San Benito County Local News: Crisis & Personal Support


All Local Crisis & Personal Support News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

Image caption: Kerry Wood, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, says the organization researches areas of need to help donors direct their contributions.
What Is a Community Foundation?

By channeling funds to a number of nonprofits working on various issues in a given region, community foundations help solve big problems throughout California.

Image caption: Help is available for people who feel like they’re falling apart.
Finding Peace of Mind

Feeling stressed? Confused? Or just a little blue? Help is just a phone call away for residents of San Benito County.

Image caption: California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained

California will soon add a new emergency hotline service with the number 988. Here’s the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

09/08/2024
Image for display with article titled New COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Most Hollister pharmacies are now carrying the COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024-25 COVID season. Speaking about the importance of the new vaccine, San Benito County Public Health pharmacist Mary White told BenitoLink, “The COVID virus can change so it is important to get the most updated vaccine to match the current strain.”The Centers for Disease Control recommend everyone ages six months and older receive an updated vaccine to protect against COVID-19 this autumn and winter regardless of prior vaccinations. “The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is always changing and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time,” the CDC states. “Receiving an updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine can restore and enhance protection against the virus variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States. COVID-19 vaccination also reduces the chance of suffering the effects of long COVID, which can develop during or following acute infection and last for an extended duration.”Pharmacies carrying the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccineRite Aid  831-636-1692. Pfizer and Modera vaccines available; by appointment or walk-in.CVS  (located inside Target), 831-638-4824. Modera available by appointment or walk-in from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

California Local Pin Marker From EdSource...

04/09/2024
These professionals provide essential services, but their pay and working conditions do not reflect their value, and their health suffers.

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03/29/2024
Image for display with article titled California May Gut Two CalWORKS Programs Helping Thousands of Families

The state is considering zeroing out funds for CalWORKS family stabilization and job subsidy programs to help balance the budget.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

02/27/2024
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.

California Local Pin Marker From California Healthline...

02/26/2024
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.

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02/08/2024
Image for display with article titled Why Are Tech Billionaires Apologizing? Lawmakers Now Calling for Regulation of Social Media

CEOs of Instagram, Snapchat tell parents at Senate hearing they’re sorry for deaths of children.

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02/06/2024
Image for display with article titled Rancho San Justo’s New ‘Bronco Well’ Offers Wellness Hub

Rancho San Justo Principal Deborah Armstrong and Vice Principal Samantha Rivas saw a need for wellness resources at Rancho San Justo Middle School and developed the new Bronco Well.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

01/31/2024
Gov. Gavin Newsom crafted the measure to reform California’s mental health system, including a $6.4-billion bond for new facilities.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/29/2024
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.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/28/2024
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.

California Local Pin Marker From California Healthline...

01/23/2024
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.

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

01/19/2024
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.

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01/08/2024
Image for display with article titled As Landlords Press for More Evictions, Getting a Lawyer Makes All the Difference For Tenants

As evictions skyrocket with landlords taking advantage of lifted pandemic restrictions, tenants fight for the right to an attorney.

California Local Pin Marker From Benito Link...

01/05/2024
As the nonprofit Youth Recovery Connections completes renovations to open its new office, Executive Director Michael Salinas and his staff reflect on the progress they’ve made in their first year.

California Local Pin Marker From Voice of San Diego...

01/04/2024
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.

California Local Pin Marker From Voice of San Diego...

01/03/2024
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.

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12/27/2023
Image for display with article titled 2024 Law Makes Opiate Antagonists More Available, Liability Free

As California tackles its fentanyl crisis, two new laws make drugs that reverse the effects of opioid overdoses easier to access, including an update to the so-called good Samaritan law.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/21/2023
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.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/19/2023
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.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

12/10/2023
Image for display with article titled An EPIC Mission: End Poverty in California

Nonprofit founded by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs has been on listening tour since early 2022