Q&A
Expanding community care services and transportation initiatives
0:37:33
·
8 min
Council Member Hudson inquires about expanding community care services and enhancing transportation options for older adults. Commissioner Cortés-Vázquez explains the department's data-driven approach and transportation initiatives:
- Services are planned based on demographic data, including age cohorts, ethnicity, and geographic location
- New transportation programs were implemented to supplement existing services and address transportation deserts
- Older Adult Centers (OACs) have the option to include local transportation in their budgets
Additional details:
- The department identified transportation deserts in various boroughs, including 4 in the Bronx, 5 in Brooklyn, and 6 in Queens
- A city-wide transportation program was created to enable cross-borough travel for medical appointments and other needs
- The department is working on solutions for 'micro-mobility' to address transportation challenges in different areas
Crystal Hudson
0:37:33
This is something that I talk about all the time.
0:37:35
And so just want to get a sense also specifically with regards to expanding and strengthening community care services through increased investments specifically to keep pace with the growing and diversifying older adult population with really an emphasis on the growing older adult population.
0:37:53
And what does it look like?
0:37:54
What does the plan look like specifically with that in mind?
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:37:58
So try to give me the numbers of the population.
0:38:03
One of the things we look at, everything that we look at and how we evolve it is not intuitive as resolved data driven.
0:38:09
And it's data driven not only on income, but on ethnicity.
0:38:14
And one of the things and also age cohorts.
0:38:18
And one of the things that we've done is to look at the future is how many people are no.
0:38:26
I want the age breakdown.
0:38:29
I think Charlie.
0:38:29
Okay.
0:38:30
So while I give while I give you that, we look at we look at where people are living and we also give in census data start looking at where people will be moving to or growing, alright, where the population shrink and where populations growing.
0:38:46
And that is how we determine where services should be and where services should be today, but also in the future.
0:38:53
And it is all based on looking at that data.
0:38:59
And one of the things we just heard from the 20, which alarmed us a little bit, was that overall New York City census shrunk as in the 2020 in the last census data from the American study.
0:39:14
So we're looking at that and the impact on older adults.
Crystal Hudson
0:39:17
Okay.
0:39:18
And then I know you talked about transportation initiatives in your testimony.
0:39:24
But can you just expand a little bit on what enhanced transportation options you you have to better connect older adults in geographically remote areas?
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:39:34
Yeah.
0:39:34
So thank you.
0:39:37
So recognizing 2 things, recognizing that we need to have more interaction with accessoride, which is run by the MTA, which is
Crystal Hudson
0:39:55
I think a lot of people would
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:39:58
What is it that we call it?
0:39:59
Accessible arriving,
Crystal Hudson
0:40:00
not so much interaction with accessoride.
0:40:03
But
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:40:04
It is what we have, and my goal is in the time that I can to make sure that that starts working for us.
0:40:12
And so one of the legislations that we propose, which I would love for all of you is to be partners.
0:40:17
We proposed legislation that they create a liaison the way they've created a liaison between NYC, a ncha and aging to create a liaison between accessor right.
0:40:27
Not that we will take responsibility for them, but that we will be mindful as to where the big gaps are and informing them and giving them solutions so that we could really work towards improvement.
0:40:37
Because right now, there's just a a repository of complaints with no solutions for addressing those complaints.
0:40:45
Right?
0:40:45
And so that's one thing.
0:40:46
It is the biggest system that we have that it that that needs to be responsive.
0:40:51
So that's one thing that we're constantly looking at.
0:41:03
I'm sorry.
0:41:03
I just I got that's okay.
0:41:05
Caregiv.
0:41:06
Can you just answer my phone?
0:41:08
Caregiv.
0:41:09
Alright.
0:41:09
So So that's one thing that we do.
0:41:13
The other thing that we did last year, we issued that transportation RFP.
0:41:18
All older adult clubs can have the option to do transportation locally.
0:41:24
To bring older adults to and from the center.
0:41:27
Right?
0:41:27
And some of them add, you know, some group activities and things like that.
0:41:31
They're all if they wanted the funding, we could
Crystal Hudson
0:41:35
we can pause for a second.
0:41:36
You wanna pause for a second?
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:41:37
Yeah.
0:41:37
I better.
0:41:38
This might be about my month's care.
0:42:47
Living proof of what I go what we all go
Crystal Hudson
0:42:49
I know it's something that you and I have in comment.
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:42:51
Having comment,
Crystal Hudson
0:42:52
I told you.
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:42:53
And it doesn't get easier.
0:42:55
Anyway, so and the other thing that we did was the transportation programs.
0:43:00
And so each contractor, each other adult club can choose to have that built into their programming budget with that their funds for that.
0:43:09
But then what we found was because we knew that we needed to expand transportation.
0:43:15
We we included per borough, a transportation program that could supplement that, especially for group activities so that no one can say, we can't go shopping outside of our community, and we can't go to Mohammed State Park or wherever those wonderful places.
0:43:34
So so we built that in, and then we also had a city wide transportation program that would supplement.
0:43:41
So that was our effort to try to mitigate a little bit of of of what we saw as some of the challenges in in accessor right.
0:43:52
The other thing is that we're very mindful of the transportation deserts.
0:43:57
For example, in the Bronx, out of 12 community districts, we have 4 transportation deserts.
0:44:06
And they're not even in a contiguous statement.
0:44:08
Like, if you live in the Bronx, the northern part of the Bronx, I know, is a transportation desert.
0:44:15
And then if you live in the South Bronx, there's certain parts that are also transportation desert.
0:44:19
You wouldn't even believe that.
0:44:21
In Brooklyn, out of 18, out of 18, we have 5 transportation deserts.
0:44:27
Alright?
0:44:28
And a lot of these are in communities that we we know well and care for very well.
0:44:34
And then in queens, out of 14 planning boards, there are 6 transportation deserts.
0:44:43
So we're kinda like mindful
Crystal Hudson
0:44:45
Yeah.
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:44:46
Of that when we're looking at transportation and coming up with transportation alternatives, micro mobility, all of those other solutions, that could mitigate, you know, these transportation deserts.
Crystal Hudson
0:44:57
Are those transportation services provided by OACs and NORKS?
0:45:02
Are they provided by those parties?
0:45:06
Or
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:45:07
Oh, OACs and not OACs.
0:45:10
OACs have north.
0:45:11
Not right.
0:45:12
Right.
0:45:12
No no worries.
0:45:12
Thank you.
0:45:14
OACs have the option to have local transportation in their in their budget and contract.
0:45:20
Right?
0:45:22
Not all of them opted for that.
0:45:24
But that is available and an option that they have.
0:45:28
In addition to that, that's where we came up with the transportation design last year Mhmm.
0:45:33
Where we had one for Burrow to supplement what Oasis did not offer, and then we had one city wide that can take you across borrowers, you know, which, you know, people live in Brooklyn, go to the doctor in Manhattan, same thing happens in the Bronx.
0:45:48
Right.
Crystal Hudson
0:45:49
Okay.
0:45:50
Thank you.
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
0:45:51
But I want I want you to be mindful of transportation desert.
0:45:54
Because if we're looking at an age inclusive city and what we consider a transportation desert by normal standards, we're not we're not creating something new.
0:46:05
Imagine the complexity of that for an older adult if the bus stop is four blocks away.
0:46:10
Totally.
0:46:11
You know?
0:46:11
And so yeah.
Crystal Hudson
0:46:12
We were we're working with the MTA around a lot of their bus redesign, you know, of the various lines making sure that that we're addressing exactly those needs in in some of those communities Yeah.
