Save the Date: June 9 is Disaster Preparedness Day

Please mark your calendars and save the date – Saturday, June 9, 2012 — for the 8th Annual San Mateo County Disaster Preparedness Day at the San Mateo County Event Center, 2495 South Delaware Street, San Mateo.

 

Once again this year the event will be held on Opening Day of the San Mateo County Fair, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and free parking and free admission to the Fair will be offered to everyone who arrives before 11 a.m. that day. This is a fabulous opportunity to collect and hear about the latest emergency preparedness updates, take a short but important free CPR course and bring your friends and family to the San Mateo County Fair!

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office of Board President Adrienne J. Tissier at (650) 363-4572, or the Office of Emergency Services at (650) 363-4790.

 

Board of Supervisors Agenda Available for February 28

The agenda for the February 28 meeting of the Board of Supervisors is available online.

You can find it here.

 

Make a Reservation at a County Park

San Mateo County operates 17 parks, three regional trails and numerous other County and local trails encompassing 15,680 acres. Many campsites, picnic spots and other facilities can be reserved either online, by phone or in person.

Online: visit the Parks reservation page any time, day or night.

By phone: call the reservations desk at at 650-363-4021 Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In person: visit 455 County Center, Fourth Floor, Redwood City, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

 

County Offices Closed for President’s Day

County offices will be closed Monday, February 20, in observance of the President’s Day holiday.

Emergency services will be available.

Offices will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, February 21.

 

 

Board Approves Recommendation to Exit Burlingame Long Term Care

SAN MATEO, Calif. – San Mateo County Board of Supervisors (BOS) decided today in a unanimous vote that the County will not renew the lease for Burlingame Long Term Care (BLTC) when it expires in June 2013.

The Board’s decision follows the Health System’s recommendation to exit BLTC based on a 23% reduction in the rate paid by the State to the Health System for care at BLTC.  Instead, the Health System will open 32 additional skilled nursing beds at San Mateo Medical Center, a newer, County-owned facility. 

The County assumed operation of BLTC in 2003 at the request of the State Department of Health Services. San Mateo County has been only one of a few California counties to operate a large skilled nursing facility.

The Health System asked for an early decision by the Board of Supervisors to ensure that there is sufficient time to find the 230 BLTC residents new placements before the lease expires in 2013.  A transition team, led by the County’s Aging & Adult Services Director, will assess each resident’s medical, social, and financial situation to determine what type of placement is appropriate. The County will also hire a placement firm to assist with matching residents and placements.  

Most residents likely will move to another skilled nursing facility, but some residents will be able to move to board and care facilities.  Others may be able to move back home or in with family members with additional medical and social supports. 

As the Burlingame transition plan is implemented, the State is moving forward with piloting long-term care integration. This program would allow flexibility in using some of the large sums of money currently spent on institutional nursing care to provide individualized supports and services so that seniors and people with disabilities can remain safely at home.

“We need to rethink and re-imagine a system to care for our seniors and residents with disabilities that does not confine them to institutions and does not bankrupt them, their children, or our healthcare system,” said Health System Chief Jean Fraser at the hearing.  “The goal of the long-term care integration pilot is to allow people to remain at home as long as possible and to use costly and impersonal institutions only as a last resort.”

While the State has pushed back the implementation date of long-term care integration to January 2013, in the interim they have given tentative approval to allow the Health System and the Health Plan of San Mateo to use some Medi-Cal funds more flexibly. These funds will provide more options for placing BLTC residents and more tools to help other seniors and people with disabilities safely remain in the community. This would reduce the need for institutional nursing care in the future.

“What most people want for the end of their life is to be able to stay at home or be cared for by their family.  No one wants to go into an institution,” said Fraser. “While we know that this decision is heart-wrenching, we also know that it is necessary to move to a better, more humane system to support our seniors and residents with disabilities to live safely at home.”

 Media Contact:

Robyn Thaw

(650) 867-1661

 

Board of Supervisors to Hold February 14 Meeting in Millbrae

The Board of Supervisors will hold its regularly scheduled February 14 meeting in Millbrae.

The meeting will be at 9 a.m. at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel, 1 Old Bayshore Highway, Millbrae.

One of the items on the agenda is a public hearing on a recommendation by the Health System to not renew the lease for the County’s Burlingame Long Term Care facility. 

By holding the hearing near the Burlingame facility, County officials hope to make it easier for residents and staff members to attend. Public hearings are normally held in the Board Chambers in Redwood City.

Directions: From Highway 101, take the Millbrae Avenue exit and head east (toward the bay). Turn right onto Old Bayshore Highway. The hotel is immediately to the right.

Parking will be free in the Westin’s lot for those attending the meeting. At the kiosk, take a ticket and bring it to the meeting. Staff will exchange those tickets for ones that allow for free parking. 

The agenda can be found here: https://sanmateo.siretechnologies.com/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=63&doctype=Agenda

 

Health System Launches New Website

Today, the San Mateo County Health System launched its new public website, which aims to make it easer for users to navigate the site and easily find the information they need. The newly designed site also previews several features to engage the public on important health issues.

As the largest department in the County, the Health System has an extensive amount of information and services to share. The new website, www.smchealth.org, offers users a new way to navigate through this information and view current health trends, alerts, updates, and important recommendations on how to prevent diseases before they occur. 

“We’re always looking for ways to better serve the public,” said Robyn Thaw, the Health System’s Public Information and Communications Officer. “The launch of our new website is an exciting step toward providing the latest County-specific health information; and the accompanying launch of our Facebook page offers a new way to engage the community in dialogue.”

The new website has new features:

• Multiple search options make it easy to find information, such as How Do I? and Quick Links, with commonly searched and popular topics.
• Health Heroes introduces a new local resident each month who is making a difference in the health of our communities.
• What’s New provides the latest health news and tips on how to keep you, your family and the community healthy, such as avoiding Campylobacter – a leading cause of food poisoning from chicken.
• Mythbusters features a new topic each month, with myths and facts about relevant issues people are talking about, such as this month’s The Truth About Vaccines.
• What’s Your Opinion? is a poll that invites the public to vote and learn about a popular health topic, such as this month’s topic: Is Obesity a Personal or Public Health Issue?
• The new Health System Facebook page, www.facebook.com/smchealth engages the community in a dialogue about the health issues we face and ways to stay healthy as individuals and as a community.

We invite you to visit www.smchealth.org

 

Public Safety “Realignment” Plan Ready for Review

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – San Mateo County’s draft plan to supervise offenders who had previously been sent to State prison is available for public review and comment.

The goal of the Public Safety Realignment Local Implementation Plan is to reduce crime and reincarceration with a countywide strategy. The plan was developed by local officials, in collaboration with Resource Development Associates, to comply with State legislation that seeks to reduce overcrowding in the State prison system by transferring responsibility for certain low-level offenders to local jurisdictions.

The plan contains 13 strategies. These include providing drug and alcohol counseling programs and placing certain inmates in alternative sentencing programs that could be more effective in reducing the likelihood that an offender would return to jail.

The draft plan was prepared by the Community Corrections Partnership, which includes representatives from the County’s Probation Department, Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney, Health System and Human Services Agency. The Partnership also includes representatives from the Superior Court, the Private Defender Program, cities, schools and nonprofit agencies.

The public has until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, to submit comments either in an online survey or in writing. The final plan must be approved by the County Board of Supervisors in April. 

To view the plan and for more information on how to provide comments, visit www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/probation and click on “Community Corrections Partnership” or use the following link: http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/CommunityCorrectionsPartnership

For more information, contact:
Melissa Wagner
(650) 312-5219
mwagner@smcgov.org

 

 

Board Honors County “STARS”

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday honored County programs that demonstrate exceptional service or contribute to cost savings and efficiency.

The Board presented commendations to four programs that received STARS Awards. The STARS Awards encourage employees to continuously develop creative ways to serve the public.

“Every dollar counts,” said Adrienne J. Tissier, President of the Board of Supervisors. “The STARS Awards is one way we can publicly thank our employees for doing exceptional work at a time when we are faced with extremely limited budgets and resources.”

The Board presented awards in four categories: Customer Service, Program Performance, “Green” projects and Employee Suggestions. Programs were awarded additional funding that can be used for training, expanding operations or other uses that improve service or efficiency.

Customer Service Award:
Health Coverage Unit Hotline ($10,000)
The telephone hotline has expanded its service to assist uninsured residents in finding affordable health insurance coverage.

Program Performance Awards:
Moving to Work Program ($20,000)
The program assists low-income families in finding housing quickly and efficiently.

Benefits/Wellness Program ($20,000)
The program helps employees improve their health (and control rising health care costs) and improves efficiency with an online benefits assistance system.

Honorable Mention:
San Mateo Medical Center Teledermatology Program. ($10,000)
The program offers timely access to consultations, saving time and money through technology.

Green Award:
Sheriff’s Jails ($5,000)
The portion size for meals for corrections officers and deputies working in jails has been reduced, resulting in cost savings and decreases waste.

Employee Suggestion Awards:

1. Implement an internal talent exchange program to share knowledge across departments.
2. Explore inviting food trucks with health options to sell food near County facilities.
3. Explore expanding the use of solar power.

The employee suggestions are being studied for feasibility. Employees that submitted the ideas each received $100.

Funding for the STARS Awards is designated for that purpose in each year’s budget.

 

Free Dental Care for Low-Income Children on Give Kids a Smile Day

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and on February 3 and February 4, dentists in San Mateo County will provide free dental services to low-income children ages 1 to 18 on Give Kids a Smile Day.

Give Kids a Smile Day is a national event where nearly 9,500 dentists donate their time to raise awareness on the importance of dental care, and to help those parents who cannot afford proper dental care for their children.

San Mateo County dentists will participate in Give Kids a Smile Day by offering free services to families with children, teens, and young adults who may otherwise not be able to afford or access dental care. Thirteen dentists in the county will provide free services ranging from oral exams, cleanings, x-rays, and fluoride treatments.

The County expects to provide services to approximately 100 children. The families will also be assisted with health insurance enrollment. Families can call (650) 616-2002 to schedule an appointment.

“A healthy body starts with a healthy mouth” says Dr. Gracia Cua. “Untreated dental disease is painful and affects a child’s physical, emotional and social well being, and yet it’s preventable through brushing, flossing, proper diet, and regular visits to the dentist.”

San Mateo County Health System ensures that all children ages 0 through 18 years in San Mateo County have access to comprehensive health and dental insurance coverage. To learn about health insurance enrollment for children, please call San Mateo County Health Coverage Unit at (650) 616-2002 or visit http://www.smcchi.org.

Space is limited for Give Kids a Smile Day appointments. Call the San Mateo County Health Coverage Unit at (650) 616-2002 to schedule an appointment.

Media Contact: Robyn Thaw (650) 867-1661

Read more San Mateo County news at http://sanmateocountynews.wordpress.com