For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Also on Feb. 25: Public Safety Committee to receive an update on telehealth and police department staffing at 9:30 a.m.
The Education and Culture and Health and Human Services Committees will meet virtually at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25. The Public Safety Committee will meet virtually at 9:30 a.m. Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for committee review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
The committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current committee agendas can be viewed at:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
On the guidance of Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services Dr. Travis Gayles, there is currently no public access to the Council Office Building. The virtual Council meeting will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube (MoCoCouncilMD) and on Facebook Live (MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil) and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on channels 30 (Fios), 1056 (RCN) and 996 (Xfinity).
Meeting: Education and Culture (E&C) Committee and Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee
Time: 3 p.m.
E&C Committee: Councilmembers Craig Rice (Chair) and Will Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro
HHS Committee: Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz (Chair) and Councilmembers Evan Glass (Lead for Homelessness and Vulnerable Communities) and Craig Rice
Topic:
Montgomery County Public Schools Return to In-Person Learning
The joint E&C and HHS Committee will receive a briefing from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) about their return to in-person learning and recovery of education plan. The goals of this meeting are to:
On February 9, the Board of Education approved a resolution to begin the return to in-person learning on March 1 with a phased return for all interested students through April. Council staff asked MCPS to provide a summary of their plan as presented to the Board of Education, as well as provide additional information on the following:
Those expected to provide information at the meeting include: Dr. Jack R. Smith, superintendent, MCPS; Dr. Monifa B. McKnight, deputy superintendent, MCPS; Derek G. Turner, chief of engagement, Innovation and Operations, MCPS; Seth P. Adams, director, Department of Facilities Management, MCPS; Dr. Travis Gayles, County Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services, Department of Health and Human Services; and Dr. Earl Stoddard, director, Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
The Council staff report includes: a timeline of the Board’s decision-making process for the return to in-person learning and a summary of the relevant information presented to the Board of Education.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Meeting: Public Safety (PS) Committee
Time: 9:30 a.m.
PS Committee: Councilmember Sidney Katz (Chair) and Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz and Council President Tom Hucker
Topics:
Telehealth and the Alternate Destination Program (Fire and Rescue Service)
The PS Committee will receive a briefing on two new programs in Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) that help avert certain patient transports to hospital emergency departments in situations where patients present low acuity conditions.
The Alternate Destination Transport (ADT) Program began as a pilot program in January 2020 and was in its early stages when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The purpose of the program is to transport certain stable, low acuity patients to urgent care centers rather than to hospital-based emergency departments. This program had multiple benefits for MCFRS staff, the patient and hospitals. Under this model, MCFRS staff are freed up more quickly to respond to the next call, patients are likely treated faster and with less medical expenses and hospitals experience a reduction in emergency room patients.
This year, MCFRS also implemented a new telehealth program. It has contracted with a physicians group, US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), to provide telehealth services to qualifying patients. According to the MCFRS, EMS staff can assess the patient to see if telehealth is appropriate. If so, staff uses a departmental cell phone to call the assigned number for telehealth. An on-call physician answers and then transfers the patient to a secure Zoom call. The patient is then able to video chat with the physician. The EMS clinicians on the scene assists the physician with any needed physical exam or other health service.
Those expected to provide information include: Assistant Chief Alan Butsch, Emergency Medical and Integrated Health Services, MCFRS and Battalion Chief Ben Kaufman, MCFRS.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Police Department Staffing
The PS Committee will receive a briefing on Montgomery County Police Department staffing. The Committee was last briefed on recruitment on Sept. 26, 2019.
The briefing will examine the need to appropriately size the Police Department to provide public safety services to the community, and the recruitment and retention challenges that the Police Department faces to provide well-trained staff.
Over the past year, the County has engaged in multiple efforts to examine policing and make policing safer for all members of the community. The Council created the Policing Advisory Commission, whose mission is to advise the Council on policing matters and recommend policies, programs, legislation or regulations with regard to policing.
The County Executive convened his Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety last summer, and it recently released its report detailing 87 recommendations to enhance public safety.
Last year, the Board of Education directed the Superintendent to examine the School Resource Officer program (SRO), and final recommendations are expected on May 4. Last Nov. Councilmember Jawando and Councilmember Riemer introduced Bill 46-20, Police – School Resources Officers – Prohibited, which would remove SROs from MCPS. Earlier this month Councilmember Rice introduced Bill 7-21 - Police – School Resource Officer – Building Positive Law Enforcement Relationships Within Schools, which would allow the continuation of SROs in MCPS with enhanced training.
Those expected to attend include: Chief Marcus Jones, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD); Captain Nicholas Augustine, Personnel Director MCPD; Lieutenant Ian Clark, Management Services Bureau, MCPD; and Neil Shorb, Budget Director, MCPD.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
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Release ID: 21-067