[College Hill Topeka] Safety Information, , National Night Out, St. Patrick's Day, Updated COVID Information

Thu Mar 11 07:00:45 CST 2021

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Judy Wilson <jwilson at safestreets.org>
> Date: March 10, 2021 at 2:32:13 PM CST
> Subject: Safety Information,, National Night Out, St. Patrick's Day, Updated COVID Information
> 
> 
> Good afternoon,
>  
> I hope you are looking forward to this year and that COVID-19 may decline soon. Since COVID-19 we are unable to meet in person, but I want you to know that we are still here to provide services to you. I hope you are staying safe and healthy during this difficult time. 
>  
> Several neighborhoods are having their neighborhood watch meetings by Zoom and we can help you with that.  Currently, we have 142 neighborhood watches. The neighborhood watches include neighborhoods, Neighborhood Associations, Neighborhood Improvement Associations, homeowners’ associations, apartment complexes and senior living complexes. Many of the neighborhoods are contacting their neighbors to update their email/phone tree.  The neighborhood leader will send me the updates and I will email the updated email/phone tree.  Some neighborhoods are communicating through email, by phone, Nextdoor or their neighborhood Facebook page.  You can always email any issues to jwilson at safestreets.org and I will email you or call me at 266.4606 and leave me a message. I will call you back.
>  
> National Night Out
> I was informed this week that National Night Out will be held on August 7 unless there is a COVID restriction from the Shawnee County Health Department and then NNO would pivot the date to October. Stay tuned for information on National Night Out coming your way soon.
>  
> Neighborhood Safety
> Several people have called and emailed about crime issues in their neighborhood.  These issues are coming from all areas of town. One neighborhood asked about how to recognize suspicious activity in the area.
>  
> Neighbors May Observe:
>  
> High traffic – cars and pedestrians stopping at a home for only brief periods.  Traffic may be cyclical–increasing on weekends or late at night, or minimal for a few weeks and then intense for a period of a few days–particularly pay days.
> Visitors appear to be acquaintances rather than friends.
> People bring “valuables” into the home – TVs, bikes, cameras – and leave empty-handed.
> Visitors may sit in a car for awhile after leaving the residence or may leave one person in the car while the other visits.
> “Lookouts,” frequently younger people, tend to hang around the property during heavy traffic hours.
> Various signs such as people exchanging small packets for cash, people using drugs while sitting in their cars, syringes on the lawn, or other paraphernalia lying about.
> Regular activity at extremely late hours – frequent commotion between midnight and 4 a.m. on weeknights.  (Both cocaine and methamphetamine are stimulants – users tend to stay up at night.)
>  
> Landlords May Observe:
>  
> Failure to pay utility bills or rent, deposit and rent paid in cash, failure to maintain the house in appropriate condition, and/or general damage to the property.  Some dealers smoke or inject much of their profits - as they get more involved in the drugs, they are more likely to ignore bills, maintenance, housekeeping, and yard work.
>  
> Distribution:
>  
> “Distributors” are those who sell larger quantities of drugs to individual dealers or other small distributors.  They are the “wholesale” component while dealers are the “retail” component.  If the distributors are not taking the drugs themselves, they can be difficult to identify.  A combination of the following indicators may be significant:
>  
> Expensive vehicles that seem out of place for that area.  Some distributors make it a practice to spend their money on items that are easily moved – so they might drive a $50,000 car while renting a $20,000 house.
> Regular car switching, especially at odd hours – the people arrive in one car and leave in another.  You may also witness the switching of license plates.
> A tendency to make frequent late-night “deliveries.”
>  
> If you see or hear something like this email telltpd at topeka.org or cpo at topeka.org and there is a community policing hotline at 368-2500.  After you have reported this to the Police Department or Sheriff’s Office at 251-2200, contact me at jwilson at safestreets.org and we can work toward eliminating the problem.  We can work together to make your area safer.
>  
>  
> Be Safe This St. Patrick’s Day – Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk
> Whether you are attending the local parade in your neighborhood or meeting a few friends at the corner pub, remember to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day safely.
> 
> If you are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party:
> · Serve lots of food  -  particularly high-protein dishes  - be sure to include lots of non-alcoholic beverages, dessert and coffee.
> · Be sure all of your guests designate their drivers in advance or help arrange ride-sharing with 
> sober drivers.
> · Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy, and the keys away from anyone who is
> thinking of driving while impaired.
>  
> If you are attending a St. Patrick’s Day party:
>  · Don’t starve yourself before or during the party.  Enjoy food!
> · Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast.  Pace yourself and take breaks, alternate with 
> non-alcoholic drinks.
> · If impaired, don’t even think about getting behind the wheel.  Ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; call your local sober ride 
> program or stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.
> · And remember  -  Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk  -  Take the keys and never let a friend leave your sight if you think he is about to drive while impaired.
>  
> Impaired Driving is a Deadly Problem:
>  · More than 10,142 people died in alcohol-impaired driving-related crashes across the United States in 2019.
> · As average of one alcohol-impaired driving fatality occurs every 50 minutes.
> · Alcohol and drugs don’t mix.  Impaired driving is no accident.
>             *National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2019 data.
>  
> Impaired Driving Creates Serious Consequences:
> · Can cause death, disfigurement, disability and injuries.
> · Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, raised insurance rates, and 
> dozens of other unanticipated expenses, attorney fees, other fines and court costs, car towing and lost time at work.
> · Please remember  -  Don’t test your luck this St. Patrick’s Day.
>  
> Information on COVID Vaccine
> People are asking about the process for receiving a COVID Vaccine.  The vaccine is given according to age and the Phase designated by the Shawnee County Health Department.
>  
> Stormont Vail Health will be reaching out to patients 65 and older to schedule their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  They will be reaching out to eligible individuals in groups, based on their age.  They are currently contacting patients 71 and older via email to schedule their first vaccine.  There is no need to reach out to your primary care physician at this time to schedule the vaccine.  They are unable to schedule any vaccine appointments at this time. If you are a patient of Stormont Vail Health, you will receive a ticket in My Chart to schedule your vaccine appointment.  For COVID status update please call 270-0675.
>  
> The University of Kansas St. Francis Campus website announced that hospitals in Shawnee County began vaccinating Shawnee County teachers and school staff this week.  In addition, the booster doses are beginning to healthcare workers, essential workers, high contact workers and people 65 and older who received a first dose 21 days ago.  As a new supply arrives, they will continue to work through their list of people who have completed the form requesting a vaccine appointment.  Their supply of vaccine continues to be limited. They are calling individuals to set up an appointment.  If you want to be on the list, go to https://kutopeka.com/coronavirus to complete the appointment request form.
>  
> Another Way -  Also, the staff at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library are now prepared to complete the health department's Vaccine Interest Survey over the telephone on behalf of anyone who calls for assistance.
>  
> Ask-a-Librarian Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-9pm | Sat 9am-6pm | Sun Noon-9pm
> Call 785-580-4400 | email ask at tscpl.org | texting 785-322-4099
>  
> Shawnee County residents aged 65+ are in Phase 2a for the COVID Vaccine. The Shawnee County Health Department has a survey for those who want to receive the vaccine.  As vaccines become available in future allocations, people will be contacted for appointments. Residents can complete the form online themselves, or with assistance. Here is the direct link to the Vaccine Interest Survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6149227/Shawnee-County-Health-Department-COVID-19-Vaccine-Interest-Form
>  
> If completing this form online is a barrier, residents 65+ can call Ask a Librarian 785-580-4400 and a librarian will complete the form for them over the telephone.  An email is NOT required, and they can fill out noemail at noemail.com instead. Individuals would need to provide a telephone number.
>  
> Also, the Library staff use this page to provide local COVID Information/Referrals. https://tscpl.org/covid and it is updated weekly. 
>  
> Another Way –
> A media release was just received regarding Shawnee County moving to Phase 2B of vaccination Plan. In Shawnee County, Phase 2 has been broken into two sub-phases, 2A and 2B, to ensure equitable distribution. Beginning Thursday March 11, 2021, Shawnee County will enter into Phase 2B.
>  
> SCHD estimates that there are at least 25,000 individuals in Phase 2B and the Shawnee County Vaccine Collaborative anticipates a minimum of 4 weeks in this phase at current allocations levels from KDHE. As outlined in previous communications, individuals previously eligible to receive a vaccine in Phase 1 and Phase 2A will continue to be vaccinated.
>  
> Should the KDHE provide more allocations than expected, based on the current models they are utilizing, SCHD and the vaccine taskforce will update the timeline.
>  
> Workers included in Phase 2 must meet two qualifications:
> They must meet the definition of a critical worker as outlined by the Department of Homeland Security. 
> They must come into consistent and close contact with a large number of individuals throughout their workday. High-contact workers, by definition, do not have the ability to work from home or easily move to distance themselves from others.
>  
> Shawnee County Health Department in partnership with the Shawnee County Vaccine Collaborative have identified high-contact critical workers in the following two categories:
>  
> Any worker employed in the following industries:
> Food processing (includes meatpacking plants)
> Food distribution (includes grocery stores, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, coffee shops, food counters/cafeterias, meal delivery services, farmers markets, sale barns, food cooperatives and food trucks)
> Large-scale aviation manufacturing plants
> Transportation (includes railroad, airports, taxi, Uber/Lyft)
>  
> Workers employed in a specific role:
> Cashiers and public-interacting counter workers (includes within retail, cosmetic counters, jewelry stores, convenience stores, warehouses and sales outlets)
> Clergy
> Librarians
> Farm, ranch, or livestock workers who share worker housing/transportation
> Higher education faculty/staff
> Government continuity (e.g., IT, HR, Water/Solid Waste, Treasurer's office, Parks/Rec, Public works, Courts, Press/Media, Contracted services)
>  
> Scheduling is now open for individuals at all current vaccination locations in Shawnee County. Visit the SCHD Vaccine webpage (http://www.snco.us/hd/COVID19_Vaccination.asp) or KDHE’s Find My Vaccine tool (https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/160/Find-My-Vaccine) to find the closest vaccinating entity to you. For those employers who are partnering with a member of the Vaccine Collaborative to administer employee vaccinations, please schedule your vaccination through your employer.
>  
> All individuals are asked to bring a form of employment identification to their vaccine appointment. Examples include but are not limited to; name badges, paystubs or an employer letter confirming employment in a high-contact critical worker position.
>  
> Individuals or organizations that fit the outlined Phase 2 criteria, and who are interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine as part of Phase 2 are encouraged to complete the following survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6149227/Shawnee-County-Health-Department-COVID-19-Vaccine-Interest-Form.
>  
> Individuals that are unable to complete the survey online may call the COVID Hotline at 785.251.4949 for assistance in completing the survey.
>  
> Questions about COVID-19 vaccine can be directed to CovidVaccine at snco.us.
>  
> Additional COVID-19 Resources:
> Shawnee County Health Department: https://www.snco.us/HD/coronavirus.asp
> Kansas Department of Health and Environment: https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/
> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
>  
>  
> Please let me know if I can provide specific safety information to you or your neighborhood.  As always, we are here to help make neighborhoods safe. Stay healthy and safe.
>  
> Thanks
> Judy
>  
> Judy Wilson, CAP, OM
> Office Manager
> National Night Out Program Coordinator
> PARS | Safe Streets
> 2209 SW 29th Street
> Topeka, KS 66611
> Phone: 785.266.4606, Ext. 306
> Fax: 785.266.3833
> jwilson at safestreets.org
>  