Contra Costa Health Reminds Residents to Take Precautions

for Weekend Heat

With temperatures above 100 degrees expected across much of Contra Costa County this Labor Day weekend, it is a healthy choice to take precautions and factor heat safety into your plans.

Contra Costa Health (CCH) recommends staying inside in an air-conditioned space during the hottest part of the day, if possible. For locations and hours of air-conditioned spaces open to the public in the county, visit contracosta.ca.gov [contracosta.ca.gov] and click the Heat Safety Tips link [contracosta.ca.gov].

“Extreme heat can be dangerous, especially when it goes on for several days in a row,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, Contra Costa County Health Officer. “We urge everyone in the county to take the forecast into account as they make their weekend plans and take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

The National Weather Service [weather.gov] has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for inland parts of the Bay Area from Thursday through Tuesday next week, with temperatures in central and eastern Contra Costa County forecast to exceed 105 degrees on some days.

Other tips to stay healthy and safe in hot weather include hydration – drink more water than you think you need, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid sugary or alcoholic beverages.

People who must go out should avoid strenuous activity if possible, such as running or heavy exercise, during the hottest part of the day. Take frequent breaks, stay in the shade when possible, and wear appropriate clothing. Light-colored, loose-fitting clothes with a hat and sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher are recommended.

Older adults and young children, particularly infants younger than 6 months, are particularly vulnerable to overheating in hot weather – check on them frequently to ensure they are safe and healthy.

Keep your home cooler by drawing shades and blinds and keeping windows and doors shut, and by keeping the stove off and other electrical appliances off when possible.

People who are experiencing homelessness and need help can connect with services by calling 211 anywhere in Contra Costa County.

Visit cchealth.org/heat for more information about staying healthy in hot weather, including tips for staying cool and information about heat illness. Visit weather.gov [weather.gov] for an up-to-date forecast for your area from the National Weather Service.

Envision Contra Costa 2040 Alamo Town Hall on September 8th

Monkeypox (MPX) Updates

As of August 31, Contra Costa Health Services is offering second doses of Jynneos vaccine to everyone who has already gotten their first dose to complete the series. Previously, second doses were only being offered to immunocompromised people due to limited vaccine supply.

Community organizations can now request a mobile MPX vaccine clinic at their sites by filling out this online form. To schedule a MPX vaccine appointment on-line go MPX Vaccine.

MPX cases in California appear to have plateaued, although this could change

The vast majority of cases continue to be among LGBTQ men who have recently had sex with multiple men.

There have been no deaths from MPX in California or the U.S. thus far. Access to treatment is expanding as more providers, including Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC), become authorized to prescribe the TPOXX antiviral.

Where to Get Free Home COVID-19 Tests

Testing for COVID-19 can give you peace of mind, provide you with the information you need to make decisions about your health, and help slow the spread of COVID-19 within our community.

While the federal program for ordering free COVID-19 home tests is ending Friday, Sept. 2, here are other ways to get free home COVID-19 tests:

• Medi-Cal Beneficiaries: each Medi-Cal beneficiary can go to a Medi-Cal Rx pharmacy, show their Medi-Cal Benefits ID Card and have up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic tests covered each month.
• Contra Costa Regional Medical Center & Health Centers patients: free home tests are available upon request when checking in for appointments at registration.
• People with private, employer-sponsored, and student health commercial health insurance can request reimbursement for over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic tests. The cost of home testing for COVID-19 is an eligible medical expense that can be paid or reimbursed under health flexible spending arrangements (health FSAs), health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), or Archer medical savings accounts (Archer MSAs).
• Community-based organizations can request home test kits.

Get tested as soon as possible if you have COVID-19 symptoms. Home tests are generally good at detecting active infections when someone has COVID-19 symptoms, but they do not as reliably detect infection in people that don’t have symptoms. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, but test negative using a home test, take steps to prevent spread, and test again using a home test or schedule a PCR test. Rapid antigen tests (including home tests) are also recommended for testing out of isolation and quarantine.

Click for more information about when and how to use a home test. You can also get tested at county sites, State sites and other commercial and healthcare provider sites.

COVID-19 Data Updates

To read the latest information and to see the data summary, go COVID-19 updates

Fire Station 4 Re-Opening in Walnut Creek

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, upon which Supervisor Andersen and the Board of Supervisors serve as the governing board, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially reopen its Station 4 in Walnut Creek.

The station, at 700 Hawthorne Drive, had been closed for nine years due to necessary cutbacks following the great recession. It will once again serve the southern portions of unincorporated Walnut Creek and northern Alamo and surrounding areas.

9/11 Remembrance Ceremony in Danville

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month

One of my happiest childhood memories is my family’s weekly visit to the Aina Haina Library in Honolulu where I grew up. I still remember carefully signing my name on my very first library card in 1965 when I had learned to print my own name. I would return home with a stack of books to read and share with my sisters, and anxiously await our next visit to check out more.

As a parent, raising our six children in Danville, our Contra Costa Public libraries brought that same excitement to our family. We would not just check out books, but movies and audio books. As my children grew older and the library system’s online catalogue grew, the available resources for writing essays and papers grew.

Now, as a busy elected official, I don’t have as much time to sit down and read a book, but I truly enjoy listening to books as I drive about the County or garden in my backyard. Our library system has an outstanding selection of audio books and e-books, available to check out. Access to thousands of tities is free, however, you do need a library card to access them!  Stop by one of our amazing Contra Costa libraries and sign up for your library card.

The 2022 Point in Time Count (PIT) of our Homeless Population in Contra Costa County is Now Available

The 2022 Point-in-Time Count was a community-wide effort to identify sheltered and unsheltered people in the county on the night of February 23rd, 2022. 

The 2022 Point in Time (PIT) Executive Summary, a 2 page document that includes city-level data, has been published on the County's Health, Housing and Homeless Services (H3) website here . 

For more complete data about the homeless system of care, including number of people served per year, demographics and outcomes, see the 2021 Annual Report.

Tri-Valley Mayors' Summit

Lafayette's 13th Annual Senior Symposium

Free Virtual Worm Composting

A FREE virtual Worm Composting Workshop will be offered by the Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development on Saturday, September 10, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. You can register by clicking on the date above.

In the class, you will learn how to make your own worm compost. Vermicomposting (“vermi” is Latin for “worm”) is the process of using worms to process organic food waste into nutrient-rich soil. Worms eat decaying food waste and produce vermicompost, a very effective soil supplement.

The instructor, Todd Sutton, an expert with more than 30 years in the environmental field, has appeared on national television including Discovery and History channels, and has educated thousands on waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and composting.

Did you know that each person is responsible for an average of 700 pounds of material disposed of in landfills annually? According to a recent California study, an average of 37.4% of the waste from households is potentially compostable (yard and food waste). You can make a difference by just composting at home.

All Contra Costa County residents are welcome. This event will be hosted live online via Zoom. Participants will be emailed the Zoom link once they are registered. To learn more about composting or recycling, visit cccrecycle.org.

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Event

Mobile Citizen App

Have you noticed a pothole or graffiti in unincorporated Contra Costa County and wanted a quick and easy way to report it?

The Contra Costa County Public Works Department now uses a versatile and user-friendly Smart Phone (Android, iOS) application called Mobile Citizen to help.

Residents can report concerns such as potholes, graffiti, illegal dumping, and other service requests simply by taking a photo, providing comments, details about location, and submitting it directly to the Public Works Department. 

The Mobile Citizen application is free and can be downloaded from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).

“We’re excited to provide a fast and easy tool that makes it more convenient for our customers to report many types of service concerns for our unincorporated communities,” said Brian Balbas, Public Works Director. 

To learn more about the Mobile Citizen application, please visit contracosta.ca.gov/7875/Mobile-Citizen.

Opportunity to Serve on the In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority Advisory Committee

IHSS Public Authority Poised to Fill Several Vacancies

The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Public Authority Advisory Committee currently has four (4) volunteer vacancies for individuals who are current or past users of IHSS or Personal Attendant Services. Individuals who are in the following categories can fill the vacancies:

·      Consumer 60 or Older - Two (2) vacancies

·      Consumer Any Age - Two (2) vacancies

Additionally, there is one (1) District volunteer vacancy representing District V (Hercules, Martinez Pittsburg, Antioch). Individuals residing or working in this district, with professional experience in the following categories, may apply:

·      Senior Advocate

·      Advocate for Younger Persons with Disabilities

·      Representative from the Developmental Disability Community

·      Social Worker

·      Nurse

·      Representative from a Community Based Organization

·      Representative from a Home Health Agency

·      Current or Previous IHSS Provider

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors established the IHSS Public Authority Advisory Committee in March 1999. The IHSS Public Authority Advisory Committee provides advice and assistance to the Board of Supervisors and the staff of the IHSS Public Authority regarding the IHSS program and policies of the IHSS Public Authority. The Public Authority recruits and screens home care providers, maintains a registry of providers, refers providers to consumers and enrolls all IHSS providers on the State Payroll.

The Advisory Committee is comprised of eleven (11) members, six (6) who use, or have used, IHSS or Personal Attendant Services, and five (5) who have professional experience in the health and human services fields.

Individuals who reside or work in Contra Costa County who are interested in applying for these Volunteer Vacancies on the IHSS Public Authority Committee can obtain an application from Monique Rodriguez by calling (925) 655-4017 or emailing drodriguez-Redd@ehsd.cccounty.us.

Applications should be returned to the IHSS Public Authority as soon as possible. All applicants will receive acknowledgement in writing. Following the review of applications, the review committee will forward recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for appointment.

Every year approximately half of the seats on the Council on Homelessness are open to new applicants. The Council on Homelessness will begin accepting applications for the following seats on September 16th.

• Affordable Housing Developer
• Behavioral Health Representative
• City Government Representative
• Person with Lived Experience Representative
• Educational and Vocational Services Representative
• Emergency Solutions Grant Representative
• Healthcare Representative
• Homeless Service Providers
• Veteran Administration Representative
• Workforce Development Representative
• Youth Representative (between the ages of 18-24)

Stay tuned for more details about how to apply and an Application Completion Workshop!

For more information about the Council on Homelessness, go to cchealth.org/h3/#Council. 

The Measure X Community Advisory Board was established on February 2, 2021, following the passage of Measure X – a countywide sales tax measure providing general purpose revenue for County programs estimated to generate over $80 million annually.

Due to the recent resignation of one of her appointees, Supervisor Andersen is seeking an individual from District 2 that represents broad and diverse voices, perspectives, and expertise, including but not exclusive to: children’s services, community health, consumer budgets, advocacy, faith leadership, senior services, fire and public safety protection, housing and homelessness, employment, legal advocacy, local businesses, mental health services, non-partisan civic organizations, policy organizations, public health, racial justice and equity, safety net services, substance abuse services, taxpayers, and youth services.

The Measure X Community Advisory Board is composed of 10 Supervisorial District seats and 7 At-Large seats, for a total of 17 seats.

To be considered for this seat, candidates must either live or work in District 2. The Community Advisory Board currently meets monthly. Currently, the meetings are via online conferencing.

Members of the Community Advisory Board will receive no compensation for their service and must complete State required ethics training as well as County training on the open meeting laws, including the Ralph M. Brown Act and Better Government Ordinance. Initial members of the Committee shall serve staggered terms of two or three years, with subsequent appointments serving three-year terms, with a maximum of six years served consecutively by any member. Currently elected or appointed public officials, including, but not limited to, Mayors, City Council Members, City Managers, and Fire Chiefs are not eligible for appointment.

Find out more information about volunteering for an advisory body here co.contra-costa.ca.us/3418. To apply online go to www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/.

Contra Costa County Seeks Applicants for

Family and Children's Trust Committee (FACT)

Contra Costa County has over 75 Boards and Committees to which local citizens are appointed to help address the many needs in our community. One of the most important roles the county has is protecting children. In 1985, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors established The Family and Children’s Trust Committee (FACT). The FACT works to make funding recommendations on the allocation of funds for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. The committee also works to provide supportive services for families and children. 

Currently, FACT is seeking applicants for eight committee seats including: 

• Four At-Large Community Representative Seats
• Three Discipline Specific Seats – Education/School Representative, Child Development/Early Childhood Education and Mental Health
• One District Seat – District I

If you are interested in applying or learning more about the FACT committee, please visit https://ehsd.org/children/family-and-childrens-trust-fund-fact

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are available online via the County Website. Completed applications can be submitted online, emailed to ClerkoftheBoard@cob.cccounty.us or mailed to the Clerk of the Board, 1025 Escobar Street 1st Floor, Martinez, CA. 94553.

Members of the FACT Committee include residents with various expertise in children’s issues, education/school based programs, services for children with special needs, mental health, substance abuse, law, non-profit agency management, ethnic and cultural clubs/groups, health care, and program research/evaluation. The Committee meets monthly. For more information about the FACT, contact FACT staff at (925) 608-4943.

Funding for FACT supported projects comes from federal and state program legislation, as well as donations to the County’s Family and Children’s Trust Fund. Every three years, FACT committee members identify a series of county priorities for their funding. To do this, the group reviews data and holds public hearings throughout the county. The Committee then develops a competitive bidding process to select non-profit and/or community-based agencies to best provide the services determined to be the most important. 

Now is a great time to consider ways you might want to give back to your community. If you are interested in participating in government, then perhaps one of these volunteer opportunities is of interest to you:

Alamo Police Services Advisory Committee (CSA P-2B/APSAC)

To advise the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Department on the needs of the Alamo/Danville community for police services.

1 Regular Seat

1 Alternate Seat

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

To advise the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Department on the needs of the Alamo community for police services.

Alamo Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC)

Alternate Seat

To advise on issues and concerns related to services provided by the County or other local agencies located within Alamo, which includes parks & recreation, lighting & landscaping, land use, code enforcement, public safety, and transportation.

Find out more information about volunteering for an advisory body here co.contra-costa.ca.us/3418. To apply online go to www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/.