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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8258 - INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No, 8258 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council July 11, 2000 "Arx Subject: Report on Innovation Grant to be received by the Animal Control Division of the Fort Worth Public Health Department. BACKGROUND On April 4, 2000, City Council approved M&C-G12875 authorizing the City Manager to apply for, and if offered, accept grant funds from the Texas Department of Health for innovative projects targeting children and public health. Officials with the Texas Department of Health only had $8.4 million available for innovation grants. They received 300 applications from local health departments, totaling $60 million. On June 5, 2000, The Fort Worth Public Health Department received notification that the Animal Care and Control Division's application had been approved for up to $168,849. The Animal Care and Control application was one out of 43 applications approved for funding. The program is expected to commence as early as July 1, 2000, and terminate on August 31, 2001. GOALS The goal of the Animal Care and Control grant program is to decrease the number of animal bites in the City of Fort Worth by instructing residents in bite prevention methods. Statistics show that most animal bites to children are caused by family owned pets. Statistics also indicate that children are more likely to be bitten than adults. Through the Animal Care and Control grant program, pet owners and potential victims can learn ways of avoiding possible bite situations. This education program will enable Fort Worth residents to lower the number of bite incidents they are involved in. Strategies to accomplish these results include: 1. Development of a Geological Information Surveillance (GIS) system specific to animal care and control. The system will focus on tracking bite incidents by: age of the victim census tract body part affected severity of injury race of the victim education level of the victim relationship of the victim to the pet owner activity of the victim at the time of the incident vaccination status of the pet breed, age and spay/neuter status of the pet any history of prior aggression/bite ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 825,8 00-11TE!41-0 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council July 11, 200,0 Page 2 of 2 4t x Subject: 06. -� 7873 Report on Innovation Grant to be received by the Animal Control Division of the Fort Worth Public Health Department. Data from the GIS will target populations particularly in need of bite prevention programs. Instruments developed for this program, as well as valuable lessons learned during its administration will serve as a model to other municipalities seeking to decrease animal bite incidents in their community. Results of the program will be shared with the Tarrant County Veterinary Medical Association, the North Central Texas Animal Shelter Coalition, the Texas Animal Control Association, the Texas Federation of Humane Societies and made available to the general public by postings on the Internet. The Public Health Department recognizes that a plan for information dissemination is vital for replication. In addition to utilizing the Internet, the city will disseminate the findings in publications from organizations such as the Texas Animal Control Association, the North Texas Animal Control Association, and the National Animal Control Association. 2. Provide an in-depth bite prevention program targeting both children and adults aimed at lowering the individual's potential to be a bite victim. 3. Provide an in-depth bite prevention program targeting pet owners to encourage responsible, watchful and conscious supervision of pets. PARTNERSHIPS EQUAL PREVENTION Bite prevention programs will include partnerships with utility companies, banks, and other businesses asking them to include informational flyers in their billings. It will also include partnerships with veterinarians to educate pet owners and the public school systems to educate children and teachers. Contact points for the adult population will be neighborhood associations and citizen groups, businesses with employees at risk for bites, senior citizen organizations, and churches. Neighborhoods identified by the GIS study will receive concentrated proactive intervention programming, Quality control measures will include periodic performance evaluation of program objectives, hierarchy of supervision, ongoing training for personnel, and evaluation of the data. Dogs are wonderful companions and by acting responsibly, pet owners can reduce dog bites and enhance their relationships with their pets. JB Terr itv M ity Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS