Pierce County Connected Response Daily Report
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Prepared by: Erika Tucci, Erika@benbcheneyfoundation.org
Effective as of: 4:30 p.m., June 11, 2020
The PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Response Committee is working diligently every day to source and vet information to share across networks as we all work together to meet human service needs.
If you have information to contribute, please email us.
Please see the last two pages of this report to learn more about this effort.
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OPERATIONS (What’s Happening)
Food System:
- About the Pierce County Food System
If you are not familiar with the food system in Pierce County, see documents at the end of this report.
- Register For the Weekly Food Providers Call
Food providers call: If you would like to participate in the weekly convening and sharing of information for food provision in the county, call happens on Mondays at 11 a.m. Email Shawn at shawnp@uwpc.org.
Shelter & Housing:
- Tacoma/Lakewood/Pierce County Continuum of Care Meeting
Wednesday, June 17 at 9 a.m.
Listen in and provide public comment at the monthly Continuum of Care meeting. Agenda includes a discussion on Social Justice, creation of a new Racial Equity subcommittee, 5-year strategic plan update, committee reports and more. Full agenda and how to virtually attend details online.
- Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness Meeting Friday
This Friday, we’ll hear from the Washington State Low Income Housing Alliance, get responses to a request for guidance from the Health Department, hear about resources and needs from Tacoma Pro Bono, and get updates from the usual government and provider agencies. Meeting info at http://pchomeless.org/
- This Week In Homelessness
Childcare/Education:
Behavioral Health:
- Webinar Series: The Well-Being Series
The University of Washington Forefront Suicide Prevention Group has partnered with NW Mental Health Technology Transfer Center and UW’s SMART Center on “The Well-Being Series”, a series of webinars addressing mental wellness in response to COVID. More information and to access recorded webinars online.
Faith Community:
- Faith Community Resource Page
Visit Associated Ministries' resource webpage to view a continuously updated list of ideas, links and resources of particular interest to local faith communities. If you know of a helpful resource that should be included on this page, please email us at communications@associatedministries.org.
- Question and Answer Session for CARES Act Funding Scheduled
Pierce County scheduled a Question and Answer Session for the Homeless CARES Act human services funding. This is a chance to get questions answered and get some support with the application process. Attend the June 18, 1 p.m. meeting via Zoom or by phone: 253-215-8782. No need to register.
- Updates from Community Health Care
Insurance Enrollment Assistance
Call 253-722-2154 to set up an appointment with one of our insurance navigators. If someone has had a qualifying life change like loss of job/insurance they can call to determine what kind of insurance they can get. There are also programs that can help with insurance premiums that they can be referred to. Learn more.
Covid-19 Drive Thru Testing
By appointment only, call 253-722-2161. We are offering testing to anyone who needs it, they do not have to be a current Community Health Care patient. If they need a test prior to a medical or dental procedure, or have symptoms we can test them, call and our customer service staff can walk them through the process.We are testing at the Hilltop, Eastside, Lakewood and Spanaway clinics and TPCHD is also referring clients to us. I’ve watched the process and from check in to completed test and driving away takes about 3 minutes
Medical, Dental, Pharmacy and Behavioral Health Open for Regular Care
Same appointment line, 253-722-2161. We are doing tele-health and in-person appointments depending on the situation. We are accepting new patients. Immunizations were down in April by 42% compared to last year, which could lead to outbreaks of other diseases like measles. Chronic conditions or acute illnesses are being treated and help to prevent emergency health situations.
Urgent Care Clinic at the Hilltop Regional Health Center is open, Monday through Friday and clients do not have to be current Community Health Care patients.
We will bill their insurance or use a sliding fee scale to determine payment for uninsured or underinsured patients. We accept all public health insurance and many of the private insurance plans. No one is ever turned away due to inability to pay at Community Health Care.
- Be a Hero for a Local Senior - Seeking Yard & Garden Volunteers
For many of our older neighbors, the frailties of age get in the way of outdoor chores. When their yards are untidy, elders feel overwhelmed and deeply embarrassed while neighbors worry about safety. The Mustard Seed Project’s yard & garden volunteers make a difference for Key Peninsula seniors by mowing, raking, weeding, trimming, and planting. Imagine the huge difference you could make for elders just by mowing a lawn. Join today by contacting Heather Anthony at programs@themustardseedproject.org or by calling (253) 884-9814.
- Proposed Budget Cuts Worksheets Released – State of WA
The COVID-19 pandemic has done significant damage to Washington’s economy. With state revenue collections projected to decline sharply for the foreseeable future, OFM last month directed state agencies to identify options for reducing their FY 2021 spending. Agency responses are compiled in spreadsheets on this web page.
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Dashboard
COVID-19 In Pierce County. Data updated daily.
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LOGISTICS (Resources)
Funding:
Thriving Communities:
Rebuilding for tomorrow and the future continues to be at the heart of our conversations. Clarity around principles that will guide our rebuilding and delivery of services for every person in our community. We identified principles to use with an equity lens for rebuilding strategies.
Suggested guiding principles
- Life: for EVERYONE
- Liberty: for EVERYONE
- Pursuit of happiness: for EVERYONE
We welcome all thoughts and ideas regarding values and principles. Below are resources to assist in identifying guiding principles.
Please send your thoughts, suggestions and ideas on principles to Dianna at diannakielian@comcast.net.
Volunteers:
- The United Way of Pierce County is the main point of contact for all volunteering information in Pierce County. The County and State Emergency Operations Centers are linking to this resource.
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Excerpts from the Department of Health’s Report:
Updated May 15, 2020
Statewide High-Level Analysis of Forecasted Behavioral Health Impacts from COVID-19
Purpose
This document provides a brief overview of the potential statewide, behavioral health impacts from COVID-19. The intent of this document is to communicate the potential impacts of the outbreak to response planners and behavioral health organizations, public and private, so they can adequately prepare.
Bottom Line Up Front
- The COVID-19 pandemic is considered a ‘natural disaster’ and as such, this document is heavily informed by research on disaster recovery and response.
- The behavioral health impacts from the COVID-19 outbreak and related government actions have to- date caused a surge in behavioral health symptoms across the state, which is a trend likely to continue. This surge will present differently based on the stage of the pandemic, the effectiveness of the overall response effort, and the populations being impacted. A second or third pandemic wave will dramatically change this forecast, as outlined in the scenarios that follow. This forecast will be updated monthly to reflect changes in baseline data.
- Ongoing behavioral health impacts in Washington will likely be seen in phases, peaking around 6-9 months post initial-outbreak. This will likely coincide with a potential second wave of infections, in a pattern consistent with previous pandemics.
Figure 1. Reactions and Behavioral Symptoms in Disasters: SAMHSA
https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/recovering-disasters/phases-disaster
- In Washington, the highest risk of suicide will likely occur between October and December 2020. This is consistent with known cycles of disaster response patterns. Seasonal affective disorder exacerbates mental health challenges at that time of year due to increased hours of darkness and inclement weather, as does the occurrence of winter holidays, which are often an emotionally and financially difficult time of year for many people.
- Outreach and support strategies need to be tailored based on the current phase of the incident and the target population. Resources exist to inform outreach and support strategies. Additional resources to support these efforts are currently under development.
- Efforts should focus on activating/augmenting existing community supports to increase social connections, which reduces behavioral health symptoms, and encouraging active coping skills among target audiences.
- An eventual return to baseline levels of functioning for many people should occur around 12-14 months post- initial outbreak, assuming that the potential second wave of the pandemic is stabilized by that time, in terms of both social and economic disruptions, and a sense of the “new normal” is underway.
Key Things to Know
What sort of impacts are we expecting?
- Approximately 650,000 Washingtonians were receiving treatment for behavioral health needs prior to the COVID19 outbreak.
- Approximately 700,000 Washingtonians have mental health concerns, but were NOT receiving services prior to the outbreak.
- Approximately 10% to 33% of individuals experience symptoms of acute stress (such as negative thoughts, sadness, intrusive dreams or memories, avoidance, insomnia or hypersomnia, headaches & stomach aches) within one month after the impact phase of a disaster or critical incident. In Washington, for the Puget Sound area specifically, that timeline begins mid-March 2020.
- While Only 4% to 6% of people typically develop symptoms of PTSD after a disaster (equivalent to 380,000 individuals in Washington), this number can vary quite a bit depending on the type of disaster, and is often higher amongst first responders and medical personnel if the disaster is more chronic, widespread, children are hurt or injured, and burnout is likely.
- Rates of PTSD have been much higher (10-35%) in some places more directly impacted by a critical incident. We are anticipating that although rates of PTSD may not reach such critical levels in Washington State, rates of depression are likely to be much higher (perhaps 30-60% of the general population, which is equivalent to 2.25 million to 4.5 million people in Washington State) due to the chronic and ongoing social and economic disruption in people’s lives as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a much higher rate than is typical after a ‘natural disaster’ where there is a single impact point in time.
- For Washington State, where mortality rates are so strongly related to nursing homes, and the vast majority of people in the general population have not been directly threatened by the illness itself, behavioral health concerns are much more anchored in changes in lifestyle, fears about the unknown, financial worries, loss of income or livelihood, and loss of connection with others.
- Impact of Unemployment: Suicide rates are highly influenced by unemployment rates. For every percentage point increase in unemployment rates (i.e., 1%), there is a 1.6% increase in suicide rates. In Washington, approximately 1,283 people die from suicide annually. If unemployment rates increase by 5% (rates similar to the Great Recession in the late 2000’s), that means we will see approximately 103 additional people die by suicide. If unemployment increases by 20% (rates similar to the Great Depression in the 1930’s), that’s approximately 412 additional people who will die by suicide in Washington.
- Approximately half of the individuals who experience a behavioral health diagnosis will develop a substance-related disorder, and vice versa. As a result, we can expect substance-related symptoms and disorders to increase as behavioral health symptoms and disorders increase.
- During disasters, individuals may have difficulty accessing their prescribed medication, which could lead them to seek alternatives. Relatedly, quarantine policies mean that peer support groups for both substance-related disorders and behavioral health disorders are inaccessible via traditional means.
- Healthcare providers should anticipate an increase in substance-use as a possible disaster reaction, and should suggest both healthy alternatives for coping, and sources of support.
- Based on population data for Washington, and known cycles of common psychological responses to disasters, we can reasonably expect that between TWO to THREE MILLION Washingtonians will experience behavioral health symptoms over the next three to six months. Symptoms of depression will likely be the most common, followed by anxiety and acute stress. These symptoms will likely be strong enough to cause significant distress or impairment for most people in this group.
How do we begin preparing?
- Behavioral health systems, providers, and public messaging teams should be mindful of the following strategies to maximize the impact of their efforts:
- Primary efforts for the next 3-6 months should be focused on activating community supports to increase social connections (reducing behavioral health symptoms) and encouraging the development of ACTIVE coping skills amongst the general public to reduce symptoms of depression.
- Communication about preparation necessary for multiple phases or waves of pandemic (the potential for additional school closures, social distancing measures, and restrictions in the fall) will help reduce acute behavioral health symptoms for people when a second wave occurs.
- There should be a psychoeducational emphasis on the disaster response cycle so that people are informed about what they may expect, and they do not pathologize a normal response to an abnormal situation.
- The typical response to disaster is RESILIENCE, rather than disorder. Resiliency can be increased by:
- Focus on developing social CONNECTIONS big or small
- Reorienting and developing a sense of PURPOSE
- Becoming adaptive and psychologically FLEXIBLE
- Focusing on HOPE
- Resilience is something that can be intentionally taught, practiced, and developed for people across all age groups.
- Community support groups, lay volunteers, law enforcement, first responders, and all manner of social organizations and clubs are resources that can be developed to help reduce behavioral health symptoms for the general population, and should be leveraged to take pressure off depleted or unavailable professional medical and therapeutic resources throughout 2020.
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