* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Quality of Life Committee on June 1, 2026.] [00:00:15] AT LARGE POSITION ONE AND CHAIR OF THIS CITY COUNCIL, QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE. AND WE'RE PLEASED TO BE MEETING THIS AFTERNOON TO HEAR A PRESENTATION. I WANT TO NOTE, UH, THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT WITH US ARE COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN, AND COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK AS WELL. WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARIO CASTILLO'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER TWILA CARTER'S OFFICE, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM, MARTHA CASTEX, TATUM'S OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, TIFFANY THOMAS'S OFFICE AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, JOE PANZELLA'S OFFICE AS WELL. THIS MEETING IS BEING, UH, BROADCAST, UM, AND WE WILL HAVE A CHANCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY FOLKS HAVE SIGNED UP, BUT WHOEVER'S PRESENT WILL GIVE YOU THE OPTION TO MAKE SOME PUBLIC COMMENT IF YOU SO CHOOSE. THIS AFTERNOON, WE WILL BE HEARING A PRESENTATION ON ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, AN ASSESSMENT AND REPORT. UM, THE PRESENTATION WILL BE MADE BY DR. MELISSA SHELTON OF OUR OWN CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND BRANDON MADDOX FROM THE HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND RECOGNIZE YOU, DR. SHELTON, FOR THIS, UH, PRESENTATION. AND WE WILL, WE'LL WATCH IT ON THE SCREEN. WE DIDN'T PRINT IT OUT, SO WE'LL SAVE, SAVE A FEW TREES TODAY AND, UH, BE, BE PLEASED TO FOLLOW AFTER. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UM, INVITING US HERE AND ALLOW US TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN. MY NAME IS DR. MELISSA SHELTON, AND I WORK FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT. AND MY COUNTERPART IS, UM, BRANDON MADDOX. I'M GONNA HAVE HIM TELL A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIMSELF BEFORE WE GET STARTED AND HOW WE REALLY CAME. THIS IS MORE OF A STORY, HOW WE CAME TOGETHER TO DO A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT, WHICH IS, I BELIEVE IS THE FIRST PROJECT THAT IS VERY IN DEPTH, UM, BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND HARRIS COUNTY. AND BRANDON, BEFORE YOU DO THAT, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIE DAVIS HAS JOINED US AS WELL. SO GO AHEAD, BRANDON. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. MY NAME IS BRANDON MADDOX. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND INNOVATION FOR HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH. UM, I WORK UNDER, UH, LEAH BARTON FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE, LIKE DR. SHELTON SAID, UH, THIS HAS BEEN A TRULY COLLABORATIVE EXPERIENCE BETWEEN, UM, HARRIS COUNTY AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR REPORTS, AND IT'S A REPORT THAT, UH, BOTH THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ARE REQUIRED TO DO AS PART OF OUR, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH ACCREDITATION. AND, UM, YEAH, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS SINCE JUNE OR JULY OF, UH, 2025, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT COMES OUT OF IT, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE, WE DEVELOP REPORTS AND, UH, WE PUBLISH IT OUT. AND THE EXTENT THAT SOMEBODY READS IT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S GREAT. BUT THE ACTION AND THE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE COMMITMENTS THAT COME OUT OF IT, THOSE ARE REALLY, UM, WHERE WE SEE, UH, THIS REPORT HAVING A LOT OF VALUE. SO JUST THANK YOU. YOU BET. AND JUST A QUICK QUESTION BEFORE YOU GET STARTED ARE, IS THE CITY AND THE COUNTY REQUIRED TO DO THIS REPORT JOINTLY OR SEPARATELY, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO WE'RE NOT REQUIRED TO DO IT JOINTLY, BUT IT'S BENEFICIAL MM-HMM . AND STREAMLINED, AND WE ACTUALLY SERVE THE SAME, UM, POPULATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PATIENTS AND CLIENTS AND SO FORTH. AND IT WAS, UM, BECAUSE OUR CLIENTS CROSS OVER, WHETHER FROM CITY OF HOUSTON TO GO TO ACCESS HARRIS COUNTY RESOURCES, OR WHETHER HARRIS COUNTY CLIENTS AND PATIENTS ACCESS THAT. SO IT WAS BE VERY BENEFICIAL AND IT IS REQUIRED. THANK FOR PART OF OUR GREAT, THANK YOU. YOU MAY PROCEED. OKAY. UM, SO AGAIN, UM, AS I MENTIONED, I'M FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND I ALSO WANNA, UM, MENTION THAT I'M UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF DR. TRAN, THERESA TRAN, OUR, UH, NEW DIRECTOR AND SO FORTH. AND AGAIN, IT'S A PLEASURE FOR US TO BE WORKING TOGETHER ON THIS PROJECT. NEXT SLIDE. SO AS WE ARE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, UM, PROJECT, UM, ACCESS TO CARE ASSESSMENT AND REPORT, THERE'S SOME KEY COMPONENTS WE REALLY WANT TO HAVE A STORYTELLING TO INFORM EVERYONE ABOUT. AS WE ALL KNOW, THERE ARE CHALLENGES WHEN IT, UM, COMES TO INDIVIDUALS ACCESSING HEALTHCARE, WHETHER THEY'RE RECEIVING IT, UM, BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR IT, WHETHER THEY HAVE INSURANCE OR NOT. SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR CONVERSATION AND DISCUSSION WITH YOU ALL IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THE REPORT, WHAT TYPE OF METHODOLOGY, THE SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, AND THE THREE MAIN TOPICS [00:05:01] THAT WE CAME ACROSS IN REGARDS TO, WHETHER IT'S AFFORDING CARE, FINDING CARE, RECEIVING CARE, WE KIND OF CALL IT LIKE THE THREE C'S. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS ARE GONNA BE. NEXT SLIDE. SO WITH, UM, AGAIN, THE REPORT IS, AND OUR ACTIONS ARE ALIGNED WITH OUR ACCREDITATION BECAUSE BOTH HEALTH DEPARTMENTS ARE, UM, ACCREDITED. NEXT SLIDE. AND WITH THIS, UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF, UM, CATEGORIES FOR THAT IDENTIFY SPECIFIC GAPS AND BARRIERS. ONE WE DID, WE CONDUCTED A LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS, UM, AND COMMUNITY HEALTH DATA COLLECTING POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS. WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANTLY THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE FINDING THAT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS, UM, MOMENTARILY IS ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION THAT WE'VE REALLY RECEIVED WITH THROUGH THE CONVERSATIONS OF OUR, UM, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, SUCH, OUR PROVIDERS LEADERSHIP FROM HARRIS COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, OUR CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, HARRIS HEALTH SYSTEM, AND ALSO, UM, HARRIS CENTER. AND, UM, THAT WOULD HELP DRIVE WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD TO NEXT SLIDE. SO WITH THIS, AS WE MENTIONED IN THESE THREE CS AS AFFORDING, FINDING AND RECEIVING CARE, WE DO HAVE TO LOOK AT WHETHER IT'S PRIMARY BEHAVIOR, DENTAL CARE, AND SAFETY, NET, NET, UM, FACILITIES AND SO FORTH. AND THESE ARE WHAT HELPS WITH THE BREAKDOWN. NEXT SLIDE. WE ALSO WANNA POINT OUT, UM, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC GUIDANCE DOES ALIGN WITH OUR, UM, THE PRIORITIES OF MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS, PUBLIC SAFETY, QUALITY OF LIFE. SO WE LOOK TO THE FAR RIGHT OR MAYBE TO YOUR LEFT, UM, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S STRATEGIC PRIORITY TO ENSURE ACCESS TO CARE AND RESOURCES. THIS ALIGNS WITH WHAT, UH, OUR CITY OF HOUSTON MAYOR, UM, INITIATIVES ARE. AND THEN OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE KEY INITIATIVES THAT SUPPORT THE MAYOR'S PRIORITIES. NEXT SLIDE. SO WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT AFFORDING CARE, AND THEN I'M ALSO GONNA HAVE BRANDON GIVE LIKE A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES TOO, SO WE CAN KIND OF MAKE THIS, UH, FLOW A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. SO SOME OF THE MATTERS. NEXT SLIDE. THE WHY AFFORDING CARE MATTERS REALLY IS TO HELP PEOPLE DETERMINE WHETHER THEY'RE SEEKING CARE AT ALL. UM, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS, AS WE ALL KNOW, IS, IS THE COST BARRIER. UM, ALSO PEOPLE DELAYING OR PREVENTIVE, UM, DELAYING PREVENTIVE CARE DUE TO THE FACT THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES. SO ONE OF OUR KEY FINDINGS DEFINITELY THROUGH OUR ANALYSIS CONVERSATIONS WITH PROVIDERS IS THE HEALTHCARE COSTS, REGARDLESS OF THE INSURANCE STATUS, THE COVERAGE GAP, REGARDLESS OF WHO'S ELIGIBLE OR WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND AFFORDABILITY, THAT'S NOT, UM, DEFINITELY EVENLY UH, DISTRIBUTED. NEXT SLIDE. SO BRANDON, SURE. AND THANK YOU DR. SHELTON. SO, UM, FROM A, UH, COMMUNITY HEALTH SURVEY THAT WE, UM, DEPLOYED BACK IN 2024 AS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT, UM, WHEN WE ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS THE, THE REASON THAT, UH, YOU DELAYED CARE, IF YOU DID IN FACT DELAY CARE WITHIN THE FIRST 12, WITHIN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, UM, COST WAS THE MOST COMMON REASON. UM, IN ADDITION, YOU KNOW, WE, WE KNOW THAT ABOUT ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE LACK HEALTH INSURANCE, AND, UH, ONE IN SIX PEOPLE EXPERIENCE POVERTY WITHIN, UH, HARRIS COUNTY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THESE ARE REALLY THE BIGGEST BARRIERS TO WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD CARE AT ALL. SO WITH THAT, OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND PROVIDERS, NEXT SLIDE, THEY ACTUALLY, WE CAME UP WITH SEVEN, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS. THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE THROUGHOUT, WHETHER IT'S RECEIVING, AFFORDING, UM, CARE. SO THE FIRST ONE, UM, AS IT ALIGNS WITH THE COVERAGE GAP, IT REMAINS, UM, A CRITICAL STRUCTURE BARRIER. SO THERE IS A THIN LINE BETWEEN COMING IN AND SEEING YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER VERSUS SOMEONE DECIDING TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE. SO NEXT SLIDE. SO THE FIRST, UH, RECOMMENDATION WAS TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP A COORDINATED AFFORDABLE CARE POLICY. AND THIS POLICY IS BREADTH ACROSS, UM, VARIOUS, VARIOUS ENTITIES, WHETHER IT'S A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, UH, HEALTHCARE NAVIGATORS, UM, ALSO FOOD FOR, UM, MEDICINE MODELS, AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR, UM, THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS IS TO STRENGTHEN MULTI-SECTOR, UM, AREAS AS IT PERTAINS TO POLICY. SO HOPEFULLY, AS WE ALL KNOW, THAT POLICY CAN MAKE AN IMPACT WHEN IT COMES TO INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING OR HAVING THE ABILITY TO RECEIVE HEALTHCARE [00:10:01] SERVICES AND RESOURCES. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS REALLY TO LOOK AT NOT ONLY ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WHETHER IT'S HARRIS COUNTY, WHETHER IT'S THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UM, FQ, HC, THE FAIRLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS. WE ALL HAVE A COMMONALITY WHERE IT CAN HELP DRIVE US, UM, BEING ABLE TO HAVE A SPECIFIC POLICY. AND LASTLY, USING DATA. DATA HELPS WITH COMMUNITY STORIES, UM, TO HELP DRIVE, TO MAKE, UM, COMPELLING BRIEFS AND SO FORTH. NEXT SLIDE. THE SECOND ONE IS ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION IS WE REALLY WOULD WANT TO, UM, CONTINUE TO EXPAND PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS, ENROLLMENT, UM, EFFORTS. AND THAT'S WHETHER YOU'RE GOING THROUGH MEDICARE, THE CHIP COMMU, THE CHILDREN HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN, UH, TEXAS WOMEN AND SO FORTH. UM, IN REGARD TO THAT, ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION, UM, WILL BE TO, ONE IS TO CREATE SOME TYPE OF A REFERRAL PATHWAY. AND AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYONE'S FAMILIAR WITH THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY DRIVING FORCE UTILIZING THOSE, UM, PARTICULAR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ACTUALLY FROM THOSE COMMUNITIES AND THEY CAN RELATE TO, UM, OUR CLIENTS AND SO FORTH. ALSO, UM, ANOTHER IS TO STANDARDIZE SOME TYPE OF WARM HANDOFF, UM, PRACTICES BETWEEN AGENCIES SO THAT RESIDENTS ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO A SPECIFIC, UM, ENROLLMENT PARTNER. BRANDON, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? YEAH, ON THE BENEFITS ENROLLMENT PIECE, WE KNOW THAT THIS HAS A, A HUGE RETURN ON INVESTMENT. AND I THINK BECAUSE OF THAT, UH, WHETHER IT'S THE CITY OF HOUSTON OR HARRIS COUNTY OR ANY FQHCS, WE ALL DO SOME SORT OF RESOURCE NAVIGATION. WE ALL DO SOME SORT OF BENEFITS ENROLLMENT. AND SO, UM, ONE OF THE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS OR THE ACTIONS THAT, UM, WAS, WAS REALLY EXCITING OUT OF THIS ONE, UM, WAS JUST GETTING PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING SIMILAR WORK IN THE SAME ROOM TO TALK ABOUT ARE THEY SERVING SIMILAR POPULATIONS OR IS THERE BETTER COORDINATION OF RESOURCES THAT CAN BE HAPPENING ACROSS OUR JURISDICTION. UM, SO EXCITED TO SEE THAT ONE COME FORWARD. NEXT SLIDE. SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE INTO FINDING CARE. NEXT SLIDE. UM, THIS DEALS WITH CARE THAT'S AFFORDABLE, DEPENDS ON WHETHER SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AND SO FORTH. SO SOME OF THE KEY FINDINGS, AGAIN, AS WE WERE SPEAKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND SO FORTH WITH SAFETY NET PROVIDER SHORTAGES IS A VERY, UM, IT'S CONCERNING AND AN INCREASED DEMAND LIMITED TO ACCESS TO CARE. UM, THERE'S ALSO, UM, ANOTHER FINDING AS PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY FAMILIAR WITH IS BARRIERS TO TRANSPORTATION AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM THAT PREVENT CARE UTILIZATION. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF, UM, ONE OF THE KEY INFORMANT PROVIDERS THAT WAS INTERVIEWED, AND THEY WERE SAYING THEY HAD TWO SOCIAL WORKERS RIGHT NOW FOR 1500 PATIENTS. SO WE DO KNOW THERE IS A BIG, UH, SAFETY NET SHORTAGE ALSO, UM, AS YOU SEE A STAT HERE, ONE IN FOUR PEOPLE IN TEXAS, WHICH IS A VERY GENERAL, UM, STAT STATISTIC FOR THE, UM, STATE OF TEXAS. THEY DON'T HAVE A PRIMARY CARE, UM, PROVIDER. SO WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THAT MEANS THAT, UM, WHEN A PATIENT CAN'T FIND A PROVIDER, THEY OFTEN LATER, UM, ENCOUNTER DISEASE VERSUS GETTING SOME PREVENTIVE, UM, HEALTHCARE. IF THEY DID HAVE A PROVIDER THAT WAS, UM, MONITORING, UM, THEIR CARE, YOU HAVE SOMETHING. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE. SO ANOTHER BARRIER, UM, I MENTIONED EARLIER IS TRANSPORTATION IS VERY SIGNIFICANT, UM, IN REGARDS TO THAT NEXT SLIDE, ONE OTHER THING THAT'S COMING IN IS THE, UH, TELEHEALTH. SO WITH TELEHEALTH, MEANING THAT AN INDIVIDUAL MAY BE ABLE TO ACCESS, UH, CARE SERVICES VIA, UM, THE INTERNET, BUT THERE IS A STA A STATISTIC THAT ABOUT 9% OF THE HOUSEHOLDS LACK INTERNET ACCESS, UM, AND IT'S AFFORDABILITY. SO EVEN IF YOU ARE A LOW INCOME OR DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS TO COVER THAT, THAT CAN MAKE AN IMPACT IN REFERENCE, UM, TO THAT. SO THIS DEFINITELY DOES NOT HELP, UM, FULLY WITH COVERING OR CLOSING THE GAP WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESSING PARTICULAR HEALTHCARE SERVICES. NEXT SLIDE. SO RECOMMENDATION NUMBER THREE. WE'VE ACTUALLY TALKED BREADTH ACROSS WHETHER IT'S HEALTH SYSTEM, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN HARRIS COUNTY, ABOUT EXPANDING EFFORTS TO EMBED COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS OR RESOURCE NAVIGATORS WITHIN PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO REALLY HELP SUPPORT THOSE, UM, NON-MEDICAL DRIVERS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION IS TO BASICALLY, UH, [00:15:01] CONVENE AND SHARE BEST PRACTICES FROM VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND SO FORTH, LEVERAGING THOSE RESOURCES, UM, FROM VARIOUS, UM, PROVIDERS OR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. AND THEN DEFINITELY EXPANDING PARTNERSHIPS, WHICH, UM, THEY DO INTEGRATE, EXCUSE ME, UM, INTEGRATING THE, UM, THE CH THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS INTO, UH, COMMUNITY HUBS. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ABOUT THE HUBS? I WOULD JUST ADD THAT, UM, WHENEVER WE THINK ABOUT OUR HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE IN, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND IN HARRIS COUNTY, IT, IT'S NOT THAT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH INFRASTRUCTURE. THERE'S PLENTY OF, UH, CLINICS, WHETHER THEY'RE FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS, SAFETY NET CLINICS, COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINICS TO GO AROUND. AND WHAT WE HEARD FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER FEEDBACK SESSIONS WHEN WE INTRODUCED THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND GOT FEEDBACK FROM THEM WAS, UM, THERE JUST NEEDS TO BE MORE AWARENESS OF WHAT ALL OF THOSE RESOURCES ARE AND HOW TO DIRECT PEOPLE TO THE FACILITIES, THE LOCATIONS, THE CLINICS THAT ARE NEAR THEM. UM, IT'S REALLY OPTIMIZATION OF THE RESOURCES WE HAVE WHERE A HUGE JURISDICTION WITH, UH, LOTS OF GREAT RESOURCES HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY, UM, AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON. BUT, UM, IT'S A MATTER OF GETTING PEOPLE TO THE PLACE THAT THEY NEED AND IS CLOSEST TO THEM IN A WAY THAT'S ACCESSIBLE. NEXT SLIDE. SO BRANDON ACTUALLY KIND OF TOUCHED POINT ON ENHANCING, UH, AN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S ALREADY THERE TO HELP SUPPORT AND CLOSE LOOPS AND SO FORTH. UM, A COUPLE OF AREAS THAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION, AGAIN, UM, CREATE AND ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON AND DEPLOY A SIMPLE TOOL FOR RESIDENTS, PROVIDERS AND FRONTLINE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS. THIS TOOLS ACTUALLY CAN BE UTILIZED, WHETHER IT'S, UM, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND SO FORTH TO HELP THEM LOCATE AND FIND, UM, ACCESSIBLE, UH, CARE AND SO FORTH. ALSO, ANOTHER IS, UM, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION IS TO DEVELOP A STANDARDIZED, UM, SOP TO DEPLOY ACROSS VARIOUS AGENCIES TO TRAIN ON THE GOLD STANDARD OF CARE NAVIGATIONS AND SO FORTH. SO THIS WILL HELP NOT ONLY UTILIZING A TOOL TO HELP PEOPLE TO INDIVIDUALS AND AGENCIES AND PROVIDERS TO LOCATE AND IDENTIFY RESOURCES, BUT TO, UM, PUT THAT IN PLACE WHERE EVERYONE HAS THE, THE STANDARD OF, UM, PROCEDURE. NEXT SLIDE. RECOMMENDATION FIVE. UM, IT'S ABOUT BASICALLY THE WORKFORCE, IMPROVING THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY. SO WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WITHOUT RECRUITMENT, IT CAN POTENTIALLY LIMIT THE NUMBER OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. BUT BY US WORKING COLLECTIVELY TOGETHER HELPS TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AND, UM, CARE NAVIGATORS WITHIN SPECIFIC CAREERS. AND WE WOULD STRONGLY WOULD LIKE TO, UM, TO ADVOCATE TO EMPLOYERS ON BEST PRACTICES. WHEN THEY DO RECRUIT, THEY HIRE OR RETAIN THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO HELP IN REGARDS TO, UM, ACCESS TO CARE. NEXT SLIDE. RECEIVING CARE. THIS IS THE ONE OF THE LAST ONES. SO, UM, WHEN YOU RECEIVE CARE, ONE OF THE CONCERNS IS LANGUAGE BARRIERS AND HEALTH LITERACY, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES. THESE ARE SOME OF THE IMPACTS THAT A PROVIDER CAN FIELD, UM, WITH AMONG THEMSELVES AS WELL AS, UM, THE PERSON THAT'S RECEIVING THE CARE. SO, UM, AS WE KNOW THAT, UM, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE BARRIER SOMETIMES LIMIT THE INDIVIDUAL'S ABILITY TO REALLY TO HELP NAVIGATE AND USE CARE. UM, AND ALSO IT CAN IMPACT MISTRUST OR DEEPEN THAT MISTRUST. A LOT OF TIMES, UM, INDIVIDUALS MAY HAVE SOME, UM, LACK OF SUFFICIENT SYSTEMIC SUPPORT AND AGAIN, UM, PO UH, PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY CAN AFFECT THAT ABILITY TO RECEIVE CARE FOR OF THAT INDIVIDUAL. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS JUST, UM, ABOUT LANGUAGE LIMITS OF INDIVIDUAL'S ABILITY. I MENTIONED THAT EARLIER IN REGARDS TO HOW AN INDIVIDUAL RECEIVES THEIR CARE AND ALSO HOW A PROVIDER, UM, PROVIDES THEIR THEIR CARE. NEXT SLIDE. WHEN MAKING REFERRALS A UM, PROVIDER, THEY RELY ON A LOT OF TEAMS WITH, UM, SOMETIMES THEIR LIMITATIONS, THEIR CAPACITY IS STRAINED AND THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE NOT ACTIVELY, UM, SEEKING THE CARE THAT THEY NEED, UM, AND SO FORTH. SOME OF, DEPENDING ON WHERE THE PERSON'S RECEIVING THEIR HEALTHCARE, THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY HAVE A NAVIGATION TEAM, SO IT MIGHT BE CHALLENGING FOR THAT PERSON TO RECEIVE CARE. NEXT SLIDE. DO YOU WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS? OKAY. SO PUBLIC POLICY, AGAIN, BOTH DIRECTLY AND [00:20:01] DIRECTLY AFFECTS COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABILITY TO, UH, TO RECEIVE CARE. SO YOU'LL SEE THIS IS A VERY BROAD STAT. UM, NEARLY THREE IN 10 IMMIGRANT ADULTS REPORTED SKIPPING OR POSTPONING HEALTHCARE, UM, IN THE PAST, UH, 12 MONTHS, WHICH ENDED UP BEING, UM, AN INCREASE BASED ON OTHER DATA THAT WAS, UM, THAT'S AVAILABLE. AND SOMETIMES, AND SOMETIMES IT'S REALLY THE FEAR OF, UM, ACCESSING CARE, WHICH IS A REAL CONCERN AND SO FORTH. SO AS YOU SEE HERE, ABOUT ONE IN FIVE HARRIS COUNTY COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE, UM, NON-CITIZENS. NEXT SLIDE. THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS RECEIVING CARE, IT'S BASICALLY IMPLEMENTING A CULTURAL RESPONSIVE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND, UM, INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES THAT DIRECTLY ADDRESS HISTORICAL TRAUMA, THE CULTURE MISTRUST AND SO FORTH. IN ORDER FOR THAT TO REALLY HAPPEN AGAIN, THAT IS WHERE COLLABORATIVELY, WHERE THE, UM, LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, THE, UM, FQHCS, THE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AND OTHER ENTITIES THAT CAN COME TOGETHER. WHAT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION IS USING TRUSTED MESSAGES, USING, UM, INDIVIDUALS SUCH AS OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE, UH, COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES. ANOTHER IS TO PROMOTE BEST PRACTICES TO ENSURE SAFE AND SECURE HEALTHCARE ACCESS FOR IMMIGRANTS AND FOR NON-CITIZENS. NEXT SLIDE. THE OTHER, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS IS A PHILOSOPHY OF MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND REALLY CREATING SOME TYPE OF ALTERNATIVE, UM, SERVICE DELIVERY MATH MODELS. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE KNOW THAT INDIVIDUALS, DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY WORK, IT MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO GO TO, MAYBE LET'S SAY TO A CLINIC IS, UM, IN THE MORNING, EIGHT O'CLOCK OR NINE, THEY MAY NEED TO BE AT WORK. SO TESTS, FLEXIBLE CLINIC HOURS, SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS FOR WORKING RESIDENTS. UM, DEFINITELY SUPPORTING THE EXPANSION OF SCHOOL-BASED CLINICS, UM, TELEHEALTH SERVICES IN SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEN THEY HAVE THOSE RESOURCES. 'CAUSE AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE IS, UM, A SIGNIFICANT, UM, NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS WHO HAVE HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO, UM, INTERNET THAT ALSO, UM, ALLOWS SERVICES TO BE OFFERED AT ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCHOOLS WITHOUT, UM, JEOPARDIZING THEIR FUNDINGS. AND THEN LASTLY, IDENTIFYING OTHER, UM, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, IDENTIFYING OTHER LOCATIONS. AND THESE ARE IDEAS THAT CAME UP AGAIN THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, MAYBE THROUGH, UH, THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES, FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS. NEXT SLIDE. SO AFTER HEARING THIS, WHAT IS OUR NEXT STEPS? WELL, BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND, UM, HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AS WE COMPLETE THIS REPORT, AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECTS, ACTUALLY THIS MONTH IS A YEAR, 'CAUSE WE STARTED JUNE, 2025, SO IT'S BEEN A FULL YEAR. AND, UM, ONCE WE COMPLETE THE, THE REPORT, WE ALSO ARE, AGAIN, WE MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT A TOOL. SO WE ARE DEVELOPING AND LAUNCHING A WEB-BASED INTERACTIVE SAFETY NET, UM, FACILITY TOOL THAT WILL HELP THE PROVIDERS, UM, ACCESSIBLE TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND TO, UM, HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND OR ANY ENTITY THAT NEEDS IT TO FIND ACCESSIBLE AND RELEVANT CARE. THEN STARTING THIS FALL, AND THAT'S THIS SUMMER BETWEEN JULY AND AUGUST THAT WILL BE LAUNCHED AND THE REPORT WILL BE COMPLETED. SO WE ALSO, UM, FOR PART OF OUR ACCREDITATION, WE DO HAVE TO HAVE A, UM, COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT THAT HAS TO BE CONDUCTED. IT HAS TO BE WITHIN FIVE YEARS OF WHEN AN ENTITY SUCH AS OUR DEPARTMENTS HAVE TO GO UP FOR RE-ACCREDITATION. SO SINCE WE'VE WORKED ON THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, WE'VE DECIDED TO WORK AND MADE SENSE TO WORK ON COLLABORATIVE, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT, WHICH WILL START THIS FALL OF 2026. AND THEN WITH THAT, WITH THE RESULTS OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH AS, UM, ASSESSMENT, WE ALSO INVITED AND THEY ARE EAGER TOO WITH, UM, THE HARRIS HEALTH SYSTEM. SO THAT WAY WE CAN HAVE AN ENRICH REPORT FOR THE ASSESSMENT TO SEE WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS OUR RESOURCES AND SO FORTH. WHAT ARE OUR PRIORITIES AND TO REALLY REDUCE DUPLICATION AND SO FORTH AND TO HELP GUIDE WHAT OUR NEXT ACTIONS ARE GONNA BE AND SO FORTH. DID YOU HAVE ANY? SURE. THE ONLY THING THAT I WANTED TO, TO PIGGYBACK ON IS, UM, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF A PHASE TWO FOR THIS, WE REALLY WANNA DEVELOP AND LAUNCH A WEB-BASED INTERACTIVE SAFETY NET FACILITY TOOL. AND, UM, THIS COMES FROM THAT FINDING OF, HEY, IT'S REALLY HARD FOR PEOPLE TO FIND AND RECEIVE THE CARE THAT THEY NEED. UM, WHILE THIS MAY NOT HELP PEOPLE TO, UM, AFFORD CARE PAST WHAT THEY'RE [00:25:01] ABLE TO TODAY, UM, IF YOU PUT YOURSELF IN THE SHOES OF LIKE A, A COMMUNITY MEMBER OR PERHAPS A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER WHO'S HELPING A COMMUNITY MEMBER TO FIND SOME TYPE OF FOLLOW UP CARE THAT THEIR, THEIR PROVIDER OR THAT A CLINIC THAT THEY'VE BEEN TO HAS, UM, TOLD THEM, HEY, YOU NEED TO FIND SOME SORT OF, UM, FOLLOW UP CARE FOR NEUROLOGY. UM, THIS IS REALLY INTENDED TO ALLOW SOMEBODY TO PUT IN THEIR, THEIR ADDRESS, UM, FIND THE TYPE OF CARE THAT THEY NEED AND THEN TO BE, UH, UH, DIRECTED OVER TO, TO THAT FACILITY. AND THAT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TODAY. THERE'S NOT REALLY A ONE STOP SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR THAT IN, UM, HOUSTON OR HARRIS COUNTY. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE, WHEN WE PITCHED THIS, UH, I WANNA ALSO TELL A STORY FROM, UM, DR. TRAN. SHE HAD MENTIONED THAT PRIOR TO BEING THE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DIRECTOR, SHE WAS AN EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN. AND, UM, WHEN, WHEN SHE WAS THERE, IF SOMEBODY DID NEED FOLLOW-UP CARE BUT WASN'T ABLE TO BE SERVED BY THAT, UH, HOSPITAL SYSTEM, THE DIRECT CONNECTION WAS TO HARRIS HEALTH REGARDLESS OF WHETHER HARRIS HEALTH WAS THE RIGHT, UM, UH, LOCATION FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL OR IF THERE WAS A NEARBY, FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER THAT, UH, COULD SUPPORT THAT PERSON. SO, UM, WE THINK THIS IS GONNA BE REALLY, REALLY, UH, REALLY NEAT, REALLY HELPFUL FOR THE PUBLIC. UM, AND, UH, YEAH, JUST EXCITED TO DO THAT WITH Y'ALL. NEXT SLIDE. AND IN CLOSING, WE DO WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL THE TEAM THAT DID A LOT OF WORK, UM, ON THIS PROJECT AND SO FORTH. AND THESE ARE MEMBERS OF BOTH TEAMS FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND FROM HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH AND SO FORTH. SO WE ARE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD FOR OUR NEXT PROJECT, BUT WHAT WE ARE ASKING IS, ARE THERE ANY FEEDBACK OR, UM, ANY INSIGHT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US BECAUSE AS WE ARE PRESENTING TO ADD TO THE REPORT, 'CAUSE THERE COULD BE SOME THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON THAT MAYBE THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND HARRIS COUNTY MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE AWARE OF. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. WE'LL NOW HAVE A QUESTION AND AN ANSWER, UH, A PART OF THIS. BUT BEFORE I DO THAT, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE HAD STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S OFFICE AND COUNCIL MEMBER SALINA'S OFFICE FROM THE START OF THE MEETING. WE HAVE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I LOVE THAT Y'ALL ARE WORKING TOGETHER ON THIS AND WORKING TOGETHER ON, ON A LOT OF FRONTS FROM MY UNDERSTANDING. SO REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. I I EVEN BEFORE YOU KIND OF CLOSED WITH, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE TOOL, I HIGHLIGHTED THAT AS IN YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU KNOW, JUST EVEN GOOGLING AROUND WHILE Y'ALL WERE TALKING, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO FIND AFFORDABLE. IT, IT, IT IS, YOU KNOW, THEY KIND OF LIST SOME SAFETY NET NET CLINICS. THEY LIST SOME LIST, SOME FQHCS, BUT THERE'S NO COMMON, UH, NAVIGATION OR I GUESS YOU GUYS THAT THE COUNTY HAS A, A KIND OF NAVIGATING AN APPLICATION TO FIGURE OUT WHAT KIND OF ASSISTANCE YOU CAN GET. I DID SEE THAT. LIKE YOU GO THROUGH AND GET, YOU CAN, I MEAN, SOMEBODY CAN FIGURE OUT LIKE WHAT THEY CAN GET, LIKE WHETHER THEY QUALIFY FOR MEDICAID OR CHIP OR, OR WHATEVER. YOU GUYS HELP WITH THAT, CORRECT? CORRECT. WE DO. DO WE DO THAT AS A CITY OR NOT REALLY? YES, WE DO. YES WE DO. OKAY. EVERYBODY DOES IT THEN. MM-HMM . SO, SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS LIKE, I GUESS THAT'S EASIER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ASSISTANCE YOU CAN GET THAN WHERE TO APPLY THAT ASSISTANCE. CORRECT. AND WHERE ARE YOU IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOOL? SO, UH, WE, WE BELIEVE THAT THE FIRST ITERATION, WHICH IS GOING TO INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, CITY OF HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH, HARRIS HEALTH CENTER, AND, UH, HARRIS CENTER CLINICS TO BE DEPLOYED IN JULY, AUGUST. SO THAT'LL JUST BE OUR CLINICS. IT WON'T BE LIKE ALL THE FQHCS AND ALL THAT, NOT YET, BUT WE DO HAVE PLANS TO INCORPORATE THOSE. YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S SO IMPORTANT TO JUST GET THE WHOLE, HOW MANY FQHCS ARE THERE IN HOUSTON? I THINK 63. OKAY. INCLUDING FQHC LOOKALIKES. AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE ALL OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS THAT ARE NOT CONSIDERED AN FQ HC. AND WHEN IS A SAFETY NET CLINIC THE SAME THING AS AN FQHC OR WHEN I THINK ABOUT A SAFETY NET CLINIC, I THINK ABOUT ANYWHERE THAT SOMEBODY CAN ACCESS CARE THAT IS NOT, YOU KNOW, A, A FOR-PROFIT, UM, PROVIDER. I USED USED TO BE ON THE ADVISORY BOARD OF SAN JOSE CLINIC. LIKE THAT'S A SAFETY NET CLINIC. YES, YES. FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, UN UNINSURED, COMPLETELY UNINSURED. AND, AND, UM, OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I, I THINK THAT'S GREAT THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT AND, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IT EXPAND. THANK YOU FOR THAT. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, UM, I'VE GOT A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU. YOUR PRESENTATION REFERENCED CHWS COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, OR I MAY HAVE THAT, UH, WRONG. CAN YOU, CAN YOU, UH, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, WHERE WE FIND THESE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AND WHO EMPLOYS [00:30:01] THEM? SO, AND THEN I'LL LET, I'LL PIGGY, UM, UM, VEER OFF TO BRANDON. SO FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS THERE, IT DEPENDS ON THE, UM, PROGRAM OR THE ENTITY THAT THEY ARE HIRING THOSE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. SO LET'S JUST SAY FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAVE A PROGRAM THAT MAY REQUIRE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS TO WORK WITHIN THAT PARTICULAR COMMUNITY OR THAT PARTICULAR, UM, PROGRAM YOU ADVERTISE IT, IT IS A CERTIFICATION THAT INDIVIDUALS GO THROUGH AND THEY DO KEEP A CERTAIN NUMBER OF HOURS AND THE, THE LUXURY OF IT. AND IT'S BEEN AROUND, I THINK SINCE 1920S AND STARTED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AT THE INDIAN BUREAU OF HEALTH, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, UM, IN REGARDS TO THAT. SO THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOR QUITE A BIT. SO IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT THE NEEDS THAT, UM, LIKE, SO FOR OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WE DEFINITELY NEED THEM. UM, WE DO HAVE STAFF THAT WENT THROUGH THE TRAINING, SO IF WE HAD TO DO CONDUCT OUTREACH, MAYBE LET'S SAY, UM, OUR STAFF MEMBER SPEAKS THE LANGUAGE, THE CULTURE CAN HELP GUIDE DEPENDING ON WHAT THE PROJECT IS AND SO FORTH. SO A LOT OF AREAS DO HAVE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT THEY UTILIZE 'EM FOR AND USUALLY, UM, IT'S FOR NAVIGATION AND ALSO, UM, MAKING SURE OR HELPING THEM, UM, ACCESS RESOURCES. ALRIGHT. I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHO PROVIDES THAT TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION AND WHETHER YOU ALL THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH, UH, COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AT THIS TIME SO THAT I KNOW OF, I KNOW THE STATE OF TEXAS, IS THAT CORRECT? THE STATE OF TEXAS PROVIDES TRAINING FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AND I BELIEVE THERE'S ALSO, UM, CONTRACTORS THAT PROVIDE THAT CERTIFICATION TRAINING. ALRIGHT. UM, YOU'VE WORKED TOGETHER A LOT TO COLLABORATE ON THIS ASSESSMENT AND AND REPORT. HAVE YOU SEEN, UH, AREAS WHERE, UH, THE CITY AND COUNTY CAN COLLABORATE? YES, AND, AND EVEN, UM, EVEN TODAY, UH, WE KNOW THAT BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY PROVIDE, UH, PREVENTATIVE HEALTH SERVICES OF VARYING TYPES. UM, ONE WAY THAT WE DO THAT IS THROUGH THE USE OF MOBILE UNITS THAT GO OUT TO COMMUNITIES AND OUT INTO NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS. AND, UM, I ALSO KNOW THAT THE, THE GROUPS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, THE STRATEGIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL DECISIONS OF WHERE THOSE, UH, THOSE UNITS GO OUR MEETING TO DISCUSS, ARE WE, ARE WE PERHAPS GOING TO THE SAME PLACES? ARE WE MAKING THE MOST OF OUR GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE? UM, ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OURS TO REFER TO YOURS WHEN THERE'S A SERVICE THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY PROVIDE THAT WE DO NOT? UM, SO THERE ARE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT. MM-HMM . HAVE YOU ALL LOOKED AT POSSIBLY CON COMBINING CERTAIN SYSTEMS? I KNOW YOU'VE DESCRIBED AN, UH, A PROCESS WHERE YOU SORT OF WORK IN COORDINATION. HAVE Y'ALL LOOKED AT, UH, POSSIBLY COMBINING, UH, SERVICES? I DON'T WANNA SPEAK OUT OF TURN, BUT I I WOULD SAY, UM, NOT YET. UH, I THINK THAT THESE ARE DISCUSSIONS THAT, UM, LEAH AND DR. TRAN ARE LIKELY HAVING AT THIS TIME TO, YOU KNOW, ANYTIME WHEN A, WHEN A, UM, UH, INSIGHT OR AN OPPORTUNITY COMES UP, UH, THERE, THERE'S LIKELY A DISCUSSION BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, OUR LEADERSHIP THAT SAYS, UH, WHO, WHO SHOULD BE DOING THIS? YOU KNOW, WHO'S ON FIRST IN THIS GIVEN GIVEN INSTANCE AND, UM, SHOULD WE BE DOING IT TOGETHER OR SHOULD THERE BE SOME, SOME, UM, COMBINATION OF THE TWO? OKAY, THANK YOU FOR THAT. THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO ASKED ABOUT SAFETY NET CENTERS, UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, AND I'VE BECOME AWARE, UH, LEARN MORE ABOUT A FEW OF THEM. ANY IDEA HOW MANY SAFE, UH, COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS WE HAVE NOW? I DON'T HAVE THE, WE CAN FIND THAT OUT FOR YOU. OKAY. AND, AND, UM, DO YOU THINK, DO YOU THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH OF THEM GEOGRAPHIC? THAT IS HARD TO ANSWER. UM, THERE ARE SO MANY NEEDS ACROSS OUR, OUR GEOGRAPHY. UM, BUT IN TERMS OF WHETHER WE HAVE ENOUGH, WHAT, WHAT WE HEARD, UH, TIME AND TIME AGAIN FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER FEEDBACK SESSIONS WAS, UM, LET'S OPTIMIZE THE USE OF THE RESOURCES THAT WE DO HAVE. I, I CAN'T SAY DEFINITIVELY WHETHER WE HAVE ENOUGH OR TOO MANY OR NOT ENOUGH, UM, BUT IN A, UH, ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE'RE SEEING FEWER AND FEWER FEDERAL FUNDS, I WOULD THINK THAT, UH, USING THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AND, AND, UM, COORDINATING ACROSS THEM SUCH THAT WE'RE USING THEM IN AN OPTIMAL WAY IS, IS THE WAY TO GO. OKAY. AND, AND LAST THING I'LL ASK [00:35:01] IS, UH, ON NEXT STEPS YOU MENTIONED ALIGNING, UH, THIS COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND, UH, COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN HAVE, HAVE YOU ALL, AND BY YOU ALL, UH, THE COUNTY AND THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS BECOME BEGUN WORKING ON THE IMPROVEMENT PLAN? SO CURRENTLY, UM, BECAUSE OUR CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENTS GOING THROUGH RE-ACCREDITATION, BUT WE ARE, UM, WORKING WITH, UM, HARRIS COUNTY, ONE OF OUR, UM, ACCESS TO CARE THAT IS ONE OF THEIR, THE PRIORITIES JUST AS, AS IT IS WITH OURS. SO THE ANSWER IS YES, BUT FOR WHAT'S LISTED THERE IS THE NEXT STEPS FOR THE NEXT COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND THE NEXT, UM, COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN. SO WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER ON THAT, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE AREAS WE DO COLLABORATE ON IS ACCESS TO CARE. MM-HMM . YES. OH, OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE. I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE. SO WE WILL SAY THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND FOR YOUR WORK, UM, AND LOOK FORWARD TO MORE PROGRESS IN THE FUTURE AS WE TRY TO CARE FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO, WHO NEED THAT ASSISTANCE. SO THANK YOU BOTH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU EVERYONE. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVEN'T HAD ANYONE SIGN UP FROM, FROM PUBLIC TO OFFER COMMENT, HOWEVER, IF ANYONE IS HERE AND WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT, WE'LL CERTAINLY HEAR FROM YOU. IS THERE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WOULD LIKE TO OFFER COMMENT? OKAY. HEARING NONE, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND, UH, ADJOURN THIS MEETING AND SAY THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING Y'ALL AGAIN NEXT MONTH. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.