On March 3, 2020, the Community Advisory Council convened with Chair Doreen Vandervort who led the council through the day’s agenda. CAC member Emily Reed began with an update from the Board of Trustees (BoT) and a confirmation that all the conflict of interest forms had been signed for 2020. She also noted the Board intended to hold its retreat mid-month on March, 17, 2020. Reed noted her plans to attend upcoming Clinical Health Worker meetings so that CAC can be kept up-to-date and informed on its activities.

Elevate CEO Alisha Fehrenbacher provided an update on how the CAC and the BoT should come together later in the year and map out a three-year plan for Elevate Health. The goal of the meeting and the plan will be to achieve sustainability and finalize the financial model. Alisha noted she has been working to bring on new contracts that would support the Care Continuum Network and Elevate Health's ongoing projects. Fehrenbacher also provided an update on goals of OnePierce, the Community Resiliency Fund which will be tied to data, the Care Continuum Network, and mapping upstream investments across housing, and workforce development for the investment fund. Fehrenbacher also requested that the CAC look into workforce development for Pierce County outside the traditional clinical care mechanisms to enable health understanding on a whole-person level.

Clinical Director Sarah Stacy next provided an update on preventative strategies to plan for the coronavirus. Coronavirus is a novel strain that had not previously circulated in the community. At this time there has not been any reported cases in Pierce County. Stacy offered CAC members recommendations for preparing for an outbreak:

Have two weeks of food supply available in case you get sick and need to isolate yourself from others
Clean your work space
Isopropyl alcohol (70%) is a good backup if you cannot find disinfectant wipes
Keep hand sanitizer available and use it during the day
Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds
Ensure you have a 90-day supply of your prescriptions available
Keep a supply over over-the-counter supplies for the flu – NyQuil, Tylenol, a thermometer
Ensure good sleep habits – good sleep will help your immune system resist the virus
Keep toiletries in stock
Eat a healthy diet – vitamins A, C and E and protein is great for recovery. Ensure the food is shelf stable and ready to grab. Snacks with carbs will be helpful to combat fatigue. Chicken broth to ensure you are still getting nutrients if you do not have an appetite from the flu

Stacy also provided the council with mask education. Noting consumers should not buy N95 masks as these are used by healthcare professionals and there needs to be a supply available for hospitals and care providers. She noted personal masks that cover the nose and under your chin will work for regular use. The council decided it would monitor the outbreak accordingly, the adjust future meeting times as needed to prevent risk of infection and spread.

Finally, the council conducted action planning around educating Pierce County residents on transportation options, based upon its February meeting. To address, the CAC broke out into groups to identify community resources in specific zip codes and can be contacted in order to distribute information and provide education on transportation services. In addition, CAC members intend to ask agencies/resources where they see gaps in transportation services. For next steps, the CAC will create a resource guide and submit questions for survey development on transportation.

In April, the CAC will revisit its action plan for Education on Transportation and discuss next steps. For additional information on the CAC, including its agenda and meeting minutes, please visit here.

Community Advisory Council Activity Summary for March 2020