LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Mother-Wise program has received a grant from the foundation Jenny's Light.
Jenny Bankston had a good job, an advanced degree and a loving husband. She was normal by all accounts, and greeted pregnancy with her first child with the usual excitement and enthusiasm.
Bankston had a difficult pregnancy and was sick most of the time. After giving birth her life turned upside down as a result of a complicated birth followed by difficulties nursing Graham.
Ultimately, Jenny Bankston and her 7-week-old son, Graham, became tragic victims of postpartum depression when she ended both of their lives.
Although her actions were extreme, they remind us of the desperation postpartum depression can inflict. She suffered in silence until her experience became too much to bare. Treatment could have saved the lives of Bankston and her child if those around her were more alert to the symptoms.
Jenny’s Light was created by the family of Jenny and Graham Bankston to be a source of information, hope and inspiration.
It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of perinatal mood disorders in order to improve and save lives.
One of the ways the group accomplishes its mission is through grants for community organizations with similar goals.
To this end, Jenny’s Light has awarded Mother-Wise a grant for the specific purpose of supporting training seminars for companion volunteers and health professionals.
There are several factors that put women at higher risk for one or more of the afflictions of perinatal mood disorders. Two of which, isolation and financial hardship are often endemic to rural locations like Lake County, and many moms in our community fit into one or both of these categories.
Through their generous support of Mother-Wise, Jenny’s Light aims to ensure that these moms receive the information and support they need to prevent unnecessary suffering by moms and their families.
Mother-Wise is a postpartum depression prevention program serving mothers from all backgrounds in Lake County.
The volunteer-based initiative has been growing quickly since its inception in March 2010, and continually seeks volunteers for their companion program, as well as referrals for moms in need of support.
The next training for volunteer companions will be held Feb. 3-5 in Clearlake.
For more information on the training, or to find out how Mother-Wise provides support, please call Jaclyn Ley, Mother-Wise Program coordinator, at 707-349-1210.
The meeting will start at 4:30 p.m. at the center's offices, 14130 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.
The gathering is for youth and teens ages 15-24.
Free bus passes are available for those who need a ride home after the meeting.
For more information call Janelle at 707-994-5486.
“Blue Shield’s rate hike of up to 59% hits its approximately 200,000 policyholders very hard. It comes at a time when many Californians continue to struggle. These health insurance rate hikes are not sustainable,” he said.
Jones said he was disappointed that Blue Shield has not agreed to what he considered a reasonable request that they delay the implementation of their March 1, 2011, rate increase.
He said he made the request in light of the fact that he had been sworn in only for 72 hours and wanted to make sure that he had the time needed to review their rate filing for compliance with a new state law, SB 1163, that went into effect Jan. 1.
SB 1163 requires the insurance commissioner to review the reasonableness of health insurance rate increases. It does not give the insurance commissioner the authority to reject unreasonable rate increases.
Despite Blue Shield’s unwillingness to delay their rate increase, the Department of Insurance will conduct a full and complete review of their rate filing, Jones said.
“Blue Shield is required by SB 1163 to obtain an independent actuarial certification of the reasonableness of their rate filing,” Jones said. “Their announcement today that they are hiring an actuary is something that is already required by law. We will request full disclosure of all information necessary to determine the reasonableness of the rate increase under SB 1163. We expect full compliance with SB 1163.”
Jones said the Blue Shield rate increase underscores the need for the Legislature to give the insurance commissioner the authority to reject excessive premium increases.
“I do not have that authority now. I have been fighting to get that authority,” he said. “As a state assemblymember I authored bills to give the insurance commissioner the authority to reject excessive premium increases. I look forward to working with Assemblymember Feuer who has re-introduced this legislation.”
The partnership, formally established Wednesday, Jan. 12, during a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony, will allow for collaboration on cancer prevention and control research, outreach program development, undergraduate and graduate student research, scholarships and training for American Indians.
The two entities will apply for grants to study American Indians in California and their experiences with cancer, including barriers to prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. They also plan to research interventions that address cancer risk-factors.
“Formalizing this partnership between the UC Davis Cancer Center and the California Tribal Epidemiology Center gives both organizations the opportunity to significantly reduce cancer health disparities among American Indians through collaborative education, research and training,” said Marlene von Friederichs-Fitzwater, director of the cancer center's Outreach Research and Education Program. “And this represents another milestone in our ongoing relationship with the California Rural Indian Health Board.”
Thomas Kim, a physician and medical epidemiologist with the CTEC, said the agreement will allow for a major focus on two issues, often related, that afflict the American Indian population in California: obesity and cancer.
“As a former tribal clinical physician, I have seen these issues galvanize a community to engage preventive efforts, particularly in their concern for their children and for future generations,” Kim said. “Difficult and complex problems such as these can only be addressed in creative collaborations and agreements such as this.”
The partnership also hopes to secure research funds to better understand the relationship of historical trauma experienced by American Indians and their mental and physical well-being.
“Historical trauma, described by Yellow Horse Brave Heart as the suffering of various oppressed aboriginal people, is an unexplored and potential component in understanding American Indian/Alaska Native cancer prevention, research and treatment practices,” said Rebecca Garrow, a research associate with the CTEC. “Historical trauma includes a legacy of numerous traumatic events over several generations, including colonialism, forced assimilation, boarding school, forced adoption programs, as well as racism, warfare, murder, and cultural genocide leading to the loss of traditional life-ways.”
UC Davis Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region of more than 6 million people. For more information, visit http://cancer.ucdavis.edu.