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>> I CALL OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER. IT'S MONDAY, MAY 19TH, WE'RE GETTING STARTED AT 10:39 A.M. WE'LL CALL ROLL.
[Approval of Minutes ]
>> HAVRDA: THANK YOU. OUR FIRST ITEM IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING, APRIL 15TH. ARE THERE ANY CHANGES OR QUESTIONS?
[Public Comment ]
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR AAYE? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.DO WE HAVE SOMEBODY WITH PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY? JOHN BACHMAN?
YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES, MR. BACHMAN. >> GOOD AFTERNOON -- I MEAN GOOD MORNING. I USUALLY DON'T GET UP THIS EARLY.
WHAT I'VE HANDED OUT TO YOU IS A LIST FROM A MEETING I HAD WITH JOHN GARY, BUT BECAUSE I'M LAZY IT'S THE SAME LIST, I'LL GO THROUGH AND -- ANYWAY, ON NO KILL.
I'M WITH A GROUP CALLED NO KILL SAN ANTONIO, AND OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE NO KILL, WHICH IS NO HEALTHY OR TREATABLE ANIMALS KILLED. AND UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE STILL DOING THAT, BUT JOHN AND I AND STAFF AGREE THAT THE DEFINITION IS WHAT THEY WANT TOO IS NO CAPACITY KILLING. BECAUSE IF WE REACH THAT GOAL, THEN OUR TOTAL LIVE RELEASE WILL PROBABLY BE AROUND 95%.
I'M GETTING USED TO THAT THING. THE ADOPTION EVENTS -- THAT'S OKAY. DAVID, THANK YOU. THEY NEED TO -- THEY AGREE THEY NEED TO INCREASE THE PERSONNEL AND LIVE RELEASE. ADOPTION EVENTS HAVE GOTTEN MUCH BETTER. THEY WERE PLANNING BEFORE ON TWO A YEAR AND THEY'VE ALREADY HAD FIVE, I BELIEVE. THEY HAD THREE BEFORE THE FIRST OF THE YEAR.
SIX THEY'VE HAD. ON RESCUES -- [BUZZER] -- THEY'RE STILL NOT -- TIME'S
UP? >> HAVRDA: YES, SIR. >> GEEZ.
I GUESS I HAD TOO MUCH TIME. >> HAVRDA: THANKS FOR YOUR ADVOCACY, MR. BACHMAN.
[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
WE'LL GO ON TO ITEM 2, BRIEFING ON THE PROGRESS AT ACS.>> I'M JOHN GARY, THE DIRECTOR FOR ACS AND WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO OVER KIND OF A PROGRESS REPORT, IF YOU WILL, ON WHERE WE'RE AT WITH OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE UP TO THIS POINT. JUST KIND OF TO START, WE BEGAN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THIS STRATEGIC PLAN IN JANUARY 2022.
THE PLAN WAS THEN FINALIZED IN THE SUMMER OF 2023 AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER THAT WE BEGAN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT PLAN. SO THE PLAN BASICALLY PROVIDES A STRONG COMPREHENSIVE AND BALANCED VISION FOR OUR FUTURE, AND OUR -- AND IT'S SOMETHING OUR STAFF REALLY LOOKS AT THROUGH ALL OF OUR DECISION MAKING. BASICALLY THE PLAN WAS COMPRISED OF -- THERE IT GOES. COMPRISED OF FIVE FOCUS AREAS WITH SPECIFIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, IN ACS CONTINUALLY WORKED TOWARD. THOSE FIVE AREAS ARE SUPPORT A SAFE COMMUNITY FOR PEOPLE AND NEIGHBORHOODS, PROTECT THE SAFETY AND HUMANE TREATMENT OF PETS. FOSTER [INDISCERNIBLE] WITH OUR COMMUNITY, CHAMPION A
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HEALTHY AND THRIVING WORKFORCE AND THEN SUPPORT THE PLACEMENT OF PETS FOR LIFE. THE FIRST ONE WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT REALLY IS OUR CRITICAL CALL RESPONSE. ACS RECEIVES ABOUT 90,000 CALLS FOR SERVICE A YEAR.OF THOSE ABOUT 55,000 ARE CRITICAL CALLS, WHICH INCLUDE CONFINE, SICK OR INJURED, OFFICER STAND BY AND CRUELTY AND NEGLECT. TWO YEARS AGO WHENEVER WE FIRST PRESENTED TO COUNCIL ON THE CRITICAL CALL RATE IT WAS ONLY ABOUT 44%.
CURRENTLY OUR RESPONSE IS 82% AND IN APRIL WE HAD 84.5% CRITICAL CALL RESPONSE RATE. SO WE'VE SEEN THAT NUMBER CONTINUE TO MOVE UP AND WE'RE ALSO ON OUR GOAL TO ACHIEVING THE 100% BY EARLY NEXT YEAR.
WE ADDED EIGHT POSITIONS IN FY24 AND 14 POSITIONS IN FY25 DEDICATED TO FIRST RESPONSE AND ADDRESSING THAT CRITICAL RESPONSE RATE. AGAIN, ON THE SAFE COMMUNITIES, WE TALK ABOUT THE SPAY-NEUTER CLINICS. SPAY-NEUTER HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN A PRIORITY OF OURS, THE COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY, FOR AWHILE NOW, AND WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT OPENING THE TWO NEW SPAY-NEUTER CLINICS THIS MONTH, WE OPENED THE WESTSIDE LAST MONTH AND THEN THIS FRIDAY THE 23RD WE'LL BE OBJECTING OUR EASTSIDE CLINIC. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE WESTSIDE CLINIC ARE BOOKED UP TO THE END OF JUNE, AND OUR TOTAL SPAY AND NEUTER IS ABOUT NINE PERCENT ABOVE WHERE THEY WERE THIS TIME LAST YEAR AND 90% WHERE THEY WERE IN FISCAL YEAR 23.
YOU SEE THE CHART IS TO HIT 24,000 SPAY-NEUTER THIS YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL, BUT THE NUMBERS ARE THERE AND MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND THE COMMUNITY IS SHOWING THAT THE CLINICS WERE NEEDED AND THEY ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEM BEING OPEN WITH THOSE APPOINTMENTS BOOKED OUT THROUGH JUNE ON THE WESTSIDE. KEEPING WITH THE SAFE COMMUNITIES, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR DANGEROUS -- WE SPENT TWO YEARS ENHANCING OUR RESPONSE TO DANGEROUS DOGS AND BITES. IN FY24 WE DONALD BOTH OUR DANGEROUS AND BITES INVESTIGATION TEAMS. THE IT ALLOWED US TO NOT ONLY CONDUCT INITIAL INVESTIGATIONS BUT FOLLOW-UP FOR INITIAL COMPLIANCE. WE ARE CURRENTLY AHEAD OF OUR GOAL WITH COMPLIANCE RATE FOR DANGEROUS DOGS AND WE'VE WORKED 99% OF ALL BITES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED THIS YEAR. ADDITIONALLY WITH RESPECT TO PUBLIC SAFETY, WE'VE INCREASED CRIMINAL CITATIONS BY OVER 220%, AND OVER FY24 AND WE HAVE INCREASED THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL CHAPTER 5 VIOLATIONS, WE SAW ABOUT A 44% INCREASE IN THE CIVIL CITATIONS AS WELL. OR 46, I'M SORRY.
WE ALSO MADE SOME CHAPTER 5 UPDATES IN DECEMBER TO HOLD REPEAT OFFENDERS MORE ACCOUNTABILITY. THIS INCLUDES FINES FOR REPEAT, RESTRAINT AND BITE VIOLATIONS. WE ADDED LANGUAGE TO BE ABLE TO STERILIZE DOGS TO THEIR OWNER. THE ANIMALS COMING INTO THE SHELTER PRIOR TO BEING RETURNED TO THE OWNER AND THE OTHER ONES THAT ARE DONE OUT IN THE FIELD ARE GIVEN STERILIZATION ORDERS WHERE THE OWNER HAS 30 DAYS TO COMPLY TO GET THE ANIMAL SPAY-NEUTER CLINICS. WE ALSO MADE AN ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE TO THE DANGEROUS DOG REPORTING PROCESS TO ALLOW TO PROTECT THE IDENTITY TO THOSE WHO FILE AFFIDAVITS AND IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE OFFERED TO OUR PUBLIC.
AFTER MAKING THAT ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE TO THIS POINT, NO ONE HAS DONE ANY OF THEM YET, BUT IT IS THERE FOR PEOPLE THAT MAY HAVE CONCERNS WITH THEIR SAFETY IF THEY REPORT DANGEROUS DOG VIOLATIONS. MOVING ON TO OUR HUMANE TREATMENT OF PETS, AND OUR WELLNESS CLINICS, PART OF ENSURING THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF PETS IS TO KEEP THEM FREE FROM DISEASE. WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE FUNDING TO OUR PARTNERS FOR VACCINE AND MICROCHIP CLINICS AND WE PROVIDE THEM ALMOST EVERY WEEKEND. WE PARTNER WITH ADL, PROTECT YOUR PAY AND SPAY-NEUTER CLINICS TO HOLD CLINICS AROUND THE CITY. WE'VE ALREADY SURPASSED OUR GOAL OF 4800 ANIMALS. A LOT OF PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE SPARSE IN THE WELLNESS CLINICS. WE ALSO HAD TWO MAJOR VACCINE CLINICS, WHAT WE REFER TO AS A MINI MEGA OR JUST OVER 1400 PETS WERE SERVED, AND THEN THE MEGA VACCINE CLINIC WHERE NEARLY 1,000 ANIMALS WERE SERVED. WE WERE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH
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SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS TO PUT THOSE EVENTS ON. SPECIAL THANK YOU TO D6, COUNCIL MEMBER HAVRDA FOR REALLY HELPING US MAKE THOSE TWO VACCINE CLINICS HAPPEN AND WORKING WITH US ON THOSE THOSE. MOVING ON WITH HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS, WE IMPLEMENTED THIS YEAR THE PET CARE CONNECT PROGRAM.THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE THING THAT ACS DOES. THIS PROGRAM ALLOWS US TO BE BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN NEIGHBORHOODS GETTING TO THE PEOPLE THAT NEED US THE MOST. IT'S BEEN A PILOT PROGRAM. WE STARTED IT IN DISTRICTS 1 AND WE'VE NOW DONE THEM IN 5 AND 3 AS WELL IN NEIGHBORHOODS.
DURING THOSE EVENTS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE -- WE'VE REACHED OVER 3,000 PEOPLE DURING THOSE EVENTS, PROVIDED OVER 600 POUNDS OF PET CARE RESOURCES AND THANKS TO OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH DAZE CARE OVER 90,000 POUNDS OF PET FOOD WERE DISTRIBUTED. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT THESE TYPES OF CONNECTIONS ARE REALLY WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR US MOVING FORWARD AND REALLY HELPING THROUGH ADOPTIONS, THROUGH DANGEROUS DOGS, ALL THE THINGS THAT'S PART OF THE PLAN, THIS PROGRAM TOUCHES ON ALL OF IT AND IT SHOWS CITIZENS THAT HOW WE ARE NOT JUST TELLING PEOPLE TO BE RESPONSIBLE, BUT ALSO BEING OUT THERE PROVIDING RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TOW DO THAT. PLACEMENT OF PETS.
WE HAVE TWO REALLY LARGE SCALE EVENTS THAT WE'VE DONE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OF SMALLER ONES AS WELL. BUT GOING THROUGH THIS, WE HAD OVER ABOUT -- A LITTLE OVER 1500 INCREASE IN ANIMALS COMING INTO ACS, WHICH HAS PROPOSED A VERY DIFFICULT CHALLENGE WITH THE INCREASE OF OFFICERS.
BUT DESPITE THAT INCREASE OF ANIMALS IN THE SHELTER THE STAFF HAS MAINTAINED AN 87% LIVE RELEASE RATE. OBVIOUSLY THE GOAL BEING 90, BUT THE NEEDS IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE ARE VERY ENCOURAGED TO SEE THAT.
WE REALLY FELT WHEN THESE DECISIONS WERE MADE AND WE HAD TO MAKE DIFFERENT CHOICES IN THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS COMING IN AND INCREASING THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS THAT WE REALLY WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT WAS GOING TO HAVE ON THE LIVE RELEASE RATE, BUT THE STAFF HAS BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT.
IT'S ABOUT A ONE PERCENT INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF THE TEAM BEING ABLE TO DO THAT DESPITE THE CHALLENGES. THE LARGE SCALE EVENTS WE HAVE IS DOGTOBER IN OCTOBER. AND WE HAVE [INDISCERNIBLE]. IT WAS AN AMAZING EVENT.
I KNOW SEVERAL OF THE COUNCIL CAME OUT. WE HAD OVER 3,000 VISITORS ON THE CAMPUS THERE AND OVER 140 PETS WERE ADOPTED. CONTINUING PLACEMENT OF PETS, WITH THE PLACEMENT OF EVENTS WE INCREASED THE ANIMALS IN FOSTER CARE BY 15% OVER THIS TIME LAST YEAR --M OTHER. ONE OF OUR PLACEMENT RELATED GOALS IS REUNITING LOST PETS WITH THEIR FAMILIES. THIS YEAR WE'VE INCREASED THAT BY 20% OVER THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR. RETURN TO OWNERS ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT A FOURTH OF ALL OF OUR OUTCOMES THAT WE HAVE THERE AT ACS.
RESCUE PARTNERS CONTINUE TO BE A CRITICAL PART OF OUR PLACEMENT PROGRAM AND WE'VE HAD AN INCREASE OF ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF PERCENT IN THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS TRANSFERRED OVER FY24. AND WE'VE UTILIZED SOME OF THE MARKETING DOLLARS THAT WE RECEIVED FOR FISCAL YEAR TO ENHANCE MARKETING OF PLACEMENT OF ANIMALS THROUGH HIGH QUALITY PHOTOS AND MORE FREQUENT PROMOTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
THE PETS THAT WE FEATURED IN APRIL, 92% OF THEM FOUND POSITIVE PLACEMENT.
AND IT JUST SHOWS THE VALUE OF BEING ABLE TO TAKE THOUGHTFUL PICTURES, TAKE GOOD PICTURES AND GETTING ANIMALS PLACED AND THE MARKETING THAT HAS TO HAPPEN TO GO ALONG WITH IT TO HELP WITH OUR LIFE SAVING. AND THEN COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS. THE INCREASE IN MARKETING ALLOWS US TO IMPROVE OUR MARKETING EFFORTS THROUGH RADIO SPOTS AND BILLBOARDS. A NEW DIGITAL BILLBOARD PROMOTES ADOPTION, FOSTER, ACS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING PETS CONTAINED ON THEIR PROPERTY AND STERILIZATION. WE EXPANDED OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS WITH THE ENGAGEMENT OF A NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR WHO HAS ATTENDED DOZENS OF EVENTS SO FAR THIS YEAR. AND PET CARE CONNECT WHICH I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. IN ADDITION WE ARE WORKING ON ESTABLISHING A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER TO PROVIDE ACS UPDATES FOR THOSE WHO SIGN UP.
WE SHOULD HAVE HOPEFULLY THE BUT LETTER WILL BE LAUNCHING IN JUNE.
AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN THERE WE HAVE THE TOP PICTURE THERE IS ACTUALLY AN ACTUAL PICTURE OF OUR BILLBOARD THAT STARTED THIS MONTH IN THE PEARL AREA.
SO VERY HAPPY TO FINALLY GET THAT LAUNCHED. WE'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY
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WITH C AND E TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT GOING AND VERY HAPPY THAT -- IT WILL ROTATE THROUGH. THERE'S ONE THAT WE SHOW HERE ON ADOPTION.IT WILL TALK ABOUT ALL THE LIFE SAVING EFFORTS AS WELL AS HOW TO BE RESPONSIBLE PET OWNSERS THROUGH SPAY AND NEUTER AND KEEPING YOUR ANIMALS CONFINED.
SO THAT BRINGS ME TO A CLOSE. WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE, BUT WE'RE ALSO VERY, VERY PROUD OF THE PROGRESS MADE. THE NEEDLE IS DEFINITELY MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND ALL THE MEASURES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
SO THIS IS GOING TO CONCLUDE THE PRESENTATION BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. IT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION. I THINK YOU AGREE OUR RESPONSE TIMES AND ENFORCEMENT, EVERYTHING, ALL THAT NEEDLE IS GOING UP, ET CETERA GETTING BETTER, BUT IT DOES STILL FEEL LIKE WE'RE BARELY KEEPING OUR HEAD BARELY ABOVE WATER BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF CALLS.
DID YOU SAY 90,000 -- >> YES, WE DO AVERAGE ABOUT 90,000 CALLS A YEAR.
WE'RE NEARLY DOUBLE MOST OF THE CITIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
>> AND NEARLY HALF OF THOSE REALLY CRITICAL, CORRECT? >> CORRECT, 55,000.
>> HAVRDA: I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT I'M THANKFUL FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND I KNOW EVERYBODY AT ACS, BUT WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP PUSHING, RIGHT, ALL OF US. I WANT TO ASK ABOUT CARE FOR THE ANIMALS, THE ACS OFFICERS. THEY JUST KIND OF GET A LOT OF FLACK.
I KNOW I LIVED OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY, EVEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THINGS LIKE THAT, ARE WE MAKING IS SURE THAT THEY'RE WELL TAKEN CARE OF? I MEAN, I'LL SAY TO THEM THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU DO.
I'VE BEEN ON CALLS WITH ACS OFFICERS AND IT'S A RIGOROUS JOB.
IT'S PRETTY SCARY BEING OUT THERE. ARE WE DOING ANYTHING TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE TAKEN CARE OF? >> THAT'S PROBABLY MY HIGHEST PRIORITY. I'VE BEEN DOING THIS NOW FOR OVER 25 YEARS AND I RECOGNIZED THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS TAKE CARE OF OUR STAFF. SO WHENEVER I CAME IN, ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THINGS I DID WITHIN THE FIRST SEVERAL WEEKS WAS REENGAGE WITH OUR EMPLOYEE AND MORALE COMMUNITY AND WE RENAMED THE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE, AND BEGAN THAT PROCESS WITH ENGAGING WITH OUR STAFF AND TRYING TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF THEM, THAT WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT THEM, AND THAT TO BE REAL THOUGHTFUL ABOUT OUR PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE WITH THEM. AND SO I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD, THIS NEW ENGAGEMENT COMMUNITY, THE STAFF HAS REALLY BEEN ENGAGED AND THEY'RE COMING AWAY WITH IDEAS. BUT I CAN TELL YOU FOR ME AS THE DIRECTOR, THAT IS -- I GOT INTO THIS BUSINESS INITIALLY FOR THE ANIMALS.
I'VE STAYED FOR THE PEOPLE. AND THE PEOPLE ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME, MY HIGHEST PRIORITY IS TAKING CARE OF THE STAFF AND ENSURING THAT THEY CAN DO THIS FOR A LONG
TIME IF THEY WANT TO. >> HAVRDA: THAT'S WONDERFUL.
I'M GLAD YOU HAD THAT MINDSET. SLIDE 9, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I'VE LONG SAID THAT THE KEY TO I THINK SOLVING OUR ISSUE HERE IS EDUCATION OF OUR COMMUNITY AND THEN OF COURSE SPAY AND NEUTER, RIGHT? SO I THINK IT WAS SLIDE 9 THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. I THINK IT'S SLIDE 9 ON MINE, I'M SORRY. THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF PETS WHERE YOU HAVE THE FOUR-WEEK
PILOT PROGRAM. >> YES. >> HAVRDA: THAT'S NEW.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING Y'ALL USED TO DO, RIGHT? >> VERY NEW.
WE STARTED IN JANUARY. >> HAVRDA: SO THAT'S ENCOURAGING.
I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG PART OF SOLVING OUR ISSUE HERE.
I ALSO THINK IT GOES A LONG WAY TOWARDS REDEEMING THE PERCEPTION OF ACS.
THERE'S JUST -- THERE'S A TRUST ISSUE, RIGHT? I'LL TELL YOU IN THE LAST MONTH OR SO I'VE HAD A NUMBER OF FOLKS CALL ME TO -- ABOUT A SPECIFIC DOG AND THEY DON'T WANT TO TAKE IT TO ACS BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID THAT IT'S GOING TO GET EUTHANIZED, BUT THERE'S NO FOSTERS OUT THERE. ALL THOSE ORGANIZATIONS ARE ALL FULL UP. WE ENDED UPTAKING THE DOGS TO ACS BECAUSE Y'ALL TOOK CARE OF THEM. I VERY CLOSELY WATCHED IT ALONG, I PROMISED I WOULD, BUT THERE IS DEFINITELY A TRUST ISSUE. SO WE HAVE TO WORK ON THE PERCEPTION OF OUR -- OF THAT DEPARTMENT AND I THINK GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY DOING THIS, BUT ALSO JUST KIND OF THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS GOING TO GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS THAT. I APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK THOSE ARE ALL MY -- OH. HAVE WE REACHED OUT OR ARE WE DOING ANY PARTNERSHIPS
WITH FOSTER ORGANIZATIONS? >> NOT FOSTER ORGANIZATIONS. WE'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO IMPROVE AND GROW OURS. AND THE PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH, THEY ALL HAVE VERY LARGE FOSTERING AS WELL. SO -- BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE AT WITH THE FOSTER. ONE OF OUR MAIN PRIORITIES RIGHT NOW IS TRYING TO GROW THE FOSTER PROGRAM AND LOOK AT WAYS WE CAN DO THAT.
>> HAVRDA: IF WE COULD GROW THAT SOMEHOW, I THINK PARTNERING WITH THEM AND THAT WOULD ALSO BE A WAY TO BUILD TRUST. WE DID A LOT WITH THE SPAY -- WITH THE CLINIC THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, THE MINI MEGA AND THE MEGA.
THERE WAS A LOT OF OUTREACH DONE BY YOU AND MIKE AND SHANNON AT THE TIME TO SOME OF THE PET ORGANIZATIONS IN SAN ANTONIO THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME KIND OF ANIMOSITY
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OR MAYBE SOME PUSH AND PULL. SO THAT WAS REALLY SUCCESSFUL.AND I THINK THAT'S GONE A LONG WAY. SO IF WE COULD HELP OUT, DO THAT WITH THE FOSTER ORGANIZATIONS, I THINK THAT WOULD BEWO HELPFUL AS WELL.
THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS?
COUNCIL MEMBER ALDERETE GAVITO. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU FOR THIS. I THINK THE PROGRESS MADE TO CRITICAL CALLS IS AMAZING.
I THINK WE'RE DEFINITELY ON THE RIGHT TRACK. THIS WAS A TOP PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITY OF MINE AND I'M GLUED TO SEE THE INVESTMENT THAT COUNCIL IS MAKING IS DEFINITELY MOVING THE NEEDLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I'M ALSO HAPPY TO SEE THE PROGRESS ON THE INVESTMENTS WE'RE MAKING ABOUT STERILIZATION BECAUSE THAT IS ALSO TO MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. IT'S JUST GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE. SO I WAS PROUD TO PUSH FOR THE TWO NEW CLINICS ALONGSIDE MY COLLEAGUES. WE WERE AT THE RIBBON CUTTING ABOUT A MONTH AGO.
I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE EASTSIDE ONE ON WHOPPING UP THIS FRIDAY -- OPENING UP THIS FRIDAY. I THINK THIS IS ALL A TESTAMENT TO THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CITY COUNCIL AND ACS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, SO I'M GLAD TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF IT. ON SLIDE NUMBER 6, I THINK I THINK IT'S IT'S SLIDE NUMBER 6, WE COULD SEE BY THE DATA THE DANGEROUS DOG COMPLIANCE RATE AND THE RESPONSES HAVE GONE UP. SO THIS IS GREAT NEWS. I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE REPORTING IT IN. WHETHER THEY'RE DOING IT ANONYMOUSLY OR NOT, AT LEAST THEY CAN CALL TO REPORT A DANGEROUS DOG AND THEIR CALL IS GETTING ANSWERED.
I THINK THAT CHANGE IS LONG OVERDUE AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THE IMPACT.
I THINK THIS IS SLIDE NUMBER 9. I'M GLAD TO SEE US TAKING THESE PROACTIVE EFFORTS -- YEAH, THIS HUMANE TREATMENT OF PETS.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS GOOD TIMING TO START, AS COUNCILWOMAN HAVRDA WAS SAYING, TO CHANGING THE ATTITUDES OF PEOPLE AROUND PET OWNERSHIP AND PET RESPONSIBILITY, BUT ALSO CHANGING THE ATTITUDES OF HOW THEY PARTNER WITH ACS BECAUSE WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT I HAVE A DOG, BUT I DON'T WANT TO TAKE IT TO ACS. IT'S GOING TO GET EUTHANIZED.
STILL TRYING TO CHANGE THAT CULTURE. LET ME SEE.
Y'ALL SAID Y'ALL WERE DOING SCHOOL PRESENTATIONS, RIGHT? >> WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON DEVELOPING THAT RIGHT NOW. WE DO GO OUT WHENEVER WE'RE INVITED BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO DEVELOP RIGHT NOW AND I'M IN THE PROCESS OF DOING A FORMAL PROGRAM FOR
THAT. >> GAVITO: MY ONLY COMMENT THERE WOULD BE TO TARGET SCHOOLS WITH AREAS WITH THE HIGHEST CALL VOLUME SO THAT THEY CAN KNOW AND SNOW -- THEY CAN BE EDUCATED AT A YOUNG AGE TOO. I LOVE THE UNDERSTAND AROUND INCENTIVIZING EMPLOYEES TO FOR-PROFIT. ONE OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS ACTUALLY FOR-PROFITTERED A DOG WHO ENDED UP GETTING ADOPTED DURING ONE OF THE EVENTS, SO IT DEFINITELY WORKED. I'M ASSUMING THESE EVENTS THAT Y'ALL HAVE, Y'ALL ARE SEEING AN ACTUAL INCREASE IN ADOPTIONS THROUGH THEM,
RIGHT? >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. >> GAVITO: OKAY.
I LOVE ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS. WE WERE LOOKING AT THEM IN THE OFFICE LAST WEEK. I THINK THAT IT GOES -- THAT MARKET EFFORTS WILL GO A LONG WAY AND I'M GLAD THAT THIS COUNCIL ADVOCATED FOR AN INCREASED MARKETING BUDGET BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE SEEING THE FRUITS OF THAT. YEAH, THANKS FOR TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE OF ACS, JOHN. I THINK THAT IT WAS A TOUGH ONE, BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, IN LARGE PART TO ACS' TEAM, A LARGE PART TO YOUR LEADERSHIP AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE THE NEEDLE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR.
>> HAVRDA: THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER WHYTE?
>> WHYTE: YEAH. BRIEFLY, THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CITATIONS, CLEARLY, AND ARE WE DOING SOMETHING TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT OUR INCREASED ENFORCEMENT IS ACTUALLY HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE VIOLATIONS THAT WE'RE
SEEING? >> WELL, WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT. I THINK IT'S STILL A LITTLE EARLY ON IN THAT PROCESS TO REALLY -- TO HAVE REALLY STRONG DATA TO SUPPORT THAT. BUT I DO THINK THAT -- NOT SOMETHING I THINK. WE WILL BE EVALUATING AND REALLY MAKING IT SEEN.
AT THE END OF THE DAY IF THAT'S NOT WHAT'S WORKING WE'LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
SOMETHING ELSE. >> WHYTE: RIGHT. BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY WE NEED TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF IRRESPONSIBLE PET OWNERS THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE, SO THESE ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS HOPEFULLY WE'VE GOT SOME METRICS TO DETERMINE IF THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO WORK. SO THAT WAS NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO, ON THE SEVERE BITE INCIDENTS, HOW QUICKLY IS ACS ABLE TO RESPOND THERE
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AND COORDINATE WITH MEDICAL OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES? >> THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY CALLS. THOSE ARE ONES THAT WE WORK. THE WAY THE BITES WORK, THEY HAVE TO BE -- THEY HAVE TO BE QUARANTINED FOR 10 DAYS SO WE WORK TO GET THERE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
WE GET REPORTING FROM HOSPITALS SO WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH EVERYONE TO
MAKE SURE THE RESPONSE IS TIMELY. >> WHYTE: SO THERE'S GOOD COORDINATION AND IT'S HAPPENING IN A TIMELY MANNER?
>> YES, I BELIEVE SO. I THINK THE NUMBERS SHOW THAT TOO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RESPONSE IS 99% OF THE BITES. THE NUMBERS SPEAK THAT AS
WELL. >> WHYTE: LAST THING IS, AND I TALKED WITH MIKE ABOUT THIS WHEN HE WAS FILLING IN. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO GET EVERYBODY IN THE SAME ROOM ONCE A QUARTER, TWICE A YEAR, YOU KNOW, ALL THE RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS: ACS, YOU, ADL, ANIMAL DEFENSE LEAGUE, AND WHOEVER ELSE, AND GET IN A ROOM TOGETHER AND MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IS ON THE SAME PAGE AND EXCHANGE IDEAS ON WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP SOME OF THESE ISSUES THAT WE'RE FACING.
AND I KNOW MIKE WAS LOOKING AT MAKING THAT HAPPEN AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE. I FIND WHEN WE GET ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN A ROOM, NO MATTER WHAT THE ISSUE IS, YOU KNOW, GOOD THINGS TEND TO FOLLOW THERE.
SO I REALLY WANT TO ENSURE THAT EVERYBODY IS ON THE SAME SHEET OF MUSIC HERE BECAUSE IF WE DO THAT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE SOME -- AT LEAST ACCELERATED, MORE POSITIVE OUTCOMES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. SO YOU THINK THAT'S
SOMETHING THAT WE CAN GET TOGETHER? >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
WE WILL BE HAVING QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH ALL OF OUR RESCUE PARTNERS.
THANKFUL FOR COUNCILWOMAN KAUR. SHE ORGANIZED NO LONG AFTER I GOT HERE, BUT WE NEED TO EXPAND IT TO MORE OF THE PARTNERS THAN WE HAD IN THE INITIAL MEETING, BUT ABSOLUTELY WE'LL BE DOING THOSE QUARTERLY.
>> WHYTE: GREAT. THANKS. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU.
COUNCILWOMAN DR. KAUR. >> KAUR: THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING. I AGREE WITH WHAT WHAT MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID SAID. AND COUNCILWOMAN GAVITO WERE SAYING THAT AT THE SAME TIME. I THINK OUR DISTRICTS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES AND WE'RE STILL SEEING IT. I KNOW WE'VE MADE PROGRESS, AND I THINK THE CHAIR MENTIONED THAT THE PROGRESS IS WONDERFUL, BUT IT STILL FEELS LIKE NOT ENOUGH.
SO WE HAVE TO DOUBLE DOWN. I KNOW WE'RE GOING INTO A SUMMER WITH BUDGET CUTS AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS OR THE COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS ON THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T -- EVERY YEAR WE'VE BEEN INCREASING THE FUNDING FOR ACS TO BE AIGE TO GET TO DO SOME OF THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES AND WE CAN'T STOP THAT GROWTH, I GUESS I SHOULD SAY WE CAN'T STAGNATE THAT GROWTH BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE WON'T GET TO THE CRITICAL CALLS.
IF YOU GO TO THE CRITICAL CALLS CHART ON SLIDE 8, THE ONLY WAY IF WE CONTINUE AT THE SAME RATE OF INCREASING OFFICERS, RIGHT?
>> YEAH, I THINK SO. AND BEING ABLE TO RETAIN THEM.
I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A KEY IS MAKING THEIR WORK LIFE WELL ENOUGH THAT THEY WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK. AND THIS JOB IS HARD SO
THAT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE. >> KAUR: YEAH, FOR SURE.
I KNOW WE INCREASED TO THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS WE HIRED TO BE ABLE TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, SO I'M ASSUMING WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE A SIMILAR INCREASE FOR THIS SUMMER. AND THEN FOR THE RESPONSE RATES, DO WE TRACK -- WHAT IS THE TIME THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR WITH OUR RESPONSE WHEN WE'RE SAYING WE'RE GETTING TO 100% OF THEM? IS IT 24 HOURS?
>> AT THIS POINT OUR FOCUS HAS JUST BEEN ON GETTING TO THEM BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SO FAR LACKING. ACTUALLY, I'M MEETING WITH THE FIELD TEAM AND NOW WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK AT THAT, OKAY, NOW THAT WE'RE GETTING TO THIS LARGE NUMBER OF CALLS, WHAT DO OUR RESPONSE RATES LOOK LIKE? SO WE'RE REALLY EARLY ON IN THE PROCESS OF EVALUATING THAT. WE HAVE SOME OLD ONES THAT WE REALLY NEED TO REEVALUATE. BUT THAT'S PART OF THE PROCESS NOW IS NOW THAT WE'RE RESPONDING TO THESE CALLS HOW DO WE EVALUATE HOW QUICKLY WE'RE GETTING TO THEM AND ESPECIALLY THE HIGHER PRIORITY ONES IN A TIMELY MANNER.
>> IN OUR LAST BUDGETING MEETING WE HAD PERFORMANCE BASED BUDGETING AND OUTCOME BASED BUDGETING. SO THIS WOULD BE AN OUTCOME THAT WE WANT TO TRACK.
NOT JUST LOOKING AT 100% OF ADDRESSING, BUT MAYBE WHAT IS THE OUTCOME OF RESPONSE TIME AND HOW QUICKLY AN INVESTIGATION GETS DONE AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE CAN TRACK. AND THE RESULTS OF THOSE INVESTIGATIONS.
BECAUSE I KNOW THE ONE CASE THAT WE WERE RECENTLY WORKING ON TOGETHER, THE FRUSTRATION RESIDENTS EVEN WHEN THEIR DOGS ARE ATTACKED IS THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE
[00:30:02]
ENOUGH IS DONE AS A RESULT. SO REALLY I THINK HOW DO -- WHAT OUTCOME WOULD ADDRESS THAT AND KIND OF PLAN BACKWARDS TO SEE WHAT IS IT THAT WE WANT TO TRACK FOR THIS? AND A COUPLE OF OTHER QUESTIONS.I THINK THINKING ALONG WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER WHYTE SAID ABOUT THE INCREASE IN FINES OR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEING CITED. WHAT ARE WE TRACKING WITH THAT? ARE WE LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF REPEAT CITATIONS AND THINGS, AND HOW MANY OF THEM ARE PAYING AND CHANGING THEIR BEHAVIOR?
>> I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THAT DATA HANDY, BUT YES, IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO LOOK AT. WE WORK -- ACTUALLY, WE MEET WITH MUNICIPAL COURTS MONTHLY AND WE TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT DURING THOSE MEETINGS.
SO YES, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE EVALUATE AS WE WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
>> KAUR: I'D LOU LOVE TO SEE THE DATA IF YOU CAN SHARE IT.
THESE WERE THE NUMBER OF CITATIONS THAT OCCURRED AND THESE WERE THE RESULTS AND THESE WERE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO BASICALLY ADJUSTED THEIR BEHAVIOR TO
SEE IF IT WAS BEING IMPACTED. >> I CAN DEFINITELY WORK
WITH MUNICIPAL TO GET THAT. >> KAUR: GREAT, THANK YOU. AND THEN, YEAH, EXCITED ABOUT THE OPENING OF THE NEW CLINIC. IT WILL BE GREAT TO SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE THAT EFFECTIVE. I THINK I SAID THIS IN THINK COMMENTS THERE, BUT THE SOUTHSIDE CLINIC HAS WHAT TOOLS LIKE AN ERROR MESSAGE WHEN YOU OPEN UP TO TRY TO SCHEDULE. IT SAYS WE ARE VERY BOOKED TO PLEASE PLAN TO WAIT FOREVER. SO I JUST -- IT FEELS THAT WAY.
IT'S A BIG RED ERROR ALERT. I'M WONDERING HOW WE CAN MAKE THAT SMOOTHER FOR BOOKING AS YOU GUYS START COLLECTING, LOOKING AT WHAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW AND HOW WE CAN MAKE OURS MORE EFFECTIVE. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER, BUT JUST A THOUGHT. AND THEN TO COUNCIL MEMBER WHYTE'S POINT, WE DID MEET WITH -- WE SENT AN EMAIL OUT TO ALL OF THE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS AND SAID HEY, WE WANT TO COME TOGETHER AND JUST HAVE A CONVERSATION. AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALDERETE GAVITO'S TEAM WAS THERE TOO. WE DIDN'T -- TO JOHN'S POINT WE NEED TO DO IT AGAIN AND WE NEED TO DO IT WITH A BIGGER GROUP, BUT WE DID HAVE SEVERAL FOLKS THERE.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THEY SAID WAS THE BARRIER FOR ADDITIONAL SPAS BECAUSE THAT'S A BIG CHALLENGE. HOW CAN YOU PULL MORE.
WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST COST TO PULLING MORE. AND THEY SAID SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE, WHICH IS VETS. THAT VETS, THEY CAN'T HIRE VETS AND IT'S SUPER HARD TO BE ABLE TO EVEN WITH US, LIKE OUR DOCTOR CAME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO DO THE CONTRACT VETS WHEN WE OPEN THESE NEW CLINICS BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO DO HIGH VOLUME SPAY AND NEUTER. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO LOOK AT AND MAYBE IF YOU COULD THINK ABOUT IS HOW DO WE CREATE A VET TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM WHERE IF THEY COME WORK FOR THE CITY OR OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE BACK? BECAUSE I'VE HEARD TUITION IS EXPENSIVE FOR VETS SO WE'RE ABLE TO PAY OFF OVER FOUR YEARS.
I DID IT FOR MY BUSINESS SCHOOL PROGRAM FOR EDUCATION, AND IT WORKS.
IT RETAINS PEOPLE IN JOBS. AND THE EDUCATION SPACE USED TO DO IT TOO FOR TEACHERS.
COULD BE SOMETHING TO LOOK INTO. AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT I WANTED TO MENTION WAS THE WORK THAT IS DONE WITH PET CONNECT AND JOHN AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LOT. I THINK THAT PROGRAM IS AMAZING AND IT'S THE ONLY WAY -- I WAS ACTUALLY WALK BLOCKING IN DELL VIEW AGAIN FOR OTHER REASONS THIS WEEKEND AND RESIDENTS WERE TELLING ME ABOUT IT AND THEY BASICALLY -- WHAT I WAS TELLING THEM WAS THE RESULTS OF WHAT WE -- OF THE EFFORT THAT YOU ALL LED.
AND THE BIGGEST THING THAT THEY SAY IS UNLESS YOU TALK TO PEOPLE ONE ON ONE, NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN DIFFERENTLY AND YOU HAVE TO MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE AND GIVE THEM ALL THE THINGS, LIKE THE FOOD, THE DOG HOUSES, THE FENCING, TO BE ABLE TO SEE SO WE CAN SEE THAT WE ACTUALLY WANT TO PARTNER WITH THEM.
AND THE TEAM THAT WAS OUT THERE WAS DOING AN AMAZING JOB.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE -- AGAIN, I KNOW WE'RE DOING INTO INTO BUDGET DEFICITS AND I'M MAKING ASKS, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO GROW THAT PROGRAM.
WE DID THIS ROUGH CALCULATIONS WITH BRAD ON THE OUTCOMES AND FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE DID FOR ONE NEIGHBORHOOD IT WAS LIKE TWO WEEKS OF TIME FOR THE PET CARE CONNECT TEAM. SO IF YOU EXTRAPOLATE THAT OVER A YEAR AND HOW MANY NEIGHBORHOODS WE NEED TO HELP, IT'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK.
I THINK THAT TEAM COULD USE MORE SUPPORT AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IS LONG-TERM WORK THAT'S GOING TO MAKE A HUGE IMPACT. AND I THINK IT'S THE ONLY WAY. EDUCATION HAS TO BE THE ONLY WAY.
I'VE DONE MY RANT. THANKS, CHAIR. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. ONE OF THE THINGS IS BRINGING A VET SCHOOL HERE.
WE HAVE ONLY TWO IN TEXAS AND NOT ONE IS HERE IN SOUTH TEXAS.
IT'S A LONG-TERM IDEA. BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. OUR NEXT ITEM IS OUR UPDATE ON MENTAL HEALTH
INITIATIVES. HI JESSE. >> MORNING.
[00:35:03]
HAPPY MONDAY TO EVERYONE. I'M JESSE HIGGINS, CHIEF MENTAL HEALTH OFFICER, AND I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE THIS MORNING TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE CITY'S MENTAL HEALTH EFFORTS AND A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND RESILIENCY EFFORT OR SA-CORE PROGRAM. YOU PROBABLY KNOW THAT MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AND TRAUMA INFORMED CARE INFORMED AWARENESS MONTH AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU GIVING NECESSITY A CHANCE TO UPDATE YOU, BUT ALSO GIVING THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC THE ATTENTION THAT IT DESERVES. YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THIS PRESENTATION THAT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS WE'VE MADE A CONCERTED EFFORT IN A LOT OF FABULOUS WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN THE COMMUNITY AND I'M SO HAPPY TO BE HERE TO TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT IT. TODAY WE'LL DO AN OVERVIEW OF THREE DIFFERENT AREAS, YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, OUR MENTAL HEALTH FRAMEWORK AND HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY. WE'LL LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT CONTRACTS WE HAVE IN THE COMMUNITY AND LOOK AT THE INITIATIVE THAT WE BEGAN LAST YEAR ON SCHOOL SAFETY AND MENTAL HEALTH. WE'LL LOOK AT OUR SUBSTANCE USE FRAMEWORK OF PREVENTION, [INDISCERNIBLE] AND DISCOVERY AND I'LL DO A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE CITY'S OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS THIS AFTERNOON. AND FINALLY WE'LL LOOK AT MENTAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOW WE'VE INCREASED OUR COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION IN THAT AREA. IN 2021 THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO RECEIVED ABOUT $327 MILLION IN ARPA FUNDS AND OF THIS AMOUNT THE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZED $27.2 MILLION FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS. THESE PROGRAMS WERE INTENDED TO EXPAND OVER TWO YEARS FROM 2023 TO 2025.HERE I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT AREAS.
ROUND ONE OF ARPA FUNDING FUNDED CONTRACTS FOR A TWO-YEAR TERM THAT ENDED ON FEBRUARY 28TH OF THIS YEAR. THESE CONTRACTS PROVIDED COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING SERVICES AND INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER DIAGNOSIS ACCESS TO YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THE RESULTS OF THESE CONTRACTS ARE EXCELLENT. ALMOST 5,000 YOUTH CLIENTS WERE SERVED IN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP THERAPY. 63% OF THOSE 5,000 YOUTH ATTENDED FOUR OR MOTHER SESSIONS AND OF THE ONES WHO ATTENDED FOUR OR MORE SESSIONS, 46% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A DECREASE IN DEPRESSION, STRESS, ANXIETY OR SUICIDAL IDEATION, AND 54% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED AN INCREASE IN WELL-BEING. AS PART OF OUR CONTRACTS MONITORING PROCESS, CLIENT INTERVIEWS ARE CONDUCTED. HEARING THE RESULTS OF THESE INTERVIEWS IS TRULY AMAZING.
ONE PARENT TALKED ABOUT THAT R THAT THEIR CHILD WOULD BE A RUNAWAY ON THE STREETS WITHOUT ALL THE COUNSELING SERVICES THEY RECEIVED. ONE TALKED ABOUT CONNECTION TO IT THROUGH A RESPONSE TO THEIR HOUSE AND MANY DIDN'T KNOW HOW THEY WOULD BE USING THE SERVICES BECAUSE OF INABILITY TO SAY AND ONE TEEN SAID THIS PROGRAM LITERALLY SAVED HER LIFE AND SHE DIDN'T THINK SHE WOULD BE HERE WITHOUT THE SERVICES THEY RECEIVED. WE HAD TWO ARPA CONTRACTS WITH THE AIM OF INCREASING ACCESS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN NEED OF ASSESSMENT FOR AN INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DIAGNOSIS. 695 YOUTH WERE ASSESSED.
73% OF THE FAMILIES SERVED WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY RESOURCES FOR SUPPORT.
57% OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY DIAGNOSED REPORT IMPROVED ACCESS TO SERVICES.
AND 53% OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES REPORTED IMPROVED LIFE SATISFACTION.
YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR A FAMILY TO BE IN A SITUATION WHERE THE WAITLIST JUST TO GET ASSESSED FOR DIAGNOSIS IS EXTREMELY LONG.
ASSESSMENT, HELP WITH PAPERWORK, ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND COORDINATION WITH THEIR CHILDREN'S SCHOOLS. IN ADDITION TO THE 17 YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CONTRACTS THAT WERE FUNDED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF ARPA, WE ALSO FUNDED FIVE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CONTRACTS IN THE SECOND ROUND.
THESE TWO YEAR CONTRACTS END ON JULY 31ST OF THIS YEAR AND THE AIM IS TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, EMERGENCY SHELTER AND HOUSING FOR AT-RISK YOUTH AND YOUTH AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE. I LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING YOU UPDATES TO THESE IN THE FALL WHEN WE HAVE THE RESULTS AVAILABLE.
FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW WE HAVE FUNDED SCHOOL BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES CONTRACTS OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. THESE PRO COUNSELING, CASE MANAGEMENT AND BASIC NEEDS ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN AT EAST CENTRAL, HEDGE WOOD, JUDSON, NORTHEAST, NORTHSIDE, SAN ANTONIO AND SOUTHSIDE ISDS.
AS WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS BUILT THROUGH THE ARPA CONTRACTS AND THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, LAST YEAR WE HOSTED THE FIRST AREA MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT. THIS WAS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH METRO HEALTH, BEXAR COUNTY,
[00:40:04]
AND COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS. WE HAD OVER 150 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE WHICH REPRESENTED SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS, NON-PROFITS, HOSPITALS, PHILANTHROPY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, ELECTED OFFICIALS, TEXAS SCHOOL SAFETY CENTER, HHSC, THE OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY, THE FBI AND THE SECRET SERVICE.OUR OBJECTIVES FOR THE SUBMIT WERE TO UNDERSTAND THAT MENTAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN IS A PUBLIC HEALTH H PRIORITY, TO IDENTIFY CONCERTED NEXT STEPS.
ONE OF THE NEXT STEPS WE IDENTIFIED WAS A TEXAS LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY DAY, WHICH WE ATTENDED AND SPOKE AT IN FEBRUARY. I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT BEXAR COUNTY WILL BE HOSTING THE SECOND ANNUAL SUMMIT LATER THIS YEAR AND WE'LL BE ALTERNATING HOSTING THIS EVENT. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, SOME OF YOU WILL ALSO BE IN THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE LATER TODAY WHERE I WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS. TODAY I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT HARM REDUCTION CONTRACTS AND BRIEFLY LOOK AT THE WORK WE'RE DOING WITH THOSE FUNDS. THROUGH ARPA FUNDING WE HAVE TWO CONTRACT AUDIO] THAT PROVIDE STREET OUTREACH, HARM REDUCTION COMPLIES, NARCAN, TRAINING AND CONNECTION TO TREATMENT AND SERVICES. THESE CONTRACTS WILL -- ARE TWO YEARS AND WILL END THIS SUMMER. ALSO THE CITY HAS RECEIVED OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS AS A RESULT OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AND HAS ADOPTED A SPENDING FRAMEWORK OF PREVENTION, HARM REDUCTION, TREATMENT AND RECOVERY.
SO FAR THESE FUNDS ARE PROVIDING CAPACITY BUILDING, HARM REDUCTION SUPPLIES, NARCAN, EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND ... MENTAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY AND RESILIENCY UPDATE. THIS WORK IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AND WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THAT IN ADDITION TO METRO HEALTH, SAPD, WE HAVE OUR PARTNERS FROM THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS REGIONAL CENTER AND CHCS HERE TO PROVIDE THE IMPACT OF THIS PROGRAM. THIS SLIDE SHOWS SAPD'S MENTAL HEALTH 911 CALLS FROM 2019 TO 2024. AS YOU'VE SEEN BEFORE THROUGH THE PANDEMIC WE HAD A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE TO 911 MENTAL HEALTH CALLS. AS WE BEGIN TO DESTIGMATIZE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AND OFFER RESPONSE LIKE SA-CORE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A HIGH CALL VOLUME.
THE TOTAL SO FAR FOR 2025 THROUGH APRIL IS 9,942, WHICH MEANS WE'RE ON TRACK FOR A SIMILAR NUMBER, IF NOT A SLIGHTLY LOWER NUMBER OF CALLS THIS YEAR.
THIS LEVELING OFF AND MAYBE EVEN SLIGHT DECREASE SHOWS THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS FINDING ITS FOOTING AND A NEW BASELINE AND THAT PEOPLE ARE PERHAPS BECOMING MORE AWARE OF PROGRAMS THAT CAN HELP THEM IN A CRISIS, BUT ALSO BEFORE IT BECOMES A CRISIS. I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO SHOW THIS DATA LIKE THIS, AND THIS IS PURE CALL VOLUME, WHICH SHOWS THE WEIGHT ON OUR 911 CALL CENTER. THIS DOES NOT SHOW CALLS IN LIGHT OF POPULATION INCREASE WE'VE SEEN. WITH A POPULATION INCREASE IN MIND THESE KNOBS WOULD SHOW A STEEPER DECREASE. YOU'VE SEEN THE SLIDE BEFORE, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SHOW THE BIGGEST PICTURE OF WHAT THE CITY'S POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING IN THE REALM OF MENTAL HEALTH.
YOU CAN SEE SAPD'S MENTAL HEALTH COUNT, WHICH IS EVERYTHING IN BLUE ON THIS ONE SIDE, AND SAFD'S INTEGRATED MOBILE HEALTH CARE PARAMEDICS, EVERYTHING IN RED, BOTH THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS HAVE A HISTORY OF WORKING IN THE MENTAL HEALTH ARENA. INDEPENDENTLY, WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH PARTNERS LIKE CHCS AND STRAC. ON THIS SIDE' WE'LL LOOK AT THE MENTAL HEALTH UNIT, THE MIH AND WHERE THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER. STARTING ON THE LEFT IN BLUE, SAPD'S MENTAL HEALTH UNIT HAS ONE SERGEANT, THREE DETECTIVES AND 34 OFFICERS.
TO GET INDIVIDUALS INTO A CRISIS IN THE RIGHT CARE AT THE RIGHT TIME, SAPD PARTICIPANTS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT NAVIGATION BY CALLING STRAC'S MED COM AND GETTING THEM TO HOSPITALS WITH BEHAVIORAL CAPACITY. WHEN THEY'RE ESCALATED SAPD HAS A PROTOCOL TO SUPPORT PATROL OFFICERS WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH UNIT.
IF THERE IS AN ED WITH A WEAPON, OFFICERS SEIZE THE WEAPON AND THE PERSON MUST GET AN ORDER FROM THE JUDGE TO RELEASE. AND THE MULTI-AGENCY PARTNERSHIP FOR STABILIZATION OR MAPS TEAM IS A TEAM WITH OFFICERS AND CLINICIANS THAT CONNECTS PERSONS OF CONCERNS TO SERVICES.
IF YOU GO TO THE RIGHT OF THE SLIDE IN RED YOU WILL SEE THE BREAKDOWN OF PROGRAMS FOR SAFD'S MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE PARAMEDICS.
MIH HAS TWO LIEUTENANTS, TWO FULL TIME PARAMEDICS. MIH WORKS WITH EMS, 911 HIGH VOLUME UTILIZERS IN THEIR HVU PROGRAM. THEY PROVIDE HOSPICE
[00:45:01]
SERVICED. THEY WORK WITH THE MANAGED CARE PATIENTS.THE POLYSUBSTANCE OVERDOSE PREVENTION RESPONSE CONNECTS PEOPLE WHO HAVE OVERDOSED ON ANY SUBSTANCE OTHER THAN OPIOIDS TO SERVICES. THEY STAFF THE ACUTE STATION AT HAVEN FOR HOPE THAT ADDRESSES HEALTH CONCERNS ON-SITE AND PREVENTS UNNECESSARY AMBULANCE TRANSPORTS. THE CRISIS RESPONSE TREATS PATIENTS EXPERIENCING WITHDRAWALS FROM OPIATES AND CONNECTS THEM TO FOLLOW-UP SERVICES AND THEY HAVE A DEDICATED MANAGER WHO ASSIST WITH COMPLEX PATIENTS.
YOU CAN SEE THE CITY'S MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY HEALTH ASSESSMENT GROUPS BRINGS TOGETHER PARTNERS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY SETS. THEY EACH CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING AND THE NEW 2.0 TRAINING TO THEIR CADETS IN TRAINING AND DISPATCH. THE PROGRAM DETAILS OFFICERS, MEDICS AND CHCS CLINICIANS TO CONNECT INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGH EMERGENCY DETENTIONS TO SERVICES. ON THE IMPACT TEAM OFFICERS AND MEDICS COLLABORATE TO WORK WITH HIGH VOLUME UTILIZERS. THE SA-CORE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY AND WE'RE ALL VERY ACTIVE IN THE CRISIS COLLABORATIVE, BEHAVIORAL CHEMISTRY COMMITTEE AND SUBCOMMITTEES THAT WORK TO CONTINUALLY IMPROVE CRISIS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT ALL OF THE WORK THAT SAPD AND SAFD DO IN THE MENTAL HEALTH DISCIPLINE.
AND NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT SA-CORE. THE OBJECTIVES OF SA-CORE ARE TO RESPOND TO 911 MENTAL HEALTH CALLS, TO ASSIST PEOPLE EXPERIENCING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE APPROACH WITH THE CLINICAL TEAM AT THE FOREFRONT. TO REDUCE UNNECESSARY ARRESTS BY ROUTEING PEOPLE TO THE CORRECT LEVEL OF CARE. TO INCREASE REACH TO OUTPATIENT SERVICES. THE TEAM IS MADE UP OF A MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN WHO CAN ASSESS THE INDIVIDUAL IN CRISIS AND PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES.
THE MIH PARAMEDICS WHO CHECKS VITALS AND PROVIDES MEDICATION.
AND THE MENTAL HEALTH OFFICER WHO SECURES THE SCENE AND IS ABLE TO DEESCALATE. EACH RESPONSE HAS FOLLOW-UP CLINICIANS WHO WORK AFTER THAT INITIAL RESPONSE TO ENGAGE PEOPLE INTO SERVICES AND TO CONTINUE TO MEET NEEDS. THE CITY HOLDS A CONTRACT WITH STRAC FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TEAM AND CLINICIANS THROUGH A SUBCONTRACT WITH CHCS.
STRAC ALSO CENTRALIZES DATA COLLECTION. THIS EFFORT IS TRULY A PARTNERSHIP. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THIS PROGRAM ONLY STARTED THREE YEARS AGO IN APRIL OF 2022. WE STARTED WITH A ONE YEAR PILOT THAT WAS ONLY ONE TEAM AND PROVIDED 16 HOURS OF SERVICE IN IS SAPD'S CENTRAL SUBSTATION.
AFTER THAT PILOT COUNCIL PROVIDED THREE TEAMS AND THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER OF 2023'S BUDGET DISCUSSION COUNCIL BUDGETED FOR 24 HOURS A DAY.
IN 2024 WE STANDED TO THREE TEAMS WHICH PROVIDED CITYWIDE COVERAGE.
AND BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024, THOSE THREE TEAMS WENT TO 24 HOURS A DAY, WHICH PROVIDES COVERAGE TO THE ENTIRE CITY EVERY HOUR OF THE DERRICK EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR.
THROUGH THIS PROCESS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT DATA TO FIND EFFICIENCIES, TO IMPROVE RESPONSE TIME, AND TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO FOLLOW-UP. IN THE PAST YOU'VE SEEN DATA PRESENTED ON A DIFFERENT TIMELINE AND TODAY I WILL START PRESENTING DATA ON THE FISCAL YEAR TIMELINE. THESE ARE THE TOTAL RESPONSES WE'VE HAD EACH FISCAL YEAR YEAR. FOR FY22, A TOTAL RESPONSE OF 806.
FOR 2023 A FULL YEAR OF ONE TEAM AT 16 HOURS WE HAD TOTAL RESPONSIVENESSES OF 1,326. FISCAL YEAR 24 HAD TWO FACE PHASES OF EXPANSION.
WE STARTED WITH ONE TEAM AND ON JANUARY FIRST WE HAD THREE TIMES AND ON JULY FIRST WE WENT TO 24 HOURS COVERAGE. AND FOR FY25 FROM OCTOBER TO APRIL, WHICH IS SEVEN MONTHS, WE'VE HAD THREE TEAMS AT 24 HOURS AND THEY'VE HAD A TOTAL OF 2,874 RESPONSES. AND WE'RE TRENDING TO UPWARDS OF 4,800 RESPONSES THIS FISCAL YEAR. THIS SLIDE SHOWS YOU THE THREE TEAMS' RESPONSES FOR FY25, OCTOBER ONE THROUGH APRIL 30TH FOR A TOTAL OF 208,974 RESPONSES SO FAR. TEAM ONE COVERS SAPD'S CENTRAL SUBSTATION, EAST SUBSTATION AND DOWNTOWN SUBSTATION. THIS TEAM HAS HAD 993 RESPONSES. TEAM TWO COVERS THE PREVIEW AND NORTH SUBSTATIONS.
THIS HAS HAD 969 RESPONSES. AND TEAM THREE COVERS THE WEST AND SOUTH SUBSTATIONS.
THIS TEAM HAS HAD 968 RESPONSES. HERE'S A DEEPER DIVE INTO EACH OF THE THREE TEAMS' RESPONSES. AS YOU RECALL FROM AN EARLIER SLIDE, THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROGRAM ARE TO FIRST OF ALL RESPOND
[00:50:04]
TO 911 MENTAL HEALTH CALLS, TO ASSIST PEOPLE EXPERIENCING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS USING THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE OPTION. YOU CAN SEE THAT ACROSS ALL THREE TEAMS THE MAJORITY OF CALLS WERE RESOLVED ON SCENE, TAKEN TO AN EMERGENCY --L BY EMERGENCY DETENTION OR TRANSPORTED TO ANOTHER ADDRESS TO ADDRESS A NEED.NUMBER TWO, WE WANT TO REDUCE UNNECESSARY ARRESTS BY ROUTING PEOPLE TO THE CORRECT LEVEL OF CARE. YOU CAN SEE THAT ONLY ONE PERSON OUT OF THE TOTAL OF 2874 RESPONSES WAS ARRESTED BY THE SA-CORE TEAM. AND NUMBER THREE, WE WANT TO INCREASE ACCESS TO OUTPATIENT SERVICES THROUGH FOLLOW-UP CLINICIANS.
THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE BEING ENGAGED BY FOLLOW-UP CLINICIANS.
THE ONES THAT ARE EMERGENCY DETAINED, RESOLVED ON SCENE, TRANSPORTED ANYWHERE BY THE TEAM OR BY EMS TO A HOSPITAL, RESOLVED BY PHONE OR WHEN THE TEAM ASSISTS ANOTHER UNIT ARE REFERRED TO FOLLOW-UP. 1,645 INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED WITH THE FOLLOW-UP CLINICIAN IN SOME WAY. FOLLOW-UP CLINICIANS TRIED TO ENGAGE PEOPLE AT 24 HOURS, SEVEN DAYS, 14 DAYS, 30 DAYS, 60 DAYS AND 90 DAYS. 454 INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED CHCS APPOINTMENTS WITH A CASE MANAGER, THERAPIST OR PSYCHIATRIC PROVIDER. WE WANTED TO BE SURE TO TELL YOU SOME OF THE SUCCESSES OF THIS PROGRAM OR WHAT SUCCESS STORIES LOOK LIKE FOR THIS PROGRAM. WE REALIZE THAT THREE YEARS IN WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON PRESENTING DATA AND EXPANSION AND WE HAVEN'T TAKEN A MOMENT TO CELEBRATE THE GOOD WORK THAT THE TEAM IS ABLE TO DO. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A 911 CALL FOR MENTAL HEALTH, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND FOR THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEM IT'S THE WORST DAY OF THEIR LIVES. SEVERAL OF THESE CALLS INVOLVE AN ENTIRE FAMILY AND WHEN WE USE A TEAM APPROACH IT ALLOWS FOR THREE MEMBERS OF THE TEAM TO ADDRESS MULTIPLE PEOPLE ON SCENE. MAYBE ONE IS TALKING WITH AN INDIVIDUAL AND ANOTHER PERSON IS ABLE TO TALK TO THE FAMILY AND HELP MAKE A BETTER OR MORE SOLID PLAN AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE SITUATION AND NEXT STEPS.
WE'VE HAD SEVERAL SUCCESS STORIES WHERE THE TEAM HAS HELPED PARENTS AND TEENAGERS TALK AND BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, MAYBE MAKE A SAFETY PLAN WHERE THE PERSON IS AT HOME AND BETTER EDUCATE THE PARENTS AND CHILD SO THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN THE CHILD IS HOSPITALIZED. WE'VE ALSO SEEN GREAT STRIDES IN INDIVIDUALS THAT ENGAGE WITH THE FOLLOW-UP TEAM.
THE LAST NUMBER OF APPOINTMENTS RECEIVED ON THIS SLIDE ARE ONLY PEOPLE WHO GET APPOINTMENTS WITH THE CENTER FOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES.
THERE ARE SEVERAL RESPONSES THAT THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH FOLLOW-UP CLINICIANS ARE SEEING AN OUTSIDE PSYCHIATRIC PROVIDER OR THERAPIST FOR FOLLOW-UP.
CHCS FOLLOW-UP CLINICIANS WORK TO GET PEOPLE TO INTAKE APPOINTMENTS IF THEY ARE THROUGH CLIENTS OR PLUGGED BACK INTO THE CLINIC THEY HAVE BEEN SEEN BEFORE IF THEY ARE EXISTING CLIENTS. THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM CAN BE INTIMIDATING AND ADMITTEDLY OVERLY COMPLICATED AND MANY PEOPLE AS YOU KNOW STRUGGLE WITH NAVIGATING IT, WHICH CAN INCLUDE GETTING THE RIGHT SERVICES THEY NEED, GETTING MEDICATION OR EVEN GETTING TRANSPORTATION FOR THEIR APPOINTMENTS.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THESE 24/7, 30, 60, 90 DAY FOLLOW-UPS ARE MEANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE AND HELP THEM NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM. THESE FOLLOW-UP CLINICIANS SEE PEOPLE IN THE FIELD, AT THEIR HOMES OR REACH PEOPLE OVER THE PHONE.
ONE THING I WANT TO BE SURE THAT YOU KNOW IS THAT THE TEAM IS DEDICATED TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT FOR THE FRONTLINE STAFF ON THE TEAM, BUT ALSO MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WILL RECEIVE THIS RESPONSE.
WE ARE STILL MEETING EVERY OTHER WEEK TO LOOK AT BARRIERS AND MAKE THINGS BETTER BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THESE ARE LIFE SAVING SERVICES AND EACH PERSON IS DESERVING OF A COMPASSIONATE AND COORDINATED RESPONSE. MY FINAL SUBJECT AREA TO PRESENT TO YOU IS THE PROGRESS OF THE MENTAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY STRATEGIC GUIDE. YOU'VE SEEN THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING IN THE INTERSECTIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY FOR A LONG TIME.
AND THIS IS AN AREA WHERE WE HAVE EXISTING COLLABORATION, SYNERGY AND PASSION.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS MENTAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY STRATEGIC GUIDE IS TO ESTABLISH THE ISSUE AREAS AT THE INTERSECTION OF MENTAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY, PROVIDE A DEFINED VISION AND PURPOSE TO ADDRESS MENTAL MENTAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY.
IDENTIFY EXAMPLES OF SIMILAR WORK IN OTHER COMMUNITIES. AND ALIGN STRATEGIC GOALS ACROSS METRO HEALTH, SAPD AND SAFD. THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND INTERNAL CITY DEPARTMENTS WE IDENTIFIED FIVE AREAS THAT WE COULD FOCUS ON THAT WOULD HELP US BETTER ALIGN OUR STRATEGIC GOALS IN THIS INTERSECTION. COMMUNITY OUTREACH, TO ELEVATE COMMUNITY AWARENESS ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AND THE PROCESS TO ACCESS SUPPORT.
STAFFING. TO SUPPORT CITY EMPLOYEES BY PROVIDING A WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT PRIORITIZES THEIR MENTAL HEALTH WITH THE NECESSARY RESOURCES TO
[00:55:02]
FULFILL THEIR JOB DUTY. PARTNERSHIPS. SUSTAIN THE BROAD NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT COLLABORATE TO PROVIDE HOLISTIC MENTAL HEALTH CARE.DATA AND TECHNOLOGY, INTEGRATE THE USE OF DATA AND TECHNOLOGY THROUGHOUT THE CITY DEPARTMENTS TO MAXIMIZE EFFORTS AND MONITOR OUTCOMES.
AND OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO REGULARLY UPDATE INTERNAL POLICIES TO ALIGN WITH CURRENT SYSTEM PRACTICES.
OUR NEXT STEPS WILL BE TO BEGIN CHRONICLING THE WORK WE'RE DOING IN THE STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN AUGMENT THIS WORK.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU TODAY.
I ALONG WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM SAPD, SAFD, STRAC AND CHCS ARE HERE TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, JESSE. I'M REALLY PROUD OF THIS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THIS COMMITTEE STARTED WITH YOU GUYS DURING THE PANDEMIC. AND WE STARTED OFF I THINK WITH ONE TEAM, WAS IT 9:00 IN THE MORNING TO 4:00 IN THE AFTERNOON, AND EXPANDED TO ALL OF THIS. THIS IS REALLY INCREDIBLE. YOU GUYS HAVE JUST REALLY TAKEN THE BALL AND RUN WITH IT. I'M REALLY THANKFUL TO SEE THE STATS THAT I THINK IT WAS SLIDE 21 WHERE YOU SHOW ALL OF THOSE CALLS AND ONE ARREST. I MEAN, THAT'S -- IN MY BOOK THAT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.
NOT JUST BECAUSE WE'RE HANDLING CALLS A DIFFERENT WAY, BUT ALSO THE TIME AND EFFORT THAT IT TAKES AWAY FROM OUR OFFICERS HAVING TO DO A LOT OF THAT PROCESS.
SO I THINK IT'S JUST A WIN-WIN ALL THE WAY AROUND. THE ARPA MONEY, I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT TOO, I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THIS, BUT THE ARPA MONEY THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE OR ALLOCATED TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AT THAT TIME, EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR OF IT WENT TO MENTAL HEALTH AND THIS IS THE RESULT.
AND OF IT. AND IT'S SOMETHING I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK DURING THE PANDEMIC ONE OF THE SILVER LININGS OF THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN THAT EVERYBODY IS REALLY TALKING A LOT MORE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND IT'S SOMEWHAT MORE DESTIGMATIZED THAN IT HAS BEEN. I'M REALLY THANKFUL FOR THAT. SO HAVING SAID THAT, THE -- AND THANK YOU, OF COURSE, IF I HAVEN'T SAID THAT ALREADY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. MY CONCERN I GUESS GOING FORWARD AND ESPECIALLY WITH BUDGET ISSUES IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE -- LIKE WHAT'S THE LONG-TERM PLAN FOR FUNDING AND LOOKING AT, ESPECIALLY THE YOUTH INITIATIVES? THE LONG-TERM PLAN IS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CALLS.
[LAUGHTER]. >> I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AND I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'VE LED THIS COMMITTEE AND LED US THROUGH THIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DO DESTIGMATIZE IS WE WILL HAVE AN INCREASE OF NEED FIRST AND THEN WE SEE THE NEED GOING DOWN AS WE ADDRESS THE NEED APPROPRIATELY.
SO THIS IS A PORTRAIT OF THAT. SO ALTHOUGH THESE NUMBERS CAN BE STAGGERING AND FEEL A LOT DIFFERENT THAN THEY DID IN 2019, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE NECESSARILY BAD AND I THINK WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
BUT YES, THE PLAN IS THAT WE WANT TO REDUCE THESE CALLS EVEN MORE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT WE'RE DOING ON THE GENERAL FUND. WE DO HAVE THESE SCHOOL-BASED CONTRACTS.
WE DO HOPE THAT THEY CONTINUE. THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IS FEELING REDUCTIONS IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS FROM LOTS OF DIFFERENT PLACES.
SO I HOPE WE'RE ABLE TO BE AS CONSISTENT AS WE CAN AT THE CITY.
AND REALLY THE CONVENING POWER THAT WE HAVE WHEN WE BRING ALL THESE FOLKS TO THE TABLE AND SAPD WAS A HUGE PIECE OF THIS DAY AS WELL, TALKING ABOUT THE FUSION CENTER, TALKING ABOUT THEIR SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS, I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT IN THE SCHOOLS AT THE BEGINNING OF A CRISIS, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO BE THERE TO BEGIN AND SUPPORT AND TAKE CARE OF SITUATIONS THAT ARISE AT SCHOOLS DURING A CRISIS.
AND SO WE ARE DOING THE BEST WE CAN TO FIGURE OUT INNOVATIVE WAYS TO KEEP WHAT WE HAVE GOT AND TO LEVERAGE RELATIONSHIPS AND CONVENING AND TO SUPPORT.
I'M WRITING SUPPORT LETTERS ALL THE TIME FOR GRANTS. YOU KNOW, TRYING TO COME UP WITH CREATIVE SOLUTIONS, TRYING TO BE AS SUPPORTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY AS WE CAN.
AND TRYING TO TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY AS WE'RE PRESENTED IT.
BUT YES, I MEAN, IT WILL BE UP TO COUNCIL AND HOW THE BUDGET GOES THIS SUMMER AND WE HOPE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GOOD KEEP THOSE GENERAL FUND CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE.
>> CHAIR WOMAN, IF I MAY. I WANTED TO ADD TO WHAT JESSE MENTIONED.
I THINK WHAT WE LEARNED SINCE COVID-19 WITH THE FUNDING THAT WE GOT WITH ARPA, WITH SA-CORE, IS TO STRENGTHEN THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITIES WITH STRAC, CHCS, BEXAR COUNTY, OUR NON-PROFIT ORGS, LEARNING THAT WE'RE NOT ALONE, AND I THINK INDEPENDENTLY OF WHAT EVERYBODY IS EXPERIENCING
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WITH FUNDING, THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WILL REMAIN STRONG AND WILL CONTINUE STRONGER. AND I THINK THAT'S A GREAT BENEFIT OF ALL THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS SINCE COVID NOW AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO STRENGTHEN THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE WORK THAT WE DO IN THECOMMUNITY. >> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT.
I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, JESSE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT ABOUT WHEN YOU DESTIGMATIZE MENTAL HEALTH THOSE CALLS ARE GOING TO GO UP. TO YOUR POINT, THAT'S NOT A BAD THING. WE'RE GETTING PEOPLE ASKING FOR HELP AND WE WERE THERE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT HELP. SO THAT'S A POINT WELL MADE.
I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE -- DO WE KNOW, ARE WE TRACKING THE PERCENTAGE OF SA-CORE CALLS THAT ARE REPEAT CALLS? AND HOW ARE WE -- ARE WE HANDLING THOSE CASES
DIFFERENTLY? >> SO THAT'S ON THE DOCKET. SO IT'S HARD TO TRACK 911 REPEAT CALLS AS 911 CALLS COME IN ADDRESS BASED. AND IF YOU MISSPELL SOMEONE'S NAME OR DON'T GET THEIR BIRTHDAY RIGHT, IT'S HARD TO TRACK THOSE.
THAT IS DEFINITELY OUR NEXT AREA OF PROCESS IMPROVEMENT. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CHCS IS ABLE TO DO AS THEY GET MORE SOLID INFORMATION, GET A PERSON'S FULL NAME, BIRTHDAY, ADDRESS, SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT IN THEIR MEDICAL RECORDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE FOCUSED ON, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW THAT'S NEXT BECAUSE THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN THE NUMBER OF RESPONSES AND INDIVIDUALS. THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME REPEATS WHO GET MULTIPLE -- MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
>> HAVRDA: AND IT MAY BE A DIFFERENT WAY TO HELP THEM, RIGHT, ONCE WE'RE ABLE TO
TRACK THAT? >> AND WE HAVE PROGRAMS IN THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY IN OUR WORK WITH CHCS. THE PIC TEAM AND DIFFERENT HIGH UTILIZER PROGRAMS THAT THEY HAVE WHERE THEY ADDRESS PEOPLE WHO HAVE MULTIPLE EMERGENCY DETENTIONS OR
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THAT WAY. >> HAVRDA: WONDERFUL.
THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS JUST I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT IN HERE.
AND IT'S PROBABLY ON THE DOCKET AS WELL, AS YOU MENTIONED, BUT IS WHEN SOMEBODY CALLS 911 TO HAVE THE OPTION FOR MENTAL HEALTH.
I THINK IT'S STILL POLICE, FIRE, EMS, RIGHT? AND IF WE HAVE THAT FOURTH OPTION IN MENTAL HEALTH, I THINK WE'LL HAVE THE SAME REACTION WHERE THE NUMBERS OF CALLS WILL GO UP, BUT MAYBE WE CAN ADD THAT TO THE LIST OF ARRESTS THAT ARE NOT BEING MADE OR AT LEAST HELP IN THE COMMUNITY. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE US
CONTINUE TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION. >> WE ARE.
AND WE'RE WORKING ON HOW WE DO THAT IN IN THE MOST COORDINATED WAY, USING THE BEST TECHNOLOGY THAT WE CAN. THERE'S SOME CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE GET INTO INTO THE HANDS OF THE PERSON ON THE FRONT END OF THE 911 CALL. AND THEN HOW DO WE WORK WITH THE WORKFORCE THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US. CALL CENTERS LIKE 988 ARE STAFFED IN REGIONAL APPROACHES WHERE 988 IS A GREAT RESOURCE, BUT PEOPLE ARE NOT NECESSARILY IN THEIR COMMUNITY WHO ARE TAKING THOSE CALLS. SO PUTTING SOMEONE IN DISPATCH AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE COORDINATED WITH OUR POLICE AND EMS AND FIRE, AND ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE PLUGGED INTO OUR LOCAL RESOURCES OF CHCS REQUIRES A LOCAL WORKFORCE. AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE WITH THIS TEAM EXPANDING SO QUICKLY AND THE COUNTY HAS DONE A SIMILAR INITIATIVE, THE SMART TEAM, THAT BEHAVIORAL WORKFORCE IS STRETCHED THIN RIGHT NOW. SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT WITH THE RIGHT TECH, WITH THE RIGHT BUDGET AND WITH THE RIGHT WORKFORCE. SO WE ARE DEFINITELY -- WE HAVE THAT IN OUR MINDS FOR
SURE. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU SO MUCH, JESSE.
ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? COUNCILWOMAN DR. KAUR. -- I'M SORRY, COUPLE
ALDERETE GAVITO. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I DID ALSO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE SEEN GOOD RESULTS AND I WANT TO CONTINUE THAT TREND WITH ARPA DOLLARS BEING DONE, ARE WE -- AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY WITH MARIA.
I KNOW WE'VE CREATED NEW PARTNERSHIPS TO ADDRESS THIS.
SINCE THOSE ARPA DOLLARS ARE GOING TO BE GONE? >> A COUPLE OF THINGS.
IN OUR METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF CONTRACTS THAT ARE DEDICATED TO MENTAL HEALTH SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUTH.
SO THAT'S ONE SOURCE THAT WE HAVE. WE ALSO HAVE PROGRAMS WITHIN OUR HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, AND WE'RE TRYING TO BETTER
COORDINATE OUR YOUTH PROGRAM CITYWIDE. >> OKAY.
>> WE HAVE DHS, METRO HEALTH, LIBRARY, PARKS PARKPARK PARKS AND RECREATION, MUNICIPAL COURT, WE'RE BETTER COORDINATING THAT WORK. HERE WE HAVE CHCS AND WORKING WITH THEM TO BELTER UTILIZE THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE. THAT'S WHAT OUR PLAN IS
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AS WE ARE WINDING DOWN THE ARPA DOLLARS. >> I DO THINK THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT ORGANIZATIONS DO GREAT WORK.
KIND OF FINDING EFFICIENCY AND COMMON GROUND SO WE CAN BE MORE EFFECTIVE IS HELPFUL. THANK YOU FOR THAT. ON -- WELL, I THINK IT WAS MY SLIDE. I KNOW THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION OF AGING OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM AND FUTURE HOMELESSNESS.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE OUTCOMES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE ENGAGED IN
SERVICES FOR AT RISK YOUTH? >> GOOD QUESTION.
I DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS IN FRONTED OF ME BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T CLOSED OUT THOSE COULDN'T TRACTS. WE TRY TO TRACK AS CLOSELY AS TO THESE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH METRICS AS POSSIBLE SO THAT YOU CAN SEE A COMPARISON OF CLIENTS SERVED, PEOPLE IN FOUR OR MORE SESSIONS, WHICH WE KNOW IS NOT A TON. TRYING TO GET A BASELINE IF YOU'VE GONE TO SOME SESSIONS WITH A THERAPIST AND THEN IF YOU'RE IMPROVING. SO WE'VE BEEN TRACKING THE SAME METRICS FOR ALL OF THESE CONTRACTS REALLY FOR THE AT RISK YOUTH CONTRACTS AND SCHOOL-BASED YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CONTRACTS, AND SO WE WILL HAVE BETTER -- I DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS FOR YOU, BUT I MEAN, THE NUMBERS ARE SMALLER. WE DO HAVE, OF COURSE -- IT'S HIGH ACUITY FOR AT RISK YOUTH OR YOUTH AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE.
WE WANT TO -- THEY DO A LOT -- THE PROVIDERS DO A TON OF SERVICES FOR THOSE POPULATIONS SO INCLUDE LIKE ACTUAL HOUSING AND HELPING THEM WITH THEIR BUDGET AND HELPING THEM WITH THEIR EMPLOYMENT AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE WILL DEFINITELY HAVE OUTCOMES THERE.
IT'S A SMALLER NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVED, OF COURSE, BUT IT'S HIGH
AMOUNT AND HIGH QUALITY OF SERVICES. >> YEAH.
I WOULD BE CURIOUS -- YEAH. I UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS NOW, BUT CURIOUS TO JUST TRACK THAT TO SEE HOW THAT WORKS. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE MESSAGING THAT YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH IS A PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH PRIORITY.
IT'S ALSO PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITY. YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, SAN ANTONIO JUST MADE NEWS FOR A PARENT PURCHASING AMMUNITION FOR HER SON WHO WANTED TO CARRY OUT A MASS SCHOOL SHOOTING.
SO I BELIEVE THAT THE YOUTH HAD REPORTEDLY HAD A HISTORY OF MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS, TOO. SO WE CAN PREVENT TRAGEDIES LIKE THAT FROM HAPPENING IF WE TAKE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SERIOUSLY.
SO I'M REALLY GLAD THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON THAT.
WITH SA CORE UPDATE, WHEN WE FIRST GOT ELECTED AND WE WERE PUSHING FOR 24-7 COVERAGE. I'M GLAD TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, HAVING ONE ARREST SO FAR, I THINK, IS A TESTAMENT TO THE PROGRAM. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL Y'ALL'S WORK WITH THAT. I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THE HIGH FOLLOW-UP RATE, YOU KNOW. GOSH, IT'S MAYBE BEEN A YEAR AGO, MY TEAM AND I SAT WITH SA CORE TEAM JUST TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND THEIR WORKDAY. IT IS REALLY ENLIGHTENING.
WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO GO BACK THERE AGAIN TO SEEKEEP UP WITH THAT. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THAT'S ALL MY COMMENTS. >> DR. KAUR. >> THANKS, CHAIR.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION FOR THIS WORK.
I THINK THAT THE MENTAL HEALTH -- YOU GAVE US A BRIEFING ON THIS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. IT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT TELEHEALTH AND THAT WAS A WAY WE WERE INCREASING ABSCESS TO -- ACCESS TO STUDENTS. DO YOU HAVE AN UPDATE
ON HOW THAT WORK HAS BEEN GOING? >> I CAN GET US A BETTER UPDATE. I KNOW IT'S BEEN INCREASING THROUGHOUT THIS DISTRICT. THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE MERE OF TCHAT WHICH IS THE TEXAS TELEHEALTH. WE'RE HOPING THAT GETS SUSTAINED THROUGH THE SESSION. WE'RE WATCHING THAT IT GETS SUSTAINED THROUGH THE BUDGET OF THAT BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE DOES MEDICAID AND MEDICARE REGULATIONS, THEY ALSO ARE THE ONES THAT ALLOWED FOR TELEHEALTH TO BE BILLABLE IN COVID. IT'S SUSTAINED.
WE'RE HOPING THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE SUSTAINED THAT THERE'S VALUE THERE. WE WERE IN A MEETING LAST WEEK TALKING ABOUT HOW IT HAS HELPED PEOPLE WITH BARRIERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO I KNOW THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS -- WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS BEING MADE AND CONVENING, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT LOOKS LIKE IN REALITY IS US NONPROFITS SITTING IN A ROOM TOGETHER TALKING ABOUT, YEAH, I HAVE THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THEY GIVE US A ROOM AND THEY DO TELEHEALTH FOR US. THEN JUST LIKE A MONTH AGO, THE OTHER NONPROFIT SAID, CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THAT? THEN WE MADE THAT CONNECTION. WE CONNECTED THEM TO THE DISTRICT. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT'S HARD TO QUANTIFY, BUT I SEE HAPPENING IN ROOMS ALL THE TIME.
IT'S PRETTY COOL THESE CONTRACTS EVEN THOUGH I WOULD LOVE FOR THE MONEY TO HAVE SUSTAINED, YOU KNOW, UNTIL KIDS DON'T NEED THE SERVICES THAT THE RELATIONSHIP IS BUILT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER SO MUCH MORE AND TALKING SO MUCH MORE BECAUSE WE'RE IN THEIR BUSINESS AND WE'RE TRYING TO HELP THEM AND CONNECT THEM AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
[01:10:03]
SO I CAN GET YOU A BETTER CONCRETE ANSWER ON TELEHEALTH.>> I APPRECIATE THAT. WE'LL FOLLOW UP AND MAKE SURE WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR THAT CONTINUATION IF THERE'S ANY ROOM LEFT TO DO SO, BUT I THINK THAT'S BEEN AT LEAST FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM THE SCHOOL PARTNERS I WORK WITH THAT THEY REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. THEN AS FAR AS THE OUTCOMES YOU MOSTED OF 57%, YOU KNOW, OR 53% SATISFACTION, 46% REPORTING DECREASE IN DEPRESSION, WHAT IS THE -- THAT WAS THE SLIDE BEFORE. WHAT DOES THE NORMAL RATES LOOK LIKE?
I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO COMPARE THAT TO. >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. EMBARRASSINGLY, THERE ISN'T A GOOD ANSWER.
SO TALK THERAPY HAS NOT HAD A LOT OF RESEARCH DONE ON IT.
ONE OF THE MAIN MODALITIES THAT DOES HAVE RESEARCH IS COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY. THAT'S WHY YOU MAY HEAR ABOUT IT OFTEN. THE MILITARY DOES GOOD RESEARCH ON TRAUMA THERAPIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WE REALLY HAVEN'T GOTTEN A LOT OF -- IT'S A DISCIPLINE. THAT'S THE EMBARRASSING PART AS A THERAPIST THAT I DON'T HAVE GOOD -- IT'S NOT JUST VERY WELL STUDIED.
PEOPLE ARE HIGHLY PROTECTED OF MENTAL HEALTH DATA, BOTH THEIR INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR PROFESSIONALS AND DON'T HAVE -- HAVEN'T OPTED IN AND DONE A LOT OF STUDIES. WE SPECIFICALLY WANTED TO DO THIS SO WE WOULD HAVE GOOD OUTCOMES. WE ACTUALLY HAD NO IDEA. GOING IN -- WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ONLY HAVING FOUR SESSIONS AND SEEING ANY MOVEMENT AT ALL IS PRETTY -- WE WERE PRETTY HAPPY WITH IT. WE WEREN'T EVEN SURE. SOME OF THESE OUTCOMES WE HAD TO REALLY -- NOT THE OUTCOMES, BUT THE ASSESSMENTS, WE HAD TO RESEARCH AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IS EVEN THE RIGHT ONE TO DO.
SO YEAH. I WISH I HAD BETTER -- IT'S A DISCIPLINE, WE'RE
NOT WELL RESEARCHED. >> THE OTHER SLIDE THAT'S REALLY STRIKING TO ME IS THE -- I'M GLAD WE'RE SEEING THE RESULTS WE'RE SEEING.
I KNOW COUNCILMEMBER CABELLO HAVRDA WAS A PROPONENT OF INCREASING 24-7. IT'S THE MAP SLIDE. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS NOT EVENLY BROKEN DOWN BY AREA. IT'S CRAZY TO SEE THIS ONE BE ONE OF THE THEM. OFTEN, IF YOU LOOK AT A LOT OF OTHER METRICS, YOU WOULDN'T SEE THIS DISTRIBUTION. IT JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU THAT MENTAL HEALTH DOESN'T HAVE CLASS, DOESN'T HAVE ZIP CODE.
IT AFFECTS EVERYONE. SO THIS WORK IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND I JUST -- THAT WAS STRIKING TO ME. BUT ALL THAT TO BE SAID, I JUST WANTED TO ECHO THAT SEEING THIS -- SEEING THE 4800 RESPONSES DEMONSTRATES THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP THIS 24-7.
I KNOW WE WERE SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE DATA OF WHETHER OR NOT WE WOULD SEE AN INCREASE BECAUSE OF THAT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE EITHER A COMBINATION OF COMMUNICATION BUT ALSO JUST AVAILABILITY THAT IT IS SEEING A TREND UPWARD. SO ANOTHER BUDGET ITEM NOT SO CUT THIS BUDGET CYCLE BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S DOING GREAT WORK. THAT'S ALL I REALLY HAVE.
THE LAST THING THAT -- I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN TOUCHED ON IS FUNDING.
WE TALKED ABOUT IT. BUT JUST I KNOW CDBG FUNDING IS GOING TO AFFECT OUR PARTNERS. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO JUST A NOTE TO SAY, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF -- I FEEL LIKE IN EVERY SINGLE MEETING WE'RE LIKE, WHO THE HECK KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMETHING -- IF ONE OF THE PROGRAMS GETS CUT. JUST A NOTE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD AFFECT OUR PARTNERS WHO ARE TO CONTINUE AFTER ARPA RUNS OUT.
THEY ARE ALSO A THREAT. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE REALLY CREATIVE, BY I HAVE FAITH IN. THEN ALSO, IS THIS YOUR LAST MEETING?
>> ? I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD GIVE COUNCILMEMBER CABELLO HAVRDA A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. THANKS, CHAIR.
>> THANKS. THIS IS MY LAST PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING.
I CHAIRED IT -- OTHER THAN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS ON MY TENURE OF COUNCIL. CHIEF MCMANUS, JOHN, ACS, JESSE, ALL OF THE ONES THAT REGULARLY COME AND TALK WITH US, AND I ALSO BIG TIME WANT TO THANK MARIA BECAUSE SHE KEEPS ME FOCUSED. THAT'S HARD TO DO.
I THANK YOU ALL. THIS HAS BEEN REALLY A HIGHLIGHT OF MY POLITICAL CAREER IS CHAIRING THIS COMMITTEE.
I'M THANKFUL. THANKS. HAVE A
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.