When County Librarian, Carol Lloyd saw the opportunity to apply for a $10,000 grant through the CARES Act, she said she had a hard time figuring out what she could use it for. “I looked at this grant for a long time and almost let it sit, but my mind won’t let $10K sit on the table,” she said laughing.
So she called Shannon Ernst, Director at County Social Services and they kicked around some ideas and ended up with this plan. “She’s already got a program going where because of COVID she gives her client a tablet so they can access everything they would normally access in person, they can access online on the tablet,” said Lloyd. “There is also a training program to help people learn how to use it and there is a piece of it that CC Communications does for the internet access.”
Lloyd said Ernst was restricted with her grant for the tablets in that she could serve only the youth and senior citizens, “it’s the people in the middle that she has a funding problem with,” said Lloyd. “All I did was slot into what she was already doing.”
The $9,420 award came through the Nevada State Library and Public Records as part of the CARES Act Grant in an effort to expand digital network access, purchase internet access able devices and provide technical support services.
The Library is using that grant to provide nine Amazon 8 tablets for the access program through Social Services. Lloyd is working with CC Communications to do the purchasing and the set up and to make sure people have what they need. Ernst, through her office then identifies people with the need and then her team actually interfaces with the clients. When the clients are done using the tablets, they return them, they are cleaned up and used for the next person who may have a need.
Shannon Ernst reported at the last County Health Board meeting that the tablet program now has the capacity to serve 100 households in the community. “We are providing internet access and the tablets so clients can obtain not only medical assistance, and other health appointments, but they can do social activity and they can engage with their family,” she said.
“We’re finding this to be extremely successful,” said Ernst. “Our elderly population is really embracing the learning. We have someone who goes in and teaches them how to work the technology. They can just call if they’re having concerns and we can just walk them through it or we can respond in person if there are complications. We weren’t sure how this program would be perceived in the community but have found it very successful.”
“The Library is really happy that we can facilitate what Social Services is already doing,” said Lloyd. “We’re just supporting right in behind them, it’s all about relationships. It is so wonderful to be working with the caliber of people I am working with in Churchill County — Social Services, Mark Feest, those two — I lobbed it out there and we were able to turn this around.”
For anyone in need of internet access and a tablet through this program, contact the Social Services office at 423-6695.
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