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An Ordinance amending and supplementing the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances, Division 2, entitled "County Government Operations," through the creation of a new Article 300, entitled "Area Agency on Aging," in order to establish a 211 Senior Service Contact Line within the County in order to provide immediate assistance to seniors.
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WHEREAS, in July, 1998, Pennsylvania enacted the Older Adults Protective Service Act, designed to formally address concerns about abuse and neglect of older Pennsylvania residents; and
WHEREAS, since the passage of this legislation, over 100,000 reports of abuse and neglect of older residents have been made in Pennsylvania, with 1,477 reports having been made in Allegheny County last year alone.; and
WHEREAS, the legislation establishes a program for detecting abuse or neglect, then reduce, correct or eliminate it; and
WHEREAS, the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging provides a variety of services to the County's older residents, ranging from adult foster care to nursing home services, assistance with health insurance coverage, mental health services and support, veterans' services and assistance with property tax abatements; and
WHEREAS, although the Area Agency on Aging currently operates a hotline that can be called by individuals at any time to report instances of abuse or neglect, this hotline can only be reached by dialing a ten digit number which may not be commonly known, and which may prove difficult to remember or dial for some of the County's aging residents; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of Council to create a single, three digit telephone number for the County's older residents to report instances of abuse and neglect, as well as to function as a one stop access point for the other services offered by the Area Agency on Aging;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby enacts as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Allegheny County Code of Ordinances, Division 2, entitled "County Government Operations," through the creation of a new Article 300, entitled "Area Agency on Aging," and comprised of the following new section:
Article 300
Area Agency on Aging
§300-1. Establishment of 211 Senior Service Contact Line
Not later than 180 days from the effective date of this Section, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and Area Agency on Aging shall establish and maintain a 211 telephone number to facilitate the ability of the County's residents to report incidents of the neglect or abuse of elderly County residents, as well as to allow elderly residents to secure other assistance or services that they require from the Area Agency on Aging.
SECTION 2 . Severability.
If any provision of this Ordinance shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Ordinance which shall be in full force and effect.