El Dorado County Crisis & Personal Support Digest

These professionals provide essential services, but their pay and working conditions do not reflect their value, and their health suffers.

The monthly rate of antidepressants being dispensed to young people increased about 64% more quickly during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics.

Health providers and addiction experts warn the funding structure is unstable for a California initiative that steers patients with substance use disorder into long-term treatment.

New Morning Youth & Family Services, offering 24-hour, 7-day emergency youth shelter in Placerville, has served as a safe haven in El Dorado County since 2011.

Gov. Gavin Newsom crafted the measure to reform California’s mental health system, including a $6.4-billion bond for new facilities.

A pending bill would extend the so-called 5150 confinement authority to county-designated psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and clinical counselors.

The March ballot measure would raise billions for mental health care, but some clinics fear it would strip them of revenue they need for services they provide today.

In the year and a half since its launch, 988—the country’s easy-to-remember suicide and crisis hotline—has received about 8.1 million calls, texts, and chats. Curiosity is growing about the people taking those calls.

At the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, scientists are eager to explore whether a psychedelic chemical found in a toad could help people with depression. But research has been put on hold by the state.

Court Appointed Special Advocates El Dorado County dedicates services to support, empower and provide a voice for abused, neglected and at-risk youth.

San Diego Unified School District has received more than $700 million in federal and state relief funds since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with these funds ending, some schools could be facing serious deficits.

County leaders in San Diego are gearing up for a March bond measure that could help provide more behavioral health beds. More beds are needed for areas like mental health and detox.

The 33-year old Mexican-born man—who from toddler age has been a permanent legal resident of California—has reported abuse, unsanitary conditions and threats of force-feeding before his release from immigration detention in April.

Federal funding for domestic violence shelters and housing programs is declining. Advocates want the state to step in, but with a record projected deficit new spending is unlikely.

Workers are in the final stages of a long, $217 million project: Install a protective barrier at the Golden Gate Bridge. Roughly 2,000 people have died by suicide jumping from the bridge since it opened in 1937.

California’s population of homeless veterans has plateaued despite billions of dollars in state spending to create housing for former service members. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to shift resources to focus on veterans with serious mental health conditions.

More than 350 people participated in the 17th annual Empty Bowl benefit for Hospitality House. The fundraiser raised more than $23,000, and funds will directly support residents experiencing homelessness to receive emergency shelter, food, case management, housing aid, medical respite and more.

Several anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are advertising abortion pill reversal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls the claims false advertising that mislead vulnerable patients.

California voters likely will see a mental health ballot measure on the March 2024 election. One would issue a $6 billion bond to create housing for people with mental illnesses.

Naloxone, a nasal spray that can reverse the adverse effects of opioids, became available in drug stores last week. The drug is sold under the brand names Narcan and RiVive and can be purchased over the counter.

The program aims to provide free and low-barrier health services to past and current clients and anyone in the community affected by interpersonal violence, recognizing domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking as critical public health issues that impact every community member, directly or indirectly.

Many farmworkers in Coachella Valley lack legal status as citizens and don't qualify for most federal and state disaster aid. Even a new $95 million storm assistance program for immigrants that Governor Gavin Newsom recently touted is out of reach because it pertains to the winter and spring storms and floods.

Gov. Gavin Newsom promised $95 million would help undocumented workers rebuild after winter storms and floods. Months later, $18 million is being doled out and there are translation issues with the state’s website.

How bad is California hunger? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but is being reduced.

The Biden administration’s app rule makes it harder for migrants to assert a right to asylum, advocates say. Lawsuits are sparking debate about immigration control, safety.

3Strands Global Foundation, a non-profit organization working to combat human trafficking through prevention, education and reintegration programs, announced Jane Einhorn as its newest board member.

The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s 988 hotline marked its one-year milestone this month. Mental health experts say the three-digit number made help more accessible than before.

The South Lake Tahoe School District is hosting Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) at South Lake Tahoe Middle School July 31 through Aug. 3. This training event is closed to media and the public in the interest of safety.

Some hospitals in Southern California have a nurse vacancy rate of 30 percent, stressing overworked staff and causing some to leave the industry earlier than they planned.

Despite efforts by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to shelter more than 14,000 people this year, the city's homeless population keeps growing. That does not necessarily mean her signature program is failing. The larger question: How does California measure success?

According to Edward Miller, President of the Board of Directors for Meeks Bay Fire, “There will be absolutely no difference in services, because right now, we’re being serviced by North Tahoe Fire. So, whether the engine, or the back of the turnout coat says Meeks Bay Fire or North Tahoe Fire, it’s still North Tahoe firefighters and paramedics.”

The California Department of Conservation released a draft list of orphan wells it proposes to be permanently sealed as part of the first wave of such projects that will be supported by state and federal funding.