Prepare Students for a Mentally Strong School Year
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - As summer comes to an end, so do the routines that students picked up during the break. That means no more sleeping in late or hanging out with friends all day, but back to setting the alarms for early morning hours and getting back into the school routine.
These changes in day-to-day activities can bring on emotional changes in students such as anxiety, stress, and worry. They can make going back to school challenging for some students, especially if they are going to a new school, having a new teacher, going into a new grade, or even having to make new friends.
In addition, students may be feeling additional stress due to fears about gun violence, global conflicts, or concerns about bullying or other self-image issues. It’s important for parents and adults to recognize when their student might be suffering from these new emotions and help support them through their new transition.
According to Uprise Health, here are 5 back-to-school tips to help your student have a mentally strong first day back at school:
Get a Head Start on the New Routine. During summer vacation, students normally have different sleeping habits and are used to sleeping longer hours, a drastic change from their normal routine that they have during the school year. Start getting your student back to a normal routine a couple of weeks before school starts to get into the habit of waking up earlier and going to bed at a regular time. This may help them feel less anxious doing it the night before school starts and feel more prepared to take on the first day!
Check Out the School Beforehand. Whether your student is going to a new school or not, it can be helpful to take them to campus before the first day and map out the route to their new classroom, lunchroom, library and more! Contact the school ahead of the first day and see if you can schedule a tour for your student before their first day. This can help set up the student for success before the first day of class by addressing the anxiety and worry that comes with not knowing where to go when they hear that first bell.
Have Regular Hangouts with Friends Outside of School. When school is back in session, it can be harder to get together with friends outside of the classroom. This can make students feel anxious about going back to school and not knowing the next time they will be able to see their friends. Help them get ahead of those feelings and host a back-to-school get-together with new and familiar friends to help them get acclimated to the new school year!
Establish Emotional Coping Skills. Teaching your student to talk about their emotions and creating a safe space for them to do so can help them process the anxious, stressed, or worried feelings they might have about being back in school. Providing them with ways to process their emotions and recognize what they are feeling can help improve your student's coping skills and help them focus on the positives about the day. If you don't know where to begin the conversation, use one of our conversation starters to talk to your student about their mental health, and by doing so, you can help to reduce the stigma around mental illness in your child's school community.
Support Your Student’s Mental Health. With youth facing more mental health challenges, it has never been so important for parents to support and understand their students. Talking to them about how they are feeling and letting them know that it is normal to feel anxious, stressed, or worried when starting something new can make a world of difference in their mental health journey.
The stigma and fear around mental health often prevent people from reaching out for help. You can help reduce stigma by educating yourself and your students to ensure that they are equipped to have a mentally strong school year and beyond! For more information on additional resources on youth mental health visit our Transition Age Youth community page.
Everyone has the power to stop the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness in their communities. We encourage youth to share their stories to encourage others their age by joining the “Mental Illness: It’s not always what you think” project’s Stop Stigma Sacramento Speakers Bureau and promote positive attitudes about living with mental illness. For more information on how to become a speaker or how to be involved in the program, view our webpage at www.stopstigmasacramento.org/get-involved/speakers-bureau/
A Battle Lost, But a War Not Over – Save Our Capitol! Continues
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – As hard demolition of the historic Capitol Annex began early in July, former state legislators, business leaders, preservationists, environmentalists, and others continue to express their disapproval of the $1.2 billion Capitol Annex Project. Despite pleas by a supermajority of Californians to reconsider this damaging project, particularly in light of a budget deficit, the Legislature has continued to bulldoze ahead.
“The Capitol Annex certainly had issues, but this was to be expected for a building that was built more than 70 years ago, and had never been properly maintained; however, what the Legislature has failed to tell the public is that the entire premise for demolishing the Annex was built on a lie,” said Richard Cowan, former Chair of the Historic State Capitol Commission and representative of Save Our Capitol! “After multiple Public Records Act requests, there is no documentation that shows the building could not have been rehabilitated for a fraction of the proposed $1.2 billion cost. Instead, the Legislature used “Demolition by Neglect” shamefully to destroy this iconic building that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Yet, because of a court decision that found the Legislature violated California’s landmark environmental quality act, the Legislature is not allowed to build the new Annex until a revised final Environmental Impact Report which complies with CEQA is certified—meaning the Legislature is bulldozing forward with demolishing an historic building despite having no approved building plans.”
Following the court’s decision, the Department of General Services (DGS) was required to recirculate a revised Environmental Impact Report to allow the public to fully review and comment on the plans for the Capitol Annex, West Steps, and new underground parking garage. The Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report (RDEIR) became available on April 8 for public review and comment. On April 18, DGS held an informational hearing about the RDEIR changes, and received additional public comments during hearings on May 16 and June 6, with the official comment period closing on June 15. Individuals, organizations, and legislators submitted comments criticizing the proposed new Annex designs, citing concerns with aesthetics, compatibility with the historic Capitol, and safety of the planned glass skin exterior. Equally significant to the historic Capitol’s preservation, comments also were made regarding the destruction of the iconic West Steps for a visitor center, and concerns raised that trees have already died when they were supposed to be protected and relocated.
“The proposed renderings for the visitor center have shown that the West Steps will be unidentifiable and the Plaza, which provides California’s citizens with a place to assemble, rally, and demonstrate will be greatly impacted, as space will be limited (Appendix C, Pgs. 201-203). California Highway Patrol officers have stated that the design will not allow people to gather on the proposed lower level, as it will block an entrance/exit and grossly limit demonstration capacities,” said Kate Riley, representative for Public Accountability for Our Capitol. “We absolutely cannot allow this vital place that has been used for decades to exercise our First Amendment rights to be closed off and changed for the worse. Future generations deserve better.”
Public comments also pointed out the problems with the placement of the visitor center, as well as the discrepancies within the RDEIR:
“In addition to destroying the historic integrity of the West side of Capitol Park, locating the entrance to the visitor center below the Historic Capitol Building drastically changes the appearance of its West (primary) façade. It is no longer the front of a beautiful 1874 building with stairs leading up to a grand portico and equally grand entrance doors. Instead, it is an 1874 building sitting incongruously on top of the 21st century entrance to the visitor center, the flat roof of which has a large skylight in the center of it and expands out into what once was the historic West Plaza.” (Karen Jacques, Preservation Sacramento.)
“Given the substantial changes to the design and the increased impacts that result, the revised EIR should not have been limited to the subjects that the Court identified, but instead requires subsequent evaluation of all environmental impacts, as provided under CEQA Guidelines 15162.” (Nicole Sauviat Criste, Terra Nova Planning and Research, Inc.)
“The new West Entrance for the Visitor Center covers the original Greek Revival architecture including the columns, capitals, cornice, doors, and other historic and significant features. The proposed West Entrance destroys the existing historic West steps, the West lawn, plaza, and the major entry to the Capitol. The West Plaza and Capitol Steps of the original restored Capitol—the site of innumerable marches, speeches, and celebrations—will be eliminated by a Visitor Center with a theme-park-style entrance.” (Milford Wayne Donaldson, an award-winning Architect, Former California State Historic Preservation Officer (CA SHPO), and Former Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, appointed by President Obama.)
“The new Annex disrespects and overshadows the iconic dome with its large size and reflective glass façade. It denigrates the most important historic governmental landmark in California. The new Annex is substantially over size for the existing historic Capitol and results in the diminution and loss of the historic character of the Capitol.” (Milford Wayne Donaldson.)
Former legislators continue to come out in opposition to the controversial Capitol Annex Project. Most recently, former State Senate President Pro Tempore, Don Perata, penned a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom urging him to reconsider the project, and move forward with alternative designs that don’t waste money or decimate state history. Former Congressmember Sam Farr also has expressed his disapproval of the project as a whole, stating, “At this pivotal time, rather than erase this irreplaceable site of historic governance by historic individuals, I urge you to embrace and to protect the State Capitol in its entirety.”
Save Our Capitol! is dedicated to saving the entire historic West side of the Capitol. While the historic Annex has been thrown away by the Legislature, the West Lawn, West Plaza, and West Steps still can be preserved and remain a pivotal place for California politics, and, importantly, the historic site for the people to participate in self-government at the people’s Capitol.
Wells Fargo Announces Sponsorship of Financial Management Training Program
CHICO, CA (MPG) - Wells Fargo announced their sponsorship of a Financial Management Training Program for small business owners in Northern California, to be administered by Sacramento Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Butte College Small Business Development Center (SBDC). With the combined sponsorship of $30,000, the centers will host eight cohorts of the training series (four per center) from June 2023 to May 2024. The series will be offered at no charge to businesses throughout the eight counties that the two centers serve: Sacramento, Yolo, Sutter, Yuba, Butte, Tehama, Colusa, and Glenn Counties. Each cohort will receive about eight hours of training. The series will be offered in-person and online.
“The U.S. economy is powered by small businesses and Wells Fargo is committed to helping them succeed financially and strengthening the small business sector for the long term,” said Kevin Barri, Wells Fargo Region Bank President, Northern Golden State Region. “Wells Fargo’s goal is to support programs that empower as many small businesses as possible, with a strong emphasis on supporting the needs faced by diverse small business owners.”
A total of 160 small and micro-enterprise businesses are anticipated to take advantage of the program, which will cover important topics such as understanding financial statements; ratio and trend analysis; using financial tools to make good business decisions; and forecasting and budgeting as tools to improve profits. Participants will also benefit from one-on-one free advising from their respective SBDC.
For business owners with expertise in their industries, but who might be less familiar with the technical side of running a profitable business, opportunities to learn financial management strategies are crucial. With the support of Wells Fargo, the Financial Management Training Program will prepare small business owners for success and growth.
For more information, contact Sophie Konuwa, Director, Butte College at 530-85-9017.
For training registration visit https://www.sacramentovalleysbdc.org/event/
Medal of Valor for Park Ranger Hero
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - One of Carmichael’s most popular law officers has received a Medal of Valor from the National Park Rangers Association.
A Ranger for Fulton El Camino Park Police (under contract with several park districts), John Mohamed is a familiar figure. He subdues the unruly; returns lost children; helps the disabled. He even joins dancers when a band is playing. Scores of concert-goers greet him with back-slaps and hi-theres.
Having lived in the Carmichael area all his life, he is part of the community. “I’m in our parks to make people feel safe,” he considers. “I try to solve problems in a respectful manner. I also like people to understand police officers are humans, too.”
Two weeks ago, the officer was recognized for service far beyond concerts and back-slaps. He now suffers respiratory damage resulting from his 2022 rescue of a man from a burning building – then re-entering the building to seek other casualties. But he’s still at work and regards his medal as “recognition not just for me – but for the officers who trained me through my career.”
On patrol in May last year, Mohamed saw a shuttered restaurant solidly ablaze on Madison Avenue. He reported the fire and, noticing a break in site fencing, decided to check for occupants. Inside the main door, he found a male transient. “He ignored my command to evacuate,” recalls Mohamed. “I didn’t have a mask and I was coughing.
“He had something in his hands – I couldn’t see what – but he seemed confused. He retreated further into the building. I told him to drop what he was carrying and raise his hands. For my safety – and not knowing the involvement of the fire – I cuffed him and got him out of the building.
“Then he told me a friend was still in there. He said he needed to go back and get his friend.”
Sheriff patrols had arrived. Mohamed left the transient with a Sergeant and returned to the building. “Heavy smoke made breathing tough and sparks had damaged my glasses,” he explains. “But I had to look for the man’s friend.” By then, the 4000 square-foot building’s roof was fully ablaze, and flames were penetrating inner spaces. In rooms used as transient living quarters, the Ranger struggled to move trash and boxes – checking for occupants.
Mohamed blocked open interior passages and opened an exterior door. “I knew that would feed the fire,” he acknowledges. “But I had to consider my own escape route.”
“Parts of the ceiling were falling. I pressed on, searching. Suddenly, the roof caved in on me. Burning debris blocked my exit. I tried windows, but they were boarded from the outside.
“I tried to keep calm. Somehow, I worked my way around the fire to the door where I’d first entered.
“My chest was heavy; My throat hurt. My first lungful of outside air felt good. I was thankful to have made it out.”
By then, Sac Metro firefighters were at work. They later confirmed no one else remained in the building.
“I was having a hard time breathing and seeing,” recalls Mohamed. “But the fire was dangerously close to my vehicle. It was all I could do to climb in and drive it across the street. Then I opened my door and fell out on the sidewalk. Sac Metro medics found me. I was treated for throat and lung damage at Kaiser Hospital.”
County Supervisor Rich Desmond later nominated the Ranger for National Park Service recognition. His Medal of Valor was awarded last month at Point Reyes National Park, Marin County.
“The honor surprised and humbled me,” he says. “I felt I’d just done my job to the best of my ability. My brother and sister officers – in all agencies – seem proud of me. I’m really grateful there was no loss of life and that no one was left behind.
“I still have what’s called a smoker’s cough. My doctors can’t say if it will go away. It’s a nuisance always having to apologize for coughing, but I can still do my job – and it doesn’t stop me from dancing.”
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Board of Supervisors, at its August 8 meeting, approved a response to a June 2, 2023, Grand Jury Report, “What’s Taking So Long? County Delays Mandated Jail Improvements.”
The Grand Jury reviews and investigates the performance of county, city, and local governing entities. Investigations of governmental entities can be initiated by the Grand Jury itself or suggested by citizens. A public report usually follows an investigation with findings and recommendations that must be publicly addressed by the recipients as prescribed in Penal Code Sections 933 and 933.05. Responses are then directed to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court.
The Board of Supervisors agreed with three of the findings and partially disagreed with four of the findings. One finding was specifically responded to by the Sheriff Office. Following is a summary of the responses to the Grand Jury’s findings and recommendations from the report.
FINDING RESPONSES
While the findings of the Grand Jury report suggest the inmate population is higher as a result of AB 109, the average daily population (ADP) of the County’s jail facilities is lower today than it was in 2011, when AB109 (California Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011) was passed.
The Board acknowledged that new facilities are needed to achieve compliance with the Mays Consent Decree. In December 2022, the County BOS unanimously approved 33 plans designed to reduce the ADP of County jail facilities by at least 600 over time, in alignment with the recommendations in the O’Connell Sacramento Jail Study. Furthermore, the County BOS approved more than $45 million in appropriations for growth requests for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 related to the implementation of the jail population reduction plans and remedial plans to support Consent Decree compliance.
The Main Jail and Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center (RCCC) were constructed and renovated prior to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996. The Board of Supervisors agreed there are continuing ADA and HIPAA violations due to the lack of adequate health related facilities. These challenges will persist while approved projects are designed and constructed.
The Board believed that County departments should continue to evaluate interim solutions to address Main Jail and RCCC deficiencies identified in the Mays Consent Decree. The County is analyzing whether interim measures are possible and are committed to innovative and unique solutions.
The Board of Supervisors agreed that there are limited healthcare facilities and staffing in the Main Jail. The current space for the number of exam rooms, behavioral health programming space, and specialty care space in the main jail is not adequate to support the demand for services, despite the significant increase in healthcare staffing.
While the report asserted the sanitation of the Main Jail and RCCC is substandard and has inadequate written procedures in place to ensure cleaning is effective, the jail custodial services provided by the Departments of General Services and Health Services, Adult Correctional Health are documented and largely effective. However, the Environment of Care Report (EOC Report) noted deficiencies within the medical areas of which the County has a plan to address.
While the County has taken significant steps toward implementing the recommendations from consultants and court-mandated experts to address non-compliance issues, full implementation of these recommendations will take time and require future project and contract approvals and associated budgetary actions.
RECOMMENDATIONS RESPONSES
Significant work towards compliance within the County jail has already begun. County staff are moving forward with the Design Build project delivery and are bringing funding and design concepts before the Board at a future date.
The County will also develop and implement a sanitation and disinfection program at the Main Jail and RCCC.
Several recommendations were deemed unreasonable and will not be implemented, including installing a temporary trailer(s) located in the enclosed Main Jail parking garage to reduce continuing HIPAA and ADA violations and allow for increased acute treatment and diagnostic (lab and basic imaging) capability and rapidly funding and implementing the construction of an additional 18 mental health treatment rooms by December 31, 2023.
The recommendation to increase the number of intake stations by at least three to reduce overcrowding in the booking area will require more analysis. In partnership, the Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Health Services Adult Correctional Health (ACH) division has implemented a two-tier medical intake process which has reduced overcrowding and officer wait time in booking.
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Board of Supervisors, on Tuesday, August 8, approved the County to receive the Housing and Homeless Incentive Program (HHIP) to increase the Landlord Engagement and Assistance Program (LEAP).
LEAP is operated by Bay Area Community Services (BACS) and provides housing-related services which include the provision of landlord incentives to secure affordable housing for clients, provide client and landlord level tenancy supports, house matching, landlord education, enhance the efficacy of voucher and subsidy programs addressing housing concerns and other housing-related efforts to support people experiencing homelessness.
The State of California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has developed a plan to enhance, expand, and strengthen Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) in California, in accordance with the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.
One of the initiatives under the HCBS plan is the Housing and Homeless Incentive Program (HHIP), which aims to expand and enhance programs that help individuals transition to community-based, independent living arrangements.
Medical Care Providers (MCPs) recognize the link between housing stability and health outcomes. Homelessness can worsen health issues and increase healthcare costs for vulnerable populations.
Through HHIP, MCPs can provide financial support to governmental partners such as LEAP to enhance housing programs, offer supportive services, and develop effective strategies for helping those facing homelessness.
The MCPs consist of the following providers in Sacramento County: Health Net, Anthem, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, and Molina. Each provider has applied separately for HHIP funding and amounts granted to each provider vary, but the pooled funds will amount to nearly $5 million.
With this funding increase, LEAP will be able to serve an additional 100 households annually, on top of the 150 annual households already funded through the existing ARPA agreement. HHIP funding will be utilized to expand landlord incentives and to help individuals in the LEAP program overcome barriers and access stable housing.
“The County has already seen positive outcomes through LEAP.” Said Emily Halcon, Director of Homeless Services and Housing “We’re thrilled to partner with our local health plans to increase the opportunity for stability for people who are unhoused.”
“Sacramento County has been an incredible leader, collaborator and partner in implementing the state’s California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, ensuring Sacramento’s most vulnerable residents have access to all innovations and reforms under CalAIM,” said Martha Santana-Chin, Medi-Cal and Medicare president at Health Net.
“Anthem Blue Cross has been a committed supporter of Sacramento County efforts to effectively address the County’s most pressing priorities, including funding innovative solutions that provide stability to those who are unhoused,” said Les Ybarra, President of Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal health plan. “The reality in Sacramento, and across California, is that one of the greatest challenges for our members and individuals who are experiencing homelessness is finding available housing and landlords who are willing to work with them. We believe that the Landlord Engagement and Assistance Program will help remove these barriers and improve lives, so we are proud to serve as a critical partner, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the County to address
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Board of Supervisors, at its August 8 meeting, approved responses to two Grand Jury reports regarding responses to homeless issues and behavioral health resources including planning, coordination, funding, and measurable outcomes.
The Grand Jury issued two reports related to homelessness that require a response from the County Board of Supervisors. The Grand Jury Report, “Homeless Should Not Mean Hopeless: Homeless Solutions Elude Local Leaders” was issued on May 26, 2023. The report asserts that local governments have failed to work together effectively to address the increasing number of homeless and related issues which has resulted in millions in direct and indirect costs. The report recommended that Sacramento County leaders prioritize a formal, comprehensive approach to homelessness. The report included five findings and four recommendations related to the information in the report along with a list of individuals and agencies required or invited to respond.
The Grand Jury Report, “Mental Health Care For The Homeless: Who Cares?” was issued on June 9, 2023. This report asserted that mental illness and substance abuse among the homeless needs to be addressed through a streamlined, coordinated, and transparent service delivery system and approach that uses measurable, quantifiable outcomes with proven success to make meaningful change. The report included 11 findings and 11 recommendations.
The landscape of the County’s homeless and behavioral health programs and services have been rapidly evolving, even over the past year. Some of the Grand Jury findings may have been true at the time, but the County has already taken steps to remedy in recent months.
The County has many programs and strategies under development that will help to move the needle on some of the findings and recommendations that have either not yet been fully stood up or are still in development and have not yet seen the benefits or outcomes.
For example, the Grand Jury indicates that the outreach teams are poorly supported and understaffed. At the time this report was being researched, those findings were likely correct, however, since that time, there has been significant progress made in not only staffing up those teams, but in allocating additional resources to these teams and to the Behavioral Health CORE centers, fostering meaningful engagement. The County has already committed to semi-annual reports on outreach efforts which can be found at our County’s Homeless Services Website.
There are some findings and recommendations that the County didn’t agree with either partially or fully – in part because the County has another strategy in the works that will meet the same need, or a strategy being recommended warrants further analysis. One example is the formation of a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to address homelessness countywide.
A JPA is one model that may work. However, with the Governor’s new budget requirement for HHAP funding, the County and all regional city partners and Continuum of Care (CoC) will be required to develop a regional plan to coordinate services and funding – therefore a JPA may or may not be the best structure for achieving the intent of this regional plan. As the State issues guidance and requirements, the County and its partners will do a more in-depth analysis.
There are some findings and recommendations that the County has already implemented, but the lack of broad knowledge of these strategies are an indication that the County needs more robust communication efforts. For instance, the Grand Jury indicated that there is no strategic plan that includes the mental health and substance abuse issues facing the homeless. The sixth pillar of the Local Homelessness Action Plan is mental health/substance abuse. Additionally, the Grand Jury indicated that there are not quantifiable metrics, however the plan includes both timelines and measure goals. Read the full LHAP on the County Homeless Services website.
Read the full finding and recommendation response to “Homeless Should Not Mean Hopeless: Homeless Solutions Elude Local Leaders.”
Read the full findings and recommendations response to “Mental Health Care For The Homeless: Who Cares?”
The response from the Sacramento County Sheriff Office is available.