Health
Timely Grants Assist with Opioid Crisis
Sierra Health Foundation awards funding to several Marin agencies
More than 2,000 people die from opioid-related deaths in California each year, and Marin County is not immune. It has averaged 215 drug-overdose fatalities over the past seven years, many opioid-related, according to the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
But there is good news: More resources are on the way for local collaborative efforts. Several Marin agencies have received timely support in the form of state grants to achieve two goals: 1) help support expansion of local activities to improve access to life-saving medications and treatment, and 2) to improve education about substance use disorders.
On June 20, the Center at Sierra Health Foundation announced more than $16.4 million awarded to 120 organizations at more than 270 sites/access points throughout California. The funds will go through the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Access Points Project to ensure that the delivery of MAT facilitates positive treatment outcomes, safe management of care transitions and long-term recovery for people with opioid and other substance use disorders.
Four Marin County organizations were granted nearly $500,000 through the MAT Access Points Project. Marin HHS’ Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Division was awarded $184,000 for program development and to help fund a recovery coach position to facilitate care coordination between acute care mental health locations. Marin General Hospital received $100,000 to help fund educational efforts and support addiction program development, and Marin Treatment Center will use its $100,000 grant to assist justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder and expand treatment options for individuals with Medicare. Finally, Center Point, Inc., received $100,000 to expand access to MAT through their programming by engaging additional medical providers.
“These grants are such a wonderful opportunity for us to expand our treatment options and to help align our goals and efforts with those of our local healthcare partners,” said Marc Hering, Executive Vice President of Centerpoint. “It’s a welcome shift to see addiction treatment become more of a central health care priority.”
In addition to the MAT Access Points Projects grants, Marin HHS has received a similar $135,000 MAT expansion grant to increase the availability of medications for addiction treatment in criminal justice settings. That grant facilitated the collaboration of custody health, adult drug court, Marin County public health and behavioral health, Marin City Health and Wellness, and Bay Area Community Resources.
Marin HHS, the RxSafe Marin coalition, and various local stakeholders such as the Spahr Center and the Marin County Jail also have been the recipients of additional grant awards to reduce opioid abuse in recent years. The grants have led to the distribution of hundreds of narcan opioid overdose reversal kits through community trainings, local treatment providers, libraries, police, and directly to jail inmates.
“All these grants fit into our larger goal of addressing the opioid epidemic locally through collective efforts that expand access to treatment, especially MAT,” said Dr. Jeff DeVido of Marin HHS, who contributed to the grant applications for several of the local grant recipients. “Expanding access to treatment is one of our priority goals of HHS and RxSafe Marin, our local opioid coalition.”
DeVido said the other priority goals are decreasing opioid supply through education about safe prescribing and good medication stewardship as well as expansion of safe disposal options and decreasing the risk of overdose through expansion of the availability of narcan, the opioid overdose reverse medication.
“It’s just really exciting to see the various local organizations work together and coordinate our efforts to meet the local need,” said Rebecca Maxwell, Behavioral Health Director at Marin General Hospital.
Brian Slattery, CEO of Marin Treatment Center, added: “Addiction is a treatable illness, and people with addiction and the treatment itself have too long been marginalized. These grants help to facilitate our efforts to bring individuals with addiction and addiction treatment in from the margins of health care.”
Through an innovative partnership between HHS Emergency Medical Services, Marin County Public Health, and Marin County Behavioral Health, those who have suffered a nonfatal overdose now receive targeted outreach from addiction specialists in the hopes of facilitating better connections between those individuals and treatment providers.
Learn more about the MAT Access Points Project at mataccesspoints.org.
Community
Calif. Dept. of Public Health: Got Milk Allergies? Don’t Eat Dave’s Bakery Cornbread
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a warning on Jan. 26, instructing consumers with milk allergies or “severe sensitivity to milk” in the state to not eat Dave’s Bakery Corn Bread due to “risk of illness.” The CDPH warns that consumption of the corn bread manufactured by a Gardena-based company — with expiration dates up to June 18, 2024 — may lead to “life threatening” reactions.
By California Black Media
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a warning on Jan. 26, instructing consumers with milk allergies or “severe sensitivity to milk” in the state to not eat Dave’s Bakery Corn Bread due to “risk of illness.”
The CDPH warns that consumption of the corn bread manufactured by a Gardena-based company — with expiration dates up to June 18, 2024 — may lead to “life threatening” reactions.
“This warning applies only to the Corn Bread produced by Bake R Us, DBA Dave’s Baking Company and distributed to schools, retail facilities and in vending machines primarily in southern California,” the DCPH statement reads.
“This product should not be confused with other similarly named companies with national distribution,” it continues.
According to the CDPH, although the corn bread product contains whey, which is a milk allergen, there is no allergy warning label on the packaging, though it is required by state law.
So far, authorities say, no illnesses have been reported in the state, but if anyone finds the products on sale anywhere in the state, they should call the CDPH complaint hotline at (800) 495-3232 or file a report online at CDPH.ca.gov
The CDPH is also recommending that people who have eaten the product and are experiencing any reaction or ill effects should consult their health care provider.
Bay Area
East Bay Regional Park District Issues Rattlesnake Advisory
The East Bay Regional Park District released an advisory today on rattlesnakes, which emerge from winter hibernation in early spring and become more active. Warm weather can bring more potential for rattlesnake encounters with humans and dogs, particularly along trails and roads.
The Richmond Standard
The East Bay Regional Park District released an advisory today on rattlesnakes, which emerge from winter hibernation in early spring and become more active.
Warm weather can bring more potential for rattlesnake encounters with humans and dogs, particularly along trails and roads.
Visitors are encouraged to avoid hiking alone in case of an emergency, to scan the ground ahead as they walk, jog or ride, stay on trails avoiding tall grass, and to look carefully around and under logs and rocks before sitting down. Keep your dog on your leash to be extra safe, park officials said.
If you encounter a rattlesnake, leave it alone – it is unlawful to capture or harm one. Move carefully and slowly away or around it and give it plenty of space, park officials said.
Those who are bitten by a rattlesnake are instructed to stay calm by lying down with the affected limb lower than the heart, then having someone call 911.
Getting medical attention is critical.
Those bitten should not use tourniquets, “sucking,” or snake bite kits. If you are by yourself, walk calmly to the nearest source of help to dial 911, do not run.
If bitten by any other type of snake, wash the wound with soap and water or an antiseptic and seek medical attention.
Not sure what bit you? Check the bite for two puncture marks (in rare cases one) associated with intense, burning pain, which is typical of a rattlesnake bite. Other snakebites can leave marks without associated burning pain.
The Northern Pacific rattlesnake is the species found in East Bay Regional Parks. Snakes are important to the natural environment, helping to control rodents and other reptile populations. But enjoy them from afar.
For more information, download the Park District’s Common Snakes brochure or watch our Gopher Snake or Rattlesnake video to learn how to tell the difference between rattlesnakes and gopher snakes. Additional information is available at ebparks.org/safety/wildlife-encounters.
Alameda County
A Safe Place, Bay Area Domestic Violence Community Organization, Opens New Service Center in Oakland
Oakland-Bay Area non-profit, A Safe Place, announces the grand opening of its newly purchased building in Oakland that will be a service center for families that have suffered from domestic violence. The new, two-story building has over six new service rooms for counseling, mental health support groups, legal services, children’s treatment, safe space for community engagement, and partnership activities.
By Courtney Slocum Riley
Special to The Post
Oakland-Bay Area non-profit, A Safe Place, announces the grand opening of its newly purchased building in Oakland that will be a service center for families that have suffered from domestic violence.
The new, two-story building has over six new service rooms for counseling, mental health support groups, legal services, children’s treatment, safe space for community engagement, and partnership activities.
Domestic violence occurrences and offenses account for a considerable amount of all violent crimes in Alameda County. A Safe Place is attempting to provide a safe place for families to heal. A Safe Place is the only comprehensive domestic violence assistance program including a safehouse, in Oakland.
The grand opening celebration will also serve as a fundraiser to build out healing, therapeutic spaces for children and adult victims and survivors and survivors of domestic violence (male and female).
The new service center will expand the work of the organization, founded in 1976 when a group of women working in San Francisco came together to address the urgent need for a shelter in the East Bay. A year later, they founded A Safe Place (ASP) in Oakland. Run solely by volunteers, they set up a crisis line to offer crisis counseling and information to battered women and their children.
The organization serves over 500 adults and children annually through a host of services including crisis counseling via 24-hour crisis line, emergency motel and safehouse sheltering, mental health services (counseling and support groups).
Under the leadership of Executive Director, Carolyn Russell, the organization has grown from a single program into the comprehensive domestic violence and assistance program. ASP strives to meet the growing and diverse needs of our growing community.
The organization hopes to complete all the upgrades and therapeutic room improvements by August 2024. The public is invited to donate to the effort by using the website at www.asafeplace.org/donate. The organization also accepts in-kind gifts as well as items from the organization’s Amazon Wishlist.
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