LUEG Head Wins “40 under 40” Award

Sarah Aghassi, our Deputy Chief Administrative Officer/ General Manager for the Land Use and Environment Group, has been named one of San Diego Metro Magazine’s “40 Under 40.”

The award honors young business and civic leaders who are changing  the region’s future, the publication says.

Aghassi oversees LUEG and its seven departments: Public Works; Environmental Health; Planning and Land Use; Parks and Recreation; Agriculture, Weights and Measures; Air Pollution Control District; and the Farm and Home Advisor. Together, the departments have a workforce of 1,550 people and an annual operating budget of $400 million.

Previously, Aghassi was director of our Office of Strategy and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Outside of work, Aghassi serves on the board of directors of the San Diego Spine Foundation and the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund, according to San Diego Metro. She has been volunteering for more than seven years with a local grassroots, volunteer-run nonprofit organization, Dollar-A-Month Fund, which raises funds to support efforts throughout the world to improve the lives of children, the magazine notes.

Puppy Clothed in Love

A County animal control officer’s generosity and tender heart have transformed a waifish puppy into a dapper dog.

Over the weekend, Officer Gina Raygosa picked up the 1.9-pound, 7-week-old terrier that someone dumped along a deserted Potrero road. A Good Samaritan had found the animal huddled by the roadside and called Animal Services.

Off-duty on Sunday night, Raygosa went shopping and bought the teeny puppy a full wardrobe, including a "Top Dog" T-shirt, a sweater, and a skull-and-crossbones collar.

Upon seeing the presents, Raygosa’s supervisor jokingly asked the officer if she would be packing the puppy’s suitcase when he was adopted. Without hesitation, Raygosa pulled out a small satchel she had also bought the pup.

County animal control officers have to be tough....but they clearly have a soft side too.

Deputies Awarded Governor's Medal of Valor

Sheriff's deputies Scott Bligh (left) and Gary Kneeshaw

Two of our own have been awarded the 2010 Governor’s Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor.  Deputies Gary Kneeshaw and Scott Bligh were honored for their actions on August 21, 2010. The ceremony took place Wednesday, September 14 at the State Capitol in Sacramento.

On August 21, 2010, shortly after 1:00 p.m., ASTREA was asked to assist on the ‘Monte Fire’. The fire was at the east end of El Monte Road, in Lakeside, and would eventually burn approximately 1,000 acres.

While en route to the fire, the Sheriff’s Communications Center advised ASTREA 1, piloted by Deputies Kneeshaw and Bligh, they had received a cell phone call from two rock climbers in the area, who believed they were in danger and needed immediate rescue. A cursory search for the climbers yielded no results, until a request was made of the GPS coordinates from the climbers’ cell phone company. After flying to these coordinates, ASTREA located the two climbers, however, due to their location, the fire aircraft was not a viable option for rescuing them due to the steep rocky terrain.

Due to the rocky south face of El Cajon the pilots realized they would not be able to land anywhere near the climbers and the only option for their rescue was through a ‘toe-in’ maneuver.

During their initial ‘toe-in’ Deputy Kneeshaw estimated the flames were between 50 and 75 yards downhill and burning toward them. Initially, the crew planned to load both climbers into the aircraft, but due to the steep drop-off under the aircraft and the winds that they were fighting, the plan was aborted. Only one of the climbers could safely be loaded onto the ship. Deputy Kneeshaw then stayed behind with the second climber and awaited ASTREA’s return.

While waiting, the wind created from the fire was becoming stronger and 15-foot flames approached within 20 feet of their location. Deputy Kneeshaw and the climber began moving laterally along the slope away from the rapidly advancing flame front.

As Deputy Bligh flew back into the area, all Deputy Kneeshaw could see through the dense smoke was the landing light on the aircraft. With the wind continuing to bounce the aircraft around, Deputy Bligh was barely able to maneuver the ship into the toe-in position. As Deputy Kneeshaw loaded the climber into the front seat, he realized the flames were now within 10 feet of the tail rotor. Deputy Kneeshaw climbed onto the helicopter skid and yelled to Deputy Bligh to liftoff.

With embers blowing throughout the aircraft cockpit, Deputy Bligh flew through and eventually out of the smoke and down to the valley floor with Deputy Kneeshaw standing on the skid for the entire flight.

“The courage these deputies evidenced during this operation goes beyond remarkable,” said Sheriff Bill Gore. “We often take for granted the miraculous life-saving flights these pilots make on a frequent basis. They do so without thinking twice about their own safety and with great humility. I am honored to know them personally and have them as deputies on our department.”

Deputies Gary Kneeshaw (left image) and Scott Bligh accept plaques flanked by California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Governor Jerry Brown.

Finding their Voice in Arts

Working with local artists and the Family & Youth Roundtable, HHSA's Children’s Mental Health program directors offered a summer art program for youth receiving services within the County’s provider systems.

“Voice in Arts” provided kids from the San Diego Center for Children, and others, ranging in age from 9 to 16 with an opportunity to learn fine art techniques and gain a voice - a way to express themselves through the creative process.

On October 22, to raise awareness of the program, and raise funds to continue it, there will be a gala event at the Space 4 Art, the co-operative organization that has donated studio space, artist time, and supplies for the classes. Established in 2010, Space 4 Art provides work and work/live studios for local artists, in San Diego’s East Village. The participating artists work on and in the building to keep costs down, and they also contribute to education and resource development.

Artists who have taught classes to the youth free of charge:

• ·         Ben Dehart – chalk art
• ·         Meghan Berkeley Augustine – colored pencil
• ·         Valerie Henderson/Marcy Gordon - monoprinting
• ·         Isaias Crow – storyboarding with colored pencils

At a Theater Near You… "Contagion" Reminds Us to Wash our Hands

A movie called Contagion that opened last week supposes the worldwide spread of a new and deadly virus that also infects society with crippling anxiety and panic.

Director Steven Soderbergh has said the film’s plausibility is what makes it disturbing. The production employed infectious disease and public health experts from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control to verify that the horrors portrayed on screen were possible.

Our County’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Wilma Wooten, hasn’t seen the film yet. But its premise— that a virus previously only found in animals jumps to a person, spreads human to human, and, with the help of international travel, nation to nation, infecting and killing thousands or even millions worldwide before a vaccine is developed…

“Certainly it’s possible,” Dr. Wooten says.

Now that is disturbing.    

Still, our top County physician thinks a film dramatizing a worst-case-scenario pandemic may start some conversations about how we all share responsibility for preventing infectious disease, particularly in the case of an emerging disease, when authorities have no vaccines to offer the public.

“There is no rapid way to develop a vaccine,” says Wooten.  “At first, the most important steps to combating an epidemic are preventative measures, washing your hands regularly, keeping your area clean, staying home when you’re sick.”

The film plays up the mundane and microscopic pathway of disease.  In one scene, a researcher glances around a restaurant and spots a dozen places the virus could infect a patron, including a drinking glass, a cook handling food, a fork and a coughing mouth. It’s an unsettling, but educational, sequence.

And it certainly supports some of our Public Health Services most oft-repeated advice: wash your hands frequently; cover your cough.

 “You are going to have people who see this and get more vigilant about protecting themselves from infection,” says Wooten of the film.

Fortunately, the film is fictional, and in modern times our community hasn’t had to deal with a global infectious disease that spreads, kills and defies containment on the scale of the virus in Contagion.

Then again, in spring  2009 when the novel H1N1 influenza virus appeared in San Diego County, there were certainly fears it could be quite deadly and pervasive—we just didn’t know at first.  For many County employees who played a role in responding to that pandemic, it will be interesting to reflect on what we experienced here and its parallels to the response of the government, medical community and public depicted in Contagion.

In real life, how did we even realize we had a new flu on our hands? Well, County Public Health Services relies on sentinel clinics around the region that routinely send us lab samples from people who come in with symptoms, so we can monitor the infectious agents circulating in the community. In  late March  2009, we received a few samples that we couldn’t type. According to our protocol, these were sent to the Centers for Disease Control. In April, the CDC had identified the new H1N1 strain in our samples, and in one case from Imperial County.

Surveillance was stepped up around the nation, but in San Diego County and elsewhere it soon became clear by examining flu data and samples that the new disease was already widespread. It was too late to contain it to a few cases. Now its spread could only be lessened. This was a time of unease and uncertainly.

While researchers worked on developing an effective vaccine, our public health team implemented its plan for mitigating an epidemic.  

Public health investigators tracked closely the cases of people who were hospitalized or who died after getting H1N1. In some cases, these patients’ close contacts were given anti-viral medication to lessen their symptoms.

Our health officials took part in regular conference calls with the Centers for Disease Control to contribute to and benefit from the collective understanding of the new virus.

By the time a vaccine had been developed and produced in October, the pandemic flu was slowing in our region. And though there were deaths, the vast majority of people who got sick recovered. We held press conferences and events urging vaccination for H1N1 flu and regular seasonal flu.

These days, the H1N1 vaccine is part of the regular seasonal flu vaccine dose. This year, you can do your part by getting a flu vaccine, staying home when sick, covering your cough and washing your hands frequently.

The H1N1 pandemic showed that our County is prepared for a novel virus, and that, if we should see another, we will all be called upon to play our part in preventing its spread. We were fortunate  not to have a Contagion-style killer on our hands. 

The County’s response to the H1N1 novel virus was illustrative of how we’re ready with plans, protocols and personnel to deal with the unknown. 

That thought should make the movie Contagion just a little less scary.

Links

Interesting information on Contagion and epidemic investigations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Official Contagion website and trailer

County Helps Change Lives Through Technology

Thousands of San Diego County residents do not own a computer or have access to the internet at home.

For more than a decade, the County has been trying to change that by donating older computers to the San Diego Futures Foundation (SDFF), which in turn refurbishes the computers and provides them at low or no-cost to non-profits, schools, and low-income families.

“This is great benefit to individuals because they can receive a computer without spending money often needed for other critical expenses. It provides families with access to software and the internet – which many of us take for granted,” said Harold Tuck, County Chief Information Officer and one of 14 foundation board members. “The benefit to organizations that receive computers is the financial advantage of receiving refurbished machines as opposed to buying new equipment.”

Since the program was created in 1999 by the County Board of Supervisors, SDFF has provided more than 27,000 computers and 25,000 hours of low-cost technology support to our community. Each year, the County, through HP Enterprise Services, replaces roughly 1/3 of County employee computers. The used computers are then sent to SDFF to renew. Finally, the computers are available to nonprofits and qualified individuals in San Diego County.

This year SDFF opened a Community Technology Center where residents can learn about technology and receive technical assistance with their computers. The Tech Center is located at 4305 University Ave., #130 in City Heights.

For more information on the program or SDFF, visit sdfutures.org or call (619) 269-1684.

National Preparedness Month: A Time to Remember, a Time to Prepare

The Navy is a strong presence in San Diego County so in times of emergency, it comes as no surprise that we work hand in hand to deal with any regional crisis. The recent blackout underscored that cooperation. The Navy took its ships in port off the local power grid until power was restored to millions of residents in the County.

As a result of this and many other examples of cooperation, Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Horn presented the National Preparedness Month Proclamation to Navy Region Southwest (NRSW) for its leadership and continued commitment to the County of San Diego. NRSW Chief of Staff Captain Markham Rich and NRSW Director of Operations Joe Stuyvesant accepted the proclamation during the September 13 board meeting. Office of Emergency Services Interim Director Herman Reddick took part in the presentation. National Preparedness Month commemorates the tragic events of 9/11 and is observed every September. In recognition of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, this year’s theme for National Preparedness Month is A Time to Remember, a Time to Prepare.

“When something like that happens, it doesn’t just happen to one entity, the Navy or the County. We have to work together,” said Stuyvesant.  “No one can deal with emergencies in isolation,” said Captain Rich, “Everybody has resource challenges and we lean heavily on county and state emergency providers and hope they do the same for us.” 

The Navy provided critical firefighting personnel and equipment during the 2007 wildfires and participates in local preparedness exercises. In turn, NRSW established a seat for County Office of Emergency Services staff members at its Regional Operations Center.  

HHSA Training Hundreds to Recognize Suicide Warning Signs

Suicide claims the life of about one San Diegan every day. Last year, 372 suicides were reported in the region. But suicide is preventable. Most individuals contemplating suicide often display one or more warning signs.

On September 2, County and local mental health officials held a news conference to announce the availability of trainings to educate people—police officers, teachers, ministers, doctors, nurses, firefighters, parents, friends and many others—about the warning signs of suicide and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

Trainings will occur in September for 600 participants, and again in November for 300 more. Later in the month of September, the County will release a community Suicide Prevention Action Plan. The campaign is a part of the Live Well, San Diego! 10-year strategy toward Fostering Safe Communities and encouraging people to seek help and reduce stigma.

The It’s Up to Us campaign website (www.Up2SD.org) has resources for suicide prevention, helping others, and taking action. Help is available 24/7 by calling the County’s Access and Crisis Line at (800) 479-3339.

Lessons Learned from the Blackout

What worked for you?  What didn't?  Here's what your fellow County employees are saying.  Thanks to those who wrote and sorry we had to edit some of your responses down - too much good stuff!

I didn’t plan on it, but I just happened to have a large flashlight and a battery-powered radio at home. But I realized I didn’t have any non-perishable food. The whole experience showed me that I need to be better prepared for an emergency.
-Joann Ghianni, HHSA

I almost exclusively communicated via text during the blackout and when I needed to convey messages to a large group I found that sending one message to multiple people was much more efficient than making numerous calls to various individuals. 
-Thomas Johnson, HHSA

A battery operated radio is the most important thing, flash lights and candles too.  Candles are so inexpensive you can keep them on hand.
Target stores remained open and accepted cash and all credit cards. During the blackout they operated on a back-up power source.
A family emergency plan should be in place for all families.
-Darrin Knox, Probation

What worked:

1. Was glad I had bought a 10-hour backup battery for my cell phone.
2. Had some great new LED flashlights. 
3. Brought my solar garden lights indoors.
4. My portable battery-operated radio was great. 
5. Happy to have bought some big multi packs of batteries at Costco which I store in my refrigerator so they last longer.
6. Was lucky I filled up my gas tank the night before.  But that was just luck—I’ll make sure I keep it no less than half-full from now on.
7. Had plenty of staples like peanut butter and canned goods on hand.  Had enough bottled water/soda to last for a few days.

What I’d change:

1. I’ll be sure to keep more cash on hand. 
2. I’d buy a bigger water storage container—like a two or three gallon one.
3. A portable battery-operated TV would have been nice!

-Tony Potter, Sheriff's Dept.

Have a fully stocked emergency kit on and that has (among other things) flashlights – one for each member of the family, as well as battery powered lanterns and a radio, and plenty of extra batteries and light bulbs.
Have extra ice on hand if you have the freezer space (minimum of one 10-pound bag if possible), and it is a good idea to put a bag of ice in a cooler as well for use in cooling beverages without opening the freezer door repeatedly.
-Steven Kelly Gaffrey, Dept. of Planning and Land Use

I was pretty much prepared:

Flashlight for every room;
3 Gallon Gas Can (filled)
Water for 3 persons for 3 days (3-24pks bottled water)
Batteries
Battery operated candles
Canned food
Charcoal & Grill
Transistor Radio
Camping dishes, plastic utilities
Baby wipes (to freshen up)
Small Utility (Battery Charger, Air compressor, electric /USB plugs, large work light)
CELL PHONE/CHARGED LAPTOP/w/data card  --SOCIAL NETWORK
PLACE to meet family members if communication breaks down; PLAN B if traffic/transportation not available.

MISSING:  ICE –CASH ON HAND!!  

-Debra Mantack, HHSA

What Worked

UPS Battery. I had an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) backup battery handy, typically used to shut down a computer properly in the event of an outage.
Matches/Propane Grill
Cell Phone + Social Media.  Figured out immediately that the event was countywide when friends all over were reporting the outage.  People should know how to turn off certain features of their smart phones to prolong the life of the battery.

What Didn’t Work

Had an old battery-powered walkman, but no external speakers for all of the family to hear.  Ended up using my cell phone’s speaker to play back the IHeartRadio app streaming KOGO600 over a spotty 3G connection. 
I could have used a cigarette lighter (D/C to A/C) inverter if I needed to plug-in devices and run it off the car.
-Arnold De Guzman, Communications Office

Keeping a generator for cooling the home having elderly parents
Water bottle
Extra flashlights and batteries
Making sure keeping a care changers for my cellular phone
Enough Gas in the car
Keep some cash on hands as the credit machines were not working at no stores
Keep some non-perishable food
And the battery operated radio to get the news.
-Nasar Tahmass, HHSA

I learned the importance of having a car charger for my cell phone and having a working radio!
-Norma Swales, Health and Human Services Agency

One thing that did not work for me is not having a battery operated radio. I felt isolated from the rest of the world.
-Lane Hicks, Auditor and Controller

What worked: Having small camping lantern or multi-purpose torches (flashlight/lantern/blinking beacon) instead of candles since fire is a concern with a toddler around. This would be especially true if there had been an earthquake since I have gas appliances.  Each family member had their own lantern (which the kids loved), they were bright enough to read stories by, and are stored in the same drawer as the batteries. 

Lessons learned:  1) eat what’s in the fridge (if within a few hours of the power outage) since I threw it out the next day anyway, 2) have more shelf-stable milk on hand (just have to rotate it out since it only lasts a couple of months).
-Nina D. Constantino, Health & Human Services Agency

Because local cell phone service was not possible, I called (my pre-designated) out-of-state relative who was able to call my older daughter and pass along a message to pick up my younger daughter and go home.
-René Van Vreeswyk, Department of Environmental Health

We used glow sticks that we had previously purchased from the dollar store. They come with a string so we hung them from our neck. It lit the area around you well enough that you could easily see to navigate through the house, and of course the kids loved them.
-Jerry Terry, San Diego County Library

My husband and I have a generator and that worked great (make sure you have gasoline around to power it)!  Also I had bought my husband a radio that is powered by a crank (special arm on the side) and that worked perfectly! 
-Rebecca J. Williamson, San Diego Superior Court

I keep a flashlight and an emergency supply kit in the trunk of my car.  
-Beverly S. Randolph, Office of Emergency Services

What I needed

My son has obstructive sleep apnea and sleeps each night with a sleep apnea machine. I have delayed purchasing a power backup system for emergencies, opting instead to use an overnight stay at a hotel for such rare occasions. However, a simple boat battery, inverter and multi-purpose power source, sometimes used for camping, is an inexpensive back-up system. This configuration lasts at least 8-12 hours.  It will be a purchase I make next payday.
-June Kopplin, Registrar of Voters

I am keeping my home land line and my “non-cordless” phone: when, during the blackout, my cell phone was not operational, the land line worked perfectly.
-Elisabetta Pastorelli, Office of County Counsel

We decided to put as much food from our refrigerator into our freezer and it was cold enough to save what we did have, especially a new gallon of milk and eggs.  The Items were still cool enough at 1:00 a.m. when the power came back on.
-Jocelyn Wingate, Public Defender

I have two small solar lamps outside of my home. They only cost a couple of dollars at Walmart. But I took them out of the ground and used them inside during the blackout.
-Rosa Ybarra, HHSA

In my home we had plenty of flashlights and batteries. We also had a few candles.  Two things I wished I had, a radio and a small grill. We had bread, peanut butter, jelly and some crackers. But I had no way to heat up water. That won’t be happening next time though.
-Adela Valdez, Probation

My husband and I keep some battery operated motion sensor lights in our closet, the bathroom and on the front/back porch areas. While we spent most of the time outside, we brought these sensor lights into the living area and guest bathroom so that anytime we walked into the house we had light. The fact that they are not on all the time helps to save the batteries.
-Robin Siota Breeding, Forensic Conditional Release Program

if your emergency supplies are in your garage, make sure to have the key to disengage the garage door from the electronic garage door opener.  Otherwise, you won’t be able to open the garage door during a power outage.
-Mark Saalwaechter, Agency Budget Office

That I was right to have flashlights in every room.  My husband doesn’t make fun of me anymore.  Ha!
-Kathy Zeller, HHSA

I’m so glad that I purchased a phone that did not need electricity to work.  I found this great phone set at Costco where the main phone could work without being plugged to the power.
-Norma Gabriela Pugh, Registrar of Voters

Fall in Love with a New Furry Friend

Fall is quickly approaching, which means cooler weather and indoor activities—the perfect time to cozy up with the furry love of your life. And now through Oct. 31, County shelters are inviting the community to Fall in Love by reducing animal adoption fees to $25.

The San Diego Humane Society, the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility, and the Escondido Humane Society are also participating.

If you’re looking for a cat or rabbit, the County says, “It's Better with a Buddy.” That means if you can adopt two kitties or bunnies for one low fall adoption fee of $25 from the County’s three shelters in Carlsbad, San Diego and Bonita. 

The reduced adoption fee includes microchipping, spaying or neutering, vaccinations and a veterinary exam.

For more information on the Department of Animal Services click here.