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 5, 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:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound Meal Service Update
Monday the Clubs will be transitioning to their summer schedule. They need to adjust the times that people can pick up meals at our 3 sites (Lakewood, Henry T. Schatz and Bremerton Branches). Grab-and-go meals will be available between Noon and 1 p.m. The Clubs will continue to distribute lunch and breakfast to go each day, through the summer, including meals for the weekend each Friday.
- Key Peninsula Community Services Operations
- Continues to serve the community during this time.
- The Food Bank is open regular hours.
- Meal baskets are now being offered twice a month.
- Senior meals (over 60) are being provided through either delivery or drive-through pick up.
- Learn 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:
- MODULAR Affordable Housing Project Funding
The state has announced capital funding available for MODULAR affordable housing projects. MODULAR units have a complex definition: read more.
Details of the funding opportunity.
- Puyallup Temporary Shelter Update and Correction
Only the tent portion of the Puyallup Temporary Emergency Shelter is shutting down, the motel portion remains in operation. In addition, after some herculean efforts on behalf of the Health Department, the majority of guests are moving to permanent housing or shelter locations.
- Webinar: Analyzing the Confluence of Race, COVID-19 and Homelessness
Historic and on-going racism is causing the coronavirus to disproportionately impact communities of color. See what some communities are doing to identify disparities and possible pathways to improvement.
- Recording of today’s Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness Meeting is available
See an interesting presentation on a new referral tool coming to the community, as well as introductions to a couple new community providers, updates on work in the State legislature and at the County, and updates and calls to action around advocacy. Watch the recording online or read the transcript.
- Altheimer Memorial Church family shelter has returned to 24x7 operations.
Funding progressed faster than anticipated, and the shelter is again operating 24x7. They have 11 separate rooms for families, and meals provided by a church volunteer who runs a catering company and bakery.
- New Program Providing Housing Assistance for McKinney-Vento Eligible Tacoma Public Schools Families Launched
Wellspring Family Services, a long-time provider in King County, is expanding its homeless programs into Pierce County. On Monday, they began their work to provide coordinated entry, rapid rehousing, and homeless prevention for Tacoma Public School families experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. Their offices are co-located with the Tacoma Urban League.
- Improved Outreach for Homeless Prevention Yields Results
LASA, the rental assistance provider serving the City of Tacoma, initiated some new outreach efforts that tripled the number of applicants for rental assistance over the prior week. Having the resources is only half the challenge – people need to know they are available. LASA has also brought more staffing on to process the increase in applications.
Childcare/Education:
- Kids Mental Health Training in Spanish
Action for Healthy Kids is hosting a free mental health training in Spanish on June 10 from 2 to 4 pm. Please share with others. Register online.
In light of this week of acknowledging the pain and anger of our community members felt in response to culminating effects of racism, Amalia Perez of Multicultural Child Family (which continues daily to support families and community members with box lunches and education activity kits as well as supporting housing needs) shared the inspiring story that follows. I want to thank Multicultural for the way they show up every day in support of the resilience of children, families and community. – Holly Bamford Hunt, Childcare/Education Pod Lead
“We learn so much from our kids. Despite the severity of everything going on, we want to highlight the positive in the work we all are doing in community. In midst of chaos, we've created a safe space for our kids and families to come, and to just be themselves. Turner Cagle, lead teacher, has just been listening to conversations of the children, not imposing worries, but allowing them to process how they see things through their eyes. Based on what they were observing in their families and neighborhoods, the kids wanted to make their own signs, in their own words, expressing their thoughts. A parent wanted to express support for the teachers and inquired with teacher Turner, and asked, “as a Black man, how are you holding up right now?” Turner responded that while we must acknowledge our own feelings and painful experiences, we can also look to our children to see how to let our lights shine to create hope and work for justice.”
Behavioral Health:
A Statement from the Behavioral Health Pod
We are writing to you after a week and unprecedented weekend of protests and riots in response to deep-seated racism and racist violent acts against Black and African American communities. The news has been tragic and reminds us once again that structural inequities, racism, and historically racist systems and structures are very present in America. We grieve for the lives of those stolen from us too soon, for Breonna Taylor, for Ahmaud Arbery, for George Floyd, for Manny Ellis, and for many others who have lost their lives too soon.
We talk a lot in our work about ACEs, both Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adverse Community Experiences ( pair of ACEs). These events are ACEs for our communities and will impact some far greater than others. We also know that the impact of COVID-19 was already having a disproportionate impact on Communities of Color before these events, compounding ACEs and trauma. This is a Pandemic within a Pandemic. COVID-19 will eventually pass, but how will we finally cure the pandemic of racism? Inequitable access to healthcare, housing instability, unemployment, and disproportionate deaths are all inequities that COVID-19 has laid bare for us all to see. What is below the surface is structural racism empowered by the belief in white supremacy. “The coronavirus is hitting Pierce County’s Communities of Color hard, health data shows.”
“We are living in a racism pandemic, which is taking a heavy psychological toll on our African American citizens. The health consequences are dire. Racism is associated with a host of psychological consequences, including depression, anxiety and other serious, sometimes debilitating conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders. Moreover, the stress caused by racism can contribute to the development of cardiovascular and other physical diseases. The impact of these repeated horrific incidents is inflicting trauma on the broader African American community.” - Sandra L. Shullman, PhD, President of the American Psychological Association
At this time, we ask everyone, especially white people, to find ways to make this work personal, if this work does not yet feel personal for you. Check in on your friends, colleagues, and loved ones in the Black, African American, Indigenous, and Communities of Color to see how they are doing and what support you can provide, and do so in a way that does not project your own emotions as another burden to manage. You should also talk to your friends, colleagues, and loved ones who are white about ways in which they can break the silence, show public solidarity, and commit to being anti-racist. Anti-racist work begins with oneself and recognizing our own privilege. It is not something that happens “out there.” It is a journey we have within ourselves to become more aware. As leaders, we call upon our white colleagues to join in and pick up this work as our own. Speaking up and finding ways to take action is critical to our work as Behavioral Health providers.
We also ask our provider community to take care of yourself during this time. Put your oxygen mask on first before you attempt to put it on others. Your community cares about you, your well-being, and what you need to be successful as we work to take care of others. If you are unsure how best to support the families you serve, and more particularly Black and African American families, please seek supervision and guidance from your organizational leadership, from other culturally competent organizations or resources. Deep listening is a critical and powerful intervention at this time, especially to the lived experiences of those we serve.
Thank you for showing up day-in and day-out to support one another and those we serve in response to both pandemics. We can't shy away from discussing the painful and exhausting crimes and injustices happening in our world. We must engage in critical self-reflection and self-examination and we cannot rest and should not rest until justice is truly for all.
Pierce County Connected Behavioral Health Pod Members
Alisha Fehrenbachber, CEO - Elevate Health & One Pierce
Angie Treptow, CCN Operations Manager - Elevate Health
Ashley Mangum, Project Manager - Kids’ Mental Health Pierce County
Derek Murphy, Director of Clinical Services - Olalla Recovery Centers
Joe Le Roy, CEO - HopeSparks Family Services
Kate Ginn, Project Manager - Help Me Grow Pierce County
Kim Zacher, CEO - Comprehensive Life Resources
Linda Thomas, Clinical Director - Catholic Community Services
Maria DePerro, BH Community Engagement Coordinator - Beacon Health Options
Penni Belcher, Manager - United Way 2-1-1 Call Center
Taylor Caragan, Help Me Grow Pierce County
*Not all members listed
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.
- Help Sourcing PPE
Visit the Association of Washington Business Rebound and Recovery website for help sourcing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and more guidance and resources for small businesses at reboundandrecovery.org.
- 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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