Discounted Padre Tickets Available on Strike Out Stroke Day

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May 7 is Strike Out Stroke Day at Petco Park.

You can celebrate it by watching the Padres take on the Dodgers. Stroke survivors will be at the game to share their stories and to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms, and how to prevent stroke. 

A limited number of tickets for the game are available at discounts of up to 40 percent. The seats are in various sections, from the upper infield to the field plaza. Prices range from $12 to $35. You can get them at padres.com/sos using the password SOS17. For groups of 10 or more, please mail Jenna Sain at jsain@padres.com.

It’s is the sixth year the County is partnering with the San Diego Padres and the Stroke Consortium to raise awareness about stroke and the negative impact this disease is having in the region. The effort is part of the County’s Live Well San Diego vision of safe, healthy and thriving residents and communities.

If you can’t make it to the game, but still want to learn more about stroke, here is some basic info.

There are three things you can do to prevent a stroke.

You’ve probably heard the advice before, but may not know it goes for stroke as well.

  1. Exercise
  2. Eat healthy foods
  3. Don’t smoke

“Stroke can be prevented,” said Nick Yphantides, M.D., chief medical officer for the County Health and Human Services Agency. “If you do these three things on a regular basis, you are greatly diminishing your risk of having a stroke.”

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and kills about 1,000 San Diegans every year.

So what can you do if you or someone near you is having a stroke?

It is extremely important that you act F.A.S.T. and call 9-1-1 immediately. F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke and stands for:

  • FACE: Is a side of the face droopy or is it numb? Is the smile uneven?
  • ARM & LEG: Is there weakness, numbness, difficulty walking?
  • SPEECH: Is there slurred speech? Does the person have difficulty speaking?
  • TIME:Time is critical. If you notice any of these symptoms call 9-1-1 immediately.

“Knowing the risks and signs of a stroke can make the difference between life and death,” Yphantides concluded.

Results Announced from Count of Homeless

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The results are in.

The Regional Task Force on the Homeless today announced the results of the 2017 Point-in-Time Count which shows there are 9,116 homeless men, women and children. (News conference video)

We know how many homeless people are in the region because hundreds of County employees were among those who hit the streets in late January to help count them. A total of 515 employees participated in this year’s count.

The Point-in-Time Count gives a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness throughout the San Diego region. The numbers help the region identify solutions on how to best serve this vulnerable population.

The Board of Supervisors believes this is such a worthy cause that employees who participate in the count can do it on County time. In recent years, County employees have accounted for about a third of all volunteers needed to count the homeless.

Last year, there were 8,669 homeless people in the San Diego region, the fourth largest homeless population in the nation behind New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle.

For more information on the Point-in-Time Count results, click here.

Come ‘Right This Weigh’ to Wellness

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Get on the path to better health. Come “Right This Weigh” for the Employee Wellness Program’s next quarterly challenge, which is open to both teams and individuals.

The Right This Weigh challenge focuses on six behaviors: no snacking after dinner, eating breakfast every day within 2 hours of waking, not consuming sugary or sweetened beverages, getting five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, sleeping 7 to 9 hours a night, and taking 10,000 steps per day.

Participants will track the six healthy habits online or through the Right This Weigh app. Each entry helps move you along an interactive trail. Whether it’s Pennine Way in England, Rim of Africa Trail in South Africa or Japan’s Tokai Nature Trail, you are in for a journey! Participants have the ability to log a variety of activities that are converted to steps so anyone can join. If you wear a fitness trackers such as FitBit, don’t forget to sync your device to auto log your daily steps.

Plus, contestants can log their weight each Monday and can earn bonuses for losing or maintaining their weight.

Register now through May 5. The challenge is May 1 to June 25.

Prizes will be awarded to top individuals and teams.

Employees requiring accommodation should email dhrwellness.fgg@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Gallery: New ERG for Employees with Disabilities and Allies

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The DiverseAbility ERG joined nine other established employee resource groups at the County on Friday with a launch event.

DiverseAbility ERG President Karen Brain thanked dozens of County employees and welcomed new members to the celebration. Brain, an administrative analyst with the Health and Human Services Agency, explained that the formation of the ERG was a long time in the making and truly needed. She spoke about her own disability and the importance of allies to this diverse community.

“This isn’t a ‘them’ issue. It’s an ‘us’ issue,” said Brain. “Because at some point in everyone’s life they are going to deal with disabilities, whether you are a caregiver, whether you are the person who has a disability, whether it’s temporary, whether it is permanent, whether it’s tomorrow, 10 years from now, whenever. At some point, every single person in the room and every single person out there will have to deal with it. It is an ‘us’ issue.”

Michele Crichlow, executive sponsor of the newest ERG, said she hopes the group provides a safe and welcoming environment for people with disabilities and their allies to share their stories, be heard, understood and supported.

In addition to live music by DiverseAbility Treasurer Derek Embalsado and other musicians, appetizers and networking, the newest ERG had an inspiring guest speaker. Alex Montoya, a triple amputee, talked about growing up in San Diego, working for the Padres, participating in two marathons and overcoming numerous obstacles. He is now a motivational speaker and author.

DiverseAbility will focus on education-based opportunities, connecting employees and residents of San Diego with resources and community partners and social events.

Each ERG works to enhance cultural awareness, support workforce outreach, recruitment and retention, promote County initiatives though partnerships with departments and community based organizations and provide professional development and networking opportunities for members.

To learn more about DiverseAbility ERG, contact Karen Brain at 858-636-3531 or karen.brain@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Help CECO Hit a Home Run with Padres Fundraiser

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Pitch in to help the County Employees’ Charitable Organization! Buy tickets to CECO’s second annual fun-raiser at Petco Park on May 20 when the Padres take on the Diamondbacks. A portion of every ticket sold will go directly back to the nonprofit, which has served as the charitable arm of the County of San Diego since 1956.

Discounted tickets are available to County employees and their family and friends. Tickets are $30 for field pavilion level, $40 for field box level and $75 for unlimited food and beverage/beer in The Landing. Plus, the Padres are giving away a fedora to each ticketholder at the game.

So gather up a group and get ready to root, root, root for the home team. The event is sure to be a hit. Head over to the online box office now. Ticket sales close at 11:59 p.m., May 8.

For more information, please contact Detra Williams at detra.williams@sdcounty.ca.gov.

And the Ethics Video Award Goes To…

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That’s a wrap!The Office of Ethics and Compliance announced the winners in the Ethics in Action video contest it held as part of Ethics Awareness Month last month. Entries from HHSA – Health Coverage Access and The Knowledge Center took top honors.

The following two videos from Jeanette Ruiz, Brandon Villanueva, Thounthanika "Nika" Leng and Karla Ferrer of HHSA- Health Coverage Access show examples of unethical behavior in the workplace.

Diversity and Inclusion are an important part of building and maintaining an ethical culture at the County of San Diego. The video below from David Cortez and Rafid Butrus with HHSA- The Knowledge Center focuses on the link between those topics and the benefits of a diverse workforce.

Do the videos have you thinking about your commitment to ethical standards? Take a few minutes to brush up on the County’s Code of Ethics and Statement of Values. Visit the Office of Ethics and Compliance on InSite to find answers to frequently asked questions. Take an online Ethics 101 class—it can be found on LMS by searching for “ethics.” Or request free trainings on ethics, compliance and/or privacy by calling 619-531-5174.

County employees who suspect or are aware of fraud, waste, abuse or other misconduct by County employees, contractors, vendors or other business partners have an obligation to report such activity to their immediate supervisor, manager, department head, Department of Human Resources or Office of Ethics and Compliance. If you’re not comfortable with any of these options, or would like to make an anonymous report, the Ethics Hotline is always an option. Call 866-549-0004. Additionally, you are always welcome to call the Office of Ethics and Compliance for advice and/or guidance.

Public Health Lab Welcomes New Assistant Director

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She likes a challenge.

So when Syreeta Steele, Ph.D. learned about the assistant director position at the County of San Diego Public Health Lab, she went for it.

Steele got it.

“It’s a big change for me,” said Steele, who was a supervisor at the Ventura County Public Health Lab, about one-third the size of San Diego’s. “I like working here very much. It’s been a very good experience.”

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Steele studied microbiology at the University of Arizona and went on to get a doctorate in environmental microbiology at the same institution.

Steele moved to California in 2011, when she landed a job as an emerging infectious disease post-doctoral fellow at the Los Angeles County Public Health Lab. She then moved to Ventura County where she worked for two and half years and worked on the 2015 measles outbreak, which started at Disneyland and spread to multiple states and counties, including San Diego.

“Syreeta is a great addition to our Public Health Lab,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “She is joining an exemplary team of microbiologists who are helping to protect the community and to prevent the spread of disease.”  

Steele says she enjoys the fast pace of the County’s Public Health Lab and working with different microorganisms.

“Every day is something different and I get to work with multiple diseases at the same time,” Steel said. It’s fascinating. Something you can’t see with the naked eye can cause a deadly disease.”

In addition to her assistant director duties, Steele is also working on a one-year project to compare three different beach water quality indicator methods.

“We test to detect the presence of bacteria such as total coliforms, fecal coliform and E.coli bacteria in local beaches,” said Steele. “Comparing the three methods will improve water quality testing for the beaches in the county which will then improve the safety of the swimmers at the beach.”

County Public Health Lab Director Brett Austin said he hired Steele in Ventura because of her extensive background in environmental microbiology. He was happy to see that she was in the pool of candidates when the assistant director position became open.

“The water quality protection responsibilities of the Public Health Laboratory are very important in Ventura and San Diego counties,” said Austin, who’s been in his position for about one year. “When I got the opportunity to lead the San Diego lab and we recruited for an assistant director, I was glad that Syreeta was among the very qualified candidates we interviewed.”

New ERG Has DiverseAbility

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Our differences make us stronger! The County’s newest employee resource group will celebrate those diverse abilities with a launch event on April 14, open to the public.

DiverseAbility ERG’s mission is to advance awareness and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Karen Brain, president of the ERG, said the group hopes to provide a safe and welcoming environment for employees with disabilities and their allies to share their stories, be heard, understood and supported.

“I’d love to get to a place where people with disabilities, both visible and invisible, and caregivers can self-identify and talk about our experiences and concerns without hesitation or fear--to have the ability to be authentic, to really be themselves,” said Brain, an administrative analyst with the Health and Human Services Agency.

The group will focus on education-based opportunities, connecting employees and residents of San Diego with resources and community partners, and social events.

The ERG will hold a launch event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Friday, April 14 in the Chambers at the County Operations Center. In addition to live music (several ERG members are in the band), refreshments and networking, the program will feature guest speaker Alex Montoya, a triple amputee. Montoya, a motivational speaker, will speak about overcoming obstacles and succeeding in business, education and service.

DiverseAbility joins nine other established ERGs at the County. Each ERG works to enhance cultural awareness, support workforce outreach, recruitment and retention, promote County initiatives though partnerships with departments and community based organizations and to provide professional development and networking opportunities for members.

To learn more about DiverseAbility ERG, attend Friday’s launch event or contact Karen Brain at 858-636-3531 or karen.brain@sdcounty.ca.gov.