T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Jamie Betts, coordinator of the Belmont County CARES program, updates Commissioner J.P. Dutton and others Wednesday on his process of helping residents navigate available services.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Community Access Resources Education and Solutions program, launched in late 2022, is connecting residents with services and navigating them to the best means of assistance.

Jamie Betts, coordinator of the program, updated county commissioners Wednesday about the first quarter of the program’s progress. Betts said he began by reaching out to residents to make connections and build relationships, then kicked off 2023 with home visits and referrals, visiting almost 90 homes across Belmont County. He said a home visit usually lasts an hour and a half to two hours.

“I’ve been in every corner of the county,” he said. “The goal is to find referrals or find people with issues, that’s anything from finding doctors — we have people that aren’t going to physicians offices, that don’t have resources they need. That’s anything from meals to home health, anything really. Then following along with them to make sure their needs are met.”

He has received 1,391 calls since November, with numbers increasing each month.

Betts said the type of assistance provided has been varied.

“It’s anything from helping someone find housing to getting them food security. Anything, like home repairs for the elderly,” he said. Other assistance includes helping newborns get immunization and adults find health insurance and vehicle and food assistance.

“I serve anybody from birth through the elderly,” he said.

Betts said he has worked with some homeless people to find them housing.

He noted 68 percent of the people he has helped are age 65 and older.

Betts said many of the referrals come from family and friends. There are also self-referrals. Information about the program is posted on social media and sent to seniors who receive home-delivered meals.

He also works with EMS and hospitals, the county health department and Job and Family Services to provide informative handouts.

“Toward the beginning, most of my job was explaining who I am and what I do and what I can do. Now I’ve built a lot of relationships,” he said.

Commissioner J.P. Dutton noted the progress.

“The program is starting to take hold and is starting to gain the attention of residents of Belmont County,” he said. “It’s a great snapshot of the program.”

In answer to a question from Commissioner Josh Meyer, Betts said he foresees a need to expand the program due to the high demand for services.

Senior Services of Belmont County Director Lisa Kazmirski commented that much of the assistance can be provided through senior services.

“We get a lot of calls, and a call is: ‘How do we get ahold of that Jamie guy?’ I try to ask questions first,” she said. “He’s doing that all day long, and I know a lot of agencies can’t screen those calls for him. As soon as people learn about him, and that he’s available, I think it’s nonstop.”

She added many seniors have expressed an interest after Betts has visited a senior center or left information.

“It’s nice to have that point of contact, because we get calls from other agencies,” Kazmirski said, adding some involve clients younger than 60 and Betts has been valuable in finding them services.

Deputy Health Director Robert Sproul said his agency is working with CARES.

“We’re referring a lot to Jamie,” Sproul said.

Betts said he has tried to be responsive.

“It’s kind of a unique situation. When someone calls senior services or the health department, they don’t typically have the ability to go out that day or that week and handle the array of issues,” Betts said, adding a typical visit could begin with arrangements for meal delivery, then Betts might observe a need for medical and dental services or for transportation.

Betts added he attempts to prioritize calls, with medical needs taking precedence over assisting to install smoke detectors.

“Right now I’m managing. Expanding at some point would be very helpful to clear up some calendar space,” he said.

In answer to a question from Commissioner Jerry Echemann, Betts said the highest demands have been for assistance with home health and emergency services.

“A lot of it is people need help in their homes, so that’s finding what they’re eligible for, looking at them on an individual basis,” he said.

Cumberland Trail Fire Chief Tim Hall, from the fire district where Betts works, said he is proud of what the program has accomplished so far.

“We thought we knew what the statistical data was going to be, and it’s far surpassed what we thought,” Hall said. “We know that there’s a need, and we’re exploring ways to expand internally and externally.”

The CARES program can be reached at 740-827-0004 or jbetts@cumberlandtrailfire.com.