Health Council COVID-19 Summary – 4/2/20

by Tia Will

Assuming that most of you will not read the minutes of the first remotely held meeting of the Yolo Country Health Council, I thought it might be useful for a brief summary of how our county, the various cities and private organizations are adapting to the COVID-19 crisis. The detailed minutes of that meeting are not yet posted, but will be on the Yolo Country web site along with minutes from the most recent Board of Supervisors update.

Participants were asked to present an overview, an example of a successful intervention, and their biggest current challenge.

Major Overview Points

1. The county emergency operations team has been efficient in setting up cooperative efforts with cities, schools, and private initiatives within the county.
2. Weekly virtual meetings are being held with representatives of each city, representatives of the unincorporated areas on Monday’s and with schools on Wednesdays
3. A county multilingual Dashboard has been developed with access to daily updated information. It is available by entering Yolo County COVID Dashboard into your browser.
4. Yolo County currently remains below hospital capacity
5. The UCD Medical School, Nursing School, and Veterinary School are all currently closed
6. County legal services have transitioned from in person to phone interviews.
7. Schools are continuing to provide bagged breakfasts and lunches to eligible students through combined efforts of districts, Food Bank, and transportation services.

Best Practices

1. Housing of unsheltered – with cooperation between the county, city, and private businesses, more than 100 unsheltered individuals have been offered and accepted housing in hotel/motel rooms in the county. Food supplied through the Yolo Food Bank with the hope of ultimately establishing full wrap around services.
2. Food Bank is maintaining usual distribution processes while arranging for direct to door delivery for those sheltering in place be it private residences or hotel/motel accommodations
3. Yolo Bus has been instrumental in helping with deliveries.
4. Schools have been instrumental in providing volunteers to Food Bank and delivery services

Ongoing Challenges

1. Lack of testing and subsequent inability to effectively trace affected individuals
2. Noncompliance with social distancing
3. Assessing and addressing the mental health issues secondary to isolation
4. Developing and delivering on line classes for every student
5. Increasing trust between providers and clinic and hospital administrators
6. Post hospitalization transition to appropriate level of care and isolation
7. Optimal coordination of volunteers to avoid redundancy of efforts.

It is with regard to the last item, many of you may have good ideas of how to address the ongoing challenges. I would like to offer myself as someone who is no longer a voting member, but has multiple contacts on the Health Council, as a resource. Please feel free to contact me at: tia.will52@gmail.com and I will ensure all novel ideas make it to an appropriate board member.

Postscript.

At the time I made this summary, the issue had been raised about masks or no masks in public. Since then, the CDC has issued a strong recommendation for those who must go outside their home to wear a mask, including cloth masks which should then be washed after each use. President Trump has played down this recommendation stating he will not be adhering to it and that it is voluntary. I would not presume to tell anyone else what to do, but I will share my plan. We will enter public spaces only when masked.