CVV News l April 2023
Sacramento: Senator Anna M. Caballero (D-Merced) announced the introduction of Senate Bill 524: Pharmacy Practice: Test-to-Treat to allow pharmacists to prescribe treatment for certain common conditions for which they can currently perform tests. These conditions include COVID-19, influenza, sexually transmitted infections, strep throat, and conjunctivitis (pink eye).
Nearly nine in ten Californians live within five miles of a community pharmacy, and the role of the pharmacist to manage a patient’s healthcare needs is within easy reach and an underused resource. California can take advantage of the rigorous training a pharmacist receives and utilize it to quickly prescribe medications that can stop the spread of illness.
Healthcare is inaccessible for many Californians, especially those in rural areas. Rural residents, confronted by a shortage of physicians, a lack of transportation and hospital closures are often limited in access to treatments for various viral illnesses. Senate Bill 524 would expand the ability of a pharmacist to provide treatment within their training to save time and avoid a costly trip to the hospital.” –Senator Anna M. Caballero, District 14
“The California Community Pharmacy Coalition is proud to support Senator Caballero’s legislation, SB 524, which would allow pharmacists to ‘test and treat’ for specific illnesses in a community pharmacy,” said Rachel Michelin, president of the California Community Pharmacy Coalition. “All Californians deserve to have healthcare services in their communities and this bill focuses on ensuring patients have equitable access, which is particularly important for those living in rural areas where healthcare facilities can be hard to reach. As we learned during COVID, early treatment of certain illnesses such as the flu, RSV or strep throat are imperative to prevent further spread and protect individuals from developing more serious and severe symptoms that could result in hospitalization.”
City of Merced awarded $977,647 in grant funding by the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC)
CVV News l September 20, 2022
Merced, Calif – In partnership with Merced County Probation, the City of Merced will complement the Pathways to Success program – a multi-agency approach to working with youth and their families experiencing violence through the CalVIP grant. The three-year pilot program will offer wrap-around reentry care and support as a prevention hub where services will be provided to at-risk and probation-involved youth and their families.
Through this grant, the City of Merced will establish the Office of Neighborhood Safety, a division of the City Manager’s Office, which will support the program. Four Peer Support Specialists will mentor a dedicated caseload of youth by offering direct links to resources, systems navigation, tutoring, job training, and family strengthening resources to build a positive community network as an alternative to violence.
“We must continue to focus on the needs of our youth and building a community free of violence,” said Merced City Council Member Jesse Ornelas. “This funding will expand much-needed supportive services that will aid in the healing and recovery of youth within our community. The special component is that youth who have walked through the trauma of community violence will participate,” concluded Ornelas.
“The City’s Peer Support Specialists will be a nice compliment to the Pathways to Success Program,” stated Kalisa Rochester, chief probation officer, Merced County Probation Department. I am encouraged by the growing collaborative effort, and I am excited to get this three-year pilot program underway.”
The Pathways to Success Program is designed to offer a personalized and supportive landing for youth reentering the community through case management that focuses on wrap-around services. All services will be provided at the Stephen Leonard Community Center in South Merced and will include:
- Social and Emotional Learning Skills – Activities designed to promote competency skills that create resilient relationships with family, friends, and community.
- Prevention and Intervention Resources– Supportive services, located at physically and emotionally safe community-based family resource centers, to encourage productive family involvement and to support a successful rehabilitation program.
- Financial Allowances – Peer Support Specialists will consider existing financial barriers and, based on need, will set up a monetary allowance for housing, transportation, food, and clothing assistance.
- Through evaluations, programming will consist of family therapy, mentoring, and skill-building resources.
- Evidence-Based Programming – Skill-building and family therapy programs designed to mentor and positively change a youth’s behavior.
“We thank BSCC for supporting communities like Merced that are disproportionately impacted by violence,” said Merced City Manager Stephanie Dietz. “This City Council is invested in supporting youth through programs that provide vital evidence-based resources.”
Partnering with Pathways to Success will create and ensure collaboration between partner agencies through developing individualized rehabilitation plans that productively support youth within our community,” concluded Dietz.
For more information about the City of Merced, visit www.cityofmerced.org.
Merced County rises to Challenge of housing 100 homeless young people with Assemblymember Adam Gray’s help
CVV News l July 18, 2022
More than 150 Merced County children call motel rooms home. Another 41 people under age 24 live unsheltered in cars, under highway bridges or in tents along the roadside.
Living in such conditions leads to poor health, poor nutrition and poor grades for those in school. Some, as they get older, can be at higher risk of turning to crime or substance abuse. The human and financial costs of people living in these conditions are enormous, both for those experiencing it and for the community.
Merced County, its cities, several non-profits and many volunteers have committed to addressing the problem of child and youth homelessness through a second 100-Day Challenge, which began July 6. The goal is to find housing for 100 children and young people and their families in 100 days. The effort will concentrate on those living in temporary shelters with an emphasis on racial equity.
“Since 2020 we have seen a 170 percent increase in families experiencing homelessness,” said Lloyd Pareira, Chairman of the Merced County Board of Supervisors. “They are residing in motels being used as emergency shelters by the county. We believe by focusing on finding stable housing for at least 100 children and youth in the next 100 days, we can make a real difference for those kids and for our county.”
Merced Mayor Matt Serratto, who chairs the city-county Continuum of Care, was encouraged by the number of agencies, volunteer groups and others involved – including the Housing Authority, Merced County Office of Education, Assemblymember Adam Gray’s office, Healthy House, Turning Point Community Programs, Merced Rescue Mission, the Community Action Agency, Worknet, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and the Human Services Agency.
“This is exactly the kind of effort we need to address the often-complex needs of families experiencing homelessness,” said Serratto.
In May, Merced County completed its first 100-Day Challenge – a state-sponsored program assisting local residents develop unique solutions to homelessness within their communities. Working with RE!NSTITUTE coaches, local teams were asked to define the problems, set goals and then implement solutions in their specific communities. RE!NSTITUTE works with four counties at a time, and Merced’s cohort included San Bernardino, Santa Cruz and Sacramento.
Merced County’s goal was to finding permanent housing for 20 individuals who had been living in Los Banos homeless encampments. The Challenge team – which included county staff, Los Banos public safety, members of Assemblymember Gray’s staff and many others – visited two large encampments, compiling profiles of each of the 151 people living in them.
Other Challenge team members described the problem to community organizations while others searched for suitable, affordable housing.
At the end of the 100 days, Merced County had reached its goal, finding housing for 13% of Los Banos’ homeless population. The team also helped 65 more adults enter a pathway to safe and stable housing by finding them emergency shelter or connecting them with family or service providers. The Challenge was judged an enormous success.
“Once again, when given the opportunity and resources, Valley folks proved that their hearts are as strong as their arms,” said Assemblymember Gray, who has helped find state funding for homelessness programs in both Merced and Stanislaus counties and annually participates in the Point-in-Time census. “It wasn’t just finding homes for those individuals, the Challenge team helped them find hope and direction.”
Merced County Superintendent of Schools Steve Tietjen was clear on the importance of meeting the Challenge. “Succeeding in school is hard enough for most kids,” said Tietjen. “It’s hard to imagine how much more difficult that is if you’re worried about where you’ll be sleeping that night or what you’re going to have to eat. By helping these kids and their families, we can make real difference.”
Making a difference is the real goal, said Gray: “Our next Challenge – getting young people into stable living situations – helps our communities now and far into the future.”
In this new journey, Merced will join the communities of Santa Barbara, Eureka, Lake County, Los Angeles, Richmond and Santa Cruz.
For more information on the Challenge, contact Christy McCammond at 209 385-3000, ext. 5144.
Lawmakers from Across the State Unite to Defeat Water Grab Legislation
CVV News May 27, 2022
(Sacramento) – Assemblyman Adam C. Gray (D-Merced) announced that 43 other lawmakers joined him to defeat AB 2639, a bill that would have accelerated the adoption of the State Water Grab, officially known as the update to the Bay-Delta Plan. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), would also have prohibited the State Water Board from issuing any new water right permits, putting in jeopardy badly needed new water storage projects like Sites Reservoir.
“I appealed to my colleagues on a very personal level,” said Gray in describing his efforts to gather enough votes to defeat the bill. “There is no other region of the state that would be as heavily impacted by this bill as my district and the people I represent. I asked my colleagues to consider what they would ask of me if their districts were similarly targeted. I told the story of the decades-long fight my community has waged against the water grab, and how the State Water Board has decided that the impacts to our economy and our drinking water are ‘significant, but unavoidable.’ I asked them if the Assembly was prepared to make the same decision.”
In total, 44 members of the Assembly either abstained or voted no on the bill denying it the 41 votes it needed to pass. Opposition to the bill was strongest among inland California lawmakers from the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento, and the Inland Empire, but opposition also came from Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange County.
“It took a board coalition to defeat the bill. The San Joaquin Valley doesn’t always have enough friends in the State Legislature to stop bad bills, but we did today. I am grateful to my colleagues who took the time to understand a complicated issue. They made the difference today.”
Gray had taken the unusual step of submitting “hostile amendments” against the bill. Gray’s amendments would have prevented the bill from going into effect if it was found to negatively impact the quantity or quality of the drinking water of the Valley’s poorest zip codes.
“I submitted those amendments to highlight the incredible hypocrisy that was on display,” said Gray. “The supporters of that bill talk a lot about protecting poor and vulnerable communities, but when push comes to shove they were prepared to trade the running water of poor people for more water in the Delta. A lot of bills get framed as fish versus farmers. I want my colleagues to understand that when you attack farmers you are also attacking the thousands of families that live around those farms and depend on them for their livelihoods even when they don’t work on those farms.”
The author of the bill refused to consider Gray’s amendments and took it up for a vote without any changes.
“Refusing to negotiate has recently become a badge of honor for some members in the State Legislature. I hope that this is a lesson and an example that good public policy happens when all points of view are considered. More than anything, I think their refusal to compromise is what killed this bill.”
