May 30, 2019
The City of Tuscaloosa recognized the exceptional community service efforts of four members of the ACTION Program on May 15, 2019.
ACTION team members Paige Parish, Reid Galyon, Yolanda Williams and Brianna Parrales worked with other Tuscaloosa civil agencies like the fire and police departments to go into the underserved Section 8 housing authority community of Creekside on the west end of Tuscaloosa.
The interdisciplinary task force was assigned to assess housing code violations, fire hazards and address immediate needs. ACTION Program Coordinator Paige Parish said the majority of the ACTION team members were asked for resources to access food supplies. They also handled case management and basic medical assessments.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox led the meeting and personally thanked each of the individuals receiving recognition for their efforts in the Creekside community.
“I appreciate everyone taking what we had and making a difference in the face of what can often seem to be overwhelming odds,” Maddox said.
The planning committee has scheduled additional service sweeps in other Tuscaloosa low-income level communities.
ACTION (Appropriate Care and Treatment in Our Neighborhood) is a partnership of Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue and The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences. The ACTION Program is designed to meet less critical medical needs of the community and reduce costly hospital emergency room transports of people with low-level emergency conditions.
