Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Aging Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Office for the Aging to pilot GoGo Grandparent in Hudson; supervisors press for better outreach to seniors
Summary
Columbia County’s Office for the Aging described a planned pilot of the GoGo Grandparent ride voucher program for Hudson-area residents, a $10,000 state-linked allotment, and ongoing efforts to expand the advisory council and improve outreach to home-delivered-meals and transportation clients.
The Columbia County Office for the Aging told the Health and Human Services Committee on Jan. 14 that it will pilot GoGo Grandparent — a state-linked voucher program that uses existing ride-share services — for older residents in the Hudson area. The office said a $10,000 allotment tied to the initiative is already in the state system; the county will use vouchers rather than handle cash directly.
Office staff described the pilot as limited to Hudson-area residents where Uber and Lyft availability is sufficient, and said the program will also provide rides after office hours and on weekends to reduce pressure on the county’s transportation program. The office expects to launch the pilot by late February and will report back after the rollout.
Supervisors pressed the office on outreach and enrollment: the county’s email newsletter list currently includes about 25 addresses, and advisory-council membership and town-level reporting have been inconsistent. The office described several outreach channels it uses or plans to use — physical newsletters, a Facebook page, event QR codes, and a town-report template for advisory-council members to share needs back to town boards.
The director said the office will bring a job-description template for advisory-council members to the next advisory meeting, create subcommittees for appointments and communications, and circulate minutes digitally to supervisors’ mailboxes. Staff also noted they will produce flyers for the GoGo Grandparent pilot and distribute them to town boards and advisory-council members.
Why this matters: transportation and information access are common barriers for older adults seeking vaccines, meals and services. Committee members said improving town-to-county information flow and expanding the email/newsletter list are priorities.
No formal committee vote was recorded for the pilot announcement; the items discussed were program updates and outreach planning.
