New COVID-19 hotline provides resources, info for high-risk workers
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Public Health has launched a high-risk worker hotline to promote the safety and well-being of the vulnerable workers in our community.
The hotline can be reached at 512-493-4288 and is open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will be operational through mid-December and is available in any requested language.
The hotline is operated by Austin Voices for Education and Youth and provides information and referral services for front line staff who need assistance due to COVID-19. The services include legal case management, assistance applying for unemployment, and one-time financial assistance.
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Organizations workers could be referred to include Austin Area Urban League, Worker’s Defense Project, and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid.
“We are proud to work as a community to launch this hotline that will provide a variety of services for high-risk workers in our community,” said Stephanie Hayden, Director of Austin Public Health, in a news release. “It is an important step to assisting our vulnerable community members in a way that is helpful to them. We worked with many partners and agencies to figure out the best way to set up this service in a manner that is most useful and convenient for those who need it.”
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Officials say that for the hotline, a "high-risk worker" is defined as a worker who is one of the following:
- Is over 65 years of age
- Lives in a household with a resident over 65 years of age
- Has a health condition
- Is unable to work from home
- Has an income below 200% of the federal poverty level
- Is Black or Hispanic/Latinx
- Has been diagnosed with COVID and has not recovered or is still within the 14-day quarantine.
For more information, you can go here.
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