Mar 09, 2022 Public Health Committee

UH, MAYOR, WE'VE CLEARED ONE THROUGH FOUR AT THIS POINT, BUT I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO

UM, WELCOME TO THE DIOCESE MAYOR ADLER MAYOR PRO TEM ALTAR,

[Additional Item]

[00:05:01]

SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE PROCLAMATION THAT YOU ISSUED TODAY, UM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR COUNTY COUNTY JUDGE AND MANY OF US, UM, I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND, UH, IT, I WAS JUST REAL PROUD TO BE ABLE TO STAND UP WITH YOU AND WITH OUR, OUR, OUR COLLEAGUES, UH, THIS MORNING WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND WITH THE COUNTY ATTORNEY WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR CITY, UH, AND WITH CHI, UH, IT IS FRIGHTENING.

AND FRANKLY, HORRIFIC THAT OUR GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL HAVE PUT, UH, TRANSGENDER YOUTH IN, IN THEIR SITES, UH, THREATENING THOSE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH, UH, UH, PROSECUTION THAT IS NOT CALLED FOR UNDER LAW.

UH, IT WAS, IT WAS A PROUD MOMENT TO BE ABLE TO REAFFIRM THAT AUSTIN IS A SAFE PLACE FOR, FOR THOSE FAMILIES.

UM, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, TO WELCOME HOME KAI AND, AND HER FAMILY WHO HAVE MOVED TO, TO AUSTIN.

UM, BUT IT'S JUST REAL IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY STANDS UP AND MAKES A VERY LOUD AND VISIBLE STATEMENT THAT EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY IS RESPECTED AND LOVED AND APPRECIATED.

UH, AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE MAKING THE VERY DIFFICULT DECISIONS WITH THEIR FAMILIES, WITH THEIR PHYSICIANS, WITH THEIR CLERGY, WITH, WITH WHOEVER IT IS.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM WITH RESPECT TO TRANS, UH, UH, GENDER AFFIRMING CARE AND THE SUGGESTION THAT THE STATE CAN STEP IN AT THIS POINT AND, AND THREATEN PEOPLE OR SCARE PEOPLE OR, OR DIMINISH THE CARE OPPORTUNITY IS JUST OUTRAGEOUS.

AND WE STOOD UP THIS MORNING AS A GROUP TO SAY THAT, THANK YOU, MAYOR, THANK YOU, MARA.

AND I APPRECIATE THAT IS CERTAINLY A MATTER OF HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR SO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND I THINK IS VERY APPROPRIATE, WAS IT WAS A VERY APPROPRIATE AND, UH, AN IMPORTANT REASON FOR US TO, TO BE TOGETHER OUTSIDE.

AND SO, AGAIN, APOLOGIES THAT WE STARTED A BIT LATE, BUT I HOPE THOSE OF YOU WATCHING AND PARTICIPATING IN THIS MEETING UNDERSTAND THE REALLY CRITICAL, CRITICAL REASON WHY WE DID THAT.

SO NEXT

[Additional Item 2]

WE ARE.

UM, AND, AND MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM, JUST AS A NOTE, WE ARE IN THE, IN THE ACTIVE PROCESS OF SOLICITING NEW APPLICANTS FOR THE SOBERING CENTER.

ONE OF OUR FABULOUS BOARD MEMBERS DID STEP OFF.

AND SO PLEASE SPREAD THAT AMONG YOUR NETWORKS, IF YOU WOULD CHAIR, I THINK WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE WAITING TO TESTIFY ONLINE.

DID MY APOLOGIES.

DIDN'T DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU SAW THAT.

SO I DID NOT.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.

CAN YOU HELP ME WITH IT OR VICE CHAIR, IF YOU HAVE THOSE NAMES, WOULD YOU MIND HELPING ME WITH THOSE? SURE.

I DON'T HAVE THE NAMES OF WHO'S WAITING.

GOT IT.

UM, YEAH.

WELL, LET ME GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS FIRST.

I'LL INVITE THOSE WHO ARE GATHERED HERE.

SCOTT, ARE YOU HERE FOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS? THANK YOU.

WELL WELCOME.

AND YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES.

IS IT, IS IT THREE MINUTES OR TWO? THREE.

TOVO MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS BEEN DONATION OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE ON THE UTILITY BILL.

AND IN 2013, THERE WERE TWO CHANGES THAT WERE MADE.

ONE OF THEM WAS THE TREE PLANTING PROGRAM FUND WAS CHANGED TO THE, TO THE PARKS AND LIBRARY FUND.

AND THAT IS, I TOOK THAT EFFORT FROM START TO FINISH AND STILL WORK ON TRYING TO SOLICIT MORE DONATIONS, WORKING WITH STAFF FROM PART AND THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT.

ANOTHER CHANGE THAT WAS MADE WAS THAT A NEW FUND WAS ADDED.

THAT'S CALLED THE PUBLIC SERVICES EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FUND.

THAT FUND HAS A GENERAL PURPOSE AND IS DISTRIBUTED TO ISD THAT ARE IN THE AUSTIN ENERGY SERVICE AREA.

AND THEY CAN DO WITH IT WHAT THEY WANT.

AIS USES IT FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION WORK.

AS YOU CAN SEE SCROLLING DOWN, I ASKED FOR THIS REPORT ABOUT TWICE PER YEAR, THE PUBLIC SERVICES EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANT FUND IS TRENDING APPROXIMATELY $22,000 PER YEAR IN TOTAL DONATIONS FROM RATE PAYERS FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN IT'S UNDERPERFORMING.

THE PARKS AND LIBRARIES FUND HAS GONE FROM ABOUT 22 TO 23,000 WHEN IT WAS TREE PLANTING ONLY

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TO ABOUT 45 TO 50,000.

AND THE OTHER FUND IS DOING WELL, WHICH IS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.

THE PARKS AND LIBRARIES FUND IS ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICES ENERGY ASSISTANCE FUND IS IN THE MIDDLE.

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I HAD AN IDEA.

I STARTED SHARING IT WITH SOME OF THE PROMINENT NONPROFITS THAT WORK ON HOMELESSNESS, SUCH AS ECHO AND LIFEWORKS, THE SAFE ALLIANCE AND CARITAS.

AND IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS THAT I'VE HAD WITH CITY STAFF AS WELL, IT'S COME TO KNOWN THAT THERE IS INTEREST IN THIS IDEA.

PART OF GIVING IS ABOUT APPEALING TO SOMEONE ON SOME LEVEL WHERE YOU GET THEM TO THINK ABOUT HOW THEY CAN HELP, WHAT I PROPOSING TO THE CITY AND NOW TO THE CITY COUNCIL THROUGH THIS COMMITTEE IS THAT THE CITY CONSIDER REPURPOSING AND RENAMING THE PUBLIC SERVICES, EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FUND.

THAT'S DISTRIBUTED BY AUSTIN ENERGY TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN THEIR AREA, AND IS UNDERPERFORMING IN MY OPINION TO THE, TO THE HOMELESS STUDENT FUND.

AND THIS FUND WOULD, I BELIEVE INCREASE IN DONATIONS IF IT'S APPROPRIATELY MARKETED, WHICH I'LL TAKE SOME ROLE IN.

AND THIS WOULD ALSO MORE IMPORTANTLY, RAISE AWARENESS FOR THIS ISSUE.

IT'S AN ISSUE THAT I DID NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT UNTIL A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, YEAR AND A HALF AGO WHEN I STARTED ASKING AND TALKING TO PEOPLE FROM THE CITY AND FROM NONPROFITS, AISD HAS COLLATED INFORMATION.

AND WHAT YOU SEE ON YOUR SCREEN NOW IS DATA FROM 2019 AND 2020 THAT SCHOOL YEAR, AS YOU CAN SEE THE SECOND PARAGRAPH DUE TO COVID IN 2021, THERE WASN'T ANY USEFUL INFORMATION.

AND DOWN AT THE BOTTOM AFTER THE 2,113 AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE OUR HOMELESS STUDENTS, THAT THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT ARE, THAT ARE HOMELESS, WHO ARE STUDENTS QUESTIONS.

WITHOUT REALLY ANY PUBLIC EXPLANATION.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SCOTT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PAST WORK AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR BEING HERE TODAY TO TALK, OKAY.

OUR FIRST SPEAKER AND I BELIEVE HE HAS A SPEAKER ONLINE IS FRED LEWIS AND HE WILL, FRED WILL BE FOLLOWED BY PAUL SAUL, TANYA.

AND I BELIEVE THAT IS ALL OUR SPEAKERS, UNLESS THERE'S ANYONE ELSE HERE IN THE CHAMBERS TO SPEAK, OKAY, MR. LEWIS, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

GOOD MORNING CHAIR, TOPO AND MEMBERS.

UH, I'M HERE TO MAKE A REQUEST THAT WE BE ABLE TO MAKE A FULL PRESENTATION IN APRIL BEFORE THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE ON CENTRAL HEALTH, SERIOUS FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS. UH, I WOULD LIKE, UH, FOR NELSON LENDER AND SENATOR BODY INTO US AND MYSELF, AS WELL AS OTHERS TO SPEAK THE NAACP LAUNCHED TODAY, I FELT EQUITY FIRST CAMPAIGN TO REFORM PUBLIC HOSPITAL SYSTEMS IN TEXAS, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT SERVING THE POOR NOR TAXPAYERS WELL IN, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY, WE HAVE 185,000 PEOPLE THAT HAVE NO HEALTH COVERAGE OF ANY KIND THAT IS WHO CENTRAL HEALTH IS SUPPOSED TO BE SERVING.

THERE IS A RACIAL DISPARATE IMPACT OF THOSE WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE.

MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE HOW STARK IT IS.

WELL, 7% OF THE ANGLOS IN TRAVIS COUNTY DON'T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE.

IT'S 15% OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND 42% OF THE HISPANIC HAVE NO HEALTH COVERAGE.

SO HOW CENTRAL HEALTH FUNCTIONS OR DOESN'T FUNCTION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE OF COLOR AND POOR PEOPLE.

AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AS YOU KNOW, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO HAS A SPECIAL ROLE TO PLAY WITH CENTRAL HEALTH BECAUSE OF THE WAY, BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT AUSTIN WAS THE LAST MAJOR TEXAS CITY WITH A MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL BRACKENRIDGE.

AND THEREFORE WE ARE COUNCIL HAS THE RIGHT TO MAKE APPOINTMENTS WITH THE CENTRAL HEALTH BOARD THAT OTHER CITIES DON'T MAKE IN OTHER COUNTIES.

AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHY WE WANT TO MAKE A PROTEASOME STATION AND WHY WE'RE ASKING THE COMMITTEE TO CALL FOR AN AUDIT OF CENTRAL HEALTH.

IT IS NOT WELL KNOWN THAT IN THIS YEAR'S FISCAL BUDGET FOR CENTRAL HEALTH, AND YOU CAN READ IT IN THEIR APPROVED BUDGET.

THEY RAISED THEIR TAXES 6%, BUT THEY DECREASE THEIR HEALTH SERVICES.

34% FROM 155 MILLION TO 101 MILLION IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC.

AND THEY INCREASED THEIR CONTINGENCY RESERVE TO AGE 9 MILLION, THE 298 MILLION

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AND THOSE FIGURES ARE REALLY RATHER STARTLING AND ASK FOR A LOT OF QUESTIONS.

THERE ARE ALSO PROBLEMS LIKE THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS BEEN FINED $83 MILLION OR IMPERMISSIBLE PROVIDER RELATED.

UH, AND YET THERE IS NO DOCUMENTATION OF ANY KIND THAT POOR PEOPLE RECEIVED ANY HEALTHCARE FOR $280 MILLION.

AND IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE VOTERS APPROVED THE TAX INCREASE FOR MEDICAL SCHOOLS, SOME CENSUS CONSISTENT WITH CENTRAL HEALTH MISSION, WHICH OF COURSE IS TO CARE FOR THE POOR.

THANK YOU, MR. LEWIS, THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING TODAY AND FOR THOSE COMMENTS AND WE WILL CONSIDER YOUR REQUEST.

UM, OUR NEXT, PARDON ME, OUR NEXT AND FINAL SPEAKER FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS TODAY IS ALSO ONLINE.

AND THAT IS ALSO DANYA.

WELCOME, MR. SALDANIA.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

HI, GOOD MORNING.

UH, MY NAME IS PAUL .

I'M A LEADER WITH THE AUSTIN LATINO COALITION.

OUR COALITION OF VOLUNTEERS HAS MADE UP OF ABOUT 20 TRUSTED LATINO SERVING ORGANIZATIONS, NONPROFITS, CIVIC, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.

WE HAVE ABOUT 35 LATINO COMMUNITY LEADERS AND A NETWORK OF NEARLY 1000 VOLUNTEERS.

THE ALC IN 2020 AND 2021 SERVE NEARLY 120,000 FAMILIES.

WE PROVIDED ACCESS TO BARRIER FREE PPE SUPPLIES, COVID TESTING, FLU SHOTS, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, FOOD, WATER, VACCINE, BOOSTERS, AND CULTURE RELEVANT, BILINGUAL INFORMATION, UH, RESOURCES AND SUPPORT, AND OUR COALITION LAUNCHED AND IMPLEMENTED A BILINGUAL VACCINE HESITANCY PLAN TO INCREASE VACCINATIONS WITHIN THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

AS WE'RE ENTERING YEAR THREE OF THE PANDEMIC, 1,441 AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS HAVE DIED OF COVID LATINOS REPRESENT NEARLY 50% OF ALL THOSE DEATHS, THAT 720 LATINOS FROM OUR COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, ONE AND TWO KIDS, AND ONE IN THREE ADULTS OR LATINO, LATINO COMMUNITIES VARY IN THEIR ACCESS TO CHILDCARE EDUCATION, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS, GREEN SPACE, HEALTHY FOODS, AND HEALTHCARE, ALL OF WHICH ARE NECESSARY TO STAY HEALTHY AND THRIVE.

AND ACCORDING TO SALUTE AMERICA HEALTH EQUITY REPORT LATINOS IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY CONTINUE TO FACE MORE SOCIAL ECONOMIC BARRIERS AND POOR HEALTH OUTCOMES THAN NON LATINO WHITES.

THESE DISPARITIES, IN MY OPINION, ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF THE JIM CROW REDLINING POLICIES AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INFAMOUS 1928 MASTER PLAN BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

AND HERE WE ARE, 94 YEARS LATER, AND OUR COMMUNITIES ARE STILL BEING DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THIS INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, INEQUITIES, CLASSISM, AND SEGREGATION.

UH, THE COVID PANDEMIC OBVIOUSLY HAS DISPROPORTIONATE DISPROPORTIONATE DEVASTATED AND IMPACTED OUR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.

UH, AND IT'S CRUCIAL THAT WE NOT ONLY RECOGNIZE THE RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN COVID CASES AND DEATHS, BUT ALSO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS THAT GAVE RISE TO THESE DISPARITIES.

SO MY REQUEST TO YOU TODAY IS THAT YOU APPLY THE SAME LEVEL OF RESOLVE AND COMMITMENT TO BETTER UNDERSTANDING WHY AUSTIN RESIDENTS WERE SUBJECTED TO FAILURES IN OUR CITY'S DRINKING WATER SUPPLY, THE, THE 1,441 RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, AND THE 720 LATINOS WHO DIED FROM OUR COMMUNITY DESERVE BETTER AT MINIMUM, A THIRD PARTY AUDIT OF THE PANDEMIC, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES AND SUPPORT THIS SYSTEMATIC PROCESS OF STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION OF POWER AND DECISIONS MUST BE OBJECTIVELY EVALUATED.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE COMMITTEE LED ORGANIZATIONS WHO CONTINUE TO BE INVOLVED IN SUPPORTING OUR MINORITY AND LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC MUST HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE TO PROVIDE FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF OUR LIVED EXPERIENCES AND THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE CONTINUE TO SERVE.

THE PANDEMIC SHOWED LARGE SOCIAL AND STRUCTURAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH MATTER.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR POLICY MAKERS LIKE YOURSELVES TO ADD, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO PROVIDE SOME TESTIMONY THIS MORNING.

THANK YOU, MR. SALDANIA.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TREMENDOUS WORK THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.

AND OF COURSE, AS A COMMUNITY LEADER BEFORE THAT AS WELL.

I THINK YOUR SUGGESTION IS AS A VERY IMPORTANT ONE.

I KNOW WHEN YOU AND I SPOKE, YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT, I THINK WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF HAVING A COMMUNITY TASK FORCE.

AND SO ONE POTENTIAL MODEL TO LOOK AT THE CITY'S RESPONSE DURING THE PANDEMIC MIGHT BE TO LOOK BACK TO THE RESOLUTION COLLEAGUES THAT I DID THAT HAD, UM, BOTH AN AUDIT, A VERY BRIEF, BRIEFLY CONSTITUTED COMMUNITY TASK FORCE AS WELL TO TAKE, UH, TO TAKE SOME OF THAT PUBLIC TESTIMONY.

SO WE CAN CERTAINLY DISCUSS THAT.

THANKS AGAIN FOR BEING HERE.

ANYONE ELSE?

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SO COLLEAGUES, WE'RE GOING TO, WE HAVE A MAYOR PRO TEM ALTAR HERE TODAY TO JOIN US FOR THE PRESENTATION REGARDING THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER.

[6. Briefing regarding Trauma Recovery Centers in Austin.]

AND SO WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I'M GOING TO SWAP THE NEXT TWO SEGMENTS OF OUR AGENDA.

DOES THAT CAUSE A CONCERN FOR ANYONE CHAIR? I JUST WANTED TO CHECK BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAD A, UM, A SPEAKER JOINING US ONLINE THAT DR.

SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE'S ONLINE.

SHE IS OKAY, AND WE'RE GOOD TO GO.

OKAY, GREAT.

ANYONE HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT SWAPPING THOSE TWO PIECES? OKAY.

THEN WE WILL TAKE UP NEXT.

OUR BRIEFING REGARDING TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS IN AUSTIN AND COUNCIL MEMBER US HAS, HAS ALSO BROUGHT FORWARD A RESOLUTION WE'RE NOW POSTED FOR POTENTIAL ACTION ON THAT ITEM.

AND THEN WE WILL CONCLUDE WITH OUR BRIEFING ON SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER ON THE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS THAT SEVERAL OF US HAVE, HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING.

SO WELCOME TO OUR PRESENTER.

UM, THIS IS, LET ME JUST GET BACK TO IT.

WE HAVE, UM, TWO PRESENTERS, I'M SORRY, THREE PRESENTERS TODAY.

WE HAVE TARA TUCKER WHO IS TEXAS STATE DIRECTOR FOR THE ALLIANCE FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE TRISHA FORBES FROM THE ALLIANCE FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE AS WELL.

AND THEN ONLINE IS DR.

BUSTLE.

LAURIE, WELCOME.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY.

GOOD MORNING.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

MY NAME IS TARA TUCKER.

I'M THE TEXAS STATE DIRECTOR FOR ALLIANCE FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE.

WE'RE A, MULTI-STATE NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO, UM, DOING ADVOCACY AROUND REDUCING OUR OVER-RELIANCE ON INCARCERATION AND REALLOCATING RESOURCES TO COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK TO PROVIDE TRAUMA, RECOVERY SERVICES, PREVENTIONS, DIVERSIONS, UM, AND PROGRAMS THAT ARE GOING TO BREAK OUR CYCLE OF CRIME.

UM, TODAY WITH ME IS TRISHA FORBES, WHO IS THE STATEWIDE MANAGER FOR CRIME SURVIVORS FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE.

UM, AND ALSO DR.

WHO IS THE, UM, FOUNDER OF THE SAN FRANCISCO TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER, WHICH IS THE FIRST TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER IN, UM, STARTED.

UM, SO WHILE WE HAVE GREAT SERVICES THROUGH OUR, OUR CURRENT VICTIM SERVICES, UM, ORGANIZATIONS, THERE ARE MULTIPLE PEOPLE, LIKE I SAID, THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE SERVICES BECAUSE, UM, THEY ARE NOT, THEY HAVE NOT FILED.

GOOD MORNING.

I'M MAYOR PRO TEM AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I'M TRISHA FORBES, AS TARA SAID, AND I AM PART OF, UM, CRIME SURVIVORS FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE.

WE'RE A PROJECT OF THE ALLIANCE FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE.

WE HAVE MORE THAN 9,000 SURVIVORS OF ALL KINDS OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.

MANY OF THEM HERE IN AUSTIN, AND WE DO ORGANIZING TO ELEVATE THE VOICES OF SURVIVORS WHO ARE NOT OFTEN HEARD, UM, ESPECIALLY BLACK AND LATIN X COMMUNITIES.

AND SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY.

SO AGAIN, TODAY, WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE PROPOSAL BEFORE THE COUNCIL, WHICH IS TO FUND A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER.

TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS, UM, ARE AN EXCELLENT WAY TO INCREASE PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC HEALTH.

UM, AND I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE TAKEN GREAT STRIDES TO STRENGTHEN VIOLENCE PREVENTION, UM, AND SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS.

AND I BELIEVE THAT TRAUMA RECOVERS RECENTERS ARE THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS ARE ONE-STOP CENTERS THAT SUPPORT VICTIMS THROUGH THE CRY OF VIOLENT CRIME THROUGH THE RECOVERY PROCESS.

THERE THEY HAVE PROVIDE WIDE, WIDE RANGING COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORTS.

UM, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

THANKS.

UM, COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORTS, UM, FROM MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING AND CASE MANAGEMENT TO NAVIGATING THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND HELPING WITH AND MORE, THEY ARE CONFIDENTIAL LEAST SUPPORT IN THE, UM, THEY'RE IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

UM, AND NEXT SLIDE, UM, THE MODEL OF THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER, UM, USES PROVEN APPROACHES TO TRAUMA INFORMED CARE AND ADDRESS TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF SURVIVORS.

THEY UTILIZE ASSERTIVE OUTREACH SO THAT PEOPLE ARE, UM, NOT JUST SERVICED IN THE CENTER, BUT IF THEY ARE UNABLE TO COME TO THE CENTER, THEY CAN, THE, THE PEOPLE IN THE CENTER WILL, UM, GO OUT TO THEM AND HELP THEM GET WHAT THEY NEED.

UM, SO THEY CAN ENGAGE SURVIVORS IN MULTIPLE WAYS.

AND THEN THEY ALSO, UM, TAKE REFERRALS FROM MULTIPLE PARTNERS.

THEY HAVE CLINICAL CASE MANAGEMENT, UM, AND THEIR MISSION IS TO HELP VICTIMS WHO, UM, ARE NOT BEING SERVED BY OUR TRADITIONAL SERVICES.

SO, UM, ONE VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SERVICE SURVIVORS WHO MAY NOT HAVE FILED A POLICE REPORTS.

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AND SO TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS CAN HELP THEM, UM, UM, WHERE OUR OTHER EXISTING SERVICES CAN.

NOT NEXT SLIDE.

UM, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THE REPORTS THAT WE HAVE.

WE'VE PUT OUT THAT ONE IN 10 SURVIVORS ARE NOT ACCESSING TRADITIONAL VICTIM SERVICES.

UM, AGAIN, UM, THIS IS TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO REACH MORE PEOPLE WHO WOULD NOT BE ACCESSING TRADITIONAL SERVICES.

NEXT SLIDE, SHE TALKED ABOUT PREVENTION.

THANK YOU, TARA.

SO I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PREVENTION.

UM, THE DATA ALSO SHOWED THAT VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME ARE FOUR TIMES AS LIKELY TO BE REPEAT CRIME VICTIMS. AND THAT MORE THAN ONE THIRD OF VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY VICTIMIZED.

UM, I AM A SURVIVOR OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND THIS WAS TRUE FOR ME AFTER I WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AS A TEENAGER.

UM, UNFORTUNATELY I WAS ONE OF THESE STATISTICS AND WENT ON TO BE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.

TWO MORE TIMES IN MY TEENAGE AND YOUNG ADULT YEARS, THE COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES THAT TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS PROVIDE HAVE AN IMPACT, NOT ONLY ON INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALSO ON FAMILIES AND WHOLE COMMUNITIES.

AND THEY DO PREVENT REPEAT VICTIMIZATION AND BREAK THE CYCLE OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE.

SO WHY TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS? UM, THEY WORK HAND IN HAND WITH EXISTING VICTIM SERVICES AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES.

AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS A QUESTION THAT OFTEN COMES UP.

WHAT ABOUT THE RESOURCES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN THE COMMUNITY AND TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS? THE, I BELIEVE 40 OF THEM AROUND THE COUNTRY NOW HAVE FOUND THAT THEY WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THOSE TO, UM, AUGMENT THE SERVICES THAT ALREADY EXIST IN OUR COMMUNITY OF THAT TRADITIONAL VICTIM SERVICES ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST SOURCES OF REFERRALS TO TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS.

UM, THEY SERVE PEOPLE WHO DON'T GO THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AGAIN LIKE MYSELF.

UM, AND, UH, REALLY IMPORTANTLY, THEY SERVE PEOPLE OF COLOR AND PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AT MUCH HIGHER RATES.

I WAS ABLE TO LISTEN TO A LITTLE BIT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE OUTSIDE THIS MORNING, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE EARLIER ITEMS ON YOUR AGENDA TODAY, ABOUT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, SUCH AS FOSTER YOUTH AND THESE FOLKS, UM, ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR VICTIMIZATION AND DON'T ALWAYS ACCESS TRADITIONAL SERVICES.

UM, TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AND ALSO TO HELP PULL PEOPLE OUT OF HOMELESSNESS.

UM, WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED AND ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THESE SERVICES, THEY ALSO ARE SHOWN TO INCREASE ACCESS TO VICTIM COMPENSATION FOR SURVIVORS WHO ARE YOUNG AND LESS EDUCATED.

AS IT'S BEEN MENTIONED, IT WAS FIRST STARTED IN SAN FRANCISCO, BUT THERE ARE NOW 39 TRCS IN EIGHT STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

SO THEY SERVE, UH, SURVIVORS OF A WIDER VARIETY OF CRIMES, INCLUDING PEOPLE EXPERIENCING COMMUNITY VIOLENCE, SUCH AS STABBING VICTIMS, GUNSHOT VICTIMS, AS WELL AS FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES TO VIOLENCE.

AND MANY OF OUR MEMBERS IN AUSTIN, UM, WHO HAVE SPOKEN ON THIS BEFORE ARE VICTIMS OF GUNSHOTS HAVE LOST THEIR CHILDREN TO GUN VIOLENCE AND HAVE NOT HAD A PLACE TO GO TO RECEIVE THE KIND OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED TO HEAL.

UM, THEY ALSO ARE MORE COST-EFFECTIVE AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF CLIENTS.

AND I BELIEVE AT THIS POINT, WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DR.

, UM, WHO IS THE FOUNDER OF THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER MODEL AND, UH, IS EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND HAS FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE THE MANY YEARS THAT, THAT SHE'S BEEN BEHIND IMPLEMENTING THESE AROUND THE COUNTRY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND IT'S SUCH AN HONOR TO, UH, TO BE JOINING YOU VIRTUALLY AND I SO MUCH APPRECIATE, UH, EVERYONE WILLINGNESS TO HEAR ABOUT THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER.

UM,

[00:30:01]

AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THIS MODEL IS THAT WE ARE VERY DATA-DRIVEN.

WE FEEL VERY ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE.

AND SO FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, WE WANTED TO COLLECT DATA, UM, TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT WE WERE EFFECTIVE.

AND WE ACTUALLY DID A RANDOMIZED TREATMENT TRIAL WHERE WE RANDOMIZED, UH, VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE.

TWO THIRDS GOT THE TRC MODEL AND ONE-THIRD, UH, GOT USUAL CARE.

AND I SHOULD SAY, WHAT IS USUAL CARE FOR MANY VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME, FOR MANY VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME THAT GIVEN A REFERRAL, UM, TO, UH, A LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM, WHICH ACTUALLY CAN PROVIDE WONDERFUL SERVICES, BUT MANY OF OUR VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME HAVE MANY, MANY BARRIERS TO ACCESS SERVICES.

AND ONE OF THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD IS AVOIDANCE.

SO PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEIR PROBLEMS BECAUSE THEY END UP OFTENTIMES HAVING INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS OR FLASHBACKS.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS IT PUSHES PEOPLE INTO, UH, ISOLATION.

AND AGAIN, OFTENTIMES AVOID TALKING ABOUT THEIR PROBLEMS. THE TRC TRIES TO COUNTER THAT BY DOING ASSERTIVE OUTREACH, AS YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD ABOUT, BUT SOME OF THE IMPACTS.

SO, UM, WE ENDED UP LOOKING AT, UH, UH, SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS IN SAN FRANCISCO.

WE HAD DATA OF RAPE VICTIMS. HOW MANY OF THEM HAD, UH, UM, ACCESS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES BEFORE TRC AND HOW MANY AFTER? AND WE WERE ABLE TO ACTUALLY DEMONSTRATE THAT RAPE VICTIMS, UH, BY BEING OFFERED THE TRC MODEL, WE INCREASED ACCESS FROM 6% OF RAPE VICTIMS TO 71%, UH, ACTUALLY GETTING INTO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

WE ALSO WERE ABLE FOR GENERAL, UH, VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME ENDED UP, UM, INCREASING ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, 72%, UM, ASSIGNED TO TRC, UH, ACCEPTED AND RECEIVED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AS COMPARED TO 38% OF USUAL CARE VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME.

AND THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING.

WE DID NOT SET OUT TO INCREASE COOPERATION WITH POLICE.

IT JUST WASN'T ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE AIMING TO DO, BUT WE LOOKED AT IT AND WE ENDED UP FINDING THAT WE HAD AN INCREASE BY 69% IN VICTIMS BEING WILLING TO FILE POLICE REPORTS.

UH, WE, UH, ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DO IT AND IF THEY WANT TO, WE HELP THEM WITH IT.

AND OF COURSE, BY FILING POLICE REPORTS, UM, WE CAN END UP, UM, HOPEFULLY IMPROVING COMMUNITY SAFETY AS WELL.

WE ENDED UP DECREASING THE RATE, UH, OF HOMELESSNESS BY 41%.

AND IF I COULD HAVE THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, WE ALSO LOOKED AT, UH, AFTER RECEIVING SERVICES AND WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW THAT WE HAD AN IMPROVEMENT OF 74% SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN MENTAL HEALTH, 51% PHYSICAL HEALTH, 52% A DECREASE IN ALCOHOL ABUSE.

AND OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT PTSD, UH, BRINGS WITH IT AN INCREASE IN ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE USE.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW A DECREASE IN THAT.

UM, AFTER ONLY 16, UH, SESSIONS OF TRC SERVICES, WE WERE ABLE TO DECREASE PTSD BY 46% DEPRESSION DECREASED BY 47%.

AND, UM, UH, THIS DATA, UH, IS NOT ONLY TRUE FOR SAN FRANCISCO, BUT AS TRCS ARE BEING DEVELOPED ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE'VE HAD SIMILAR RESULTS ELSEWHERE.

I COULD HAVE THE, UH, NEXT SLIDE.

UM, AND SO WE ENDED UP ALSO LOOKING AT, UM, UH, THE, UH, WE DID A COST ANALYSIS AND WE ENDED UP FINDING THAT TRC IS MUCH MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN USUAL CARE BY ABOUT 34%.

UM, AND THE MINIMUM COST OF A TRC IS ABOUT $1 MILLION ANNUALLY.

AND I WILL TURN THIS, UH, BACK TO, UH, UH, TRISHA AND TARA, UM, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE REST OF THIS SLIDE.

UM, YEAH, I WANT TO ALSO MENTION THAT, UM, WHILE THERE'S A COST SAVINGS AND PROVIDING CARE TO SURVIVORS THIS WAY, THERE IS NO COST TO SURVIVORS TO ACCESS THESE SERVICES.

UM, THEY ARE, THEY SERVICE SURVIVORS AT NO COST TO THEM, REGARDLESS OF THE FILING OF A POLICE REPORT AND ALSO REGARDLESS OF THEIR IMMIGRATION STATUS.

SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S TRULY A CENTER THAT IS OPEN TO EVERYBODY.

UM, THE PROPOSAL THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY, UM, WOULD, UH, THE, THE RESOLUTION, UM, WOULD STATE THAT WE, UM, ASK THAT WE LOOK AT PARTNERING WITH

[00:35:01]

THE COUNTY TO, TO PROVIDE THE FUNDING FOR THE CENTER.

SO, UM, THE ASK WOULD BE $500,000 EACH, UM, WITH A MINIMUM REQUEST OF TWO YEARS OF FUNDING.

UM, AND FOR THAT, WE CAN SERVE HUNDREDS OF SURVIVORS A YEAR, UM, TRICIA, UH, THANK YOU, TARA.

AND THANK YOU, DR.

B, ONE THING THAT WE FORGOT TO MENTION EARLIER THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMITTEE TO KNOW, IS THAT AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF CRIME SURVIVORS FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE, I SERVED ON THE, UH, THE VICTIM SUPPORT AND SERVICES WORKING GROUP OF THE TASK FORCE.

UM, AND THAT WAS A GROUP OF COMMUNITY PROVIDERS, INCLUDING OUR ALLIES AT, UM, APD VICTIM SERVICES.

AND SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE FOR THE RECORD THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT, UH, FUNDING A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER IN AUSTIN WAS ONE OF THOSE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS.

UM, AND IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM WHO WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN COUNCIL MEMBER FRONTEST.

FROM THE VARIOUS PARTNERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO, WHO CAN, UM, PARTICIPATE.

AND JUST WANT TO GIVE MY, MY GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION TO TARA AND TRISHA AND DR.

BOSS, LAURIE FOR JOINING US TODAY TO TALK ABOUT BRINGING A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER TO AUSTIN.

THIS IS, UM, AS YOU SHARED DURING YOUR PRESENTATION, THIS IS MUCH NEEDED.

IT'S A PROVEN EFFECTIVE MODEL.

I MEAN, JUST SEEING THE RATES OF HOW BY HAVING A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, INCREASED REPORTING OF CRIME, UH, DECREASE PTSD.

I MEAN, THOSE ARE ALL IMPORTANT METRICS FOR US TO BE SHARING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WHICH IS WHY I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY.

AND, UM, I DON'T HAVE QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME, BUT WHEN IT'S APPROPRIATE, I I'D LIKE TO LAY OUT MY RECOMMENDATION.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.

UH, THANK YOU.

MA'AM THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO YOU LAYING OUT THE RESOLUTION.

I REALLY, UH, THINK THAT, UM, TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS IT'S REALLY TIME FOR THIS IN AUSTIN.

UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, I VIEW THEM AS A PIECE AND A COMPONENT OF OUR WHOLE HEALTHCARE DELIVERY SYSTEM, UH, WHICH AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC SAFETY IS MUCH BROADER THAN WHAT WE TRADITIONALLY THINK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, PUBLIC SAFETY EXTENDS TO, UM, OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND, UM, THE, THE HEALTH, UH, NATIONWIDE THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY BASED, UM, CARE AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY REALLY ACTUALLY HAVE A CHANCE AT REACHING PEOPLE.

SO, UM, AND I THINK AS YOU MENTIONED THAT, UM, ONE OF THE BENEFITS THAT TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS SERVE IS THEY REALLY COMPLIMENT THE EXISTING HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, BUT THEY'RE ALSO ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WHO, FOR, FOR THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT REASONS THAT SOMEONE MAY NOT ACCESS A MENTAL HEALTH CENTER.

UH, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, MUCH BETTER THAN I COULD GO INTO A LONG LIST OF REASONS.

UM, AND THERE'S BARRIERS, THERE'S HEALTH, EQUITY BARRIERS, THERE'S DISPARITIES IN, UM, IN, UM, CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING.

THERE'S, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST A WHOLE RANGE OF ISSUES WHY PEOPLE DON'T GET DON'T HAVE ACCESS.

SO I GUESS I'M, I'M TELLING, I'M SAYING THINGS THAT I KNOW THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW AND HAVE EXPERIENCED.

UM, I JUST WANT TO, TO SAY THAT, UM, I RECOGNIZE THIS AS A VERY INNOVATIVE MODEL AND I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IT TO US.

AND I SEE IT AS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT, NOT, NOT AS A, UM, NOT AS SOMETHING WE DON'T NEED AND NOT AS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING.

SO, UM, WE MEANING THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, SO THANK YOU ALL.

AND, AND I ALSO REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THE DATA EVIDENCE-BASED, UH, APPROACH TO THIS AND YOUR DATA ANALYSIS, BECAUSE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU, WE ALWAYS WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING MAY SOUND LIKE A GOOD IDEA, BUT UNLESS WE MEASURE, UH, RESULTS, WE DON'T KNOW IF WHAT WE'RE DOING IS ACTUALLY GOING TO ACHIEVE WHAT WE THINK IN NEED.

SO JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT DATA TO US.

[00:40:02]

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

UM, I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH TO VIOLENCE PREVENTION, AND I SEE A LOT OF PROMISE IN THIS MODEL.

I'M STILL LEARNING SOME OF THE INS AND OUTS AND WHAT WORKS.

AND I THINK, UM, AS A COMMUNITY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WILL WORK HERE IN AUSTIN WITH THE CONFIGURATION OF PLAYERS THAT WE HAVE.

I WANTED TO ASK MS. BACILLARY AND I'M SORRY IF IT'S DR.

BOSSLER, I'M NOT SURE.

UM, IF YOU COULD SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THE NUMBERS OF STAFF THAT YOU SEE IN THE TYPE OF STAFF THAT WORK IN THESE CENTERS AND THE KIND OF LOCATION, I MEAN, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE KIND OF HEARING THIS VAGUE, WELL, IT'S IN ALL THESE PLACES AND THEY DO X, Y, AND Z.

UM, BUT I'D LIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE, OF THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF HOW IT'S RUN AND THE, AND SOME OF THE, IF YOU COULD ALSO SPEAK TO SOME OF THE VARIATION OF THE MODELS IN TERMS OF WHO'S RUNNING IT, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.

SO THE TRC MODEL HAS A NUMBER OF CORE ELEMENTS, AND THAT'S WHAT DEFINES THE FIDELITY TO THE MODEL.

BUT ONE OF THE NICE THINGS ABOUT THIS MODEL IS THAT WHILE THERE IS A STRUCTURE TO IT, IT ALLOWS FOR ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY.

SO EACH COMMUNITY CAN ADAPT IT TO, UH, LOCAL, UH, THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY.

SO THAT'S NUMBER ONE, NUMBER TWO, IT'S MADE OF A, OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF SOCIAL WORKERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND A PSYCHIATRIST.

AND THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM, UM, TO COORDINATE CARE.

AND I THINK THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE.

IT'S NOT THE TRC DOES NOT SEE ITSELF AS BEING DEFINED TO FOUR WALLS OF A PARTICULAR LOCATION, BUT EACH CLIENT IS ASSIGNED A, UM, A COORDINATOR OF CARE THAT COORDINATE SERVICES, NOT ONLY WITHIN THE TRC, BUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM OF CARE.

SO WE END UP, UH, HOPEFULLY LEDGE LEVERAGING, LEVERAGING EXISTING COMMUNITY SERVICES, AND THE TRC CLINICIAN HELPS TO COORDINATE IT.

SO INSTEAD OF THE CLIENT HAVING TO RUN FROM ALL OVER AUSTIN, FOR EXAMPLE, TO GET SERVICES, THE COORDINATOR WILL HELP COORDINATE AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WORKING WITH THE CLIENT, UH, IS ALL WORKING TOWARDS THE SAME AIM, UH, AS HEALING, UM, EACH, UH, YOU KNOW, I CAN SPEAK IN TERMS OF, UM, USUALLY, UH, THE BUDGET FOR TRC IS ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS.

AND OF COURSE IT DEPENDS ON, UH, THE COST OF, UH, SALARIES IN A PARTICULAR LOCATION.

BUT FOR, I CAN GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE IN SAN FRANCISCO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS.

SAN FRANCISCO IS VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE, BUT FOR THAT, WE HAVE, UH, ABOUT THREE TO FOUR, SOCIAL WORK IS A PSYCHOLOGIST PART-TIME PSYCHIATRIST.

UH, WE ALSO DO INCLUDE IN THAT, AND WE SUGGEST THAT THERE'D BE SOME CAPACITY, UH, TO HAVE LIKE A DATA MANAGER THAT WILL HELP, UM, TO HELP KEEP THE TRC ON TRACK IN TERMS OF BEING ACCOUNTABLE.

YOU KNOW, I ALSO JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, I THINK THE TOC, UH, FOR ME, IT'S NEVER REALLY BEEN ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL AND I REALLY WANT TO STRESS THAT IT REALLY HAS BEEN ABOUT TRYING TO, UM, CHANGE THE SYSTEM OF CARE THAT OFTEN HAS ALREADY BEEN POINTED OUT, REALLY LEAVES A LOT OF VICTIMS BEHIND.

SO THIS IS A VERY INCLUSIVE MODEL.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE HIRE STAFF THAT ARE MULTILINGUAL AND ALSO REFLECT THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE, WHICH BY AND LARGE, UH, HAVE BEEN, UH, LATINO AND, UH, BLACK COMMUNITIES.

I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.

IT DOES.

AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE GO INTO THIS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE, UM, TRISHA AND TARA COMING, YOU KNOW, WITH A PARTICULAR APPROACH.

UM, BUT I THINK WE DO HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WHO'VE WORKED ON SIMILAR COLLABORATIONS, UM, AND THEIR WAYS OF WORKING IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT I'VE WORKED SOME THAT HAVEN'T WORKED, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER TO MAKE THE FUNDING MORE SUSTAINABLE, THAT WE NEED TO BUILD THAT INTO THE PROCESS AS WE GO.

UM, SO I DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THE RESOLUTION, BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, IT'S, IT'S, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PROCESS THAT WE GO THROUGH, IF WE DECIDE AS A COUNCIL THAT WE THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT BELONGS IN OUR COMMUNITY, HOW IT GETS CONSTRUCTED, AND THAT PROCESS WILL AFFECT ITS SUCCESS AND THE BUY-IN THAT WE HAVE

[00:45:01]

UM, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH TRICIA AND TARA.

UM, I THINK IT WAS ON MONDAY.

UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD STILL LIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLARITY ON IS, UM, THE MODEL THAT YOU'RE THINKING OF, WHICH MAY NOT BE THE MODEL WHERE WE END UP, UM, ON, AFTER WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, UM, AS I UNDERSTOOD IT INVOLVED CERTAIN OF SAY, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC HEALTH, HAVING AN RFP, AND THEN HAVING AN ORGANIZATION DO THAT, CAN YOU SPEAK EITHER MS OR THE TWO OF YOU TO THE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION THAT WOULD DO THIS, AND WHETHER THAT KIND OF ORGANIZATION IS ALREADY EXISTING, AND IF IT'S NOT IN OUR CITY, WHAT HAPPENED IN OTHER PLACES, IN TERMS OF, UM, TAKING OVER THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS KIND OF ENTERPRISE, I CAN TELL YOU WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

FIRST OF ALL, OUT OF THE 39 CURRENT TRCS ABOUT A THIRD OF THEM ARE AFFILIATED WITH A LEVEL ONE TRAUMA HOSPITAL.

UH, AND IN THOSE CASES, UH, CLIENTS ARE EASILY IDENTIFIED ON THE TRAUMA SURGICAL UNITS, AS THEY'RE RECOVERING FROM THE PHYSICAL INJURIES, MANY OTHER TRCS ARE COMMUNITY-BASED AND HAVE MANY DIFFERENT ENTRY POINTS INTO A RC.

THE WAY A LOT OF COMMUNITIES HAVE ADOPTED THIS IS TO CRAFT A, UH, UH, AN RFP THAT IS THEN SENT OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.

THE, UH, THE GRANT APPLICATION, YOU KNOW, DESCRIBES THE CORE ELEMENTS OF THE TRC AND ASKS THE APPLICANT TO ADDRESS HOW THEY MIGHT GO ABOUT SETTING UP A TRC IF THEY WERE W WERE GIVEN THAT AWARD.

AND THEN THERE IS A GRANT REVIEW PROCESS THAT GOES ON.

AND, UM, HOPEFULLY, UH, YOU KNOW, THE BEST APPLICANT IS, IS, UH, BECOMES THE TRC.

I THINK WHAT THIS DOES IS, AS I MENTIONED IT, THEN ALLOW, WOULD ALLOW AUSTIN TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THIS MODEL AND TO FIGURE OUT WHO DO YOU THINK IN YOUR COMMUNITY? UH, WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS SECURITY RISKS OF AGENCIES IN YOUR COMMUNITY THAT YOU THINK WOULD BEST SERVE THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY? SO AGAIN, I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT WHILE THIS IS A MODEL THAT HAS A LOT OF STRUCTURE TO IT, YOU ALL CAN, UM, UH, IT CAN BETTER DEFINE IT.

UH, I DON'T, I DON'T MEAN TO IMPOSE MYSELF IN, ON THIS PROCESS, BUT IF THERE IS ANY WAY THAT I CAN SUPPORT YOU TYPICALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SOME OF THE STATES THAT I'VE WORKED WITH, UH, I HAVE HELPED THEM WITH THE NOFA, YOU KNOW, DESIGN THE, UH, THE, UH, APPLICATION PROCESS.

UH, AND IF INDICATED I CAN HELP BE A GRANT REVIEW OR JUST AN ADVISOR TO THE PROCESS, ONCE THE TRC GETS ESTABLISHED, UH, MY TEAM, WHICH IS A TINY LITTLE TEAM, WE CAN PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

WE HAVE A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE MANUAL.

WE HAVE AN IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE.

WE HAVE, UH, PROCEDURES THAT WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE AND HAPPY TO SHARE WITH WHATEVER AGENCY ENDS UP GETTING THE, UH, THE FUNDING FOR THIS.

WE DO THIS JUST BECAUSE WE REALLY BELIEVE IN THIS MODEL, AND WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE TIME HAS COME, UM, THAT UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES HAVE ACCESS TO EVIDENCE-BASED CARE.

DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK IF THERE WERE PARTICULAR ORGANIZATIONS YOU HAD IN MIND? OH, UM, SO WE HAVE, UM, HAD ONE-ON-ONES WITH A FEW DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS.

I THINK ONE IN PARTICULAR, UM, THAT IS DOING PARTS OF THE MODEL WOULD BE LIKE THE AUSTIN LITERACY PROJECT.

THERE'S A COUPLE OF OTHERS, BUT REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD WANT TO, TO TALK TO MORE PEOPLE AND SEE IF THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR THAT.

AND WE KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU, UM, YOU HAVE EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ALREADY EXISTS.

AND AS TARA SAID, WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROCESS, WE DID TALK TO DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS THE LITERACY COALITION AT THE TIME, WHICH WAS SURPRISING TO ME GIVEN THEIR NAME, BUT THEY DO HELP PEOPLE FILL OUT VICTIM SERVICES, APPLICATIONS, AND THEY DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE CASE MANAGEMENT AND COUNSELING PIECE, THE SAME WITH THE Y WCA.

UM, THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT COULD, UH, HAVE FIDELITY TO THE MODEL AND SCALE UP SOME OF THE THINGS THEY'RE ALREADY DOING.

AND, UM, INSTEAD OF RECOMMENDING A SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION AT THIS POINT, JUST GOING BACK TO WHAT, WHAT DR.

SAID IN TERMS OF UTILIZING HER

[00:50:01]

EXPERTISE IN GETTING THESE UP AND RUNNING IN 39 DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY.

I THINK THAT HER ORGANIZATION, AS A RESOURCE HELPING CITY COUNCIL, POTENTIALLY THE COUNTY, THE STAKEHOLDERS FIGURE OUT WHAT DOES LOOK BEST IN AUSTIN, BASED ON WHO WE HAVE HERE THAT COULD POTENTIALLY SCALE UP.

UM, SO WE'RE VERY, OF ALL OF THE TIME THAT SHE'S PUT INTO THIS AND HER WILLINGNESS TO HELP US AND HELP YOU ALL THROUGH THAT PROCESS OF FINDING THE RIGHT ORGANIZATION OR PARTNERSHIP OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN SCALE UP AND CAN HAVE FIDELITY TO THE MODEL, BECAUSE THE CORE ELEMENTS OF THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER, I THINK ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND.

UM, ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT OR REITERATE WHAT DR.

SAID ABOUT THEM HAVING A, KIND OF A TEMPLATE FOR THE RFP THAT DOES OUTLINE ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT MAY BE, UM, USEFUL FOR COUNCIL TO REVIEW AS WELL.

I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, OR AT LEAST ONE MAIN ONE FOR DR.

BUSS SALARY AND LOOKING AT, AND LOOKING AT WHAT I THINK IS, IS A WEBSITE, IS YOUR, IS YOUR ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE, IT'S THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER MODEL.ORG.

IS THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION, YOUR TRAUMA CENTERS IS I'M SORRY, THAT ORGANIZATION IS SPECIFIC TO SAN FRANCISCO.

WE ALSO HAVE A NEW WEBSITE FOR THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS.

AND, UH, THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS IS A COALITION MADE UP OF ALL OF THE TRCS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

YOU CAN LOOK AT BOTH WEBSITES, BUT THE ONE THAT REALLY REVIEWS WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND THE COUNTRY IS CALLED WW, UH, THAT NATIONAL, UH, ALLIANCE OF TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS.

I'LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE RELATIONSHIP IS WITH THAT.

AND THE ONE THAT I'M LOOKING, LOOKING AT THE ALLIANCE FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS, WEBSITE, UM, BECAUSE IT DOES, IT DOES LOOK AT OTHERS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A VERY, IT'S A VERY INTERESTING MODEL, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE EXPLORING IT, WHAT I'M SEEING, WHAT I'M SEEING ON THIS PAGE, AT LEAST, UH, IN LOOKING AT, AT TRAUMA CENTERS IN ILLINOIS, CALIFORNIA, OHIO, NEW JERSEY, IOWA, AND GEORGIA SEEMS TO BE LARGELY, UH, LOTS OF PARTICIPATION FROM THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY, FROM THAT THESE ARE CENTERED IN HOSPITALS OR HAVE STRONG PARTICIPATION FROM THEIR MEDICAL COMMUNITY.

IS THAT, DOES THAT, UM, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT, I GUESS DR.

BOSSLER, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT ONE THIRD OF THEM ARE AFFILIATED WITH THOSE HOSPITALS, BUT THE ONES I'M SEEING HERE SEEM TO PRIMARILY BE, HAVE, HAVE STRONG PARTICIPATION, AT LEAST FROM THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY.

UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ONE THIRD OF THE TRCS ARE AFFILIATED WITH LEVEL ONE HOSPITALS.

THE OTHER TRCS ARE COMMUNITY-BASED, UH, AND THE ONES THAT ARE COMMUNITY-BASED, UH, STILL DO HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL HOSPITALS BECAUSE THE LOCAL HOSPITALS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE OFTEN ON THE FRONT LINES DOING THE, UH, INITIAL, UH, MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME.

BUT THERE ARE MANY, UM, TRCS THAT AGAIN, OUR COMMUNITY BASE OR SOME TRCS THAT ACTUALLY STARTED OUT, UH, PRIMARILY BEING CHILD ADVOCACY CENTERS AND THEN SPREAD OUT TO, UM, TO BECOME A TRC.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S THE OTHER POINT THAT THE TRC, UM, MANY VICTIM SERVICES TEND TO SILO VICTIMS. SO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS, WE HAVE CRISIS CENTERS, CHILD ADVOCACY CENTERS, WHICH ARE ALL REALLY VERY IMPORTANT.

WE ALSO SEE ADDITIONAL VICTIMS, WHICH ARE VICTIMS OF COMMUNITY VIOLENCE AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF HOMICIDE.

I WILL TELL YOU EVERY COMMUNITY WE HAVE GONE INTO, THERE HAS BEEN A LEGITIMATE CONCERN THAT EXISTING VICTIM SERVICES, UM, FEEL THAT THE TRC IS GOING TO COME AND TAKE OVER.

AND THAT'S NOT THE CASE AT ALL.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE WORK ACTIVELY WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND RAPE CRISIS CENTERS.

WE BASICALLY BELIEVE IT TAKES AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO HEAL PEOPLE FROM VIOLENCE.

AND WE WORK VERY ACTIVELY WITH EXISTING PARTNERS, AND THERE'S NOT BEEN ONE EXAMPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHERE A TRC HAS COME ALONG, THAT HAS ENDED UP DEFUNDING ANOTHER VICTIM SERVICE.

SO IT'S A WAY OF REALLY BRINGING VICTIM SERVICES TOGETHER AND AGAIN, LEVERAGING EXISTING SERVICES.

YEAH.

THAT YOU MAY HAVE SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, ORGANIZATIONS, AND I HAVE A COUPLE THAT I WANTED TO ASK IF THEY'D BEEN INVOLVED, BUT LET ME JUST OPEN IT UP FIRST TO ANSWERING THE SAME QUESTION ABOUT, ABOUT THE MEDICAL, THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU SEE WITH MEDICAL COMMUNITY.

AND THEN I GUESS I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE OUR, UH, EITHER TARA OR TRISHA TO SPEAK TO, UM, THE SAME QUESTION, BECAUSE I GUESS THAT IS REALLY THE, THE SITE THAT'S MOST CLOSELY ORGANIZED OR CONNECTED WITH YOUR WORK.

UM, AND I ALSO AM INTERESTED IN SOME OF THE OTHER PARTNERS

[00:55:01]

YEAH, I SAY, AND AGAIN, IN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD AROUND THIS, WE'VE DONE A COUPLE OF VIRTUAL SITE VISITS.

WE HAVE INCLUDED, UM, PEOPLE FROM SETON TO, TO ENTER THAT CONVERSATION SO THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE MODEL, UM, AND HAD VERY PRELIMINARY CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM.

THEY SHOWED SOME INTEREST, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN A KIND OF CHAOTIC TIME.

SO I DO SEE MOVING FORWARD HAVING THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOSPITAL, UM, AND, AND NOT JUST THEM BEING, UM, AN ENTRY POINT FOR PEOPLE TO THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER, BUT BEING A PARTNER AS WELL.

AND THAT'S ANOTHER WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN BE CREATIVE ABOUT WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN AUSTIN.

UM, AND AS DR.

BOSSLER, I SAID, IN SOME PLACES THEY ARE, ARE HOSPITAL-BASED, BUT STILL PHYSICALLY LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY.

UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT A LOT OF VICTIMS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'VE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL, THEY DON'T WANT TO GO BACK INTO THE HOSPITAL, RIGHT.

THEY MAY BE MORE COMFORTABLE GOING SOMEWHERE IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND SO IN OTHER PLACES, WE HAVE, UM, INTEREST FROM THE LEVEL ONE TRAUMA HOSPITALS IN KIND OF BEING THE DRIVER OF THIS.

WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE OTHER, UM, AMAZING RESOURCES SUCH AS CENTRAL HEALTH, UM, THAT, THAT COULD BE BROUGHT INTO THIS CONVERSATION.

UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE FUNDING.

RIGHT.

AND I THINK THAT TARA WAS GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AS WELL, IF THAT'S OKAY FOR US TO DO THAT NOW.

UM, SURE.

THAT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE QUESTIONS.

AND SOME OF THE FEEDBACK I HAD ABOUT THE RESOLUTION THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING TODAY IS, IS REALLY SETTING UP THE PROCESS OF EXPLORATION IN A WAY THAT LEADS TO THAT SUSTAINABLE FUNDING.

UM, SO I AM REALLY INTERESTED IN, I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN MAKING SURE THE DIALOGUE AT THIS POINT IS STRUCTURED WITH THOSE OTHER VOICES, UM, HERE, LIKE INTEGRAL CARE, SAFE ALLIANCE, POTENTIALLY THE TRAUMA INFORMED CONSORTIUM OF CENTRAL TEXAS, SOME OF THE OTHER, THE OTHER, UH, THE HOSPITALS, YOU KNOW, THE OTHERS, UM, CENTRAL HEALTH.

YOU MENTIONED THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT I THINK ARE GOING TO BE WHERE THIS REALLY FITS VERY SQUARELY WITHIN THEIR MISSION.

AND THEY HAVE EXPERTISE THAT WILL HELP, I THINK DRIVE, UH, DRIVE THE MODEL THAT THAT IS GOING TO BEST WORK HERE IN, IN AUSTIN, TARA DJ, CAN WE SPEAK, ARE YOU ENGAGED IN CONVERSATIONS WITH ANY OF THE ENTITIES? I MENTIONED LIKE THE TRAUMA INFORMED CONSORTIUM OF CENTRAL TEXAS OR SAFE ALLIANCE.

YES.

WE ACTUALLY HAD A PRELIMINARY, WE DID A PRESENTATION AT THE CONSORTIUM EARLY ON BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS AND ENGAGING PEOPLE FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW.

AND AS TARA SAID, IT'S BEEN A CHAOTIC TIME WITH COVID, BUT WE HAVE TALKED WITH THEM AND THE SAFE ALLIANCE WAS ACTUALLY ON THE VICTIM SERVICES AND SUPPORT COMMITTEE OF THE TASK FORCE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.

UM, AND SO IT WAS, UH, SAFE.

IT WAS, UM, APD VICTIM SERVICES.

IT WAS, THERE WAS A REPRESENTATIVE FROM CARITAS.

AND SO WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY BY SERVING ON THAT COMMITTEE TO REALLY EDUCATE THOSE STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER MODEL.

AND SO IT REALLY, IT WAS THE KEY RECOMMENDATION THAT CAME OUT OF THAT.

SO THESE COMMUNITY PARTNERS KNOW ABOUT THE TRC MODEL.

THEY ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THE TRC MODEL.

AND I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT JUST HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS ON A DEEPER LEVEL, ONCE THERE IS A COMMITMENT, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ARE COMMITTED TO FUNDING THIS, TO MAKING IT HAPPEN, THEN FIGURING OUT, UM, WHERE IT GOES AND WHERE THE RFP LANDS AND THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF IT, WHICH AGAIN, IS SOMETHING THAT DR.

HAS HELPED SO MANY COMMUNITIES DO THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS.

THANK YOU, I THINK, AND THE WAY, AND AGAIN, THIS COMMENT MAY BE BEST FOR THE, FOR THE RESOLUTION AS WE TALK ABOUT THE RESOLUTION, BUT IT, I THINK IT'S REALLY, IT, IT FALLS SO SQUARELY IN, IN THE MISSIONS OF PLACES LIKE INTEGRAL CARE IN CENTRAL HEALTH AND SOME OF OUR MEDICAL PARTNERS THAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE US STRUCTURE THE CONVERSATION IN A WAY THAT INVOLVES THEM SO THAT THEY CAN HELP SUSTAIN THAT MODEL OVER TIME.

I THINK YOU MENTIONED SUSTAINABLE FUNDING, AND TO ME THAT'S REALLY CRITICAL.

[01:00:01]

AND SO I THINK SETTING IT UP AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S INVESTMENT IN ENERGY IN HELPING CRAFT THAT AT THE OUTSET WILL HELP THAT BE SUSTAINABLE BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT IT'S SOMETHING IT'S CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN I THINK COULD FUND OVER THE LONG RUN ON ITS OWN.

RIGHT.

AND, AND ALSO THE IMPORTANCE, THE BIG PLAYERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT.

UM, SO OUR SMALLER COMMUNITY GROUPS, I THINK, AND MAKING SURE THAT IN, IN KEEPING IT COMMUNITY-BASED THAT THEY ARE PART OF THE CONVERSATION AS WELL, ESPECIALLY STAKEHOLDERS FROM THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE THE MOST HARMED RIGHT NOW, AND THE LEAST HELP WITH SERVICES AND THAT DON'T ACCESS USUAL CARE.

SO I THINK THAT WE STRONGLY SUPPORT THAT APPROACH WITH BRINGING IN THE BIGGER PLAYERS AND ALSO MAKING SURE IT'S GROUNDED IN THE COMMUNITY AND THAT ALL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS ARE INVOLVED SO THAT THERE CAN BE FIDELITY TO THE CORE PRINCIPLES OF THE MODEL.

AND, UM, WE HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY OF IT, BECAUSE AS YOU SAID, UM, THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, YOU KNOW, MAY NOT BE THE LONGTERM PRIMARY, UH, FUNDERS OF IT.

AND YOU MENTIONED ALL OF THE OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, UM, INCLUDING CENTRAL HEALTH AND INCLUDING DELL SETON, BECAUSE THAT RELATIONSHIP IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.

UM, AND I BELIEVE TARA AND DR.

RUSSELL ARE BOTH HAVE EXPERTISE ON VOCA FUNDING AND OTHER FUNDING THAT THAT WILL KICK IN AND SO TERATOGENIC.

AND IF YOU WOULD, I, I SEE ONE OF OUR, UM, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES HAS A QUESTION COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN, UM, JUST QUICKLY, I'D LIKE TO, UM, UH, FOLLOW UP ON THIS, UH, ON THIS, UM, PART OF THE CONVERSATION, WHICH I THINK IS GOOD, BUT I WANT TO BACKUP FOR A MINUTE.

UH, CAN YOU, CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE TYPES OF SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED THROUGH TRAUMA RECOVERY AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, UM, AND DELINEATE OR DISTINGUISH BETWEEN MEDICAL CARE AND PEER SUPPORT AND, UM, AND ASSISTANCE WITH SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, IF YOU COULD JUST DISTINGUISH ACROSS THOSE, BECAUSE TO MY MIND, THE MEDICAL MODEL IS, IS IT CAN BE A PART OF THIS, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAVING A COMMUNITY-BASED CAN GIVE YOU THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET FROM A TRADITIONAL MEDICAL MODEL, THAT'S A HOSPITAL SYSTEM, OR THAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, A CLINIC THAT'S HARDER TO GET IS THAT PEER SUPPORT AND THE, UM, AND ALSO THE ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.

AND SO, UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, THAT THESE, THESE MODELS RANGE IN THAT AND THAT KIND OF, THOSE KIND OF TYPES OF SERVICES, UM, BECAUSE IT'S DEPENDING ON THE COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY NEEDS, BUT, UM, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU ALL HAVE SEEN, UM, IN THE, IN THE, GIVE US A FLAVOR FOR THE TYPES OF SERVICES AND THE TYPES OF PROFESSIONALS, UM, AND, AND, UM, PROFESSIONALS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS WHO, UH, PROVIDE THIS KIND OF WORK.

I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

I'M SORRY.

NO, YES.

RIGHT.

I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE LEARNED EARLY ON THAT A LOT OF, UM, VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME NEED PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE.

THEY NEED HELP WITH SAFE HOUSING.

THEY NEED, UH, HELP, UM, IF THEY ARE HOME BOUND GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE.

SO WE HAD, IT'S A CASE MANAGEMENT AND A MENTAL HEALTH MODEL.

WE DO EVERYTHING FROM OUTREACH.

UH, IF CLIENTS CAN'T COME TO US, WE GO TO THEM.

UH, WE DO THE HOME VISITS.

WE, UH, PROVIDE LOTS OF PRACTICAL CARE AND OFTENTIMES, UH, VICTIMS MAY BE RELUCTANT TO GO INTO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT BECAUSE OF THE STIGMA RELATED TO IT.

BUT BY, UH, PROVIDING THEM WITH A TRUSTING, UH, CASE MANAGER AND ALL OF THE PRACTICAL CARE, IT BECOMES AN ENTRY INTO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

AND WHEN THOSE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ARE PROVIDED, THEY ALSO CAN BE PROVIDED IN THE PERSON'S HOME IN THE COMMUNITY.

NOW WITH COVID, UH, YOU KNOW, VIA ZOOM, MENTAL HEALTH MEETINGS, UH, THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE ALL USING EVIDENCE-BASED MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT, THINGS LIKE EMDR, COGNITIVE PROCESSING, THOSE TYPES OF, UH, EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT.

WE PROVIDE A GROUP TREATMENT.

WE PROVIDE, UH, UM, MEDICATION, UM, UH, UH, SUPPORT SERVICES.

IF THE CLIENT

[01:05:01]

IS NEEDING MEDICATION SUPPORT, WE PROVIDE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ALCOHOL, UM, TREATMENT OR REFERRAL TO PRIMARY ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT.

SO THAT REALLY WRAP AROUND SERVICES THAT MEET THE CLIENT WHERE THEY ARE, IF THE PERSON ENDS UP, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN A NUMBER OF GUNSHOT VICTIMS WHO ENDED UP BEING PARAPLEGIC, WHO ENDED UP HAVING A LOT OF MEDICAL NEEDS.

WE HELP, WE DON'T PROVIDE THE MEDICAL SERVICES, BUT WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THE MEDICAL SERVICES THAT THEY NEED.

AND WE HELP COORDINATE WITH THE PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR AROUND WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED.

WE CAN ALSO PROVIDE WORK WITH THE FAMILY.

UH, WE PROVIDE, UH, SUPPORT GROUPS.

SO THERE'S A WHOLE RANGE OF SERVICES THAT IS HOPEFULLY PROVIDED THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE AIM TO PROVIDE IN A VERY WELCOMING, UH, TRAUMA INFORMED WAY.

AND CAN YOU SPEAK, JUST GIVE US ALL AN EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF PROFESSIONALS.

SO YOU MAY HAVE, UM, DO YOU HAVE PSYCHIATRIST, PSYCHOLOGIST, OR IS IT MORE A LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS? LMSW IS W WHAT EXACTLY OR DOES, BUT GIVE US AN EXAMPLE.

YEAH, THE MAJORITY OF THE STAFF ARE LICENSED.

SOCIAL WORK IS I'LL MAKE UP THE BULK OF THE STAFF AND USUALLY ONE OR TWO PSYCHOLOGISTS AND A PART-TIME PSYCHIATRIST, AND MANY OF THE TRCS ALSO HAVE PEER COUNSELORS.

UM, AND WE ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT THE USE OF PEER COUNSELORS.

WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THOUGH THAT SOME OF OUR, UH, CLIENTS THAT HAVE MORE SEVERE, UH, PTSD SYMPTOMS WHERE THEY CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT OR THEY'RE SUICIDAL, OR THEY'RE REALLY AGORAPHOBIC AND CAN'T LEAVE THEIR HOMES.

SOMETIMES THEY NEED MORE THAN A PEER COUNSELOR.

AND THAT'S WHERE THE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, WHO ALSO HAS EXPERIENCED DOING THESE EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS, UH, COME IN.

SO IT'S A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM, UH, THAT WORKS WITH, WITH THE CLIENT.

WOULD LAY OUT YOUR RESOLUTION, PLEASE.

THAT'S VERY HELPFUL THAT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I WAS GUESSING, BUT I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT Y'ALL'S EXPERIENCE YOU KNOW, IS.

AND SO I AGREE WITH THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING.

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A RANGE OF TYPES OF ENTITIES THAT COULD, UM, THAT COULD RESPOND TO AN RFP, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THAT COULD HOST THIS.

I THINK THE, UM, IMPORTANT ASPECT OF IT THAT'S DIFFERENT IS THAT THAT COMMUNITY BASED CONNECTION, YOU KNOW, AND THOSE SERVICES THAT LOOK AT THE WHOLE PERSON, BECAUSE WHAT YOU OFTEN, AND THAT'S AN THAT'S, UM, THAT'S NOT A STEAD OF, BUT, BUT THAT'S IN A REFERRAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR MEDICAL SYSTEMS. SO YOUR HOSPITALS ARE GOING TO REFER TO A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER.

YOU'RE GOING TO REFER BACK TO YOUR HOSPITALS, THE CLINIC SYSTEMS, YOU'RE GOING TO DO THE SAME THINGS FOR, SO I JUST WANT TO CAUTION THAT WE NOT BE THINKING THAT THIS HAS TO BE CREATED BY OR SUSTAINED BY, OR RUN BY A, AN EXISTING MEDICAL BASED INSTITUTION OR AGENCY IN OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, BECAUSE WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACH.

NOW, OBVIOUSLY THIS NEEDS TO BE, OBVIOUSLY THIS KIND OF, YOU WOULD NEVER OPERATE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN A VACUUM, UH, BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE WHOLE PERSON'S NEEDS.

AND SO YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE REFERRAL RELATIONSHIPS, YOU KNOW? SO I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT WORKS FOR AUSTIN.

THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES THAT COULD, COULD COME TO THE, UM, YOU KNOW, COULD COME TO THE, TO THE TABLE TO, UH, HELP WITH SUSTAINABILITY OR, AND, OR TO INITIATE, UH, PERHAPS INITIATE AND SPIN OFF, OR PERHAPS JUST SPIN OFF.

I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES.

I LIKE THE, MAYBE IT'S MORE OF AN RFQ KIND OF APPROACH TO BEGIN WITH.

THAT'S A POSSIBILITY FOR IDEAS TO BE SHARED.

AND, YOU KNOW, OUR MEDICAL COMMUNITY HAS TO BE, UH, OUR MEDICAL OR A SOCIAL SERVICE IN OUR COMMUNITY, IN OUR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION.

SO THANK YOU.

I'M GOING TO RECOGNIZE WE ARE RUNNING BEHIND AND WE NEED TO MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT PRESENTATION, WHICH IS ALSO A PRETTY MEATY TOPIC.

UM, SO COUNCIL MEMBER FANTA IS I'M GOING TO RECOGNIZE YOU, THANK YOU AGAIN TO OUR SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS AND FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK AND FOR BEING PART OF THIS CONVERSATION TODAY, COUNCIL MEMBER FRONTO.

SO IF YOU

[8. Discussion and possible action on a resolution related to the implementation of a Trauma Recovery Center.]

SURE.

FIRST I'D LIKE TO MOVE ADOPTION OF THIS COMMITTEE RESOLUTION, UM, COUNCIL

[01:10:01]

MEMBER OF QUINTAS MOVES APPROVAL AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN SECONDS, I THINK.

THANKS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH COLLEAGUES.

AND AS YOU CAN TELL, BASED ON THIS PRESENTATION AND FROM TODAY'S CONVERSATION, WE DESPERATELY NEED A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER IN AUSTIN, AND IT IS A CONVERSATION THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

IT'S A RECOMMENDATION THAT HAS COME OUT OF OUR RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE.

AND IT IS ALSO PART OF CONVERSATIONS THAT THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT IS HAVING, UH, NAMELY, UH, COMMISSIONER BRITISH SHADE.

AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE AS THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE FOR US AND CITY COUNCIL MOVE FORWARD IN STARTING, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, FORMALIZING THAT CONVERSATION OF WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO BRING A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER TO AUSTIN.

AND SO THIS IS WHAT MY RECOMMENDATION RESOLUTION IS FOCUSED ON IS REALLY LOOKING AT HOW CAN WE FOCUS IN ON THAT COMMUNITY CENTER APPROACH.

WE KNOW THAT THIS TYPE OF MODEL A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER MODEL IS A POWERFUL TOOL IN HEALING COMMUNITIES AND ADDRESSING OUR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE OFTEN SUFFER THE MOST HARM AND HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND.

WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE GAPS IN OUR SYSTEM, NOT EVERYONE IS BUILT, COMFORTABLE REPORTING CRIME.

AND SO WE NEED TO HAVE PLACES WHERE OUR COMMUNITY CAN GO.

WE NEED TO HAVE A MORE ROBUST SYSTEM IN PLACE.

UH, AND SO THIS IS WHAT TODAY'S RESOLUTION FOCUSES IN ON IS HOW DO WE START CREATING THAT SYSTEMIC CHANGE? I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT CITY COUNCIL SHOULD BE SUPPORTING THE INITIAL STARTUP COSTS OF A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER.

AND SO WHAT THIS RESOLUTION WOULD DO IS DIRECT STAFF TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE FEASIBILITY AND SUPPORTING AND THE OPERATION OF A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER.

IT ASKED STAFF TO TAKE A LOOK AT, TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, UP TO 500,000 FOR A YEAR, ONE AND 500,000 FOR A YEAR OR TWO.

SO A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF 1 MILLION, AND ALSO ASKED STAFF TO, UM, TO DO THAT COLLABORATIVE WORK BOTH WITH TRAVIS COUNTY, WITH WILLIAMSON COUNTY, UM, LOCAL HOSPITALS AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL PARTNERS.

WE REALIZED THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ENGAGE MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS AND, UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS HAVE A PART IN THE PROCESS IN HELPING TO SHAPE WHAT A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER MODEL LOOKS LIKE.

I WANT TO THINK ACCOUNTS, NUMBER, KITCHEN FOR SERVING AS MY CO-SPONSOR ON THIS RESOLUTION, AS WELL AS MAYOR PRO TEM.

UM, FOR YOUR, YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH A LEADER IN THIS SPACE.

AND SO I WANT TO SHARE MY GRATITUDE FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE, UH, AND CERTAINLY YOUR SUPPORT AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK ON THIS VERSION.

TWO OF THE RECOMMENDATION, AND I THINK COLLEAGUES, EVERYONE HAS A VERSION TWO THAT HAS BEEN RED LINE THAT SHOWS SOME CHANGES TO THE RECOMMENDATION.

AND SO, UM, WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.

YES.

MIRROR TIME.

UM, I WOULD JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT YOU'RE PUTTING FORWARD VERSION TWO AS YOUR MOTION.

UM, COME TO MEMBER MY IS THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF, OF HOW WE ADDRESS TRAUMA IN OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, I DEFINITELY SEE THE NEED FOR OUR TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER IN OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, YOU KNOW, THIS, I'M NOT ON THIS COMMITTEE.

AND SO THIS KIND OF CAME UP ON ME A LITTLE BIT QUICKLY, SO, SO I APPRECIATE YOU WORKING WITH ME TO, TO, UM, EDIT THE ORIGINAL VERSION SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE BUILD INTO THE PROCESS, THE THINGS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR A TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER TO SUCCEED AS WE PROCEED.

UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE THINGS REALLY INVOLVE HAVING FOLKS WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THE AUSTIN PIECES AND THE GOVERNMENTAL ELEMENTS OF HOW WE DO A LOT OF THESE PIECES, UM, TOGETHER WITH THE MODELS THAT ARE OUT THERE.

UM, WE'VE HAD THE BENEFIT OF, UM, TRYING SOME THINGS WHERE WE'VE ADOPTED MODELS THAT ARE USED ELSEWHERE IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS INTO OUR COMMUNITY.

AND I THINK WE HAVE SOME LEARNINGS FROM THAT, UM, THAT, THAT WE CAN TAKE AWAY.

AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF GROUPS WITHIN OUR CITY THAT TOUCH ON THIS, UM, WHETHER IT'S IN OUR PUBLIC HEALTH WITH OUR OVP, WHETHER IT'S FRANKLY, OUR EMS SERVICE, UM, WE HAVE A NEW EMS CHIEF THAT'S COMING IN WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH HOSPITALS.

WE HAVE A FABULOUS, UM, VICTIM SERVICES DIVISION, UM, WHICH WE DON'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO STAFF ENOUGH.

UM, SO I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS FROM BEGINNING TO END SO THAT, UM, WE CAN CONSTRUCT SOMETHING THAT REALLY WORKS, UM, IN AUSTIN.

[01:15:01]

UM, AND THEN I AM NOT SERVING ON THE COMMITTEE.

SO AT THE POINT THAT WE MOVE FORWARD, I DON'T GET TO VOTE ON IT.

UM, IF WE CAN DO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID IN AUSTIN WATER, AND I'LL LET YOU, UM, TAKE CARE OF THAT, VANESSA AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.

YEAH.

I THINK THIS IS A VERY EXCITING AND IMPORTANT DIRECTION AND I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IT FORWARD.

UM, I THINK THE, YOU KNOW, AND I ALSO APPRECIATE, AND I APPRECIATE OUR PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE, HAVE ADVOCATED FOR THIS, INCLUDING INCLUDING OUR EARLIER TASK FORCE.

ONE THING I'D LIKE JUST TO, TO OFFER AS A SUGGESTION TO CONSIDER BETWEEN HERE AND COUNCIL, WHEN IT GOES FORWARD FOR CONSIDERATION, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENT, THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO SET UP THIS KIND OF EXPLORATION.

AND CERTAINLY ONE IS, IS THE WAY YOU'VE DONE IT TO ASKING THE MANAGER TO KIND OF DO THE RESEARCH AND DO THE WORK AND COME BACK WITH A REPORT.

ONE, THEY THINK KEPT THE PROCESS MOVING REALLY QUICKLY WITH THE SOBERING CENTER WAS TO STRUCTURE IT A BIT DIFFERENTLY AND TO COMPRISE A WORK GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS AND EXPERTS AND PEOPLE WHO WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE IDEA AND HAVE THAT WORK GROUP DO THE BEST PRACTICE RESEARCH AND DO SOME OF THE CONSIDERATIONS AND JUDGE BROWN.

NOW JUDGE BROWN, UM, CHAIRED THAT WORK GROUP, IT, IT WAS COMPRISED.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.

SO I DON'T REMEMBER WHO EXACTLY WAS ON THAT COMMITTEE.

I THINK IT WAS PRIMARILY COMPRISED OF MEMBERS OF THE PSYCHIATRIC STAKEHOLDERS COMMITTEE.

PEOPLE LIKE JUDGE HO AND WHO HAD KEPT THE IDEA ALIVE.

AND THEY LOOKED AT THE BEST PRACTICES.

THEY HAD SUPPORT FROM STAFF, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO PULL IN DATA FROM THE APPROPRIATE CITY AND COUNTY STAFF TO HELP INFORM THE REPORT.

THEY LOOKED AT THE BEST PRACTICES AND THEN THEY WERE ABLE TO REALLY PROVIDE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT ALSO IDENTIFY THE QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD BE ANSWERED BY, BY THOSE ENTITIES THAT MIGHT, THAT MIGHT BE BEST POISED TO BE PARTNERS IN THIS CASE, THE COUNTY AND THE CITY.

AND THEN WE FOLLOWED UP WITH KIND OF A SMALL WORK GROUP OF ELECTED LEADERS SUPPORTED BY OUR COUNTY AND CITY STAFF, UM, TO ANSWER SOME OF THOSE ANSWER, SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS I THINK ABOUT DIFFERENT EFFORTS AND HOW, AND WHICH ONES HAVE SUCCEEDED AND WHICH ONES HAVE SUCCEEDED ON SHORTER TIMETABLES, THAT'S, THAT MAY BE A MODEL THAT YOU WANT TO CONSIDER.

UM, I ALSO THINK ONE BENEFIT OF DOING IT IN THIS SETTING IS THAT YOU COULD, THE WORK GROUP COULD BE COMPRISED OF SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WE WANT TO BE LONG TIME PARTNERS IN IT, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST IN HELPING SHAPE AND INFORM THE MODEL THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER, BUT ALSO HELPING AND SHAPING THE LEVEL OF, UM, INVESTMENT.

AND I MEAN THAT IN ALL OF IT, SINCE, YOU KNOW, IT, I THINK IT WOULD HELP BROADEN THE BASE OF INVESTMENT IN IT, BOTH POLITICAL INVESTMENT, BUT ALSO EVENTUAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT.

I WOULD HATE TO SEE AN EFFORT LIKE THIS BEGIN AND THEN NOT BE SUSTAINABLE BEYOND THE TWO YEARS OF FUNDING.

SO I REALLY THINK THAT BROADER BASED INVESTMENT IS, IS, UM, REALLY CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS.

AND I, I WANT TO BE SURE WHEN WE START A COMMITMENT LIKE THIS, THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO SUSTAIN IT OVER TIME FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM IT SERVICES.

SO THAT'S A SUGGESTION, UM, THAT I WOULD OFFER TO YOU BETWEEN HERE AND HERE IN COUNTY.

CERTO BUT CERTAINLY THAT, UM, THANK YOU FOR FLAGGING THAT, UM, WE DO WANT TO WORK ON A SHORTER TIMETABLE, SO I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, YOU REFERENCING THE SOBERING CENTER AS, UM, AS A MODEL FOR US TO LOOK AT.

AND CERTAINLY ME, MY TEAM WILL TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE CAN DO ANY UPDATES TO THE RESOLUTION AS IT COMES BEFORE COUNCIL.

YEAH.

AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND IT, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WAS A SUPER SPEEDY ONE, BUT IT WAS EFFECTIVE AND IT GOT US AND IT REALLY ADVANCED THE BALL IN A WAY THAT IS JUST SOMETIMES HARDER TO DO WHEN WE'RE RELYING ENTIRELY ON OUR CITY MANAGER AND HIS STAFF.

AND AGAIN, I THINK IT HAS THE OTHER BENEFIT OF NOT JUST KEEPING THE PROCESS MOVING FORWARD IN A REALLY DELIBERATIVE MANNER, BUT AGAIN, BUYING, YOU KNOW, GETTING THAT COMMUNITY BUY IN THAT YOU JUST NEED TO, TO HELP, UM, AN INITIATIVE BE SUCCESSFUL.

AND, UH, CERTO AS PART OF THIS, UM, RECOMMENDATION, IF WE COULD HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR LISTED AS A CO-SPONSOR OR SHOULD IT GO AND THROUGH TO COUNCIL? SOUNDS GREAT.

IF OUR STAFF WOULD, WOULD NOTE THAT.

YES, MAY PRETEND.

IF IT, IT WOULD JUST BE SIMPLER TO SAY OF UP TO $500,000 FOR EACH OF THE NEXT TWO FISCAL YEARS TO SUPPORT THE STARTUP COSTS OF THE CENTER WITHOUT THE OTHER, FOR UP TO 1 MILLION.

COUNCIL MEMBER POINT US.

I THINK WHAT WE DID IN AUSTIN WATERS, WE HAD EVERYONE WHO WAS PRESENT IN THE COMMITTEE LISTED AS A CUSTOMER IF YOU WANT.

UM, AND THEN, AND THEN WE ADDED THE PERSON WHO WASN'T ON THE COMMITTEE.

UM, I HAD ONE TINY EDIT COUNCIL MEMBER OF ONE DOES.

UM, WE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS.

UM, AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF THIS WOULD BE SLIGHTLY CLEARER TO SAY, UM, UP TO 500, THAT IN, IN PART TWO OF YOUR BIT RESOLVED WHERE IT SAYS UP TO $500,000 FOR THE NEXT TWO FISCAL YEARS TO SUPPORT THE STARTUP COSTS OF THE CENTER FOR UP TO 1 MILLION,

[01:20:01]

YEAH, I'M FINE.

WITH THAT CHANGE FOR STAFF AGAIN, THAT WOULD BE JUST INSERTING EACH OF BETWEEN FOUR AND THE NEXT TWO FISCAL YEARS AND DELETING THE, FOR UP TO 1 MILLION, ANY OTHER CHANGES, DISCUSSION ALL IN FAVOR.

AND THAT IS, UH, THOSE OF US ON THE DIAS FROM THE COMMITTEE COUNCIL MEMBERS, KITCHEN QUINTAS TOBO AND MAYOR PRO TEM ALTER WOULD ALSO LIKE TO BE ADDED AS A SPONSOR AS THIS MOVES FORWARD TO COUNCIL.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.

THE QUESTION ABOUT THE AMENDMENT.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD IT.

I ALSO RAISED MY HAND.

OH, MY APOLOGIES.

MAYOR, DO YOU, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THE MAYOR FIRST OR SHOULD I ASK MY QUESTION? I THINK HE MISSED HIS HAND.

I THINK IT WAS VOTING.

OH, OKAY.

UM, SO LET'S SEE.

SO WE CHANGED IT FOR UP OF 500 A DAY.

I'M SORRY.

WOULD YOU READ THAT TO ME? UM, AND SO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION WAS WHETHER IT WAS 500,000 DIVIDED OVER TWO YEARS, OR WHETHER IT WAS 5,500,000 EACH YEAR, AND COUNCIL MEMBER FUND JUST HAD PUT FORWARD A PARTICULAR WAY OF PHRASING THAT.

AND I WAS SUGGESTING THAT IT MIGHT BE CLEAR TO SAY OF UP TO $500,000 FOR EACH OF THE NEXT TWO FISCAL YEARS TO SUPPORT THE STARTUP COSTS OF THE CENTER IS WHAT WE'RE BEING ASKED BY THE ADVOCATES IS TO DO $500,000 FOR EACH OF TWO YEARS.

AND THAT IS OUR BRIEFING REGARDING THE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS, WHICH HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR QUITE A WHILE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

BUT WE'RE NOT CHANGING THE TOTAL OF 1 MILLION, RIGHT? NO, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST CLARITY.

AND OBVIOUSLY THAT CAN, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO JUST STILL KEEP FOR A TOTAL OF 1 MILLION TO AVOID ANY KIND OF IT, TO MAKE IT CLEAR WHERE IT CAME IN.

LET'S DO THIS SINCE I TOOK A VOTE AND WE VOTED LET'S, UM, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO NEED A MOTION TO POTENTIALLY RECONSIDER IF YOU HAVE, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW.

I MIGHT.

WHAT, WHEN IT COMES TO US IN FRONT OF COUNCIL, I MIGHT WANT TO CHANGE THAT LANGUAGE, UH, BECAUSE, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT TO SOUND LIKE WE'RE ONLY COMMITTING TO 500,000, UM, IN TO, IN, YOU KNOW, I WANT IT TO BE CLEAR THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A MILLION OVER TWO YEARS, SO, BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO CHANGE IT RIGHT NOW.

LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT DISCUSSION.

[5. Briefing regarding the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Community Planning Process.]

UM, THANK YOU TO OUR PRESENTERS HERE TODAY.

WE HAVE RACHEL COFF WHO IS A SENIOR PLANNER WITH TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH HUMAN SERVICES AND COURTNEY LUCAS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO LET US SWAP THOSE TWO SESSIONS AROUND.

UM, COURTNEY IS ALSO A SENIOR PLANNER WITHIN THE RESEARCH AND PLANNING DIVISION OF TRAVIS COUNTIES, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.

WELCOME SO MUCH.

THIS IS A BRIEFING WE'RE NOT SCHEDULED FOR ACTION ON IT.

UM, I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, AND I HAVE BOTH ATTENDED SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITY PLANNING MEETINGS OVER THE YEARS.

AND SO I'M EAGER TO HEAR WHERE WE ARE NOW WITH THAT PROCESS.

ALCOHOL AND OR DRUGS CAUSES CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPAIRMENT, INCLUDING HEALTH PROBLEMS, DISABILITY, AND FAILURE TO MEET MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AT WORK SCHOOL OR HOME.

HELLO CHAIR, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

YES, I AM IMPORTANT TO SNAP LUCAS.

I AM JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUE, RACHEL CLOTH.

WE ARE BOTH SENIOR PLANNERS AT THE RESEARCH AND PLANNING DIVISION AT TRAVIS COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES.

AND WE WERE THE TWO FACILITATORS FOR THE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS, AND WE'LL BE PRESENTING TODAY'S BRIEFING, UH, NEXT SIDE PIECE.

SO TODAY'S PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A BRIEFING ON THE 2020 THROUGH 2021 SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS.

WE HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH YOU DURING OUR LIMITED TIME TODAY, AS THIS PRESENTATION REPRESENTS TWO YEARS OF WORK.

SO WE'LL PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW, UH, HISTORY AND PURPOSE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, WORK PROCESS, AND PRODUCTS, EQUITY FRAMEWORK, AND NEXT STEPS.

WE HOPE YOU LEAVE TODAY'S BRIEFING WITH A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF THE TWO YEAR PROCESS THAT LED TO THE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUR PLAN AND NEXT STEPS TO IMPLEMENT THESE RESULTS.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE LINKED LATER IN THE SLIDE DECK, IN WHICH AFTER TODAY, WE WILL BE MOVING FORWARD.

MORE FORMALLY EXPLAINED.

SO BEFORE WE GET INTO HISTORY, WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL WORKING OFF THE SAME DEFINITION.

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SUBSTANCE ABUSE USED IN THE PAST, BUT THE PREFERRED CURRENT TERMINOLOGY IS SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS OR STDS AS CDS OCCUR.

WHEN THE RECURRENT USE OF

[01:25:01]

THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY HAS A LONG HISTORY WITH ASSESSMENT AND COMMUNITY PLANNING EFFORTS AND SUD.

AND THESE EFFORTS OVER THE PAST 20 PLUS YEARS ALL MADE A CLEAR RECOMMENDATION TO ESTABLISH A SHARED PLANNING STRUCTURE.

HOWEVER, THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN UNABLE TO AGREE ON A COLLABORATIVE PLANNING PROCESS.

FORMER TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGE, SARAH ECKHART BEGAN EXPLORING SUV COORDINATION IN THE COMMUNITY VIA A LOCAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AUTHORITY DESIGNATION FOR INTEGRAL CARE.

OUR CURRENT LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY OF THE COMMUNITY'S REACTION TO THIS PROPOSED CHANGE WAS MIXED IN CHARGE.

UM, LEAVE HER THE JUDGE TO STEP BACK AND EXPLORE COMMUNITY INTERESTS AND COORDINATING SUD SERVICES AND SUPPORTS.

SO TRAVIS COUNTY HHS POSTED TWO COMMUNITY FORUMS AND WERE THEN TASKED BY THE JUDGE TO LEAD A COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND A FUTURE PLANNING STRUCTURE.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO A PLANNING STRUCTURE IS A WORKING TITLE FOR AN AGREED UPON SHARED TABLE.

WE'RE PLANNING FOR SEDS COULD HAPPEN IN A COORDINATED, HOLISTIC AND EFFECTIVE WAY.

WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE COULD VARY WIDELY, AND IT DOES RANGE ACROSS OTHER ISSUE AREAS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

FOR EXAMPLE, SUCCESS BY SIX, UM, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, CAPITAL AREA, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, BOARD, AGING SERVICES, COUNCIL, AND KIDS LIVING WELL ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF PLANNING STRUCTURES IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO WE THINK AN EFFECTIVE PLANNING STRUCTURE MEETS SHARED VALUES, INCLUDING THOSE AROUND RACIAL EQUITY, A DEFINED SCOPE, CLEAR ROLES AND FUNCTIONS, ROBUST COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, AND TO CONVENING ENTITIES CAPABLE OF STEWARDSHIP OF, AND FIDELITY TO ALL THOSE ELEMENTS.

IT'S CRITICAL THAT THE COMMUNITY IN DECISION MAKERS SUPPORT, PARTICIPATE IN AND ORIENT TO THAT SINGLE SHARE TABLE.

THIS WOULD PROMOTE A COORDINATED COMMUNITY APPROACH TO FUNDING THE SERVICE CONTINUUM WHILE ASSURING THAT WE ADDRESS ISSUES OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION AND ANY PLAN DEVELOPED FROM THIS YEAR TABLE.

SO BIG PICTURE, THIS SUD PLANNING STRUCTURE WOULD ALLOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY TO CREATE AND STUART AND STD COMMUNITY PLAN WITH BROAD COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND BUY-IN IDENTIFY, ADJUST, OR SECURE RESOURCES TO ADDRESS SERVICE GAPS, BETTER SERVE RESIDENTS THROUGH AN STD PLAN.

THAT'S DEVELOPED THROUGH A FRAMEWORK OF EQUITY AND ACCESSIBILITY IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES AND A COORDINATED AND COMPREHENSIVE MANNER ACROSS THE SERVICE CONTINUUM AND THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY POSITION, THE COMMUNITY TO EFFECTIVELY LEVERAGE MORE RESOURCES AND GUIDE FUTURE DECISION-MAKING FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES AROUND STD RELATED ISSUES AND INVESTMENT.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS AN OVERVIEW OF THE PHASES OF STD COMMUNITY PLANNING.

THESE FOUR PHASES REPRESENT THE LONG VIEW OF WHAT IT WILL ULTIMATELY TAKE TO HAVE AN OPERATIONAL PLANNING STRUCTURE THAT IS IMPLEMENTING A COMMUNITY PLAN FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.

THE REALITY IS THAT THERE ARE JUST NO SHORTCUTS TO GET THERE.

SO WE'VE SPENT, UH, TWO YEARS ON THIS LEFT, HALF OF THE PROCESS TAKING A PLANNING TO PLAN APPROACH IN A WAY, UNLIKE PAST ATTEMPTS, OUR APPROACH IS INCLUSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE AND COLLABORATIVE.

WE'VE MADE EFFORTS AT VARIOUS PHASES TO INCLUDE AN INFORM ALL RELEVANT AND INTERESTED STAKEHOLDERS TO BUILD BROAD COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT.

SINCE WE WANT ALL VOICES AT THE SAME TABLE, THROUGH THE COURSE OF THIS PROCESS, WE'VE REACHED OUT TO ALMOST 400 PEOPLE TO OFFER PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES, AND WE CONTINUE TO KEEP THAT GROUP INFORMED REGULARLY.

SO WE FEEL LIKE WE'VE COVERED ALL THE NECESSARY COMPONENTS IN THE RIGHT ORDER OF AN EFFECTIVE PLANNING STRUCTURE THAT WILL WORK FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

OUR APPROACH IS ROOTED IN OUR INTEREST BASED PROBLEM, SOLVING METHODS EMBODYING OUR KEY FACILITATION PRINCIPLES.

SO THE WORK IS PARTICIPANT DRIVEN RIGHT NOW.

WE ARE AT THE END OF PHASE TWO, CREATE A PLANNING STRUCTURE.

AND THE GOAL OF THIS PHASE WAS TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT THAT FUTURE SUD PLANNING STRUCTURE SHOULD LOOK LIKE.

THE GOAL WAS NOT TO CREATE OUR IMPLEMENTED STD PLAN AS THAT'S THE PURVIEW OF THE FUTURE PLANNING STRUCTURE.

AND THIS HAS BEEN AND REMAINS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION FOR US TO COMMUNICATE TO STAKEHOLDERS.

AND SO THE LINE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE SHOWS THE HANDOFF FROM TRAVIS COUNTY, HHS TO THAT FUTURE PLANNING STRUCTURE, WE WILL THEN WORK TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT THE COMMUNITY PLAN.

AND ONE QUICK NOTE ABOUT THE TIMELINE SHOWN HERE.

WHEN THIS WORK BEGAN, WE INITIALLY PROJECTED THE PROJECT TO TAKE THE ENTIRETY OF 2020.

UM, BUT SOON AFTER WE STARTED, WE ENTERED

[01:30:01]

INTO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND UNSURPRISINGLY, THIS CAUSED DELAYS IN TIMELINES, TIMELINE ADJUSTMENTS, WHICH IS WHY THIS SPACE TOOK A FULL TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE NEXT SLIDE, STRONG COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS PROCESS.

SO WE INVESTED A LOT OF TIME AND ATTENTION TO IT FROM START TO FINISH OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION, ENSURE THAT NO ONE WAS TURNED AWAY FROM PARTICIPATING.

AND WE HELPED MATCH INDIVIDUALS TO PARTICIPATION ROLES BASED ON THEIR INTEREST AND AVAILABILITY.

AS THE PANDEMIC PROGRESSED AND TURNOVER BECAME MORE OF AN ISSUE.

WE MAINTAIN THIS COMMITMENT BY CONTINUING TO ONBOARD NEW PARTICIPANTS AND MATCH THEM TO GROUPS.

SO WE HAD THREE MAIN WAYS THAT PEOPLE COULD STAY CONNECTED TO THE WORK.

THE BULK OF THE TIME AND LABOR CAME FROM OUR WORK GROUP, THIS GROUP ENGAGED AND INTENSIVE COLLABORATIVE PROCESS TO MAKE DECISIONS TOGETHER AND CRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS.

THIS GROUP WAS MADE UP OF INTERESTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO COULD COMMIT THE TIME AND ENERGY TO THE WORK.

THE LEADERSHIP REVIEW GROUP WAS INTENDED FOR THOSE IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE WHO WERE IN A POSITION TO APPLY A SYSTEM WIDE PERSPECTIVE AND REVIEWING THE WORK GROUPS RESULTS.

THEY WERE INVITED TO SUBSTANTIVELY ENGAGED WITH THE WORK AND PROVIDE THEIR THOUGHTFUL FEEDBACK IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE FINAL PRODUCTS, INTERESTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE TIME OR INTEREST TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE GROUPS OR WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN LATER PHASES OF THE WORK COULD OPT TO STAY INFORMED VIA REGULAR EMAIL UPDATES.

ONE NOTE, THE FULL MEMBERSHIP ROSTERS FOR THE WORK GROUP AND THE LEADERSHIP REVIEW GROUP ARE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS DOCUMENT, WHICH WAS PART OF YOUR BACKUP.

AND SO NOW I'M GOING TO HAND OVER TO RACHEL TO REVIEW THE WORK PLAN ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

THANK YOU, COURTNEY.

SO WE'LL DIG INTO THE PLANS AND WORKFLOWS NOW THAT WE USE THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS AND PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PRODUCTS THAT CAME OUT OF IT.

THIS SLIDE SHOWS A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE WORK PLAN THAT GUIDED THESE TWO YEARS OF WORK.

FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, WE KNEW THAT THIS PROJECT WOULD NEED TO BE, EXCUSE ME, WHEN NEED TO BE BROKEN DOWN AND ORGANIZED INTO SMALLER PARTS.

SO THE FIRST THING WE DID WITH OUR WORK GROUP PARTICIPANTS WAS TO CO-CREATE THIS WORK PLAN COLLABORATIVELY, FIGURING OUT WHAT QUESTIONS WE NEEDED TO ASK AND ANSWER TOGETHER IN ORDER TO ARRIVE AT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A PLANNING STRUCTURE, AND THEN FIGURE OUT HOW TO SEQUENCE THAT WORK.

SO I'LL GIVE A QUICK DESCRIPTION OF THE VISUAL HERE, WHICH WE CALL OUR WORK PLAN WHEEL IN THE CENTER.

THE DARK BLUE SLICES OF THE WHEEL REPRESENT THE LARGE PHASES OF OUR WORK PLAN.

THESE WERE THE MAJOR TOPICS THAT WE WORKED THROUGH STARTING IN THE TOP, RIGHT WITH VALUES AND WORKING OUR WAY AROUND THE WHEEL CLOCKWISE IN THE LIGHT BLUE RING AROUND THE EDGE OF THE WHEEL ARE THE DELIVERABLES FROM EACH PHASE.

THESE WERE THE TANGIBLE PRODUCTS THAT WERE, THAT WERE CREATED.

AND LASTLY, SURROUNDING THE OUTSIDE OF THE WHEEL ARE THE GUIDING QUESTIONS THAT WE HAD TO ANSWER IN EACH PHASE IN ORDER TO CREATE THOSE DELIVERABLES.

SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS GRAPHIC, THE ONE THING WE WOULD HOPE THAT YOU WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM IT IS THAT WHILE THE SLICES MAY LOOK SEPARATE, THEY ARE DEEPLY INTERCONNECTED.

THERE WAS A LOGIC TO THE ORDER OF THE CONTENT SO THAT EACH PHASE COULD BUILD ON WHAT CAME BEFORE.

WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT BY THE TIME WE REACHED THOSE FINAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONVENING ENTITY, THE DISCUSSION WAS FULLY INFORMED AND BUILT ON A SOLID FOUNDATION OF UNDERSTANDING, TAKEN ALL TOGETHER, ACCUMULATIVE, EXCUSE ME, CUMULATIVE RESULTS OF THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, BUT PRESENT A CLEAR AND ROBUST SCAFFOLD FOR AN STD PLANNING STRUCTURE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS SLIDE SHOWS A SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION OF OUR WORKFLOW AND HOW WE USED THE PARTICIPANT GROUPS THAT COURTNEY DESCRIBED IN ORDER TO CREATE THOSE DELIVERABLES.

AS THE WORK GROUP MOVED THROUGH EACH PHASE OF THEIR WORK PLAN B CREATED THEIR DRAFT DELIVERABLES, WHICH WOULD THEN GO TO THE LEADERSHIP GROUP FOR REVIEW.

THE LEADERSHIP GROUP WOULD PROVIDE REACTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.

THE WORK GROUP WOULD THEN CONSIDER ALL OF THAT FEEDBACK AND MAKE FINAL REVISIONS IN PRACTICE THIS REPEATED FOR EVERY DELIVERABLE SO THAT THERE WAS A CONTINUOUS FLOW BETWEEN THE GROUPS FOR THE DURATION OF THE PROCESS.

AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE ON THE FAR RIGHT OF THE WORKFLOW WHEN THE HOLISTIC SET OF ALL DELIVERABLES IS MOVING FORWARD TO THE APPROVAL AUTHORITIES AND COURTNEY AND I HAVE SERVED AS THE FACILITATORS FOR THIS PROJECT.

FORMER JUDGE FR ASSIGN THIS WORK TO TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BECAUSE OUR DIVISION RESEARCH AND PLANNING IS TRAINED IN COMMUNITY PLANNING AND GROUP FACILITATION.

OUR ROLE COVERED PROCESS DESIGN, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, MANAGING THE WORKFLOW OF REPRESENTED ON THIS SLIDE, PROVIDING ALL IN MEETING DIRECT FACILITATION AND ALL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT.

[01:35:01]

AND AS WE MOVE INTO THE APPROVAL AUTHORITY STAGE, UH, COURTNEY AND I WILL CONTINUE TO STEWARD THIS WORK FORWARD THROUGH FORMAL ACTION AROUND RECOMMENDATIONS TOWARDS THAT HANDOFF TO A FULLY OPERATIONALIZED STD PLANNING STRUCTURE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS TABLE SHOWS YOU THE FULL RESULTS OF THE PROCESS.

WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION AND IT MAY NOT BE FULLY READABLE ON THIS SCREEN.

SO WE PROVIDE IT HERE MORE AS A REFERENCE, ALL OF THESE DELIVERABLES ARE INCLUDED IN, FULL IN YOUR BACKUP AND THE COMMUNITY CAN VIEW THEM PUBLICLY.

WE'LL HAVE THAT LINK AT THE END OF OUR SLIDE DECK TODAY.

BUT FOR NOW WE INCLUDE THIS LIST TO DEMONSTRATE THE DEPTH OF CONTENT THAT THE WORK GROUP CREATED.

WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE ALL INTERESTED PARTIES TO READ THE RESULTS IN FULL, AS YOU SAW IN THE WORK PLAN, WE ALL, NONE OF THESE DELIVERABLES ARE MEANT TO STAND ALONE.

THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE INTERDEPENDENT.

AND AS A WHOLE, THEY CREATE THAT COMPREHENSIVE BLUEPRINT FOR A PLANNING STRUCTURE.

WE ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS AND CREDIT THEM FOR THIS VERY IMPORTANT AND THESE SIGNIFICANT RESULTS.

THEY STAYED COMMITTED TO THIS PLANNING PROCESS THROUGH A PANDEMIC TIMELINE DELAYS.

THEY HAD TO LEARN NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND NEW WAYS OF WORKING, AND THEY SHOWED PATIENTS GRACE AND DEDICATION.

THEY ENGAGED DEEPLY WITH THIS WORK AND THEIR TREMENDOUS EFFORT HAS GENERATED A PROMISING VISION FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT OUR NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS, WE WANT TO PAUSE BRIEFLY TO HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE THINK WAS A MAJOR STRENGTH OF THE PROCESS, WHICH WAS OUR WORK AROUND EQUITY.

SO FIRST A LITTLE BACKGROUND, THE GLOBAL RACIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT IN THE SUMMER OF 2020, COINCIDED WITH THE SUD COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS RESUMING VIRTUALLY IN JUNE OF 2020.

AND WE RECEIVED PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF A RACIAL EQUITY PERSPECTIVE IN STD PLANNING WORK.

GIVEN THE DISPROPORTIONATE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF SUD IS ON PEOPLE OF COLOR AND THE INTERSECTION OF RACE CRIMINALIZATION AND SUBSTANCE USE.

TRAVIS COUNTY HHS AGREED THAT THIS WAS A PRIORITY AND WE PURCHASED CONSULTATION SERVICES FROM A SKILLED PRACTITIONER IN RACE EQUITY WORK, DR.

MARTHA RAMOS, EXCUSE ME, DR.

MARTHA RAMO STUFFER FROM QUANTUM POSSIBILITIES.

OUR GOAL WITH DR.

RAMOS STUFFER WAS TO BUILD EQUITY AND ANTI-RACISM INTO THE WHOLE PROCESS STRUCTURALLY NOT JUST ADDRESS IT AS A STANDALONE TOPIC.

SO HER WORK BEGAN BY DOING A THOROUGH REVIEW OF OUR WORK PLAN AND IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN AND INCORPORATE ANTI-RACISM.

AND ANTI-OPPRESSION FRAMEWORKS INTO THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS, TASKS, AND DELIVERABLES.

WE CONSULTED WITH DR.

RAMOS DEFFER TO DESIGN RELEVANT AND EFFECTIVE ACTIVITIES DURING PHASES WITH STRONG TIE-INS TO EQUITY.

SHE DIRECTLY FACILITATED OUR WORK GROUP MEMBERS IN TWO WORKING SESSIONS, FOCUSED ON IDENTIFYING THE IMPACTS OF RACISM ON SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND DEVELOPING A RACIAL EQUITY FRAMEWORK.

AND FOLLOWING THOSE SESSIONS, SHE PROVIDED DIRECT SUPPORT TO HHS FACILITATORS IN BUILDING OUT THOSE RAW RESULTS INTO TWO FINAL DELIVERABLES DURING REGULAR CONSULTATION SESSIONS IN EVERY PHASE, DR.

RAMOS STUFFER PROVIDED COACHING TO US AS FACILITATORS AROUND EQUITY FOCUSED PROFESSIONAL USE OF SELF UNDERSTANDING, POSITIONALITY, RACIALIZED PARTICIPATION, DYNAMICS, RACIALIZED LANGUAGE, AND MEANINGS, HISTORICAL CONTEXT, AND FACILITATIVE TECHNIQUES FROM AN EQUITY FRAMEWORK.

AND FINALLY, SHE COMPLETED AN EQUITY REVIEW OF EVERY COMPLETED DELIVERABLE, IDENTIFYING ANY WAYS TO INCORPORATE ANTI-RACIST LANGUAGE PRACTICES AND PRINCIPLES AS A LAST STEP BEFORE FINALIZING THE DELIVERABLES.

SO WE BELIEVE THAT THE WORK TO CENTER EQUITY IN THIS PLANNING PROCESS WAS ONE OF ITS STRENGTHS.

OF COURSE, THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE DONE AND APPLYING THE EQUITY PRINCIPLES WILL HAVE TO BE AN ITERATIVE PROCESS AND WE WILL CONTINUE IT.

AND THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THIS INTENT.

IN APRIL AND MAY WE HOPE TO WORK WITH OUR COUNTERPARTS AT THE CITY TO BUILD OUT THAT COURT APPROVED RECOMMENDATION WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKING WITH CENTRAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP.

SO AT THIS POINT, WE HAVE WRAPPED UP THE COMMUNITY PLANNING PHASE OF THIS PROCESS BY POSTING THE FINAL RESULTS ONLINE, INCLUDING PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT WERE RECEIVED IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY.

SO WE DO INVITE INTERESTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO VIEW THE RESULTS AT THE LINK ON THIS SLIDE.

UM, AND THE FULL DOCUMENT IS ALSO INCLUDED IN YOUR BACKUP TODAY.

WE PROVIDED A PROCESS UPDATE TO THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT ON JANUARY 27TH AND BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND FEBRUARY, WE HAVE CONVENED EXECUTIVE LEVEL CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.

THE CITY OF AUSTIN, INCLUDING ACM STEPHANIE HAYDEN, HOWARD AND CENTRAL HEALTH IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A COORDINATED STRATEGY COMING OUT OF THE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS.

AND WE'VE ESTABLISHED AN ALIGNED PATHWAY FORWARD THROUGH OUR THREE APPROVAL AUTHORITIES.

WE HAVE SEVERAL IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS LINED UP, INCLUDING FIRST RETURNING TO THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT ON MARCH 29TH.

AT THAT TIME WE PLAN TO BRING FORWARD A VOTING ITEM FOR APPROVAL AND DIRECTION AROUND A RECOMMENDED PATH

[01:40:02]

AND LASTLY, IF ANY OF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS AFTER TODAY, WE'RE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP INDIVIDUALLY WITH MATERIALS OR BRIEFINGS OR PROVIDE FURTHER COMMITTEE UPDATES, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION.

SO AT THIS TIME, WE'LL LOOK TO THE CHAIR TO SEE IF THERE IS ENOUGH TIME FOR QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE.

THANK YOU VERY HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THAT.

THAT WAS A LOT OF TERRAIN TO COVER.

AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO CONVENE THESE IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS TO MOVE THIS WORK FORWARD.

COLLEAGUES.

WE ONLY HAVE A FEW MINUTES FOR QUESTIONS HERE TODAY, THOUGH.

CERTAINLY WE COULD ASK THEM AFTER TODAY, DOES ANYONE HAVE, HAVE SOMETHING TO ASK RIGHT NOW, COUNCIL MEMBER FRANCIS, UM, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT FULLY UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF WHY THE INITIAL PLANNING PROCESS DIDN'T WORK, UM, OR JUST THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENED THEN? UM, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THIS UPDATE.

I JUST, I GUESS I'M HAVING, I'M STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS.

UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE HAVE A PLAN TO HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THE COMMUNITY PLANNING OF DEVELOPING THE PLAN FOR OUR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, UH, TREATMENT, UM, AND PREVENTION, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW JUST LAST WEEK WE HAD WHAT, 12 OVERDOSES, MANY THAT WERE ALREADY LINKING TO, I KNOW THE INVESTIGATIONS ONGOING, BUT, UH, BUT TO OPIATES.

AND SO FOR ME, I THINK THAT WE ARE AT A POINT WHERE THIS REALLY HAS REACHED A LEVEL OF CRISIS AND, UH, WHAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO SEE IS ACTION.

AND WE NEED TO BE COORDINATED IN THAT ACTION, KNOWING THAT THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT, UH, SERVICE PROVIDERS AND THAT, UH, MANY PARTNERS WHO ARE, UM, THAT NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS COLLABORATIVE WORK.

UM, AND SO I GUESS I'M JUST HESITATING, OR I'M TRYING, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS IN RELATION.

LIKE WE'RE STILL IN A, LIKE HOW MUCH LONGER ARE WE GOING TO BE IN A PLANNING PROCESS VERSUS WHEN WILL WE SEE AN ACTUAL, LIKE PLAN PRODUCT COME TOGETHER SO THAT WE CAN BETTER ADDRESS THE CRISIS THAT WE'RE SEEING? I THINK I CAN TAKE A STAB AT THAT.

IT'S A, UM, A BIG QUESTION AND THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORY THERE.

UM, I THINK THAT THE REALITY IS WE'VE HAD PLANS BEFORE.

AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THE PLANS THAT WE'VE HAD BEFORE HAVE NOT IN PUT INTO ACTION IS BECAUSE OF THIS LACK OF A PLANNING STRUCTURE, A SHARED TABLE WHERE EVERYONE CAN SIT TOGETHER TO DO THAT IMPLEMENTATION WORK.

AND SO THIS PLANNING TO PLAN HAS BEEN ALL ABOUT ESTABLISHING THAT SHARED TABLE AND TRYING TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND WHAT IT NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE.

UM, SO THAT IS WHY WE HAVE BEEN IN THIS LONG PLANNING TO PLAN PHASE.

UM, BUT THE MORE SPECIFIC QUESTION I THINK YOU ASKED WAS, WHICH WAS ABOUT WHEN WILL FORMAL ACTION MOVE FORWARD.

AND I THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT IS VERY SOON, WE ARE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT ON MARCH 29TH, AND WE WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD AN ACTION ITEM.

AND AT THAT POINT WE WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE SOME MORE TANGIBLE STEPS FORWARD TO OPERATIONALIZE.

UM, ONE OF THE OPTIONS THAT THE PLANNING PROCESS DID RECOMMEND, AND I GUESS TO ADD TO THAT, UM, I THINK THAT, THAT WE, UM, WE RECOGNIZED AND ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE IS A CRISIS RIGHT NOW AND THAT OUR PLANNING PROCESS DOES NOT PRECLUDE ACTION.

AND, AND, AND WE THINK THAT MANY OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE NOW HAVE IN THAT FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS PACKET COULD BE USED TO BUILD UPON ANY ACTIONS THAT, UM, THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO TAKE RIGHT NOW TO ADDRESS WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW.

UM, WE'RE HOPING THAT HAVING THIS, THIS PLANNING STRUCTURE, UM, FULLY FUNCTIONAL IN THE FUTURE WOULD MAKE US MUCH MORE AGILE AND MUCH MORE NIMBLE TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO CRISIS AND HAVE FOLKS AT THAT SAME TABLE READY TO MOBILIZE IN THE FUTURE.

BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, UM, AS THIS PROCESS IS CONTINUING ITS PATHWAY FORWARD, UM, THERE ARE, THERE ARE MANY THINGS TO BUILD OFF OF IN THOSE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE FROM THE COMMUNITY IN HOPES TO, UM, TO START ADDRESSING ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WHILE WE'RE RAMPING UP THAT TABLE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL.

AND I APPRECIATE YOU MENTIONING THAT, THAT THIS DOESN'T PRECLUDE ANY ACTION FROM TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS THAT WE'RE SEEING OF OPIATES IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING HOW THE MEETING WITH COMMISSIONERS COURT GOES LATER THIS MONTH.