SACRAMENTO – In a span of three months, United Way California Capital Region’s COVID-19 Local Relief Fund raised $572,000 to provide 1,145 families in need across the region with a one-time $500 distribution to help offset costs of rent, bills and other basic needs. United Way worked with 11 nonprofit partners in Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties to identify low-income families whose lives were disrupted by the pandemic and ensure they received the help they needed. The fund closed at the end of June, but the structure remains in place in case of a second wave.
“Stories continue to pour in from families across our region who have received help through our Local Relief Fund,” said Stephanie Bray, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “The vast majority of those we served lost income during the stay-at-home order and needed help paying rent and bills. With so many families in our region just one paycheck away from homelessness, gifts to our fund helped avert an immediate crisis for these families and our community.”
The fund’s nonprofit partners included 3 Strands Global Foundation, Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency, Birth and Beyond, Black Child Legacy Campaign Neighborhood Centers, Empower Yolo, International Rescue Committee, Kids First, Lighthouse Community Counseling, Opening Doors, RISE Inc. and Yolo County Children’s Alliance.
In addition to individual and corporate donations to the fund, all dollars donated to Donate4Sacramento’s Support Families area were distributed to Sacramento families through United Way’s fund. For a full list of donors to the Local Relief Fund, visit YourLocalUnitedWay.org.
“It’s very meaningful to me to receive this funding because I can continue paying my bills and provide food and clothing for my children,” said Nayely, a Local Relief Fund recipient in Sacramento. “When I learned that the funds come from people in the city, I was very grateful to see how they care about the community and that they are always willing to help others during hard times.”
For nearly 100 years, United Way California Capital Region has brought local people together to make community change happen. Today, the nonprofit is bringing people together across Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento, Placer and Yolo counties for its Square One Project, a 20-year promise to significantly increase the number of students in our region who graduate from high school ready for success in college and beyond. United Way believes ending poverty starts in school and is working to ensure kids meet important milestones and their families receive support and resources. To learn more and make a donation, visit YourLocalUnitedWay.org.
SAFE Credit Union’s Erica Dias Named 2020 OWL Award Winner
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) – When Erica Dias was hired as SAFE Credit Union’s Vice President Marketing, Community Banking, and Communications in April 2019, she brought a game-changing strategy that not only reshaped the departments she led but also a fundamental shift in how the entire $3.5 billion credit union approaches goal-setting and corporate strategy.
She supports SAFE Credit Union’s growth through an omni-channeled approach including advertising, marketing, in-person outreach, targeted social media, and other opportunities as they arise. She pulled from her years of leading marketing and sales efforts at some of the larger employers in the Greater Sacramento area to lead these improvements at SAFE. That diversity of experience and nimbleness acquired through a career of various challenges and opportunities fuels Dias’ expertise in helping SAFE navigate the multi-pronged health, safety, and financial issues the COVID-19 pandemic poses to SAFE members and the community.
For her business and community achievements, Dias was recently named the Executive Woman Award Winner at the 2020 OWL Awards granted by the Sacramento Valley chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.
“It’s such an honor to be recognized among my peers,” Dias said about the OWL Award. “I believe it’s essential that women raise each other up and support one another to ensure that our voices are heard and we can bring our effective, collaborating style of leadership to our businesses and organizations.”
Dias takes her role as a leader seriously in her career and in the community, understanding that it’s important to show up and be present to effect necessary change to bring equity, pay parity, and for all women to have a greater voice in their communities. She tirelessly works toward those goals by serving as campaign chair of the 2020 Women on Boards Sacramento, as a director on the board of PBS/KVIE, and as Chair of the Santa Clara University Alumni for Others. She helps shape the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders through her work as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer on HR Management, Marketing, Economics, Entrepreneurship as well as being a coach for Social Venture Partners’ Sacramento Fast Pitch.
She directly serves the community through her volunteerism and board positions with the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, and Saint John’s Program for Change.
Dias finds synergy between her personal commitment to improving the well-being of her community with SAFE Credit Union’s mission focused on people helping people. SAFE is dedicated to the financial well-being of its members and the communities it serves. Dias directly works with the SAFE teams that oversee direct philanthropy to local organizations promoting health, education, and veterans services, as well as providing no-cost financial education to Sacramento-area residents and to staff at some of the region’s largest employers. The credit union also is providing direct relief to its members during the pandemic with no- to low-cost personal loans, deferred loan payments, waived fees, a convenient appointment setting system, and expanded financial education programs to help those experiencing financial challenges.
SAFE works with local nonprofits to match credit union leaders with open board positions to help deepen SAFE’s commitment to the community as well as lend its staff’s expertise to nonprofits’ success.
The OWL Awards were established by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Sacramento Valley chapter to acknowledge and celebrate exemplary women leaders within the business community. The event has become a regional tradition, paying tribute to top women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who have advanced the status of entrepreneurial excellence and community leadership.
The NAWBO Sacramento Valley Chapter is the region’s premier organization and voice for women business owners and is affiliated with a number of the area’s business and community organizations. Its goals are to provide women business owners with appropriate educational, social, economic and political programs to assist them in making effective changes in their business culture, including, building strategic business alliances and affiliations, influencing opinion makers and strengthening the wealth building capacity of our members.
SAFE Credit Union has made members an integral part of its vision since 1940. Over the years the credit union has kept the focus on what really matters, putting members first, a formula that has seen SAFE grow into a leading financial institution in Northern California with more than $3.5 billion in assets and about 236,000 members. SAFE crafts every cutting-edge product and sterling service with members’ needs foremost in mind. In addition to banking services conveniently available through online, chat, mobile, or phone options, SAFE offers in-person care for members and small businesses at service centers across the Greater Sacramento region and a mortgage lending office serving Contra Costa and Alameda counties. SAFE is a not-for-profit, state-chartered credit union with membership open to businesses and individuals living or working in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Sutter, Butte, Nevada, Solano, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Yuba, Amador, and Alameda counties. Insured by NCUA. www.safecu.org
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced new plans for COVID-19 testing in California, including updated testing guidance, new requirements for health plans to cover testing, and the new co-chairs of the state’s COVID-19 Testing Task Force.
“Testing is a critical tool that helps us diagnose and treat those who become infected by COVID-19. Testing also helps us understand how COVID-19 moves through our communities so we can identify areas where transmission is occurring… We are redoubling our commitment to ensure testing remains a top priority for California,” said Dr. Ghaly. “Our testing capacity has increased exponentially in recent months. At the same time, new national supply chain challenges and large volumes of specimens sent to commercial laboratories have resulted in growing delays in processing times. Consequently, it is critical we continue to be deliberate and creative about testing. We must do this so that testing is readily available and affordable to those who need it, especially those communities experiencing the worst impacts of COVID-19 and those who are at the highest risk. Testing is a responsibility of our entire healthcare delivery system. Clinics, doctors, and other care sites should provide convenient testing to their patients who need a test.”
The announcements include:
Testing Prioritization
The California Department of Public Health released updated testing guidance that focuses on testing hospitalized individuals with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and people being tested as part of the investigation and management of outbreaks, including contact tracing. The testing guidance also prioritizes individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and individuals without symptoms who fall into high-risk categories, including people who live and work in nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons, healthcare workers, and patients in hospitals. The new guidance will ensure that Californians who most need tests get them even if there are limited supplies.
New Testing Task Force Co-Chairs and Goals
Two new co-chairs will lead California’s Testing Task Force, the state’s private-public partnership that has taken the lead role in expanding both the collection and processing of specimens for COVID-19 testing. Leading the task force starting immediately are Dr. Gilbert Chavez, founding chief of the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Bechara Choucair, senior vice president and chief health officer for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Chavez, the state’s former epidemiologist who has led the response to disease outbreak and emerging health threats, is coming out of retirement to help lead the task force. Dr. Choucair oversees Kaiser’s efforts focused on addressing the social health of its 12.4 million members and the 68 million people who live in the communities it serves.
The task force, which was launched in April, created testing locations where there were none, expanded laboratory capability and helped build a testing supply pipeline, scaling up from just 2,000 tests per day to more than 100,000 tests per day. Under the leadership of Chavez and Choucair, the task force will recommend testing priorities, continue to create equitable access to testing and support for state-operated community testing sites, and review options to lower overall testing costs.
Health Plan Coverage of Testing
To help ensure that testing is widely available to all Californians, the state is working collaboratively with health insurers to provide reimbursement for testing and with private providers to create additional in-office testing capacity. With more providers performing tests in the office rather than referring patients to labs or testing sites, the state would have more resources to focus on underserved and high-risk populations. The state is preparing to file emergency regulations that will classify COVID-19 testing as medically necessary urgent care for essential health workers and people with symptoms of or possible exposure to COVID-19.
Caring for Pets during Hot Weather
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Every year, Sacramento County residents do their best to keep cool during the summer heat. Failing to keep cool in extreme temperatures can cause adverse health effects for residents—both human and animal.
Unlike humans, cats and dogs cannot sweat to keep cool; they cool their bodies off through panting and the pads of their feet. As a pet owner, it’s important to take measures to keep them cool during the high temperatures.
Here are some tips for keeping your pet safe from the heat:
Never leave your pet in a parked car: Even cracking a window won’t protect your pets. It is against the law in California and could be punishable by a fine or imprisonment. A car can reach 120 degrees in just minutes; even if the windows are slightly open the car can still reach 102 degrees. A dog's normal temperature is 101.5 degrees; at 120 degrees your pet can suffer from heat exhaustion and die and at 107 degrees brain damage occurs. Check out this video on how hot it gets in cars;
Avoid extreme heat: When temperatures get above the 90s, take your pet inside. For outdoor pets, be sure to provide them with plenty of fresh, cold water in a tip-proof water dish and shade for them to cool down;
Don’t exercise with your pets when it is too hot: Older and certain long-haired dogs can be particularly susceptible to heat, and hot asphalt can burn their paws. Exercise in the early morning or cool evenings and make sure both of you have plenty of water.
Use sunscreen: Pets get sunburned just like people, and if your pet has light skin or fur, they can be particularly susceptible to a painful burn, and even skin cancer. Use sunscreen on sensitive areas, such as ears or nose to make sure your pets are protected.
Secure your dog during transport: Make sure your dog is secured safely in your vehicle. Cross-tethering your dog with a rope or containing them via kennel in the bed of your truck will help prevent the dog from falling or jumping from the vehicle. Also, please note that truck beds can get hot when exposed to the sun and that can severely burn dog footpads. Transporting animals on a public highway or public roadway without properly securing them could be punishable by a fine.
Be your pet’s lifeguard: While swimming can help pets get exercise without overheating, always supervise pets when swimming either in a pool or in waterways. Dogs can get tired swimming, particularly in rivers where they have to fight against currents. To avoid drowning, make sure they wear life jackets and keep them out of the water when flows are high.
If pets have been exposed to high temperatures…
Be alert for signs of heat stress including heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid pulse, unsteadiness, staggering gait, vomiting, or a deep red or purple tongue.
Immediately move your pet to the shade to gradually lower their temperature. Apply cool (not cold) water to the pet, and provide lukewarm or cool water to drink. Take your pet to a veterinary hospital immediately. It could save their life.
For more tips on keeping pets safe in hot weather, visit the Hot Weather Pet Tips page. For other animal issues and pet owner resources, visit the Bradshaw Animal Shelter website.
Don’t have a pet? The Bradshaw Animal Shelter is now offering adoptions by appointment. To start the adoption process, visit the Adoptable Animals webpage, then call 916-875-2287 Tuesday through Sunday (except holidays) between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to schedule an appointment.
For a list of available animal care services, including walk-in licensing and how to report a lost or found pet, visit animalcare.saccounty.net.
WASHINGTON, DC (MPG) - “The Golden Years are supposed to be carefree, but sometimes the challenges of growing old can be depressing. At worst, they seem downright unfair,” says Rebecca Weber, CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC].
Weber cites, as an example, the complications of what used to be the simple task of getting your driver’s license renewed. “It’s a breeze for younger drivers. They can get their new licenses by mail or online and in many states their licenses are good for ten years. Not so for too many older citizens. Many states require in person renewal procedures for older applicants in their 60s and 70s and will only issue renewal licenses for a maximum of five years and a minimum of one to two years. Specific state by state license renewal information is available on the Website Insure.Com.”
And, the AMAC chief notes that more and more states appear to be planning license renewal restrictions on older drivers. As the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) put it: “While older drivers have lower crash rates reported to the police, the likelihood of seniors being involved in a fatal crash goes up after age 70. Nine states are considering legislation on older driver issues in 2015, with Nevada and Virginia enacting new laws. A number of states considered legislation dealing with medical fitness.”
Meanwhile, notes Weber, seniors seem to be a target of choice not just for scammers but for “legitimate” commercial enterprises. “For example, timeshare predators seem to aggressively target the elderly, using extreme deceptive and exhausting sales practices that coerce customers into signing up for timeshares-- a technique that may be particularly effective on the elderly.”
But, she warns, even those timeshares that are purchased willingly can be cause for concern due to maintenance fees, which may seem affordable enough at first but, which can become onerous as the years go on.
As consumer advocate Dave Ramsey describes it: “The average annual maintenance fee is $1,000. But the surprise comes when you find out the fees go up every year, often much faster than the normal inflation rate. The latest numbers say the increase averages around 4% a year. So, in hard numbers, your original $1,000 fee could be $1,477 by year ten—a total increase of around 48%!”
Excessive fees can make timeshare ownership a nightmare, says Weber, particularly if you are an older owner whose resources may be limited. It is one of the key issues targeted for reform by such organizations as The Coalition to Reform Timeshare. The organization says it is actively seeking to impose “a strict code of ethics and transparency” for the industry.
The 2 million member Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] www.amac.us is a vibrant, vital senior advocacy organization that takes its marching orders from its members. AMAC Action is a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing the membership in our nation’s capital and in local Congressional Districts throughout the country. And the AMAC Foundation (www.AmacFoundation.org) is the Association’s non-profit organization, dedicated to supporting and educating America’s Seniors. Together, we act and speak on the Association members’ behalf, protecting their interests and offering a practical insight on how to best solve the problems they face today. Live long and make a difference by joining us today at www.amac.us/join-amac.
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - After an in-depth discussion by the Carmichael Water District Board of Directors on June 15, regarding employee benefits, the Board held a special meeting on July 14, to continue the discussion and make clarifications to the policy drafts. The Board specified that under the employee education/training policy, the District will pay for job-related trainings and required classes, including the costs of the classes, travel, and materials. But employees utilizing the education assistance portion of the benefit would be subject to the new cap of $500 per employee per year — a benefit that would terminate at $2,500 total per employee. Also, only classes at non-profit universities would be eligible for reimbursement.
The Board also specified that the life insurance benefit and matching portion of the deferred compensation retirement benefit would now be available at the same level for all District employees, both union and non-union. The Board discussed their intention to retroactively reinstate the District matching retirement benefit to June 1, 2020.
Human Resources Coordinator Lori Kalisiak said that limiting the education assistance to non-profit universities would mean “no one could even attend American River College, since it’s not a university.” She also stated that the Board was making decisions based on inaccurate information because HR was not consulted in gathering the relevant data. Kalisiak said she wished the Board had handled these issues more transparently and actually spoken to staff instead of acting unilaterally.
Board President Paul Selsky asked the Directors to review the policy drafts and submit comments before the next meeting in preparation of the final vote on July 20.
At the July 20 regular meeting, the Board went over the amendments to the employee benefits policy. Since the prior meeting, the Board decided to change the education assistance benefit to make junior colleges as well as universities eligible for reimbursement, within the limits already specified. The expanded life insurance benefit and the extension of the matching retirement benefit to all employees remained unchanged from the previous meeting, and the Board maintained the termination of administrative leave benefits.
Director Roy Leidy was absent from the July 20 meeting but submitted a request that the vote be held until the August meeting because he had additional comments on the issues.
From the beginning, Director Leidy was outspoken in his disapproval of how the Board was handling this issue. At the May 18 meeting when the resolution to terminate benefits was first introduced, Leidy called the resolution “too draconian. … I feel that this resolution implies that there were advantages taken, perhaps by staff. Nobody did that. The staff has nothing to do with this. … The way it’s written would cut them off at the knees, and that’s not an acceptable way to manage the welfare of this agency.”
Director Mark Emmerson said on May 18, “I like this resolution because there’s no blame associated with it. Even though I’m very disappointed in the Board for not picking up on this earlier and, frankly, I’m a little disappointed in management staff in having instituted this without bringing it expressly to the Board for approval.”
Past Board member Sandy Kozlen called in to the May 18 meeting, stating that Steve Nugent, who retired last year as General Manager after 30 years with the District, “made some mistakes.” Kozlen said that staff should be kept in the loop on such major changes, but he emphasized that benefits unapproved by the Board are illegal and must be terminated, even if the Board later decides to reinstitute them.
From the beginning, Director Leidy said the matter should have been handled with more transparency: “I’m just wanting to be equitable to the staff that we value so much. And if I was a staff member, I’d feel this was a real slap in the face.”
Staff members who spoke at the May 18 meeting all agreed that learning about the termination of benefits during the meeting was a shock. Assistant General Manager Lynette Moreno said, “I don’t appreciate that all of this is happening the way it’s happening. … It does feel like punishment to staff.”
HR Coordinator Kalisiak also expressed frustration: “To me, it seems very adversarial with staff.” She stated that the meeting agenda didn’t provide enough information about what was going to be discussed, and the refusal to provide a copy of the resolution prior to the meeting “deprives us of the necessary notice to be able to address this.” She asked, “How long has this been taking place? At what time or times was this discussed by the Board?”
The drafting of the resolution and the Board discussions that led up to it are not part of the public record and did not occur during any public Board meetings. So, presumably, these issues were discussed by the Board during closed sessions.
At the July 20 meeting, Director Jeff Nelson moved approval of the amendments, despite Director Leidy’s request to postpone the vote. Director Ron Greenwood seconded, and the Board voted 4-0 to approve, with Leidy absent.
(All meetings discussed were held through online teleconferencing in compliance with current social distancing guidelines.)
Fitness Centers are Safe and Essential to Combat America’s Health Crisis
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – The California Fitness Alliance (CFA) announced that since reopening on June 12, its members have reported no cases of COVID-19 traced to California fitness centers including health clubs, gyms or studios. CFA surveyed 150 fitness operators, representing 785 locations in California, to demonstrate the implementation of its guidelines and superior safety standards have kept its communities safe while providing an essential service to its members and vital jobs to its employees.
“Our survey results show fitness centers are safe due to the standards we are implementing,” said Randy Karr, founding partner of CFA and President and CEO of California Family Fitness. “Survey respondents had more than 5.5 million members check into their facilities between June 12 and July 13, and only .002 percent of those members have tested positive for COVID-19, with no cases reported as a result from visits to fitness centers.”
“We support doing the right thing to flatten the curve, but America is facing a physical and mental health crisis and physical fitness is essential to combat this pandemic,” said Francesca Schuler, founding partner of CFA and CEO of In-Shape Health Clubs. “This is why the California Fitness Alliance worked with Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration to develop standards that would enable fitness centers to stay open safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Under CFA’s “4-W” program to protect and prevent the spread of COVID-19, our participating fitness clubs have members wear masks, work out 6-feet apart, wash their hands before exercising and wipe down the equipment they use when finished. This is in addition to fully complying with or exceeding strict safety standards directed by state and county public health offices for facilities and staff including frequent cleaning, sanitizing, social distancing, physical separation and new check-in procedures.
One in five Americans experiences a mental health issue and physical fitness can be a critical way to combat these issues according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Additionally, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States – responsible for 840,768 deaths in 2016 and an annual total cost estimated at $351.2 billion in 2014-2015. The leading causes of cardiovascular disease are obesity, high blood pressure and lack of physical activity. Forty-seven percent of Americans have at least one risk factor for heart disease.
“Sadly, people with chronic health issues have significantly higher risk of severe illness or death if they do become ill from COVID-19,” said Marc Thomas, CFA advisory board member, Co-CEO of Aspyr Holdings and an Orangetheory Fitness Franchisee. “According to the National Institutes of Health, engaging in regular physical activity is critical to preventing heart disease and Type 2 diabetes among other ailments, confirming once again that fitness is an essential business.”
In fact, Dr. Hemmal Kothary, the Chief Medical Officer for Dignity Health Central California Division, believes fitness is so essential to mental health that he’s joined CFA as a medical advisor.
“Now more than ever, people need routine and healthy ways to deal with things like anxiety, depression and the isolation caused by this pandemic,” Kothary said. “The communities created within fitness clubs not only help people maintain motivation for their physical fitness but remind us that we are not alone – even when we are safe and physically distant.”
“Our industry takes health very seriously, which is why we implemented strict standards. The results of our survey demonstrate these standards work,” said Cory Brightwell, CFA advisory board member and CEO of Chuze Fitness. “The California Fitness Alliance will continue working with the Governor and local governments to demonstrate that fitness centers are not where infections are spreading.”
The California Fitness Alliance is the united voice of fitness professionals in California advocating for growth for the fitness industry in a safe and healthy way to serve more and keep our state fit. Our members include health clubs, boutiques, studios, fitness professionals, manufactures and suppliers, and individuals. We represent all regions of the state, urban and rural, small and large. We provide everything from basic workout facilities to full-service programs.