[{"_1":2,"_105":-5,"_106":-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",[32,75,85,95],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6484712,"mediaKeyId","5590779-94f2c5c261d367c28fd3791726890f7a","parentId",5590779,"title","Commissioner presses trade-offs: animal shelter project vs. senior services funding","audioSeconds",1634,"startMs",4004000,"endMs",5638000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5590779-94f2c5c261d367c28fd3791726890f7a&start=4004&end=5638","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6484712/Utah/Commissioner-presses-trade-offs-animal-shelter-project-vs-senior-services-funding","mediaUrl","author","Davis County Senior Services Advisory Board","date","2025-08-14T09:00:00Z","article","Commissioner Cross addressed the advisory board to argue that recent county spending decisions — specifically a no-kill animal shelter project and associated tax measures — divert county resources that could otherwise support senior services.

\"Do we care more about animals or our seniors?\" Commissioner Cross asked, summarizing his view that a county-funded $16.5 million shelter and a new animal-care tax represent an opportunity cost for aging services. He said the existing shelter was built in 1987 and that the new project exhausted $16.5 million from an available county fund. Cross noted a household tax example: \"For my house... [the animal tax] was $16.99. This year, it went up 53% so now it will be $24,\" and said commissioners had voted 2–1 to proceed with the shelter despite his opposition.

Cross framed the discussion as a matter of priorities and public awareness. He told the board that county commissioners must choose among competing uses for limited revenue and that public engagement and local media coverage would be important to weigh trade-offs in future budget decisions. \"We could have done so much with senior services if we had a million and a half dollars a year from the county,\" he said, urging better communication of senior-service needs to the public.

Board members and staff responded by acknowledging the funding tension and saying stronger outreach and advocacy could help make senior-service priorities more visible to elected officials and voters. Several members said elected leadership and better public communication were needed to influence future budget outcomes.

Ending: The commissioner’s remarks framed a county-level budget and priority debate — the shelter project is proceeding despite opposition from at least one commissioner — and the advisory board discussed boosting public outreach and advocacy for senior services in response.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","Davis County Senior Services Advisory Board Meeting - 08.14.25 SSAB Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","A Davis County commissioner argued that the county’s no-kill animal shelter project and related tax increase consume funds that could be used for senior services, urging greater public transparency and discussion about budget priorities.","taxTitle","Davis County Senior Services Advisory Board, Davis County Boards and Commissions, Davis County, Utah","taxId",74937,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":50,"_51":82,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6484717,"County needs assessment finds housing, affordability and awareness gaps for vulnerable older adults",836,3111000,3947000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5590779-94f2c5c261d367c28fd3791726890f7a&start=3111&end=3947","/articles/6484717/Utah/County-needs-assessment-finds-housing-affordability-and-awareness-gaps-for-vulnerable-older-adults","Giles Daltun, an intern working with the county’s senior services team, presented Davis County results from a statewide vulnerable adult needs assessment and cautioned the board that the local sample was small.

\"Among the Davis County sample, we had 89 vulnerable adult respondents, 78% of which were age 60 or older,\" Daltun said, and noted 24 local service providers also participated. He warned the findings may not fully represent the county because of the sample size.

The county-specific results showed alignment between vulnerable adults and providers on availability of services (senior centers and health care) but divergence on unmet needs. Housing and affordability emerged as the top unmet service need: Daltun said 17% of vulnerable adults reported needing but not receiving housing services, and 17% of providers reported being unable to provide housing assistance. Other needs identified included transportation, caregiving, financial management assistance and mental health services.

Daltun summarized barriers: both groups cited funding and income-related barriers and a lack of guidance and coordination about available services. \"Many vulnerable adults are not aware of what services exist or how to access them,\" he said. He also highlighted social isolation and that 44% of vulnerable adults in the sample said they knew what Adult Protective Services (APS) is; Daltun said fear of family repercussions was a primary reported barrier to reporting abuse.

On aging-in-place, respondents said costs and mobility limitations were common concerns and identified needs such as outdoor care, home modifications and help with household tasks. Transportation barriers cited included cost, limited access and lack of family or friends to provide rides.

Board members asked whether the assessment could be cross-referenced with the division’s four-year plan; presenters said some findings align with internal SWOT analysis but that funding constraints limit ability to expand services.

Ending: Presenters urged improved public awareness and better coordination among providers to close gaps in housing support, transportation and mental-health services for vulnerable older adults, while noting the survey’s limited sample size.","A state-led vulnerable adult needs assessment reported Davis County respondents identified housing affordability, transportation and mental health as top unmet needs; the county sample was small and results may not be fully representative, presenters said.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":50,"_51":92,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":93,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":94,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6484720,"Public health officials brief Davis County advisory board on measles, senior communicable-disease risks",1882,1199000,3081000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5590779-94f2c5c261d367c28fd3791726890f7a&start=1199&end=3081","/articles/6484720/Utah/Public-health-officials-brief-Davis-County-advisory-board-on-measles-senior-communicable-disease-risks","Matt McCord, an epidemiologist with the Division of Communicable Disease and Epidemiology, told the Davis County Senior Services Advisory Board that measles is highly contagious, the county has had no confirmed cases and public health is focused on prevention and school-year readiness.

\"Measles is one of the most highly contagious diseases that we know of,\" McCord said, outlining incubation, symptom, and infectious-period timing and noting the disease’s prodrome of cough, coryza and conjunctivitis. He said nationally 92% of identified measles cases have been among unvaccinated people, about 13% of reported cases have required hospitalization and three deaths had been reported in the current outbreak.

McCord said Davis County has had to \"rule out a lot of suspected cases\" this year through testing and contact tracing but had recorded zero confirmed cases. He said most current U.S. cases have been among middle-aged adults and younger people in the counties where cases are concentrated, and public health teams are preparing schools. \"If there's a case identified at your school... if your kid was exposed, and you choose not to get vaccinated, your child could be required to stay at home for up to 21 days,\" he said, describing exclusion policies tied to the incubation window.

The state will expand wastewater surveillance to include measles detection, McCord said, and the department has worked with schools and health-care providers on testing guidance and parent education. He said vaccination remains the key prevention tool and described community-immunity benefits from high coverage.

McCord also summarized communicable-disease risks specifically for older adults. Using county reportable-disease data, he said older residents had higher rates of several conditions and identified the top five reportable problems for seniors in Davis County: COVID-associated hospitalizations, norovirus (gastrointestinal outbreaks), influenza-associated hospitalizations, carbapenem-resistant organisms (antibiotic-resistant bacteria), and invasive streptococcal infections. He stressed infection-prevention and control in long-term care and assisted-living settings, noting \"almost 70 percent of norovirus cases come from long term care facilities or assisted living\" among the senior population.

On vaccines for older adults, McCord and other speakers noted local vaccine access: the division has run monthly vaccine clinics at senior centers under a U.S. Aging grant. He urged staff and board members to encourage seasonal influenza and COVID vaccination as well as vaccines recommended for older adults (shingles, pneumococcal vaccines and others) to reduce hospitalizations.

Board members asked whether the county’s age groups were being affected; McCord said the outbreak to date has primarily affected younger and middle-aged groups in Utah and the region, and Davis County has been spared confirmed cases but remains engaged in testing and school outreach.

Ending: Public health staff told the board the county is monitoring measles through testing, wastewater surveillance and school outreach, emphasizing vaccination and infection-control practices in congregate senior settings to reduce hospitalizations and outbreaks.","A Davis County epidemiologist updated the senior advisory board on the national measles outbreak and on communicable-disease threats affecting older adults, emphasizing vaccination, infection control in congregate settings and school readiness for the coming term.",{"_33":96,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":97,"_41":98,"_43":99,"_45":100,"_47":101,"_49":50,"_51":102,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":103,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":104,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6484723,"Davis County senior services awarded NACOA SNAP outreach grant; staff report slow start, ongoing outreach",872,94000,966000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5590779-94f2c5c261d367c28fd3791726890f7a&start=94&end=966","/articles/6484723/Utah/Davis-County-senior-services-awarded-NACOA-SNAP-outreach-grant-staff-report-slow-start-ongoing-outreach","Candace Woodbury, dietitian for Davis County Senior Services, told the advisory board that the division received a SNAP outreach grant from the National Council on Aging and began the program November 1, 2024.

\"We were awarded the SNAP grant from NACOA, National Council on Aging... November 1 is when our grant started,\" Woodbury said, and added the award amount was $50,000. She described the grant’s purpose as helping people age 60 and older apply for SNAP to reduce food insecurity and improve nutrition and chronic disease management.

Woodbury presented county-level figures from a benefits locator used by the grant: she said the tool indicated 23,777 eligible nonparticipants statewide and 1,749 eligible nonparticipants in Davis County. \"So our overall goal has been to find the 1,749 and educate them and assist them in the SNAP application process,\" she said. The grant runs through April 30, 2026, and the program goal set by the grantor is 650 enrollments; Woodbury said the project was \"currently at 53.\"

Staff described outreach built on existing services. \"All of our home delivered meal program clients are prescreened for SNAP and food insecurity,\" Woodbury said, describing flyers, partnership with property managers, referrals from home health and hospice, and a partnership with Workforce Services. She said Workforce Services’ liaison Frank Vega encouraged applicants to include all expenses on applications and that Workforce Services is applying for an \"elder applicant variance\" that would allow older adults to reapply every three years instead of annually.

Board members pressed on the scale of the task and on application barriers. Woodbury summarized hurdles: many seniors lack email or internet access, the online application is difficult for people who cannot navigate technology, and the paper packet is long. She described the field practice: staff conduct a prescreen during a Meals on Wheels assessment, then return with applicants’ verification documents, submit paper applications to Workforce Services, and follow up to confirm interviews. \"It's easier for them to gather those documents then we will do the application together so that we know,\" she said.

Directors’ reports later in the meeting provided additional program counts. Director Rochelle reported the division has completed about 250 prescreens under the SNAP project and \"59 people who have currently successfully enrolled and are already getting SNAP benefits.\" That figure was provided as a program update separate from Woodbury's earlier count.

Woodbury gave an individual success story: a homebound client with $595 monthly income who applied with staff help and received an electronic benefits card and a monthly allotment of $290 within about seven days. \"She was so grateful... I had no idea regarding this opportunity to use this card,\" Woodbury said.

Board members noted remaining obstacles. One member said older adults sometimes qualify but receive modest monthly allotments—\"they might only receive $34 up to $50\"—and others noted that some people whose income exceeds eligibility cutoffs still experience severe expense-driven food insecurity.

The division is pursuing outreach partnerships, including Bountiful Food Pantry, Midtown Community Health Center, Utah Legal Services, and local food banks. Woodbury said staff will continue in-person application assistance and collaborative drop-offs for homebound clients.

The presentation closed with an acknowledgement of funding uncertainty. Woodbury said SNAP education funds have been cut and \"there is a chance... we don't know if we'll have the ability... to apply for this grant again,\" while Workforce Services told staff the funding that serves older adults is secured through 2026.

The advisory board did not take formal action on the presentation; staff said they will continue outreach and follow up with the board on progress.

Ending: The SNAP outreach project is active through April 2026 and uses home-delivered meal visits and partnerships with Workforce Services and local nonprofits to help older adults apply. Staff told the board they will continue one-on-one application assistance and follow up on enrollments and barriers.","Davis County Senior Services received a $50,000 SNAP outreach grant from the National Council on Aging and is using county meal and home visit programs to recruit older adults. Staff say the program has reached a small share of its target and faces barriers including technology, document verification and limited benefit amounts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commissioner presses trade-offs: animal shelter project vs. senior services funding

County needs assessment finds housing, affordability and awareness gaps for vulnerable older adults

Public health officials brief Davis County advisory board on measles, senior communicable-disease risks

Davis County senior services awarded NACOA SNAP outreach grant; staff report slow start, ongoing outreach