Santa Cruz County Local Crisis & Personal Support News Articles and Digest

Health Crisis & Personal Support

12/01/2023
Image for display with article titled Janus Opens New Peri-Natal Center

Janus has been the go-to recovery center in Santa Cruz County for the past 30 years. Board chair Edison Jensen, and CEO Amber Williams talk about ways to support recovery during the holidays and share news about the new center for women and their children.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Crisis & Personal Support Crime & Justice

Sacramento Court Orders State to Revoke Harm Reduction Coalition Permit

11/21/2023
A Sacramento judge has ordered local syringe exchange program Harm Reduction Coalition to cease state-authorized syringe operations in Santa Cruz County. The ruling is the latest in a lengthy legal saga between plaintiff Grant Park Neighborhood Association Advocates and the state’s Department of Public Health.

From New York Times...

Public Safety Crisis & Personal Support Government

Why It’s Taken So Long for the Golden Gate Bridge to Get a Protective Barrier

11/14/2023
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.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Health Homelessness Elections & Politics Crisis & Personal Support Government

Newsom Taking New Approach to California’s 10,000 Homeless Veterans

11/05/2023
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.

From CalMatters...

Families & Children Health Community Service & Support Crisis & Personal Support Government

California Sues ‘Crisis’ Pregnancy Centers That Promise ‘Abortion Pill Reversal’

09/21/2023
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.

From CalMatters...

Health Crisis & Personal Support Government

‘We Are Horrified’: Late Changes to Newsom’s $6 Billion Mental Health Bond Surprise Providers

09/14/2023
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.

From Palo Alto Online...

Health Crisis & Personal Support

Opioid Antidote Now Available in Drug Stores

09/12/2023
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.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Agriculture, Food & Gardening Crisis & Personal Support Government

Tropical Storm Hilary Cost Farmworkers Hundreds of Dollars in Crucial Paychecks. But Help Is Not on the Way

08/29/2023
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.

From KSQD...

Sustainability Crisis & Personal Support

The Good Grief Network: Transforming Eco-Despair Into Meaningful Action

08/25/2023
Image for display with article titled Transforming Eco-Despair Into Meaningful Action

Is grief good for you? The folks at The Good Grief Network has a program that metabolizes eco-distress and transforms it into action.

From KSQD...

Sustainability Crisis & Personal Support

Jeri Bodemar – Honeybee

08/25/2023
Image for display with article titled Jeri Bodemar – Honeybee

Jeri Bodemar Photo courtesy of Lisa Fotios

From Good Times...

Health Animals Crisis & Personal Support

The Horse Therapy Tales

08/15/2023
Image for display with article titled The Horse Therapy Tales

For humans, a horse may be the greatest bio-feedback tool on earth.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Housing Crisis & Personal Support Government

8 Months After Storms, California Disaster Relief Flows Slowly to Undocumented Workers Who Lost Homes, Income

08/15/2023
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.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Health Crisis & Personal Support Crime & Justice

Appellate Panel Returns Santa Cruz Syringe Distribution Battle to Sacramento

08/14/2023
A state appellate panel has set aside a lower court's ruling favoring a local group’s clean syringe distribution efforts.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Jimmy Panetta Health Crisis & Personal Support

Rep. Jimmy Panetta Secures Federal Grant for Janus of Santa Cruz

08/10/2023
The group is slated to receive $520,911 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support programs in withdrawal management, residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatment, perinatal treatment, medication-assisted treatment, DUI correction, and intensive outpatient services.

From CalMatters...

COVID-19 Economy & Jobs Health Crisis & Personal Support Government

Millions of Californians Struggle to Get Enough Food Despite State’s Abundance

08/07/2023
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.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Public Safety Crisis & Personal Support Crime & Justice Government

New Biden Rules Put Asylum Seekers at California Border at Heightened Risk

08/06/2023
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.

From The Sacramento Observer...

Crisis & Personal Support

A Year With 988: What Worked? What Lies Ahead?

08/01/2023
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.

From Times Publishing Group...

Crisis & Personal Support

Can Peer Support Fill Gaps in County Mental Health?

07/31/2023
With a 31% staff shortage in Santa Cruz County’s mental health division, county supervisors have green-lit a new approach: Hiring more peer support specialists to work on mobile crisis teams.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Health Crisis & Personal Support Government

California Nurse Shortage Grows as Leaders Bicker Over How to Fill Jobs

07/30/2023
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.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Homelessness Crisis & Personal Support Government

Los Angeles Homeless Population Grows. But Mayor Karen Bass Has Also Made Gains

07/26/2023
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?

Santa Cruz County Local News: Crisis & Personal Support