Versión en español a continuación. Commission on Seniors Meeting March 10th, 2021 Commission on Seniors to be held March 10th, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (March 9th, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the March 10th, 2021 Commission on Seniors Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-972-5019 or Halana.Kaleel@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Halana.Kaleel@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Commission on Seniors FECHA de la reunion (March 10th, 2021) La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (March 9th, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de la junta en 512-972-5019 or Halana.Kaleel@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe ser el número que se utilizará para llamar). • Una vez que se haya realizado una …
1 COMMISSION ON SENIORS RECOMMENDATION Recommendation Number: 20210310-04A: Prioritizing COVID Vaccine appointments to People Aged 70 and Older. WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented health challenges; WHEREAS, COVID-19 vaccine immunizations reduce risks of infirmity and death, and provide significant protection from COVID-19 virus infection; WHEREAS, the vaccination of people age 65+, a critical population group, is a priority while in Phase 1-B; WHEREAS, as of February 23, 2021, 10,880 residents in the 80-plus age group had not received an appointment yet after pre-registering through Austin Public Health; another 37,434 people in the 70 to 79 age group had not received an appointment; and another 48,912 in the 60 to 69 age group had not received an appointment. WHEREAS, with the addition of teachers and childcare workers it is expected demand will continue to exceed supply in Phase 1-B at least for the near term; and WHEREAS, news stories document the difficulty for some older adults in registering for a vaccine appointment and service providers have shared frustrations with the vaccine registration system, including the email registration process, over-capacity phone lines and lengthy wait times and that it is difficult for service providers to help older adults schedule vaccine appointments. It is hereby RESOLVED that: The Commission on Seniors requests the City Council direct Austin Public Health to: • Continue to focus on the prioritization of the 65 and older population, and especially those age 70 and older, before proceeding to the next Phase; • Continue to provide and expand the support necessary to gain access to vaccines for these critical population groups, including: • Expand capacity for mobile vaccinations targeting homebound older adults and homebound people with disabilities • Expand capacity for scheduling appointments via telephone • Allow service providers who work with older adults to help clients register for appointments • Allow service providers to register clients who do not have their own email address • Allow secondary contacts, such as family and service providers, who can regularly check • Provide vaccines to volunteer drivers with organizations that commit to driving older email for notification of appointments adults to vaccine appointments Vote 13-0 For: Briesemeister, Varteressian, Bordie, Cagle, Garcia-Pittman, Hauser, Jackson, Kareithi, Lugo, Nicola, Temperley, Van Sickle, Spain Against: None Abstain: None Absent: Angel Attest: Janee Briesemeister, Chair 2
1 COMMISSION ON SENIORS RESOLUTION Resolution Number: 20210310-04B: Establishing an Emergency Preparedness and Response Working Group WHEREAS, on February 12, 2021 Governor Greg Abbott issued a Declaration of State of Disaster for all of Texas due to forecasts of severe winter weather, including prolonged freezing temperatures, snow and freezing rain; and WHEREAS, more than 200,000 customers of Austin Energy lost power for days beginning in the early morning hours of February 15 due to mandatory controlled outages ordered by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT); and WHEREAS, the freezing temperatures and prolonged power outages also caused broken water pipes, leaving many in Austin without water and with directives to boil water for the rest; and WHEREAS, the community, local nonprofits, and city council members, often in coordination with the city, identified needs and implemented relief efforts that included delivering water and food to older adults and persons living with disabilities in apartment complexes throughout the city that lost water and power; and WHEREAS, volunteers reached over 14,000 people through wellness calls and identified over 1,000 people who needed additional support including EMS, food and/or water delivery; WHEREAS, City Council Resolution No. 20210205-006, which included in part: The City Manager report on recommended actions related to disaster relief should include, but not be limited to: • Recommendations for formalizing and improving the city’s and the community’s notification and disaster response systems for vulnerable seniors living in the community and facility settings, and for persons with disabilities, including systems for welfare checks, in consultation with the City of Austin Age Friendly Program Coordinator, the Commission on Seniors, and the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. The City Manager shall endeavor to report on these recommended actions by September 1, 2021. THEREFOR Be It Resolved: The Commission on Seniors creates the Emergency Preparedness and Response Working Group. The purpose of the working group is to make recommendations to improve preparation, communication and response to extreme weather, disasters and other emergencies. The working group will: • Engage with members of the community, providers of services to older adults, community organizers, and city departments regarding lessons learned from the February 2021 Winter Storm; • Make recommendations to the City Manager per Council Resolution No. 20210205-006 for formalizing and improving the city’s and the community’s notification and disaster response systems for vulnerable seniors living in the community and facility settings, and for persons with disabilities, …
