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The Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas (PACT) is pleased to work with Austin Public Health COVID-19 Response Team who are holding a FREE PPE distribution Event!

Community Attendants 

Saturday January 23, 2021 

11 am to 3 pmT

Housing Authority Parking Lot and Garage

1124 S IH 35 frontage road

Next to the ADAPT office 

Masks and Social Distancing Required

For more information call 512-650-6543      

ADAPT gathers on sidewalk at 11th & Congress by the Capitol for press conference

To celebrate Freedom Day, Martin Luther King’s birthday, a small but stalwart band of ADAPT folks gathered in front of the Texas Capitol in Austin for a press conference to support getting people out of nursing homes and into community living with Money Follows the Person, MFP. Nursing homes have been shown by COVID 19 to be death traps for way too many, and that nursing facilities and other institutions are not the way to provide services to people with disabilities and older Texans. Yet for decades Texas leadership has ignored this reality and continued to build up that system and only begrudgingly provide community alternatives.

ADAPT luck was on hand, as Cathy and Ron Cranston spotted the Governor posing for a picture on the Capitol grounds.  They were able to pass on our message to one of his body guards and yell to him as he turned tail and hustled inside.  Despite his disability, Governor Abbott has little regard for the plight of his fellow Texans with disabilities, as has been shown time and again.

ADAPT of Texas and the Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas (grassroots disability rights organizations) have been fighting to end the institutional bias in long term services and supports  for people with disabilities since 1990. 

Call the decision makers below and tell them we want the Texas Legislature to reform the long term services and supports system by:

• Directing HHSC to use the federal Money Follows the Person funding to get and keep people with disabilities and older Texans out of nursing facilities and other institutions;
• Increase wages and benefits of Community Attendants to $15 per hour;
• Fund the Diversion of people with disabilities and older Texans from nursing facilities and other institutions;
• Assure Community Attendants get adequate PPE and are a priority for vaccinations;
• Assure support services and housing are separate.

Gov. Greg Abbott      Messaging – 512.800.843.5789, 512.463.1782

Switchboard – 512.463.2000 

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick – Office – 512.463.0001   Messaging – 512.463.5342

Speaker of the House Dade Phelan – Office – 512.463.1000

Speaker Pro Tem Joe Moody of the Texas House of Representatives – 512.463.0728

Senator Jane Nelson – Chair of the Finance Committee – 512.463.0923

Sen Lois W. Kolkhorst – Chair Senate Health & Human Services Comm 512.463.0118

In this “hunger games” roll out of the COVID vaccine it’s not easy to find where to go, even if you are eligible in the priority system.  This handy website seems to have some good info though, so we are sharing it in hopes of making your search easier.

www.https://tdem.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=3700a84845c5470cb0dc3ddace5c376b

click here

If you go there you can type in your address and a list will pop up of places to try and sign up for the shots.  It shows how far away they are and how many of which vaccine they have.  It’s probably a little behind real time info but much better than nothing. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-MUST SIGN UP

Due to high demand, we may experience technical issues and your submission may not go through. If you receive an error message, please try re-submitting.

If your symptoms are very bad, immediately go to a clinic or hospital, or call 9-1-1

(symptoms include chills, confusion or hallucinations, cough, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, muscle aches or pain, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, sore throat)

Use this free online tool to schedule a no-cost COVID-19 test or to pre-register for vaccination for you or a loved one at a local Austin Public Health facility.

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access will be provided upon request. If you cannot access a location because of problems with transportation, internet, email, or computers please call 512-972-5560.

Please note: The information you give is private and confidential by law and will be maintained in confidence.

• You will not be asked about your immigration status.
• The assessment, test, and vaccine are free.
• Completing a vaccine pre-registration does NOT guarantee that you will receive the vaccine or be guaranteed a scheduled vaccine appointment.

Before you start

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. To help keep your information secure, please create an account. Per Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements, you will need a separate email address for each person seeking a test or vaccine, including children.
2. You will need to answer a few questions about symptoms, travel, and contact you’ve had with others to determine if you need testing.
3. If you and/or a loved one qualify for a COVID-19 test or vaccine, you will be able to schedule the location, date and time.

If you would like to schedule testing or pre-register for the vaccination, please click the button below to create an account.

You MUST Create an account

https://covid19.austintexas.gov/s/?language=en_US

Delco Activity Center

Sports complex in Austin, Texas

 4601 Pecan Brook Dr, Austin, TX 78724

Nancy Crowther

ADAPT/PACT