONE OF THE, THE NATIONS, UH, FASTEST GENDERING, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE COUNTRY.
AND MANY OF THOSE RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN DISPLACED TO AREAS THAT MOST FOLKS ASSUME IS ARE, ARE MORE FLUENT, RIGHT? LIKE DISTRICT 10, UH, AND, AND HOW THERE'S DIFFERENT MOVING PIECES WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
BUT NO DOUBT, WE HAVE A HUGE TASK AHEAD OF US.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, THE DATA THAT YOU ARE GOING TO PRESENT WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, OUR INDIVIDUAL BRIEFINGS AND LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, THE NEW DATA ANALYSIS, UH, THAT YOU ALL WILL BE HAVING ON YOUR TEAM.
UM, SO ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT.
LET ME SAY MY TEAM IS WORKING REALLY HARD TO GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
THIS CONCLUDES TODAY'S COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING.
UH, THANK YOU TO THE PRESENTER AND MY COLLEAGUES FOR A GREAT MEETING.
AND WE'LL END THIS MEETING AT 2 34 ON MONDAY, AUGUST 21ST, 2023.