Today’s News for Coconino County District 2

The African Diaspora Advisory Council (ADAC) elected Khara House as its Chair, Amber Jones as its Vice-Chair, and Jermaine Barkley as Assistant Vice-Chair.

Khara House is a 10-year resident of Flagstaff and a passionate community member with a focus on service and “bridge building.” In addition to her role on ADAC, Khara serves on the boards of the Flagstaff Housing Commission, Flagstaff Shelter Services, NAMI Flagstaff, and Southside Community Association. Khara earned her bachelor’s degree from Messiah University and her master’s degree from Northern Arizona University (NAU).

Amber Jones has been a resident of Coconino County for the last 16 years. She is driven to connect, educate, and serve her community. In addition to serving as the ADAC Vice-Chair, she volunteers for the Arizona chapter of Postpartum International. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at NAU.

Jermaine Barkley has lived in Coconino County for nine years, working in the fields of criminal justice, mental health, and social work. In addition to his role as the Assistant Vice-Chair of ADAC, he is the Chairman of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Council for Blue Cross Blue Shield Arizona, and is the First Episode Psychosis Grant Coordinator for Health Choice AZ. Jermaine completed his Bachelor of Science in Psychology through NAU and Master of Arts in Sociology through Arizona State University (ASU).

The Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) elected John Haro as its Chair and J Michael Cruz as Vice-Chair.

John Haro serves as the Northeast Division Director in the Transmission & Distribution organization at Arizona Public Service (APS). During his 34-plus year career, John has earned the opportunity to hold various frontline and leadership positions throughout APS. In addition to his role as Chair of CHAC, John serves on the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Northern Arizona. John is also a proud Marine, having served four years in the USMC Reserves.

J Michael Cruz is an applied sociologist who currently works as the Director of Operations for Native Americans for Community Action, Inc. Michael holds a PhD in Sociology and has spent most of his professional life teaching undergraduate sociology courses at universities in Texas and Maine. In addition to his role with CHAC, J Michael sits on the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, the City of Flagstaff Beautification and Public Art Commission, recently served on a Flagstaff Unified School District Anti-Racism/Anti-Bias Task Force, and is currently part of the Arizona Hispanic Leadership Institute.

The Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council (IPAC) re-elected Sharon Singer Doctor as its Chair and Diana Cudeii as its Vice-Chair.

Sharon Singer Doctor is originally from Kaibeto, Arizona on the Navajo Nation and has resided in Flagstaff since 1990. As a Diné/Navajo woman, Sharon is of the Todich’ii’nii, born for the Tábaahá, and her grandfather’s clans are Kiyaa’aanii and Tl’izi lani. Sharon has earned two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree (M.Ed. Counseling-Student Affairs, 2009) from NAU. Since 2002, Sharon has been a member of IPAC. In addition to her involvement with IPAC, Sharon has been employed at Northern Arizona University for over 25 years and currently serves as the Director of the Office of Indigenous Student Success.

Diana Cudeii is of the Diné Nation. She is Maa’iideeshgiizhnii, born for Oozei Tachii’nii. Her paternal grandfather is Ashii’hi from Gadii’ahi (Cudeii), NM. Her maternal grandfather is Tachii’nii from Cove, AZ. Diana was born and raised in Shiprock, NM. She attended Diné College, University of New Mexico, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and Northern Arizona University. Professionally, Diana has been in the oral health field and has worked with city, county, tribal, state, and federal departments as a clinician, educator, researcher, liaison, and consultant. Diana has been a resident of Flagstaff for approximately 20 years and has been a member of IPAC for 14 years.

The Diversity Councils, established in 2001, are comprised of community members appointed by the Board of Supervisors who volunteer their time to represent and advocate for the communities they represent or have interest in. More information on and membership applications for Coconino County’s Diversity Councils can be found here: coconino.az.gov/2239/Community-Relations.

The County BEE will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, February 11, 2021 through February 12, 2021, 5:00 p.m. Each participating school will provide access to the online testing platform for each of the six students participating.

The 2021 Coconino County Spelling BEE consists of home, public, charter, and private school-students from throughout the County who won their school or district Spelling Bee.

Each year, the Rotary Clubs from Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, and Williams donate the monetary prizes for the top three spellers.

The winner of the County Spelling BEE will advance to compete with 26 other top spellers at the state level. The Arizona Educational Foundation State Spelling Bee is scheduled on Saturday, March 20, 2021, with the location and time to be determined.

The winner of the state bee will represent Arizona at the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in late May.

The County Spelling BEE is coordinated and hosted annually by the County Superintendent of Schools Office.

For information, please contact Kandi Slack at (928) 679-8070 or e-mail kslack@coconino.az.gov.

Coconino County is currently administering both Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations at the Fort Tuthill vaccination location to individuals in Phase 1a and Priority Groups within Phase 1b. The vaccine administered is determined by vaccine supply. Individuals eligible for vaccination cannot select a preferred vaccine type. There is no guarantee as to the type of vaccine available for an appointment time. Second vaccine doses will be provided using the same vaccine type as the first dose as required by the manufacturer. Appointments are required to receive a vaccination. Those without an appointment on the day they are seeking vaccination will be turned away.

Other vaccination site’s vaccine type may vary by location. Moderna is the only vaccine type being administered by partner sites located in Coconino County, until further notice.

Phase 1a includes healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents and staff.

Priority populations within Phase 1b include education and childcare workers, law enforcement and protective services, and individuals aged 65 and older.

Vaccination opportunities will open at a later time for other populations in Phase 1b including essential workers and adults with high-risk conditions in congregate settings.

Definitions of priority populations within Phase 1b are:

Proof of eligibility within the Phase 1a and Phase 1b priority groups is required. Those seeking vaccination are asked to bring proof of occupation such as a paystub, employment badge, a letter from an employer or a driver’s license or ID displaying date of birth. Those without proper eligibility identification may be turned away. The Fort Tuthill vaccination site is currently open to the defined eligible groups and is not opened to the general public.

Vaccine supplies continue to be limited at this time and appointments are available on a first come first served basis at the Fort Tuthill vaccination site.

There is no cost to receive the vaccine, however, individuals with insurance should bring their insurance card. No one will be turned away for lack of insurance. Individuals without internet access in priority groups (now including those age 65 years and older) or who require assistance with registration can call the COVID-19 Information Line at 928-679-7300.

Additional partner vaccination sites will be added as available. Coconino County Health and Human Services is actively working with state and local partners to facilitate agreements that will allow vaccine to be allocated for additional distribution outside of current operations, such as pharmacies and other private providers. This will help increase access to vaccine among priority populations.

The exact timeline of vaccine distribution among remaining Phase 1 priority groups and Phase 2 and 3 populations will depend on factors such as how many vaccine types have been approved, how many doses have been manufactured and allocated to Coconino County, how many individuals decide to get vaccinated, and other logistical factors. As more vaccine is available to more groups of people, more locations will open to provide vaccine. Eventually, COVID-19 vaccine will be available through doctors’ offices, pharmacies, clinics, outpatient providers, and other healthcare facilities.

Information as of 02/05/2021:

The Coconino County Health and Human Services has issued a new weekly report entitled COVID-19 Coconino County Weekly Update.

The report is updated weekly and includes a COVID-19 situation summary, key takeaways, demographic and geographic information, hospitalizations and testing data related to Coconino County residents.

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