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Y2K Center to Monitor Possible Y2K Problems Affecting Healthcare, Public Health and Vulnerable Populations |
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Y2K and
Society will conduct a monitoring project to assess the impact of Y2K
failures in critical areas nationwide. The Center will contact hundreds of
organizations around the country, beginning the week of January 3rd, and
report its findings to government agencies, the news media and the public.
"We want to make certain that those individuals most likely to be overlooked by Y2K monitoring are given a voice should failures affect them," said the Center's executive director, Norman L. Dean. "Our aim is to identify problems that might not otherwise be detected for months. We will use information we collect to identify issues that require action by government, nonprofit organizations, foundations, or private corporations."The Center will operate a phone bank to call organizations most likely to be aware of Y2K breakdowns. In addition, individuals and organizations are encouraged to report Y2K problems to the Center via fax (202-775-3199) or e-mail (y2kproblems@y2kcenter.org). The Center will issue regular updates about what it learns and post them on the Center's Web site at www.y2kcenter.org.Because experts expect the "millennium bug" to be a lingering problem well into the New Year, the Center will make calls routinely over the next few months to gather information about Y2K-related problems and their impacts. The Center's outreach will focus on those areas that are known to be problematic: healthcare, public health, and programs that serve especially vulnerable populations.HEALTHCARE. The nation's healthcare system is lagging far behind on Y2K preparedness. Many nursing homes and small rural and inner city clinics are not completely ready, and concern also remains about the readiness of Medicaid in some states. The Center will be calling small health clinics, nursing homes, and state-administered health benefit offices nationwide. It will also be contacting state health departments. PUBLIC HEALTH. An October 1999 survey by Texas A&M University found that 86 percent of small and medium-sized chemical plants had not completed preparing for the rollover. An analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Y2K and Society found that, according to the water industry's most recent public data, less than half of drinking-water utilities were prepared, and only four percent of wastewater treatment facilities were Y2K-ready.The Center will be serving as the hub of an in-depth system monitoring Y2K problems in hazardous facilities, through calls to firefighters, trade union chemical workers, facility managers, elected officials, and local environmental and community organizations. The Center also will call local water utilities.VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. Key government benefit programs serving especially vulnerable populations such as the low income, the elderly, children, and medically dependent have been reported as at risk for Y2K problems. These include such programs as child support, unemployment insurance, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and food stamps. Many nonprofit organizations also are believed to be unprepared. To assess any Y2K problems with this social safety net, the Center will be calling food banks, key government benefit programs, information referral centers, and nonprofits that provide critical human services to vulnerable populations. The Center joins other efforts in assessing Y2K problems. The President's Council on Y2K Conversion will be operating a command center, as will many states, cities, localities and corporations. The State of Utah and Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT), co-chair of the bi-partisan Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, will be staffing a Utah Y2K monitoring facility over the New Year. With the Center's assistance, local Y2K activists have developed a Web site where grassroots groups can post problems, called the Grassroots Information Coordination Center (GICC). These postings can be accessed at www.coalition2000.org/GICC.htm. The Center for Y2K and Society -- a project of the Tides Center -- is a Washington-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce the possible societal impacts of the Y2K problem.SOURCE Center for Y2K & Society WEB SITE: http://www.y2kcenter.org/ |
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| Posted January 1, 2000. |