Technology dominated the conversation among Grand Traverse County commissioners Wednesday, including a board vote to approve purchasing enhanced software to better screen and schedule county residents for vaccine appointments. The move comes just as Michigan is poised to significantly expand vaccine eligibility, with all adults over 16 to be eligible for doses starting April 5. Commissioners also approved an agreement to scan the county’s historical tax rolls so they are available for public viewing online, and agreed to hold an upcoming study session dedicated to solutions for increasing rural broadband connectivity.

Vaccine Scheduling Software
State grant funding designated for the COVID-19 response will cover the $31,375 price tag for the Grand Traverse County Health Department (GTCHD) to upgrade its software for screening and scheduling residents to receive vaccines.

County commissioners approved GTCHD to enter an agreement with Qualtrics Software for new registration software and a new dashboard – an agreement that also includes cloud storage, six months of tech support, and data integration with the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR), which tracks immunizations throughout the state. GTCHD Health Officer Wendy Hirschenberger said MCIR integration would be a “huge time-saver” for staff, allowing several employees who currently have to manually enter the state-required data to shift into other crucial roles at vaccine clinics.

The software is also expected to be easier for residents to navigate. County Administrator Nate Alger said the county’s previous scheduling technology was “efficient” – able to fill hundreds of appointments in a matter of minutes – but nonetheless created headaches for people confused by the screening and registration process. “The problem is there was just a lot of stress involved in trying to get an appointment,” he said. The new software allows each resident to enter their information only one time, at which point they will be filtered into queues for vaccines based on their eligibility group and available appointments. The software sends out appointment reminders for both first and second doses (when needed), conducts patient surveys, and sends electronic confirmation of a patient’s vaccinated status (pictured).

“As the priority groups get larger in number, this software is key for a smoother scheduling process and less staff time on the back end,” according to Hirschenberger. She told commissioners her department was already planning the software upgrade when Michigan announced that adults 16 and over with high-risk medical conditions will be eligible to be vaccinated starting March 22, and all adults over 16 will be eligible as of April 5. Though the first group has not yet been added to the GTCHD scheduling software – and next week's appointments are already fully booked – Hirschenberger told The Ticker rollout information on the expanded pool would be forthcoming later this week. GTCHD is also planning a public information campaign to educate residents on how to use the new scheduling software.

Alger told commissioners that Northwestern Michigan College agreed this week to allow the county to continue using the Hagerty Center as a vaccine clinic site through the end of June. “It’s a great spot and a great offer,” he said. Hirschenberger also said that in addition to GTCHD, numerous other locations are offering vaccine appointments, including Meijer, Rite Aid, Walgreens, some local primary providers, and clinics like Traverse Health Clinic. Grand Traverse County is leading the state in vaccinations of the elderly, with 80 percent of individuals over 65 having received at least one dose. An estimated one-third of county residents between the ages of 50 and 64 have received at least one dose, while a quarter of residents over 16 are now vaccinated. In total, Hirschenberger said, roughly 25,000 total doses will have been administered by the end of this week in Grand Traverse County.

Imaging Historical Tax Rolls
County commissioners approved a contract for just over $42,000 Wednesday with Graphic Sciences to scan a collection of historical tax rolls maintained by the Grand Traverse County Treasurer’s department.

According to Treasurer Heidi Scheppe, the historical tax rolls – which include the years 1975 and then 1985 through 1997 – are required to be accessible to the public. Because they are only available in physical form and housed in a basement room in the Governmental Center, individuals must currently “come to our office, request a key, and are able to view the documents as needed,” says Scheppe. Scanning all of the tax rolls – totaling an estimated 471,000 pages – will free up storage space and generate word-searchable documents that can be publicly accessed online, according to Scheppe.

The contract costs will be covered by the department’s foreclosure fund as an eligible expense. Scheppe told commissioners the department would also look at scanning older historically bound documents at a future date.

Rural Infrastructure Study Session
County commissioners agreed Wednesday to hold a study session in the near future with former Michigan Senator Jason Allen – who recently served as state director for USDA Rural Development in Michigan – on opportunities to improve rural broadband connectivity. The board also agreed to invite representatives from other local jurisdictions to attend the session.

Commissioner Betsy Coffia requested that staff research opportunities to help improve Internet access in rural parts of the county. Alger consulted with Allen, who mentioned approaches including having local utilities apply for financial assistance to join the smart grid, having local telephone companies apply for financial assistance through the Rural Telephone Act, and accessing funding through a ReConnect program that offers both loan and grant funding to communities to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. Alger said that while Allen is no longer with the USDA, he is knowledgeable about available programs and willing to meet with commissioners to talk them through options. A date is expected to be set in the coming weeks for the study session pending confirmation of Allen’s availability.