Greetings, D4 residents - 

As we settle into spring, I hope everyone is enjoying the (slowly) warming weather, as well as the much needed late season rain. The month of April has also brought significant cultural celebrations, including Cesar Chavez Day, Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. In whatever way your family celebrates, I hope that you were able to spend time with loved ones and experience some seasonal renewal.

This month, the Board of Supervisors received a report back on the Children's Roadmap to Recovery, an initiative on which I led that calls for building out wellness centers at schools, supporting children who lost a parent or primary caregiver due to COVID-19, and building up our early childhood education and childcare workforce. I appreciate County administration's efforts to implement these recommendations, and I look forward to seeing these programs serving the children in our county.

My office held a press conference this past week at the Santa Clara County Reentry Resource Center along with Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith, Supervisor Cindy Chavez, and healthcare leaders to discuss substance use disorder treatment strategies. You can read more in my Medium blog post about plans for our county to expand the use of tools which have proven effective for treating individuals, including additional detox beds, a contingency management therapy pilot program in partnership with the State of California to treat methamphetamine addiction, and streamlined processes to connect individuals to services on the day they are ready to accept them.

You can watch video of the press conference here, and you can find coverage in San Jose Spotlight and KRON4 News.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if we can be of help to you in any way. In the meantime, you can find updates below on Board actions from this month.
 
*We recently added a landing page for more in-depth explanations of initiatives on which I have led, or issues voted on by the Board which residents may want to understand in greater detail. This link will take you to that page. This month's post expands on the Advancing Substance Use Disorder Treatment.

Black Maternal Health Week
The Board of Supervisors proclaimed the week of April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week. Inequities in Black Maternal Health and Perinatal Equity have also received recognition on a national level, as the White House also began recognizing Black Maternal Health Week in 2021.

I encourage everyone to visit https://blackmamasmatter.org/bmhw/ to learn more, and you can find information about local efforts on the Santa Clara County Black Maternal Health Program Website and in local coverage by NBC Bay Area. You can also access the recording of a state-wide panel hosted by Blue Shield of California that I participated in earlier this year to discuss ways to address racial disparities in maternal and infant health here.

CSAC Legislative Conference
I had the opportunity to represent our county at the California State Association of Counties Legislative Conference, where I was able to participate in discussions related to the implementation of CalAIM (Initiative to improve Medi-Cal with a focus on coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services), as well as the Governor's proposed CARE Courts. I appreciate the state-level efforts to improve supportive services, and am committed to doing my part to ensure that Santa Clara County continues to leverage state resources to maximize the impact of services in our community.
 
As we return to in-person gatherings, please feel free to send an invitation to my office for me to attend your community event. I enjoy being out in the community with residents and look forward to seeing you all soon. 
   
I am on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Nextdoor and LinkedIn. There you can find resources, news and events.
   
As always, if you have questions, comments, and/or concerns, email me at supervisor.ellenberg@bos.sccgov.org.
  
I and my team are here for you.    

Be well,     

 
Susan

Juvenile Justice Commission

  • The Juvenile Justice Commission of Santa Clara County is a state-mandated, court-appointed authority with the general purpose of inquiring into the administration of juvenile court law in the County. Responsibilities include inspecting juvenile facilities, conducting public or close inquiries and hearings on matters relating to juvenile law, and advocating for strategies and services for youth in, or at risk of entering, the justice and dependency systems. For more information and application forms, please visit the Santa Clara County Superior Court website.


Child Advocates of Silicon Valley

  • Show up for a foster child! Child Advocates of Silicon Valley is recruiting volunteers to become advocates for foster youth and children in Santa Clara County. As an Advocate Volunteer, you have the ability to help a foster child overcome the effects of having experienced abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment. Learn how you can make a difference in a foster child's life by attending a virtual volunteer info session.


Volunteer






You can get directly involved in your community
by serving on a local Board or Commission.
Click below for a list of opportunities!
Upcoming Events
Giving Back

  • The American Red Cross is facing a national blood crisis – its worst blood shortage in over a decade, posing a concerning risk to patient care. Blood product distributions are outpacing donations. At times, as much as one-quarter of hospital blood needs are not being met. Why is this happening? The pandemic has impacted the national blood supply and the current surge in COVID-19 cases may compound the already dire situation. But you can help!
  • Visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to schedule your blood or platelet donation appointment.  
  • If you are a member of a local community organization, faith-based group, business, association, other non-profit, etc., please consider sharing an email message encouraging them to give now. 

  • Second Harvest is seeing a steep decline in the number of volunteers helping sort and distribute food. Volunteers are critical to their operations — they need your muscles to ensure much-needed food reaches our community!
  • If you have a few hours to spare, please consider signing up for a safe volunteer shift. You can make a real difference for our neighbors who rely on Second Harvest for nutritious groceries. Sign up to volunteer


For the latest updates regarding COVID-19 for residents and businesses, please visit the County Public Health Department website.
County Resources
If you have any questions about resources or assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office directly at supervisorellenberg.com
IN THE NEWS
You can keep track of D4-specific coverage and County news by visiting my newsroom on my website.
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