SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL

            MINUTES       November 06, 2024

Present              Voting Attendees:  

Cristina Leal                             ARC- Imperial Valley

Gustavo Gomez                        CTSA–ICTC

Kathleen Lang                              Health Net

                        Andrew Sanchez                      Imperial Valley College

                        Raul Cordova                           IC Work Training Center

                        Sarah M. Enz                            Imperial County Area Agency on Aging (AAA)

Non-Voting Attendees:

Cesar Sanchez                          IVT

Helio Sanchez                          IVT

Jose Guillen                             IVT Medtrans

                         Karla Pacheco                          IVT Access

                        Michelle Soto                           Children’s Services (zoom)

                        Esperanza Avila                         ICTC 

                          Priscilla Baca                               ICTC

1.       Ms. Enz called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. A quorum was present.

2.        Introductions were made.

-          Hybrid meeting.

3.       Minutes were adopted for April 03, 2024, May 01, 2024, & September 04, 2024, and October 2, 2024- (Lang, Sanchez), Motion Carried.

4.       Agency Presentation

Ms. Enze had the following Information:

·         Imperial County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Provides Home Delivered Meals to homebound older adults,

·         In-home Respite Care that provides care for frail and impaired elderly,

·         Congregate Meals in a nutrition group setting to help with the physical and social well-being of seniors.

·          

·         Friendship Line California helps with both a crisis intervention hotline and a warmline for a non-emergency support call.

·         Long Term Care Ombudsman (LTCOP) investigates and resolves complaints made by, or on behalf of, individual residents in long-term facilities.

·         Information & Assistance -Confidentiality answers questions while providing information, assistance, or referral to local state and federal services and benefits available to older adults 60+.

5.       Imperial Valley College

Presented by Dr. Sanchez

·         Community college in the region serves all residents of the Imperial Valley. The majority of students are aged 18 to 24, but the college also accommodates students from all age groups. Additionally, IVC is working to increase the enrollment of adult students, who are currently not taking full advantage of higher education opportunities.

·         IVC Has over 7,000 students, including full-time and part-time students.

·         Dr.  Sanchez appreciates the opportunity to be on SSTAC.

6.              Medical Population

Presented by Dr. Kathleen Lang

·         Imperial Valley has 182,000 residents, 97 thousand are on medical more than half the population.

·         On January 1, 2024, California Health and Wellness was replaced by the Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley as the new medical provider. The Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley has delegated its services to HealthNet. Dr. Lang is serving on behalf of the Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley for its medical membership.

·         Dr. Lang ensures that regulations are met, as well as all services, including benefits, Social Security, and social determinants such as housing, transportation, and respite care, offering a comprehensive menu of services, they also offer Medicare to the community.

·         Kaiser Permanente has a presence in Imperial Valley, having received a special contract from the state to operate in every county. In Imperial County, there are 16 Kaiser members who live in the Coachella Valley. These members have prior affiliations with Kaiser, which is why they continue to choose this healthcare provider.

7.       Reappointing of Voting Positions:

·         Mr. Gomez asked the members if they would like to name an alternate.

·         Ms. Enz said she would nominate Monica De Leon as her alternate.

·          Dr. Sanchez nominated Saria as his alternate.

·         Christina Leal nominated Jaime as her alternate.

·         Members' terms end every 3 years. Mr. Gomez asked members if they could confirm their terms on 11/24/2024. For ICTC, Priscilla Baca will serve as an alternate.

·         Dr. Lang and Ms. Enz nominated Mike Hank for Vice Chair.

·         Ms. Enz nominated Dr. Lang for Chair, and Dr. Sanchez seconded that motion.

8.       CTSA Reports:

Ms. Baca had the following updates:

·         Ms. Baca conducted outreach activities with Jose Guillen. They attended a senior event in El Centro, participated in the Calexico inauguration event, and were present at an IVC event. Additionally, they distributed brochures in Westmorland, Calipatria, and Brawley, as well as handing out brochures in Calexico. Ms. Baca also mentioned that she went on ride-along.

Mr. Gomez had the following updates:

·         Starting in November, the promotion "Stuff a Bus," will begin and ICTC will be promoting it through radio spots. The Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC) is currently involved in several transit projects. ICTC is expecting to receive the 65% design plans for the Countywide Bus Improvement Project this week. Additionally, three new bus stops will be added in El Centro, , along with shelters and benches. It's important to note that this is still in the design phase, with construction scheduled to start next year. Another ongoing initiative is the Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA), which involves a deep dive into transit routes. This process involves reaching out to clients and agencies for feedback. The RFP for construction of the Calexico ITC is out and construction is expected to start in February 2025, lasting approximately one year. We hope to have the Calexico ITC operational by 2026. Additionally, ICTC was awarded another grant to develop intermodal transportation at the Calexico East Port of Entry. We are currently in discussions with the property owner to acquire the necessary land. With this grant, we were able to obtain four additional EV vans, which will be used for fixed routes. We are also planning a route for the East Port of Entry, with the intention of connecting it to the Calexico ITC.

·         Furthermore, ICTC plans to transition the IVT RIDE service to microtransit and are in the process of acquiring the software required. ICTC plans to conduct extensive outreach for IVT RIDE and will be communicating with AAA and other agencies to arrange a presentation. We can also provide a presentation at our next SSTAC meeting on how to use the app. Additionally, we are working on implementing a card payment system for our fixed routes in collaboration with CAL-ITP, who will assist with state-side procurement. We will be defining the project scope, and we hope to get started within the next six months.

9.       Transit Operator FY 2024-25 Reports:

           Imperial Valley Transit.

           Mr. Cesar presented the report on the service:

-          Continuing to keep all routes on time.

-          Stuff a bus/ Veterans Day

IVT Access

Ms. Pacheco presented the report on the service:

-          Continuing to transport students to IVC.

-          Working with Alegria patients and students

IVT Ride

Mr. Guillen presented the report on all IVT Ride services:

-          Services are running the same. No new updates.

-          They have been receiving more application

-          West Shore clients have been going up

            IVT MedTrans:

             Mr. Guillen presented the report on the service:

-          Continuing to do more outreach on MedTrans

-          Ridership has been going up

-          Transport SDSU students to San Diego

10.   General Discussion

None.

11.   Adjournment

-          The meeting adjourned at 11:09 a.m.

-          The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 01, 2024, at the Imperial County Transportation Commission Office, 1503 N. Imperial Ave., Suite 104, El Centro, CA 92243.