LATEST OPERATIONAL UPDATES FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY
PBC ORDERS, ACTIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
BARS REMAIN CLOSED IN PALM BEACH COUNTY
Palm Beach County bars remain closed pursuant to Palm Beach
Emergency Order 2020-024 and prior orders. Palm Beach County was approved to move to Phase 2 in an incremental, step-by-step approach and bars in Palm Beach County are not permitted to open in our current Step 1 of Phase 2 and they must remain closed until an additional County order is issued.
Emergency Order 2020-024 - Palm Beach County COVID-19 Phase 2, Step 1 Re-Openings
This order, which took effect at 12:01 a.m. on September 8, 2020, is authorizing additional business re-openings in accordance with the direction of Governor DeSantis and Step 1 of the Incremental Phase 2 Re-Opening Plan.
The link to Palm Beach County's Incremental Phase 2 plan is here:
PBC Phase 2 Plan
Click here to view Palm Beach County Emergency Orders
Palm Beach County has extended the COVID-19 State of Emergency until September 18.
*NEW* PALM BEACH COUNTY TESTING
Health Care District of Palm Beach County's Testing for Thursday, 9-17-20:
The Health Care District's
C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics [brumbackclinics.org] are providing safe, in-person medical appointments and pharmacy services at eight clinic sites throughout Palm Beach County. Patients can call 561-642-1000 to schedule an appointment for either a telemedicine or inpatient visit.
Rapid Antigen Testing Site
Rapid antigen testing is now available at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. The site will be open Tuesday – Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. for anyone 65 years of age or older, 5 to 18 years of age or anyone over 5 years old showing symptoms of COVID-19. Appointments are required. Registration can be done online at
www.tourhealth.com or by calling (866) 416-6341. Online scheduling is preferred.
Florida Atlantic Testing Site in Boca Raton
The site tested
149 residents today. The testing site is located at the FAU Tech Runway on the north end of the FAU campus at 901 NW 35th Street, Boca Raton, 33431. Appointments are required for testing. To make an appointment, call American Medical Response at 1-800-209-7919 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Testing is available to anyone over the age of 12, with or without COVID-19 symptoms.
South County Civic Center Site in West Delray Beach
The site tested
73 residents today. The drive through testing site is located at the South County Civic Center located at 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach, FL 33446. Appointments are required for testing. To make an appointment, call American Medical Response at 1-800-209-7919 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Testing is available to anyone over the age of 12, with or without COVID-19 symptoms.
Wellington Community Center Testing
The Village of Wellington has partnered with Premier Family Health to provide FREE walk-up COVID-19 testing for all western communities' residents age 12 and over. Health officials from Premier Family Health will conduct tests at the Wellington Community Center located at 12150 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington, 33414. Testing will be available daily by appointment, and is available for both symptomatic and asymptomatic residents. To make an appointment, call 561-753-2484.
Homebound Resident Testing
Residents eligible include homebound elderly or individuals with disabilities who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19
and cannot leave their homes to access one of the drive-up or walk-up test collection sites. Residents who believe they are eligible for the in-home testing option should call 561-712-6400 for a pre-qualifying assessment. The testing line is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
RESOURCES
PBC YOUTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO RESUME FREE IN-PERSON MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
In accordance with Palm Beach County entering Phase 2, Step 1 reopening, mental health services provided by the Palm Beach County Youth Services Department's Residential Treatment and Family Counseling (RTFC) Division will resume in-person services beginning September 21. Palm Beach County Youth Services continues to adhere to the CDC guidelines. Telehealth services will continue to be offered, based on client preference.
The RTFC Division provides Palm Beach County residents free family and individual therapy, parent training services, a certified trauma-informed care treatment program, weekly remote trainings on a variety of mental health topics, community based services including assessments, school-based behavioral health services and a court diversion program providing case management, case planning, referral advocacy and mediation.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. with locations in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Delray Beach and Belle Glade. Mental health services are offered in person or virtually, via Zoom Video and available in English, Spanish, French and Creole. Pease call 561-625-2540 to schedule an intake appointment. For a full list of mental health services provided by Palm Beach County Youth Services, please visit our
website.
*NEW* DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES PROGRAMS
FOOD ASSISTANCE
The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, through its Community Services Department (CSD), is providing direct assistance for food to eligible residents of Palm Beach County under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Palm Beach County will issue pre-paid debit cards to approved residents to purchase food. Eligible residents who experienced a loss of income as a direct result of COVID-19 and who are at or below 140% Area Median Income (AMI) may apply. The one-time benefit allowance is based on household size and maximum amounts is listed. Only one card will be given out per household, and all expenditures must be made by December 30, 2020.
Applicants must present evidence their household was adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in order to qualify to receive the prepaid card. Supporting documentation must be provided to prove income eligibility, such as last a pay stub or last filed tax return, valid government issued ID and Social Security card. Clients who received assistance for rental and utility services thru COVID Cares program may apply for the food assistance without uploading additional documentation. Eligible residents may apply for food assistance at www.pbcgov.com/OSCARSS. A list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found here. For more information, contact CSD's Contact Centre at (561) 355-4792.
RENT AND UTILITIES
The CARES Act Rental and Utility Assistance application is TEMPORARILY closed to allow sufficient time to process applications already submitted. The county will reopen the Rental and Utility Assistance Portal in October if funds are still available. Individuals can still apply for food assistance through the COVID-19 Assistance portal. Individuals who have already submitted applications can check their status at www.pbcgov.com/clientservicessearch.
Below is a chart reflecting the dollars that have been distributed as of 5:00 P.M. on Thursday:
|
Summary for Rent and Utility Assistance |
Count |
|
Total Services Received |
6699 |
| Services In Review | 3072 |
| Services Denied | 958 |
| Services Returned | 847 |
| Services Approved Pending Payment | 68 |
| CARES Rental & Utility Assistance Checks Issued | 1754 |
| CARES Processed Payment |
$2,931,026.80 |
EVICTION ASSISTANCE
The Palm Beach County Community Services Department has contracted with the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc. and Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. to provide county residents with free legal representation and assistance in handling landlord/tenant matters and past due payments through the Rapid Response Eviction Assistance Project (RREAP). The program is part of the CARES Act COVID-19. Individuals facing eviction may call the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County's Rapid Response Eviction Project at (561) 655-8944, ext. 328 or Florida Rural Legal Services at 1-888-582-3410.
PALM BEACH COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM ADDING SUNDAY HOURS AT SELECT BRANCHES
Palm Beach County Library System is offering Sunday hours at select branches. See
www.pbclibrary.org for locations. Visitors are required to wear facial coverings during their visit per County Executive Order 2020-010. A limited number of computers will be available with social distancing measures in place. Computer users are limited to one-hour sessions per day. Returned materials will be quarantined for 72 hours. Members are asked to return items through the book drop or automated returns and to place items removed from shelves on book carts for quarantine. Virtual activities are available through Zoom. To see what activities are available, visit
www.pbclibrary.org.
YOUTH SERVICES AND EARLY LEARNING COALITION PROVIDE CHILD CARE SCHOLARSHIPS TO WORKING FAMILIES AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners will provide funding through its Youth Services Department to the Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County to provide child care scholarships for qualifying families with school age children grades K-5 who may be participating in the School District of Palm Beach County's distant learning curriculum. Monies are made available through the county's CARES Act funding to meet the need of access to childcare services for those families affected by financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit
https://www.elcpalmbeach.org/.
UP-TO-DATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH COVID-19 DASHBOARD
To find the latest information about your specific zip code and other COVID-19 data, check out the Florida Department of Health
COVID-19 Dashboard. Also find more health/COVID-19 information in
multiple languages here.
PALM BEACH COUNTY FEEDING SITES
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Individuals with questions related to the coronavirus should call the Florida Department of Health's Coronavirus Call Center at 1-866-779-6121 which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week or email
mailto:COVID-19@flhealth.gov. They can also visit
http://pbchd.org for the latest health information. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Coronavirus COVID-19
For the latest information and updates from Palm Beach County, visit
http://pbcgov.com/coronavirus.