The effects of Covid 19 on RTD fixed route, Flex Ride and paratransit services (Access-a-Ride) were discussed as were the safety precautions being taken. The new Access-a-Ride portal/mobile app was also discussed. This portal/app gives users an additional access point to manage and schedule trips. Additionally, it was reported there were changes being made to how the public can access RTD Board meetings via phone. It was suggested that those who were interested should contact the Board office prior to the meeting to obtain the call-in information.
Amy Pulley – DRCOG, ADRC Manager – opened the meeting by introducing new DRCOG staff Gina Gentili, Dwaynna Grace, and Lydia Dumam.
ADRC meeting presentations:
Jennifer Reeves – DRCOG, Program Manager for Ombudsman Services – Ombudsman Nursing Home and Assisted Living Update
- Here is the website for DRCOG’s Ombudsman Programs: https://drcog.org/programs/area-agency-aging/ombudsman-programs
- Feel free to make direct contact with any questions or referrals for individuals in need of Ombudsman assistance: jreeves@drcog.org
- You can also reach our Ombudsman of the Day, M-F, during regular business hours: 303-480-6734
Anaya Robinson, Atlantis Community Inc., Associate Director Atlantis Community Inc – Expedited Transitions Pilot
- Partnering with Reciprocity Collective – trains unhoused individuals to be live-in caretakers for clients in transition from congregate settings
- This program has funding through September 2021
- If you have any further questions, referrals, etc., contact anaya@atlantiscommunity.org , and the phone is 303-733-9324 x 1220
Heather Kamper – DRCOG Manager, Transitions and Veterans – Medicaid Transition Services – Update from Options Counseling Program
- Kudos to Ashly Johnson, who is running Medicaid transition Services
- pre-pandemic – busy with 50-60 clients per month providing options counseling
- post-pandemic – #s has dropped significantly
- anyone can refer clients to Options Counseling, including Ombudsmen
- Question asked of clients: “would you like to speak to someone about the option to return to the community” – state mandates they be referred to options counseling
- Ashly Johnson – referrals from SNFs have dropped
- MDS referrals from HCPF – missing information that makes it challenging to locate clients
- Causes a 2-month delay at least
- A lot of cross-checking to find clients that want options counseling
- Cold calling facilities to find clients
- Covid has made this a challenging task
- MDS referrals from HCPF – missing information that makes it challenging to locate clients
Member Highlight: DRMAC’s Getting There app – Ashley Doty, Program Manager
Ashley gave a demo of DRMAC’s Getting There app. Anyone who is interested in learning more or having a demo done for their group can contact Ashley at adoty@drmac-co.org.
Since the Last Meeting. . .
First there was an update given to the group and new attendees re: what happened at our last meeting and what has happened since. The focus of the project in Sun Valley is to target youth whereas most transportation projects in the Denver area have previously focused on older adults. The LCC is still trying to determine the best way to collect data on usage of public transportation by youth in this area.
The outreach and marketing subcommittee recently connected with Councilwoman Jamie Torres and received clarity on how to reach out to schools and with whom to connect. This group is also going to try and connect with non-profit agencies in the Sun Valley area for support. A meeting among interested parties is in the planning stages.
The data collection subcommittee has run into issues with a survey since they cannot distribute a formal survey to people under the age of 18. So the group must get more creative with their approach to date collection. Lindsey Alarcon from RTD also reported research had been done re: the cost of geofencing to do some social media outreach, but it was quite expensive and the return on investment was very low. There had been some discussion of applying for a micro grant from DOTI to cover the costs of some of these strategies, but it does not appear it will be necessary.
Stella Madrid from the Denver Housing Authority spoke to her connections and knowledge of the Sun Valley community and is available as a resource for data and questions in that area through past work they have done.
Draft Plan for Sun Valley Project
A draft plan for the project put together by Chair, Jyotsna Khatri was presented for feedback. Steps moving forward include of identifying organizations and schools to meet with through Zoom about transportation, looking into the regulations on Lyft scooters for transport, and creating a welcome back packet for people returning to public transportation in the area.
The next meeting will be January 20, 2021 at 9am with optional subcommittee meetings occurring in December.
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