Mental health client specialist Andres Galvan works at the intersection of Santa Cruz County’s mental health, homelessness and drug-overdose crises. Now almost 17 years in recovery himself, Galvan understands the importance of counselors and others who work in the mental health and addictions fields treating clients with empathy and compassion. “You can’t just go out there for the paycheck,” he says. “Your heart has got to be in it because you’re going to come across some difficult things. You got to keep that open mind and that’s a difficult task.”
Health & Wellness
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Valley fever could hit California hard; the drought-to-downpour cycle is to blame
After California’s record-breaking winter rains, public health officials are warning about an increased risk for valley fever, caused by a dustborne fungus. On the Central Coast, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties historically see high rates of infection.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
A summer COVID spike is underway in Santa Cruz County, but officials say it’s a mild one
The impact of COVID on society looks very different these days when compared to much of the past three years, with a current mild summer spike showing hospitalizations nowhere near surges of previous years. The disease will never go away, but both public health agencies and our immune systems are as prepared as ever, says Santa Cruz County Deputy Health Officer Dr. David Ghilarducci.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
How Lara Love Hardin survived addiction, incarceration and shame to rebuild her life
As “The Many Lives of Mama Love” hits bookshops Tuesday, the tale by Santa Cruz County author and literary agent Lara Love Hardin of rebounding from rock bottom to stability — and fame — shows a dizzying transformation.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital’s board takes another step toward pursuing bond measure
Pajaro Valley Health Care District voted Wednesday night to push ahead with plans to raise money to purchase the Watsonville Community Hospital’s land and buildings. The health care district purchased the hospital’s assets for more than $65 million. But it does not own the real estate, which it continues to lease from Alabama-based Medical Properties Trust for $250,000 a month.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I think my mother-in-law has discovered the Fountain of Youth
Juan Ponce de León never found the Fountain of Youth. In fact, he never even looked for it; that is just a weird rumor. But Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach, who often writes about life in her 70s, believes her 93-year-old mother-in-law, Rozzy, holds the secret many of us crave — the recipe for longevity. Rozzy is coming to California next week and is still wave jumping and making airport runs and hard to tire out, even in her ninth decade. She is also making Sternbach rethink her attitude about aging.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County is graying and the impending silver tsunami has service providers worried
Santa Cruz County’s 65-84 age bracket grew by 81% between 2010 and 2020, according to Census data, and whether it’s services like health care, an aging homeless population or lonely older adults, a surge in demand is coming.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Will Santa Cruz County be open to what RFK Jr. is selling?
Anti-vax crackpot with an antisemitism problem or an antidote to a Democratic establishment intent on power and under the sway of Big Pharma and other moneyed interests? His position as a member of a grand political family gives Robert F. Kennedy Jr. instant name recognition, but whether a Santa Cruz County that has a history of supporting insurgent candidacies will back him in his challenge to President Joe Biden is an open question.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A payment overhaul is coming to California child care, along with a 20% raise for workers
Child-care providers reached a tentative agreement with the state to raise wages and change the way California calculates subsidies for low-income families.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
New Santa Cruz County health officer Lisa Hernandez on how data can help solve our biggest health challenges
After working in obstetrics and gynecology for four years, Lisa Hernandez soon realized that she had a true passion for addressing public health at the community level. Since then, she has worked in a number of public health positions, including a three year stint in Santa Cruz County from 2013 to 2016. Now, she returns as health officer. Lookout caught up with her ahead of her first day on the job.