Kitty Roche, a Public Health Nurse Manager in the Health and Human Services Agency was the recipient of the Senator Daniel Boatwright Award presented at the California State Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Conference.
The award is California’s highest honor for individuals working in SIDS. Roche was honored for her many contributions to Californians touched by SIDS. The recongnition specifically mentioned her role in creating the letter sent to hospitals promoting the importance of safe sleep instructions to new parents before taking their baby home.
Roche is a member of the California State SIDS Advisory Council.
Residents of Lakeside, Ramona and the surrounding unincorporated areas in San Diego County can recycle their used passenger tires for free at separate "Tire Amnesty-Day" events on Oct. 23 and Nov. 6.
Since the State banned disposal of whole tires at landfills in California in 1993, the County of San Diego has offered amnesty days and public education for recycling and disposal of tires funded partially through state grants.
Local agencies are coordinating with the County Office of Emergency Services to participate in the first test of the Commercial Mobile Alert System, or CMAS, a national system which uses new technology to automatically send text messages with emergency information to cell phones.
The County of San Diego Board of Supervisors debuted two new 150,000-square-feet, four-story office buildings today at its County Operations Center, which is being redeveloped to replace a cluster of outdated and inefficient buildings. The new buildings were designed and constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards.
“These new buildings are wonderful examples of environmentally-friendly architectural design and will be at the new gateway to the campus,” said Chairwoman Pam Slater-Price.
This $188.5 million first phase of the COC development construction project includes the two office buildings, a new central plant, utility infrastructure, and a multi-level parking structure with more than 1,800 parking spaces, which will be complete in February.
“Co-locating many of these departments allows the County to operate more efficiently,” said Vice-Chairman Bill Horn.
Supervisor Ron Roberts, a former architect, said, “For decades to come now, the new County Operations Center will provide the public with better accessibility to key services.”
The environmental design extends to the landscaping.
“In this third year of drought, the design team selected low-water-consumption and low-maintenance plants and groundcover, which serves as an attractive example to the public,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
“This project created hundreds of construction jobs and will ultimately save taxpayers money by replacing aging, inefficient buildings with a modern, energy-saving campus,” said Supervisor Greg Cox.
The next phase of construction will involve the two buildings that mirror the ones that debuted today and a 15,000-square-foot conference center.
More than 750 adults and foster children attended the 25th Annual Foster Family Picnic at Admiral Baker Field. The fun-filled day was hosted by HHSA Foster and Adoptive Resource Family Services and the Foster Parent Recognition Coalition, with help from generous community partners.
The County’s Health Strategy Agenda was promoted at booths sponsored Public Health and the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program. Public Health Nurse Anita Secor and WIC staff provided information about health and nutritionto help foster families eat well and stay healthy. Families enjoyed apples, bananas, and other healthy food items. They also received toothbrushes and BPA-free water bottles.
Child Welfare Services staff from each region ran activity booths for children. Other County contributors included Options for Recovery, Polinsky Children’s Center and the Probation Department. Lunch and activities were provided by community donors including the Boomerang Gourmet Burger Joint, California Fruit Company, CVS Pharmacy, Islands Restaurants, National Exchange Club, San Diego All Star Clowns, and Souplantation.
Children enjoyed petting llamas and therapy dogs and highlights of the day included characters from the San Diego Star Wars Society raffling a collection of Star Wars collectibles donated by Gabriel Andres Martinez, and ten brand new bicycles donated by National City Rotary Club.
San Diego County Library introduces a pilot after-school program at the Vista branch, with an emphasis on programs that have been cut at public schools.
The Health and Human Services Agency's Aging & Independence Services received a Challenge Award from the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) at the Oct. 14 County Board of Supervisors Meeting. AIS was honored for its innovative TEAM SAN DIEGO program.
TEAM SAN DIEGO is a training program for healthcare and social service providers to improve service delivery to the aging and disabled populations, especially those with chronic conditions. The program consists of eight online modules, self-contained slide presentations that are recorded by a different, highly regarded local instructor who is an expert on the subject matter presented, and one in-class session to reinforce and practice the lessons learned.
The goal of this program is for multiple providers to work together to improve access to comprehensive and coordinated health and social programs for individuals with complex needs. The program works to improve care coordination that will allow the chronically ill to remain independent in the community and reduce unnecessary emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and nursing home admissions.
Although the program is still in progress, 125 health, social, and supportive service providers have completed the training so far.
A new $1.5 million grant will allow about 250 non-violent parolees to be diverted to Reentry Court over a two-year period. The program helps lower the recidivism rate and saves tax payer money.
County leaders, including Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Pam Slater-Price, Sheriff Bill Gore, and Health and Human Services Director Nick Macchione, have launched a collaborative initiative to combat teen drinking and driving and to promote safe driving.
This initiative’s priority will be to reduce the rate of alcohol and drug-related crashes among teenagers; educate teen drivers and their parents; promote responsible driving behavior, and publicize the dangers associated with underage drinking and driving.
The United Sates Congress has designated the third week of each October is designated National Teen Driver Safety Week, bringing national attention to teen driver safety.
More than 750,000 San Diegans suffer from a mental illness. That’s enough people to fill Qualcomm Stadium 10 times! One in four adults and one in five children suffer from mental illness in San Diego County. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with mental illness keeps many people from seeking treatment and from beginning the road to recovery.
The five-year, $8.4 million prevention and education campaign called “It’s Up to Us,” launched September 13 by the HHSA Behavioral Health Services division, aims to encourage San Diegans to get help, whether they have postpartum depression after having child, post traumatic stress disorder from combat, general anxiety or more serious disorders. The campaign’s goal is to get people to talk openly about mental illness and to seek help because recovery is possible.
You may have already seem campaign messages that have begun to appear on television, radio, newspapers, Internet, billboards, movie theaters, bus shelters and buses. Messages are produced in both English and Spanish, and geared to change the way people with a mental illness are viewed or view themselves. The campaign is funded by the Mental Health Services Act—Proposition 63, a millionaire’s tax which was approved by voters in 2004. The Act directs funding toward six components to help bolster mental health care in California, including prevention, training, and innovations.
To learn more, visit The “It’s Up to Us” Web site at www.Up2SD.org or www.Up2SD.org/nosotros is available in Spanish. The site provides information, resources, and referral to the County’s 24/7 Access and Crisis Line: (800) 479-3339.
A specialized segment of the campaign addresses educating physical health doctors, to help them help their patients with mental illness, and includes an ambassador program. Behavioral Health Services’ Clinical Director, Dr. Marshall Lewis, published an article to support the campaign in the August, 2010 issue of San Diego Physician (p46), which also runs a full-page ad. For more information: www.MDHelpSD.org.
