Members of the City Council Health and Human Services Committee considered an update on a Menstrual Equity Initiative, and how to fund it, at their most recent meeting. Meg Moore, community associate for the District 1 office, brought an update about the initiative, which has been underway for the past six weeks and currently consists […]
Austin City Council Health and Human Services Committee
An Austin City Council committee charged with looking at such issues as income disparity, the regional SNAP program, and healthcare.
Posted inAustin
ARCH prepares to improve results by serving fewer clients
As of April 1, the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless is moving forward with a renewed 18-month contract with Front Steps Inc. to redesign its services to have better focus on individual clients and improve efficiency. Vella Karman, manager of social services policy at Austin Public Health, told the Health and Human Services Committee […]
Posted inRoads
‘Speed cushions’ hit Health and Human Services Committee
Though the program that brings new speed cushions to Austin is currently in a holding pattern, the City Council Health and Human Services Committee received an update regarding traffic calming devices at its meeting last Wednesday afternoon. Chair Ora Houston said the need for the such a discussion arose after several people testified at Council […]
Posted inCity Hall
City contemplates restaurant inspection changes
Austin may change how it inspects restaurants in the city, and City Council members are taking a look at how the change could impact the bottom line for some local businesses. Don Hastings, who is the assistant director of the Environmental Health Services Division of Austin Public Health, explained the changes to Council’s Health and […]
Posted inAustin
Nonprofits ready to assist with open enrollment
Today is the first day of open enrollment for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Two Austin nonprofits are ready to help anyone needing assistance with the sometimes confusing process of getting health insurance. This year participants will have just six weeks to complete the process, and experts are urging people to get started […]
Posted inAustin
Spay and neuter proposal continues to simmer
The City Council Health and Human Services Committee took a look at the results of a survey on Tuesday that asked whether a spay/neuter initiative could help reduce animal intake for local shelters, but it is holding off on a recommendation for the time being. “Individuals are saying that they are being turned away from […]
Posted inBudget
Tough choices ahead on human services spending
After hearing from the Health and Human Services Department on Wednesday about the community’s many needs, several City Council members had questions, but only Council Member Delia Garza said she would like to add to the upcoming budget the $8.3 million it would take to fully fund social services resolutions already passed by Council. Garza […]
Posted inPublic Health
No big changes to mosquito protocol, says city
Despite two confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus Zika in Travis County, the city of Austin says it will not make any big changes to its mosquito-control strategy as the warm season begins – a time ripe for insect breeding. “We have not had any reason to believe that there’s any infected mosquitoes in the […]
Posted inPublic Health
Committee pushes for regular HHS budget increase
City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee is asking City Manager Marc Ott to consider an annual increase of at least 3 percent for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department’s budget. The move comes after Council increased the department’s fiscal year 2015-2016 budget by more than $6.5 million in September. At the Jan. […]
Posted inAustin
Council to soon consider public restrooms downtown
Everyone has to use the restroom, but sometimes it can be frustrating to find somewhere to go, especially if you are in downtown Austin. To help alleviate this problem, the City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee has directed the Office of the City Manager to look into the feasibility of installing free, 24-hour public […]
Posted inAustin
Mandatory pet sterilization not recommended to help reduce number of animals in shelters
Austin animal owners should not be forced to spay or neuter their animals, said Chief Animal Services Officer Tawny Hammond in a briefing before the City Council Health and Human Services Committee. The presentation, which comes just as Austin is about to celebrate five years as a no-kill community, was requested by Mayor Steve Adler in response […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: This week’s Council committees
As part of our ongoing effort to keep readers up to date with all that is going on at City Hall, we present our tip sheet for Austin City Council committees. As usual, we will be offering highlights of meetings, with links to entire agendas. Health and Human Services Committee Monday, Nov. 30, 1 p.m. […]