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Council hears telehealth outreach report; committee recommends more meetings as grant funding nears end
Summary
A city staff committee reported on telehealth mobile clinic operations providing outreach, behavioral health and enrollment support; staff said vendor funding is expected to expire around June 2025 and recommended additional committee meetings to define residency, metrics and parking schedules.
The City of Hawthorne’s telehealth committee updated the City Council on mobile telehealth vans that provide outreach, behavioral-health screening and enrollment assistance to people experiencing homelessness and other residents.
Committee members reported that telehealth vendors operate a small fleet (two vans) in the city and provide on-site health services, behavioral-health triage and assistance obtaining identification and insurance. Staff said the program initially focused on homeless outreach during a federal COVID-era funding window and that the scope expanded as the city directed the vendor to support related needs, including residents at temporary housing sites.
Kimberly Mack, the city’s director of housing and a committee member, told the council the group met with vendors to review how they count and report metrics, how they define “Hawthorne resident,” and where vans currently park. The committee identified options such as stationing a single van in Hawthorne longer to increase continuity, clarifying whether services are immediate stop-in care or include longitudinal follow-up, and specifying which client-level metrics the city can receive without breaching confidentiality.
City staff said the vendor’s federal grant funding is expected to lapse around June 2025 and that the committee therefore recommends a focused calendar of additional meetings to define residency, reporting requirements and parking schedules so the city can measure outcomes and explore continued funding or alternative arrangements.
Councilmembers praised the vendor’s work but noted the county and other regional agencies remain responsible for many behavioral-health services. Mayor Pro Tem Katrina Manning and Councilmember Angie Reyes English stressed that the city’s input and oversight should reflect the expanded services the vendors now perform. Council accepted the committee’s report and asked staff to continue refining deliverables and scheduling.
