County of Butler Board of Commissioners Commissioners Salcior IC Wiliam White, I Lelie A. Osehe Chairman Decor of Human Resourcev Chief Clerk KimbeyD. Geyer Vice Chairman id rian Kevin E, Boots, MS..Seretary s edge Mtuman Services Finance Diecor ‘Asn. Browa ‘April29, 2020 ‘The Honorable Tom Wolf Governor of Pennsyivania 508 Main capitol Building arrisburg PA 17120, eat Governor Wo: Butler County respectfully requests the ability to reopen businesses responsibly on May 8, 2020, Butler County has seen only 24 new cases of COVIO-19 over the last 14 days within a population of 187,853 people. As Commissioners in collaboration with our entire community, local healthcare system, businesses, School districts, municipalities, and local agencies, we have taken the fllowingsteps to insure the ongoing monitoring and management of COVID-19 1. WORKING WITH OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: Our Emergency Management Ditector has had daly alls with Butler Heath System leadership and doctors to monitor numbers and cases, In cooperation with Butler Area ‘School District, we have prepared an alternate care site located ina vacant schoo! building, Following all PEMA land DOH guidlines, we prepared the site with negative airflow (thanks to the suppor of Robinson Fans) and have o are securing equipment to activate that site should we need to. The Health System is working closely with ‘one of our largest long-term care providers to Insure they can operationally support the sit for surge and/or ‘quarantine efforts. The doctors have been on countless calls with busines, schools, municipalities and others to answer questions and assist with guidance on proper protocols, and remain available tous at anytime for those efforts. Butler County is forturate to maintain 2 robust independent Health System with multiple outpatient facilities to serve our community. We can do so because ofthe employes in Butler County who provide excellent healthcare coverage to their employees that supports our Health Sytem. 2. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: In addition to providing PPE and coordinating response with the Butler Health System, our Emergency Management Director Steven dicehouse and team have taken action to keep our 9-1-1, center safe fr our dispatchers, providing addtional leaning by actconx, along with daily cleaning and health ‘monitoring for staff Working with our IT specialist, they reconfigured the Center to move staff inthe event of any ‘exposure, in order to ensure continuity af service.BUSINESS LEADERSHIP: We ae fortunate to havea county-led Growth Collaborative that includes the participation af multiple Chambers of Commerce, the Community Development Corporation, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Butler County Community College, Sippery Rock University and our Workforce Investment Soard. Through ther collective effrts, they are providing a collaborative communication tool for ‘business to avoid duplication of effort and are conducting training for businesses on safety and adapting tothe current environment. Working with Labor and industry, we modified WIB operations to better offer assistance to constituents with unemployment challenges. Collaborating with Armstrong and indiana Counties, we submited @ {rant application for $350,000 through the Workforce Investment Emergency Fund, {LABOR COLLABORATION: Butler Count is fortunate to have had great collaboration with our unions throughout ‘this challenging ime, and we ae grateful fo the assistance they have provided, i particular to elections, prison, and 9-1-1 staffand leadership. The schoo! district's union collaboration in seting up the alternate care ste was remarkable. [MUNICIPAL COOPERATION: Butler County holds biweekly virtual meetings with all of our municipalities to share ‘updates from Emergency Management, Butler Health System, Human Services and Elections. These calls serve to ‘monitor community issues and concerns, and keep us instantly read to deploy necessary resources should an ‘outbreak or spread occur in any geographic location CCONGREGATE CARE SETTINGS: {PRISON - Our prison leadership took action early on, in collaboration with our prison healthcare providers, Wexford Health and Butler Health System, to ensure ll possible safety measures were in place; including visitation restrictions, monitoring temperatures of staf, providing a negative ai cell for ‘quarantine, securing adequate PPE, and having testing avaiable through Butler Health System. '. UCENSED PROVIDERS - Emergency Management and the County purchased extra masks for Fist Responders an, n cooperation with Butler County Human Services and the Area Agency on Aging, has ‘made PPE avaiable to Personal Care Homes, Mental Health ad intelectual Disabilities providers, and Drug ané Alcohol providers. Businesses and Foundations suchas Pasavant Memorial Homes have provided adltional conteibutons. ‘We respectfully request, and stand ready work cooperatively with, State licensing bodes to gain access ‘t0.acomplete listing, alongwith census and employee counts for icensed congregate cre faites so ‘that we might provide monitoring, taining and emergency planning support for those who are unable to {do:000n theirown, [AREA AGENCY OW AGING: Our Area Agency an Aging continues to provide daily meal delivery for over 600 seniors In Butler County. In addition to frozen meals, our Director has secured FEMA boxes and we recently approved a contract wit a loca grocery store to provide staple items ike milk, eg, nd bread, This allows our fragile seniors to continue to stay at home safely, limiting exposure tothe views, SCHOOLS: We continue weeky calls with County schoo districts who have colborate to suppor eachother, and coordinate efforts to provide daly meals to students. They are also working collaboratively with our Children and Youth Agency to monitor at-risk families, inluding many safe home visits. Arecent coordinated effort by ourChil Advocacy agency i providing families with games and other activites for students. We provided resources and assistance to rural istiets in need of internet access for remote learning. 9. COURTS: Butler County Administrative ludge Willam Shaffer and staff meet with us daly to coordinate the courts’ efforts to provide safe access to court services. We have adapted office locations established a vdeo conferencing roomin the labby ta provide safe acess for PFAs and other necessary ation, and are purchasing and providing morelicensing and technology resources for remote visitations and other services for courts, probation, domestirelations, and court-elated services. Plexiglas shields are being installed in offices where public transactions must take place, and we are planning for the future safety and security of our citizens and staff in our building through reconfiguring ofce locations t im trafic and exposure and provide space for safe distancing, Butler County enjoys great t-partsan leadership that has allowed us to coordinate al these efforts. We believe that we stand ready to open and ready to work with our regional partners and State agencies to colaborate in ongoing effortsta ‘make sure our County is prepared for any emergency now or inthe future. We hope you recognize that our County and ‘community has done our pat, and now we respectfully ask you to respond tothe voices of our community by permiting sto open our County next week and restore economic activity. We look forward to working more directly with you and “your team to monitor our success moving forward, Sincerely, ‘BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 7 Lad Sel Li Ost Tanker 0.6 Cchirman ‘Vie Chairman Secretary