Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC)

Red sheets on the very back of your agenda and pull it off and follow along with Mister the. Jake plea DFA office a budget this is the spreadsheet that I'm referring to and I apologize now in advance that the type is so small. But this is the yes Sir. Okay minds in color all right. This is the document that we're submitting regularly over here to the bureau to track the the the use and and standing of all the funds which have been distributed by of pursuant to the condom coronavirus relief fund that's the one point two five billion dollars it was made available to the state of Arkansas through the cares act this does not cover direct payments that's a separate report which is also submitted to you all this is just the one point two five billion which goes to the steering committee. So up a couple items I'd like to know just going across the top you've got the date you've got the agency that is responsible for administering the project or the program you've got the purpose you've got the amount and then on the right hand column you've got two columns one is the amount remaining in hold which is the amount of funding which is remaining to be spent on that project the other is the amount that has been distribute to the agency and expended. So the just briefly if I can kind of give you some background on our process that we use and help you a little understand those right two columns the process that we use in Elizabeth Smith the chairman of the steering committee is here she can look to speak to this as well is that when the steering committee makes a recommendation to transfer funds from the one point two five billion dollars to a specific project and that recommendations approved by the governor D. if they will then move us the amount recommended over to a separate holding fund but it will not leave the treasury we do not make that payment out to an agency or to anyone else instead what happens then is the agency responsible for administering the program will go for with the program they will incurring expenses or invoices or otherwise create obligations that need to be paid then they will contact the FAA and say we haven't heard this amount of money or this amount of obligation or or we have this invoice to pay at that point we will release the amount of money required to pay those obligations. We don't pay the money up front if that makes any sense instead we make the agencies go ahead and occur the obligations it's one of the safeguards that we put into place to make sure that the uses these funds are allowable under the cares ACT. A couple their comments I want to make if you go down about a third of the way down a little more or excuse me two thirds of the way down a little more you'll see there's a hundred and fifty million dollars which has been set aside for the municipal league in these situations counties that money has not we haven't figured out entirely how that money will be released yet that money is out there and then if you go to DFA there's an additional. Two hundred and fifty million. On the back of the last at the bottom of the page there's a smaller table this is steering committee voting set aside two hundred fifty million the governor's approval on that is still pending that's why it's in that little box down there but that's an additional amount of money which has not yet been allocated. And then finally at the bottom in the last box you'll see one hundred eighty point nine million dollars which is the amount of money that has not yet been allocated out of the one point two five so altogether about half of the money the one half of the one twenty two five billion has not yet been allocated the the two fifty plus the one fifty plus the one eighty. Thank you. We do have a few questions. Represented Senator hammer thank you Mr can you tell me with regards to what you understand the federal requirements are. By the end of the year is it money appropriated or is in actual money spent by the end of the year that we will determine if we have to send the money back or not it's actually goods in hand so it's not even appropriated and it's not even spent but we actually have to have in hand whatever it was that we paid for so we can you know at the last minute go out and make a big order for a lot of money now there is some rules that have been put into place of allowing us to spend this money after the thirtieth to pay for things that we've received but the standard that were operating on at this point right now is that the goods need to be in hand follow up Mr. Well the record you're recognized thank you does that include contracts because if if companies that we have initiated contract to provide services like contract tracing have not been fulfilled but we have obligation on those contracts can that money carryover after the first of the year. My guess is that would rule would apply to contracts I can't see why it wouldn't but I can follow up as well okay thank you. Thank you senator senator Elliott you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chair Mister believe when you when you said that the you know the agents is I guess they spend the money then get a reimbursement how far does that spend the money first and get a reimbursement extend is that all the way to the B. R. grantee does that grant they have to spend the first and get reimbursement it would depend on the program but yes so for example you think about some of the paperwork requirements for some of the programs that we've done Arkansas ready for business things like that. The grantee has an obligation to show that they're using this money appropriately as well I don't know if that means that they have to actually go out and ring up the A bill that has to be paid but it certainly would require some amount of record keeping on their part to show what they planned by how they plan to spend the money I I'm not asking about recordkeeping I'm asking more focused I just make that a given process let's say I'm the I'm the entity who received the grants Do I get grant money up front to spend for what I need to do and record keep. I do I have to somehow have money and spend it and come back and say I need to be reimbursed same as the same as the agency might do well what we would need to do is incur the expense so for example you can order PP A huh and you put the order in the entity from whom you are ordering that PP with and send you a bill saying this much money you could then take that bill and submit it to DFA or to the granting entity whichever agency it is and that would be sufficient to pull down the funding is this the process that we normally use even when we're not in a pandemic yes okay so has there any thought being given to our constantly saying these are unprecedented time to maybe we ought to re think that with these unprecedented times has that been a discussion we have discussed this a great deal I'll tell you that this all ties to federal requirements that we have a lot of experience working with and we need to make sure on the front and that we're doing what we need to do so that a year or two later down the road we don't have a an audit problem where we have to repay some of this money and that's what all this is hinged on and so for final clarification of so I understand this let's just say the two folks who on the agenda today seven million and three hundred thousand if I'm getting one of those of amounts of money I'm really not getting money before I encourage some kind of cost I have to incur the cost yes ma'am. Before I can do anything well you have to current expense of some kind and show that your the expense qualifies and that the reimbursement payment would be then be mad okay and just last name Mrs here because this is good so important to what we're gonna discuss coming out Say I am one of these entities and. I need to buy I don't know. PP. But I can't get somebody to just I have to pay them for that PP. They're not gonna just let me incur cost I have to actually buy it from them. I don't have money to do that. But I know I'm trying to carry out a a function that is essential. So are we in a position because of federal guidelines that says just a two bed situation. I think that there would be different ways to figure out how we could fit to do that I mean there are I know we we bought a lot of PP on this basis for example since the stones are how do you mean by we the state of Arkansas was there is entities yeah I mean it's for a while there I think it's settle down a little bit but for a while there was very difficult to put an order in for per PP but this funding is there we're not trying to make this an overly burdensome process but we also have to safeguard the the the audit requirements that we're gonna have to meet later on down the road this is your I need to get a clarification but I'll get back in the queue so you're good good okay so this is very important all right because now I'm trying to the state is one thing we're we're really big tent with a lot of authority and a lot of power let's say aye and in this case I'll just use the the black hall of fame. Not flush with money. So if I'm trying to do something out in the community I'm trying to do the things I've said I'd like to do in my grant but if I go to somebody and say these people are food and secure I need to we need to do something to give a grant out so that the people can get their food. In a case like that. How do we get food to people who are hungry now if it's if it's we don't have the authority the state has. How do I do that and get reimbursed well one option might be perhaps to work with in this case said the minority health commission and put together purchase order in effect from the vendor that could provide food according to whatever the distribution of programmer process that was put into place into the grant once that purchase order is in place and we found a vendor and they want to sell us the whatever food and we have the money to pay for it. And I'm sending that process meets the federal requirements that we have to me to use those federal funds and we can go ahead release the moneys yes I want to be clear that's not because of what the state requires is for because what the federal government requires it's the way the state's interpreting this federal requirements but yes I mean these are paperwork requirements that we put into place all of which is hinged on the express language of the Kerrs act but do we do they have that same process if a state funds. Yeah I think so I think you have to look at the different grants in the different programs but generally speaking we we require some kind of expense reimbursement for a lot of our grants. well I would just urge I don't know what the process may be for this because I think it's and we're going to talk about these be an unprecedented times where we use in that kind of language to respond to a whole lot of other issues that are really important and this is this is not meant to be a criticism it's just trying to think out loud and to have been taught with people who want to want to help but when you have a granting process where you have to have money up front and the whole point of view applying for grant is so you'll have some funds that's where we're kind of having a problem here with a lot of people so that's why I wanted to be clear that this is actually a requirement or if it was it something we have just decided to do that as a state. Because as a state I know we do some of this and it is very problematic folks who really could do good in the community can't do it because the reason they applied for grant the first places I didn't have the money and I'm just wondering in these on precedent at times are we going to think about some unprecedented way of administering what we're doing and not let us get reduced to act as if people are trying to escape of either having to be accountable because I think that would be a counterproductive argument because they they do want to be accountable but we do need to get of money out there to folks who need it so well and that might be a conversation that we have with the federal regulators one of the things that were monitoring right now is the guidance that comes out on these things we have gotten not just one set of rules but regular updates in the fed's on and sometimes it's changed and we may be able to change that but at the time being this is a requirement that were falling I suggest we ask for a waiver real quickly thank you thank you Mr chair for allow me to ask those questions. Says thank you senator. Senator hammer thank. Thank you Mr chair back on the contract question asked while ago let's just say that a company that's on the sheet now that money has been allocated for there's a contract out there for them to provide a service and come the end of the year they have not used all that money but the needs still exist so it's going to carry over after the first of the year. And then after the first of the year the they're still money left over from the contract amount. Does that balance have to be returned to the federal government or can it be re purposed according to what the federal guidelines require. Well so the I think we do actually have a couple contracts that will carry forward after the thirty first and will need to find other funding to fill the the ends of those recall those those contracts as far as the the the money is that the we're talking about here that needs to be ex the expenditures need to be encouraged goods need to be in hand as of December thirtieth so the money that's not available then would not be available to be spent under the language of the cares act and it would be forfeited or sweat back to the federal government so it would have to be returned whatever the balance is and it could be re purposed even though we of. Given authority to spend it correct any we would need to comply with the contract obviously but that's kind of a separate issue than the the limitations placed on these funds by the cares act or thank you Mr. Thank you thank you Mr Billy Appreciate that presentation and don't go too far because I'm sure we're going to just get in a minute thank you. Of with that we'll go ahead and bring the health department Ford and. Not. Miss Williams. Subcommittee number one on your agenda It's more to continue the discussion from Friday. We do not to have to take action on this item of but we will be following the committee's lead so as we go through this if you guys want to take action on the sixteen million all just need a motion to that effect. Miss Williams if you would introduce yourself for a committee and will let you start with your presentation. Thank you Mr chair members of the committee I appreciate the opportunity to provide additional information on this item today the request before you is for an additional supplemental appropriation of sixteen million dollars to the department to support our working contact tracing to give you and just a little bit of background which may be helpful following Mr believes presentation I am we have been appropriated. Twenty two million four hundred dollars for contact tracing to date this original proposal was approved through the cares committee in may and then appropriation from this body followed shortly after we then entered into a contract with the General Dynamics information technology to add three hundred and fifty contact tracers at the time of that original proposal we had less than two thousand cases in the state active cases and the way we calculate need for contact tracers is based on the number of active cases so we envision that we might need a little bit more fire power than the three hundred and fifty but certainly not what we're dealing with today where we have seven thousand active cases and can argue that we need around twenty four hundred contact tracers when we realize that the case right was growing we secured a second contract to be under the Arkansas foundation for medical care both of those contracts or for twenty million dollars but only half of that is cares act funding as Mr believed explains the cares act funding can't be used after December we do have federal funding to continue this work after December so right now General Dynamics is receiving will receive up to ten thousand five hundred dollars between now and December if they're fully staffed in performing according to the metrics with three hundred fifty contact tracers B. additional supplemental funding would be used to ask General Dynamics and also the second contractor Arkansas foundation for medical care to add additional capacity to assist us with case investigation so that would be the addition of a twenty nurses and then the addition of up to another three hundred and fifty contact trace. Servers between now and the end of the year bringing the total number of contact tracers the each contractor would have to seven hundred and then an additional twenty nurses so forty nurses total. Both of these contracts are structured the same way they are both per year they're both correctly twenty million dollars the first half being paid with cares act funding that we would be able to utilize up until December and then the remainder to be paid with federal funding from the CDC. And Meeks say miss Thompson is there anything you want to speak to know we received a question from the committee about the necessity of this appropriation now because we have an expanded I believe last week when I got the question in peer about the amount that has been expanded from that twenty two million we had only spent one point two million to date we've spent two point three million the contractors are rampant up we're asking them to ramp up very quickly when they are both ramped up fully they'll be spend and or will be reimbursing them for expenditures round three point five million a month. Miss miss Thompson if you would introduce yourself for the committee and you're welcome to all state your statement good morning my name is Joe Thompson on the chief financial officer for the department of health. And yes is what as a chief of staff Williams shared we do expect that to existing contractors to ramp up as we go forward the request for a sixteen A did appropriation for the additional sixteen million dollars is needed in the event that we do need to amend these contracts and add funding immediately to address the need for contact tracing we would need that authority to spend. So the last thing I would add Mr chair is that we do go before the cares committee again in September to report on our progress we're hopeful that they will both be fully staffed and if if the supplemental is approved adding even further additional capacity but to be reimbursed they do have to provide us with invoices I also have to meet performance metrics so it's both that I have to ramp up to be fully fully staffed made the performance measures and then will evaluate if we can move forward with the warning supplemental funding for additional work if approved. And I'm happy to take any questions I hope by I've tried to address the issues that were brought forward to me last week but I'm happy to take any additional questions. There's a few. Senator Hendren start with you. Thank you Mr chairman thank you for that explanation I have a couple questions because as you know there's a lot of discussion about these contracts what they can and cannot be used for so my understanding is this is for broad based contact tracing across the entire state is that right yes Sir so it's not specifically targeting couldn't be used to specifically target minority population without changing some provisions that we've approved so the request to both of these providers was that they attest to their ability to serve all our Kansans so the expectation has always been there that they would serve all our Kansans including minority populations but is not targeted it's not targeted no Sir so are there any ability to buy PP under the what we have not in these two contracts no Sir is there any ability to do testing in these contracts us are and so a proposal that only had less than half in the road other half was four PP or for testing for case management none of that you have authorization to fund. No Sir thank you. Thank you senator I will go to Representative Bentley. Thank you chairman thank you can you just clarify for miss Williams one more time right now we have seven hundred contract tracers or do not because the other day we said we had three fifty with one contract and three fifty with another said do we have to contractors now giving us seven hundred contract tracers or do not know ma'am we do not what we have I have both been ripped awarded contracts with the expectation that they will staff up to a minimum of three hundred and fifty contact tracers they are both in the process of staffing up and I don't think General Dynamics is fully staffed there over three hundred but they're not I haven't hit the the goal of three fifty at so but we do have to contracts right now with yes ma'am two companies that we are requiring them to each to three fifty at some point yes ma'am and we are expecting them to have individuals that speaks Spanish second contractors with are minorities across the state correct yes ma'am okay thank you. Representative Goffey if you would have you hit the request button on represented Murdoch's chair and you can use that microphone. You are recognized. Thank you Mr chairman thank you both to follow to represent Bentley question how many contact tracers under the contract currently are bilingual. So I have those numbers and that was what I was just looking to see if I could easily put my hand on it because I stuck it obviously somewhere where I was gonna have ready access and I've already misplaced it I believe General Dynamics. I know it's over up here is sorry. So General Dynamics actually it looks like this is as of today they have heart three hundred fifty so I'm sorry represented Bentley they are fully staffed now at three fifty I'm sorry I want yesterday of those thirty one bilingual I believe all of those are Spanish speaking I don't believe that they've been able to hire Marshallese so neither company has a Marshallese A huh tracer AFMC has hired a hundred and eighty eight and I have thirty two so for that or a bilingual in what language am I believe that they are Spanish speakers also add we do have representatives from both of the contracts here today so it I would ask that they so what our plan on doing this we will talk to the health department and then we can question the two contractors after to health department so any questions any members have for the two companies will bring those represented to the table together and we'll do that after the health department that thank you Mr chair thank you both. So with that will represent senator Hickey. Thank you Sir yes ma'am mine is totally as it relates to this money I think there's some confusion at least these sales like there is between you and us in the bureau and and hopefully that could be the problem why everybody's a little bit. In a disarray with some of the stuff you were saying that you also appropriation you had it originally started it did you say twenty three million so that's just the contact tracing pace I believe we came before this body and ask for appropriation for the full cares amount of our initial proposal which was also included lab and other things which was a higher dollar amount they waste fiscal year may of may twenty seventh you all had twenty three million and that expired on June thirtieth but then you all came back to this body on June nineteenth and we roll that back in with some additional and you have appropriation dart authority of fifty eight million to little of that over is fifty eight million. Eighteen thousand seven oh four. Any in this physical year and I don't have an exact I looked yesterday you had spent right under seven hundred thousand is all of that appropriation. And I have the actual letters that were submitted. And it specifically says that is for laboratory testing equipment and supplies contact tracing I. T. equipment a quarantine facility and other needed services and resources. There's no break down anything that we have I also checked on that so this is that you were supposed to use a certain amount for contact tracing certain amount for a quarantine facility so there sounds like to me there's a huge discrepancy in what you think's available and what is bodies already approved I have no problem with some of this coming with the sixteen million but it's kind of like I've been telling members. Is is much like. At a blank whenever you go to the pharmacy for a home what you do is you come in and you get part of the money and we disperse it out the spend it correctly then you get the rest of the money you know is that that is being done so says like a huge problem discrepancy but what you think you have and what we were approved. Well I I think that our understanding is that we should put forward everything that we intend to spend the money on so that we're transparent you know what our our plan is we do intend to spend all of the money that was awarded by the cares committee in all of those categories so we do have expenditures for laboratory testing we have expenditures for the quarantine facility for I. T. and FOR Thank the other category was was for personal protective equipment so we are expending funds in all of those categories but we do anticipate that we will expend all of the contact tracing funding and the and the additional funding as well if we are able to ask them to add additional contact tracers and miss Thompson may be able to ex. To explain it better yes Sir two to explain that is that yes we did request the full amount of appropriation for the fifty eight million and that's divided into several different line items of those line items twenty two point four million is for contact tracing so we have thirty million in our lab testing so we're requesting the additional sixteen million that is specifically for the contact tracing. Does that explain it a little. Yes but the thing is is as far as this body we didn't divide that out and we have given you we've already giving you the approval for the whole fifty eight million and I don't want the this body to sit here and here these twenty million dollar numbers that are being thrown out there and think that we're getting close because from our standpoint you've got plenty money plenty of money that's available to do this and anything else that you need and as you need that moneys whenever we need to be disbursing it we don't need to be disbursing this stuff in a hundred million dollar increments at a time. And once again I'm just going to kind of say it the way it was. This body may have made a mistake during the session at least the way I view it because what we did is we have zero approval we have zero approval on any of the secure steering money that's out there the only way that we're able to maintain our oversight with the which the people put us here to do is to make sure that as you all need appropriation that's what we can approve or not approve to either stop or to allow something to go so that's one of this body has been so adamant that we don't give a whole lot of extra appropriation because once we give you that appropriation then we're out of the picture and that's not at least what a lot of us are not wanting to happen so I think you are doing a cat you have a well the job and everything like that but I wanted to be seated correctly in here how much money you do have available to you thank you ma'am Senator I'm getting motions from Mr believed that he could answer some of your questions with a little more direct. Okay Mr believe if you would of there's an extra chair there you'd miss Williams could share Mike. Thank you Jim at JP DFA officer bhajan thank you to teachers FOR let me come up and speak the reason we did that ways is because I that was my decision it it wasn't them of we do that for a couple reasons and and we do you're correct in saying that you know if you look in the state accounting system all this appropriation might look like it's one big pot but we do break it out by different lines in different projects we do that in part because we want to be clear with the body when we present the request on exactly how we're going to use it what our plan is for those uses so we don't want to move appropriation between projects because that would necessarily represent what our plan was going forward the other thing is we wanted to make sure that we had the appropriation place so that we could wrap it up and get it moving forward but again I just wanted to clarify that was that was my call to make sure that those requests were on the agenda the way they were and I greatly appreciate you step in for me maybe that disconnect is not only been between us in the health department may be D. F. and A some yes Sir so like I say as long as we're on the same page with how much we've actually approved and a standard out there that's what I want the membership and when I appreciate it Mister Billy yes Sir and anything I can do to clarify or answer questions please let me know thank you Sir. Mr believed I would stay close. We'll go to represent of Dotson. Thank you Mr chair Miss Williams you you just said that you anticipate spending three point five million per month of that contract out of these contracts is that a combination of both the fifty percent from carriers and the fifty percent from. Other sources. No Sir the. We won't be used in any of the federal funding until January so any of the funding that these two contractors would be be receiving would be cares funding at this point in time then we would switch them over to a hundred percent federal funding from January through June of next year so so you're spending three and a half million dollars each month of the twenty million dollar set aside for contact tracing specifically eventually when they're fully staffed and being reimbursed yes Sir it'll be about that in. I mean it can you clarify something for me on the effectiveness of contact tracing is a strategy is I've heard a lot going back and forth over the last week and a half on whether or not contact tracing in and of itself is effective for not getting testing back is it two to three day time period that it it requires a to be back in in order for it to be effective strategy. You're exactly right it it's a process and all has to work together if you are not receiving timely test results obviously you're trace your contact tracing is not going to be as effective it is most effective when it all happens in a very short time frame as short as short as you can get it so you know we're working really hard to wrap that testing we've done pretty good on testing except with the turn around time now that we're seeing in the lag Because of the issues with re agents and some of that's outside our control but definitely the lab testing is an important part and we're working on process is to expand capacity yeah over the past week I think we've talked quite a bit about our public health lab capability and how we the ramp that up I think the commercial sector M. and people seem to feel like where there's a demand the supply visually will catch up and that'll correct itself additionally we're also looking at point of care testing an antigen testing that's now more readily available it's a cost efficient option and some of those machines can turn test result around in fifteen minutes so to the extent that we are able to procure point of care testing that can be placed out in communities in our local health units but also in private provider offices and hospitals that will also help us improve testing so we expect that to continue to improve but that does play an important part in the effectiveness of contact tracing overall contact tracing is a proven strategy it works when you can get people actionable information quickly and they can take appropriate measures to isolate themselves from their family and others so we know it'll work we just got to get ahead of it we are behind them and and that's why we do have the sense of urgency you know we want the contracts we have in place we want them to be running at full operation but then we also feel like we need to ask them to go above and beyond the initial ask and ramp up to do even more so but until we get that testing component correct. The contact tracing is not going to actually. Be as effective as it possibly could be you have to keep doing both you can't stop on one just because you're not where you want to be I mean we have to continue to build the capacity for contact tracing so visually bill the time line reconcile between the two the regardless of whether or not. We get that the most you'll be spending on a monthly basis as of right now is about three and a half million per month of this yes yes Sir so the sixteen million dollars that were discussing at this moment in time. You're not going to need in the next thirty days before this body meets again well we do need well we we day the reason we do is because we've already inter contracts and we've asked them to staff up and add three hundred fifty don't think we can move forward with asking them to do any more even if we have access support you know appropriation more than what we might need at this moment because we have a contract that is only for that specific scope of work and number of contact tracers for them to feel comfortable with adding additional staff think they have to feel comfortable that will be able to meet our financial obligation to reimburse them for that work. Mr. Thank you Representative we're going to go to Representative Deborah Ferguson next. They're they're getting you turned on now you can your. Sonya. Thank you of yes I am curious about the mechanism for data collection with the two companies have our patients allocated to they each have their own IT systems that are integrated with the health department or the reporting directly to the health department IT system just has all that data collection and of and and all that being coordinated with the help for the two contracts. So the I. both the report to us in cases are allocated from us so miss Connie Milton is our contact tracing manager and we have a team at the health department that looks at the data looks at the positive cases and then allocates to both of those contact contractors so far they've allocated I'm not sure of the exact number it's close to four thousand cases so far that are being worked by the contractors both of the contractors had to meet special IT specifications to link to our system to be able to receive in the assignment of the cases and then to report the information back they have to meet certain hit the standards they have to meet miss standards and some other high tech standards that I'm I'm not intimately familiar with that they do have to their systems have to be able to safely link with our systems and so they do input information into the system we call red cap that is a system that that we use is our base operating platform and it isn't endorsed platform by the CDC and then they also or use in another system called the Serra alert system and this is a system contact tracers in role positive cases am not positive cases bear enroll the context of the positive cases into the Serra alert system and this is a system that every day they'll get a reminder to basically do a symptom check just what we do here answer similar questions and at the end that system would alert us if the person became ill or develop symptoms so they're working with both those systems there inputting information In for Serra Larkin and also connecting with our main system at the department. May I ask a follow up okay so I know these two companies just got contracted last week and are not really have been going yet how has that been done up to this point the contact tracing and the reporting so the contact tracing has been done at combination we've utilize staff from the department and then also there were partner agencies that also worked with us They will in many stay in and in the conversation and general nationally that talked about volunteer contact tracers we've never really use tree volunteers we've had partner agencies that volunteered their paid staff so we've had sometimes up to three hundred sometimes a little bit below that we've had those individuals doing the contact rising up to this point. Thank you. Senator hammer you're recognized for a question thank you over here too far less miss Williams over here just walk me through the math for quick for simplicity's sake the the to the contracts that you have executed right now that you are authorized to go ahead and retain contracts servicers contract context tracers. Is for how much is it the two twenty million dollar contracts or how much is it yes Sir there to twenty million dollar contracts half cares funding and half federal funding right which you have full appropriation authority we've or giving you to spend and you can go forward with that correct yes Sir okay based on the math and I heard three point five million awhile ago that seems like that would carriers out into the next year and I'm just trying to get my mind around why you'd need more money to do this if based on the number that you've given the appropriation the Charlie have the contracts already in place why you need any more at this point in time so we anticipate the bow contractors will be staffed and operating in full a before that. Before the end of the next month so we expect them to expand all of the ten million that we've allocated for each of those contracts the cares funding that's been allocated from now until the end of December for them to do additional work beyond that's what we are asking for permission to do is to ask them to add an additional twenty nurses and then also an additional three hundred fifty contact tracers okay but the the the number given while ago I was under the impression one of the contractors is already fully staffed and that the three point five million included that in that estimated number so how much or more are you anticipating it to go up from three point five million once the and I heard I thank one of them had a hundred and something that lease and two hundred the higher up what what is going to be the average monthly bill that you expect them to give you after their fully staffed without what you're asking for today Senate gel analogy answer that. You're more I'm only to be more precise. If I'm understanding correctly you you're asking how much to anticipate if we ramp up to increase the number of contact races to three hundred and fifty an additional twenty nurse is that correct but my question is you you put out a figure three point five a while ago with one being fully staffed to the level of the to the three fifty one of them being staffed up to I think was say a hundred fifty that leaves in two hundred to go shall I wonder what is going to be the actual monthly expense as it is right now how much is at three point five going to go up to once the once they get fully staffed under their current contracts the three point five million is what we expect per month fully staffed so we've we increase another contract or the equivalent to another contract that dean three hundred and fifty contact tracers and spent twenty nurses then we would expect three point five million additionally on top of the existing three point five million that we look at per month so that's the flat rate we expect for fully staffed contractor to bill is three point five million all right so your advocating you're here advocating for additional above the seven hundred I'm just what what kind of results are we getting now as a result of what we're doing currently because of some of the feedbacks coming from constituents about turn around time in the test result not being able to get to everybody once they start to the process of checking down I'm just wondering how what measureable results are we getting now with the money that we're spending now that would warrant give you more money at least at this point in time. So the results that we have to date are not not optimal and that's the issue that we're trying to address we it's a manpower issue for us at this point we're not making timely notifications to the cases and to the contacts General Dynamics it's starting to help they ramped up quickly and it's starting to make a difference but we're we're definitely not there yet we need more manpower to do these contacts more quickly. Okay and then one other question on the contract itself and what the contractor's bid to do my understanding as I'm reading the contract is that the bid it understanding that they were supposed to be able to reach all minority populations in the state regardless and now it seems like we're coming back and trying to make accommodations because they didn't corporation of certain populations within the state and why should we feel obligated to accommodate them. If they knew they were supposed provided all along and it and it's in the contract. So I think both of the contractors feel comfortable that they can serve all of the state that a I'm not sure that they've been able to hire Marshallese and honestly that's a look a smaller population we do have some Marshallese staff at the department they will be using to supplement that effort but they have been able to how are bilingual staff that speak Spanish so it's your testimony today thunder I might put you in the queue and come back we've got a large number of people to ask questions and you mingle and FOR while here. So Sanders Stubblefield you're recognized for a question. Thank you thank you Mr chairman. Up in the beginning you were given eighty six million that was allocated for of contact tracing a PP. Eighty six million you have thirty million of that the higher it that least fifty six million you all you dedicated another ten million to miscellaneous and really we don't know where that went eight fifteen minutes spent at least forty six million. The following so no Sir not a not exactly that these figures came from the bureau. Is so I can I I can speak to the numbers that I have and see if that aligns with the what you're looking at our initial proposal to the care steering committee was three hundred and sixty thousand six hundred ninety four per personal protective equipment thirty thousand five hundred and four nine fifty five for laboratory testing and supplies the twenty two million four thirty four two forty seven for contact tracing. Three million five hundred eighty four thousand seven hundred eighty three four I. T. equipment nine hundred twenty three thousand five hundred and eighty four for the quarantine facility miscellaneous was two hundred and ten thousand four hundred forty four and I believe that was for some transportation services an expansion of the career service there was an additional twenty nine million six hundred thousand that was in the original proposal but that was for vaccine administration that's when we saw that the vaccine might be ready in early fall by the time that we made the presentation to the cares committee that forecast it changed and so we pulled that portion of the request and the cares committee agreed to hold that funding and to we returned in September and we would know more about the timeline for vaccines so with that you're not I ask for the Speaker this morning from the bureau is there any way you could get this substantiated because we've got two different stores here. Well and and sensor stuff if I may there is the higher rated proposal that you referred to is another AM I believe it's twenty eight point five million roughly in yes and so that proposal has three components to it it has PP for higher in it has laboratory testing and then it has contact tracing the only portion of that funding that's been expended to date is for PP we have worked with of the department of higher education to coordinate and place the order for a bulk order for PP for those institutions of the funding for laboratory testing has not been utilized get we're in the process of finalizing the testing plan with the institutions and then the contact tracing no funds have been experienced for that today okay so so senator I'm off answer your question our I had to get clarification it's actually twenty eight point two million to hire it on our spread sheet and it shows no expenditure on that spreadsheet so we need to get that updated Jake as well but on your question of validate and what she listed off to you is expenditures it's my understanding the bureau can take that from her and we can validated in asus of but it only be two the description of what it is in asus. And I see miss Joe Thompson second hand you have anything to add to the yes I like to add that the commitment for the one point nine million for the higher ed proposal was just committed last week so your report depending on the date that it was running aces may not reflect what has been committed and aces so much of this much of this data is not up to date then perhaps I'm not sure of the date of it but as possible or I'm five no the question Mister chairman okay. Of. The incubation period of the covered nineteen is from two days to two weeks that correct. With ninety five percent of those showing symptoms it two weeks. Those are the those came out from the CDC so I'm just I'm just going to read that to you house successful do you think you're going to be in these minority communities asking these minority communities to disclose all those people that they have been in contact with. with many of those people who have been contagious for two weeks how successful do you think you will be in there. So I hope that will be very successful we have had the opportunity to work with the city city and have them evaluate the status of our efforts to date in the minority communities in northwest Arkansas specifically the Marshallese and Hispanic communities and I have given recommendations which we hope to fully implement which basically says you've got to be more proactive it's going to be more labor intensive and you've got a local laws really your grass roots infastructure they're both in messaging for three key leaders and trusted community providers. See our last one ms chairman of holding yes thank you miss miss Williams yes I want that information you read off is there a way we can get that and have copies made for the membership at this moment. Yes Sir okay miss Jill is going to grab that and we're going to get that out to members I think here in all those numbers a little bit more confusing than actually getting the seal so the only thing that they all say is not on here is the vaccine proposal that I mentioned that was hailed that twenty nine that a million six hundred thousand is not on that that coffee okay or a late last question Mr go ahead you're recognized thank another state of South Dakota just implemented a new state wide Hydroxycut work when clinical trials for the entire state. Doesn't health department here in Arkansas do you advocate for the use of hydroxy Clark when or do you try to suppress the use of hi doctor Corcoran. Service center I'm not a physician so I can't speak to the clinical benefit of hydroxy Clark went to this point or physician group have felt like it's appropriate for possibly some patients on a limited basis but not generally for the majority of patients have had has the health department tried to suppress the use of hydrogen core no Sir I wouldn't say that we've tried to suppress the use of think we've tried to make sure it's used appropriately okay alright thank you send like. Representative Burch you're recognized for a question thank you Mr chair. When you're talking about some stuff that's been used to investigate cases into the contract pricing those are coming out of our independent health county health offices or some of them Sir right yes then they may be working in our how are counties but they're working solely on investigations with the execution of these contracts these additional seven hundred con tech tracers being hired do we get them back to work clinic and all of that and how soon can that happen yes ma'am that is our goal as soon as we can get these contractor staffed up and get our case investigation times to optimal we hope to return all of the staff to their regular duties you have an estimated time if this is approved for right now right today when we get them back to work where they need. I wish I could give an exact time I can't give an exact time but I think both of the contractors should be fully up and that one is fully staffed as of today the second has made great strides I think they are close to two hundred staff so hopefully within the next month we would have both of them fully staffed have reconciled our time line and be able to return those folks to their regular duties as you recognize that we are in dire need of the element are mandates to yes ma'am thank you Mr chair. Thank you Representative arch of Representative Davis you're recognized. Thank you Mr chairman I don't know if this if you arrive last from about eight questions around how the contact tracing is done exactly just briefly low personal experience I had a couple calls for some money attempting to do contact tracing we never actually make contact so is there anything in the contracts with the contractors it's preventing them from using some technology not cell phone tracking but just you know a text message to say you're going to get a call from a tracer or adjusting caller ID so they know what the calls about when somebody calls were maybe an automated voice mail or a return number I tried to return calls and you can't return a call so the. Are we using those things are we just phone banking or what how exactly me some of the details are we getting it done so I am not an expert on the details I do have miss Connie Milton who it is our contact tracing coordinator with this today and she might be able to speak to the details of what's been allowed and not allowed so far German if I'm the only one with a question and get it off line. You're good I think we need to hear the answer our. Okay we'll come to come the next center. If you would entered dish yourself for the record and you're recognized answer the question honey Milton and allowed enough get real close to the Mike ma'am honey Milton. Okay I'm. Companies that have been engaged to do the contact tracing. Are allowed to add capabilities and techniques and tools that make them successful we have had conversations with them and they are looking at and it and they can speak to this more more thoroughly the benefits of a a pretext message that says a contact tracer will be calling you please. Please answer and GI T. has. An obtained a specific phone number so which should show up as a are Covin nineteen on somebody's phone so hopefully those things are clues on. You know off line if you can give me a little bit more information I can take a little bit to your specific information but we expect and we encourage the contractors to do what they need to do due to be as successful and make all the contacts and reach all the people. Okay that's what I wanted to hear you're expecting them encouraging them to use all tools available to make as many contacts as possible yes Sir okay thank you. Senator Chesterfield you're recognized yes thank you Mr chair in light of the fact that one of my colleagues tested positive I was tested Saturday. Of having been tested before for hanging around with my friends who have tested positive before this is my second go around because of contact in the first time it took about five days this time we were tested on Saturday we at text messages on Monday telling us about positivity or negativity and we are negative case in budget monkey around but. We are negative so I know that the reporting is improved and to just get a simple text message saying that is a I huge I think improvement over where we were before to just want to say that Mister thank you so much. Centerville you're recognized. Thank you thank you Mr chair and thank you for this Williams department of health so a couple of questions you testified that miss Thompson testified that you have the ability to and then these contracts that correct you do have the ability to amend the contracts yes ma'am you also stated in your remarks miss Williams that you can't you have the ability to ramp it up ram them up wrap it up and make them do more the companies to you you just stated that you can to ramp it up and so they could do more if that right our intention if we have additional funding to okay second yes and so see you in a right so you have that flexibility within the current con fines of the contracts you have the ability to amend it you have the ability to wrap it up and to do more I also understand that the General Dynamics contracted subcontracted three PC G. is that correct public consulting group. That's been reported to me that's information I have received our our contract is with General Dynamics automation technology I understand that there's the that company out of Boston that's also involved in that through a cut to a subcontract I'd like details about that that's what I've been told okay I will check into that I'm not earlier and the contractor here might be able to answer that okay that yeah that's I think it's maybe contact so and you also talked about the testing and I appreciate that you listen to us we have repeatedly stated that I have to you privately a couple weeks ago about the fact that we need more point of care testing equipment and machines that we need to utilize state purchasing power to get those point of care contact tracing testing machines out there to make contact tracing effective so do you have existing appropriation for that yes ma'am for the lab testing. So for testing yes ma'am we do and that is and the the cares act the original funding an appropriation that was provided that for those expenditures are being made so again I appreciate the governor's announcement yesterday on the two hundred machines that you do have current appropriation for that testing yes ma'am okay and that we have as a written strategy is how we're gonna disperses yet so we haven't determined the placement sites yet that work will be done now that we know that we will be able to secure the machines they'll start do and the detailing typically the process we use as we try to determine what's already available in the community first and then where their pockets of need okay thank you and and response to so I I again I appreciate I I visit with the governor personally about that I appreciate that he's listening to us and and and and getting that testing out there and you as well and the department of health the issue also stated that that and. That back in may you know we were told in this legislative body and I think we collectively were very emphatic that minority populations be included and those languages of those contracts and I think in answer to Senator hammer and others you you gave the answers to yes that actually did occur in may with these two contracts and that they were included so this legislative body. Was emphatic when we stated that we wanted minority communities of all. And populations in the state of Arkansas to be included in those contracts you also state the you have the ability to amend the contracts to ramp up and do more. So my perspective is a good government policy perspective and we've repeatedly asked for what's the strategy that over all public health mitigation strategy for contact tracing and how it's going to work and how it's going to operate for me this is my personal opinion you have the ability to immense I don't see any reason why we could not subcontract UAMS northwest under the existing contracts and here's why I believe that if you did that approach if you took that three million from the northwest council proposal and you subcontracted it under the current existing structure that we have in place which went through procurement which went through that follows the procurement laws of this state that we put in place which went through to. Legislative oversight which will go three legislative oversight and accountability an audit but that that increases it makes for a greater and more robust program integrity with how the contact tracing program actually operates because that increases coordination it increases collaboration it increases consistency and we learn from that integration. If you are a mess northwest is subcontracted under either General Dynamics or AFMC that actually increases the integration and we learned from that experience also streamlines it for the department of health which creates less confusion and less in consistency on how contact tracing actually operate throughout the state of Arkansas. It streamlines it. Make sure because the answers that you gave Representative Ferguson highlights the reason why we would want to do that because you you and your answers to her said there is high technical standards that have to be met that's correct right there's HIPAA laws that have to be correct is that correct yeah there's software high level software and I would imagine high level security right. That's involved because it's personal information about these people so why in the world we would not integrate that into an overall comprehensive strategy utilizing the contracts we have in place for a more robust program integrity that we can maintain and learn from because then if something else happens in a different area of the state of Arkansas we don't have to cross set up regional contact tracing command centers. We could allow all this integration to occur we can allow what we learned from over here which benefits those companies which helps them higher the experts that they needs. And and we can immediately and rapidly set that up somewhere else in the state we wanted to to me it's about contracts it's about good government it's about fiscal responsibility and it's about making sure that the policy is the right policy that's my position that's what I have tried to express to you two weeks ago. And I said that and I'm trying to work behind the scenes I'm trying to shake this policy I've I've tried the bit I have as a policy maker and as a member of the legislative branch of government which is a co equal branch of government with the executive branch that is my prerogative I'm for ten years along side many of my colleagues in here to be policy makers to come up with solutions for the people we represent there's not a single legislator in here that doesn't care about the people they represent no matter who they are where they live or what they look like we are trying desperately to help our people right now during this pandemic many of us have lost people to this disease. So now I am four program integrity I am for something that works. My idea is just as good as anybody else's idea and I have the ability because I've been elected to this office to vote that way and the state that and to try to make it work and so. Are we going to now go into. Comment these contact tracing centers statewide regional is that going to be the worst writers that's the question I have. If you can answer a question we'll move on to the next one okay senator Irvin I appreciate your comments very much and you've expressed this to me and and I the a lot of what you've said I absolutely agree with I'd say the only the the downside right now is the speed of how quickly we can get this process maven we actually we've reached out to both of the contractors to have the discussion about the M. subcontracting with others to do focused work the impression I have and they can speak to this but not the impression I have of their feedback was they were hesitant to do so because they're focused on meeting the deliverables in the contract that they've already received and trying to ramp up to full speed but we have initiated that conversation about tron alternative approaches that would link it together I appreciate the point that you're Makin and I agree with you it's it's always best if we can maximize the coordination and efficiency so we've tried to try to evaluate that that option so the final question so we then now are to expect that we are going to repeat this in this area of the state and then again in this area in the state and then again in this area of the state and then the center of the state and in this area of the state and that does all have to be meeting the same deliverables that these other contracts for is that is that our new approach it's a fair question to ask because we were told one thing and we were operating off of information we worked holding give and and now it's something different Senate yes Sir Mr chair may I. Yes ma'am so it just the two points to that I do think the the proposal that you're referencing from the northwest Arkansas area is a little bit unique in that they have the highest concentration of Marshall islanders and a higher population of liteon Nicks they have indicated that they will serve other areas of the state I don't think either yours at the state have the same concentrations and I think we've identified the counties in other areas that it would be most appropriate beneficial for them to potentially work with and and you do you senator that I'm currently currently do collaborative approaches with. Senator Clark you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chair. You know in committee meetings last week. When I was asking about contact tracing. And what we had found out so far. What I was hoping to find out was that we found out something. Of and that was not what I learned what I learned as we. What I was told anyway is that we had found out very much so for. And of but the reason for that was because. Testing the if. Of if testing is not being done within three days then contact tracing we were told. Doesn't do much good. And you know as I begin to see things come through that look like a piecemeal approach to me. You know I asked after four months to see a plan. And I made myself available Friday I called some of you as you were going to launch of this with the governor's office made myself available all Friday afternoon people said you need to talk to this person you talk this person you need to come over I made myself available yesterday. The but what I did learn is that the these commercial labs that. Or. Two weeks out and sometimes we even take samples. Don't have free agent. I learned that the health department does have reagent. Of and that our equipment is running twenty four hours a day and that we are supposedly fully staffed doing everything we can. That were working on getting more equipment but that we. Expect that to take a month and no one really seemed optimistic that would really be a month. Of and then that would be the problem a staffing and then there would be the problem of getting space in the be the problem of getting the fails to approve that space all that bureaucracy. And of course if that doesn't happen then the tracing to do any good and then. From what I've heard you testify here today it will take a month to get. Fully staffed the contact tracers that we have contracts with you fully staffed for what we've already got and so all of that seems to be at least a month out three and a half million times five if they were fully staffed in August. Seventeen and a half million. I'm trying to sit and figure out. What's the hurry is. Well I. I gave you the time line that I was trying to be generous to AFMC and say a month it may be when they when they testified that they're going to tell us that they can get staffed up quicker than that we are procuring additional lab equipment we've actually made progress and have a new instrument that we have secured since we were able to testify before this body last week so we are trying to move things quickly and and that is the sense of urgency here is we want them to go ahead and extend beyond General Dynamics they've hit that three fifty today I'm thrilled that that that are now fully staffed and I'd like to ask them to do even more that is the sense of urgency we heard great dis dissatisfaction from this body last week I heard it loud and clear and I'm to I'm trying to fix it and this is simply a mame this is what we made this is part of the solution but operating. Under an emergency if you all think it needs to be done if you can I don't see why you can't shortened contracts the. Put more people out there I don't see what has to be done now but the my other question Mr chair. Often foll hard very hydroxy Clark one very closely. A and the Senator Stubblefield wasn't here of when the secretary spoke but he was not in favor of it of what does make sure used appropriately describe what that means how the hell does that in. In action what does that do make sure used appropriate make sure it used appropriately I thank clinicians do a really good job of utilizing medications and therapies appropriately by and large I think the expectation that's been set for how drugs the Clerk when is a little bit problematic in that people don't understand there are risk and so just because your physician and doesn't want to prescribe how dress A. Clark when it doesn't mean that's the wrong decision and that there were holding care I think that medication does have a significant side effects and it has to be a thoughtfully made decision I think the issue with her dress A. Clark when at least as I see it is that there are some risks that haven't really been discussed and that's important for people to realize that and discuss that with their physician yes in a row but all that a I don't think you're trying to avoid my question so let me be more specific. Doctors know this. So. The so when I talk about individuals what action is the health department taking if any. To affect tell doctors decide to use hard drug hydroxy Clore quick. I'm not aware of any active discussions regarding how dross A. Clark when I think we put out a cautionary advisory early on and I can research that provide that document to you but I'm not aware of anything we've actively done beyond issue in one cautionary advisory okay thank you thank you Mr. Thank you senator so committee members I have a lot of folks in the queue and some are in for the second time I'm going to catch all the first time questions first and then come back to the second time so I'm just announcing that serve you out behind me and see your name's not lit on the top you know why when out of order Representative Payton you're next. Thank you Mr chair so I have a dear personal friend that operates a pharmacy in Springdale in the heart of the Marshallese population and she tells me you know it's breaking her heart to sit there and watch a line a mile long on the sidewalk waiting to get tested at the community health center. In her pharmacy she has the ability to test she has the waiver and I understand over two hundred pharmacies in the state Arkansas currently have a waiver and the ability to test can do the rap rapid test thirty minutes. What they're lacking is a pair. So if we have fifty eight million dollars sitting around somewhere why can't we get a program in place to to pay these pharmacists and then get the rapid test instead send it off for two days. Can you tell me why we're not utilize and these are health care professionals on we're not hiring people off the street. You know other healthcare professionals many of which in the healthcare industry have been laid off recently why are we not utilizing the health care. Structure that's already in place and the pharmacies there's two hundred of them that are already qualified to do the test and over seven hundred and sixty of them in the state of Arkansas that could could be ramped up there for use in that term. What I am there's no language barrier she deals with these people on a daily basis it's our customer base she's right there a storefront in the middle of it and there's no language barrier all she needs is a pair. And and a reasonable price of and and her text to me she's basically saying just a fair price. Can you tell me why we're not utilizing that is so I can't speak specifically to the prior pace I can't speak to the fact that we're working with pharmacist across the state and doctor Jennifer deal Hey is engaged in conversations with the pharmacy association and the pharmacy board about improving utilization of pharmacists to assist with testing the payment pays I don't have details on the discussions today we're working on the payment piece when it comes to these contractors. I mean why can't we. Let allow these people to to bill us you know She said in the of pharmacy here little rock's charging ninety five dollars and course only people that can paid out of pocket are willing to use it but It sounds to me like there to be a price established baby in this fifty to seventy five dollar test range has got to be more efficient than what we're doing going through the middle men and third parties. I don't understand why and what we're not working on that it could it could be a switch flipped and turned on almost immediately so I think it is being worked on I'm sorry I'm just I just don't have the details on exactly what. I am they're developing for that with me today and I'll be glad to to get information on that and and put it forward to this body into you specifically thank you thank you Mr chair thank you Mr Representative center Johnson you're recognized. Thank you chair Jake you mind or come up here. Hi so. My question is simply on the numbers. And what has been stated here is three and a half million dollars a month. You can't spend what you're asking for in five and a half months. Well of did I hear correctly that we would be an increase over that three and a half maybe even more so no we're asking to if we increase the capacity to add up for half the third contractor then that is where the three point five million would be for that additional capacity. So I'm just heard three and a half million at maximum class B. that's. All right. Your it to you get twenty two million. You're asking for an additional sixteen million the two guys been by the end of December that's five and a half months thirty eight million that's six six point nine million. Ever month and will eat in one week I just give me five and a half months because you're at the end of July so this for three that would be for three different contractors three point five million for three contractors that's that the CS four GT didn't. Leding clarify it was your main it was it was three three and a half million dollars. Total when you're all ramped up so yes Sir there will be per three hundred and fifty contact tracers and twenty case investigators and that will be for three different providers we currently have to and we're question the additional appropriation in the event that we need to of quickly expedite the inception of a third entity that we would like to have that authority to spend so we would have no breaks and services you know we could just quickly add on the third entity but that would be three point five additional for the okay so I I can and get the numbers now so thank you that okay thank you. Thank you senator of this Representative Lundstrum. Yes thank you I'm. Going back to the need for translator some Marshallese translators I'd like to be assured that there's been a focus on that. So at the department of health we do hire Marshallese staff and we do have staff that translate in Marshallese we were hoping that both of these contractors would also be able to recruit and hire Marshallese staff I'm not sure that they've been able to do so I don't think that they have so that still an area of need an area that will continue to work on okay because that I think there's a real disconnect I don't think they're going to respond to contact tracing or testing they don't trust us and I think there's a real disconnect there and then another question that I have is I don't know if if everybody remembers here but we actually have an Arkansas right to try any experiment mental medication that a patient cheeses and wants to do that so we might remember that when it comes to hydroxy Clark when we passed it actually two years before the federal government did so I'm I'm getting questions from my constituents of why they can't request hydroxy Cortland because they have been told no by the health department and when their doctor prescribes it the pharmacist calls him and says I'm sorry you can have this the health department says no so I am we're getting two different answers out here can we get something in writing from the health department that says you as a patient of Arkansas that that's private between you and the doctor. I'm not aware of any instances where we have we have prevented a patient has been so prescribed address the Clerk when from obtaining that medication okay because the pharmacists as actually calling the patients saying I'm sorry unless you have lupus you cannot have this drug. Okay all research that I'm not aware of any instances okay thank you I appreciate that. I have heard of that happening with a private physician. But not from the department of help that the physicians there so in fact I heard about that just yesterday so it may be coming from those apart from the health department thank you. Thank you madam cochair. Of. Representative fight you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chair I was wondering about our hearing impaired population how are we being able to contact them and let them know if they're positive or negative for give the needed information. So Connie mountain may need to come to the table and explained the intricacies of that we do have a transfer translation service that's available if I have access to electronics American Sign Language is included in that translation service. Honey Nelson and the department of health has engaged in an agreement with the company. And the company's name is a voice yes thank you are familiar with them okay. That all. That that answers everything and the thank you okay. Others may have questions about the. Thank you represent Lundstrum of I did a little research on your question I'll give you the answer found of its legal an authorized for medical conditions like malaria lupus and rheumatoid arthritis prior to June fifteenth two thousand twenty if it was authorized for emergency use for covert nineteen. However on June fifteenth two thousand twenty is the FDA revoke the immerse the emergency authorization for that drugs so that may be where your pharmacist is making that decision. So. Actions say that again but I'd like for decisions to be made between doctors and patients one I'm not just fine and I appreciate that answer that that's a good answer I thank the chair for that but just for the body I think we've all advocated for. Privacy and FOR doctors and patients to make those decisions so. Senator Elliot you're recognized yeah. Thank you Mr chair ms Williams to fort extent Is the contract expect a specially for northwest Arkansas. Is that in response to the CDC study that was done and they came back and told and some things that we needed to do. So I think the northwest Arkansas M. northwest Arkansas council may have began working on their proposal probably before the CDC recommendations were finalized my understanding is the the council has a a health care subcommittee that meets all the time so these hospitals and service entities are working with the Marshallese community continuously so I think they already had some ideas of what they needed to do and they were saying increasing numbers of Marshallese in particular being hospitalized so they started working on a prevention proposal before the CDC the CDC report when it came out it basically if a size the importance of some of the things that they were already planning in their proposal it emphasize the need for really intensive contact tracing case investigation with those entities in that you really you couldn't do it just by accident by making phone calls and and that sort of thing that you really have to have some boots on the ground to go into those communities so I think they started working on their proposal before the CDC recommendations not in response to it but the CDC report does a firm some of the strategies that they developed okay so they just happened to intersect yes ma'am so if. This is what the CDC wise suggesting and what was already happening are those. What's been suggested there discreetly different from what might happen are we might expect to happen say with one of the other larger contracts because they are so pretty faces what's the distinct the distinction that we need that kind of specificity. So in the cities they report it it just it emphasizes that there is distrust in this population and that to the extent that you can make it a local specific effort that you can work with community leaders that you came in utilize trusted sources of information and its local not statewide media not not contractors that you know or based external to the community that it it it has to feel like it's specific for them and feel safe for them to access. Well one of the things Mrs here I want to say this and then I won't have any other questions about it but wanted things that we may or may not be aware of I realize is when we talk of somebody brought up the issue of trust I think I've heard that a couple of times and I know that something the CDC is very aware of because of our history and medicine and that is something that might not be on the tip of our tongues but when we talk about the larger contracts and I applaud that because we need them but one of the great things about Arkansas to me is that we are a did a diverse group of people living as one state it's a terrific thing but when it comes to things like this sometimes we have to get as specific as groups of folks to be able to respond to them and have them trust us we have a long history if you don't know about if you don't know about what happened with Henry at a lacks that is common and so much of in this case the African American community but certainly is in the medical community if you don't know what happened with her. And why that are bred distrust if you don't know what happened with the syphilis experiment that went on from the nineteen twenties I think to nineteen seventy two or so if you don't know and you ought to look at these kind of things and people will know and just for today if you don't know the story of what happened with Serena Williams that cause her to have some real distrust because so many times when a black women say this is not right this hurts the. But don't believe you and I don't want anybody to misconstrue this as something that's about just a race issue or an ethnic issue. There's a reason for those to stress so when we have a very large com by contract and somebody tries to hone in on a specific problem I think it would be prudent of us to listen to that I wish that say the Marshallese community just trust that all of us but when that's not the case that's what we need to respond to not what we think ought to happen ourselves because of our own experiences but what do we do to actually get to folks who need help and then in the case of I was looking at both these contracts and both of them are trying to get to something that might be missed image and an overall response I think that's part of what we need we need to do and I I just don't I I hope we can find a way through this and figure out how to respond to the problem as opposed to a scattershot of things because that just doesn't work many times if you have children you know that if you have worked with people and groups I think you know that so just think about it that way and Mr chair of your clarify one thing for me are we discussing the contract yet are we still just discussing no ma'am we're discussing the sixteen million three million dollars to end okay were we're going to get to the contracts after all right that's all from the secure thank you thank you. Okay Senator hammer you're recognized for one question at this time thank you Mr chair are any of the contracts that are currently awarded or being considered to be awarded under protest at office of procurement. What Jett responded that winter thank you. Sir no they're not there was a request protester was filed but it was determined by our legal team and can concert with the we transformation sure services that is not applicables based on the and emergency procurement nature of of how the contract was selected all right along one question some mail from pick it up thank you. Representative Goffey you're recognized for one question. Thank you Mr chair it is the only one you've talked a lot about ramping up and fully staffed fully operational at these contract and that should be able to meet the need you have my concern is if it's zero Marshall lease contact researchers and fewer than ten percent other bilingual staff Spanish speakers do you consider that sufficiently fully operational. So remember that these contractors or an enhancement to the staff we have the department so the staff that are hard bodies to contractors in all of our bilingual staff that we have at our disposal so I would like to have more but I think we we deal with what we have the capacity. To today the I mean I think they've made the honest effort to try to recruit bilingual staff I'm pleased that they've been able to hire as many as they have would I like to see more yes I would but you know I think they have been trying. And I I certainly appreciate the efforts but you would like to see more bilingual staff and case managers yes ma'am thank you thank you Mr. Senator Stubblefield thank you Mr chair under the mercy ordered it does allow you to bypass procurement process but how many vendors applied for this contract. Do you know I can give you so so I can give you the number that expressed interest in and initially submitted questions and it was over forty I believe more in one of those files apprentices syndrome have to come back to you because I'm trying to get through this Q.. Senator Clark you're recognized. The. Thompson. I heard you say the words whole go. Of was listening very carefully. In the event we decide to hire another contractor that was not what I had heard up to now it heard how urgent it was that we were going to hire another contractor that had to be done had to be done now and then I heard you say in the event we decide to hire another contractor please explain that to me yes so that is what I said in the proposal for the additional sixteen million we indicated that we may need increased capacity and that increased capacity could be a third vendor or could be expanding the current to contractors so in the vent speaks toward if we were to choose to hire third if that would be the most prudent way to proceed or if we were it also applies to if we increased the existing to contractors to feel the need. Thank you Mr chair thank you miss Thompson you're welcome Representative Dotson you're recognized for your one question. Thank you Mr chair this goes back to something you're talking with center Johnson will earlier you said that three point five million per contract Was it I guess. You said earlier that three point five million per month would be what it would take to fully ramp up or be what you would be expending with the current existing to contracts and so I'm a little bit confused because you also said that an additional three point five million would be needed per month if you added one more contractor to this so is it three point five million per month for two or is it three point five million each for in the and also as far as the cares ACT. Fifty percent of that is going toward. It is cares act funding of the twenty million dollar contract per contractor as I understand it so about ten million dollars is coming out of the carriage act funding that we've authorized for total about twenty million. if you add a third vendors would that also be ten million dollars for that third vendor and if so. You're asking for sixteen million what happens other six million. Search the to answer your first question is each three point five million each for your second question it would depend on the time that we initiated the contract because of the we know that this funding has a time limit to nature December thirtieth so It would depend on when we started the contract but we do estimate three point five million dollars per month of for the life time of the contract and possibly more. Does that answer your question Sir. Well. The math doesn't quite add up but it was coming in that to you please I can have that on all these. All right of committee that's all the questions I have for the department I'm will bring the contractors and then you guys one need to know who has questions for contractors and we start that. So we would have represented from FMC and General Dynamics come to the table. Okay I'm sorry it's. By my count. Yeah I mean I think what we're we get getting off subject but we're talking about the additional sixteen million and at at I almost think we waited too late to contract for the con contact tracing with these other two companies are you concerned that when school starts and we have an out breaking we haven't already appropriate this money we might get into a real delight problem if we don't appropriate this today yes ma'am that's exactly what I'm concerned about I agree with you I wish we were had had this conversation a month ago I wish we had made this a lot quicker and a sub for me that is part of the sense of urgency yes ma'am. Thank you. Senator Elliot your question for the health department. Contractors. Senator Clark is your question for the health department of contractors health department health department. You're recognized for a question. Of yes for for the last question I feel like a mushroom. But we've been through all of this and it's because we're worried about what's going to happen we go back to school and nobody ever said that. Till this moment. Well I am worried about I'm I'm worried about cases to continuing to increase we have over seven thousand active cases today I'm worried about it continuing to increase I don't know what's going to happen when school starts but that is an additional worry yes Sir. Thank you. Senator Hickey recognized for a question how it department ma'am I guess up I apologize to you. But I want everybody to understand we were talking about fifty eight million earlier. We also would already appropriated money for the schools for contact tracing so and that was to the tune if I remember right of twenty eight to. So let's don't confuse that we had in already appropriated that money so if somebody is not ahead of the curve. It's not because the money was not already doing here so let's tell it the way it is on that and now Sir I know I didn't mean to imply that and I'm not being disrespectful to you ma'am I understand you all got a well of a job and you've got everybody on the state pollution at you and you've got something you never dealt with before so I want to say that up front I'm with A I appreciate you but whenever I hear that type of stuff and we don't go ahead and go back to the letter that we appropriated for that that amount it leaves and comes confusion in this room so. Yes that out earlier because I thought that was correct when a rusted you had fifty eight million dollars available last what you'd already spent which is probably fifty seven maybe fifty six with the with what you've got here but in addition to that we did have twenty eight to twenty eight to. That went directly for the schools and contact tracing was in that so it was a fifty eight plus the twenty eight it's yes I did okay I point to is the the higher a proposal that was approved they the cares acted there is a portion of funding in that twenty eight point two which I believe is five million allocated for contact tracing for higher it is okay and we did that. Back in June or was it back in may I think that one was in Jean okay alright thank you ma'am. Center and is it for the health department yes health department to miss Williams I'm sorry miss Williams on a I know you keep running away that. I am a little confusion you you know it in testimony said that your contact tracing plan was developed based on the cases at that time of two thousand cases. The CDC has been pretty clear we have a lot of data from all the other states you a mass has done extensive modeling I'm potential cases I know that when I was lobbied for the higher ed proposal that it was quote based on a back to school plan where they anticipated higher cases some act my question is are you not. I mean. Contact tracing should should have been developed based on modeling and not on a point fixed in time of today's cases was that was the modeling of the projected rises in cases which we all knew an expected. Was was that not considered so yes ma'am it was considered and and that's what you appropriated us additional funding that allowed us to then hire that second contractor so so you did award us more than we we intended to stand with the expectation that we would have the capacity to ramp up which is what we did when we brought the second contractor on board also it is our intention to utilize those contractors to to serve the K. twelve community we are have fully considered that I I guess I'm I'm slightly to take them probably my word choice is not is on point is it should be but just in general terms as a public health. practitioner I am concerned I mean I never you thought you know the models almost it was difficult to determine which model to use some of them and the numbers were just outrageous and then some of them seem to like behind so I think it has been challenging because we have had so many different models and I think we thought we were being and reasonable based on the information we had and what the situation that we saw in other states but you know I I am still concerned I can't I can't based on our experience I'm I'm concerned I appreciate those answers and I'm concerned to which is why I really believe integration is the better way to go thank you. Miss Williams I've had a couple tax from. Members that want me to ask you how is the K. through twelve of contact tracing being handled will be handled by the health department our is because last week it's kind of confusing last week Thursday we set their meetings and we heard higher ed propose their own proposal for five million dollars for contact tracing and at the moment you guys are handling that and that's just a proposal because we have it saw that here yet is that correct so I I think there to things so K. twelve we were with K. twelve all the time we work with them consistently throughout the year with different outbreaks the concern with higher ed is a little bit different because you do have campuses that have students on site so you have don't oratories you have conger get living which makes them at higher risk so there are some unique aspects of working with those communities the school communities that that is a little bit different than the work that we typically do day in and day out with our K. twelve institutions. So the more story is you are going to be leading on higher it for some of their contact tracing but you are handling at the health department K. through twelve Concentrix thank you. So with that see no further questions for health warrant will move to the contractors. Thank you miss Williams. Mr Hanley if you in the lady will introduce yourself sort of committee we we already have questions. Thank you I'm ray Handley the CEO at eight am see. And then. Yes ma'am. Nina Sanchez General Dynamics information technology senior director. Thank you a Senator Elliot your first. Of thank you Mr chair I I just have two quick questions one is are you have and any problems with hiring folks and what do you pay them. As as contact tracers hi I'm a. No we're not having trouble turned service we are contract started on Monday July the twentieth where I have a hundred and fifty staff on board trying to were on board another fifty this week we're pay and seventeen dollars an hour. No ma'am they make sure you green lights on and get as close as you can. Okay we we have as miss Williams indicated we have three hundred fifty staff hired and we have over two thousand applications in the pipeline so Pete we've had a great interest in this job. What I'm our pay is considered based on the applicant's experience history the job level and the benefits packages. I thank can you give me just tell me what the lowest is in your range from. Well I am competing with Mr Hanley for a job so. A kind of with the Senate an awkward position I can get with you afterwards. Why. Why afterwards. That's what I'm asking you I'm not I don't mean to shout I'm under this mess my apologize for that. Yes someone but I know what the Lois is you pay is that what you're saying a. Your pay minimum wage I hope. But we pay over minimum wage ma'am okay. So are you to consider that to be prior Terry or. Our pay range it depends on if there's supervisor verses I call agent the supervisor is a higher paid position the agent would be based on their experience. And that ranges usually anywhere from twelve to fourteen dollars. Supervisor senators and supervisor would be more I don't have the hourly rate that is the agent right so the lowest rate you pay is twelve dollars or whatever the position is you start at twelve dollars and go up through fourteen fourteen okay thank you. Committee your question senator we are working with that the department of workforce services events meetings in them one of our goals is to hire those that are unemployed out there and it's been a good partnership in. Arkansas is that everybody hours going to be in our cans in which we think is important to this project. Thank you senator. Senator hammer you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair I would like to know if either your contracts are at our under. Review because of protest of a vendor that did not get the contract and if you would please expand on the details of why and where they are at this time if it applies to either one of you please you know it's my understanding Senator there is a protest I don't know the details that's a something I have to defer to the department of health he said I don't know the details. Does that apply to the other company to our I have an I have not heard of any protest I don't have any knowledge of a protest. Do you know if the protest is up held if it would have any interferes with your ability. Because you've already hired up people what that would do if the protesters up held. Obviously that would have the impact yes. Okay well we her tests for awhile ago it was resolved and now you're stating that it's with the department of health and A I think maybe some clarity on to be brought to that Mr chair at your discretion. We'll come back to that after we get some of these questions answered but I agree we need clarity to the. Senator Irvin you're recognized for a question. I know that I think one of the questions was bilingual and if you'll talk about the bilingual staff that you've hired and if you've hired Marshallese folks and and how many and and how you determine those ratios. We try to hire as many as we can as miss Williams stated we have thirty one bilingual we also use a service called language line so that any time any agent is on the phone because you know thirty one agents at one time it might not be enough so we ate use a language line we can connect with an interpreter and thirty seconds they have eleven thousand eleven thousand interpreters and two hundred forty languages we use this on our federal contracts it's very effective and it's very cost effective. So that's just bilingual individuals specific Marshallese. We use that language line for that so that we can connect to as many people as we would need okay. Senator we have heard so far about thirty Hispanic care as translators. Harder push Marshallese person last week. Also to supplement that use that a translator service but our preferences to have the person. The Spanish Speaker whatever language be an employee because we've learned in our four years or so and call center work that's more efficient if you use a translator service you have to interject a third person into the conversation and and just. How many Hispanic translators we need we're we're following the numbers that that that that we're St and working with the health department on their guidance for how many we we mailed Lee need and feel like we can be order numbers are required and can you talk to me about the reporting mechanisms in the collaboration that's occurring so that we have some consistency with this program to maintain program integrity this between software and reporting and deliverable measure measure to deliverables well development of reporting to the specifications of healthcare they're quite satisfied with the reports that we we've created we we do everything on a sales plant sales force platform it's it's a very sophisticated recognized in we we the reports active to their specification and the and that's a lot it's pretty much like other contracts you have now. Deliverables that can be measured with time frames that are can be defined yes Sir reduce the amount of time so that we can actually be more effective in contact tracing and that you can be consistent with the other company. Senate so those are built into the contract and we can hold you accountable Kerr absolute level those are building the contracts which is what we're used to on either contracts right now I appreciate that and know that you have volunteered to train a lot of contact tracers that were volunteer well but before we actually started the contract last Monday we coordinated volunteers and I voluntary project on our part FOR the department of health we think we had a hundred and fifty from Blue Cross and the library U. A L. R. we we managed and trained a lot of volunteers but going forward under this contract you know the goal is to get away from from volunteers yes to our our own employees and we found that the the way too often plus benefits and with that we're gonna be able to recruit of very very good work force to do this and I appreciate that I I'm very familiar with your work I'm not so much with the General Dynamics five two I am very familiar with a fancy in their work with Medicaid across the state and how at their ability your ability to be flexible and to ramp up and to do what you need to do and you also work in integrate with other entities quite well you have a history of that and so I just I appreciate that and I think again I'll just state that program integrity and integration with whatever we do with that be UAMS northwest I think it's a great approach to do and one that should should be pursued thank you thank you. Thank you Mr chair. AFM AFMC. Right right yes ma'am men around allow now tell me the name of your company General Dynamics information technology G. E. D. ID are you Arkansas based yes ma'am I've been in the look I've been a little rock long time and I've been with the company since two thousand and eight okay so how many contracts have you had with the state I currently have five year five. Why are you paying three to five dollars less. The MC I can't speak to why Evans is doing that we we were talking about what you're doing what you're doing because we run a large call centers and we were the vendor that was chosen and it was a very competitive bid. And. This whole process was a competitive process and so I understand that I'm I'm just I'm trying to see what your priorities are because unless we get qualified people to do this which you're not gonna have the information that we need and are you satisfied that your wage rate is going to allow you to get the people on board that you need and how many question number two how many Marshallese interpreters do you have on your staff we do not currently have any were recording for that is that we do have access through the language line. There are interpretive service. What are you doing to get them what what outreach are you using to get people out to get the job applicants mmhm we are working with our communications areas and working with different media outlets in the northwest Arkansas area. Well I am very much concerned because we continue to put this money in. We've got one company with which I'm familiar the other and I apologize for not being more for me with your work I I am always concerned that in order to get the best you've got a PM good salaries and. I'm concerned about it I'll let it go at that but I I'm wondering when this is rare you up and running already yes ma'am yeah all up and running already hi approximately how many contacts contacts if you had with individuals in order to determine or to help them better you better utilize I services. In terms of number of contacts generated. So we have been assigned over thirty two hundred cases that's the first positive and we have generated over fifty two hundred contacts and we completed ninety one percent of those all right what about you right. Well we have gone the several thousand I'm I would have to talk to staff to get you the Prosch my number button we since we speak it's the only star the contract lance to. Monday but under our volunteer project before that we can we ranked up several thousand there but we're we're easily into into the day several thousands right now I'm sorry I don't have an exact number the ultimate goal is to have how many. Well the only goal is to do the work for. It is many patients as the the health department census and we we intended ramp up to three hundred and fifty in keeping busy it's unknown how many referrals that that we're going to get that so far we've may dollar cases sign cases each day as required and My goal is we keep doing that thank you. Senator bonded you have a question. Okay Senator fight is kinda like an auction if I see you move the right way you are definitely in. Well I expected it. Center for represented by yes thank you thank you Mr chair what what are the minimum qualifications for a contact tracer do they need to have any kind of medical training or not. I will require them to complete the John Hopkins training and then our training program on top of that is a five day training course. So we're looking for people with experience with you know all these folks are working remotely so it is I'm having trouble hearing you I'm sorry. because the Covin were not bringing people into the office they work remotely so they need to have a certain level of telephonic and computer skills to be able to use all of the platforms efficiently we look for folks that are good on the phone obviously customer service. Techniques. Thank you. Senator Stubblefield you're recognized. Chairman just quick question of do each of you know where you were ranked in the scoring process. A we were weren't ranked first okay any other. well but we obviously were rank second at the end of the. Obviously were ranked third well we were second you were you were you were third in fact the second was when they picked over the second and what do you. Okay are thank you Mr chairman. Representative love you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair so I I guess I first start come I heard the concerns General dynamic. The so. Did I hear you or did I understand correctly that you are having issues recruiting staff for our contact tracing into Marshallese population. I said that we currently have not hired anyone yet we are currently recruiting in that area okay Mister Hanley can you also answer the same question in regards to recruiting staff for Marshallese well it is a the not an easy community to that to to work in because of you know all the reasons I think we're familiar with we have hired one How many more we can hire you know will will say one we've been successful on the Hispanic of front we We're gonna hire community out reach liaison to work with all the minority populations you know that next Marshallese and other minority populations the help that okay but I would say I'm going to summarize it by saying that you all are both having challenges and actually recruiting Marshall lease. Yes Marshall leased employees are our main contact traces and so I think this underscores the proposal is in regards to what we're gonna be looking at for the seven million dollars and I'm talking to my colleagues because we cannot recruit people for jobs I don't know how we're going to effectively contact trees in if if that's going to be a L. on the line issue that we're going to continue to have and we can have this issue for my Senate you know another month thirty days sixty days because this disease is ravaging this community so we need to get with the business of actually passing this contract so. I don't care for the northwest Arkansas counselor who are we choose to do it. It needs to be addressed needs to be addressed today. And so Mr chair I'll get back in the queue because I have another question in regards to the have the contract looks going door to door for the Martian lease right now but I know if they can't do the contact tracing I don't know how they're going to do door to door for the Martian this population or is the the in built in in their contract because these are some of the things that that the contact first is going to have to do for this community. So I get back in the queue thank you Representative. Senator hammer you're recognized for a question thank you Mr chair. So on the Marshallese population you guys are sitting here a contract with money in the bank and you've got up already big foot print in the state. Help me understand why you're not able to hire Marshallese translators. With the money that you have with the foot print jury have. And what obstacles are you running into are you trying to hire him and they're saying and well we can't go to work for you because of this or what your experience well find in those Senator that didn't have the the requisite skills and we obviously we're trying to get people that have customer service experience we're trying to get the. People that that have the communication skills to to make these calls. and that's not an easy. process in in a lot of minority communities particularly in with Marshallese. ninety you know we've started the effort we tired one but is you know somebody said earlier and I'm sorry I have trouble keeping up with these talking because the mass but it it is it is a challenge to amend the fact that between is GT I. T. and and you can see we we've got one today. It is the. The technician is that because you haven't focused on them because one have a hard time read through seven million a question over here we've all got that much money over there you guys are just as skilled unless you haven't tapped into the resource limit there were only eight days into our contract so we and the furniture frenzy G. the I. T. A. and I had a head start they started couple weeks before we did so great days into this and We're we're we're playing some some catch up all right and if the department hill said each to you we need you to wrap up another hundred because things are changing quickly could you ramp up that quick and how long would take it ramp up another hundred agents yeah just say we through no no I I I think a week to two weeks so not a not a long period of time you could direct pretty quick thank you for talking about you know generic call center tracers if you were talking about something is speaks. Specializes Marshallese then that would be a lot harder and we would be certainly several weeks into a process to put it put it in that are Mr chair so that question about contracted appropriate time thank you. Okay Senator um we're not owned that contract at the moment we're on the sixteen million additional funding to the health department at this moment but I will recognize you when we get to their. Senator Clark you're recognized for a question. Yes To come back to me Mr chair lost twenty thought. Okay Senator if you would you'll have to all. But again. So Representative love do you have another comment on this AM back to you. You're recognized. I did have another comment on this but I think on. What I want to do Mr chair is I want to go back because I know we have the vendors that may go ahead to make a motion that we approve the sixteen million dollars for the contact person for the Arkansas department of health. That is a proper motion and second in. Of and then I have a. Maybe a substitute or another motion from senator Chesterfield MO recognize her. I move immediate consideration that is a proper motion all those in favor immediate consideration of sixteen million say aye aye aye all opposed. Eyes have it so will take up the motion of the of. I can I have a motion is passed on floor we're taking a vote is immediate consideration on the sixteen million for to have department all those in favor say aye hi all opposed. Eyes have it so with that. We will move on to the seven million dollars for the health department FOR the northwest Arkansas council. And my back in the queue now. Yes yes. yes I take your point when is it ever not proper to asked for a roll call. It is a proper time that it wasn't rokahr us all was asking. You are asking a question at the moment that I recognized you know. No no are you I guess the hands up. Are we take a roll call not vote for a in most. To divide by chamber and eight three hands for that. All right. Let's start in the Senate. Senator Chesterfield. One of and Mr Clark was asking his question about division of the chair on the motion to a FOR immediate consideration. Yes. In the motion for immediate consideration of failed and he would have the opportunity to come back I ruled on that at the moment but if he wants a roll call I got the hands and I got the hands were division so will honor the roll call. No if this immediate consideration is immediate consideration roll call vote is on the passage of the sixteen million to the health department. Senator Ballenger. Senator Ballinger votes no. Representative bond yes Sir bond vote yes senator Caldwell. Senator Caldwell boats no senator Cheatham. Senator Cheatham has no alternate senator Chesterfield. Senator Clark. Senator Davis. Senator Davis has no alternate senator DISMANG. Senator DISMANG has no alternate senator eads. Senator Elliot. Senator English. Senator Flippo. Senator flowers. I'm sorry the center flower boats hi I'm trying to remember to repeat the vote Senator hammer. Senator hammer votes no center Hendren. Senator hundred votes by senator Hester. Senator Hester votes by senator Hickey. Senator Hickey votes now Senator Ingram hi Senator Ingram votes I Senator Irvin. Senator Irvin votes no senator Johnson. Senator Johnson boats I Senator Malick. Center mount votes by senator RAPERT. Senator Rapert has no alternate Senator sample. Senator sample votes no Senator Stubblefield. Senator Stubblefield votes now senator Teague. Senator Wallace. Senator rice. Senator Bledsoe. Moving to the house. Represent Bragg. First alternate. First alternate represent Dalby. Representative flowers. Represented Burch by Representative both I represent Cozart. First alternate represent Pilkington. Represent Davis. Representative was those I represent Pilkington voted No Representative Deffenbaugh. Representative from all those I represent Douglas Douglas votes are I Representative Eubanks. Representative thanks votes I Representative Deborah Ferguson by Representative for Ferguson votes I Representative Kenneth Ferguson. Represent Kenneth Ferguson votes I Representative fielding okay. First alternate Representative Watson. Represent Walton votes on a Representative Charlene Fite. Represents Arlene fight votes by Representative Lanny Fite. Representative Lanny Fite boats are I represented Godfrey. Represent Godfrey votes I Representative Jean. Represent Jean has no alternates Representative love. Representative love boats I represent Lowery. Representative Lowery votes by Representative McNair. Representative McNair votes I Representative Miller. Represent bill Miller votes now represent Murdock. A first alternate Representative Hollowell well. Represent an alternate represent Michelle gray. Representative Payton. Present Payton votes No Representative Lynch. Representative Lynch votes are I represent a McCollum. Represent my colon has no alternate Representative rushing. Representative rushing. First alternate Representative Warren yes Representative born votes I. Representative shepherd. Represent sharper votes I represent Lundstrum. Represent Lundstrum votes by Representative Sullivan. Represents Sullivan signed in so we will not go to its alternates represented Vaught. Representative Vaught boats are I represented would occur. Represented would occur votes by Representative Womack. He has no alternative represent a wooden. Is not here represent of the first alternate Representative brown. Representative brown votes I represent Dotson. Representative Dotson votes I. Representative Wardlaw votes I. Motion passes. Without we'll move on now to the health department for and members I make announcement to A was withdrawn from our agenda by the by the department D. F. and A. So we'll move on to be of the Arkansas department health northwest Arkansas council. Some miss Williams if you and your guests will introduce yourself for the record you are recognized to. Absent. Thank you Mr chair. Thank you Mr chair Stephanie Williams chief of staff Arkansas department of health. Pearl make hell fish I am the vice chancellor of the university of Arkansas for medical sciences in northwest Arkansas. If appropriate I'm happy to give an overview of our concept in less than five minutes or go directly to your questions. You're recognized to do that thank you so prior to being appointed the vice chancellor of UAMS northwest I founded the office of community health at you and that's in northwest Arkansas where we are focused primarily on meeting and addressing health disparities specifically and the Marshallese and expand it community because those are the two communities most affected by health disparities in northwest Arkansas fully half of our sixty staff within the office of community health and research are bilingual we've recruited eight Marshallese physician trying to the United States there are one and two in the world and we recruited one of those to you and this northwest also have hired Marshallese nurses in which there are less than ten in the world and we've been able to recruit and hire them and we've worked closely with the Marshallese community on multiple projects multiple staff I a meet with Marshallese community leaders on a daily the and certainly formal meetings weekly the northwest Arkansas council has primarily been focused on economic development in the region and as part of that had started a health care transformation division the healthcare transformation division includes Washington regional the V. a mercy and and all the major health care players are met health care providers in the region we were focused on graduate medical education and a number of other important topics when cove ID when the codes that pandemic started we immediately shifted the focus of that group to addressing cove it. Since that time since early March we have met three times a week to really coordinate co the planning ask for its P. P. E. consistent protocols and so I I understand that it may be at interesting to have a proposal come from the northwest Arkansas council but it's really built upon the framework that health care providers in the region have been meeting for four years and then three times a week during this cove it pandemic and they for and the members came to me personally and said given the experience with the Marshallese and Spanish speaking community given our successful history of recruiting and retaining multiple bilingual staff on and maintaining their employment for many many years that they felt they really asked us to step up and put forward a solution as as and that miss Williams said a moment ago we were working on this and then worked closely with the CDC when they did their investigation and found what we recommended and what we were hearing from the community and what the CDC recommended were in exact alignment and so it was really we we had started the process coordinated with the CDC and found that our efforts were really an alignment and the last thing I'll say before and taking any questions that you may have is that we really felt as the CDC recommended that a three pronged approach of having testing having contact tracing and enhance case management so that once you tell someone to stay home that you're able to ensure that they're connected with the services needed in order to do that was necessary in order to be. Again to slow the spread UAMS is currently in multiple agreements with the Arkansas department of health including a small portion of the contact tracing on a volunteer basis so we are already integrated into the systems the integrity tech ready and integration add Senator Irvin said is is key and we are one hundred percent confident that that we can do that and so this proposal is put forth on behalf of the northwest Arkansas council that the people who will be implementing it are you a and that's northwest and the health care providers in the region and so I appreciate the opportunity to be here as you know in northwest Arkansas seventy percent of the people who have co that are either Marshallese or and UPS says spanning and so that number changes daily but the Spanish you represents about fifty percent of the total cases the Marshallese represent eighteen nineteen depending on the date but about twenty percent the total cases and we are committed to making sure that we have sufficient bilingual workers not a few I appreciate ark our colleagues before us but we really need the contact tracer percentages to match the population who have co that and we're committed to an approach that does that so that we have at least fifty percent the contact tracers being Spanish speaking and at least twenty percent or more of the contact tracers that we would employee being Marshallese and we have a long history of hiring and retaining those workers. All right thank you so much a question from US senator bond. Okay. Enter hammer if you don't mind I'm trying to find someone that I believe the. This is the rights of Representative love. Thank you madam chair doctor map of fission one on top the about the the Marshallese population in in particular so the view of her the two testimonies before you from general dynamic as well as a half and see In a I'm gravely concerned when they say they are between the both of them they only had one contact tracing If you are provided the opportunity when one with how many contracts traces could you possibly line up in the in. One with a one would they be ready to go. So with without approval we have without funding approval we have taken preliminary steps but we are confident based on the number of people that we've already hired for other things that we could hire Marshallese and Spanish speaking contact tracers and navigators and testing support staff and within two to three weeks and and will reinforce more than half of that offices staff are already bilingual speaking and so we have a history with in the community of being a good employer and with with Marshallese and Spanish speaking individuals and have deep roots and that works within those communities and so A what what we have confirmed is that we would have said and many of the staff on within two weeks of funding approval okay could you tell me the difference between your approach on how you would do contact tracing and and possibly the the others that would that would possibly make you more effective or. In. Entities that yes Sir there are many differences but all on the B. highlight a few points on it is a very close knit community who has had many historical traumas including our nuclear bombing of their their lands and then testing on that humans without their consent so they're real traumas that are quite recent that have cost this distrust it's very different if I if if a stranger call somebody and then uses a translation phone verses being able to have someone whose name you likely recognized call you and explain to you what's needed and so it's really working with the and what many people see as a challenge in the community is that's a close knit community but it can also be the greatest benefit because if you hire within that close knit community then you're able to ensure that people I you know at least recognize the name of the person called or they're able to make that firm connection and so it's relational and and I will say this community has been disproportionately affected they've had more Covin than any other community and Arkansas as a percentage more deaths more hospitalizations hospitalizations and so I understand were asking for a targeted unique yet fully integrated if approach I think that being able to meet this need is going to take a unique approach if we put this off any longer just say another thirty to sixty days and what would you think that impact on me and thank you madam chair windows any. I eight eight here's what I can say there you US know the numbers and more tests the Marshallese me I in no more than twenty Marshallese who I have a personal relationship with that had died many in the last two weeks that this is a real problem the numbers the rack that numbers and the way that is affecting the community I do not have a prediction of how bad it will be but I think we all know it it will be it will be very bad and it is not the way we want to treat our neighbors. Thank you second on the list senator Chesterfield. Madam chair I move approval of number to be on the agenda for today. All right have a motion and a second all. All right the the I was going to discuss it I think I get to yes all right first of all and I know that it seems that this is repetitive but it need it is not in the approaches differ. What I know about you a a Mrs they have positions to our Marshallese it is important that we bring these people together and that we propelled the ability to treat communities that are under served I guess what trouble is trouble me more as much if anything in the entirety of this conversation is the top performer members of the Marshallese community died in their homes that is without health care of that is without people knowing that they were sick and that is hurting us all because if we don't know then we all suffer because we go to the same grocery stores because the same beauty shops we go to all of this is I would just ask that we grant this because the more we know the better this whole state he is as we go forward thank you. All right thank you any additional comments. All right does senator Irvin. Thank you I was going to ask a question about who would be the fiduciary entity and that would be where deliverables will be measured and how that contracting was going to flow but I understand we're not in the ability to answer that question that's my my main concern is who is the fishery wrist entity is that you I must northwest as it northwest council I'm not sure why we need to I don't understand again I appreciate your kind contacts it's not about whether we need to do this or not it's about how this process works it's about how the policy is enacted and how those contracts we issued and maintaining that integration and program integrity from our perspective and so I'm not quite sure who that fiduciary responsibility is and again I don't know I understand why department of health could not have already done this with you and that's northwest specifically they have the ability to do that they have the appropriation to do that and I'm not quite sure why this required to get to know what northwest council so again my. My objections is how this is flowing it's not about whether it's needed or not I'm fully supportive of you and that's northwest engaging when I'm supportive of that being integrated into our current strategy so that those companies can benefit from you all. It just makes sense to me from a good government perspective and I don't understand why it had already happened it's it's not our failure of our legislature. It really is not and that's the truth. Not a failure of as acting or not acting kind of happened already could have been done thank you for the comment. So you so even on would you like me to respond we don't so some understand we have a motion on the floor the second so we're discussing the motion. We're going to discuss among members and we're not going back to the health department at this moment because we're discussing emotion within the body. So senator Elliott you're recognized thank you Mr chair you know I I am totally is in favor of this motion I just had a request that we after the vote on this motion if I could have a point of personal privilege please for the body absolutely okay absolutely and police center do not let me forget please okay. Senator hammer you're recognized for discussion thank you Mr I would just say that I'm going to be voting no not because I don't think that the population needs the attention that is being presented but I'm voting no against the process and the accountability factor and I want to clarify well be voting no thank you. Thank you senator Representative Davis you're recognized for discussion. Thank you Mr chair up I had a question that was in the queue for question earlier but it's maybe staff could address if you will and I just wanted those a seven million just contact tracing or is this include PPP's include marketing an out reach or what what's the what's the seven million four exactly. There it goes to the we're doing with that staff going to answer that for you. It's in the handout that they handed out it's a second to last page and there's a list on the bottom right hand corner. Says two point nine five five million dollars to contact tracing and navigation staff one point four five five million four enhance case management ninety thousand for operations two point five million for testing uninsured in special populations including. But not limited to community based testing. Enough thank you Mr it. Representative Lundstrum you're recognized for discussion. Thank you we've already spent sixteen million on contact tracing in this population needs the extra attention that dollar offering so thank you I'm just wondering if this money would be better spent with some food bank rental assistance utilities community Claire community care clinics across the state especially northwest Arkansas where this is a desperate need all I love the concept I'm just wondering if the contact tracing. We've already spent money on. But having more of a centered on their food and security they're they're hungry they're scared they don't know where to go they need education. I'm just not sure we need more contact tracing and testing when they'd they're not going to respond they're scared of us and they're hungry I I've I would rather see community clinic in the hospitals dialing down on and the food banks and on the the real needs that they have right now. This is this is this is a community that doesn't trust us. I'm not gonna respond to a phone call so I that would just be my concern. Thank you Representative Representative Dotson you're recognized for discussion. Thank you Mr chair You know it. This is definitely something that I believe needs to be a focus of this body and I think it already has been addressed repeatedly through we we authorize fifty eight million dollars last month. To the department of health to focus on this type thing. It's it's saddening that it hasn't been a focus today eight. That this money has not been used to that point. I was going to ask some questions but I understand where the discussion phase and We just prove sixteen million dollars for contact tracing specifically looking at the break down of this proposal of the seven million I mean I I think the department of health needs to move forward with a focus on this I'm not sure that we need to do an additional three million in authorization to the department of health FOR contact tracing we just to prove sixteen million I think they probably need to use the funds that they already have at hand so I would make a substitute motion that we do four million dollars for this and we direct the department health to use part of the sixteen million that we already just approved. To fill out the remainder this three million dollars in contracts for total seven million. That's proper motion to have a second on a motion. I have a second center Hendren recognize you for discussion that'll be the motion on the floor at the moment. Yeah I wanna speak against the motion which is also kind of speaking for the primary motion. Of all the times I've been down here this is probably one of the hardest. Debate for me to understand. We appreciate the million dollars for contact tracing. For two companies that testified they have one Marshallese Speaker. We had an outbreak in one of our communities that was so severe that the CDC Senate team down the Arkansas which they don't do to places routinely. To find out how we contain it. And they told us what steps we should take. To contain it and they said call on people on the phone and leaving messages represent Davis talked about it doesn't work too well with the normal population and it didn't work at all with this population you need to come up with a different approach. And we got arguments here today about process about about contractors arguing about it. Meanwhile we've got a population that is being devastated the population they don't trust as you know why they don't trust as I think everybody knows because we knew there islands almost out of existence. Causing long term health damaging consequences. We allow to migrate here and then they're faced with this problem and will approve sixteen million dollars for everybody else but then cut back on what we're trying to do to help these these folks as they're being devastated. The other thing that is just completely puzzling to me. Two months ago we were here debating about. Ready for business ready to go back to business grants. And we were so concerned to get that money out fast that even though eighty D. C. only ask for a hundred and twenty million we insisted that take a hundred forty million to make sure nobody got denied. We increase the request by twenty million dollars. You know the frustration that we showed when the pandemic unemployment insurance program was a mess. How can we not show the same sense of urgency for a population that has four hundred percent the rate of infection of the rest of the population. That has sixty percent of the death even though the only count for four percent of the population if there was ever a time that it is time for us to not delay it is this so I oppose that motion curtailing this at all and I hope that we'll pass the motion following. Press. Senator Clark you're recognized for discussion. Thank you Mr chair of first of point of order. We're not allowed to ask a question not in the discussion phase were not yes is that because of the rules a central chair. The. You know I'm. Gravely disappointed with the Our efforts with the Marshallese. Of what we've had in a the Clerk emergency for four months. How to help support exacted branch. Could do whatever they thought needed to be done. I haven't been asked up until Friday. Of my opinion on any of it. The. And to use the idea that. You just voted for sixteen million. But you didn't include the seven million in. Has a reason. That you need to do seven million more and that somehow the health department the hope is in capable of working with these people. Except that I mean are we are we that incompetent or we were not able to go out and find the people who know how to who have to work with these people and and how to and how to go through those channels everything because this is not going to just like when we we went from you know to from a hundred two hundred forty three million you know this this is not going to be the last request these piecemeal request we're going to continue to come. And everyone of them is going to be important and everyone of them is going to be you're lacking compassion. You know and if it what we're lacking is competency that's what we're lacking and we we need to quit turning money loose after four months we need to see a plan we need to see what it is we're doing I think that represent of Dotson has made a great motion and I support it. I'll take that motion. Adam immediate consideration to hear second. I have a second all those in favor say aye. All opposed. Eyes have it so therefore will move on to a vote on the substitute motion fourth. Four million represent Dotson correct me if I'm wrong four million dollars. Taken three million off the top for contact duration is that correct. It mostly but it's also directing the department of health to use three million of the sixteen we just approved to complete this contract for the total of seven million to go directly toward this contract okay committee anybody not understanding the motion or what we're voting on. All those in favor say aye. All opposed no. No seven. With that we're back to the original motion of Seven million dollars for the apartment health for northwest Arkansas council. So we'll go back to discussion. Motion for immediate. I don't have any hands a look twenty several callers no man's. So I have a media consideration for senator flowers I have a second. I have a second all those in favor. All opposed. Eyes have it. We'll move on to the motion of seven million dollars for department of health FOR the northwest Arkansas council all those in favor say aye. All opposed. Eyes have. I hear roll call us the the hands will roll call Senate first. Are we just roll call and I have a motion. Eight three hands. Anne three hands. I have three hands. Senator Ballenger. Senator Ballinger votes known senator bond. Senator bond vote yes senator Caldwell. Senator call the votes no senator Cheatham. Senator and has no alternate senator Chesterfield. Senator Chesterfield votes on a Senator Clark. Senate Clark what's known Senator Davis. Senator Davis has no alternate senator DISMANG. Senator DISMANG has no alternate senator eads. Senator it's both I Senator Elliott. Senator Elliot both eyes Senator English. Senator English votes by senator Flippo. Senator Flippo votes no center flowers. Senator flowers votes by Senator hammer. Senator hammer votes no center Hendren. Senator Hendren votes I senator Hester. Senator Hester votes I Senator Hickey. Senator Hickey votes no senator Ingram by Senator Ingram votes on a senator Irvin. Senator Irvin boats no center Johnson. Senator Johnson signed in will not go to is alternate center Malick. Center mount votes I Senator Rapert is not here Senator sample. Senator sample to know Senator Stubblefield. Senator Stubblefield votes no Senator Teague. Is not here Senator Wallace. Not here senator rice. rice fields I. Senator Bledsoe both I. Going to the house represent Bragg. Represent rex signed in we will not get was alternates represent Burch. Represent Burch votes I represent Cozart. Represent the first alternate represented Pilkington. Second alternate represent Gonzalez. Representatives all those votes No Representative Davis. Represent Davis votes by Representative Deffenbaugh. Representative and ball votes I represent Douglas if. Represent Douglas bills I represent Eubanks. Representative Eubanks those I represent Deborah Ferguson I represent Deborah Ferguson votes by Representative Kenneth Ferguson. Represent Kenneth Ferguson votes I represent filled in. First alternate represent Watson. Represent Watson votes I represent Charlene Fite. Charlene Fite votes I represent Lanny Fite. Review the Lanny Fite votes I represent Godfrey I represent Godfrey votes I represent Jean. He has no alternative represent love. Represent love those I represent Lowery. Represent Lowery bills I represented McNair. Representative narrowboats by Representative Miller. All represent Miller votes No Representative Murdock. Representative first alternate represent hollow well. Second alternate represented gray. Going to represent Payton. Present Payton votes now Representative Lynch. Represent Lynch votes I represent McCollum. Yes No alternate represent rushing. First alternate represent Warren. Represent warm votes by Representative shepherd yes represent shepherd both all I represent Lundstrum. Represented one from both by Representative Sullivan. Represents Solomon votes No Representative Vaught. Vaught those I represent would occur by Representative would occur votes I represented Womack. Yes No alternates going to represent Wooten he's not here represent brown. Represent brown votes by Representative Dotson. Representative Dotson those I represent Wardlaw. Represent Wardlaw votes by. Motion has passed senator Irvin I recognize you for your point of privilege. Yes thank you I'll be expecting that will set up compact contact tracing centers all throughout the state of Arkansas now so I wanted to say a point of privilege for that and that's probably the approach that we need to go that I'd like to see that in writing from the department of health as a strategy is how we're going to continue down this path because I think all areas of the state of Arkansas are important I'm also pointed for a privilege there is there is currently an emergency solutions grant program that I wanted to make members aware of the emergency solutions grant program is is actually designed for everything that we talked about today that is additional federal money that is additional direct from the cares act there's currently twenty three point seven million dollars sitting there we were going to and we were told we were going to maximize all federal dollars coming to the state of Arkansas there's no reason why any of these proposals before us could not have gone through that emergency solutions grant program with an existing twenty three point seven eight six eight five eight million dollars outside of the current care staring task force committee money there was a a grant that was open from June twenty ninth to July fourteenth that all these proposals could have gone through for complete funding outside of this cares money and I would encourage department of health U. M. S. north west or anyone else if you have nonprofit organizations that need to come together for an emergency solution which is what we just discussed that there's additional money outside the cares funding to be able to do that with and that maximizes all of our federal spends there's also community services block grants that are available for thirteen point five these are additional dollars for food and security for housing for rental assistance there are applications that are going to be opening up through DHS all of that with testimony that was. Is given in the public health committee meeting yesterday total outside of the cares money that's available is a hundred million eight hundred two thousand six hundred and one dollars for a variety of emergency food assistance programs child welfare systems child nutrition programs child care is still available and and again the emergency solutions grant program should have been taken advantage of. And with that kind of maximize our federal spends. And so I'd just encourage the department of health that we can coordinate with the department of Human Services and maximize all of our federal dollars coming into the state of Arkansas and I would encourage legislators to take note of all of this thank you for the point of privilege thank you and with that we have no further business we are adjourned.