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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-12-14; Motel 6 COVID Exposure; Gallucci, Neil Police Department 2560 Orion Way  Carlsbad, CA 92010  760-931-2170 t Memo ID #2020266 Council Memorandum Dec. 14, 2020 To: Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council From: Neil Gallucci, Chief of Police Via: Scott Chadwick, City Manager Re: MOTEL 6 COVID EXPOSURE Background Ms. Vanessa Graziano is the founder of the Oceanside Homeless Resource that serves individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness from the cities of Oceanside and Carlsbad. During the COVID-19 crisis, her nonprofit has provided 35 short-term emergency hotel rooms for high-risk individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Ms. Graziano is a new 501(c)(3) that was formed in November 2019 in Oceanside. She receives much of her funding through private donations, churches, and “GoFundMe” pages. Sgt. Marshall and Ms. Nelson had first learned of Ms. Graziano’s program a few months ago, but they were unsure of the details and location of what she was doing. There had been some confusion and misinformation from the homeless community and hotel staff that Ms. Graziano was placing individuals at the Hyland Inn in Carlsbad. There were rumors that the “Homeless Outreach Team” had restarted their program and were placing individuals back into hotel rooms in Carlsbad. Sgt. Marshall called Ms. Graziano and left multiple voicemails, but she did not return his messages. He spoke to the Hyland Inn Manager and explained how the at-risk hotel program operated by Interfaith Community Services had ended and there was no affiliation with Ms. Graziano’s program. Incident On the morning of December 8, 2020, Sgt. Marshall received a call from Ms. Graziano. She shared with Sgt. Marshall that she is operating an emergency hotel shelter program in the City of Carlsbad and currently has 24 clients staying in 13 rooms at the Motel 6 off Carlsbad Village Drive. Sgt. Marshall and Ms. Nelson were unaware and had no information about her program at Motel 6 prior to that date. During the phone call, Ms. Graziano reported one of the residents recently tested positive for COVID-19 on December 6, 2020. The individual has been a participant of the program since Dec. 1, 2020, and reported feeling ill around Thanksgiving. He sought medical attention a few days ago at the VA Emergency Room, which is where he learned of his positive diagnosis. The participant was discharged from the hospital and returned to the motel program. Council Memo – Motel 6 COVID Exposure Dec. 14, 2020 Page 2 Ms. Graziano also expressed concerned about the client’s possible exposure to other individuals staying at the motel. She reported many residents go in and out of each other’s rooms and many of the meals are served in a congregate setting, so the risk for transmission could be high. She reported to Sgt. Marshall that four other individuals at the motel had verbalized symptoms of COVID-19. Ms. Graziano shared she did not know how to proceed and requested further additional assistance from the Homeless Outreach Team. Ms. Graziano shared she, herself, had been in close contact with the client and is symptomatic. She cited she has limited support at the “at-risk” hotel program and admitted there is very little supervision or program structure. Ms. Graziano stated she informed hotel management at the Motel 6 and said they are aware of the incident. Sgt. Marshall consulted with his supervisor, Lt. Jackowski, Interfaith Social Worker Manager, Public Health Nurse, and Homeless Program Manager, Ms. Holly Nelson, for additional support. Public Health Intervention Ms. Nelson made direct contact with Ms. Graziano to gather more information. Because of the recent exposure and active infection at the motel, she encouraged Ms. Graziano to reach out to the residents and educate them on the potential exposure and ask them to quarantine in their rooms. The Homeless Outreach Team’s Public Health Nurse consulted with her supervisor and they advised the team to reach out to the County Epidemiology Line to request additional testing resources and support. Ms. Nelson reached out to the County’s Epidemiology Line and left a voicemail on December 8 reporting her concerns about a potential outbreak at a nontraditional congregate care setting. Ms. Nelson received correspondence from the county who advised her to send a follow-up email with more specific information related to the incident. Ms. Nelson worked closely with Ms. Graziano and helped her email County Epidemiology with the name, dates of birth, and motel location of the individual who tested positive. She asked that Ms. Graziano cc’ her on all correspondence with the county, so she could be aware of the situation and help problem-solve if needed. Ms. Nelson received a call later that day by COVID-19 Case Investigator, Ms. Mara Rauhauser, BSN, RN, PHN, from the Epidemiology and Immunization Services Branch. She reported she was unclear of the present needs at the hotel. Ms. Nelson articulated the situation and the potential exposure to Ms. Rauhauser. She said she would consult with her leads and devise a plan. Ms. Nelson, Ms. Graziano, and Ms. Rauhauser worked closely together and engaged in multiple phone calls on December 9, 2020, to ensure accurate and timely information was being shared. In speaking with Ms. Graziano, she identified one confirmed positive, eight exposed individuals (including herself) and reported four of the residents who were displaying symptoms. She shared a few of the residents took public transportation on December 8 to the Rhoades Council Memo – Motel 6 COVID Exposure Dec. 14, 2020 Page 3 Community Center in Vista for community testing. Ms. Rauhauser discouraged any infectious clients from taking public transportation which could increase community spread. She told Ms. Graziano she would like to bring testing resources onsite to the motel. Ms. Rauhauser discussed the matter with the county’s testing team, but unfortunately, due to the high number of community outbreaks, they did not have the capacity to allocate resources to the site. Ms. Nelson reached out to one of her contacts at Vista Community Clinic who agreed to come onsite and provide community testing at the Motel 6 off Carlsbad Village Drive on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Vista Community Clinic said they will test all consenting participants in the program. Vista Community Clinic’s testing program is sponsored by the county, so this event will be posted on the county’s website and open to the public. There may be a chance outside Carlsbad residents may show up to test, but the clinic will be prioritizing the Oceanside Homeless Resource clients and they will only have the capacity to test up to 50 people. Vista Community Clinic said all individuals will be notified within two days by phone of their results. Ms. Nelson and the Homeless Outreach Team will be onsite the morning of the event to ensure everything goes smoothly. Ms. Rauhauser and Ms. Nelson coordinated with the Homeless Sector Lead and the County Hotel Placement Line. Due to the congregate setting and the risk of potential exposure, all of the 24 residents at the hotel were offered placement at the county hotel for 10-days in San Diego. The team asked Ms. Graziano to make contact with every guest and offer this resource. Out of the 24 individuals staying in the program, three individuals who reported having exposure decided to go into the County Homeless Placement resource. Many individuals declined this resource because of its location, concerns about their animals, and not wanting to be quarantined in their rooms for the entire 10-day program. Ms. Rauhauser spoke to the confirmed COVID+ client and conducted additional assessment questions about his current symptoms, date of onset, and possible infection dates. The individual appeared to minimize his symptoms despite conflicting reports from Ms. Graziano. Ms. Rauhauser asked for medical personnel to evaluate the individual in-person to determine his presenting needs. Ms. Nelson coordinated with the Carlsbad’s Fire Department and Homeless Outreach Team to do a welfare check on the individual. They screened the individual and determined he did not meet medical criteria for hospitalization. They reiterated the importance of the client staying in his room and self-isolating for a total of 14 days and when his symptoms improve. They encouraged him to reach out to medical personnel or his doctor if his condition worsens. Ms. Nelson continues to be in regular communication with Ms. Rauhauser, Ms. Graziano, Vista Community Clinic, and Homeless Outreach Team regarding the incident. This event is actively unfolding, and she will continue to seek supervision from the police department and will provide city leadership and City Council Members additional updates. Council Memo – Motel 6 COVID Exposure Dec. 14, 2020 Page 4 Legal Action Ms. Nelson called the City of Carlsbad’s business licensing office to see if Ms. Graziano’s nonprofit had a registered license on file with the City of Carlsbad. Ms. Nelson spoke to staff who said there was no license registered to Oceanside Homeless Resource or her business address in Oceanside. In talking with staff, they shared nonprofits were “exempt” from needing a business license to operate within the city. Ms. Nelson called the City of Oceanside’s business licensing department and asked if Ms. Graziano’s nonprofit had a registered license on file and staff reported no. Ms. Nelson asked if nonprofits were exempt from obtaining a license. The staff member stated, “all nonprofits need to a have a license to operate in the city,” but she transferred her call to a supervision for additional consultation. Ms. Nelson left a voicemail. Ms. Nelson called and consulted with Ms. Marissa Kawecki on Dec. 8, 2020, to explore if the City of Carlsbad had any enforcement authority against the Oceanside-based nonprofit homeless service provider for potentially placing homeless residents into a Carlsbad hotel with a known COVID-19 outbreak and she said no. She said although the Oceanside-based business is operating within the City of Carlsbad by placing homeless residents into a Carlsbad hotel, and would therefore appear to require a city business license, it is a non-profit entity and is therefore exempt from the city’s business license ordinance pursuant to Carlsbad Municipal Code section 5.04.08(c): 5.04.080 Exemptions. Nothing in this title shall be deemed or construed to apply to any person conducting any of the following businesses: (C). Any business which is conducted, managed or carried on only for charitable, fraternal or educational purposes, or from which profit is not derived, either directly or indirectly, by any person. There do not appear to be any other Carlsbad Municipal Code ordinances that would regulate this entity’s conduct under the circumstances. 1) The city does not have a contract with this non-profit (no privity of contract), therefore the city has no enforceable contract remedy against the entity. Likewise, the non-profit and its clients (homeless residents) would not have any claim against the city for any negligence, wrongdoing, etc. by the non-profit. This analysis holds true even though the city and its contractors and the non-profit entity may share certain Carlsbad homeless clients. Council Memo – Motel 6 COVID Exposure Dec. 14, 2020 Page 5 2) While the city cannot give legal advice to homeless residents, these residents could have a civil claim against the non-profit entity, the Carlsbad hotel, or others if they suffer damages as result of being placed in a Carlsbad hotel with a Covid-19 outbreak. However, that would be a matter for homeless residents to pursue independently. CC: Celia Brewer, City Attorney Holly Nelson, Homeless Program Manager