Rensselaer County was recently honored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) for four innovative programs that have been implemented or expanded to serve residents. The annual NACo Achievement Awards program recognize innovative County government programs from across the nation that are the cutting edge of public service or government efficiency and effectiveness. The following four services and initiatives were recognized:
Naloxone Now
This effort provides residents with an opportunity to obtain Narcan through curbside delivery to help fight often fatal drug overdoses, and is done on a no-questions asked basis. This was instituted during the pandemic to combat the opioid crisis.
RenscoCares
This effort is an expansion of the ER Anywhere program introduced by the County in 2019. The ER Anywhere program is a partnership between the County, United Concierge Medicine, CDPHP, and health care providers to leverage tele-health to provide health care assistance and advice while avoiding unnecessary and expensive visits to emergency rooms for Medicaid recipients. The RenscoCares program expands that service to all residents.
Rensselaer County Home-Delivered Meals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Because of health concerns for seniors during the pandemic, County Executive Steve McLaughlin expanded the ability for seniors to receive home-delivered meals in early 2020. Prior to the pandemic, the County was delivering over 400 home-delivered meals through the County’s Department for the Aging. During the height of the pandemic, the Aging Department was delivering 1,500 meals each day to seniors. Today, there are between 600 to 700 meals delivered each day.
Rensselaer County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Pandemic Response
The County established its first independent site for COVID-19 testing in 2020, and in early 2021, set up an independent site for COVID-19 vaccinations, coordinated with the County Health Department and Director and the Bureau of Public Safety. To date, the County has provided over 50,000 vaccinations. The volunteer Medical Reserve Corps helped staff those efforts; during the pandemic, there were 3,048 MRC volunteers serving with the County, for a combined total of 26,000 hours during 120 events.
“We are proud and humbled to see our work recognized. Several important innovations to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for Rensselaer County residents were recognized with awards from this prestigious national organization. Rensselaer County appreciates the recognition and support from NACo for this work. Also appreciated is the hard work and dedication of our team at Rensselaer County, who continue to expand services despite difficult challenges like the pandemic. They have provided outstanding service and innovation at a time when it was needed most,” Said Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin.