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            Promotion of universal access to community services
1:32:42
·
6 min
Commissioner Cortés-Vázquez explains NYC Aging's approach to promoting universal access to community services for older adults. The department aims to make services available regardless of income, ethnicity, or status.
- Universal access means services are available to all older adults, with few exceptions
 - Home-delivered meals have more specific eligibility criteria
 - Services such as older adult centers, case management, and most other NYC Aging programs are universally accessible
 - The commissioner emphasizes that this broad definition of universal access is a key aspect of their service delivery model
 
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:32:42
                                        
                                        And and to to tell you which and which ones have gone to the 2nd iteration.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:32:47
                                        
                                        Yeah.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:32:47
                                        
                                        Right?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:32:47
                                        
                                        So they started here, and now they're in the second iteration.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:32:50
                                        
                                        Okay.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:32:50
                                        
                                        That would be great.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:32:52
                                        
                                        With regard to promoting universal access to community services, what percentage of older New Yorkers now have greater access to services and programming compared to before the plan's implementation?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:33:05
                                        
                                        Or what what are you sort of aiming for?
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:33:07
                                        
                                        So universal access is, in our definition, is pretty broad in the sense that regardless of income, older adult services are available to you.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:33:20
                                        
                                        Right?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:33:22
                                        
                                        Regardless of ethnicity and regardless of status.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:33:27
                                        
                                        So all of those services are available to you, with the exception of home delivered meals, that that is a very prescribed program.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:33:34
                                        
                                        Alright.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:33:35
                                        
                                        So when we talk about universal access, all older adults with the exception of home delivered meals have access to all services provided by NYCAG.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:33:50
                                        
                                        How many new service providers have been added to the NYC aging network?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:33:54
                                        
                                        And if you can provide examples, that would be great.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:33:57
                                        
                                        I believe we started out with
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:34:00
                                        
                                        10 And I started with 10 or you've added 10.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:34:05
                                        
                                        You you talk about the age integration programs, the intergenerational programs.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:34:13
                                        
                                        Is that what you're talking about the youth programs?
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:34:16
                                        
                                        Have any new to the overall network, the overall NYC aging network service providers.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:34:25
                                        
                                        Is this the same 29?
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:34:40
                                        
                                        Just in terms of your overall footprint in adding more diverse providers and and, you know, providers meet specific needs.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:34:49
                                        
                                        It's the same it's the same 29.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:34:51
                                        
                                        29 added since the plan's inception and the 8 norks.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:34:55
                                        
                                        It's the same number.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:34:56
                                        
                                        Okay.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:34:57
                                        
                                        That addresses those issues.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:34:59
                                        
                                        Okay.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:34:59
                                        
                                        How does utilization rate of NYC Aging's network of service providers today compared to that of before the plan's implementation?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:10
                                        
                                        So utilization rate.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:12
                                        
                                        So since the plan has been implemented, how has the utilization rate of your service providers?
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:35:22
                                        
                                        So when we look at utilization, in the OOCs, we've seen that we've served 13,000 more individuals.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:31
                                        
                                        Alright?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:32
                                        
                                        Yep.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:32
                                        
                                        Sorry.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:32
                                        
                                        Since the plan's
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:35:34
                                        
                                        implementation?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:35
                                        
                                        Since the plan's implementation.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:37
                                        
                                        Yeah.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:37
                                        
                                        At OOCs.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:38
                                        
                                        Okay.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:35:38
                                        
                                        And then we've also seen approximately 3000 older adults now receive more services in the norks that were added.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:48
                                        
                                        These were these were the additive numbers, not not the overall.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:51
                                        
                                        For the 29, we saw 13,000 more individuals.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:54
                                        
                                        Don't forget these are duplicated numbers.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:35:57
                                        
                                        And then we saw another 3000 additional older adults in the Norths.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:36:02
                                        
                                        Okay.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:36:11
                                        
                                        With regard to expanding and strengthening community care services, how does the current budget for community care services compare to what it was prior to the plan's implementation?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:36:19
                                        
                                        Sorry, a lot of these questions are gonna be repetitive, but different topic areas.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:36:27
                                        
                                        You have the modified budget for 24 went from the overall agency budget, went from 375,000,000 to 521000000, alright, during that time.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:36:53
                                        
                                        When we've been implementing the plan to 2024.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:37:01
                                        
                                        Okay.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:01
                                        
                                        Thank you.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:02
                                        
                                        With regard to enhancing equity and inclusion, what is the demographic breakdown of older adults receiving services And how has it changed since the plan's implementation?
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:37:12
                                        
                                        Yes.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:12
                                        
                                        So I have I have the break the ethnic breakdown for you.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:16
                                        
                                        Just let me find it.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:34
                                        
                                        Charlie, where is it?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:35
                                        
                                        I know we have the presenter Let me just bear with me for a minute.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:45
                                        
                                        I'm looking for because I
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:37:46
                                        
                                        no problem.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:46
                                        
                                        Take your time.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:37:53
                                        
                                        Thank you.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:37:56
                                        
                                        And this is all self reported data.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:00
                                        
                                        45% are white, who and also includes Latinos who consider themselves white.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:10
                                        
                                        19% are Asians.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:12
                                        
                                        17% are African American black.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:16
                                        
                                        23 Percent Hispanic Latino.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:20
                                        
                                        46% of our clients are under the age of seventy 5.53% are over the age of seventy five.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:38:30
                                        
                                        Thank you.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:30
                                        
                                        And how many new service providers with diverse backgrounds have been added to the NYC Aging Network?
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:38:37
                                        
                                        Of the 2913.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:39
                                        
                                        Oh, great.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:38:42
                                        
                                        And what specific programs have been That's
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:38:44
                                        
                                        not to include all the ones that existed before.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:38:47
                                        
                                        Right?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:47
                                        
                                        That that does or doesn't include all the ones that existed before?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:49
                                        
                                        That does not include.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:50
                                        
                                        Yes.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:50
                                        
                                        It's just Of the 29 new ones, 13 of those.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:53
                                        
                                        Got it.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:38:54
                                        
                                        What specific programs have been introduced to address the needs of immigrant and older adults of color?
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:39:02
                                        
                                        I think those 13 programs are a big piece of that.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:39:06
                                        
                                        I mean, I go back to India House.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:39:10
                                        
                                        It's the 1st halal program we had.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:39:12
                                        
                                        It's the first time that halal is now a mandated service, as Kosher always was, as, you know, and as Spanish and Asian, you know, so like we've introduced that.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:39:25
                                        
                                        So I think that that is the kind of movement and trend that we will be seeing more of.