Health
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- Written by: Editor
The award comes in the form of a 10-year loan which will be forgiven provided the use of the property does not change during that period.
The new domestic violence shelter will be built on 1.4 acres on the corner of Live Oak Drive and Highway 29 in Kelseyville.
The new shelter will increase the number of available beds for victims of domestic violence from 14 beds to 25 beds.
“This has been a vision of our agency for several years,” states Gloria Flaherty, executive director of Lake Family Resource Center. “Victims of domestic violence will finally have a safe, secure place to stay while receiving all of the assistance they need.”
Services provided at the new shelter will include intensive case management, individual and group counseling, court accompaniment, legal and social services advocacy, life skills development, emergency and nonemergency transportation, nutritional counseling, education advocacy for youth and counseling and a program for children, Flaherty said.
“This has been an arduous process,” said Kathy Fowler, a member of the Lake Family Resource Center Board of Directors. “The state of California thoroughly reviewed Lake Family Resource Center's application to determine if fiscal processes and ability to provide services was of the highest quality. I’m so happy to report that we passed all tests with flying colors!”
Groundbreaking on the new shelter is expected to take place by September 2009.
In the meantime, fundraising efforts will continue in order to reach the goal of $3 million needed to build the new facility.
Lake Family Resource Center expects to raise at least another $1 million from grants and awards, but at least another $600,000 will need to be raised locally to meet the total funding necessary to complete the project.
The center's board of directors is kicking off a capital campaign to raise the needed funds.
If you would like more information about the Freedom House Domestic Violence Shelter Project, or would like to assist in the fundraising campaign, call Gloria Flaherty at 262-1611 or email
Lake Family Resource Center is a 501(c)3 public benefit nonprofit organization; donations made to Lake Family Resource Center are tax-deductible.
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- Written by: Editor
Wiggins, who chairs the Joint Legislative Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, said that even though commercial fishing remains one of the nation’s most dangerous professions, the number of men and women in that industry who lack health insurance is “three to four times greater than the national average.”
Her measure, Senate Joint Resolution 31, calls on the President, Vice President Dick Cheney, and members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to enact the “Commercial Fishing Health Care Coverage Act,” which is contained in two federal bills, S. 2630 and HR 5404, introduced by a bi-partisan group of Congressional representatives. If they were to become law, the federal bills would authorize funding to coastal states for planning and implementation of health care programs specific to the needs of a state’s commercial fishing fleet.
SJR 31 has yet to be scheduled for its first hearing. The bill reads as follows:
“WHEREAS, The fishing fleet of California and the nation is essential to provide to the public local fish and shellfish resources, treasured for their flavor and health benefits, to defray imports of seafood from other nations and mitigate the United States seafood trade deficit, to produce fish for export, and to create employment and economic activity in our coastal communities while maintaining and enhancing the historical, cultural, and tourism value of those regions; and
“WHEREAS, Commercial fishing, America's oldest industry, remains one of the nation's most dangerous professions, fraught with economic uncertainty, thus difficult to meet the needs of private insurers to develop group health care or offer individual coverage to fishing men and women and their families; and
“WHEREAS, Fishing incomes are often lower than the national average and fishing men and women struggle with market forces beyond their control, including fluctuations in fish stocks, import competition, rising fuel costs, and natural disasters; and
“WHEREAS, Fishing men and women working aboard United States registered fishing vessels, along with seamen employed on United States merchant vessels, were provided health care from 1799 to 1981, inclusive, through the nation's marine hospitals, which grew into the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) and its contract physicians; and
“WHEREAS, Fishing men and women were never covered under worker's compensation laws due to access to "maintenance and cure" provided to them until 1981 by the USPHS and, since 1981, have found it difficult to find health care coverage tailored for the fishing fleet, creating a population of fishing men and women lacking health care coverage at three to four times greater than the national
average; and
“WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts identified fishing men and women as an "at risk" population, even before it mandated health care coverage for all its citizens and, since 1997, has provided low-cost health care coverage for its fishing families; and
“WHEREAS, The Massachusetts Fishing Partnership Health Plan provides coverage to over 2,000 fishing men and women and their families, reducing the rate of Massachusetts fishing families without health care coverage from 43 percent to 13 percent; and
“WHEREAS, The success of the Massachusetts Fishing Partnership Health Plan serving as a model to address the health care crisis facing the rest of America's fishing fleet, members of the Massachusetts and Alaska congressional delegations, in a bi-partisan and bi-coastal effort in the United States House of Representatives and Senate to reestablish federal support for health care for the United States fishing fleet, have introduced "The Commercial Fishing Industry Health Care Coverage Act of 2008," S. 2630 and H.R. 5404, to authorize funding to coastal states for planning and implementation of health care programs specific to the needs of a state's commercial fishing fleet; now, therefore, be it
“Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the California Legislature memorializes to the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate that the health care crisis facing America's fishing men and women is acute, threatening the economic viability of the nation's fishing fleet and its associated public benefits and urges, therefore, passage of the Commercial Fishing Health Care Coverage Act; and be it further
“Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.”
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- Written by: Editor
Under state law, local government officials are required to invite bids for construction projects and then award contracts to the lowest responsible bidder.
The design-build method allows local officials to procure both design and construction services from a single company before the development of complete plans and specifications. State law allows all counties, with the approval of the board of supervisors, to use the design-build method to construct projects worth more than $2.5 million.
State law also allows two special districts to construct projects using counties' design-build procedures. The Santa Clara Water District can use the counties' design-build statute specifically for building and upgrading its water treatment plant facilities. Similarly, the Orange County Sanitation District can use counties' design-build procedures for the construction of projects in excess of $6 million, including wastewater facilities.
District hospitals throughout the state are often faced with higher construction costs than private hospitals, because state law currently prevents district hospitals from using design-build, forcing them to use the design-bid-build process instead.
The Wiggins bill permits health care districts to use the design-build contracting method for the construction of hospitals or health facility buildings, and for related improvements – but not streets, highways, bridges, public rail transit or other infrastructure.
Wiggins said she introduced SB 1699 after speaking with officials from Sonoma Valley Hospital. They shared their desire “to build a new facility that would better serve the community, and be built to modern standards to withstand a major earthquake,” Wiggins said. “It is extremely important that our hospitals are available and open when we have major natural catastrophes that threaten the health and safety of our loved ones.”
Of the 75 health care districts in California, many consist of small rural hospitals that will soon face impending 10 percent cuts in Medi-Cal. Those cuts will have a negative impact on the financial stability of many hospitals, but legislation such as SB 1699 will offer some assistance in overcoming those financial burdens.
Wiggins said design-build offers numerous advantages, including pricing certainty, faster project delivery and greater odds of avoiding conflicts and disputes, such as between building designers (architects or engineers) and construction contractors.
“It is my job as a state senator to help our hospitals modernize and prepare for the inevitable emergencies that will occur, especially in earthquake country,” she said. “Design-build legislation can give our district hospitals the flexibility and options needed to upgrade to the safety standards that will protect our family members and caregivers.”
As a result of today’s Senate vote, SB 1699 now moves to the Assembly for consideration. In addition to Sonoma Valley Hospital, the measure is also supported by the Association of California Healthcare Districts, the California Hospital Association, the California Special Districts Association, the Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California, Mendocino Coast District Hospital, the North Sonoma County Hospital District, the North-Kern South Tulare Hospital District and Palm Drive Hospital (Sebastopol).
Wiggins represents the state’s 2nd Senate District, which is made up of portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
For further information about SB 1699 or other legislation by Wiggins, please visit her Web site at http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/.
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The group is open to dads (or males who are significant in the lives of a child) and their children. D.A.Ds. will meet twice a month starting June through September 2008. There is no fee to join the group.
Activities will include fishing, camping, attending baseball games, barbecues and much more.
The first activity will be the “D.A.Ds.” games and barbecue at the County Park in Kelseyville. The first gathering will be on June 14, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
D.A.Ds. will help parents connect with their children as they share experiences together. The three main goals are:
Play with your kids at playgrounds, recreation centers and field trips. It gets you out of the house, together with other D.A.Ds., and the kids really look forward to time with their friends and the important work they do at play.
Learn. We strive to share real-life resources and educational opportunities to help us in our role as parents. And the best real-life resource is the connection and shared experiences of other D.A.Ds.
Connect. The kids aren’t the only ones who connect! Getting to know and “playing” with other dads at playgrounds, Dad’s Night Out, Dad’s Breakfast, house project co-ops and other D.A.Ds. functions opens an often unexpected door to fun, camaraderie and friendships.
Call today to register for the D.A.Ds. program, space is limited.
For more information and to register call Schad Schweitzer or Jonathan Killops of Lake Family Resource Center at 262-1611 or 775-8336. You can also email to
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