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Regular Agenda Item 3. B.
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| Regular BOS Meeting |
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| Information |
| Request/Subject |
| Intergovernmental Agreement (Contract No. IGA2021-037) with the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). |
| Background Information |
The project aims for Gila County Public Health is to utilize ELC funding resources to complement, not duplicate, existing COVID-19 funding provided to our jurisdiction. Gila County will leverage and build upon the existing public health infrastructure that emphasizes the coordination and critical integration of disease investigation, epidemiology, contact tracing, and health information systems in order to maximize the public health impact of available resources. The primary goals will be to create a fully implemented, scalable, and sustainable, comprehensive disease investigation, detection, surveillance, and rapid response section to our Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC). Our underlying objectives will be to use the funding for expanded testing, contact tracing, and increase community prevention.
Gila County will support the necessary expenses to implement and oversee expanded testing capacity for COVID-19/SARSCoV-2, including the ability to process, manage, analyze, use and report the increased data produced; increase the availability and access to free and low-cost testing for all residents; and establish a robust SARS-CoV-2 testing program that ensures adequate testing is made available according to CDC priorities, including but not limited to: diagnostic tests, tests for contact tracing, and surveillance of asymptomatic persons to determine community spread. The County will establish effective and competent contact tracing and disease surveillance programs that match current Personal Health Information (PHI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and NACCHO best practices for ten (10) to fifty (50) cases per day through setup, follow-up, and testing. Additionally, the Health Department will support community-based COVID-19 related prevention efforts through; education messages that will include information in about symptoms, testing blitz locations, local hotline information, COVID support resources, and other COVID FAQs, and targeted prevention efforts in high-risk industries, collaborate with local businesses to provide educational materials and train-the-trainer opportunities to disseminate information regarding COVID-19 prevention and response. |
| Evaluation |
| Gila County currently has one full-time Communicable Disease Specialist (CDS) specifically trained for and funded with CDC public health emergency preparedness dollars. The CDC COVID-19 funding has afforded an increase to three (3) CDS positions, and three (3) contact tracers. Additionally, Gila County has been able to re-purpose program staff from the following grants: CDC Rx prevention, tobacco-free environments, maternal and child health, and emergency management, as well as multiple general funded positions in order to provide all of our clinical services, disease investigations and surveillance, communications and information sharing, incident command, logistics, and supply chain, and public health education. Due to funding issues we have still been unable to fund multiple critical positions, and have pressed our staff to the point of exertion while ignoring many of the other essential public health services to our Gila County communities. Contract No. IGA2021-037 will allow Gila County to continue to provide comprehensive disease investigations, contact tracing, data collection and sharing, mass vaccinations, and public health education through February of 2022. |
| Conclusion |
| Approval of Contract No. IGA2021-037 will allow Gila County to continue to provide comprehensive disease investigations, contact tracing, data collection and sharing, mass vaccinations, and public health education through February 2022. |
| Recommendation |
| It is the recommendation of the Health and Emergency Management Department Director that the Board of Supervisors approve an Intergovernmental Agreement (Contract No. IGA2021-037) with the Arizona Department of Health Services for COVID-19 expanded response capabilities from July 1, 2020 to February 28, 2022, in the amount of $1,604,671. |
| Suggested Motion |
| Information/Discussion/Action to approve an Intergovernmental Agreement (Contract No. IGA2021-037) with the Arizona Department of Health Services for COVID-19 expanded response capabilities in the amount of $1,604,671 for the period beginning July 1, 2020 through February 28, 2022. (Michael O'Driscoll) |
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