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UH, IT'S 1:02 PM UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START OUR SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
UM, IS OUR CLERK ON YES, HONOR? OKAY.
IF WE CAN GO AHEAD AND START WITH THE ROLE.
COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN.
COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT.
MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM COUNCILMAN HERE ALSO, RIGHT? I THINK THAT WAS COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO, JUST, UM, JUST HERE FOR THE ROLE.
UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
WE'VE GOT, UM, A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AGENDA.
WE'RE GONNA GET INTO THE WORK GROUPS TODAY, SO I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO ERIC,
[1. Briefing on the City's COVID-19 response and preparedness and updates on the COVID-19 Community Action Working Groups.]
UH, TO GET US STARTED.UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
UH, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH, WE'LL START WITH, UH, AN UPDATE FROM CHIEF HOOD AND THEN AN UPDATE FROM, UH, DR.
UM, AND THEN, UH, THE NEXT PART OF THE AGENDA WILL, UH, GO TO COURT, HARTMAN, AND THEN THE WORK GROUP DISCUSSION AT THAT POINT.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO CHIEF HOOD.
I'M NOT HEARING THE CHIEF IF HE'S TALKING.
IS THE FIRST CHIEF, IF YOU WOULD TURN DOWN YOUR COMPUTER SPEAKERS.
HEAR ME? YOU HEAR ME? YOU HEAR ME? YOU HEAR ME? NEED EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION REAL QUICK.
UM, WE'RE USING THE PHONE SYSTEM FOR THE AUDIO AND THE VIDEO SYSTEM FOR THE VIDEO, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE BOTH ON MUTE.
AND WE'LL TURN IT OVER THE CHIEF AS SOON AS WE GET THAT TECH STEP FORWARD.
CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME OKAY? EXCELLENT.
SO MY GOALS FOR TODAY, I WANNA THANK EVERYONE FOR ALLOWING ME TO HAVE SOME TIME TODAY.
UM, MY GOALS FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS TO OVERVIEW THE TESTING PROCESS
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THAT WE ARE CONDUCTING.UM, ALSO I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE CONTACT TRACING PROCESS AND SOME HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLES.
AND THEN THIRD, I WANNA TALK ABOUT, UH, MAPS, SOME MAPPING THAT WE ARE DOING THAT DESCRIBES HOW WE IDENTIFY EQUITY ISSUES.
AND THEN EITHER PROACTIVELY ADJUST, PIVOT, UM, AND ENGAGE.
SO THIS IS ALWAYS REALLY IMPORTANT TO GET THIS BACK IN FRONT OF EVERYONE SO THAT YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE STUFF THAT WE ARE DOING IN THIS RESPONSE.
WHAT I'M GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT IS JUST TWO OF THESE, UM, OF THESE SIX THINGS, BUT I ALWAYS WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU SEE THE ENTIRE PICTURE WHILE I'M FOCUSING ON ONE PARTICULAR OR TWO PARTICULAR ITEMS. NEXT SLIDE.
THIS IS OUR SCREENSHOT FROM THIS MORNING AND, UM, FROM OUR DASHBOARD.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT YOU TO HIGHLIGHT TO REALLY ZERO IN ON IS, AS I'M TALKING ABOUT TESTING AND OUR CASE TRACING, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO FIND OF WHAT THAT CASE RATE IS.
THAT CASE RATE OF 794 IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, AS I GO THROUGH MY SLIDES, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT YOU TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT ON AVERAGE, WHEN WE START GETTING POSITIVES, AS THAT 7 94 INDICATES WHEN WE DO OUR CASE TRACING, ON AVERAGE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THREE CLOSE CONTACTS FOR EVERY POSITIVE.
SO THAT'S WHO WE ENGAGE ON AVERAGE.
SOMETIMES IT CAN BE 10, SOMETIMES IT CAN BE ONE.
BUT ON AVERAGE FOR EVERY POSITIVE THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SYSTEM, UM, THERE ARE ARE THREE ADDITIONAL FOLKS THAT WE ARE ENGAGING TO DO CONTACT TRACING.
SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE SO THAT YOU SEE THE DEPTH AND THE BREADTH OF THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING EVERY SINGLE DAY.
SO THIS IS, UM, COMPLEX, BUT THIS IS, UM, THIS IS OUR ROLE.
THIS OUTLINES, THIS SCHEMATIC REALLY DEMONSTRATES THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROCESS THAT, UM, OUR EXPERTS IN OUR ORGANIZATION FOLLOW.
UM, IF MY, IF MY PRESENTATION IS WORKING WELL, I SHOULD HAVE AN ANIMATION THAT COMES UP.
SO JOHN, PRESS THAT ADVANCE BUTTON, SEE IF IT WORKS.
UH, THIS REALLY OUTLINES EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IN ONE SCHEMATIC WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT THE TESTING.
THE TESTING IS OUR ENTRY POINT.
WE DON'T KNOW OUR POSITIVES, WE DON'T KNOW OUR CONTACT TRACING UNTIL WE ACTUALLY DO THE TEST.
AND SO WHAT THIS IS REALLY SHOWING YOU ARE THOSE ACCESS POINTS THAT WE HAVE, UM, OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WE HAVE, THE FIRST THING THAT WE DO IS THAT WE HAVE THAT SELF SCREENING TOOL.
THAT WEBSITE, AND I'M GONNA SHOW YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT TODAY IN ONE OF OUR MAPS, BUT WE HAVE THE SELF SCREENING APPLICATION WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO THROUGH THAT SCREENING PROCESS AND SAY, AM I A CANDIDATE FOR TESTING? WHEN THEY DECIDE THAT THEY ARE, WHEN THAT SCREENING COMES OUT THAT SAYS, YES, I AM A CANDIDATE, THEN THEY CAN ALSO ACCESS THE, UM, FREEMAN, UH, PRE-APPROVED DRIVE, UM, DRIVE-THROUGH SITE.
THEY CAN, UM, ACCESS THROUGH OUR M I H PROGRAM.
THEY CAN ACCESS THROUGH PRIMARY CARE, THEY CAN ACCESS THROUGH HOSPITALS, AND THEY CAN ACCESS THROUGH URGENT CARE.
SO THESE ARE JUST REALLY SHOWING YOU WHERE THE PATIENT IS AND AT HOW MANY POINTS THAT THEY CAN ACCESS, UM, THE TESTING SYSTEM.
ONCE THAT PERSON GETS INTO THE SYSTEM AND THEY BECOME POSITIVE, THEN THAT IS WHERE THE EPI PROCESS BEGINS.
SO YOU CAN'T DO THE EPI PROCESS UNTIL THE TESTING OCCURS.
AND THAT EPI PROCESS IS, IMAGINE THAT CIRCLE BEING A PERSON.
SO THAT'S REPRESENTS THE POSITIVE PERSON.
YOU HAVE WORK THAT OCCURS TO THAT POSITIVE PERSON TO THE LEFT, AND THEN YOU HAVE WORK THAT OCCURS TO THE RIGHT.
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PROCESS IS, IS, UM, DONE BY OUR STAFF AS WELL AS SOME VOLUNTEERS.
SO WHAT I'M GOING SHOW YOU RIGHT NOW IN THE NEXT SLIDE IS TRULY THE PROCESS OF CONTACT TRACING.
SO IMAGINE, AGAIN, THAT POSITIVE PERSON WHEN THE CONTRACT TRACING STARTS.
ONCE, ONCE WE GET THE INDICATION, THERE'S A POSITIVE, THAT INFORMATION GETS FAXED TO US.
UM, OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE'RE ALL USING
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FAX MACHINES.THAT WAS KIND OF A JOKE THE OTHER DAY.
UM, THE FAX MACHINES AND, YOU KNOW, BLOCKBUSTER WENT AWAY BEFORE FAX MACHINES DID.
BUT ANYWAY, UM, SO YES, FAX, THE FAXES ARE RECEIVED.
THAT PROCESS START STARTING REACHING THAT POSITIVE PERSON THROUGH PHONE CALLS.
ONCE WE ENGAGE THAT PERSON THROUGH THE PHONE CALLS AND START THE INVESTIGATION, THE DATA ENTRY AND THE FOLLOW-UP CONTINUE IN MULTIPLE DATABASES.
WE HAVE A DATABASE FOR OUR OWN DATABASE.
WE HAVE A DATABASE THAT IS INTEGRATED WITH DRAC, AND WE HAVE A DATABASE THAT WE HAVE TO USE WITH THE STATE.
SO WE HAVE ALL THIS ENTRY OF THE DATA.
SO THIS IS A, THE PERSON WHO WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THAT POSITIVE PERSON THAT WILL GO THROUGH ALL OF THE DISEASE INTERVENTION AT THAT TIME.
AFTER THE INTERVIEW IS COMPLETED, AGAIN, DATA IS PUT INTO THE SYSTEM AND THEN WE START, UM, THE INVESTIGATION AND THE CONTACT AND THE CONTACT TRACING THE CONTACT AND THE NOTIFICATION.
AGAIN, WE'RE WORKING AT, UM, LOOKING AT THOSE CONTACTS THAT ARE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY.
WHEN I MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE OR IN THE, UH, ONE OF THE OTHER PREVIOUS SLIDES, BUT WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, ALL OF OUR POSITIVES.
SO ON AVERAGE WE HAVE AT LEAST THREE ON AVERAGE OF PEOPLE THAT WE WILL BE CONTACTING, UM, WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THAT POSITIVE.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE THAT PROCESS OCCURS.
AND THEN WE DO THE 14 DAY FOLLOW UP.
SO WHAT'S NOT ON HERE IS, UM, WHAT WE DO.
THAT'S ALL HAPPENING TO THE RIGHT OF THAT POSITIVE PATIENT.
THAT'S WHEN IT STARTS THE INVESTIGATION.
AND THEN WE DO, WE IDENTIFY ALL OF THOSE CLOSE CONTACTS THAT WE THEN INTERVIEW THEM TO, UM, GIVE THEM INSTRUCTION ABOUT QUARANTINE.
UM, ASK THEM TO MONITOR THEMSELVES WITH TEMPERATURES TWICE A DAY.
AND, UM, AND THEN WE MONITOR THEM THROUGHOUT THAT 14 DAY QUARANTINE.
MEANWHILE, THAT PERSON WHO IS POSITIVE IS IN ISOLATION.
AND SO WE'RE WATCHING THEM AS WELL.
THAT IS THE INFORMATION THAT WE DO TO THE RIGHT OF THE POWER WHERE WE ARE MONITORING THE POSITIVE FOR 14 DAYS AND SOMETIMES EVEN MORE THERE.
THAT'S WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR WRAPAROUND SERVICES TO ASSURE THAT THEY'RE FEELING BETTER, THAT THEIR DISEASE IS NOT PROGRESSING.
AND IF THEIR DISEASE IS PROGRESSING WHERE THEY ARE DISCOVERING WHERE THEY HAVE SHORTNESS OF BREATH, THEN THAT'S WHEN WE WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS IN OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR M I H PROGRAM TO ASSURE THAT FOLKS ARE NOT IN AND TRANSPORT OR TREAT.
SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU TWO EXAMPLES JUST TO KIND OF BRING ALL OF THAT TECHNICALITY HOME.
IT'S VERY COMPLEX, LOTS OF SCHEMAS, BUT I'M GONNA GIVE YOU, I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH A PROCESS HERE.
SALLY, UM, SALLY IS A NAIL TECH.
SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY CHILDREN.
SHE IS, UM, UNINSURED AFRICAN AMERICAN AND LIVES AT HOME WITH MOM.
SO SALLY, YOU'RE REAL CLEAR ON THIS.
OVERLAY DIDN'T COMPLICATED WITH THAT.
THIS IS JUST A TRUE SORT OF A LINE BY LINE STEP OF WHAT WE DO WITH SALLY, UM, AS A POSITIVE PERSON.
SO SALLY WORKED ON MARCH 11TH AND 12TH AND 13TH AND 14TH.
AND DURING THAT TIME SHE DID NAILS ON 15 CLIENTS.
SALLY STARTED TO FEEL A LITTLE ILL ON MARCH 15TH.
AND, BUT SHE WENT TO WORK BECAUSE YOU KNOW THIS, SHE'S THE BREADWINNER, SHE'S SELF-SUPPORTIVE.
AND WHILE SHE WAS AT WORK ON THE 15TH, EVEN THOUGH SHE WASN'T FEELING WELL, SHE
SHE WENT TO WORK ON MARCH 16TH.
AGAIN, STILL WASN'T FEELING VERY WELL, BUT STILL HAD TO GO TO WORK HER.
AND SHE SAW FOUR CLIENTS ON THE 17TH.
SHE WENT TO WORK AGAIN, STILL FEELING NOT VERY GOOD.
AND SHE SAW TWO CLIENTS BEFORE SHE WENT HOME.
OKAY, SHE'S NOT RIGHT CALLED THE HOT, CALLED THE C OVID 19 HOT 18.
THEY ADVISED HER THE TO DO THAT AND SHE PASSED AND SHE WENT TO
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TIME FOR HER TEST RESULTS TO COME STAFF HOTLINE ANDSO THE PATIENT CAME BACK, HER
WE REACHED POSITIVES 24 HOURS OF TIME.
FOURTH, WE PROCESS, AS I DESCRIBED, PREVIOUS AND PREVIOUS SLIDE, INTERVIEWED 26 CLIENTS AS WELL AS MOM.
SHE, SO NOT ONLY DID WE HAVE TO ALL OF HER CLIENTS, WE ALSO HAVE VIEW HER MOM TO MAKE SURE THAT HER MOM OKAY.
DURING THAT TIME, WE, SINCE LIVING AT HOME WITH MOM, HE OFFERED HER AN ICE CARE FACILITY AND OTHER SERVICES SO THAT SHE WOULD NOT INFECT HER MOM.
27 PEOPLE QUARANTINE AND MONITORED BY HEALTH FOR 14 DAYS.
SO UP TILL APRIL 7TH, WE ARE MONITORING 27 PEOPLE.
'CAUSE THAT IS DEEMED CLOSE CONTACT.
SO WE'RE QUARANTINED, THEY'RE SELF QUARANTINED AND THEY'RE BEING MONITORED AND THEIR TEMPERATURES ARE BEING CHECKED TWICE A DAY AND BEING REPORTED BACK TO THE INVESTIGATOR THAT WAS ASSIGNED ISOLATION AND MONITORING FOR SALLY BY HEALTH AND BY THE MOBILE INTEGRATION HEALTH UNIT FOR 14 DAYS, UM, BY OF APRIL 7TH OR LONGER.
SO AGAIN, TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT, WE HAVE ALL OF OUR CLOSE CONTACTS THAT WE ARE INVESTIGATING.
AND THEN TO THE RIGHT, WE ARE REALLY WORKING WITH SALLY TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE'S FEELING OKAY AND THAT HER DISEASE IS REST WHERE SHE HAS TO GO TO HOSPITAL.
AT THE END OF HER 14 DAYS, SHE IS DEEMED RECOVERED.
I DUNNO IF EVERYBODY'S MADE THE CONNECTION OF SICK, HARRY AND SALLY, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
SO, HARRY, IS HARRY THE INSURANCE SALESMAN.
HE HAS DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, TWO CHILDREN INSURED HISPANIC, A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, AND WORKS FROM HOME.
SO HERE'S SARAH'S, UM, HERE IS PERRY'S SITUATION.
CAN EVERYBODY STILL HEAR ME OKAY? ALL RIGHT, I SEE HEADS NODDING.
SO ON APRIL 1ST, ARI WAS NOT FEELING VERY WELL, UM, AND JUST KIND OF EXPLAINED IT AWAY.
HE HAD BEEN SUFFERING FROM ALLERGIES IN THE PAST AND JUST KIND OF SAID, AH, IT'S JUST THE, IT'S JUST ALL THE MOLD THAT'S IN THE AIR.
ON APRIL 2ND, HE AND HIS KIDS WENT TO C D SS PHARMACY TO PICK UP HIS MEDS THAT HE HAS FOR DIABETES.
AND ON HIS WAY HOME, HE WENT AND VISITED MOM AT THE SENIOR LIVING APARTMENTS.
ON APRIL 2ND, AGAIN, HE WENT TO H E B TO DO A GROCERY PICKUP.
ON APRIL 3RD, HE CALLED 9 1 1 BECAUSE HE COULD NOT BREATHE.
HE WAS HAVING VERY DIFFICULT TIME BREATHING AND KNEW THAT THIS WAS NOT THE SAME THING AS HIS ALLERGIES AND TREAT AND TRANSPORTED HIM TO THE HOSPITAL FOR HIS SISTER AND SAID, PLEASE, SOMETHING'S WRONG.
CAN YOU PLEASE COME PICK UP THE KIDS? THE TEST RESULTS IN THE HOSPITAL WERE POSITIVE AND METROHEALTH WAS NOTIFIED.
THAT KICKED IN OUR EPIDEMIOLOGY CONTACT INVESTIGATION THAT BEGAN ON APRIL 5TH.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY HARRY WAS ON A VENTILATOR, SO WE COULDN'T TALK TO HIM DIRECTLY FOR ANY OF THAT WORK OR ANY OF THE CONTACT INVESTIGATION.
SO THE CONTACT TRACING BEGAN WITH TALKING TO HIS CHILDREN, TALKING TO HIS SISTER, AND TALKING TO HIS MOTHER ON APRIL 6TH.
DURING THAT TIME, WE OFFERED THE FAMILY ISOLATION, UM, AN ISOLATION FACILITY AND OTHER SERVICES.
HARRY'S MOM IS QUARANTINED AT HER APARTMENT AS BEING MONITORED, BUT FOR 14 DAYS TILL 20TH, MR. HIS KIDS CAME AT HIS SISTER'S HOUSE MONITORED AS WELL.
UNFORTUNATELY, MOM, WHO IS 77 YEARS OLD, STARTS TO DEVELOP SYMPTOMS AND CALLS ME, ARE I H VISITS OUR M I H UNIT VISITS.
MOM TESTS HER, SWABS HER RIGHT THERE AT HER HOUSE.
WE DID THAT BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS NOT AN OUTBREAK AT HER SENIOR LIVING APARTMENT.
SWABBED TESTED HER VERY QUICKLY AND ALLOWED HER TO REST
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AT HOME AS LONG AS SHE COULD.MOM'S TEST WAS POSITIVE, BUT SHE WAS ISOLATED AT HOME BY HERSELF AND MEN AND METRO HEALTH AND M I H TEAM CONTINUED TO MONITOR HER UNTIL RECOVERY.
GO AHEAD AND SWITCH TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THAT WRAPS UP SORT OF OUR, UH, OUR TESTING IN OUR CONTRACT TRACING THE NEXT COUPLE OF MINUTES.
I WANNA TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR MAPS AND HOW WE'RE USING THESE MAPS TO REALLY HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND EQUITY AND HOW DO WE RESPOND TO SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU HERE IS A SELF SCREENING BY ZIP CODE.
SO THIS IS OUR SELF SCREENING SITE THAT WE, WE HAVE ON OUR WEBSITE THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS TO SEE WHETHER THEY ARE A CANDIDATE FOR TESTING.
THIS IS A TOTAL COUNTS BY ZIP CODE OF THOSE WHO WERE GIVEN A RESULT THAT YES, YOU SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED TO GET TESTING.
THE NEXT MAP, AND I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH THESE INDIVIDUAL MAPS AND THEN I'M GONNA SHOW YOU AN OVERLAY AND THEN MAKE SOME SENSE OUT OF THE OVERLAY.
WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU HERE IS OUR HOTLINE CALLS.
SO THIS IS OUR COVID 19 HOTLINE CALLS THAT WE'VE STARTED UP ALMOST TWO MONTHS AGO, AND TRULY IS THE TEMPERATURE OF THE COMMUNITY.
THIS IS REALLY WHERE WE GET TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PAIN POINTS, THE CONCERNS, THE FEARS OF ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS WHO CALL US ON OUR HOTLINE.
THIS HOTLINE IS THE TOTAL CALLS BY ZIP CODE TESTING RECOMMENDED.
UM, AND THE DARKER COLORS MEAN MORE CALLS COMING FROM THAT AREA.
NEXT OVER, OR THE NEXT MAP IS OUR POSITIVE CASES BY ZIP CODE.
SO CATEGORIES ONE THROUGH FOUR AND FIVE THROUGH EIGHT.
THESE ARE POSITIVES BY ZIP CODE AND DARKER REPRESENTS HIGH CATEGORY.
THIS IS THE SAME MAP THAT YOU WOULD SEE ON OUR VISUALIZATION TOOL ON OUR WEBSITE.
SO THIS IS TAKING ALL OF THAT INFORMATION.
THESE ARE THE THREE MAPS THAT ARE COMBINED AND THE DARKER COLORS REPRESENT THE MOST ACTIVITY.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE DARKER COLORS MEAN THOSE WHO ARE CALLING THE MOST, THOSE THAT ARE SCREENING THE MOST.
AND THOSE WITH THE HIGH, WITH THE HIGH POSITIVE RATES, WHAT WE REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON ARE THOSE LIGHTER COLORS, NOTATING ANY ACTIVITY.
THAT'S THE AREA WE ARE LOCATING AND IDENTIFYING WHAT WE CAN DO IN THOSE SERVICES BECAUSE WE'RE NOT SEEING ANY ACTIVITY IN ANY OF THOSE AREAS.
SO I DO WANNA TELL YOU IN ZIP CODE 7 8 2 0 2 AND 7 8 2 0 3, THAT IS A LIGHT AREA.
THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING A WHOLE LOT OF TESTING, POTENTIALLY, WE'RE NOT SEEING ANY POSITIVES.
WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF HOTLINE CALLS COMING FROM THERE, AND WE DO NOT HAVE ANY SELF SCREENING THAT'S COMING FROM THERE.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT OUR COVID COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND PREVENTION TEAM WENT AND TARGETED THAT AREA LAST WEEK.
THOSE TWO PARTICULAR AREAS AS A RESULT OF VERY LITTLE ACTIVITY, WERE ENGAGED BY OUR TEAM, UM, WITH, UH, SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT, SAN ANTONIO FIRE, UH, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING OUR IMMIGRATION.
WE SEND OUT INFORMATION ON TESTING ACCESS, WE'RE DOING THE DOOR HANGERS, UM, AND OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS ARE ENGAGED IN THOSE COMMUNITIES AND REALLY GIVING US THE TEMPERATURE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE RESIDENTS THERE AND REALLY ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO GET TESTING.
FINALLY, THIS IS A WONDERFUL COMBINATION OF EVERYTHING.
AND SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS ALL THE MAPS OVERLAY.
SO THIS IS THE OVERLAYING OF THE TESTING SITES.
ALL THE BLUE DOTS THAT YOU SEE ON THIS MAP ARE ALL SITES WHERE PEOPLE CAN GET TESTED.
UM, THAT'S PROVIDERS, UM, THEIR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS, URGENT CARE, POTENTIALLY HOSPITALS.
BUT IF YOU NOTICE, AND THAT'S IT HAS ALL OF THE ACTIVITY THAT I JUST MENTIONED TO YOU ALL LAID OVER IN ONE MAP.
IF YOU NOTICE THAT THERE IS A RED DOT RIGHT THERE IN THAT MAP, AND SOME OF YOU HAVE SEEN A PREVIOUS MAP THAT WAS SENT OUT TO YOU, THAT RED DOT REPRESENTS
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WHAT THIS MAP REALLY DOES SHOW US IS THAT THAT FREEMAN COLISEUM IS LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OR CLOSE TO THE EAST SIDE, AND ALL OF THESE TESTING SITES HAVE A FIVE MILE BUFFER WHERE ANYONE WHO LIVES IN THE CITY HAS ACCESS TO ITS TEST WITHIN FIVE MILES OF WHERE THEY LIVE.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, BEING ABLE TO KNOW WHERE SOME OF THOSE EQUITY ISSUES ARE AND WHERE WE NEED TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK.
UM, THAT IS EXACTLY AND PRECISELY WHERE WE TARGET WITH OUR COMMUNITY, PREVENT COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND PREVENTION.
IN ADDITION TO THIS, I WILL FINALIZE WITH THIS, WHAT'S NOT SHOWN IN THIS MAP IS THAT WE WORK WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND, UM, HERE WITH THE CITY AND THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL TOOL CALLED THE EQUITY ATLAS.
AND THAT EQUITY ATLA ATLAS IS ANOTHER WAY OF US BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT DEMOGRAPHICS, DISPARITIES, INCOME, LANGUAGE, LOW INCOME AND RACE.
AND IT'S ON A POINT ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10, 10 BEING THE HIGHEST, UM, SITUATION WHERE EQUITY IS
AND ALL OF THAT IS PLACED INTO OUR DECISION MAKING THAT WE DO EVERY SINGLE MONDAY TO ASSURE THAT EVERYONE HAS EQUAL ACCESS TO TESTING.
AND IF THEY DON'T, WE TARGET AND WE MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE DO HAVE ACCESS.
HE'S TALKING, BUT I CAN'T HEAR HIM.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU, CAN YOU HEAR, YOU HEAR, HEAR? STILL GETTING THAT ECHO? YOU CAN JUST TURN DOWN ON YOUR, ON YOUR I GOT IT.
I I, CAN YOU HEAR ME? HELLO? YES, WE'VE GOT YOU.
OKAY,
LET'S JUST GO AHEAD TO THE SLIDE.
I APPRECIATE, UH, DON'S INFORMATION.
AND SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE, YOU ARE LOOKING AT OUR, UH, COVID ACTIVITY AS FAR AS OUR RESPONSES.
AS YOU REMEMBER, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT SURGE MANAGEMENT AND MAKING SURE THAT THE PATIENTS THAT WE GO ON, IF THEY JUST HAD SIMPLE FLU SYMPTOMS, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO KEEP THEM AT HOME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
BUT YOU CAN SEE SINCE THE, UH, DATE OF MARCH 24TH, THE UM, CALLS HAVE BEEN INCREASING FOR US.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE RED DOTS WAS YESTERDAY.
SO YESTERDAY THE SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED ON 28 COVID SUCH CALLS.
THEY WERE DISPATCHED BECAUSE OF THE INFORMATION WE RECEIVED AS IT BEING A POTENTIAL COVID PATIENT.
UH, AFTER WE GOT THERE, WE ENDED UP TRANSPORTING SEVEN TO TRANSPORTING 17 OF THESE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR NUMBERS ARE INCREASING.
IT LOOKS KINDA LIKE THE, UH, MAHORN OR SOMETHING, BUT THE NUMBERS ARE CONTINUE TO GO UP.
SO AT THIS TIME, WE'VE HAD 320 C O CONTACTS.
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200 OF THOSE HAVE BEEN, UH, TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL.SO, UM, THIS MORNING I GOT NOTIFICATION THAT THERE WAS A, UH, PARAMEDIC THAT DIED OF COVID IN KANSAS CITY, IN NEW YORK CITY.
THERE WAS ANOTHER PARAMEDIC THAT DIED YESTERDAY, AND THEY'VE LOST TWO.
CHICAGO, DETROIT HAVE ALSO LOST FIREFIGHTERS IN THE LAST WEEK.
SO WE HAVE BEEN PROTECTING OUR FOLKS, UM, FROM THE FIRST WUHAN COHORT BY ESTABLISHING DISPATCH PROCEDURES TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CALLS ARE SCREENED BEFORE WE ARRIVE.
THIS INFORMATION IS PUT ON THE MOBILE DATA TERMINALS, SO OUR FOLKS SEE WHAT'S GOING ON BEFORE THEY ARRIVE.
ANOTHER PROACTIVE MEETING THAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'RE TAKING TEMP TEMPERATURES THREE TIMES A DAY AND SCREENING FOR ALL SYMPTOMS. SO IF YOUR TEMPERATURE'S HIGH OVER 99.6, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO HOME.
UH, P P E HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR EVERYONE.
WE'RE REPORTING IN THE GREEN TODAY.
AS FAR AS WHAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE EXCEEDED THE, UH, C D C RECOMMENDATIONS BECAUSE OF THE, UH, RESPIRATORS THAT WE ARE WEARING.
WE'VE ALSO, UH, ESTABLISHED TWO AMBULANCE DECONTAMINATION SITES.
ONE OF THESE SITES IS THAT OLD FIRE STATION 32.
WE HAVE, UM, PERSONNEL THERE THAT WILL DECONTAMINATE ANY CITY AMBULANCE OR ANY OF THE, UH, E S D UNITS THAT ARE RUNNING IN.
AND THEY'RE ALSO ASSISTING US.
THE OTHER DECONTAMINATION SITE IS AT THE DOWNTOWN Y OFF OF ST.
BOTH OF THESE LOCATIONS ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE OUR CREW SHOWER CHANGE INTO A NEW UNIFORM BEFORE THEY GO BACK IN SERVICE.
WE HAVE BACKUP TESTING, UH, THAT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED THROUGH OUR WELLNESS CENTER.
SO WE HAVE A SET AMOUNT OF TESTS FOR BACKUP TESTING FOR OUR PERSONNEL.
ALSO, SOMETHING ELSE WE HAVE IS THE AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE REPORTING PROCESS.
SO IF YOU GO ON A CALL THAT SUSPECTED COVID, THAT INFORMATION IS ALREADY SENT IN FOR YOU.
UH, WE'VE BEEN SHARING INFORMATION, UH, WITH PERSONNEL AND OTHER AGENCIES FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
WE HAVE DONE SOME PROTECTION FOR OUR, OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE WOULD BE THE AIRPORT.
SO I HAVE ENGINE 23 THAT RUNS OUT THE BACK DOOR INTO NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE'VE TEMPORARILY MOVED ENGINE 23 TO STATION 27 TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR ARC PERSONNEL ARE PROTECTED.
OUR ARC PERSONNEL AT THIS TIME ARE NOT RESPONDING ON MEDICAL CALLS.
WE'VE MOVED AN ADDITIONAL SQUAD OVER TO STATION 17 TO RESPOND TO THE AIRPORT.
WE'VE ALSO, UM, LOOKED AT PROTECTING OUR TECHNICAL RESCUE AND OUR HAZMAT TEAMS BY PUTTING SQUADS IN THOSE AREAS AND, UH, PROTECTING THEM FROM RUNNING ON COVID SITE, COVID TYPE CALLS.
SO, UH, WE HAVE A INFECTION CARE FACILITY FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, AND SO IT'S BASICALLY AN ISOLATION CARE FACILITY FOR FIRST RESPONDERS.
SO THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.
SOME OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD, WE DID HAVE ONE, UH, FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC THAT TESTED POSITIVE YESTERDAY.
AND WE HAVE, UH, A FEW IN ISOLATION RIGHT AT THIS TIME.
BUT WE SUFFERED OUR FIRST POSITIVE YESTERDAY.
THERE ARE FIRE DEPARTMENTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE IN THE HUNDREDS OF POSITIVES.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE REALLY TRIED TO PREPARE FOR, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS NOT UNEXPECTED.
SO, ISOLATION CARE FACILITIES, PART OF OUR SURGE MANAGEMENT PLAN BESIDE HOW WE RESPOND AND HOW WE TRY TO TAKE THE LOADS OFF THE HOSPITAL, WAS TO IDENTIFY FACILITIES OR HOTELS THAT WE COULD SEND PEOPLE SUCH AS A PERSON THAT, UH, DON TALKED ABOUT, OR A HEALTHCARE WORKER OR A PUBLIC SAFETY INDIVIDUAL TO, UM, GO INTO ISOLATION FOR 14 DAYS.
AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE 840 ROOMS IDENTIFIED.
WE WORK REALLY HARD WITH CITY STAFF WITH, UH, LORI'S GROUP.
WE HAVE 62 ROOMS SECURED AND READY AT THIS TIME.
WE HAVE ANOTHER 778 ROOMS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.
WE ONLY HAVE ONE TENANT AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY HOTEL.
UM, THESE FACILITIES HAVE DIFFERENT MISSIONS
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OTHER THAN THE D H SS HOTEL OR SOME OF THOSE SHELTERS.SO THE GUIDELINES FOR AN OCCUPANT FOR AN ISOLATION CARE FACILITY WILL BE THE OCCUPANTS DO NOT RECEIVE A KEY, SO THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THEIR ROOM.
UM, NO OUTSIDE VISITORS WILL BE ALLOWED.
NO ALCOHOL, DRUGS OR SMOKING WILL BE PERMITTED IN THESE ROOMS. UH, NO CLEANING WILL BE PRO PROVIDED, BUT THERE WILL BE CLEAN SHEETS AND MATERIALS AVAILABLE IF THEY NEED THEM.
SECURITY WILL BE PROVIDED BY SS A P D AND NO PETS OR SERVICE DOGS WILL BE ALLOWED.
AND SO THE SCREENING FOR A ISOLATION CARE FACILITY WOULD EITHER BE BETWEEN 2 1 1 3 1 1 OR THE COVID HOTLINE WHERE THAT PERSON WOULD GET INFORMATION OR GIVE INFORMATION.
AND THEN WE DETERMINED IF THEY NEEDED TO GO INTO AN ISOLATION CARE FACILITY.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, ROOMS AVAILABLE AND SECURED, AND, UH, WE'LL BE AWAITING, UH, IF WE NEED TO FILL THOSE ROOMS UP.
AGAIN, THIS CONCLUDES MY, UH, PIECE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, QUESTIONS.
UM, NOW AT THIS POINT, UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE OVER TO GORDON, UH, HARTMAN, WHO IS OUR C O UH, 19 COMMUNITY ACTION COORDINATOR.
UH, GORDON, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR AND, UM, I BELIEVE OUR CHAIRS OF THE WORKING GROUPS ARE STANDING BY.
UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME THIS TIME LOUD AND CLEAR? VERY GOOD.
WELL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT WE ARE VERY MUCH IN A VERY HISTORIC TIME RIGHT NOW.
UH, NONE OF US, UH, HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH, AND, UH, I THINK IN MANY WAYS, UM, UH, WE ARE IN A HISTORIC TIME AS WE, UH, BRING TOGETHER EVERYBODY WHO'S WORKING ON THESE, UM, WORKING GROUPS.
UH, THE SENSE OF COOPERATION THAT WE'RE SEEING BETWEEN THE CITY, UH, REPRESENTATIVES, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS, COUNTIES, ELECTED OFFICIALS AND PRIVATE LEADERS, IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE SHOULD ALL BE VERY PROUD OF.
AND I'M, I'M VERY HAPPY TO, UH, REPORT THAT WE'RE MAKING INCREDIBLE PROGRESS.
UM, THIS PAST WEEK, WE RECEIVED THE FIRST REPORTS FROM EACH OF THE DIFFERENT WORKING GROUPS.
UM, EVERY ONE OF THEM, UH, WAS, UM, SET OUT, UH, DIFFERENT, UH, PRIORITIES, UH, DIFFERENT NEEDS THAT THEY, UH, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH EACH OF THOSE WORKING GROUPS OVER THE NEXT WEEK.
IN AN EFFORT TO FORMALIZE WHERE A LOT OF THESE ISSUES ARE AND WHAT ACTIONS NEED TO BE TAKEN, UH, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF REQUESTS, UH, FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY OR TRANSPARENCY OF THESE WORKING GROUPS.
AND SO WE ARE AGGRESSIVELY WORKING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WEBSITE THAT IS PRESENTLY BEING CREATED.
UH, ON THIS WEBSITE, EVERYBODY WILL BE ABLE TO SEE, UH, ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUPS, BOTH THOSE FROM THE CITY, THE COUNTY PRIVATE LEADERS, AND ALSO THOSE WHO ARE WORKING WITH US, AN EFFORT TO PUT ALL THIS INFORMATION TOGETHER, UH, AND TO MOVE THINGS FORWARD.
UH, ALSO ON THIS WEBSITE, CITIZENS WILL BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS, UH, TO THE WORKING GROUPS SPECIFICALLY, ARE IN GENERAL, AND WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER ALL THOSE QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A TRUE SENSE OF, OF TRANSPARENCY.
AND EVERYBODY KNOWS EXACTLY NUMBER ONE, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE AS MENTIONED, BUT ALSO WHAT WE'RE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT JUST, UH, LOOKING AT ISSUES, BUT THE ACTION IS BEING TAKEN AN EFFORT TO GET EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THAT.
SO MAYBE FROM SUGGESTIONS AND FROM QUESTIONS WE POSSIBLY CAN AND ADDRESS THOSE EVEN IN A MORE AGGRESSIVE WAY.
UM, THIS PAST, UH, UH, JUST YESTERDAY, UH, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY ALONG WITH, UH, THE CITY MANAGER AND, UM, SOME OF THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS TO MEET WITH THE WORKING GROUP MANAGERS.
UM, IT WAS A VERY GOOD MEETING.
UH, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK, AND THE IDEA OF BRINGING MANAGERS INTO WORK WITH EACH OF THE WORKING GROUPS IN AN EFFORT TO BRING ABOUT, UH, SOME STRUCTURE AND, AND ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATION AND FOLLOW THROUGH, UH, TO THE PROCESS.
UH, I'D LIKE, UH, TO SAY THAT, UH, EVERY ONE OF THE WORKING GROUP MANAGERS ARE VERY MUCH ALREADY WORKING.
UH, I'VE ALREADY RECEIVED, UH, INFORMATION LAST NIGHT, UH, FROM THEM ASKING QUESTIONS, UM, REQUESTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, AND I'LL
[00:40:01]
IS, AS I HAD MENTIONED, IS THERE'S A LOT OF NEEDS OUT THERE.THERE ARE SO MANY THAT IT IS HARD TO WRAP YOUR ARMS AROUND SO MANY DIFFERENT NEEDS.
AND EVERY ONE OF 'EM THAT YOU LOOK AT, YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO, YOU WISH YOU HAD, THAT IS YOUR ONLY ISSUE BECAUSE IT WOULD TAKE THAT AMOUNT OF TIME TO DEAL WITH IT.
RECOGNIZING WE CANNOT DO THAT.
UM, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THESE WORKING GROUPS TO SET PRIORITIES.
UH, AND I BELIEVE THAT IS, UH, WE WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT NOW, IS WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED THE REPORTS, KNOW WHAT THE GENERAL SENSE OF WHAT, UH, THESE DIFFERENT WORKING GROUPS WANT TO DO, WHAT THEY WANT TO ACHIEVE.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, I, I HOPE IN THE, UH, WEEKS AHEAD THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO, UH, UPDATE, UH, EVERY ONE OF YOU ON THE ACTION THAT WE'RE TAKING THESE WORKING GROUPS.
UH, ALSO, UH, WE HAVE, UM, WE ESTABLISHED SOME TIMES AND DATES OF WHEN THE WORKING GROUPS WILL BE A, A MEETING, AND THAT HAS BEEN SENT OUT.
I DO WANT TO MENTION TO ALL THE CO-CHAIRS THAT, WITH THOSE REVISIONS THAT I DID SEND OUT AS YOU SET THOSE MEETINGS, IF YOU WOULD ALSO MAKE SURE THAT YOU INCLUDE ME ON THOSE INVITES JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I CAN BE IN AS MANY MEETINGS AS POSSIBLE.
UH, I CANNOT BE IN ALL THE MEETINGS BECAUSE, UH, SO MANY GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
I, SOME OF 'EM STACK ON TOP OF EACH OTHER AND THERE'S OTHER MEETINGS OCCURRING OUTSIDE THESE WORKING GROUPS.
BUT I'LL DO MY BEST TO BE ON EACH ONE IN EFFORT TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND TO HELP FACILITATE.
BUT OF COURSE, THE WORKING GROUP MANAGERS WILL ALSO BE INVOLVED IN THESE MEETINGS AS WELL, AND CAN, UH, ACT, UH, IN THE EFFORT OF BEING ABLE TO ENSURE THAT THINGS DO FLOW AND THAT THE ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE DEALT WITH BASED ON THE ALL THE MEMBERS, BUT IN PARTICULAR, THE DESIRE OF THE CO-CHAIRS, UH, IS ATTENDED TO.
I ALSO WANNA MENTION THAT, UM, WE WILL BE SENDING OUT, UH, INFORMATION, UH, TO ALL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, WHETHER YOU'RE A CO-CHAIR OR NOT, YOU WILL STILL RECEIVE, UH, INFORMATION CONCERNING WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH ALL THESE WORKING GROUPS.
SO, UM, WE FEEL, AGAIN, WE'RE DAY 15.
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THESE WORKING GROUPS, THERE ARE OVER 80 INDIVIDUALS BETWEEN ELECTED OFFICIALS AND STAFF THAT ARE WORKING VERY WELL TOGETHER.
BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
AND, UH, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, WITH ALL THAT WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, WE NEED TO REALLY GET MOVING IN A VERY AGGRESSIVE FASHION.
AND I FEEL THAT THESE WORKING GROUPS ARE READY TO DO THAT.
WITH THAT MAYOR, UH, IF YOU WOULD LIKE, WE CAN GO THROUGH EACH OF THE, UH, DIFFERENT AREAS OF RESPONSE AND, UH, ALSO RESOURCE, UH, BY DIRECTING QUESTIONS ARE, ARE, ARE LEADING TO, UH, EACH OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS BEING ABLE TO ADDRESS EACH OF THESE ISSUES, IF YOU WISH TO, SIR COUNCILWOMAN SULLIVAN COUNCILWOMAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, COUNCILWOMAN, GO.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, GORDON, FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE HELPING US DO.
THANK YOU TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND TO CITY STAFF.
UM, WHEN IT COMES TO THE, UH, COVID 19 WORK GROUP, WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF ACTUALLY HELPING THOSE THAT ARE, UM, NEEDING FOOD AND SHELTER.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WITHIN THE COVID 19 WORK GROUP FOR FOOD AND SHELTER, WHO IS THE, UM, ADDITIONAL CO-CHAIR, UH, COMMISSIONER JUSTIN RODRIGUEZ.
WE'RE WORKING WITH ERIC AT THE, UH, FOOD BANK.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW THAT HE'S DONE SO FAR IS APPLY FOR THE STAR, UM, PROGRAM OR STAR APPLICATION TO GET, UM, THE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO HELP WITH THE FOOD BANK.
WE'RE STILL AWAITING TO FIND OUT THE STATUS OF THAT APPLICATION, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT, UM, THE 2 1 1 HAS RECEIVED, UM, MORE THAN ALL OF THEIR REQUESTS ARE FOR FOOD AND SHELTER.
AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLING ARE LIVING OUT OF THEIR CARS.
THEY'RE LIVING IN EXTENDED STATE.
AND SO THEY'VE ALREADY LAUNCHED A HOTLINE NUMBER, WHICH IS AREA CODE 2 1 0 2 0 7 1 7 9 9.
AGAIN, THAT'S 2 1 0 2 0 7 1 7 9 9.
NOW, THAT HOTLINE WILL HELP THOSE THAT ARE ALREADY DISPLACED BECAUSE THE EMERGENCY NEED THAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW ARE FOR THE HOMELESS AND FOR SHELTER.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IS
[00:45:01]
ALSO, WE HAVE SOME OF THE HOTELS THAT HAVE SUITES THAT HAVE KITCHENS TO HELP THOSE THAT ARE ESCAPING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.WE KNOW THAT C P S AND SALT STILL HAVE A MORATORIUM ON DISCONNECT, SO THAT STILL HELPS FAMILIES.
BUT THEN WORKING WITH OUR STATE LEGISLATURE ON EXACTLY HOW ARE WE GONNA TACKLE PROPERTY TAX, ESPECIALLY FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL AND MAY, AND WHAT DOES THAT TRULY LOOK LIKE? UM, WITHIN THE, UH, GROUP, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER CITIES THAT ARE WORKING ON MORATORIUMS FOR RENTAL EVICTIONS AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE, AND HOW TO WORK WITH OUR LANDLORDS TO CAP RENT AND, UM, HOW TO DO A 60 DAY PROPOSED NOTICE, UH, TO VACATE.
BUT, UM, HOW DO WE DO THAT WITHOUT OVERSTEPPING THE FEDERAL BOUNDARIES THAT WE HAVE WITHIN, UM, PROTECTING THOSE ARE, UM, WHO ARE MOST VULNERABLE WITH LOSING, UM, THEIR HOUSING? AND HOW DO WE KEEP PEOPLE IN PLACE DURING THIS TIME? AND THEN EVEN AFTER THIS TIME, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EVICTIONS AND FORECLOSURES ARE GONNA SKYROCKET.
SO HOW DO WE PUT, UH, THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND NOW? UM, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A, A HOUSING ASSISTED BUDGET OF 14.25 MILLION.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING TO SEE EXACTLY HOW CAN WE FULLY STRETCH THOSE DOLLARS, UM, JUST WITHIN THE CALLS THAT RISK MITIGATION NORMALLY GETS, WHICH ARE 57 CALLS A WEEK, WE'RE NOW AT 4,100 CALLS A WEEK.
AND THAT'S JUST SINCE THIS INCIDENT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED.
SO WE'RE LOOKING TO FIND OUT, UM, I KNOW COUNCILMAN TREVINO IS ON THE LINE, AND HE WILL SPEAK MORE TO THIS, WHICH IS THE C C R THAT HE'S GONNA BE PRODUCING, UM, WITH SOME TERMINOLOGY TO HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW DO WE KEEP EVICTIONS AND, AND, UM, FORECLOSURES FROM GOING FORWARD.
SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
AND THEN ACTUALLY HAVING A HOUSING COUNSELOR THAT CAN ASSIST US GET THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE ARE WITHIN THE HOUSING SITUATION.
UM, I HAVE SENT OUT AN EMAIL TO, UM, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, UM, TO, UH, THE CITY MANAGER AND TO THE MAYOR IN REFERENCE TO SOME RESEARCH THAT ONE OF MY STAFF MEMBERS HAS BEEN WORKING ON SO THAT WE CAN PUT IN THE REQUEST TO ACTIVATE, UM, THE NECESSARY MEANS FROM FEMA AND FROM THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT, UH, TEAM THAT IS NORMALLY THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND DOING ALL OF THE COUNSELING WORK TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHERE THE SOCIAL AND THE, UH, HUMANITARIAN NEEDS NEED TO COME TOGETHER, WHERE THE GAPS ARE.
AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
UM, IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT THAT'S NEEDED NOW, BUT THEN THERE'S A LOT THAT IS NEEDED, UM, TO HELP US FULLY RECOVER, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE AREAS THAT WE KNOW WERE ALREADY UNDER OUR PROPERTY REPORT AND IN THE MOST ECONOMICALLY SEGREGATED AREAS WITHIN OUR CITY AS WELL.
SO FINDING OUT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE, GETTING A LIST OF ALL OF OUR, UM, HOTELS AND APARTMENT COMPLEX THAT WE CAN HAVE ALREADY AN INVENTORY TO BRING UP THE CODE TO MAKE THEM, UH, PLACES THAT WE CAN USE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IS ANOTHER THING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WILL DIGRESS ON WHAT OUR WORKING GROUP IS DOING, GORDON, AND TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
WE'LL NOW MOVE TO, UH, BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT WORKING GROUP, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL.
JUST TURNING DOWN A, A SPEAKER HERE.
I WAS AFRAID THIS WAS GONNA HAPPEN WHILE THE LAWNMOWER WAS GOING ON OUTSIDE, BUT HOPEFULLY YOU CAN, YOU CAN HEAR ME OKAY.
UM, THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR, THE JUDGE, UH, GORDON AND, UM, ALL THE, ALL THE ADVISORS ON, ON, UH, THE MAYOR'S TEAM FOR PUTTING THIS GROUP TOGETHER.
I THINK WE HAVE, UH, A WONDERFUL COMBINATION OF, OF PEOPLE AND, UH, AND RESOURCES ON THERE.
THEY'VE ALL BEEN EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY HELPFUL.
UH, WE STARTED OUT OUR FIRST MEETING, WE'RE DOING A ROUND ROBIN ON WHAT THE MEMBERS THOUGHT WERE THE MOST URGENT NEEDS RIGHT NOW.
UH, AMONG THEM, UH, YOU'LL SEE THEM IN THE REPORT ARE, UH, ACCESS TO SMALL BUSINESS LOANS, UH, ACCESS TO UNEMPLOYMENT FOR EMPLOYEES, AS WELL AS SOME KIND OF RELIEF ON REGULAR BILLS THAT, THAT BUSINESSES PAY SO THAT THEY CAN SAVE THE REST OF THEIR MONEY FOR PAYROLL, WHICH IS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE IDEAL THING THAT WE WANT RIGHT PEOPLE TO HAVE SOME TAKE HOME MONEY.
UM, SO WE TALKED ABOUT THOSE, UH, IN THE FUTURE, UH, AND I'VE DISCUSSED THIS WITH MR. HARTMAN.
UH, OUR INTENT IS TO ALSO HOST A LISTENING SESSION SO THAT WE HEAR
[00:50:01]
FROM OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, WHAT IS ALSO URGENT THAT WE MAY BE, THAT WE MAY BE MISSING.UM, THERE ARE EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE IN, IN OUR GROUP, BUT WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA HAVE ANY BLIND SPOTS.
SO WE'LL PUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT TOGETHER, UH, AVAILABLE TO, TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, UH, SECONDLY, THE, IN TERMS OF ACTION THAT THE COMMITTEE AND ITS MEMBERS ARE MOVING ON IS, UH, NUMBER ONE, THIS WAS ALREADY WELL UNDERWAY BEFORE THE COMMITTEE GROUP, UH, THE COMMITTEE STARTED MEETING.
SO, UM, UH, WE'RE EXTREMELY HAPPY TO HAVE, UH, THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION WORKING ON, UH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESS LOANS.
AND THEY ARE PARTNERING WITH THE U T S A SMALL BUSINESS CENTER TO AND, UH, ROUND TABLE OF BANKERS TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES ACCESS THOSE LOANS.
UH, THEY ARE TRYING TO SCALE THAT UP.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY SO MANY PEOPLE AT, UH, E D F AND AT U T S A.
SO CURRENTLY THEY ARE, UH, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO SCALE THAT UP TO EITHER RECRUITING STUDENT VOLUNTEERS OR PRIVATE INDUSTRY VOLUNTEERS TO HELP THEM PROVIDE THAT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
SO, UH, ONCE THAT IS UNDERWAY, WE CAN BEGIN PRO PROMOTING THAT MORE WIDELY.
UM, TWO OTHER AREAS OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED, ONE OF THEM BY OUR, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, AND ALEX LOPEZ IS OF COURSE, TAKING THE LEAD ON THAT.
AND THAT'S, UH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS SEEKING UNEMPLOYMENT.
WE'VE ALL HEARD, UH, THESE HORRIBLE STORIES IN THE NEWS ABOUT INDIVIDUALS, UH, BEING ON THE PHONE MAYBE FOR EIGHT HOURS, TRYING TO GET UNEMPLOYMENT TO, TO NO AVAIL.
SO THEY ARE CREATING SOME, UH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE VIDEOS.
UH, AGAIN, UH, OUR WORK WILL BE TO PUBLICIZE THAT AND, AND MAKE THAT, UM, LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THAT'S AVAILABLE.
AND THEN, UH, THE THIRD ACTION ITEM HAS TO DO WITH UNEMPLOYMENT FOR, UH, EMPLOYERS WHO ARE LAYING OFF OR FURLOUGHING A NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AT A GIVEN TIME.
UH, T W C HAS ASKED THAT THOSE EMPLOYERS APPLY FOR THE UNEMPLOYMENT OR SUBMIT THE APPLICATION FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES.
UH, WE KNOW THAT THAT CAN BE OVERWHELMING FOR SOME OF OUR BUSINESSES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
SO, ALAMO WORKFORCE, UH, SOLUTIONS IS WORKING ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UH, IN THAT REALM.
AND AGAIN, UH, PART OF THE WORK OF OUR GROUP WILL BE TO ENSURE THAT THAT INFORMATION IS PUBLICIZED AND AVAILABLE.
SO, UM, THIS IS SORT OF A BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS COMBINATION.
BAD NEWS IS THERE'S A LOT OF NEED.
GOOD NEWS IS THERE ARE ALREADY TEAMS WORKING ON THESE ISSUES.
SO, UH, THANK YOU TO TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THAT GROUP.
OH, IN TERMS OF THE QUESTION THAT HAD TO DO WITH PROPERTY TAXES, UM, WE DID HAVE, UH, AMTE, UM, AND, UH, ALBERT ESTI ON OUR SECOND MEETING.
AND WE, UH, ALSO HAD, UH, THE PARTICIPATION OF COUNCILMAN TRAVINO, THE BOARD CHAIR FOR, FOR B C A D AND LEARNED THAT, UH, THE TAX ASSESSOR IS WILLING AND ABLE TO SET UP PAYMENT PLANS FOR ANY BUSINESS WHO WANTS TO, UH, DISTRIBUTE ITS PROPERTY TAX PAYMENTS TO, UH, TO THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE.
HOWEVER, HE CAN WAIVE THE DELINQUENCY FEES, BUT HE CANNOT WAIVE THE INTEREST THAT IS A STATE ISSUE.
SO WE ARE, UH, GOING TO REFER THAT PARTICULAR ITEM TO THE, UH, ADVOCACY, UH, COMMITTEE.
THE, AND I BELIEVE COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ'S STAFF IS WORKING ON SOME LANGUAGE THAT CAN BE FORWARDED TO THAT GROUP FOR, FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION AND HOPEFULLY, UH, ASSISTANCE IN THAT.
UH, ANOTHER ITEM THAT, UH, IS ALSO BEING REFERRED HAS TO DO WITH, UM, HAS TO DO WITH SHELTER.
SO THE ASSESSOR AND, UM, THE, THE CHIEF APPRAISER REMINDED US THAT SENIORS AND DISABLED PEOPLE CAN DEFER THEIR TAX PAYMENTS.
SO I THINK IT, IT'S, THIS IS SOMETHING WE COULD REFER TO THE SHELTER, UH, FOOD SECURITY AND SHELTER COMMITTEE ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT SENIORS AND, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS DEFERMENT ARE AWARE OF IT IF THEY NEED THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO THERE ARE CERTAIN CONDITIONS THAT NEED TO BE MET, UH, BUT THAT COULD BE A HELP TO SOME FOLKS WHO ARE TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET AND, AND STAY IN THEIR HOME.
UH, ANOTHER REFERRAL ITEM HAD TO DO WITH, UH, NON-DOCUMENTED WORKERS.
UM, WHILE WE MAY THINK, UH, OR WE MAY NOT LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT, THE TRUTH IS, THEY, THEY DO EXIST HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
THEY CONTRIBUTE TO OUR, OUR ECONOMY, AND THEY TOO FIND THEMSELVES, UH, OUT OF WORK.
AND THEY ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR, UH, SOME OF THE FEDERAL RELIEF PACKAGES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
SO, UH, WE WOULD, UH, LIKE TO, UH, ASK, UH, MR. HARTMAN AND THE MAYOR TO CONSIDER APPOINTING SOMEONE, UH, FROM THE IMMIGRATION COMMUNITY, EITHER ON THE PHILANTHROPY WORKING
[00:55:01]
GROUP OR ON ONE OF THE OTHER, UH, WORKING GROUPS, TO ENSURE THAT, UH, SOMEONE IS KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR THOSE RESIDENTS IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO ASSIST THEM.UH, ALONG THE SAME LINES, UH, THERE WAS A PROPOSAL FOR, UH, EITHER THE CITY OR THE COUNTY TO PROVIDE SOME CASH ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL CARESS ACT, INCLUDING, UH, NOT JUST UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS, BUT, UH, ALSO PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT HAVE FILED THEIR TAXES, WHO FOR SOME REASON MAY NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR SOME OF THAT FEDERAL RELIEF.
UM, SO THERE IS A PROPOSAL THAT WILL BE MOVING FORWARD, UH, TO THE SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE ON THAT FRONT.
UH, I THINK THAT YOU, UM, UH, MAKE IT VERY CLEAR HOW THERE IS A LOT OF INTERACTION BETWEEN ALL THE DIFFERENT WORKING GROUPS.
THERE IS SO MUCH, UM, BEING DONE, BUT THE BEAUTY OF THIS IS THAT AS THIS PROCESS GOES FORWARD, THESE GROUPS WILL CONTINUE TO INTERMINGLE, IF YOU WILL, AND RESPECT TO A LOT OF ISSUES.
'CAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF OVERLAP.
BUT AGAIN, THAT SENSE OF COOPERATION I THINK WILL BRING ABOUT SOME ACTION THERE.
AND ALSO, I WANT TO MENTION THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE REPORT JUST FRIDAY VERSUS YOUR UPDATE TODAY, COUNCILWOMAN, YOU'VE ADDED ALREADY SO MANY ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT SHOWS YOU HOW QUICK THINGS ARE MOVING ALONG AND HOW MANY THINGS NEED TO BE DONE RIGHT NOW.
UH, AND SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT REPORT.
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO MOVE TO SOCIAL SERVICES, UH, THE WORKING GROUP, UM, AND, UH, COUNCILMAN TREVINO.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I WANNA, I ALSO WANNA SECOND, UH, A LOT OF WHAT COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, UH, MENTIONED, UH, AS, AS YOU SAID, BOARD, AND THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP AND CERTAINLY ON, ON SOCIAL SERVICES.
UH, WE UNDERSTAND CLEARLY THAT, UH, THERE IS A HUGE GAP IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, ONE OF THE MOST, UH, TRAGIC IS, UH, IS, IS TRYING TO REACH, UH, OUR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT POPULATION.
SO THANK YOU COUNCILMAN SUNDAL FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT, AND CERTAINLY, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE WANNA TACKLE SOME OF THAT AS WELL.
UH, SOME OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IN SOCIAL SERVICES, UH, WE, THE FIRST AND FOREMOST WAS TO CREATE SOME SUBCOMMITTEES TO, TO HELP, UM, THE, THE LARGER GROUP BREAK DOWN INTO SMALLER TEAMS TO, TO MEET MORE, MORE REGULARLY, AND THEN REPORT BACK TO THE LARGER COMMITTEE.
UH, THE FOCUS OF THE GROUP IS TO DO, DO THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TODAY, UH, AND, UH, REALLY KIND OF TALK ABOUT SOME OF, SOME LONG RANGE GOALS, BUT WE'VE GOTTA FOCUS ON SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
UH, SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE STARTED OFF WITH A, AN INVENTORY OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND A SURVEY AS WELL.
UH, WE ALSO HAD AN UPDATE ON, UH, C P S ENERGY AND DIGITAL DIVIDE AND, UH, UPDATE ON MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND CHILD ABUSE.
UH, AS WELL, UH, YOU, ONE OF THE MOST, THE KEY POINTS IN THAT IS THAT WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S GONNA BE AN UPTICK, AND THERE HAS BEEN AN UPTICK IN THAT, THAT WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.
SO WE WANNA, WE WANNA STAY ON TOP OF IT, UH, HOMELESSNESS AND, AND THE, UH, UTILIZATION OF CHURCHES TO HELP WITH, WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, HELPING TO, UH, AUGMENT AND SUPPORT A LOT OF THEIR SERVICES CURRENTLY WOULD BE VERY, VERY HELPFUL.
UH, WE ALSO HAD, UM, UH, AN UPDATE ON SENIOR SERVICES.
UH, WE, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A, A SEA GAP IN TERMS OF, OF HOW WE CAN, UH, BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT, AND WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE, UH, UH, JESSICA LINA, UH, OF, UH, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES ON THE LINE TO, TO HELP US, UH, NAVIGATE THROUGH SOME OF THAT.
THEY'VE SHOWN THE CITY'S DOING AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF HELPING TO PROVIDE FOOD AND RESOURCES TO OUR SENIORS AS A LOT OF OUR SENIOR, UH, UH, CENTERS ARE CLOSED DOWN.
UH, WE ALSO HAD AN UPDATE ON THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AND RESTAURATEURS FROM DON LARIOS.
UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, WE, WE EXPECT TO HAVE, UH, MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE STIMULUS FROM, UH, CONGRESSMAN COYAR AND COMMISSIONER CALVERT IN THE FUTURE.
UH, AGAIN, UH, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS WE'LL PROBABLY BREAK IT DOWN INTO THESE ITEMS, OR THESE UPDATES BE BROKEN INTO SOME OF THESE SUBCOMMITTEES TO HELP US, UH, HELP GUIDE US THROUGH, UH, HOW THE, THE WORKING GROUPS CAN, CAN, UH, BE A PART OF, UH, THESE SMALLER GROUPS TO, TO HELP, UH, MEET MORE OFTEN AND THEN REPORT BACK TO THE COMMITTEE, UH, AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AND TRY TO PROVIDE YOU THAT INFORMATION, INFORMATION THAT'S THE UPDATE FROM SOCIAL SERVICES.
WE'RE NOW GOING TO MOVE ON TO FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY WORKING GROUP, AND THAT WOULD BE COUNCILMAN MANNY PAAZ.
CAN, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? YES, SIR.
[01:00:01]
OKAY, GREAT.UM, SO JUST AS A, A WAY OF MAKING SURE THAT WE ALL REMEMBER THE PURPOSE OF THE, UH, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS WORKING GROUP, WE'VE GOT FIVE, UH, GOALS.
UH, ONE IS TO IDENTIFY EXISTING CITY COUNTY REVENUE STREAMS, UH, THAT HAVE ADDED NEW DOLLARS TO IT.
UM, IDENTIFY NEWLY ESTABLISHED REVENUE STREAMS THAT DON'T HAVE AN EXISTING PIPELINE.
UM, CATEGORIZE ALL THE, COME THE DOLLARS THAT ARE COMING IN AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ROUTE THEM TO THE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES, TRACK ALL THE REVENUE STREAMS, UM, AND, UH, THEIR DESTINATION OF ALLOCATIONS.
AND THEN LASTLY, CREATE A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM BETWEEN OUR COMMITTEE AND ALL THE OTHER COMMITTEES.
UH, WE'VE GOT, UM, A LOT OF WORK DONE.
UH, REALLY IT'S SALLY BASTO WHO'S, UH, DONE, UH, A LOT OF THIS GOOD WORK.
BUT, UM, AND, AND, AND LET ME, LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF, OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE KNOW.
WE KNOW THAT, UM, PHASE 3.5 OF THE STIMULUS IS STILL BEING DEBATED.
BOTH CHAMBERS ARE, UH, ARE AREN'T MEETING TODAY.
UH, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE, UH, SENATE'S PROBABLY GONNA BE MEETING THURSDAY, BUT THE HOUSE HAS, UM, SIGNALED THAT IT'S NOT GONNA BE MEETING UNTIL MAY 1ST WEEK IN MAY.
UM, STENY HOYER HAS SIGNALED THAT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THEY MIGHT RETURN IF CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRE IT, BUT, UM, THE ONLY WAY TO PASS LEGISLATION IS THROUGH UNANIMOUS CONSENT OR VOICE, VOICE VOTES.
AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU GET NEAR TOTAL SUPPORT FROM BOTH PARTIES IN ORDER TO GET THIS THING MOVING FORWARD.
HOWEVER, THAT BEING SAID, UH, IT'S NOT TOTAL GRIDLOCK.
UH, TREASURY, UH, ROLLED OUT, UM, EARLY THE STATE AND LOCAL, UH, MONEY FROM THEIR $150 BILLION APPROPRIATION, AND THEY'RE ANNOUNCING THAT, UM, HALF OF THAT MONEY IS GONNA BE DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS TO CITIES AND, UM, STATES.
AND SO, UH, ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD NEWS, UH, WE JUST HEARD THIS MORNING, UH, CARLOS CONTRERAS MIGHT, MIGHT WANNA JUMP IN AND, AND, UH, EXPAND ON IT, BUT WE HEARD THIS MORNING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THEY'LL BE SENDING THE SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT A $40 MILLION CHECK, AND THEN SMALLER CHECKS FOR STINSON AND KELLY.
UM, THIS IS PART OF THE, UM, FORMULA AWARDS, UH, BASED ON METRICS LIKE, UH, PASSENGERS AND TRAFFIC.
CARLOS SAYS THAT, UM, HE'S GONNA BE, UH, USING THAT MONEY TO SHORE UP, UH, LOST REVENUE.
CARLOS, YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING TO THAT ONE? UH, THAT'S IT, COUNCILMAN.
UM, THE, UM, THIS WAS PART OF THE $10 BILLION IN STIMULUS SPECIFICALLY FOR AIRPORTS, AND IT IS BASED ON A FORMULA, COMPLICATED FORMULA, BUT IT'S IN S UH, AND IT'S ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH DEBT WE HAD, BUT, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT ANTICIPATING IDENTIFIED THAT WE WILL GET $39 MILLION AND SOME CHANGE IN APRIL AT SOME AT SOME POINT.
AND SO, UH, CITY STAFF, CARLOS, SALLY, JEFF, CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY REVENUE AND FUNDING STREAMS, SO DO OUR, UH, THEIR COUNTERPARTS OVER AT THE COUNTY.
UM, AND SO LEMME GIVE YOU SOME, SOME STREAMS OF REVENUE THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, U H S.
THERE'S, UH, $4.6 MILLION, UH, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
TWO, UH, TWO OF THEM TO GO TO, UH, DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS SENT THROUGH THE BATTERY AND BATTERY COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SERVICES, UH, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENTS OF THE ARTS.
UM, AND WE'RE, WE'VE IDENTIFIED A, UH, COMPETITIVE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY THERE.
APPLICATIONS ARE GONNA BE GOING OUT.
UM, THE D O T, UH, OPENED UP A CERTIFICATION PORTAL, UM, AND, UH, SO THAT CITIES CAN APPLY FOR THE $139 BILLION THEY'VE SET ASIDE.
UM, AND HUD HAS ANNOUNCED $7.7 MILLION, UM, FOR HOUSING AND HOMELESS, UH, $3.9 MILLION EMERGENCY SERVICES GRANT AND A $297,000 HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSON WITH AIDS GRANT.
UH, ON TOP OF THAT, UH, WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS LIKE U S A AND VALERO, UH, AND WE'VE PUT TOGETHER A, AND I KEEP SAYING WE, BUT REALLY SADLY PUT TOGETHER A FANTASTIC TI UH, UH, STIMULUS FUNDING DASHBOARD TRACKER, UM, THAT WE'RE GONNA BE USING, UH, TO KEEP EVERYBODY, UH, FOCUSED ON WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE CHASING.
AND THEN, UH, WHAT PILES OF MONEY ARE ADDED CHANGE TO TAKEN AWAY AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UM, I THINK THAT'S THE REPORT, GORDON, UNLESS ANYBODY'S GOT ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, WITH THAT, UM, MAYOR, THAT CONCLUDES THE REPORT FOR THE COVID 19 COMMUNITY ACTION WORKING GROUP.
[01:05:02]
GREAT.AND, AND NOW, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET INTO, UM, OUR, UM, OUR, OUR COMMENT PERIOD AND QUESTIONS.
AND AGAIN, WE'VE HAD OUR, OUR PRESENTATION FROM DAWN, UH, FROM CHIEF HOOD.
WE HAVE CITY STAFF HERE, AND OF COURSE WE HAVE OUR WORKING GROUPS PRESENT AS WELL.
I JUST WANTED TO FIRST START BY, BY THANKING EVERYONE WHO'S, UH, BEEN ON THE CALL AND WORKING VERY HARD.
I KNOW METRO HEALTH, UH, AND YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING EXCEPTIONALLY HARD, UH, TO ENSURE WE KEEP THE CONTACT TRACING GOING.
AND WE'VE GOT, WE'VE HAD BELOW 100, UM, NUMBERS OF CASES CONSISTENTLY THAT ARE STILL REMAINING TO BE INVESTIGATED.
UM, OUR NUMBERS ARE, IN TERMS OF TESTING, ARE, UM, AT LEAST, UH, AS I'VE DISCUSSED WITH OTHER PEERS IN, IN OUR CITIES AROUND TEXAS ARE, ARE IN LINE, UH, IN TERMS OF TOTAL TESTS BEING CONDUCTED, BUT WE, WE DO REMAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE RELATIVELY LOW SIDE IN TERMS OF REMAINING INVESTIGATIONS TO BE DONE.
UM, CHIEF, I KNOW YOU'VE GOT YOUR HANDS FULL WITH THE SITUATIONS AT THE NURSING HOMES, AND, AND WE'VE GOT QUESTIONS I'M SURE COMING ON THAT, UH, BUT OVERALL, THE TEAM HAS DONE EXCEPTIONALLY WELL.
GORDON, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COORDINATING, UH, THESE WORKING GROUPS.
I CAN ALREADY TELL, AND I'VE SEEN THE REPORTS THAT, UH, THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK THAT'S BEING DONE THAT'S ALREADY IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND, AND MANNY, I I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU, I APPRECIATE, UH, THE OVERVIEW OF THE RELIEF FUNDS THAT HAVE ALREADY COME DOWN FROM THE CITY AND, AND WHAT WE CAN ANTICIPATE, UH, IN OUR, YOU KNOW, IN THE EMPHASIS WE NEED TO MAKE IN TERMS OF OUR APPLICATIONS FOR MORE RELIEF FUNDS.
I DID ASK MANNY OFFLINE THE OTHER DAY, UH, ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR ARTS AND CULTURE, EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE CARES ACT OR OTHER STIMULUS.
UM, I DIDN'T, I DON'T KNOW IF I MISSED THAT PART, MANNY, BUT, UM, IF YOU'VE GOT JUST, UH, HALF A MINUTE OR SO, IF YOU CAN GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE IN TERMS OF EMERGENCY RELIEF FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN, UM, IMPACTED BY OUR HOT TECH.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DISCUSS BRIEFLY? YEAH, SO WE, WE DO KNOW THAT THE N E A, UM, HAS PUT OUT A DEADLINE OF APRIL 22ND FOR APPLICATIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE, UH, NEEDING, UH, OR WHO, I'M SORRY, WHO, WHO WANNA APPLY FOR FUNDS.
UM, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, SALLY, UH, AND, UH, HER TEAM HAVE IDENTIFIED, UM, A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY OF 50 TO 250,000, UH, DOLLARS.
UM, BUT I, YOU KNOW, I, I'LL DEFER TO, TO SALLY AND, AND CARLOS IF, IF THEY WANNA JUMP IN AT THIS POINT.
MAYOR CARLOS, DO YOU HAVE ANY, UM, ANYTHING THEY CAN COLOR THAT? UH, NO, OTHER THAN, I MEAN IT, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
IT IS THAT FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE.
IT, IT, IT APPEARS TO BE A, UH, INDIRECT, A GRANT BASED TO SUBMIT GRANTS.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE, IS AS MANNY SAID, UH, 50, 50,000.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
THERE IS GUIDANCE ON THE, ON THE WEBSITE.
WE CAN ADD THAT TO OUR WEBSITE AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THERE'S, SO PEOPLE CAN SEE THAT, SO THEY CAN TAKE, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE IS HERE FROM, UH, HOUSING, UM, BUT WE ARE HEARING ABOUT DIFFERENT RELIEF EFFORTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, EVEN, UM, CLOSE TO HOME.
UH, WE HAVE NOW, UH, AUGMENTED OUR RISK MITIGATION FUND TO $14.2 MILLION.
HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO, TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OTHER COMMUNITIES? ARE THERE OTHER MEASURES THAT WE CAN TAKE TO ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, AFTER THIS MORATORIUM ON EVICTIONS IS OVER AND WE'RE OUT OF THESE DEEPER RESTRICTIONS THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN PEOPLE AREN'T CRUSHED BY RENTS THAT ARE IN ARREARS AND OTHER BILLS THAT HAVE ACCUMULATED? MAYOR, UH, THIS IS ERIC.
UH, THE, THE, UM, THE RISK MITIGATION AND HOUSING, UM, ITEM WILL BE, UH, ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA FOR, FOR THIS THURSDAY.
AND, AND, UH, I KNOW THAT LORI AND HER TEAM HAVE SEEN, UH, SOME OTHER, UH, PROGRAMS OTHER CITIES ARE DOING WE'LL, WE'LL COMPILE, UH, KIND OF A MATRIX FOR THE COUNCIL.
WHERE'RE ALSO BE, BE PUSHING THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY-TO-DAY A, UH, A MEMO OUT TO THE COUNCIL ON, ON THE THOUGHT BEHIND OUR RISK MITIGATION CHANGES TO ADDRESS THE, THE VERY ISSUES, UH, YOU JUST MENTIONED.
AND I KNOW THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN TREVINO, UH, HAS DONE, UH, QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH ON THIS, SO LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THAT, UH, TO WORK WITH AS WELL.
UM, DAWN, I GOT A QUESTION WITH REGARD TO CONTACT TRACING AND YOUR DIAGRAM WAS, UH,
[01:10:01]
I THINK THE FIRST TIME I'D SEEN IT LAID OUT IN SUCH A WAY IS EXTRAORDINARILY COMPLICATED.SO YOUR TEAM AND THE FOLKS WORKING WITH YOU DESERVE, UH, OUR GRATITUDE FOR ALL THAT PAINSTAKING WORK.
UH, MY MY ASK FOR YOU IS, UH, WHETHER OR NOT, OR HOW MANY, UM, HOW MANY STAFF ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE CONTACT INVESTIGATIONS AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE ON A, ON A TYPICAL INVESTIGATION TO BE COMPLETE? UM, AND IF ARE WE, ARE WE IN A STRESS PERIOD AT THAT POINT? DO WE NEED TO FIND, UH, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE THAT ARE IN PART OF THAT PROCESS? YOU'RE MUTED, DON.
HOW ABOUT NOW? THAT'S PERFECT.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? ALL RIGHT? THERE WE GO.
UM, SO I MEANT TO ASK, I MEANT TO SAY THIS IN MY PRESENTATION, SO THANK YOU FOR THE PROMPT.
CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ANYWHERE BETWEEN, IT CAN GO UP TO 25 TO 35 PEOPLE AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
SO WE HAVE STAFF AND WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE HELPING US.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE THREE NURSES THAT ARE HANDS OUR EPI HOTLINE AND THAT THAT EPI HOTLINE IS PROVIDERS CALLING, ASKING FOR INFORMATION, AND US BEING ABLE TO EDUCATE OUR PROVIDERS.
SO ANYWHERE BETWEEN 20 TO 35 IN, IN, AT ANY GIVEN TIME THAT WE HAVE STAFF, WE HAVE A CONTINGENCY PLAN, UH, BEING ABLE TO RECRUIT, UM, AND RAMP UP TRAINING, UM, WITH ANOTHER SET OF PEOPLE IF WE NEED TO.
SO, UM, ALL OF THOSE ARE, ALL OF THAT IS IN PLACE.
WE ALSO HAVE, AND PART OF THAT CONTINGENCY PLAN IS ACTUALLY WORKING WITH OUR OWN STAFF.
SO RIGHT NOW, METRO HEALTH HAS, UM, ALMOST, UH, A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR, OF OUR STAFF ARE REDIRECTED AND REDEPLOYED, UM, WITH THIS EFFORT.
SO AT ANY GIVEN TIME, WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR WORKFORCE AND GOING, OKAY, THIS IS EVOLVING, THIS IS CHANGING.
WHERE DO WE NEED TO THEN RE REASSIGN SOME OF OUR WORKFORCE TO FILL IN SOME OF THOSE GAPS? UM, AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO, SO FAR WE'RE OKAY, UM, WITH THAT, BUT CLEARLY WE NEED A CONTINGENCY PLAN IF WE RAMP UP, UM, MOVING FORWARD.
I THINK YOU HAD ANOTHER QUESTION.
WHAT WAS THE SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION THERE? WELL, REALLY JUST A, A SENSE OF HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR AN INVESTIGATION, AN AVERAGE INVESTIGATION TO BE COMPLETE FROM THE TIME YOU WERE NOTIFIED OF A POSITIVE TO COMPLETION.
UM, IT CAN GO FROM THE TIME THAT WE ENGAGE THAT PERSON AND MONITOR THEM AT POSITIVE AND MONITOR THEM FOR 14 DAYS.
SOMETIMES WE EXTEND THAT, SOMETIMES IT TAKES, YOU KNOW, 30 DAYS OR 45 DAYS BEFORE SOMEONE IS RECOVERED.
UM, AND SO WE WILL NOT, UM, END OUR, OUR WORK WITH THAT POSITIVE UNTIL WE DEEMED THEM AS THE N RECOVERED.
UM, AS FAR AS THE CONTACT TRACING, SO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE, UM, CLOSE ENCOUNTER, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, UH, CLOSE PROXIMITY TO FOLKS, UM, THEY'RE GOING TO BE QUARANTINED FOR 14 DAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THEIR EXPOSURE DOES NOT, UM, E EVOLVE INTO A POSITIVE CASE.
IF THEY GET THROUGH THEIR 14 DAYS WITHOUT ANY SYMPTOMS, THEN THEY'RE GOOD, THEY'RE READY TO GO, AND THEY ARE SORT OF DISCHARGED, IF YOU WILL.
IF THEY DEVELOP ANY SYMPTOMS, THEN THAT'S WHEN WE'LL ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET TESTED AND, AND THEN THEY BECAME, THEY BECOME, IF IT ISN'T POSITIVE, THEN THEY BECOME, UM, A POSITIVE PART OF OUR CASE COUNT.
AND, AND AGAIN, I JUST WANNA REITERATE MY THANKS TO EVERYONE.
OBVIOUSLY THESE ARE UNCHARTED WATERS EVEN FOR, UH, PROCESS.
SO, UH, PLEASE KNOW, UH, JUST THIS LAST WEEK AND THE WEEK BEFORE, UM, COMMENTS RELATED TO HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THINGS, UH, PROVIDE MORE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT.
WE'RE GONNA IMPLEMENT THOSE, UM, AND IMPROVE THE PROCESS.
BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DEALING WITH, UH, THE TECHNOLOGICAL, UH, CHALLENGES AND MAKING THIS A VERY PRODUCTIVE, UM, UH, CRISIS MANAGEMENT.
UH, I ALSO WANT TO TELL YOU, UM, CHIEF HOOD, I APPRECIATE, UM, THE REPORTS ON OTHER JURISDICTIONS AND, UH,
[01:15:01]
THE LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY, UH, OTHERS HAVE HAD TO KEEP THEIR FIRST RESPONDERS HEALTHY.I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT THAT'S YOUR FOCUS.
MAKE SURE OUR E M S PARAMEDICS, FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE OFFICERS ARE, ARE, ARE HEALTHY AND ARE ABLE TO STAY, UM, SAFELY ON THE JOB WE NEED THEM, UH, OBVIOUSLY MORE THAN EVER.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN NOW WE'RE GONNA GO 10 TO ONE THIS TIME.
UH, SO WE'LL START WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY.
UH, YEAH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS HERE.
UH, START OFF WITH CHIEF ON YOUR SLIDES.
I FORGET WHICH NUMBER THEY WERE, BUT, UM, ON THE
DO YOU, DO YOU GET THE FOLLOW UP, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUSPECTING, BUT YOU GET THE FOLLOW UP ON WHICH CASES TURN POSITIVE ON THOSE ONE? NO, SIR.
THIS IS ONLY FROM DISPATCH INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GETTING THAT IS MAKING US ASSUME IT'S A POSITIVE OR NOT A POSITIVE, BUT IT'S A POTENTIAL COVID CALL.
SO AGAIN, WHEN WE GET THERE, WE'RE GOING TO, UM, GIVE THEM A PATIENT SURVEY AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE.
SO IN THESE CASES THAT WE ARE TRANSPORTING, THESE PEOPLE ARE MEDICALLY ILL, AND SO WE'RE TRANSPORTING THEM SUCH AS WITH THE ISOLATION, UM, P P E EQUIPMENT.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS ONLY FROM THE DISPATCH THAT WE'RE GETTING THE INFORMATION THAT GIVES US AN INDICATION THAT IT COULD BE A POSSIBLE COVID CALL.
AMICK, THAT'S, UH, I WAS JUST GOING TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT.
IF THEY'RE SUSPECTED AND THEY GET TRANSPORTED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, EMERGENCY SERVICES, UH, TO WHEREVER, UM MM-HMM.
UM, AND SO ANY OF OUR FOLKS THAT ARE IN CONTACT TRACING OR OUR POSITIVE, THAT INFORMATION IS SENT TO FIRE AND IT GOES INTO THEIR CAD SYSTEM.
SO ANYTIME THAT THERE IS, UM, A NINE ONE ONE CALL THAT GOES TO A HOUSE INFORMATION IS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S, UH, DATA SYSTEM, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO TELL WHETHER THAT'S A POSITIVE CASE OR SOMEONE UNDER INVESTIGATION.
UM, AGAIN, BOTH OF THOSE PRESENTATIONS, A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION AND, AND EXCELLENT.
UM, I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE PRESENTATIONS THEMSELVES.
UM, BUT AS, YOU KNOW, KEEP KEEP THAT INFORMATION AND KEEP THAT DATA OUT THERE FOR US SO THAT AS WE GET QUESTIONS IN OUR DISTRICT OFFICES, WE CAN, WE CAN ANSWER 'EM OR POINT 'EM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
ARE THESE, ARE THESE, IS THIS KIND OF INFORMATION OUT ON A WEBSITE SOMEWHERE THAT, UH, FOLKS CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AS WELL? SO THE MAPS ARE NOT HOWEVER WE WANTED TO DO THIS PRESENTATION FIRST.
WE CAN, THOSE ARE STATIC MAPS, AND SO WORKING WITH OUR I T S D, UM, WE WANTED TO GET THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION, BUT THEN WE'LL MAKE THOSE AND MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, INTERACTIVE.
UM, ONE OF THE, AND THIS IS FOR I GUESS COUNCILMAN TRAVINO ON THAT C C R THAT, UM, YOU'VE PUT IN ON, ON THE RENT RENTAL RENTER'S COMMISSION.
UM, I'VE GOTTEN FEEDBACK FROM THE ACTUAL, UM, LANDLORDS THAT, UH, THEY HAVE SOME ISSUES WITH THIS.
UH, ARE, ARE THEY TOTALLY INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE DISCUSSIONS AND THE RESEARCH AND THE DATA GATHERING ON, ON THIS PARTICULAR, UH, ISSUE OUT THERE? ARE THEY, ARE THEY INCLUDED IN THAT PROCESS AS WELL? WELL, WE'RE, UH, WE'VE AGREED TO WORK WITH, WITH THE MAYOR AND THE WORKING GROUPS, UH, MOVING FORWARD AND CAN TELL YOU THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO PLAN TO, TO DO, UH, A, A ROBUST, UH, ACTION PLAN TO HELP ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.
AT THE HEART OF THIS IS REALLY, UH, JUST TRYING TO WORK WITH ALL SIDES TO, TO GIVE US MORE TIME AS PEOPLE ARE RECOVERING.
SO, UH, I THINK, UH, WE, WE'LL, WE'LL SHARE WITH YOU THE LANGUAGE OF THE, OF THAT C C R, BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE, UH, AGREED TO WORK WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND THE WORKING GROUPS WORKING ON THIS.
THERE WILL BE A, A TOWN HALL, I BELIEVE, UH, WORKING THROUGH THIS AS WELL.
UH, BUT AT THE HEART OF THIS IS, UH, YOU
[01:20:01]
KNOW, WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOTTA WORK AS HARD AS WE CAN TO, TO UTILIZE ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO, TO FLATTEN THE IMPACT.UH, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT FLATTENING THE CURVE OF COVID, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALSO AN IMPACT THAT WE'RE SEEING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND, AND EVICTIONS ARE, ARE, ARE REALLY A, A BIG PROBLEM.
SO, UH, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO ACHIEVE.
YEAH, NO, AND I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE'VE GOT ENOUGH, UM, UH, REP REPRESENTATION FROM THE, FROM THE ACTUAL LANDLORDS OR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR VOICES ARE BEING HEARD IN THIS PROCESS AS WELL.
SO IF, IF THEY'RE TOTALLY INCLUDED AND IN THIS, IN THIS, UH, DISCUSSION, THAT, THAT, THAT IS FANTASTIC.
UM, LEMME MOVE TO ANOTHER SUBJECT.
UH, UM, AND THIS MIGHT SEEM MINOR, BUT THIS IS A BIG ISSUE THAT, UH, MY GOODNESS, I, I STILL GET PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS AND TEXT FROM FOLKS, AND THAT'S ABOUT OUR GOLF COURSES, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE DO HAVE A NEW, UM, NEW INFORMATION FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANDY IS ON, OR, UH, LIZ THAT CAN, UH, TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT, WHAT THEY ARE NOW SAYING ABOUT GOLF COURSE OPERATIONS OUT THERE THROUGHOUT THE CITY COUNTY.
COUNCILMAN, THIS IS ANDY SEGOVIA.
THE GUIDANCE YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS A LETTER THAT THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL SENT TO A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS HOUSE WHO WAS ALSO ASKING THAT QUESTION.
UM, AND THE, ACCORDING TO THE GUIDANCE THAT THERE WERE THREE THINGS THAT YOU CAN TAKE AWAY FROM THAT GUIDANCE LETTER.
ONE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING TO MAINTAIN THE GROUNDS, THAT'S AN ESSENTIAL ACTIVITY.
WE KNEW THAT, AND THAT'S PART AND PARCEL OF WHAT'S, UH, IN THE MAYOR'S ORDER AND, AND, UH, THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER.
SO THAT'S ONE, ONE THAT WE KNEW OF, AND WE FRANKLY CON, UH, A HUNDRED PERCENT CONCUR WITH THAT.
THE SECOND ONE WAS THAT TO THE EXTENT THESE, UH, GOLF COURSES, UH, HAD A KITCHEN AND WOULD SELL FOOD TO THEIR MEMBERSHIP, UH, THAT CAN CONTINUE UNDER THE SAME RULES THAT APPLY TO RESTAURANTS IN TERMS OF DELIVERY AND TAKEOUT.
AND ALSO CONSISTENT WITH THE MAYOR'S DECLARATION AND THE GOVERNORS, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO GOLF PLAY, UH, IT BECOMES A LITTLE BIT MORE GRAY.
IT SEEMS LIKE WHAT THE AG WAS SAYING IS THAT, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE MEMBERS OF GOLF CLUB, OF GOLF COURSES CAN GO ONTO THE GOLF COURSES AND PLAY GOLF AS LONG AS THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL INVOLVED, LIKE CADDIES, UH, LIKE, UH, EQUIPMENT RENTAL PERSONNEL, ET CETERA.
UH, SO THAT WAS THE GUIDANCE, UH, IT WAS CLEAR THAT HE SAID IT WAS NOT AN OFFICIAL OPINION.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, WE WOULD, UH, MUCH PREFER TO SEE THE ISSUE RESOLVED THROUGH THE PROCESS THE GOVERNOR OUTLINED IN HIS ORDER, UH, WHERE BUSINESSES CAN ASK FOR, UH, UH, WHETHER THEY'RE, UH, AN EXEMPT, UH, BUSINESS OR NOT, WHETHER THEY'RE AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE OR NOT, WE HAVE NOT SEEN, UH, GOLF COURSES, UM, EITHER SUBMIT OR RESPOND ANY RESPONSE FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE ON THAT OFFICIAL WEBSITE AS TO WHETHER THEY'RE, UH, ACTUALLY ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES OR NOT.
I MEAN, THAT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE AGAIN, THE AGS, UH, GUIDANCE THAT DOES THAT GUIDANCE, AND IT'S, AND IT, UH, DOES, UH, APPLY TO, UH, GOLF COURSES WHERE YOU DO HAVE MEMBERS, UM, OUR GOLF COURSES, I, AS I UNDERSTAND, THE MAYOR'S ORDER ARE STILL CLOSED AND WILL REMAIN CLOSED, WHEREAS ON THE PRIVATE GOLF COURSES, UH, THEY FOLLOW THE GUIDANCE OF THE AG, WHICH IS IF THE MEMBERS CAN GO ONTO THE GOLF COURSE WITH THEIR CLUBS AND THEIR GOLF BALLS AND PLAY A ROUND OF GOLF, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO DO THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE, UH, MEMBERSHIP GUIDELINES OF THE PRIVATE COURSES.
SO BASICALLY IT'S REALLY UP TO THE PRIVATE COURSES TO DO THEIR OWN POLICING AND FOLLOW THE RULES.
BUT IT IS POSSIBLE FOR MEMBERS TO GO OUT THERE AND, AND GOLF, IT'S POSSIBLE FOR THE MEMBERS TO PLAY GOLF COUNSEL, BUT I, I, I WOULD TELL THE PRIVATE COURSES THAT THEY, THEY NEED TO ADHERE TO THE GUIDANCE OF THE AGS, WHICH HAS MAINTAINED SOCIAL DISTANCING, UH, NO ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL FROM THE, UH, GOLF CLUB.
UM, AND, UH, AGAIN, THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE, UH, GOVERNOR AND THE MAYOR'S ORDER AS WELL.
WELL, UM, I, I'M STILL WANTING TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSES AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S MEMBERS THAT PAY A FEE ON, ON THOSE AS WELL.
UM, I THINK THAT IF WE ARE, IF THE PRIVATE COURSES CAN OPEN, I, I'M, I'M HAVING A HARD TIME DIFFERENTIATING, WELL, WHY CAN'T WE OPEN OUR MUNICIPAL COURSES FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT AREN'T MEMBERS OF PRIVATE CLUBS? AND THOSE ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO BE ON A PRIVATE CLUB, WHEREAS OUR MUNICIPAL COURSES, UH, UH, THE FEES ARE
[01:25:01]
MORE REASONABLE, UH, UM, JUST ABOUT ANYBODY CAN GO OUT THERE AND PLAY FOR A REASONABLE PRICE.AND, UH, AND ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MEMBERS, UH, IN THOSE, IN, IN OUR MUNICIPAL COURSES AS WELL, SO I WOULD REALLY LIKE FOR EVERYBODY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND THINK ABOUT THAT, THAT, UH, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS TO GO OUT AND, UM, EXERCISE, GET SOME FRESH AIR, GET OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, AND, UH, AND ADHERE TO THE RULES AS LONG.
IT'S JUST LIKE OUR PARKS, OUR PARKS HAVE RULES IN THEM.
OUR MUNICIPAL COURSES WOULD HAVE HAVE RULES.
UH, THE PRIVATE COURSES HAVE RULES, AND IT'S REALLY UP TO FOLKS TO FOLLOW THE RULES.
AND THERE'S, UH, IF PEOPLE ARE BREAKING THE RULES, THEN YOU, THEN YOU REPORT 'EM AND CITE 'EM OR WHATEVER.
SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO CARRY ON THAT DISCUSSION AND TALK ABOUT THAT SOME MORE ON THURSDAY.
AND, UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER, BARRY.
SEE, I'M GETTING A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK.
JUST TURN YOUR, YOUR MONITOR, UM, SPEAKERS DOWN AND WE'LL BE GOOD.
YEAH, I DID, SO I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M STILL GETTING IT.
WELL, UM, MY FIRST COMMENT IS THAT I THINK WE SHOULD BE HAVING MORE TESTING, AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE, UH, IF WE CAN RAMP UP OUR TESTING.
AND I'M WONDERING, UH, HOW MANY TESTS, UH, ARE WE DOING EVERY DAY AT MENTAL HEALTH AND HOW MANY TESTS DO WE ACTUALLY HAVE MUTED.
UM, SO ON ANY GIVEN DAY, LET ME, LET ME DO THIS.
SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHEN WE HAVE, UM, THE FREEMAN PRE-APPROVED SITE, UM, THAT FREEMAN PRE-APPROVED SITE IS AVERAGING ANYWHERE BETWEEN 350 TO 400 TESTS A DAY.
WHEN WE MADE THE DECISION, WHEN METROHEALTH MADE THE DECISION TO CHANGE A POLICY BY, BY ELIMINATING THE PROVIDER REFERRAL, WE SAW A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF, UM, UH, VOLUME THAT WENT UP OVER AT FREEMAN COLISEUM.
SO, SO THAT FREEMAN, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HAVE SOME OF THOSE OTHER ACCESS SITES, WHICH IS THE URGENT CARE FACILITIES, UM, AND THE PROVIDER, YOU KNOW, REGULAR PRIVATE PROVIDERS.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE HOSPITALS THAT ARE DOING, THAT ARE DOING TESTING AS WELL.
THE ONLY ONES THAT METROHEALTH CAN MONITOR IS THE FREEMAN.
SO WE KNOW HOW MANY TESTS ARE BEING DONE THERE.
UM, HOW MANY TESTS ARE AVAILABLE WITHIN ALL OF THOSE PROVIDERS.
IF YOU REMEMBER THAT MAP THAT WE HAD WITH ALL THE BLUE DOTS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD HAVE TO CALL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE FACILITIES EVERY SINGLE DAY TO REALLY GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MANY TESTS THEY HAVE.
SO WE DON'T KNOW ALL THE, UM, ALL THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE CUMULATIVE TESTING RATES ARE.
WE KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD ABOUT 8,000 TESTS THAT HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED IN OUR COMMUNITY THUS FAR.
WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SETTING SOME GUIDELINES FOR EVERYBODY IN THE CITY, INCLUDING THE COUNTY, WHEN THE COUNTY IN COOPERATION WITH THE COUNTY JUDGE.
AND, AND YET WE ARE ONLY REALLY IDENTIFYING WHAT WE ARE DOING ON A DAILY BASIS.
UH, UNLESS I UNDERSTAND, IF ONE OF THOSE OTHER LABS OR HOSPITALS OR CLINICS, UH, FINDS SOMEBODY WHO, UH, DOES HAVE THE VIRUS, THEY REPORT THAT TO YOU.
BUT, UH, I THINK THAT EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE IF WE KNEW HOW MANY TESTS WERE ACTUALLY BEING DONE AND HOW MANY WERE PROVING NEGATIVE, UH, AS WELL AS HOW MANY COULD BE DONE.
UH, AND I THINK THAT IF WE'RE GONNA GET OUT OF THE SITUATION WE'RE IN, UH, AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, WE NEED TO BE DOING AS MUCH TESTING AS WE CAN.
AND WE NEED TO LET THE PUBLIC KNOW A LOT OF WHAT THOSE RESULTS ARE, WHETHER THEY'RE FROM THE METRO HEALTH, THE LABS, THE HOSPITALS, OR THE CLINICS, UH, I'LL BET WE DON'T EVEN ESTI HAVE AN ESTIMATE ON HOW MUCH
[01:30:01]
OF THE POPULATION, UH, IS, IS NOT EVEN, UH, PRONE TO THESE.UH, YOU KNOW, IT, IT IS JUST A BIG UNKNOWN.
AND I'M, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE SAYING, HOW LONG ARE WE GONNA BE IN THIS SITUATION? AND IF, IF WE CAN'T TEST MORE AND GET A BETTER NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING UP NEGATIVE AND BE ABLE TO REASSURE THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE A A HANDLE ON THIS, UH, I'M AFRAID WE'RE GONNA STAY IN THIS SITUATION, UH, FOR QUITE A WHILE.
AND IT'S GONNA LEAD TO CONTINUED CONFUSION.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE JUST INSECURE.
I DON'T KNOW WHY WE CAN'T CALL EVERY ONE OF THOSE LABS OR EVERY ONE OF THOSE HOSPITALS.
UH, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT DATA AND TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT IN THE PUBLIC, UH, TO REASSURE EVERYBODY THAT WE'RE REALLY DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE.
THIS NEEDS TO BE A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH ALL OF THOSE PRIVATE, UH, AND PUBLIC ENTITIES AS WELL AS WHAT WE ARE DOING.
AND MAYOR, I THINK YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO INSIST ON THAT AS PART OF THIS ORDER THAT, UH, WE'VE PUT OUT, WHICH REGULATES BUSINESSES AND IT REGULATES THE, UH, CUMMINGS AND GOINGS OF INDIVIDUALS.
UH, AND, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE US EMPHASIZE THIS LITTLE BIT MORE YEAH.
AND, UM, WE HAVE INSISTED ON THAT THROUGH OUR ORDERS BY LAW.
IN FACT, THE, THE, THE GOVERNOR HAS DONE THE SAME.
I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE, UH, DR.
EMMERICH ILLUSTRATE THE, THE, UM, THE SIZE OF THE CHALLENGE THOUGH, DOC.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 8,800 TESTS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE, AND THAT IS FAIRLY IN LINE WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE OTHER LARGER COMMUNITIES WITHIN TEXAS.
UM, I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU THE, WE ARE GETTING LAB RESULTS.
AND I WANNA TELL YOU, WE, THAT WAS THE DELAY IS THAT WE WERE NOT GETTING A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION IN THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND OUR TEAM ACTUALLY, WE DID CALL FOLKS EVERY DAY INDIVIDUALLY TO GET THE LOCAL INFORMATION BECAUSE WE WEREN'T GETTING IT AT THE STATE OR THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
SO I, I AM, UM, EXTREMELY PROUD OF US BEING ABLE TO GIVE YOU AND GIVE EVERYONE THE DATA THAT WE NEEDED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, AND IT WASN'T AVAILABLE TO US.
I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU THAT WHO WE ARE GETTING DATA FROM AS OF RIGHT NOW, UM, AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE POKED AND PRODDED FOR THEM TO GIVE IT TO US.
LABCORP, QUEST DIAGNOSTICS, CLINICAL PATHOLOGY LABORATORIES, OUR METRO HEALTH LAB, U H S BAPTIST HEALTH METHODIST, UH, UH, GENE DIAGNOSTICS, DIVA REFERENCE LAB PATHOLOGY, UM, IG, UH, DX PATHOLOGY, REFERENCE LABORATORY, ALL OF THOSE FOLKS.
WE ALSO HAVE CENTER MED, UH, COMMUNITY CARE, U H S, UT HEALTH ABUNDANCE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE SITTING ON OUR TESTING TASK FORCE THAT'S HELPING US GET THAT INFORMATION.
I WILL SAY THAT THERE'S A FINE BALANCE BETWEEN EVERYONE WANTS MORE TESTING, BUT WE CAN'T TEST IF WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE INGREDIENTS TO ACTUALLY COOK THE TEST.
AND THAT IS STILL A DELAY, THAT IS STILL A BACKUP IN THESE MAJOR LABS.
WHEN WE HAVE DELAYS AT THESE MAJOR LABS, IT'S BECAUSE THEY CAN'T COOK THE TESTS.
SO WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL THAT WE'RE NOT SWABBING ALL OF THESE FOLKS AND THEN NOT BEING ABLE TO GIVE THEM THEIR RESULTS.
AND SO, AGAIN, THAT GOES BACK INTO THE DECLARATION.
THE DECLARATION IS THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE STAYING HOME.
IF THEY CAN'T GET A TEST BY THEM STAYING HOME, WE'RE DECREASING THE SITUATION WHERE THEY MAY BE EXPOSED OR EVEN TRANSMITTING.
SO THE DECLARATION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
TESTING IS CERTAINLY IMPORTANT, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT TESTING WHEN IT CAN'T BE PROCESSED.
THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT TO MAKE, AND I THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE A POINT OF EMPHASIS FOR US IN TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LABS HAVE THE CHEMICALS OR THE MATERIALS THEY NEED TO PROCESS THOSE TESTS.
AND WHEN YOU THINK OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE 2 MILLION PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY, AND WE'VE TESTED LESS THAN 10,000, I, I'M, I'M NOT SURE WHAT OTHER, UH, COUNTIES ARE DOING ABOUT THAT, BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY GIVE US THE BEST PICTURE OF THE SITUATION WE'RE IN AS A COMMUNITY.
SO I HOPE THAT THERE'S MORE THAT WE CAN DO TO ACQUIRE WHATEVER ELSE THOSE LABS NEED, UH, TO ENABLE 'EM TO DO MORE TESTING.
[01:35:01]
IF I MAY ADD, IF I MAY ADD, UM, I ALSO WANNA JUST MENTION TO YOU THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT TOO.AND WE ARE ACTUALLY, WE DID A PILOT WITH ANOTHER, WITH ANOTHER, UM, TESTING ENTITY THAT WAS, UM, THAT EXPEDITED THE TESTS THAT DIDN'T NEED, THAT DIDN'T USE SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL, UM, COOKING METHODS AS YOU WILL.
UM, BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT WE WANTED TO DO MORE TESTS, WE WERE LOOKING AT AN ALTERNATIVE.
AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT IT WAS NOT, UM, IT WAS NOT PRODUCING THE RESULTS AS, UM, ACCURATE AS THE TRADITIONAL SWABBING.
SO WE ARE WORKING ON TRYING TO ELIMINATE THOSE BARRIERS AND, UM, PULLING ALL STOPS TO DO THAT.
WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT INFORMATION.
THE LAST THING I WANTED TO ASK IS REALLY RELATED TO WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE CITY WHILE COVID D'S GOING ON, AND THAT IS, WE'VE DECIDED TO CUT FUNDING ABOUT $50 MILLION FROM PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS.
AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW WE CAN FIND OUT WHAT PROJECTS ARE GONNA BE CUT, WHAT ARE GONNA BE COMPLETED SO THAT I'LL KNOW IN MY DISTRICT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE NEED TO LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING ON IN THE FUTURE, OR WHAT WE CAN TELL OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE GOING TO BE DONE IN THE REST OF THIS YEAR.
SO I KNOW IT'S OUTSIDE OF THE COVID VIRUS, BUT IT REALLY SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING ABOUT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, AND I'M SURE IT'S THE SAME AROUND ALL THE DISTRICTS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, UH, I DON'T KNOW, ERIC, IF THERE'S A RESPONSE TO THAT NOW OR, OR, UM, FOR A LATER DATE.
UH, MAYOR, IF I MAY, THIS IS MARIA VIA GOMEZ, DEPUTY
WE, UM, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT LIST AND THAT ANALYSIS THIS WEEK.
UH, WE ARE COMPLETING THAT WITH THE T C I DEPARTMENT, SO IT'S SOMETHING IN OUR RADAR, AND WE'LL PROVIDE THAT AGAIN TO YOU THIS, TO, TO THE FULL COUNCIL THIS WEEK.
UH, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER LIAS.
UH, SO I CIRCLING BACK ON THE, UH, QUESTION, UH, ABOUT THE ARTS THAT THE MAYOR ASKED ME, UM, I DID DIG UP SOME, SOME MORE NOTES ON THIS.
AND SO, MAYOR, UH, ALMOST ALL THE FUNDS THAT WERE, UH, SET ASIDE FOR THE ARTS ARE, ARE GONNA BE FLOWING THROUGH THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT OF THE ARTS AND THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES.
SO, UM, THE CARE ACT SET ASIDE $5 BILLION FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS, UH, TO CITIES AND COUNTIES, UH, AS WELL.
UH, AND SO THESE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN, IN AC ACCESSING THAT MONEY ARE GONNA HAVE TO, UH, PARTNER UP WITH A COUNTY, THE STATE, OR, OR, OR US TO GO AFTER THAT MONEY.
AND SO MY COMMITMENT TO YOU IS, IS THAT WE'LL, WE WILL, UH, FOCUS IN A LITTLE MORE GRANULARLY ON, UH, ON WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP OUT, UH, SPECIFIC ARTS ORGANIZATIONS.
IF ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY IN MIND, UH, START SENDING, UH, THAT OUR WAY.
ALSO, UH, LET'S NOT FORGET THAT, UH, ALMOST ALL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS ARE NONPROFITS.
AND SO, LIKE EVERY OTHER NONPROFIT THAT WE KNOW ABOUT IN SAN ANTONIO, THEY CAN ALSO ACCESS THE $350 BILLION, UH, SS B O S B A LOANS THAT WERE SET ASIDE FOR NONPROFITS AND FOR-PROFITS.
UM, AND THEN THEY ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE TO ACCESS, UM, THE $10 BILLION PILE OF MONEY, UH, DESIGNATED AS EMERGENCY ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER, UH, FOR FORGIVABLE LOANS.
UM, AND THOSE WOULD HELP, UH, TORAY COSTS OF SICK LEAVE, MORTGAGE AND RENT PAYMENTS AND OPERATING, UH, COSTS.
AND THEN LASTLY, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE NONPROFITS, THEY'RE ALSO ALLOWED TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE EXPANDED UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE COVERAGE AVAILABLE FOR FURLOUGHED AND, UH, LAID OFF EMPLOYEES.
AND SO, UH, BUT I, I KNOW THAT YOU WERE ASKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ARTS MAYOR, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, UH, ARE REALLY NO DIFFERENT THAN OTHER NONPROFITS OTHER THAN THE PRODUCT THAT THEY, AND SERVICES THAT THEY OFFER.
AND SO, SO THAT'S, THAT'S THAT.
UM, THE SECOND THING THAT I WANTED TO, UH, TOUCH ON IS, IS LESS OF A QUESTION, BUT CHIEF HOOD, I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A HEADS UP.
UH, MY TEAM, UH, AND I, THIS PAST WEEK, DECIDED TO SPRING FOR, UH, FOR TACOS FOR BREAKFAST TACOS FROM, UH, ONE OF MY FAVORITE JOINTS IN, IN DISTRICT A CALLED CCOS MEXICAN, UH, GRILL.
AND WE, WE TOOK A BUNCH OF TACOS OVER TO STATIONS 32, 3 4, 37, 47, AND 51, AND WE PUT A LOT OF SMILE ON, UH, ON FIREFIGHTERS' FACES.
AND THE REASON I, THE REASON I BRING THIS UP IS, UH, 'CAUSE I WANNA URGE MY, MY FELLOW
[01:40:01]
COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SEE IF THERE'S A LITTLE BIT EXTRA MONEY IN YOUR BUDGETS.UM, UH, WHAT, WHAT WE DID THAT DAY REALLY BROUGHT A BIG SMILE TO MY FACE BECAUSE OF THE ENORMOUS SMILES THAT WE PUT ON, ON THOSE FIREFIGHTERS, UH, FACES.
AND SO, CHIEF, IF IT'S OKAY WITH YOU, UH, WE'LL KEEP SENDING, SENDING CONGOS.
UM, AND THEN LASTLY, UH, I, I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE AGAIN, UM, THAT, UH, MAYOR WITH THE, UH, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ISSUE IS STILL SOMETHING VERY MUCH ON, ON MY MIND.
AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE, UH, AN UPTICK IN CENSUS AT, UM, UH, AT, AT THE BATTERED WOMEN CHILDREN'S SHELTER.
AND WE'RE HEARING FROM OTHER SHELTERS AROUND THE STATE THAT THEY'RE STARTING TO SEE AN UPTICK.
UH, AND SO THAT'S A GOOD THING IN THAT WOMEN ARE NOW, YOU KNOW, FEELING BRAVE ENOUGH TO VENTURE OUT FROM, UH, THE HOME WHERE THEY'RE LOCKED UP WITH THEIR ABUSER.
IT'S A BAD THING BECAUSE, UH, WE'RE SEEING AN UPTICK NO MATTER WHAT.
AND SO, UH, JUST IF ANYBODY OUT THERE IS, UH, A VICTIM OR IF THEY KNOW OF SOMEBODY WHO'S A VICTIM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE NATIONAL HOTLINE IS STILL OPEN, UH, AND TAKING LOTS OF CALLS, AND THE BATTERED WOMEN CHILDREN SHELTER DOES NOT TURN, UH, WOMEN AWAY.
BUT MAYOR, ASIDE FROM THAT, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
SO I'LL, UH, I'LL SEED MY TIME TO WHOEVER YOU WANT TO GIVE IT TO.
UH, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL.
I WANT TO, UM, THANK, UH, GORDON HARTMAN FOR BEING ON THE CALL, AND ALSO TO COMMEND, UH, STEPH ON THE PRESENTATION THAT, THAT WE GOT TODAY.
I WAS JUST, UM, UH, COMMENTING HOW, UM, COMMENTING TO NO ONE, BECAUSE NO ONE'S IN THIS ROOM
I TREMENDOUSLY, UH, APPRECIATE THE DETAIL AND THE CONTACT TRACING.
UH, I THINK IT'S GOOD FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW, UH, JUST HOW INVOLVED AND LABOR INTENSIVE THAT IS, BUT IT CONTINUES TO BE A CRITICAL IN SOME PLACES, UH, BEST PRACTICES.
AND WE KNOW SOME, SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE DECIDED NOT TO DO IT JUST BECAUSE IT'S SO LABOR INTENSIVE.
BUT, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO ASK FOR HELP WHEN WE NEED IT.
AND WE HAVE, YOU'VE GOT THE, THE VOLUNTEERS, UH, ON BOARD, AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU HAVE CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR, FOR SCALING THAT, THAT UP.
WE HAD SPOKEN ABOUT HOW THERE ARE MEDICAL STUDENTS WHO AREN'T, UH, IN SCHOOL RIGHT NOW, NURSING STUDENTS, DENTAL STUDENTS WHO AREN'T IN, UH, IN SCHOOL RIGHT NOW, WHO, UH, THIS COULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, UH, FOR THEM.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO COMMEND YOU, UH, AND THE WHOLE CITY ON THIS ONE FOR THE CALL CENTER.
I GOT A CHANCE TO VISIT THE NORTHEAST, UH, CALL CENTER LAST FRIDAY, UH, IN ADVANCE OF THE EASTER WEEKEND.
AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT WAS LIKE THE EASTER BUNNY HAD COME TO VISIT THEM.
I WASN'T, NOT THAT THAT WAS ME, BUT THEY WERE JUST VERY POSITIVE, UH, IN TERMS OF ANSWERING THE QUESTION AND SO WILLING TO, TO HELP PEOPLE.
AND THEY HAD SUCH INSIGHT ON, YOU KNOW, WHEN SPANISH SPEAKERS CALL IN, WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR VERSUS ENGLISH SPEAKERS AND WHO REALLY NEEDS MORE GUIDANCE.
SO THAT WAS, UH, VERY, UH, ILLUMINATING FOR ME.
AND, UH, WONDERFUL JOB, UH, RUNNING THAT CENTER.
UM, SO I, UH, WANTED TO, UH, KIND OF ADD ON TO SOMETHING THAT COUNCILMAN, UH, COURAGE WAS, WAS SAYING.
UH, I'LL START WITH SAYING, I THINK EVERY COMMUNITY ACROSS THE US IS DISADVANTAGED WHEN THIS BEGAN.
UM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF SOME THINGS HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL, UH, LEVEL AND MAYBE NOT BEING PREPARED AT, AT THE STATE LEVEL AS WELL.
SO I THINK AS FAR AS, UH, RESPONDING TO THE ISSUES AS THEY ARISE HERE IN THE CITY, WHETHER IT WAS THE LAC LAND OF EVACUEES OR OUR FIRST COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION CASE, I THINK OUR STAFF HAS PROVEN THAT THEY CAN DEFINITELY ACT, UH, QUICKLY AND, UH, ADAPTABLY, UH, AS WELL.
SO SETTING UP THE HOTLINE, SETTING UP THE TESTING SITE, THE, THE SURGE PREPARATIONS, UH, THAT, UH, THAT CHIEF HOOD HAS BEEN WORKING ON WITH, WITH STRAC, AND THEY'RE STILL, UH, THEY'RE STILL WORKING A LOT OF HOURS, UH, BUT YOU'RE MAKING IT LOOK A LITTLE BIT EASIER, UH, NOW FROM, FROM THIS END.
UM, BUT WE STILL HAVE SOME CHALLENGES, RIGHT? AND MANY OF THOSE ARE BEYOND OUR CONTROL.
SO, LIKE COUNCILMAN COURAGE SAID, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE SITUATION WITH THE TESTING MM-HMM.
AND, UH, IT'S GOING TO HELP US, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT READILY AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW, ONCE WE HAVE IT, THAT'S GOING TO HELP US GET A MUCH BETTER ESTIMATE OF THE SPREAD, THE EPIDEMIOLOGY.
AND OF COURSE, ONCE WE CAN MEASURE IT BETTER, WE CAN MANAGE IT BETTER.
AND, UH, SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE, UH, READ SOME THINGS ONLINE ABOUT, UM, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS THAT NEED TO
[01:45:01]
BE IN PLACE, UH, FOR US TO GET THROUGH THIS PHASE OF WHAT THEY CALL, I GUESS, MITIGATION OR, OR THE FIRST WAVE OF THE, OF THE PANDEMIC.AND, UH, THERE'S SOME LITERATURE OUT THERE BY, UM, MCKINSEY, UH, THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE, AND CERTAINLY CASE, UH, SAMPLES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES THAT HAVE MANAGED TO CONTROL, UH, THE SPREAD TO SOME EXTENT.
UH, MANY OF THEM LED BY WOMEN, I, I MUST SAY, IN CASE ANY OF YOU SAW THAT, THAT ARTICLE
UM, BUT ANYWAY, UH, THESE, THESE CASE STUDIES AND THIS LITERATURE IDENTIFY JUST WITH SOME REGULARITY WHAT ELEMENTS NEED TO BE IN PLACE BEFORE WE MOVE ON.
AND AMONG THEM ARE, OF COURSE, THE WIDESPREAD TESTING, WHICH, UH, WE'RE WORKING ON THE CONTACT TRACING, WHICH WE'RE ALSO, UH, WORKING ON, AND THE ISOLATION, WHICH WE'RE ALSO, UH, WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON.
AND, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SCALE THAT UP.
AND I THINK IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF, UM, WE'RE GETTING TO THIS POINT WHERE, LET'S GO AHEAD AND IDENTIFY SOME TARGETS FOR THOSE SO THAT WE CAN, AS A COMMUNITY, LOOK FORWARD TO THOSE AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, AS WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS ON THESE, WE'RE ACTUALLY, UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST THE CURVE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE ELEMENTS THAT ARE GONNA GET US READY TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS.
SO WHETHER THAT'S A SEPARATE DASHBOARD OR AN ACTION GROUP THAT WORKS ON THIS, UH, I THINK WE'RE REALLY, UH, READY TO GO TO, TO THAT PHASE.
AND CERTAINLY BUSINESSES ARE CLAMORING FOR IT, RIGHT? THEY'RE ASKING US, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA ASK ME FOR, UH, WHEN WE GET THERE? SO I WANNA TELL THEM, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE DON'T HAVE THAT YET, BUT ONCE WE GET THROUGH ONE, TWO, AND THREE AND WATCH ONE, TWO, AND THREE WITH ME AND COME ALONG WITH ME.
SO, UM, MAYOR, I KNOW A WHILE BACK, I HAD PROPOSED TO YOU THAT MAYBE WE, WE PULLED TOGETHER SOME OF THE MANY BRAINS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THE MEDICAL CENTER, UM, AND A HUGE, UH, BIO HEALTH FIELD.
UM, CAN THEY HELP US? WE KNOW THAT STAFF IS ALMOST AT THE MAX.
WE'VE HEARD, UH, WE'VE HEARD THAT, RIGHT? WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THIS RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE TO HELP THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK.
AND THEN, UH, THE NEXT PART WILL BE OUR, OUR PRIORITY.
BUT WHAT IF WE CAN EXPAND THAT BY HAVING, UH, SUPPORT FROM SOME OF THE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, IMMUNO, UH, INFECTIOUS DISEASE OR IMMUNOLOGICAL PROFESSORS OR PROFESSIONALS HERE IN TOWN, CERTAINLY HAVE A LOT OF MDS BURKE, COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN ASSIST US WITH.
AND I, I, UH, HAD, UH, SENT YOU A, A DRAFT PROPOSAL, AND I KNOW WE HADN'T QUITE MOVED ON THAT AND CERTAINLY SENT IT TO, TO STAFF OR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN INPUT.
AND I'D, I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT, UH, MOVE FORWARD.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD EXPLORE HOW WE CAN HAVE COUNCIL REPRESENTATION ON THAT AS WELL.
UM, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT, I'M NOT AN MD, UH, I'M NOT AN EPI PHD, BUT I'D CERTAINLY LIKE TO BE PART OF A GROUP LIKE THAT, UH, TO HEAR THE THINKING.
UM, WE GET GREAT UPDATES FROM, UH, FROM STAFF, UM, BUT USUALLY ALL THE, THE LONG THINKING PROCESS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED, RIGHT? AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE, UH, IN THE ROOM WHEN THAT HAPPENS AND TO CONTRIBUTE AS, AS FAR AS I AM, UH, ABLE TO.
SO, UM, AGAIN, I THINK STAFF IN, IN TERMS OF THE RESPONSE QUICKLY, RESPONDING IN THIS MITIGATION PHASE, THEY CAN DO THAT.
I'D LIKE TO SEE US COME TOGETHER READY TO GO INTO THE, THE NEXT PHASE.
AND I THINK BASICALLY EVERY COMMUNITY ACROSS THE US IS HAVING TO CHART THEIR OWN PATH, RIGHT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY BEING HANDED EVERYTHING DOWN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT.
SO WE HAVE MANY RESOURCES TO DRAW FROM LOCALLY.
SO I'D LOVE TO SEE US, UH, USE THOSE AND TO HAVE COUNCIL PARTICIPATION IN THAT AS WELL.
COUNCIL MEMBER, SANDAL SANDOVAL.
DON, ARE YOU TRYING TO SPEAK? I WAS, I JUST WANTED TO JUST, CAN I RESPOND TO, UM, COUNCILWOMAN REAL QUICK? YEAH, PLEASE.
COUNCILWOMAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
I WANTED TO JUST LET YOU KNOW THAT, UM, WE HAVE STARTED TO SORT OF DO A LITERATURE REVIEW ON EXACTLY WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED.
IT'S NOT QUITE READY TO BE SHARED YET, BUT WE KNOW THAT IS ON THE HORIZON.
SO YES, WE ARE DEFINITELY WORKING ON STILL MAINTAINING, FLATTENING THE CURVE, BUT WE'VE GOT A LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT CURVE, AND WE'VE STARTED TO DO THAT PROCESS.
SO I WAS HAPPY TO YOU SAY THAT.
I ALSO SHARE THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING, UH, THE JUDGE AND I, THAT VERY THING.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT OF BRAIN POWER IN THIS COMMUNITY, UH, IN PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND THANKFULLY I THINK WE'VE HIRED A LOT OF THEM HERE AT THE CITY, AND THE COUNTY HAS AS WELL.
UH, SO WE DO WANT TO BRING IN THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST FIRST.
[01:50:01]
TO ESTABLISH THE FACT THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE HEALTH GUIDELINES.THERE SHOULD BE MEDICAL AND SCIENCE-BASED, UH, GUIDELINES FOR US TO GO INTO AND OUT OF, UH, THESE KINDS OF STAY AT HOME AND OTHER TYPES OF SOCIAL DISTANCING RESTRICTIONS.
IT'S NOT COMFORTABLE, UH, THERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, AND SAVING LIVES.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE SAID FROM THE START, WE'RE GUIDED BY THE PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES.
WE'RE NOT DOING THIS POLITICALLY, WE'RE DOING THIS TO SAVE LIVES.
AND SO AS WE GO INTO THE RESTRICTIONS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE GUIDED BY THAT, UM, EXPERTISE, BUT AS WE COME OUT THE SAME THING.
UM, SO I WILL SHARE, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL ON THE PHONE THAT WE, WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS THAT VERY THING.
AND HOPEFULLY, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE COMING DAYS WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UM, SHOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE PLANS AHEAD AND, OKAY, SO WE'LL NOW WE'LL GO TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO.
HDA HAS, UH, UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO LEAVE.
I, OH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HAS REJOINED US.
THERE'S STILL NUMEROUS QUESTIONS FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AROUND TOPICS LIKE WHETHER THEY'RE REQUIRED TO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.
UM, UH, WHETHER THEY'RE REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS, ISSUES LIKE THAT, UM, THEY'RE ASKING QUESTIONS AND RECEIVING DIFFERENT ANSWERS DEPENDING ON WHO THEY ASK.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO FORMULATE A, A COVID 19 RESPONSE TEAM LIAISON TO EACH COUNCIL MEMBER OR MORE, MORE EFFICIENTLY? YOU KNOW, ONE FOR EVERY THREE OR FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS? I'M REMINDED OF THE OLD, UH, CAT TEAM THAT WE HAD, UH, THE COUNCIL ACTION TEAM THAT WAS VERY EFFECTIVE IN YEARS PAST.
I WANNA BE SURE THAT THE FLOW OF INFORMATION TO OUR CONSTITUENTS IS, UH, ACCURATE AND CONSISTENT.
IDEALLY, THE STAFFERS WOULD COME FROM G P A, OR AT LEAST TO BE AT LEAST BE CLOSELY CONNECTED TO G P A SO THAT OUR INFORMATION IS, IS RELIABLE TO THE COMMUNITY.
IF I COULD CHIME IN VERY BRIEFLY.
UH, CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? I'M CLEAR.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO ADD TO EVERYTHING DAWN WAS SAYING ABOUT THE HOTLINE AND THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY PREVENTION TEAMS, IS THAT THEY ARE INFORMING OUR COMMUNICATIONS EFFORTS ON A DAILY BASIS.
SO WE'RE HEARING FROM THE CALL TAKERS WHAT ISSUES THEY'RE GETTING FROM RESIDENTS AND TAILORING OUR, TAILORING OUR COMMUNICATIONS, UH, TO ADDRESS THEM.
SO JUST YESTERDAY, FOR EXAMPLE, WE PUT OUT, UH, SOME SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AND I BELIEVE A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE PROPER USE OF MASKS, WHO SHOULD USE THEM, HOW YOU PUT THEM ON, THAT SORT OF THING.
I BELIEVE IN THE COUNCIL EMAIL YESTERDAY, THERE WAS A LINK TO AT LEAST THE SOCIAL MEDIA PART.
I'LL GO BACK AND REVISIT THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GIVEN IT TO YOU.
BUT, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO PRODUCE THAT CONTENT SO THAT WE CAN SHARE IT WITH YOU AND YOU BE ABLE TO USE IT WITH YOUR NETWORKS.
UM, AND, AND THAT YOU HAVE BEEN, AND YOUR, YOUR DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO US GETTING THE RIGHT INFORMATION OUT.
UH, MY, MY CONCERN IS WHEN I HAVE A CONSTITUENT CALL
SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS HOPING TO GET.
HAVE SOME KIND OF LIAISON THAT COULD HELP, UM, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M GETTING THE ACCURATE INFORMATION AND, AND CONSISTENT WITH ALL THE OTHER, UH, NOT JUST COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT THE REST OF THE, THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY.
EVERYTHING IS COMING KIND OF FROM, FROM A FUNNEL SOURCE.
UH, WE, WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW UP.
I THINK I, I THINK I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DESCRIBE AND, AND, UH, AND WE'LL, UH, WE'LL PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND, AND MAYBE FIGURE OUT HOW TO ASSIGN THE LIAISON TO, UH, UM, A SMALLER SUBSET OF COUNCIL MEMBERS SO THAT WE CAN KEEP THE INFORMATION FLOWING.
UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S A, THERE CERTAINLY IS A LOT OF IT.
I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE YOUR SCREEN STILL MUTE.
UM, SO LET, LET ME JUST, UH, GO TO, UH, ONE, UH, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, I'LL START HERE.
SO I DID SEE, UM, A SPANISH LANGUAGE, UH, COMMERCIAL, I GUESS, INFORMATION INFO SESSION.
UH, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY GOOD.
[01:55:01]
LET YOU KNOW, I SAW THAT ONSO, UM, I THOUGHT THAT WAS GOOD INFORMATION.
THE OTHER QUESTION, UH, THAT I HAVE JUST REGARDING THE MAPS, CAN YOU GO TO THE SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE MAPS AND THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, THE BOTTOM MAP WAS THE OVERLAY, UM, OF ALL OF THE TESTING SITES, AND THEN, UH, IN COORDINATION WITH THE, UM, SO RIGHT, THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONE I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT.
SO NO SURPRISE, THERE'S A BIG GAP KIND OF ON THE, UH, WEST AND SOUTH SIDE, UH, FOR, UM, UH, FOR TESTING SITES.
AND ALSO, WELL, MAYBE I COULD ASK YOU TO ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THIS MAP.
UM, I THINK, DAWN, IF YOU COULD ANSWER THAT QUESTION GIVEN THE GAP THERE.
SO ONE, ONE THING I KNOW ABOUT MY COMMUNITY THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN IS THAT WE HAVE LACKED MEDICAL FACILITIES.
UM, AND IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO IN THE SHORT TERM TO HELP CLOSE THAT GAP? I MEAN, WE, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT INEQUITIES AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, AND THESE ARE LONGSTANDING ISSUES THAT I FEEL LIKE WE WERE JUST STARTING TO ADDRESS WITH THE EQUITY BUDGET.
BUT REGARDING MEDICAL FACILITIES, I DON'T KNOW, COULD YOU ELABORATE ON WHAT THAT MIGHT MEAN? YEAH, I, SO, YOU KNOW, I'M NEW TO THE COMMUNITY, SO WHEN I STARTED LOOKING AT A LOT OF THE MAPS AND LOOKING WHERE THE ACCESS AREAS WERE, SEEING THOSE FOUR DOTS DOWN ON THE BOTTOM, UM, FAIRLY BY THEMSELVES WAS DEFINITELY ALARMING.
AND THEN AS I GOT TO LEARN MORE FROM MY STAFF, YOU KNOW, I'VE, YOU KNOW, SOON DISCOVERED THAT THAT IS A HISTORICAL ISSUE, UNLIKE ANY OTHER CITY THAT WE HAVE IN, IN OUR, IN OUR UNITED STATES, OF COURSE.
SO WHEN THIS REALLY, WHEN C OVID NINETEENS RESPONSE REALLY STARTED TO, UM, PICK UP, UM, TWO THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN EXPLORING.
UM, WE CAN'T BUILD BRICK AND MORTAR, BUT WE CAN BRING TESTING THERE.
AND SO I'VE BEEN REACHING OUT TO, UH, MAKING PHONE CALLS TO SOME OF OUR LOCAL HOSPITALS THAT HAVE MOBILE UNITS AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO USE MOBILE UNITS AS MOBILE TESTING SITES.
NOW, THERE'S A LOT THAT HAS TO GO INTO THAT.
'CAUSE YOU GOTTA HAVE STAFF WHO ARE ABLE TO DO THE TESTING, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN HAVE THE VEHICLE, BUT YOU GOTTA MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE WORKFORCE THAT'S TRAINED TO NOT, AND ALL THE P P E GEAR.
UM, IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE TOO, AS METRO HEALTH, UM, WE HAVE, UM, A MOBILE CLINIC THAT WE'VE BEEN USING FOR OTHER THINGS.
AND SO EXPLORING ABOUT CONVERTING THAT, UM, INTO A TESTING MOBILE, IF YOU WILL.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
IT'S ALWAYS, I WISH THAT WE COULD JUST FLIP A, FLIP A SWITCH AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PREPARED AND THAT WE DO THIS RIGHT AND WE DO IT SAFELY.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ARE LOOKING, SOME CREATIVE IDEAS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO BRING MEDICAL CARE AND ACCESS TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AND FOR THE FUTURE, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THIS IMMEDIATE CONCERN, BUT THE LACK OF MEDICAL, UH, FACILITIES AND MEDICAL, UM, UH, CLINICS IN THE AREA IS, IS LONGSTANDING.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO NORMAL.
UH, WE KNOW THAT, UM, THIS PROBLEM HAS EXISTED FOR DECADES, AND IF WE ADD THE MOBILE SITES, WHICH I, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT.
I MEAN, OF COURSE, I HAD THAT THOUGHT VERY EARLY ON, LIKE, WHY ARE WE NOT JUST ADDING MOBILE SITES LIKE WE DID WITH THE AGE TESTING AND WITH OTHERS, RIGHT? YEAH.
UH, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT, BUT, UM, IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO ACCELERATE THAT, UH, I KNOW I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
AND I KNOW THAT, UH, PEOPLE IN THIS AREA WOULD APPRECIATE IT AS WELL, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF MEDICAL PARTNERS, UM, INCLUDING, AND, AND I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO THEM, SO I DON'T WANNA PUT ANYBODY ON THE SPOT, BUT GONZABA GROUP HAS A, A PRETTY, UM, LARGE CLINIC, UH, ON THE NEAR SOUTH SIDE.
UH, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR TEXAS DIABETES INSTITUTE, WHICH IS ON THE NEAR WEST SIDE THAT MAY BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE IF, UM MM-HMM.
UH, SO I, I WANNA THROW THAT OUT THERE.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S, AND COUNSEL ALSO HAVE A, UM, A LARGE RETAILER THAT IS LOOKING TO STAND UP AND THAT PAGE, AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING THEM TO, UM, OPT IN SOME OF OUR, SOME OF THOSE AREAS AS WELL.
WE'RE DEFINITELY PARTNER WITH YOU ON THAT.
WELL, THE OTHER THING THAT I, I DID THINK WAS CURIOUS THOUGH, AS YOU WERE KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE AREA THAT HAVE CALLED
[02:00:01]
OR ARE TRYING TO GET ACCESS TO RESOURCES.SO IF YOU GO THROUGH THAT PRESENTATION, UM, THE MAPPING THAT YOU SHOWED, UH, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LACK OF TESTING SITES.
WE HAVE A LACK OF MEDICAL FACILITIES, BUT IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE NECESSARILY HAD A LACK OF PEOPLE GETTING TESTED OR PEOPLE CALLING IN.
SO CAN YOU GO BACK TO THAT, THOSE, THOSE MAPS THAT YOU SHOWED? SO JUST THE ONES RIGHT BEFORE, OKAY.
SO THERE'S THAT ONE WITH THE TESTING SITES, BUT THEN THE POSITIVE CASES BY ZIP CODE AND THEN EVEN THE HOTLINE CALLS, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, UH, SO CAN'T QUITE MOVE IT ALONG, BUT, SO PART OF THE AREA, THE REGION THAT DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO MEDICAL, UH, AND EVEN WITH THE SELF SCREENING, IT, I MEAN, IT DOES LOOK LIKE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO BE INFORMED JUST BASED ON THE PURPLE ONE, UM, THE, OKAY, THE HOTLINE CALLS BY ZIP CODE.
SO IT DOES LOOK IN, LIKE IN SOME, AT LEAST IN THE CENTRAL AREA, PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET INFORMATION.
PERHAPS THEY JUST DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO A TESTING SITE.
UM, AND, AND, AND THEN EVEN POSITIVE CASES, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT PARTICULARLY HEAVY IN THAT AREA, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME POSITIVE CASES.
SO I JUST, I GUESS, UM, I, AS I KIND OF GO THROUGH, UH, LOOK AT SOME OF THE DATA THAT YOU ALL ARE PRESENTING, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT ASKING QUESTIONS AND CALLING IT, ALTHOUGH ONE ZIP CODE WAS IDENTIFIED AS HAVING HAD ZERO CONTACT OR, AND THAT'S THE AREA THAT'S BEING BLOCK WALKED.
BUT IT, IT DOES SEEM TO ME THAT EVEN IF WE DO THE BLOCK WALKING PART, THAT THEY, THEY HAVE ACCESS TO A CLINIC CLOSE BY.
SO, UM, PERHAPS THAT COULD BE A FOLLOW UP.
SO I DON'T KNOW, I, I THINK JEFF WAS THE ONE WHO TALKED ABOUT THE, UM, THE METHOD TO GO OUT INTO BLOCK WALK AND TO GIVE OUT FLYERS.
AND I GUESS, JEFF, DID THOSE FLYERS CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEAREST TESTING SITE? UH, NO.
THEY DIRECT TO THE HOTLINE AND THE WEBSITE TO BE ABLE TO FIND THAT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A MAP OR LISTING OF ALL THE TESTING SITES ON IT.
UM, COULD THAT, COULD THAT BE ANOTHER LAYER THAT YOU WOULD SAY THE CLOSEST ONE TO YOU? I MEAN, IF, IF YOU'RE GONNA FOCUS ON A PARTICULAR AREA, SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU COULD ALSO THEN DIRECT THEM TO THE CLOSEST TESTING SITE.
UM, IT'S POSSIBLE WE, WE COULD LOOK AT IT.
I THINK WHAT THAT'LL MEAN IS PRODUCING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, UM, DOOR HANGERS FOR DIFFERENT AREAS, BUT THAT, THAT'S ALL SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK INTO.
PERHAPS IT'S JUST A STICKER ON THE BACK, LIKE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE'VE DONE IT FOR POLITICAL, UH,
AND YOU WANNA TELL HIM THIS IS THE CLOSEST, UM, VOTING SITE, UH, WE COULD DO IT FOR THAT AS WELL.
SO, UM, UH, MAYOR, ARE WE GONNA HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHIME BACK IN OR ARE WE DONE WITH OUR TIME TODAY? WELL, BASED ON OUR, OUR TIME, IT WAS ONE ROUND OF 10 MINUTES.
SO IF YOU'VE GOT, UH, MORE QUESTIONS, GO AHEAD, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER AND, AND ANYTHING THAT ISN'T ANSWERED NOW, WE CAN CERTAINLY GET A REPORT TO YOU.
SO I, I WANTED TO, UM, ASK, JUST ALSO ASK ABOUT THE, UM, UH, AND I, I THINK THIS QUESTION WOULD BE FOR MARIA REGARDING, UM, THE TAXES, UM, UH, FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES.
SO THROUGH THE, UH, WORKING GROUP WITH COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UM, AND THE COMMISSIONERS, WE HAD ASKED FOR, UH, PAYMENT PLANS, UH, FOR COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES, UH, AND ALSO ASK THE MAYOR AND THE COMMISSION AND THE JUDGE TO, UH, AUTHORIZE OR TO REQUEST FROM THE GOVERNOR, UH, TO GIVE A RELIEF TO COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, UH, SO THAT THEY DON'T GO INTO FORECLOSURE IF THEY'RE LATE ON THEIR TAXES.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF, MARIA, YOU CAN ANSWER WHAT MAY HAPPEN TO OUR BUDGET IF WE GO INTO, UM, A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE ALLOWING PEOPLE TO MAKE PAYMENTS ON THEIR TAXES AT COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES VERSUS, UH, HAVING LUMP SUM PAYMENTS.
COUNCILWOMAN AND I'M, I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BOTH SALES TAX AND PROPERTY TAX.
[02:05:01]
UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST REFERRING TO PROPERTY TAXES FOR COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES.UM, SALES TAXES ARE GENERALLY PAID MONTHLY ANYWAY, SO THOSE WOULD, I MEAN, WE, AT LEAST I KNOW IT'S ON A COMMERCIAL BUSINESS, WE PAY THEM MONTHLY, UH, BUT THE PROPERTY TAXES ARE PAID, UM, USUALLY TWICE A YEAR.
AND SO IN WORKING WITH THE GROUP WHERE WE'VE ASKED THE, UH, COMMISSIONER, I MEAN, SORRY, THE, UM, TAX PROFESSOR COLLECTOR TO DO IS CREATE PAYMENT PLANS.
BUT WHAT I WASN'T SURE IS THAT, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT OUR CITY BUDGET? COUNCILWOMAN, THIS IS
UH, I HAD ASKED FINANCE AND BEN TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
SO THEY'RE STUDYING THAT AND WE'LL GET AN ANSWER BACK TO YOU ON, ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT.
WE'RE, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ROSO GARCIA.
AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING.
I HAD A REALLY GREAT CONVERSATION YES.
IAN, AND THEY, UM, HELPED ME UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT OF THE PROCESS OF THE WALKING DOOR TO DOOR AND, UH, TARGETING SPECIFIC ZIP CODE.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING.
I ALSO UNDERSTAND, UH, AND WAS ABLE TO SEE HOW EVERYTHING AFFECTS MY EFFECTS, SPECIFICALLY THE ZIP CODES IN MY AREA, AND, UM, THAT WE'RE ACCOUNTING FOR ABOUT 5% OF THE TOTAL CALLS, UH, WITH QUESTIONS, ET CETERA.
SO THAT WAS GREAT INFORMATION.
UM, I THINK THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE REACHING OUT TO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL.
SO, UM, SO COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF, IF YOU ALL HAVEN'T CONNECTED WITH 'EM, THEY HAVE SOME GREAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
UH, THE FIRST ONE, I'M, I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHO TO DIRECT TO IT.
IT MIGHT BE MR. HARTMAN, UM, OR MAYBE THE MAYOR.
BUT I'M JUST WONDERING, I'VE, I'VE NOTICED IN THE WORKING GROUPS, UM, AND THIS IS JUST RECENTLY, UM, C P S AND, AND VIA AND SAS OR EVEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR INSTANCE, HOW DO WE GET THEM INVOLVED, UM, IF THEY'RE NOT ON WORKING GROUPS, LIKE HOW, HOW ARE WE REACHING OUT, UM, TO THEM IN THE OTHER GROUPS? UH, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, UM, YOU'RE TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT OUR UTILITIES, UM, VIA, UM, SO I HAVE, UH, RE REGULAR PHONE CALLS WITH THEM, UM, PROBABLY EVERY FEW DAYS TO KEEP THEM UP TO SPEED.
AND I KNOW, UH, GORDON IS AS WELL, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE AWARE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
UH, A LOT OF WHAT THEY'VE BEEN TASKED TO DO HAVE BEEN THROUGH, UM, COUNCIL DIRECTION AT OUR MEETINGS OR THROUGH DIRECTION THAT YOU ALL GIVE ME, UH, AS A BOARD MEMBER.
AND SO THEY HAVE BEEN QUITE COOPERATIVE.
UH, SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT COMES FROM THE WORKING GROUP, UH, THAT'S DIRECTED TO C P S OR SAWS OR VIA, UH, IT CAN BE DIRECTED EITHER THROUGH THE CHAIRS OR THROUGH ME OR THROUGH GORDON.
BUT THEY'VE BEEN, UH, VERY, UH, COOPERATIVE WITH THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND SO WHAT ABOUT THE ISDS? UH, I KNOW I CHECK IN WITH MY SCHOOL DISTRICTS REGULARLY.
I'LL SHOOT JUST A, A LITTLE TEXT.
I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THE KIDS WHO, UM, ARE FALLING WITHIN THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE ON AVERAGE THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN MY AREA ARE AVERAGING A HIGH 80 TO LOW 90 CONTACT RATE, WHICH MEANS THAT WE'RE STILL MISSING SOME STUDENTS.
SO HOW ARE WE ENGAGING THE ISDS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AND WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING, UH, ON A SOMEWHAT, UH, REGULAR BASIS AND, AND NOT AS REGULAR AS THE C P S AND SAS, UH, CONVERSATIONS I JUST MENTIONED, IS MEETING WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT COALITION OF REGION 20 AND JUST UPDATING THEM ON, UH, THE STATUS OF, YOU KNOW, OUR ORDERS, UH, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF THE HEALTH DATA, WHAT WE ANTICIPATE WITH REGARD TO THE SOCIAL DISTANCING CRITERIA.
UH, BUT IT SEEMS THAT, UM, BASED ON WHAT OUR FEEDBACK HAS BEEN, IS THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE OPERATING RIGHT NOW AS ONE ORGANISM.
UH, THEY'RE ALL WORKING IN CONCERT AND THEY'RE ALL TAKING THEIR CUES FROM MIKE MORATH, UH, THE T E A ADMINISTRATOR WHO HIMSELF IS PART OF THE CIRCLE, UH, WORKING DIRECTLY WITH THE GOVERNOR.
UH, SO WE'RE COORDINATED, UH, THEY'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IN OUR ROOM, UH, BUT WE'RE MAINTAINING CONTACT WITH THEM.
AND THEN THE THIRD PART OF THAT QUESTION IS, WHAT ABOUT ADVOCACY GROUPS LIKE, UM, N L C AND T M L? DO WE HAVE SOMEONE THAT'S ALSO, UM, WORKING AND, AND FOLLOWING THEM ALONG AND ENGAGING WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES TO LEVERAGE, UM, MAYBE BRAIN POWER? I, I CAN ANSWER THAT.
UH, YES, COUNCILWOMAN, WE ABSOLUTELY ARE, ARE WORKING WITH BOTH GROUPS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UH, IN FACT, EVERY ONE OF THE, UH, DAILY EMAILS THAT YOU ALL GET, UH, WE LATER SEND TO OUR STATE FEDERAL DELEGATIONS.
[02:10:01]
PROVIDING GUIDANCE ON THE STIMULUS WORK.AND SO WE'RE COMPARING NOTES WITH THEM PRETTY REGULARLY.
UH, T M L IS TRYING TO RALLY CITIES TOGETHER TO COLLECTIVELY MAKE ASKS OF EITHER THE STATE OR THE, UH, TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION.
UH, SO IN BOTH CASES WE'RE IN REGULAR CONVERSATION WITH THEM, AND IT HELPS TO HAVE SORT OF A, A SECOND REVIEW ON, FOR EXAMPLE, GUIDANCE COMING FROM THE AGS OFFICE AND WHAT THAT MEANS TO A CITY.
UH, T M L IS REGULARLY PROVIDING THAT SORT OF HELP TO US.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE, UM, UH, NEXT QUESTION'S ALSO IN, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE HELP THIS, BUT I KNOW THAT ONE OF MY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UM, IS LACKING P P E, THEY'RE BACK ON BACK ORDER, AND THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE GOING OUT AND THEY'RE TRYING TO CONNECT WITH THESE STUDENTS THAT HAVEN'T, UM, THAT THEY HAVEN'T ENGAGED WITH DIGITALLY.
UM, I KNOW ANOTHER ONE OF MY SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAS GONE OUT AND BOUGHT SOME HOTSPOTS SO THAT STUDENTS CAN, CAN CONNECT.
BUT, UM, WHO WOULD BE THE BEST POINT? LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, ON THAT P P E QUESTION, UM, THERE'S A NEED FOR AT LEAST 70 P P E UNITS PER WEEK AND ONE SCHOOL DISTRICT ALONE.
HOW, UM, WHO, WHAT WOULD BE ANOTHER RESOURCE FOR THEM? UM, OTHER THAN THE STATE, WHICH SEEMS TO BE ON BACK ORDER? UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCILWOMAN.
I'LL, I'LL TAKE THAT QUESTION.
SO THERE'S A, UM, GUIDELINE AS FAR AS P P E AND WHAT WE ARE DOING IS HOSPITALS WITH COVID PATIENTS ARE GETTING P P E FIRST.
THEN NURSING HOMES WITH COVID POSITIVE PATIENTS ARE GETTING P P E.
SO WE COULD LOOK AT AN INDIVIDUAL REQUEST AND I CAN'T MAKE ANY GUARANTEE THAT WE WOULD HAVE, UH, P P E FOR THEM.
BUT WE'LL TRY TO LOOK INTO THAT.
I'LL, I'LL CONNECT TO YOU AFTERWARDS.
UM, THANK YOU, UH, WANTED TO ASK AND, AND I'M IN, IN AGREEMENT WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGE ABOUT MORE TESTING.
I THINK THE MORE TESTING POSSIBLE, UH, THE, THE BETTER.
I'M ALSO IN AGREEMENT WITH, UM, MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL ABOUT THE, UH, WORKING GROUP OF, UM, THE COVID TO RECOVERY GROUP.
AND I MAY HAVE CAUGHT THAT A LITTLE BIT, UM, WRONG.
SO I'M PARAPHRASING THERE, BUT I, I DO AGREE, AND IF THERE'S, UH, ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNCIL REPRESENTATION, I, UH, WOULD, UM, WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW WE ALL CAN ENGAGE OR, UM, MAYBE TAKE TURNS ENGAGING IN THAT.
I ALSO THINK THAT COUNCILWOMAN HDA, UM, HER SUGGESTION ON THE CAT TEAM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN, UH, TALKING TO ERIC ABOUT IN ANOTHER CAPACITY, BUT I THINK THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT RECOMMENDATION.
SO, UM, I, I, I WOULD ALSO, UM, WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT.
UH, I'VE BEEN ALSO IN CONTACT WITH OUR PUBLIC DEPARTMENT.
I'VE BEEN FEEDING THE SOUTH SUBSTATION TONIGHT WILL BE OUR SECOND ROUND OUT THERE.
AND, UH, I SEE THAT THEY'RE WORKING VERY HARD AND, UM, I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT THEY'RE DOING.
SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALSO GAVE A SHOUT OUT TO POLICE, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.
AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION IS PROBABLY THE HARDEST QUESTION, AND IT'S GONNA BE FOR DR.
AND SO, UM, EARLIER THIS MORNING, I LEARNED THAT A C N A AT ONE OF THE FACILITIES IN MY DISTRICT WAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID.
AND SO, UM, I LEARNED THIS BECAUSE ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS REACHED OUT BECAUSE SHE HAS A 93 YEAR OLD MOTHER AND IS WORRIED NATURALLY.
SO, UM, AND SO YOU ALL REACHED OUT ALREADY.
YOU ALL REACHED OUT AND SAID, UH, AND, AND TALKED TO THE, TO THE WOMAN AND HELPED HER WITH HER CONCERNS.
BUT MY QUESTION IS MORE IN GENERAL ABOUT PROCESS, PROCESS.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE FIND OUT THAT A C N A WHO HAS POTENTIALLY, UH, VISITED WITH MANY FOLKS WAS ASYMPTOMATIC, LEARNS THAT, UH, THEY'RE POSITIVE? WHAT HAPPENS AT THAT POINT? LIKE, HOW DO WE ENGAGE SO THAT SOMETHING LIKE HAPPEN AT THE SOUTHEAST UH, FACILITY DOESN'T HAPPEN ANYWHERE ELSE? YES, GREAT QUESTION.
UM, SO METRO HEALTH SPRINGS INTO ACTION AS SOON AS WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A POSITIVE.
AND OFTENTIMES, UM, IF THE TEST IS DONE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THE PROVIDER IS THE FIRST PERSON TO LET THAT PERSON KNOW.
UM, AND, UH, RESULTS COME, COMES TO METRO HEALTH, AND THEN THAT'S WHAT SPRINGS US INTO DOING THE INVESTIGATION WITH THE PERSON.
SO, OFTENTIMES, NOT BY A LOT OF TIMES, BUT, BUT IF A PROVIDER CONTACTS THAT THEIR, UM, THEIR CLIENT FIRST, THEY KNOW.
AND SO CERTAINLY THEY'RE ABLE TO SHARE THAT RESULT IF THEY FEEL THAT THEY WANT TO SHARE THAT.
UM, ONCE WE GET THAT INFORMATION, THAT'S
[02:15:01]
WHEN OUR CONTACT INVESTIGATION STARTS.UM, BUT ALSO WE ALWAYS TELL THAT C N A, THAT IF THEY HAVE SYMPTOMS, IF WE WERE TO ENGAGE THEM, BUT WE ALSO TELL OUR PROVIDER COMMUNITY THAT IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT IS SHOWING SYMPTOMS THAT THEY SHOULD BE PRESUMED POSITIVE WHILE THEY'RE WAITING FOR THEIR TEST RESULTS TO COME BACK.
THAT WAY WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING ISOLATED AS IF THEY ARE POSITIVE SO THAT WE CAN LIMIT THE SPREAD.
AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR PROVIDERS TO KNOW THAT AND TO BE EDUCATED AND TO SHARE THAT.
AND THEN WE REPEAT IT ONCE WE GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THEM AS WELL.
I, I THINK THAT WE HAVE A, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN PREVENTING AGAINST SOME OF THESE, UM, UH, CATASTROPHES, IF YOU WILL.
UM, AND, UH, MAYOR, THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YOU AND HARLEY THAT JUST PASSED BY YOU? GOOD? I TOLD THEM TO LEAVE.
UM, UH, FIRST THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU, UH, GORDON, FOR YOUR COMMUNICATION, UM, ON THIS AND YOUR REPORTING.
AND, UM, FOR ALL OF THE WRITTEN REPORTS, IT WAS VERY GOOD GOING THROUGH THEM AND CHECKING OUT EVERYTHING AND THE ACTION STEPS THAT YOU ALL ARE TAKING.
UM, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SHARE WITH ALL OF YOU, IF YOU HAVEN'T GONE THROUGH IT YET, PLEASE GO THROUGH THE, UM, STIMULUS TRACKER SPREADSHEET THAT WAS SHARED WITH YOU ALL.
IT HAS A GREAT, UH, LAUNDRY LIST OF THE, UM, THE, UM, WHAT IS THERE AND THE CARES ACT AND THE DOLLARS, ET CETERA.
SO YOU, UM, IT'S A GREAT RESOURCE.
SO I APPRECIATE, UM, SALLY WORKING ON THAT.
I THINK, UH, JUST A CO COUPLE OF COMMENTS AND MAYBE I'LL CLOSE WITH A QUESTION.
UM, THE FIRST COMMENT IS ABOUT THE, THE MAPS.
AND I WILL GO ON AND TALK ABOUT THE MAPS AND THE ISSUE OF, UM, EQUITY, THE ISSUE OF EQUITY, KNOWING THAT THERE WAS ONE MAP THAT HAD THE SELF SCREENING TOOL AND THEN THE MAP WITH THE, UH, C OVID 19 HOTLINE.
AND SEEING THAT IT LOOKED LIKE SOUTH OF 90, THERE WERE MAYBE ONLY FOUR TESTING SITES SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 90 IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHEN IT GOES FAR WEST INTO, INTO SAN ANTONIO HOW, UM, FAR THE TESTING SITES WERE, BUT I THINK THAT IS AN ISSUE THAT WE HAVE.
AND I'M, I'M GLAD THAT, UM, THE OTHER SUGGESTIONS WERE COMING UP, BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT, AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CONTINUE.
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ SAID, NOT JUST GO BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE BEFORE.
UM, THAT'S THE LAST THING WE NEED TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, HOSPITALS AND DISTRICT TWO WHEN IT COMES TO MEDICAL CLINICS IN ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
NEXT I DID WANT TO, UH, THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALL OF THEIR, THEIR WORK, UM, ON THE CLARIFICATION AND HOW THEY ARE TALKING AND HOW THE OVERLAP IS BETWEEN THE FOOD AND SHELTER AND THE SOCIAL SERVICES.
I KNOW ONE OF MY CONCERNS THAT I HAD WITH US TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT'S THE DIFFERENTIATION OR THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN BOTH.
THERE REALLY ISN'T ONE BECAUSE IT'S ALL TOGETHER.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR WORKING TOGETHER ON THIS.
UM, TWO, TWO OF MY COLLEAGUES, I THINK IT WAS IN SOCIAL SERVICES AND IN BUSINESS, UH, UNEMPLOYMENT OR ALL OF 'EM.
UH, SO WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING A TEST AND WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING FOOD, OUR PEOPLE ASKED FOR, UM, THEIR DOCUMENTATION.
IF SOMEBODY IS UNDOCUMENTED, CAN THEY GO TO OUR SITE, UM, AT FREEMAN COLISEUM AND GET TESTED? YES, YES OR NO? SORRY ABOUT THAT.
AND WE HAVE FOLKS THAT ARE ON THE HOTLINE WHO CAN CAN, WHO CAN HELP WITH THAT.
AND, UM, WHAT ABOUT FOR, UM, OUR SHELTERS? UM, THEY TEST POSITIVE, MAYBE THEY'RE, THEY DON'T HAVE SHELTER.
ARE THEY TAKEN CARE OF OR DO THEY HAVE TO, UM, DO THEY HAVE TO GIVE
[02:20:01]
DOCUMENTATION? DOES ANYBODY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT? MARIA? ANYBODY? COUNCILMAN? THIS IS COLLEEN BRIDGER.UM, BASICALLY THE WAY WE'RE EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT ANYTHING THE CITY OFFERS, WE DO NOT ASK FOR ANY SORT OF PROOF OF RESIDENCY, ANYTHING THAT'S FUNDED THROUGH THE FEDERAL OR THE STATE GOVERNMENT THAT MAY BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BUT FOR SERVICES THAT THE STATE IS PROVIDING.
SO TESTING, SHELTER, UH, FOOD BANK, FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR ANY SORT OF DOCUMENTATION.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
UM, I DO WANT TO ALSO COMMEND THE WORK OF S A I S D AND VIA WHEN IT COMES TO WIFI AND THE CONNECTIVITY THAT IS NEEDED AND BEING CREATIVE WHERE WE NEED TO BE WITH MAKING SURE THAT, UM, WIFI AND INTERNET CONNECTION IS AVAILABLE FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, I WANT TO THANK THE BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT GROUP BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, SOME OF THEIR CENTERS HAVE TEMPORARILY CLO THEY HAVE TEMPORARILY CLOSED NOW, AND AS PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT OR OTHER, UM, OPTIONS, THEY NEED THAT, THAT CONNECTION.
AND I KNOW THEIR CALL CENTERS ARE OPEN NOW TO HELP THEM.
SO I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO GET OUT.
UM, ONE OTHER, ANOTHER THING I WANTED TO CLARIFY, WITHIN OUR GROUP OF THE STATE AND FEDERAL ADVOCACY GROUP, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION AND THAT I'LL BE ADVOCATING FOR, AND I KNOW THAT, UM, OUR SS A D F AND THIS SAN ANTONIO AND, UM, THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER IS ALSO TRYING TO GET LANGUAGE IN THERE THAT, UM, 5 0 1 C SIXES WILL BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION FOR THE NEXT, UH, 3.5 4.0, UM, PHASE OF P P P AND THE PAYMENT PROTECTION PROGRAM BECAUSE WE ALSO NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR 5 0 1 C SIX, UM, ORGANIZATIONS.
MANY OF OUR NONPROFITS ALSO HAVE 5 0 1 C SIX S.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO BE COVERED WHEN WE'RE DOING ADVOCACY AND GETTING IN ALIGNMENT WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS WITHIN, UH, THE CITY, I DO WANT TO AGREE WITH THE FLOW OF INFORMATION.
I, UM, I BELIEVE THE FLOW OF INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE IT, AND WE KNOW THAT EVERYTHING IS CHANGING EVERY SINGLE DAY, JUST LIKE OUR COVID UPDATE REPORTS, HOW THEY ARE TIMESTAMPED, AND THEY ARE FOR AS OF WHATEVER DAY AND TIME WE NEED TO HAVE THAT SAME FLOW OF INFORMATION TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR, OUR REPORTS, WHEN IT COMES TO WHATEVER IS COMING IN.
AND THEN I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO ASK, UH, I JUST WANT TO CONCUR WITH SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES, UM, MAYOR, WHEN YOU AND THE JUDGE START HAVING A CONVERSATION OF A STARTUP AND, UH, THE RECOVERY C OVID 19 RECOVERY AND OPEN BUSINESS, UM, I THINK COUNCIL MEMBERS NEED TO BE A PART OF IT.
AND I KNOW IT MAY BE, UM, MESSY, BUT THAT'S PART OF ALL OF OUR JOB AND WE ARE TEAM SAN ANTONIO.
SO I THINK WE ALL NEED TO BE A PART OF THAT, THAT CONVERSATION AND WORKING TOGETHER, BECAUSE WE ARE ONE COMMON GOAL TO SEE ALL OF OUR AREAS THRIVING, NOT MAYBE BACK TO NORMAL THE WAY IT WAS, BUT BACK, BUT BETTER THAN WE WERE BEFORE, AND PLANNING FOR THE SHORT TERM AND THE LONG TERM MOVING FORWARD.
FINALLY, I THINK MY LAST, UH, REQUEST IS TO, UM, I GUESS IT'S COLLEEN AND DAWN AND, UH, ERIC.
UH, WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IS A TIMELINE OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE AS A WHOLE AS A CITY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR SOUTHEAST, UM, NURSING HOME, BUT NOT JUST THE NURSING HOME.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO NURSING FACILITIES IN GENERAL, I KNOW CHIEF COULD, HAS ALREADY LAID OUT WHAT THEY HAVE DONE WITH THE SOUTHEAST NURSING HOME.
I KNOW, UM, THAT THE CITY HAS ALSO TAKEN STEPS WITH GREAT PARTNERS, WITH THE TWO LARGEST NURSING HOME OPERATORS, UH, TO HELP PROVIDE SPECIAL, UM, YOU KNOW, CARE WHEN THEY NEED TO WITH THOSE, UH, FACILITIES.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE DOING.
I KNOW THE TRAINING THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS GONE THROUGH, I KNOW THE DECLARATION AND THE EXPANDING OF THE DECLARATION THAT YOU MAY PUT TOGETHER, SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE CROSS UH, NURSING HOME, UH, ATTENDANCE OR WORKERS GOING TO OTHER PLACES.
BUT I THINK I WANNA KEEP A RUNNING LIST, ERIC OR OR COLLEEN, OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING BECAUSE
[02:25:01]
I'M REALLY TO KNOW THAT AS OF LAST NIGHT, THERE HAVE BEEN 16 PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED AT THE SOUTHEAST NURSING HOME.AND THAT ONE PERSON WHO WAS ORIGINALLY TESTED POSITIVE FOR C OVID 19 OR NEGATIVE FOR C OVID 19 IS NOW TESTED POSITIVE, AND THAT THE STATE HAS BEEN LOOKING AT THIS FACILITY SINCE OCTOBER OF 2019.
I WANT TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING.
I'M JUST TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR THESE FAMILIES AND THESE PEOPLE.
SO I NEED, UH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT TIMELINE PLEASE.
AND ALL OF THE WORK, NOT JUST FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT WITH PUBLIC, WITH METRO HEALTH, AND WITH OUR DIFFERENT PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE.
AND, UM, WE JUST NEED TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE PLANNING WHEN IT COMES TO OUR FEDERAL DOLLARS, OUR FEDERAL POLICIES, AND OUR POLICIES WHEN WE RECOVER, TO LOOK AT THE SHORT TERM AND THE LONG TERM.
AND, UM, THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS.
COUNCIL MEMBER GRA, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ANDREW SULLIVAN.
AND, UH, THANK YOU CHAIR, OUR CITY STAFF AND OUR CITY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, UM, FOR TAKING THE LEAD IN, IN YOUR COMMUNITY, TAKING THE LEAD IN OUR CITY AND REALLY STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE IN, IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES AND NAVIGATING WATERS THAT WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE NEXT STREAM THAT WE TAKE.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AND, AND HELPING US INTO OUR CITY STAFF, OUR CITY ATTORNEYS.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, WORKING WITH US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS ON HOW TO, UH, NAVIGATE, UM, WHAT WE SAY AND HOW WE SAY IT AND WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE DO IT.
A FEW OTHER QUESTIONS THAT I DO HAVE.
EMRICH, YOU WERE SPEAKING ABOUT, UM, OR MAYBE THIS WAS CHIEF HOOD, ABOUT THE, UM, ISOLATION CARE FACILITIES.
AND THE QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS, UM, I KNOW THERE'S NOT, NOT GONNA BE ANY LIKE HOTEL CLEANING OR, OR ROOM CLEANING OF THAT NATURE, BUT ARE WE GONNA BE PROVIDING, UM, INDIVIDUALS WITH, UH, HAND SANITIZER OR, OR SOAP, OR WHAT ARE THE, THE, UH, NECESSARY THINGS THAT WE'LL BE PROVIDING TO THOSE THAT WILL BE IN THE ISOLATION CARE FACILITY IF WE'RE NOT GONNA BE PROVIDING CLEANING? UH, COUNCILWOMAN, THAT'S A GRACE WOMAN.
AND, UM, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO ONE OF MY FIREFIGHTERS THAT IS IN A ISOLATION FACILITY RIGHT NOW, AND THEY ARE GETTING THREE MEALS A DAY.
THEY CAN ORDER DOORDASH, UBER EATS, THEIR FAMILY CAN BRING FOOD TO THEM, TO THE, UM, HOTEL LOBBY, AND IT CAN BE DELIVERED UP.
THERE'S, UM, HYGIENIC, UH, THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE THERE FOR THEM ON A DAILY BASIS.
AND, UM, SO I THINK WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE THINGS COVERED.
AS FAR AS ANYONE THAT WOULD GO INTO A ISOLATION CARE FACILITY OR HOTEL ROOM, UM, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE THE, UM, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED.
AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TO THE, THE PROTOCOL FOR THOSE THAT WE KNOW, UM, HAVE EITHER, UH, RECOVERED FROM COVID 19, OR THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE IDEAS OR, OR THOSE THAT ARE, ARE SELF QUARANTINING, DO WE HAVE ANY FORMAL PROTOCOL OR ANY, UH, FORMAL COMMUNICATION WE CAN SEND OUT TO A FAMILY OR TO, UH, A FACILITY TO SHOW HOW TO PROPERLY SANITIZE A HOME OR A ROOM OF A PERSON THAT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY INFECTED? LEMME TALK WITH MY STAFF.
I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT, BUT THAT JUST MAY BE THAT I'M JUST, I JUST DUNNO.
UM, I KNOW SHE COULD, YOU HAVE HAD SEVERAL CALLS FROM ME ALONG WITH THE MAYOR AND ALONG WITH MANY OF OUR CONSTITUENTS HERE IN DISTRICT TWO WHEN IT RELATES TO THE RIVER CITY, UH, COHORT, UM, NURSING FACILITY.
AND I REALLY WANT TO SPEND JUST A FEW MOMENTS ON, UM, HELPING MY CONSTITUENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS FACILITY REALLY MEANS.
BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE HEARING MOST FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS IS THAT WE, UM, ARE CATCHING THE BRUNT OF EVERYTHING WITHIN THE DISTRICT, FROM HAVING THE PRE-APPROVED TESTING CENTER TO HAVING THE, UM, UH, THE COHORT TO THE ALTERNATIVE,
[02:30:01]
UH, RECOVERY FACILITY ALL IN THIS ONE DISTRICT.AND THIS ONE DISTRICT FEELS AS IF NOW, UM, THERE'S THE DUMPING GROUNDS FOR EVERYTHING COVID.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE ALSO SEEING THE SPIKE IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, BUT THEN THERE'S NO INFORMATION RELATED TO THAT COMMUNITY ON EXACTLY WHAT DOES COVID MEAN TO, TO A COMMUNITY THAT DOES HAVE MOST OF THE UNDERLINING, UH, FACTORS TO, UM, OBESITY, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART DISEASE, UM, LUPUS, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.
UM, AND SO THERE'S NO SPECIFIC LITERATURE TO THOSE COMMUNITIES.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HOME BOUND, THOSE THAT ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 60TH AND ARE DISABLED AND DIS AND, AND UNABLE TO GET OUT TO THE COMMUNITY TO EITHER GET TESTING OR THEY'RE IN THAT DIGITAL DIVIDE, IF SOMEONE CAN SPEAK TO THOSE ISSUES AND HOW DO WE, UM, TRULY SPEAK TO A COMMUNITY THAT IS TOTALLY CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, FEELING AS IF THERE'S THE DUMPING GROUND TO, TO HAVE THE NEXT HOTSPOT COUNCILWOMAN, I'LL JUMP IN THERE.
IT WAS PROBABLY THREE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ASK AND LET ME TALK ABOUT THE FIRST ONE.
SO WITH THE NURSING HOMES, THERE'VE BEEN 3,600 PEOPLE THAT HAVE DIED IN NURSING HOMES AS OF TODAY.
AND THERE WERE 44 THAT, UH, VETERANS THAT DIED BACK EAST IN NURSING HOME.
SO ON APRIL 2ND, THE CENTER FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES ISSUED RECOMMENDATIONS THAT STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SHOULD WORK TO, UM, WITH THESE CONGREGATED POPULATIONS TO HAVE NURSING HOME FACILITIES FOR THEM.
SO WE HAPPENED TO MEET THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN STRAC, MET WITH THE TWO LARGEST NURSING HOME, UH, COMPANIES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND THEY OWNED SEVERAL THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND THEY VOLUNTEERED THESE LOCATIONS.
SO I WANT TO COMMEND THEM FOR ACTUALLY VOLUNTEERING A LOCATION BECAUSE IT WOULD, UM, MAKE A BETTER FOOTPRINT FOR US AS FAR AS P P E AND A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES.
AND SO PRIOR TO, UM, RIVER CENTER MOVING IN, MOVING ANY PATIENTS IN, THEY MOVED EVERYONE OUT.
THEY ARRANGED FOR SUPPLIES OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES.
THEY PROVIDED ADDITIONAL TRAINING.
THEY BRING MEALS IN TO THEIR EMPLOYEES EVERY SINGLE DAY SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND SHOP.
UM, THEY HAVE INCREASED LAUNDRY AND, UH, CLEANING SERVICES.
ALL OF THEIR VENDORS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED THAT IT'S A COVID LOCATION.
AND SO, UH, THEY'VE WORKED VERY WELL WITH US AND THEY'VE ESTABLISHED TWO DAILY CONFERENCE CALLS, CONFERENCE TO HEAR FROM PROVIDER, UH, MEMBERS THROUGHOUT.
THIS HAS BEEN WORKED THROUGH THE STATE O OMBUDSMAN, AND IT WAS A LOCATION THAT THEY SELECTED.
SO AGAIN, I WAS HAPPY ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A COHORT FOR NURSING HOMES, HOMES.
UNFORTUNATELY, I DIDN'T PICK THE LOCATION.
AND ALSO OUR, OUR SECOND SITE ON THE WEST SIDE, THEY HAVE PULLED OUT SO WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER LOCATION, AND MOST JURISDICTIONS IN THE STATE OR AROUND THE COUNTRY DIDN'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SET NURSING HOMES TO PUT THEIR PATIENTS IN.
SO, UH, I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT IDEA.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS ON THE EAST SIDE, THIS NURSE, NURSE NURSING HOME IS SAFE, IT'S BEEN CLEANED AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM.
THE TWO PEOPLE THAT WENT OVER THERE OVER THE WEEKEND WENT ON THEIR OWN.
AND SO THAT'S THE, THE NURSING HOME ISSUE.
WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH NURSING HOMES.
I DO SEE THAT THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE SPIKES IN NURSING HOMES THROUGHOUT THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THESE FOLKS HAVE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS AS FAR AS OUTREACH TO THE EAST SIDE, WE'VE SPOKE TO OUR JIG EARLIER THIS WEEK, AND WE HAVE CANVASED A LOT OF THE EAST SIDE LOCATIONS, UH, WITH PUBLIC HEALTH, WITH INFORMATION, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE FOLKS ARE GETTING WHAT THEY NEED.
OUR MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTH FOLKS HAVE ACTUALLY GONE OUT AND SWABBED SOME PEOPLE THAT COULD NOT, UM, GET SWABBED ANY OTHER WAY.
[02:35:01]
SO AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE THE COMPASSION AND THE KINDNESS, THE GENEROSITY, AND HOPEFULLY THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PEOPLE OF THE EAST SIDE.WELL, WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT, CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR, FOR MAKING THOSE CLARIFICATIONS AND, AND ACTUALLY PROVIDING THAT, UH, FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, RIVER CITY.
I KNOW, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN NOTICING IS THAT, UM, WITH THE CITY, IF WE COULD OPEN A STRATEGIC PLAN OF COMMUNICATION AS IT FLOWS FROM, UM, THE TOP DOWN TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT THEM HAVING TO HEAR ABOUT IT OR READ ABOUT IT THROUGH THE NEWSPAPERS.
I KNOW ONCE WE NORMALLY GET IT IN THE COUNCIL, UM, OFFICE, A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE PUSHING IT OUT AND BY THAT TIME IT'S ALREADY THE PRESS RELEASE.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY ON TOP OF THINGS FOR OUR COMMUNITY, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE NOT UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH.
AND THEN MY LAST THING THAT I'M GONNA SAY IS I AGREE WITH COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THE COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE A PART OF THE NEW INITIATIVE MAYOR.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ALL OF THE TIME AND YOU GUYS HAVE A BLESSED ONE.
MAYOR AND I, I GET GREAT COMMENTS FROM ALL MY COLLEAGUES.
UM, I'D START OFF MY FIRST ALSO ECHOING SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES' COMMENTS ABOUT, UM, INVOLVEMENT THE CITY COUNCIL AND SOME OF THESE GROUPS SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, CERTAIN EXPERTISE.
I THINK WE CAN TAP A LOT OF THE GREAT FOLKS ONTO THE COUNCIL TO, TO DO JUST THAT.
SO I WANNA EXPRESS MY, MY SUPPORT.
UM, ALSO I'D LIKE AN UPDATE ON 3 1 1 IF POSSIBLE.
WE'LL GO ONTO THE, THE NEXT ITEM.
I'LL, I'LL ASSUME THAT I'LL, I'LL GET AN EMAIL OR SOMETHING.
UM, REGARDING SCALING BACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, AGAIN, TELL US, DOES THAT, DOES THAT AFFECT BOND AND INSURE FUNDED PROJECTS? COUNCILMAN? UH, THIS IS ROD.
IT DOES NOT AFFECT BOND PROJECTS, I CAN TELL YOU THAT.
WHAT ABOUT PROJECTS? COUNCILMAN? THIS IS LORI HOUSTON COUNCIL FOR THE TURS PROJECTS THAT WERE ALREADY FUNDED AND THEY'RE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, IT DOES NOT IMPACT THAT.
UM, ALSO REGARDING THE, THE, THE PEAK, UH, IS STILL PROJECTED TO BE THE FIRST, FIRST TWO, TWO WEEKS OF MAY.
UH, WHAT ARE THE PROJECTIONS FOR OTHER TEXAS CITIES? COUNCILMAN, THIS IS COLLEEN.
I, I'LL GET THAT TO YOU IN WRITING.
MAYBE WE HAVE A PRESENTATION UPDATE ON THAT BECAUSE ARE, ARE WE WE'RE SEEN AS A REGION? IS IT NOT? IT DEPENDS ON WHICH MODEL YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
UM, SO I CAN, I CAN, UH, EXPLAIN THAT ALL.
ALSO, WANNA SUPPORT, UH, UH, LORI'S AND STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO EXPAND RISK MITIGATION FUNDS TO INCLUDE THE INTERNET.
AND SO AS WE LOOK FORWARD, UH, TO PROVIDING MORE SUPPORT THROUGH THE RISK MITIGATION FUND, I'LL ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO ADD SOME FLEXIBILITY IN THOSE FUNDS MOVING FORWARD.
I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A CRITICAL TIME TO, TO BE FLEXIBLE WITH THAT.
AND, UH, ALSO WANNA COMMEND S A I AS THESE ROLE THAT
[02:40:01]
THEY'RE DOING TO KEEP PEOPLE CONNECTED.AND I KNOW COUNCILMAN COURAGE IS WORKING ON, UH, SOME THINGS FOR OUR SOCIAL SERVICES WORKING GROUP AND THAT IT CAN HELP TO ADDRESS THAT CONNECTIVITY.
UNLESS Y'ALL WANT ME TO SHOW YOU WHAT'S OVER MY SHOULDER? YOU MAKING HERE OWN VENT THERE? YES, SIR.
LOOK AT RUNNING COMPLETELY BATTERY.
TELL YOU WHAT, WE'LL TAKE 2100 OF THOSE.
I WANNA SEE A LIVE DEMONSTRATION.
ARE YOU VOLUNTEERING, PLEASE? THANKS GUYS.
HEY, MAYOR, IF I COULD JUMP IN ONE SECOND PLEASE.
I'D LIKE TO THANK, UH, COUNCILMAN PALELLA FOR HIS, UH, TACOS, BUT WE ARE CLOSING THE STATIONS DOWN AND SO ANY FOOD SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE FOOD BANK.
WE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE WELL FED AND, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO LIMIT EXPOSURE FROM ANYBODY AT THE FIRE STATIONS.
SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH, BUT WE'LL CATCH YOU AFTER THIS PANDEMIC.
ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO, UH, ERIC.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH THE COUNCIL THAT, UH, FOR THURSDAY'S, UH, AGENDA ITEM ON THE COVID UPDATE, UH, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON PLAN IS TO FOCUS ON THREE AREAS.
ONE IS AN UPDATE, UH, ON THE FEDERAL STIMULUS AS YOU'VE HEARD TODAY.
AND, UH, THAT THE, THE RULES ARE BEING PROMULGATED AND BEING PUSHED DOWN.
UH, WE JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THE AIRPORT RIGHT BEFORE THIS, UH, WEBEX.
SO, UH, WE'LL GIVE THE COUNCIL AN UPDATE ON WHERE EVERYTHING STANDS ON THURSDAY.
UH, THE SECOND ITEM WILL BE, UH, AND YOU'VE HEARD SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT IT ON TODAY'S CALL, THE HOUSING AND RISK MITIGATION PROPOSAL.
AND WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE COUNCIL SO THAT WE CAN PUT THAT INTO, UH, INTO ACTION.
AND THEN FINALLY, WE, WE WILL GIVE THE COUNCIL AN UPDATE ON, UH, WHAT WE'VE SPENT SO FAR IN TERMS OF THIS RESPONSE.
UM, AND, UH, MARIA IS COMPILING THAT WITH OUR FINANCE FOLKS AND OUR, UH, BUDGET STAFF.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, MAYOR, I JUST DID, I JUST WANTED TO THANK, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR VISITING THE CALL CENTER ON FRIDAY.
UH, THOSE EMPLOYEE, THOSE EMPLOYEES AND 3 1 1 HAVE, HAVE TAKEN THE BRUNT OF THE WORKLOAD BECAUSE, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE CALLED LOOKING FOR INFORMATION AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF INFORMATION.
AND, UH, WE KEEP EXPANDING THAT EFFORT TO HANDLE, UH, MORE ISSUES LIKE HOUSING AND RISK MITIGATION AND HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO, UH, I, I, I WANTED TO THANK, UH, THE COUNCILWOMAN FOR GOING OUT THERE.
UM, IF YOU, IF YOU SAW THAT AND YOU NOTICED IT IN ONE OF THE END OF DAY REPORTS THAT WE SENT, UH, AT THE END OF LAST WEEK, WE'VE MOVED THAT CALL CENTER TO THE, THE, UH, SENIOR CENTER IN D 10.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SPREAD OUT OUR EMPLOYEES AND MAINTAIN GOOD SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES.
AND SO WE'VE, UH, WE'RE OPERATING OUT OF THAT FACILITY RIGHT NOW AND, AND, UH, THINGS ARE GOING WELL.
UH, JUST THANKING EVERYONE AGAIN FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR FLEXIBILITY AND UNDERSTANDING AS WE GET THROUGH SOME OF THE MORE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
OBVIOUSLY THESE ARE EXTRAORDINARY TIMES, UM, AND IT HAS CHANGED SOME OF OUR PROCESSES, BUT SOME OF THE TRUTHS OF OUR GOVERNMENT, UH, HAS REMAINED THE SAME.
UH, WE ARE, UH, DOING SOME VERY INNOVATIVE THINGS.
AND I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT, AGAIN, THIS IS MAYBE THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL AND FIRST EVER COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT TO ADVANCE SOME OF THESE URGENT NEEDS AND PRIORITIES
[02:45:01]
OF OUR COMMUNITY.AND YOU NEED ONLY PICK UP THE, UH, THE PAPER OR LOOK THROUGH THE WEB TO SEE THE URGENCY WHEN YOU SEE THE PICTURES OF THE FOOD BANK LINES, UH, TO SEE HOW MUCH WORK WE HAVE TO DO TO SHORE UP, UM, SOME OF THESE ESSENTIAL NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, SO I WANT TO THANK, UH, MY COLLEAGUES, UH, FOR WORKING IN, UH, A VERY DIFFERENT WAY TO ADDRESS THESE, UH, CONCERNS VERY QUICKLY.
THAT'S THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, UH, IN BETWEEN MEETINGS, BUT IN TERMS OF THE AUTHORITIES OF THE COUNCIL AND OF THE MAYOR, UH, AND OF THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND OF THE JUDGE, NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
UM, THERE, THERE'S BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WHEN WE LIFT THE RESTRICTIONS? WHAT CONDITIONS AND PROTOCOLS NEED TO BE IN PLACE IF WE WERE TO GO BACK INTO THEM, UH, DUE TO A SECOND WAVE.
UH, WHAT DO WE NEED TO BE CONSIDERING JUST AS WE WOULD BEFORE? THOSE ARE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE GUIDED BY THE EXPERTS, THE MEDICAL EXPERTS, THE PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES, UH, YOU KNOW, THE HOSPITAL, UM, UH, ADMINISTRATORS AND SO FORTH.
UH, BUT LET ME ASSURE YOU AND ASSURE THE PUBLIC THAT THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, THE MAYOR, THE JUDGE, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE TWO HANDS ON THE WHEEL AS WE MOVE OUR CITY THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
THERE IS NOT A PLAN FOR, UH, GETTING OUT OF THESE ORDERS THAT WILL NOT HAVE, UH, YOUR INPUT AND DISCUSSION AND STEWARDSHIP.
UH, WE JUST HAVE TO WORK, UH, TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT, UH, UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES HOW WE DO SO IN THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY.
UM, BUT MIND YOU, FROM THIS, FROM THE VERY START OF THIS PROCESS, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN EASY, UH, OUR MEDICAL FOLKS, OUR MEDICAL EXPERTS AND PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT.
THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT.
I'LL CONTINUE TO BE WORKING WITH YOU.
UM, AND WE'LL BE CONTINUING TO TALK, UM, MULTIPLE TIMES, WEEKLY, DAILY, UH, AS NECESSARY.
UM, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO PERFECT THIS PROCESS IN, IN A VERY EXTRAORDINARY TIME.
SO THANK YOU ALL, UH, AND THOSE LISTENING, UH, FOR TUNING IN.