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Public commenter raises HIPAA and homeless-services app questions during Ethan presentation
Summary
At the Public Safety Committee meeting, public speaker Olivia Verdi questioned fiscal and privacy aspects of the Ethan telehealth rollout and suggested a location-based app to coordinate homeless services and donations; committee members invited her to submit further written materials.
During public comment after the Ethan presentation, Olivia Verdi asked how the program’s rollout would affect taxpayers and whether patients would bear payment responsibilities. She asked how Ethan would comply with HIPAA and how the city plans to protect patient privacy when matching insurer and patient data.
Verdi noted that third-party ride and app providers already offer non-emergency transport and questioned whether Ethan’s claimed profitability and logistics had been sufficiently vetted. She suggested the city consider an integrated, location-based application to consolidate services for people experiencing homelessness, enable donations, and direct residents to available shelter capacity across the city’s facilities.
The committee chair invited Verdi to submit additional materials to committee staff for circulation to councilmembers. Two representatives who identified themselves as Lance Calloway and Crystal Hodge said they represented HBSRG and will present once approved by their organization.
