APRIL - Alcohol Awareness Month | |
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April is Alcohol Awareness Month! In April, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services recognizes Alcohol Awareness Month to increase understanding of the impacts of alcoholism. Deaths related to alcohol are the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Young people that begin drinking prior to age 15 are 40% more likely to develop alcohol dependence than youth that begin drinking after age 18. In addition to a Proclamation, BHRS will be at Health Fairs, Farmer's Markets, and events throughout the County with resources and educational materials to raise awareness and help connect individuals to services. BHRS will be at the Willits and Fort Bragg Farmer’s Markets, Redwood Valley’s Spirit Run/Walk, and Cahto Reservation’s Earth Day Celebration. See the MHSA page for additional details!
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Diversity, Equality, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity | |
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On March 22 and April 18, approximately 30 employees had the opportunity to attend DEI training with Dr. Jei Africa. Dr. Africa was recently hired as the Assistant Human Services Agency Director of San Mateo County, he holds a doctorate of psychology in clinical psychology, a master of arts degree in clinical psychology, and a bachelor of social science degree. This training provided valuable information and look forward to the staff in attendance sharing the information learned with their departments. The next step for the Human Resources department, with guidance from Dr. Africa, is to provide more training throughout the County to keep this important conversation moving.
The County has also applied for a grant for Human Resources to dedicate a percentage of staff time to focus on the work of DEI.
Under An Effective County Government Organization in the Mendocino County Strategic Plan, the Board of Supervisors included Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as a county objective with the goal of implementing new approaches that demonstrate our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
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Mendocino County Strategic Plan | |
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In May 2022, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors approved the first five-year strategic plan that will help guide the critical decisions the Board of Supervisors will face over the next five years with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for County residents. The CEO report will align with the 4 priority areas that include; An Effective County Government, A Safe and Healthy County, A Thriving Economy, and A Prepared and Resilient County.
Click HERE to download the Strategic Plan.
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An Effective County Government Organization | |
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During March 2023, 22 dogs & 13 cats were adopted, 33 dogs & cats were returned to their owners and 33 animals were transferred to animal rescue organizations.
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Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) & Quality Improvement Committee (QIP) conducted a Joint MHSA Forum and QIC meeting Tuesday, April 4th, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Willits Library and via Zoom. Click HERE to read more!
BHRS has implemented Relias, a technological tool for training, to streamline mandatory Behavioral Health trainings. A wide variety of vetted trainings are available, and BHRS is able to customize tailored trainings. Click HERE to read more!
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The Mendocino County Department of Child Support Services had 2990 open cases as of March 31, 2023, serving both parents to ensure that their families receive court-ordered financial and medical support.
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Coast Community Branch Librarian Mellisa Hannum brings story times to Anderson Valley in partnership with the Bookmobile. Each stop in Boonville will offer early literacy practices, songs, rhyming, and picture books. On April 18, story time will include the Mendocino County Reads children’s book, Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi. Attendees will each be given a book to keep so they can read along. All ages are welcome.
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The General Services Agency’s primary focus is ensuring cost-effective purchasing, capital project, and other measures are utilized within the County of Mendocino. Click HERE for detailed information on activities though out Mendocino County.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Public Health Equity Program continues to support the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan by applying a health equity lens to a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach. This is a means to develop policies across sectors with the explicit goal of improving health for all while reducing health inequities.
Health Equity is critical to increasing effectiveness and improving health outcomes. As a core value of our Department, Public Health has developed the Health Equity Checklist and Health Equity Resource Guide to provide guidance for the inclusion of health equity goals into the department divisions, programs, policies, services, and interventions, setting the expectations for the incorporation of health equity. It aims to create institutional changes in Department culture, program activities, and
contracted work. This is an iterative and multi-year process, and this policy will evolve as needed.
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In honor of Social Work Appreciation Month, the Family & Children’s Services (FCS) management team hosted a two-hour training for all FCS staff at the Ukiah Conference Center on March 28, 2023 and provided for lunch for the 71 staff in attendance. This was the first event since the COVID-19 pandemic began three years ago that the FCS team was together in-person. Click HERE to read more!
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A Safe and Healthy County | |
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During the month of March 2023, 180 total spay & neuter surgeries were performed in the Clinic & Mobile Caravan and 218 rabies vaccinations were given to Mendocino County Animal Shelter and owned animals.
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BHRS continues to operate Wellness Centers following the notification by Manzanita Services that they were closing. In order to sustain services funded through MHSA to provide peer and family member-driven safe spaces for social interaction and wellness skill building to individuals with behavioral health concerns, BHRS opened Wellness Centers on March 7th overlapping services for a week with Manzanita to help clients adjust to the transition. Click HERE to read more!
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April 1-30: Celebrate a Healthy Mendocino by joining the Literary Walk at Fort Bragg Branch. Pick up a mileage tracker and contribute your outdoor miles to our collective total. At month’s end, we’ll add everyone’s miles and measure how we compare to the great walks in world literature. Frodo Baggins, Bill Bryson, and Cheryl Strayed, we’re coming for you! Come to the coast for a seaside stroll during National Library Week 4/23-4/30 and join in literary fitness! Click HERE to read more!
Flyers:
Art Night: BYOP (Bring Your Own Project)
Food, Inc
Ukiah Art Walk
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The General Services Agency, Facilities Division is charged with routine and emergency maintenance, utility payments, custodial services and grounds-keeping responsibilities for all County owned and several leased facilities. Other responsibilities include project management for larger scale deferred maintenance projects and maintenance of all County owned parks and recreational areas. Click HERE for activities related to critical projects throughout the county.
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Click HERE to view the Public Health Update for A Safe and Healthy County.
Click HERE to read the Public Health Officers' monthly report.
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Front Door for Families officially launched on March 15! This new project is focused on supporting households with children that are homeless or at-risk-of homelessness. Funded by a Family Homelessness Challenge Grant from the State of California, together with the Bringing Families Home program through CDSS, the project is a "one-stop shop" for families with children who need guidance on securing safe and stable housing. Family & Children's Services is actively recruiting Resource Family Approval (RFA) applicants to care for the children and youth in out-of-home care. In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is hiring! Click HERE for more information on applying.
To read more on Social Services services, click HERE!
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During the month of March 2023, 746 dog licenses were sold resulting in $20,210 in revenue.
Animal Care Services officially received a $100,000 grant from UC Davis Veterinary School - "California for All Animals" that will greatly assist financially in replacing the aging Mobile Spay & Neuter vehicle. The replacement-purchasing process will start soon with expectations of having the new vehicle in place before or by January 2024.
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BHRS is seeking prospective Interns for our Mentored Internship Program. BHRS partners with CalPoly Humboldt on a Mentored Internship Grant. Four internships per year are available and funded for stipends. Internships can be in either substance use treatment or mental health, and interns can be undergraduate or graduate level. BHRS met with three prospective interns in March for undergraduate internships. We continue to seek prospective interns at all levels to support the behavioral health workforce in developing skills based on direct service delivery, and to build relationships for potential future employment.
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During the month of March, the Mendocino County Department of Child Support Services collected and distributed $576,247.62 in court-ordered child support payments, and a total of 805 children are currently enrolled in employer-offered medical coverage.
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Friday, April 21, Little Green Bean Coffee Roastery will offer a coffee tasting at the Coast Community Branch Library in Point Arena. Sweetness, acidity, smokiness, floral notes, chocolate, and fruit can all be found in coffee. The type of roast and where the beans are grown influence the flavors.
Wednesday, May 10, a patisserie class will be offered at Franny’s Cup & Saucer in Point Arena. These library/local business partnerships offer patrons a greater understanding of the diverse, creative ways community members help Mendocino County’s economy thrive.
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The General Services Agency conducts its procurement process in a competitive, open, fair manner, and environment. To safeguard this principle, all parties involved in the procurement process are required to abide by the policies and procedures adopted by the County. Click HERE to read more!
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A Prepared and Resilient County | |
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Animal Care Services has been working with CVET (California Veterinary Emergency Team) from UC Davis Veterinary School in completing an assessment report to better understand the needs of animals during emergencies such as fires, floods etc in the county. During emergencies CVET can respond to Mendocino County with a Veterinarian Team if needed-requested that can provide assistance in caring for and medically treating domestic & livestock animals.
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BHRS Prevention Unit has been working with various schools on a number of leadership and youth advocacy programs, such as Friday Night Live and Elevate Youth. These programs partner with schools and youth groups to support youth to foster self-advocacy and leadership skills. A secondary goal of the programs is to engage youth in prosocial healthy activities that serve as a protective factor in preventing the use of substances and involvement in other unhealthy and unsafe activities. We have several youth groups that are well established but have been reaching out to additional school districts, prioritizing rural and smaller schools. Our youth have been significantly impacted by the pandemic, increases in substance availability, and increasing rates of trauma and mental health conditions.
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On April 7th, Ukiah Branch held a Teen Leadership Council (TLC) Interest Meeting, where teens could volunteer and apply for credit toward community service hours while building their résumés. Participants gained valued skills and experience with planning and organizing events, recommending books and other materials for library purchase, developing leadership and conflict-resolution skills, and contributing to the Ukiah community by expanding teen resources. Pizza was provided. This fulfills the goal of a prepared and resilient County by teaching teens to become effective leaders in their community. Click HERE to read more.
Flyers:
Vegetable Garden Story Time
A Night of Music and Poetry
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The General Services Agency maintains vital infrastructure and related services that enable county employees to serve the citizens of Mendocino County. Click HERE to read more.
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The County of Mendocino was awarded a grant in September 2021 and ended in February 2023, for the Community Water Supply Replacement Project to purchase and haul potable water from the City of Ukiah to communities within Mendocino County who were experiencing residential water insecurities. The funding for this project has been provided in full or in part from the State Department of Water Resources, financed under the Small Community Drought Relief Program, administered by the Department of Water Resources, engineered by Mendocino County Water Agency, and contracted with the following vendors for the completion of the project: City of Ukiah, North Coast Wine LLC, KVS Inc, Clifton Water, Butch Cameron Trucking, and Gregg Simpson Trucking.
Click HERE for more information.
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Additional Department Information | |
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The Department of Treasury released the final rule on January 6, 2022. According to the final rule, funding may be used to cover costs 1) replace lost public sector revenue, 2) support the COVID-19 public health and economic response, 3) provide premium pay for eligible workers performing essential work, 4) or for investment in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. Eligible expenses must be obligated between March 3, 2021, and December 31, 2024, and projects must be completed by December 31, 2026.
Mendocino County’s allotment was $16,849,976 of which 50% was awarded on August 6, 2021, and the remaining 50% was awarded on September 16, 2022. The Board of Supervisors on November 16, 2021, directed ARPA funding to be designated for County Core services, infrastructure projects, and emergency funding before other considerations, and to be appropriated using the final guidelines released in January 2022.
As of March 31, 2023, the County has fully allocated the ARPA funding.
Full detail of the obligations can be found HERE.
Quarterly ARPA reporting can be found HERE.
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FEMA Recap - COVID
A full detail of the obligations and payments received from FEMA, relating to COVID expenses incurred through March 31, 2023, can be found by clicking HERE.
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Full detail of the obligations and expenses paid through March 31, 2023, can be found by clicking HERE.
Quarterly PG&E reporting can be found HERE.
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The Mendocino County Department of Child Support participated in the Ukiah Elk's Lodge Easter egg hunt. Employees of our department donated candy and stuffed over 1,000 plastic eggs. Sunday morning staff showed up to help the Easter Bunny hide the eggs. Every child who participated not only enjoyed the hunt but were also given a donated basket full of treats, toys and child activities.
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As staff continues to make progress in evaluation and updates of all of County leases, licenses, rental agreements, space and conditional analysis results, and memorandums of understanding (MOU) within the County system, we have been meeting with numerous property tenants of various County-owned facilities to forge relationships and gain understanding of the programs and services run out of the facilities. This effort may result in reducing the County’s real property footprint and is in keeping with utilizing all County owned space efficiently and effectively. Click HERE to read more!
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Click HERE to view March 2023 Vacancy rates, new hires and promotions!
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COME & VISIT
Main Ukiah Campus:
501 Low Gap Road
Ukiah, CA 95482
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