[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6673655,"mediaKeyId","2091799-1a59cc2e6ef727a2e411a93c380ae48b","parentId",2091799,"title","Public Health Commission approves minutes and community health worker recommendation; liaison change by consent","audioSeconds",5128,"startMs",25000,"endMs",5153000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2091799-1a59cc2e6ef727a2e411a93c380ae48b&start=25&end=5153","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2091799-1a59cc2e6ef727a2e411a93c380ae48b/thumbnail_25000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6673655/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Public-Health-Commission-approves-minutes-and-community-health-worker-recommendation-liaison-change-by-consent","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6673655-b7013f3ae39e5505ba40fcc5955a7db2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159379&Signature=gNP93ZYcswSYzoq01HGwRDkWhIqLIRMZqcyPbRlBMfRi2if4kUdtkNa9kvJ~LARdfy8aif5Qc7bFATZ3cl3spwFpuFgeyuBMGygpMLt0xeJPWJpCvbIXwXtyXfavvcPQhMvK97p7wAX3c7JDYa4xNECz7AqnK9CH~X8zQFpj2eNIdqYm3t3tISXzdCJpGQiyWqwDK2lkJKgcCdCk8ifEQ4YAyvYQ0xqOvNDV6l2FG1k1xkwns3-uxPvO-vvsYCjxH6dmXCu~WE48aGPCQhvy8Y0DH1orbKHgsOA65jFbfhZlzua-erd9bso3Obukr58B4wNBZfmxh~8mZ9AF55RUmg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-01-08T00:00:00Z","article","The Austin–Travis County Public Health Commission handled three formal business items during the meeting: approval of prior minutes, selection of a new liaison to the Joint Sustainability Committee by consent, and a unanimous approval of a recommendation regarding community health workers.

Minutes: The commission approved the minutes from the Public Health Commission regular meeting on Dec. 4, 2024. A member moved to approve the minutes and a second was recorded; commissioners indicated unanimous consent during the roll call.

Joint Sustainability Committee liaison: A commissioner volunteered to serve as the Public Health Commission’s liaison to the Joint Sustainability Committee; the offer was accepted by the chair and processed by unanimous consent. The liaison role meets monthly and coordinates the Infrastructure and Access working group.

Community Health Worker (CHW) recommendation: The commission considered and approved a recommendation from the Infrastructure and Access working group on community health workers. A motion to approve was made and seconded; the chair called for the vote and recorded a unanimous vote in favor. Vice Chair Lynn Shaw and the working group were identified as primary authors of the recommendation. Commissioners noted follow‑up work to advance implementation and possible budget implications.

Votes at a glance (formal actions recorded in meeting):
- Approve minutes from the Public Health Commission regular meeting on Dec. 4, 2024 — outcome: approved (unanimous). Motion and second recorded; individual mover/second names not specified in the transcript.
- Appoint/consent liaison to Joint Sustainability Committee — outcome: consensus/accepted; no formal roll‑call vote recorded.
- Approve recommendation from the Infrastructure & Access working group on community health workers — outcome: approved (unanimous). Motion and second recorded; mover/second not specified in transcript. Commissioners indicated unanimous consent on the motion.

Ending: The commission adjourned after confirming future agenda items and follow‑up steps related to the CHW recommendation and other presentations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Public Health Commission - Jan 08, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The commission approved minutes from Dec. 4, 2024; by unanimous vote approved a recommendation on community health workers; a commissioner volunteered to serve as the commission’s liaison to the Joint Sustainability Committee and was accepted by unanimous consent.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6673660,"Texas Harm Reduction Alliance details services, asks commission to help secure funding, beds and data support",2218,2521000,4739000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2091799-1a59cc2e6ef727a2e411a93c380ae48b&start=2521&end=4739","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2091799-1a59cc2e6ef727a2e411a93c380ae48b/thumbnail_2521000.jpg","/articles/6673660/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Texas-Harm-Reduction-Alliance-details-services-asks-commission-to-help-secure-funding-beds-and-data-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6673660-c017ebb56a144d2f91a45a74f2e2d103/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159379&Signature=U9x4LnzH1ra66J56hRyeeUr07kDVxbqdpK1PkJ5uaJkmIqEoIxzAFmGUlvGfdkhi-HCOS5Fkd2l1vUHO8ti5L1QbmkbFwRiDi8QdH0hmCu01mvDZUw9wdqI-vIDDuK3znLQFAUKBDrlS2FCxvFqKOZprVF9FFiO2teb13b-lSVtQ35BkH-kDH7TyKLGNyH8dHxLWzB4vBDOQW1Ug111js49JfegCztJG8vrICRwU2BeIYuN6twdxaR6Of~ZAxWxDRvw04Hg-EjJIqAjRSbmDbHn0Ir76g-8e5yDwPqxYppKF~yJrbBfeg4s7nXMEwTINNrlx4OUZL~CCMrvUDDn2SQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Maggie Luna, executive director of Texas Harm Reduction Alliance (THRA), and Steven Smith, THRA reentry lead, described the organization’s services, outreach model and urgent needs during a presentation to the Austin–Travis County Public Health Commission.

THRA’s work and model: Luna said THRA grew from efforts to address rising opioid overdose rates and now operates a drop-in center at 1803 East Cesar Chavez, a mobile clinic with showers and a multi-person outreach team. \"Those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution,\" Luna said, describing THRA’s peer‑led staffing and the organization’s focus on providing nonjudgmental services, overdose prevention training and wound care. Smith described reentry work that connects people leaving jail to housing and treatment; he said THRA follows people from jail into the community to improve continuity of care.

Services and scale: Speakers said THRA has 17 staff on payroll; the drop‑in center sees over 100 distinct people per day; outreach and drop‑in teams each number roughly four staff; the reentry team is three people. The mobile clinic provides on‑site wound care, showers and testing; THRA said it gave out naloxone widely, provides HIV testing weekly and offers targeted services such as women’s programming and acupuncture. THRA also reported losing a contract with a provider that had supplied hot meals and described providing packaged food, snacks and survival items as available funds allow.

Needs and barriers: THRA asked for support on several fronts. Staff said they need more outreach capacity (additional vans and staff), more transitional housing beds for people leaving custody, capacity to produce data and reports (THRA has operational numbers but lacks staff for qualitative reporting), and stable funding for meals and operations. Luna and Smith described legal and funding constraints: they said government funding presently cannot be used to provide certain safe-use supplies because of paraphernalia rules, and that fentanyl/xylazine test strips and other items are difficult to fund through some public grants.

Commission response and follow up: Commissioners thanked THRA for its work, asked for a budget breakdown and for the organization’s view of a scaled model (what staffing and vehicles would look like at scale). THRA said it would provide a budget and a “vision” document outlining preferred staffing and vehicle levels. Commissioners discussed potential paths to support THRA’s needs through grant guidance and budget recommendations, and flagged the need to identify funding streams that can legally support safer‑use supplies or alternative approaches while state law and funding rules evolve.

Legal context: THRA and commissioners noted Texas law and funding restrictions as impediments to some safe‑use supplies, and noted there is at least one bill proposed in the Texas legislature addressing related issues.

Ending: The commission invited THRA to share its budget breakdown and data products with staff for distribution to commissioners and discussed possible future collaboration on training and shelter/cooling‑center partnerships.","Texas Harm Reduction Alliance described its drop-in center, outreach and reentry services, legal funding constraints around safe-supply materials, and specific needs including more outreach vans, more beds for people exiting incarceration, staff capacity and a replacement for a lost hot-meals contract.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6673663,"Austin officials present Heat Resilience Playbook outlining 56 actions to shield vulnerable communities",643,94000,737000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2091799-1a59cc2e6ef727a2e411a93c380ae48b&start=94&end=737","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2091799-1a59cc2e6ef727a2e411a93c380ae48b/thumbnail_94000.jpg","/articles/6673663/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-officials-present-Heat-Resilience-Playbook-outlining-56-actions-to-shield-vulnerable-communities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6673663-b2eebe712cdacdebbb5bfc64c26e07ee/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159379&Signature=DgVvZuI5uGOVZyaDwKl14zbO80cFUVo2XP932ANfGBGgBLn9f3LHuE~cChle7CUgQLeRqTpbm~PQI6dOWeEPHjTiD4wU7GKndtOKiKqBvzTC5QrSaQbMpWG-QoSqY2gSFu-8QYH5i69i11RvBXdst4hUwOnjNJ6ms23Jzzcz7P2nrQNvpR7VPMjhE5rM9t5VhP76BZHHVZ1aN8-aYIHqCYtYgqDWRfyV8qkpPbN1Zf7D5-QUNsvVc7BB6apn7yhsODCW2tBgVV7R6cHJa3CnnYumFzfgFgQNuFsdD2mmXSqxP2nNKzAUyLfWg5C3zrfnOPJHt~kZ0sNq1otibe3t2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mark Coudaire, with the City of Austin Office of Sustainability and Resilience, presented the Heat Resilience Playbook and described it as a compendium of actions the city and partners are taking to reduce heat exposure in Austin.

The Playbook is intended as a catalog, not a plan with schedules or budgets. \"It is not a plan. It doesn't have a timeline. It doesn't have a budget,\" Coudaire said, adding the document is meant to \"elevate all the things the city is doing and would like to be doing to mitigate heat in the community.\" The city grouped 56 actions into three tiers — individual/health, neighborhood and citywide — and identified department “champions” for each strategy.

The Playbook is rooted in prior city climate work and community engagement. Coudaire said city staff began climate-impact work in 2017, produced a Climate Resilience Action Plan in 2018, and later used community sensor deployments and conversations — particularly in the eastern crescent — to map social vulnerability and heat exposure. He summarized recent temperature trends, stating that in 2011 the city recorded about 90 days above 100°F, in 2023 roughly 80 days above 100°F and about 40 days above 105°F, and that last year was the hottest on record in Austin.

What’s in the Playbook: Coudaire described examples from each tier. Individual and health strategies emphasize communication before, during and after heat events, outreach to people experiencing homelessness and protective measures for outdoor workers. Neighborhood actions include targeted weatherization programs, increasing access to indoor cooling spaces such as libraries and recreation centers, planting trees and creating “cool corridors” that combine shade, water fountains and bus shelters. Citywide actions include using codes and housing policy to improve insulation, pursuing a goal to reach 50% tree canopy by 2050, and strengthening energy resilience through solar and battery backup at critical sites.

Commissioners pressed staff on health surveillance, outreach and next steps. Commissioner Poindexter asked whether the Playbook includes health‑effects data; Coudaire said Austin Public Health performs heat surveillance — tracking emergency medical service encounters and emergency department visits where heat is identified — and that trends show spikes when temperatures change rapidly and extreme multi‑day heat events can overwhelm coping capacity. Commissioner Wallace and others asked how the city is reaching residents who do not use government websites; Coudaire emphasized partnerships with community organizers, faith‑based institutions and community health workers, and pointed to success stories such as a resident who used Austin Energy weatherization to keep her home cool.

Commissioners also asked about turning the Playbook into a funded implementation effort. Coudaire reiterated that the Playbook is not a funded plan but said departments are pursuing discrete projects (for example, funding for new bus shelters, drinking fountains, and pilot cooling corridor elements). He noted the Playbook was developed collaboratively with Austin Public Health, Austin Energy, Housing, Planning, the airport, Cap Metro and Travis County, and that the city is coordinating with the University of Texas on climate projections and sensor data.

The presentation prompted several suggested next steps from the commission: review of the Playbook's recommended strategies in more granular form, discussion of whether the commission might propose specific budget recommendations during the city's budget cycle, and exploring whether an emergency preparedness annex for high heat combined with grid outages is needed. Coudaire said the city has an existing Heat Plan within Homeland Security Emergency Management but agreed elements such as combined heat+blackout scenarios could be improved.

The commission agreed to add related items to future agendas, including the Austin–Travis County Community Health Improvement Plan priorities and potential budget guidance.

Ending: The commission thanked staff for the presentation and asked staff to circulate the Playbook and any supporting materials. Coudaire said the Playbook is available online and staff will provide the report to commissioners on request.","City staff presented a Heat Resilience Playbook summarizing 56 actions across individual, neighborhood and citywide strategies; commissioners asked about health surveillance, outreach to vulnerable residents, and next steps for turning the Playbook into an actionable plan.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public Health Commission approves minutes and community health worker recommendation; liaison change by consent

Texas Harm Reduction Alliance details services, asks commission to help secure funding, beds and data support

Austin officials present Heat Resilience Playbook outlining 56 actions to shield vulnerable communities