February 2024

Growing Up with BCHD

 

Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) does an exceptional job of supporting the youth of the Beach Cities community. As a girl that has grown up in Redondo Beach, I have watched as BCHD has transformed lives one by one. This includes mine!

The very first time BCHD impacted my life was in elementary school on gardening day. It wasn’t my favorite day ever: my green thumb was severely lacking, and I hated getting dirt in my fingernails. I enjoyed setting leaves on fire with magnifying glasses more than checking out the vegetables in the plant beds. However, my attitude transformed when our teacher said we were to plant a bean plant! We were required to take it home, water it, nurture it, and then bring it back for a presentation. If there was one thing I loved, it was bragging, so I abandoned my burnt leaf and magnifying glass and instead settled for my cup of dirt and bean seed. That night I dashed home, ready to water and watch over the plant. However, it didn’t work. Weeks passed by and nothing happened. When it was time to return the plants to school, I glanced over at my classmates whose plants had flourished while mine was still a sad, lonely, cup of dirt. When it rolled to my turn to present, I was extremely nervous. How does one brag about an obviously dead bean?

What’s Happening This Month: 

Department Spotlight: Well-Being Services

This month, BCHD will highlight all the great work and programming taking place in this department. Learn more about this program by watching Jacqueline Sun, Director of Well-Being Services, present at the January Board of Directors meeting or view the presentation slides. 

Did You Know? 

Gallup Well-Being Index (WBI) Results are In for the Beach Cities 

• The WBI score for Manhattan Beach is 70.6 (surpassing its 2020 score of 70.4), the highest community WBI measurement ever recorded (Hermosa Beach reached 69.3 and Redondo Beach 66.5 respectively). 
• The Beach Cities have improved in all areas since 2015, while U.S. WBI has gone down in all areas; community, physical and financial are leading areas in the Beach Cities. 
• 4 out of 10 Americans are obese – but the obesity rate among adults in the Beach Cities is just 13.3% 
• View the presentation slides of the results here. 

Blue Zones Project Approved Restaurants 

• Blue Zones Project® is working with restaurants throughout the Beach Cities to give customers more options to make healthier choices. Look for the Blue Zones Project Approved™ Restaurant decal to find a participating restaurant in your neighborhood.  
• The number of open Blue Zones Project Approved Restaurants and Grocery Stores in the Beach Cities is now 92. 
• Well-Being Services has designated two new Blue Zones Project Approved Restaurants in Redondo Beach, the first new designations since 2022: lil’ Vegerie (800 S. PCH) and Banana Leaf (1406 S. PCH). 
• To view the list of Blue Zones Project Approved Restaurants, click here. 

Other BCHD News:

BCHD was awarded $1,000,000 to expand allcove Beach Cities programs and services through the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) for the California Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) Round 4: Youth-Driven Programs. Read more here. 

The next steps for allcove Beach Cities include the selection of a Progressive Design Build team, with groundbreaking for fall 2024. In 14 months of operation, there has been more than 5,000 visits by young people. 

Healthy Living Campus Update: Redondo Beach General Plan 

The City of Redondo Beach is proposing to update its General Plan with a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) on the BCHD campus at 514 N. Prospect Avenue. The proposed 0.75 FAR in the draft General Plan update equals less than Phase I of the District’s Healthy Living Campus plan, and it would not allow the development of Phase II (Community Wellness Pavilion, Aquatic Center, Center for Health & Fitness). This change would severely limit BCHD's ability to modernize its campus, thus jeopardizing its ability to generate revenue to support its essential public health programs.  

The legality of what appears to be a “spot zoning” in the draft General Plan may be challenged should it remain in the final General Plan. The proposed FAR would significantly undermine the viability of BCHD’s modernization of its aging and seismically deficient campus and thereby seriously compromise its ability to continue its mission of providing necessary public services, including preventive health care to the community.   

The General Plan Advisory Committee, or GPAC, is in the final phase of the General Plan update process. The final meeting for the GPAC was on Wednesday, January 31. 

Event Volunteer Opportunities

Beach Cities Health District needs to be out in the community sharing our programs and resources with our residents. Please click on the button below for more information and to be added to our distribution list for upcoming events.

A Word From Our Community Partner – South Bay Parkland Conservancy 

If you are interested in volunteering directly with the Conservancy, please check out our opportunities here: https://www.southbayparks.org/volunteer-opportunities (Only Wilderness Park and Hermosa Greenbelt are active right now) 

Additionally, the Conservancy hosts guided Nature Walks in Wilderness Park every month. The sign-up is here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ba5a829a7facf8-wilderness15#/

Please note that BCHD is not involved with these programs and will not be participating onsite. Should you have any questions please contact the SBPC directly at info@southbayparks.org. 

Join us at the next Hybrid BCHD Board Meeting 

All volunteers are welcome to attend Board meetings held on the 4th Wednesday of each month. The next Board meeting is Wednesday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m. Beach Cities Health District, Beach Cities Room - Lower Level, 514 N. Prospect Ave. Redondo Beach, CA 90277.

Get information on upcoming meetings and leave public comments on agendas here: https://www.bchd.org/public-meetings. 

Blue Zones Project Social Hour at Banana Leaf  



Blue Zones Project's quarterly Social Hour is an opportunity to experience good company and practice some of Blue Zones Project’s Power 9 Principles of Longevity, including Down Shift and Positive Pack at a Blue Zones Project Approved Restaurant.

Date: Wednesday, February 21  

Time: 5 - 7 p.m.  

Location: Banana Leaf (1406 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach) 

Register Here 

QPR Suicide Prevention Training 

QPR Suicide Prevention Training helps individuals recognize warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone to help. Increase your skills to engage someone in crisis to discuss their distress, provide hope, and refer to those who can formally assess and intervene. This is a free 2-hour in-person training open to the community. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to take home a free Narcan (common brand name of naloxone) kit. 

Date: February 27, 2024  

Time: 4 - 6 p.m.  

Location: 514 N. Prospect Ave., Redondo Beach, Lower Level – Beach Cities Room 

Register Here

Mental Health First Aid Training (adults) 

Volunteers are encouraged to attend this Mental Health First Aid training from the National Council for Mental Health. Similar to CPR training, individuals will learn how to provide support to people experiencing mental health challenges, including how to assess risk factors, provide initial support and connect individuals to professional resources, when needed.  

Note: This is an eight-hour training that requires two hours of pre-work and six hours of in-person instruction.   

Date: Friday, March 8, 2024  

Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

Location: 514 N. Prospect Ave., Redondo Beach, Lower Level – Beach Cities Room 

No Cost: Register at www.bchd.org/mentalhealthtraining. 

Interested in volunteering (getting back to it or taking the next step to volunteer) with BCHD?  See below for what’s currently available and please stay tuned to our newsletters and website as new opportunities arise! If you are or have been a BCHD volunteer or if you have questions, you’re invited to email us at Volunteers@bchd.org.

allcove Campus Greeter  

Volunteers (14+) greet all guests who enter the 514 Prospect Avenue building while also providing general support and customer service duties for the full BCHD campus. Duties include greeting guests and tenants, providing information and referrals to the public, walking visitors to/from medical appointments or allcove Beach Cities upon request, maintaining a clean and orderly area and tracking volunteer hours worked. Must be friendly, helpful and able to push wheelchairs and walk around the campus. Weekly 2- or 3-hour shifts required for one year; scheduling available Monday – Saturday.

*Expected commitment for High School students is a semester or over the summer. 

Brain Buddy: Support Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities 

Volunteers (18+) are matched with older adults and/or adults with memory loss and conduct weekly in-home visits to lead structured activities such as art, music, or games, providing socialization and engagement. Weekly 1-1.5 hour shift commitment. 

Conversation Companion: Support Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities 

Volunteers (18+) are matched with older adults and/or adults with disabilities to visit and engage in socialization activities such as life review, watching movies at home or in the theater, playing card or board games, taking walks, going for lunch, etc. Weekly 1-1.5 hour commitment. 

Errand Volunteer: Support Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities  

Errand Volunteers (18+) are matched with one of our Care Management clients and do weekly shopping for basic needs like groceries and prescriptions. Weekly 1-1.5 hour shift commitment for at least 3 months required.   

Volunteer Hours



We appreciate all the commitment of our community to help others in 2023. We are grateful for the 26,520.87 reported hours of BCHD volunteer service in 2023. This number includes groceries shopped for, prescriptions picked up, calls made, visits to our older adult clients, Center for Health & Fitness front desk check-ins, committees met, administrative support, intern projects, gardens kept, allcove support and more. Thank you all! We know BCHD volunteers will continue doing remarkable things in 2024.  

So far in January, BCHD volunteers contributed 2,156.38 hours to our essential services for the community. Thank you!! 

Volunteer Anniversaries



Thank you to these fabulous volunteers for their years of service! We’re so fortunate to have volunteers who are so committed to making this a healthy beach community! Congrats on your anniversary!  

February 



Penny Berry, 25 

Jean Lucio, 15 

Jennifer Pusateri,12 

Dan Smith, 8 

Laura Petros, 8 

Nancy Bhatt, 8 

Sue Murray, 5 

Keith Montoya, 3 

David McBroom, 2 

Cynthia Chafe,1 

Lexi Moore, 1 

Shilpa Sethi,1 

Veronika Rasskazova,1 

*Official years of service in BCHD system.

Dementia Caregiver Support Groups 

Are you caring for a loved one with dementia and in search of more support? Join BCHD social workers for an 8-week caregiver support group in Redondo Beach to connect with others, share your experience and receive support.

Men's Caregiver Support Group

(for male caregivers facilitated by Rudy Diaz, MSW)  

Wednesdays, 12 - 1:30 p.m., beginning February 7, 2024 

1200 Del Amo St., Redondo Beach, CA 90277.

Social Hour with BCHD Care Manager Charlotte Barnett 

If you have a question regarding community resources, want to learn more about Beach Cities Health District or share and learn ways to keep busy, please join us! These meetings are for all, a place to connect and feel heard. 

First & Third Tuesday of the Month, Virtual 

 (February 20 & March 5) 

10 – 11 a.m. 

Zoom link: https://bchd-org.zoom.us/j/87651635014  

2nd Mondays, In person  

(March 11) 

2 – 3 p.m.  

Manhattan Beach Joslyn Center, Sunset Room  

1601 N Valley Dr., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 

The South Bay Dementia Education Consortium Presents: Accessing Affordable Dementia Care

Join us for an overview of Medi-Cal, including recent asset changes and the Spousal Impoverishment benefit, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and other Medicaid waiver programs that can support you in caring for your loved one with dementia.

The presentation will be led by Kim Selfon, the Medi-Cal and IHSS Policy Specialist from Bet Tzedek Legal Services and Emily Brosius, LCSW, Director of Community Services with Beach Cities Health District followed by ample time for questions and answers from attendees.

Thursday, February 22 

3 - 4:30 p.m. 

Virtual Mindfulness Drop-In

Take 30 minutes to downshift and practice mindfulness techniques. The guided session will be led by a trained Beach Cities Health District instructor.



First Wednesday of the Month

(March 6)

4 – 4:30 p.m.

Virtual Families Connected Parent Chat

Second Tuesday of the Month

(March 12)

10 - 11 a.m.

Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87374623578

The Families Connected Parent Chat is a free monthly support group open to all South Bay parents and caregivers. Provided in partnership between BCHD, South Bay Families Connected and Thelma McMillen Center, the Parent Chat offers its participants a confidential and supportive space to share their parenting challenges and successes. Please note that the Parent Chat is not a therapeutic program, but rather a peer-to-peer support group with educational guidance from a mental health professional.