JUNE 2020
NEWSFEED
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #2 Staff responding during a pandemic
ALAMEDA COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY • OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS & COMMUNITY RELATIONS • EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
Disaster Service Workers (DSWs) Making a Difference Throughout the County
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WRITTEN BY: Sylvia Soublet Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations
op Quiz: Name the County job title with a 20-word job description that every County employee is qualified to perform. Hint: Flip over your County ID badge. If you answered Disaster Service Worker, then you know that all County employees are Disaster Service Workers in an emergency. Here’s how the job description reads: “The individual identified hereon is also an OFFICIAL DISASTER SERVICE WORKER in accordance with Section 3100 of the California Government Code.”
COVID-19 has brought the once-dormant words on the back of our badges to three-dimensional daily life. SSA’s Disaster Service Workers (DSWs) are being deployed across the County as emergency response needs multiply in the fight against COVID-19. DSWs are making a difference in ways big and small, including food distribution, emergency hotel management, SSA department reassignments, Food Bank support, and Emergency Operations Center deployments. Samantha Ng, who normally works in SSA’s Human Resources Department, was assigned to the Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB) warehouse on March 30, packing fresh fruits and vegetables. After one day on her assignment, she was redeployed to provide assistance at the ACCFB’s emergency food distribution site located at 7105 Oakport Street in Oakland, a County-owned facility. Samantha is still deployed weekly, dividing her time between the food distribution site and her desk in HR at SSA’s North County office. I spoke with Samantha and asked what it was like stepping outside of her assigned role in HR to join the DSW orange vest brigade. “I enjoy doing something different and seeing the response from the people who we are helping,” she said. “The families that come here are so thankful for the food that we provide them. They can’t say thank you enough.” She added, “I am here to do whatever I can to help. At first I started bagging the food products, then one day I was directing traffic, and another day I was putting food in the cars. Whatever is needed, it keeps it interesting.” You don’t have to leave the SSA to be deployed as a DSW. Lauren Baranco, a Program Specialist in the Department of Children and Family Services (CFS), has been supporting the feeding program of the Care and Shelter Branch of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) under the leadership of SSA and Anissa Basoco-Villarreal, Assistant Agency Director for Agency Administration. Continued on page 2
IN THIS ISSUE 1 Disaster Service Workers (DSWs) Making a Difference Throughout the County 2 There’s An App—I Mean, A MAP For That! County Resource Map Provides Navigation to Emergency Services 3 Project Roomkey Provides Comfort and Safer Ground for Vulnerable and Unhoused Population 4 Protection and Care is at the Heart of What They Do: CFS Staff Find Ways to Take Care of Each Other
County of Alameda Social Services Agency
Samantha Ng (above) and Warren Young (below) are deployed as DSWs at the Oakport Street food distribution site.
Continued from page 1: Disaster Service Workers Finally, I had an opportunity to speak with Warren Young, Supervising Welfare Investigator in the Program Integrity Division (PID) and Community Point Of Distribution (C-POD) Manager during the pandemic. Warren is also deployed at the Oakport Street emergency food distribution site. He is accustomed to keeping things in order and establishing processes from his many years in law enforcement and his work as an investigator in PID. As a C-POD manager, Warren helps to coordinate volunteers at the food distribution site and track staff and their hours. He says, “The work is necessary. As a manager, this is an extension of what I do in my regular work. It feels very comfortable for me, and I know that the skills required to do it well are second nature for me. The Social Services Agency has responded in a way that is indicative of what we do as an Agency every single day—that our doors are open to serve the public.”
Lauren is working with fellow CFS Management Analysts Cerise Grice and Zandra Washington to operationalize an emergency food program for older adults known as Great Plates Delivered (GPD). She is co-chairing the GPD subcommittee, responsible for program implementation within the County. GPD is funded primarily by FEMA and the state, with some County contribution, to deliver prepared meals to seniors 60+ who are COVID-19 positive or COVID-19 exposed, and to those 65+ who are isolated and/or have no means of obtaining prepared meals. I asked Lauren to reflect on her experience as a DSW. “It has been a wonderful experience getting to cochair and learn from my peers Zandra Washington and Cerise Grice, and to learn more intimately from their leadership. It has created a wonderful vehicle through which to brainstorm and collaborate with colleagues and to access the ideas of leaders in our Agency, like Assistant Agency Directors Faith Battles and Anissa Basoco-Villarreal. I hope that this type of collaborative, idea-generating culture is able to be preserved and applied to our regular work.”
Those 20 words on the backs of our badges have never been more significant. It is in times like these that we appreciate, in a very tangible way, our interdependence on each other and our roles as DSWs.
There’s An App — I Mean, A MAP For That! County Resource Map Provides Navigation to Emergency Services
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o meet the unprecedented need for assistance during the COVID-19 emergency, SSA has deployed additional online resources to make critical information available to residents—right at their fingertips. SSA has worked in partnership with the Alameda County Emergency Operations Center, the Alameda County Community Food Bank, and other community partners to assemble and organize County-wide data on food distribution and emergency services for this easy-to-use online tool. The County of Alameda COVID-19 Food Distribution, Testing, and Services Map (http://www.acgov.org/maps/ food-services.htm) helps residents cut through the confusion and find information on vital services to meet their basic needs, such as food pantries, meal distribution, and free showers and laundry. All the user needs to do is enter their address or zip code or select a location on the interactive map, and results are provided for service locations within the desired radius. The information is meant to be as comprehensive as possible, which includes dates and times of operation, a description of services provided, and location. Resource information is updated regularly. Residents are advised to call sites before they visit to confirm location, hours, current availability of supplies, and any other necessary information. Check out media coverage of the County of Alameda COVID-19 Food Distribution, Testing, and Services Map: • KCBS (audio) - Alameda implementing new website to help navigate food bank • KCBS (article)- Alameda County launches interactive digital food bank map • KTVU - Alameda County launches new interactive map for food distribution, other essential services during pandemic • East Bay Times/San Jose Mercury News - Coronavirus: Alameda County launches food information website
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Project Roomkey Provides Comfort and Safer Ground for Vulnerable and Unhoused Population WRITTEN BY: C’Mone Falls, Administrative Specialist II
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Workforce & Benefits Administration
he homeless population is among the most vulnerable to contracting COVID-19, developing severe illness, and dying from the disease. Social distancing is difficult, whether in an encampment or a shelter environment. As the dangers of COVID-19 became clear, Governor Gavin Newsom launched “Project Roomkey,” which provides financial support to counties throughout California to lease hotels or hotel rooms for the homeless community during the crisis. Alameda County was one of the first counties to establish the new hotel-shelter model. SSA partnered with the Health Care Services Agency (HCSA) and Abode Services to get Project Roomkey up and running in Alameda County in just a few weeks. The first hotel, Operation Comfort (located at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Oakland), opened in late March to provide short-term stays for homeless individuals or households who either had symptoms, had tested positive, or had been exposed to COVID-19 and did not have the ability to self-isolate.
Operation Comfort (above) and Operation Project Safer Ground have sheltered 699 guests as of June 1, 2020.
The neighboring hotel, Operation Safer Ground (located at the Radisson Hotel), was opened shortly after to provide safe housing for unsheltered individuals identified through the homeless coordination system as the most medically vulnerable. Families and individuals are tested for COVID-19 prior to being admitted to the hotel and transported through street outreach and from shelters. Operation Safer Ground serves as a safe location for those who are medically fragile and homeless to shelter-in-place, minimizing life-threatening exposure to COVID-19.
place expectations to ensure the safety of residents and staff. Abode Services, an experienced shelter provider, is responsible for on-site operations with support from SSA and HCSA staff. During their stay, guests benefit from having safe, clean rooms, and they are also connected to resources. Three hot meals are provided daily, along with twice daily medical screenings, regular wellness checks, and peer to peer support. They are screened for physical, mental, and substance abuse concerns and connected to appropriate services. SSA has set up a special process to facilitate access to Agency benefit programs and to provide clothing and reading materials from the Eastmont Garden of Hope clothing closet. A mobile medical van provides on-site medical care, and additional community support has been provided through a wealth of donations.
Before staying at either hotel, guests must understand and agree to the social distancing and shelter-in-
The days have been long and collaboration robust. In the end, the program has taken off, not completely glitchfree, but nevertheless in great form with exceptionally dedicated people working together for a life-sustaining cause. As of June 1, we received 1,138 referrals and the cumulative placement total is at 699. Current occupancy is 421 between the two hotels. The Board of Supervisors has approved SSA, HCSA, and the General Services Agency (GSA) to continue these efforts, beyond what the state is funding, and to acquire additional hotel sites and rooms to provide housing and support services to a more diverse range of vulnerable homeless people.
The program has taken off, not completely glitch-free, but nevertheless in great form with exceptionally dedicated people working together for a life-sustaining cause. 3
Protection and Care is at the Heart of What They Do: CFS Staff Find Ways to Take Care of Each Other WRITTEN BY: Gloria Carroll, Division Director, Children & Family Services
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and Sylvia Soublet, Director of Public Affairs & Community Relations
eople who work in the field of child protection often say they chose the profession because they are innately protective and caring for those who are most vulnerable. Early on in this pandemic, no one knew what to guard against or exactly how to guard against it. As the Shelter in Place (SIP) progressed, and we went from three weeks to six to eight, we learned more as the experts became better informed. An instinctual protectiveness began to reveal itself across Agency departments. CFS staff, who are accustomed to taking care of others, turned those protective instincts inward. They began to assess the needs of their colleagues and find creative ways to ensure they were protected as they continued to protect others.
pandemic, like access to restroom facilities when traveling. “As the SIP went on, child welfare workers began to share that many of the establishments they would stop at while in the field conducting visits were now closed. This included many restaurants and Starbucks along the I-80 corridor and in the Tracy/Stockton area where they would stop to take advantage of restroom facilities,” Gloria recalls.
Early on it was all about PPE: Personal Protective Equipment. In the first few weeks of the SIP, CFS managers scoured the Bay Area, purchasing PPE for staff to ensure operations could continue safely. No one knew what was essential protection. Do you wear a face mask or not? Are gloves required? What surfaces does the virus live on? What about using County cars? Understandably, staff had questions about conducting home visits. CFS managers brought in supplies that were divided up into snack bags and distributed to staff going out in the field. Supplies were also provided to staff while they were in the office to sanitize their work stations. “Sanitation stations” created on every floor had both disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer for staff use. We are told that Target, Costco, and Dollar Tree yielded the best results for managers shopping for supplies that were in high demand. But when those outlets ran out of hand sanitizer, CFS managers channeled their inner scientists.
Staff reported having to drive for several hours only to find the next option on the map closed as well. From inner scientists to inner cartographers, CFS staff once again relied upon new skills. With direction from Michelle Love, a singular idea flourished that was guided by the ingenuity and creativity of Michelle Wilson and Management Analysts in the department. “They were resourceful in finding and contacting locations to confirm the availability of restrooms. Their efforts inspired other counties to open their doors to child welfare staff who may need to use a restroom,” recounts Michelle Love. The CFS version of a Rand McNally map (for those of a certain generation) for restrooms was created and provided to child welfare staff who were taking to the road. As you would imagine, the response to this collegial act of kindness was immense. “The fact that someone took the time to be thoughtful of a colleague’s whole-person needs was beyond anything they would have expected,” Gloria reflects.
“We love a good project in CFS, and hand sanitizer was it,” says Gloria Carroll, Division Director. With the help of a few YouTube tutorials, the ingredients were purchased (alcohol, aloe-vera gel, and empty 3-4 oz. bottles) and “Operation Hand Sanitizer” was set in motion. Hand sanitizer gel was made, packaged, and distributed to line staff. “I hope our efforts to get them supplies showed that we understood how critical that was to keeping them safe,” says Michelle Love, Assistant Agency Director.
These acts of personal care and protection are who we should and can be pre- and postpandemic.
But once CFS workers packed up those care kits and set out to make home visits, they encountered bumps in the road that no GPS system could help them navigate. We all know of the large-scale havoc the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked, but we sometimes forget about the unintended consequences of the 4