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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.24.20 Email from Shari McCracken - CAO Comments - 3.24.20 BOS Meeting From:McCracken, Shari To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Lambert, Steve;Lucero, Debra; McCracken, Shari;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;Rodas, Amalia;Sweeney, Kathleen;Teeter, Doug Cc:Ring, Brian;Kim, Sang;Pickett, Andy;Hatcher, Casey;Jessee, Meegan Subject:CAO Comments - 3.24.20 Date:Tuesday, March 24, 2020 7:59:23 AM Attachments:Admin.CAO Comments.3.24.20.docx.pdf Board Members, Attached for your reference is a memo that contains the key points I will discuss in my CAO Comments today. I am providing it in a memo form, so that you don’t have to take additional notes and to accommodate the virtual nature of our meeting today. Take care, Shari Shari McCracken Chief Administrative Officer Butte County Administration 25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965 T:530.552.3305 M: 530.990.5029 ***Please note this is a new phone number and update your records accordingly*** Twitter |Facebook |YouTube |Pinterest Butte County Administration Shari McCracken Chief Administrative Officer 25 County Center Drive, Suite 200 T: 530.552.3300 buttecounty.net/administration Oroville, California 95965 F: 530.538.7120 Members of the Board Bill Connelly | Debra Lucero | Tami Ritter | Steve Lambert | Doug Teeter DATE: March 24, 2020 TO: Members, Board of Supervisors FROM: Shari McCracken, Chief Administrative Officer Subject: COVID-19 Response CAO Comments Background My comments are -19 from a continuity of operations standpoint, as well as in our role supporting Public Health and providing information and support to the public. The COVID-19 event is nothing like past disasters and emergencies the County has experienced. It is a nationwide event, with direction coming from the federal and State governments, and management of the event is not all happening at the local level. Much of the response is driven by direction from levels above us. It is a health emergency, which means the lead activities are in public health agencies, hospitals, and health care systems, with counties, cities, and other public agencies supporting through Emergency Operations Centers (EOC). -faceted in this event: 1. 2. and its employees so that critical services remain available; 3. serve as the Operational Area coordinator under the State Emergency Management System (SEMS) to support other local agencies if they declare an emergency and will exhaust all of their available resources (human and financial); and 4. support our residents by sharing information regarding COVID-19 from health officials and experts; provide access to services for activities such as grocery and medicine delivery to support residents in quarantine and isolation; suppo complete) to address priority groups of homeless individuals; and work with our partners to support local businesses to access available State and federal assistance. Support the Public Health Department The County EOC is sharing critical information with the public as public health officials provide it. It is also assisting with identifying staff to work in the Public Health Department Operations Center (DOC). The EOC does not procure health-related items for Public Health or the hospitals and health systems it is coordinating with. That procurement runs through a separate statewide system specific to the public health and the health industry functions. The State has recently decided to manage much of this event at the State level, though, so that local agencies and health care systems are not competing for the same resources and driving prices up. Personal protective equipment, ventilators, and additional space for hospital surge capacity is moving towards State coordination, per an announcement by the Governor last night. Continuity of Operations. County services have to be structured such that we keep our employees as safe and healthy as possible while still providing the critical services our residents need. In fact, the demand for services will most likely increase and employees will get sick, though we cannot say how many. If our employees are ill, s this is a nationwide incident there most likely will not be people available to fill in when employees become ill. We have canceled public meetings that do not have critical or time-sensitive business to conduct. Public meetings that must still take place are conducted via telephone, using other technological tools and in , or with less than ten people in attendance and per social distancing guidance. We are limiting business at those meetings to items that are critical to support operations or are statutorily required. Daily, departments are re-evaluating and restructuring operations so that as many employees as possible can work from home or provide services from offices without having direct public contact. It is complying with the directives and intent of the federal and State governments to flatten the curve, even though County services are considered essential services. Some of our services must be in person by law, and for those services employees are directed to follow the sanitizing frequently touched objects, and staying home if they are sick. Services that can be provided remotely, through the use of phones and technology, are in place. I encourage the public to go to the -to-date status of County offices and operations, as it is subject to change. I am holding a conference call with Department Heads at 4:00 each day to coordinate our continuity of operations and provide updates on operational matters to the executive staff. We are sharing information with employees as things changes. Operational Area Coordinator The EOC is activated, and will work with local jurisdictions as they declare their own emergencies and find that their ability to respond is beyond their available resources, both human and financial. The up through the SEMS structure. In this particular event, since it is nationwide and statewide, many requests will likely go unfilled, at least for the near future, as resources are either not available or are prioritized for health care systems and first responders. It is important to know that the County has no different access to resources than any other jurisdiction does. If a City/Town or other agency cannot get a resource, the County cannot either. The EOC serves as a conduit to request resources, but local jurisdictions and requesting agencies will be responsible for all costs incurred associated with those requests. Some of those costs may qualify for FEMA and State reimbursement, and the local agencies may submit claims for reimbursement, but the local share of costs will be borne by the requesting agency. Support Residents and Local Businesses Since this is a statewide event, and not a local event like we are used to, the best source of information ID-19 website at covid19.ca.gov. I encourage elected officials, employees, businesses, and the public to utilize the site to answer many of their questions. For local Public Health information, links to many of these sources, as well as updates on continuity of County operations. There will be no congregate shelters established at this time, as that is counter to CDC and other federal and State guidance and orders. For individuals needing assistance as they shelter in place and that have no other source of support for items such as grocery or medicine delivery, the County and its partners, such as 211, will provide referrals to the numerous sources of delivery available. Under State direction, many businesses, including grocery stores and pharmacies, are providing delivery services, as are other community and non-profit groups. In anticipation that this event will grow much larger than any single provider can supp call center (552-3050) to respond to questions from the public. If a question requires specific guidance from a health official, the calls will be forwarded to Public Health. critical to slow the spread of COVID-19, we cannot ignore the substantial economic impacts of this event at all levels. The County is working regularly with other local jurisdictions and public agencies, as well as community-based organizations, in response to the needs of local businesses. The group is currently assessing impacts and needs, as well as distributing information about federal and State resources. The partners are also identifying opportunities to promote local businesses that remain open, and to help place displaced workers in available jobs. Information will be added to the County website for businesses as it becomes available. Data on the number of businesses temporarily closed and the unemployment claims filed by Butte County residents are still being collected by the State, and we are awaiting details by jurisdiction. Unfortunately, we anticipate many businesses will close temporarily, many of our residents will face layoffs. At this time, key assistance for businesses is in the form of economic injury loans from the Small Business Association. Businesses are encouraged to work directly with the Butte College Small Business Development Center for assistance completing the application. Employees that have been impacted are encouraged to access all State and federal services and funding that have been made available to assist displaced workers. The State is coordinating all efforts to assist certain homeless individuals in obtaining sheltering for purposes of quarantine or isolation, though those plans are still being worked out and have not been shared with local jurisdictions at the writing of this memo. The County is here to support those plans as they are provided to us for implementation. priorities for supporting the homeless population includes individuals who are over the age of 65, individuals with chronic health conditions, or individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. I understand that the public and your Board want information, just as staff does, and we are working with the State, other counties, and CSAC on a daily basis to identify, understand, and respond to the In the past two weeks there has been more information that can be synthesized on any given day, and there are times when information and direction from our federal and State partners changes so frequently that by the time it can be shared it is already outdated. As the COVID-19 cases grow in our County, and as support structures and resources are identified and put in place at either the local level or by the State, we will provide updates to your Board via e-mail. We will provide updates to the public, via press releases, social media posts, and updates to our website, as new information becomes available. Conclusion Your Board has shown true leadership in its support of the organization and our residents through what we can only call a messy and imperfect event; an event of a magnitude and broad impact never seen by most people alive today. This event will be controlled solely by the choices individuals make to abide, or not abide, by State and federal orders and guidance, and every County department and employee is doing what can be done to flatten the curve.