Hello HHS colleagues,

I hope you all are having enjoyable summers and fitting in some relaxation with family and friends.

I wanted to check in with all of you about the county’s smoke-free campus initiative. As you may have heard and as you’ll read more about below, last month the Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with making county campuses smoke-free, starting with the Placer County Government Center in Auburn. This will be a phased process starting with three interim designated smoking areas, two of which are strategically located for client/resident use near some of our inpatient and shelter facilities and all of which will phase out within three years.

The revised ordinance will be brought before the Board by the fall for adoption. While I know this may present some challenges to smokers and to some of you who work with at-risk clients, the multi-department committee that has been leading this effort has worked hard to ensure that more supports are made available, such as cessation classes and materials to help individuals quit smoking. At the end of the day, it’s important that we have environments that promote health and wellness for employees and residents alike and minimize exposure to secondhand smoke.   

Finally, I would like to also put in a plug for fire safety. With a record-breaking amount of dead grasses across the state this year, fire danger is extremely high, as we’ve seen from other fires raging across the state. We should all get prepared at home, from making sure your property has defensible space and preparing an emergency supply kit to signing up for alerts at placeralert.org. You can find more tips at ready.gov/wildfires. Our emergency preparedness team in Public Health is at the ready should we need to jump into action, and I know that just as in past emergencies the HHS team is fully dedicated to our residents’ health and safety should another arise (knock on wood).

Stay safe, and cool!

Jeff

Public Health

County moves toward smoke-free government campus

The Placer County Board of Supervisors directed staff in June to move forward with a proposal to modify the current county smoking ordinance and make the Placer County Government Center in Auburn a smoke-free campus, with interim designated smoking areas. 

Under the proposed concept, there would initially be three interim designated smoking areas on the Placer County Government Center campus that would be phased out by June 2021, at which point the campus would be fully smoke-free. The revised ordinance would not be a mandate for clients or employees to stop smoking; it simply would restrict where smoking could occur. Smoking — including the use of inhaled or exhaled products that produce smoke or vapor, and the use of electronic smoking devices — would be prohibited within campus boundaries, including on sidewalks and in vehicles. 

The revised ordinance will be brought before the board by the fall for adoption. All other Placer County campuses and service locations located from Roseville to North Lake Tahoe would also transition to being smoke-free by June 2021, pending future approval.

“It’s our responsibility to create a healthy environment for our employees and our customers by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and tobacco litter,” said county Health Officer Rob Oldham. 

There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Approximately 42,000 people die each year in the U.S. due to diseases caused by secondhand smoke. 

A survey of nearly 2,400 community members and county employees in 2017 found that 79 percent of respondents supported a complete smoking ban on county grounds, and more than half had been bothered by secondhand smoke when visiting a county facility. During one litter cleanup at the government center campus, more than 800 pieces of tobacco litter were collected in under an hour. 

Tobacco cessation courses and other resources will be available to both clients and employees. Enforcement of the ordinance would primarily be achieved primarily through education and awareness. Community meetings are planned as part of the transition. READ MORE

Free back-to-school immunization clinics in Auburn, Roseville for low-income families

Placer County is offering free back-to-school immunization clinics for children without access to vaccines. 

Children who are uninsured or have Medi-Cal can attend clinics on the following dates: 

Wednesday, Aug. 8, 3 - 6 p.m.

@the Grounds - Johnson Hall

800 All America City Blvd., Roseville 

Thursday, Aug. 16, 3 - 6 p.m.

Community Development Resource Center - Cypress Room

3091 County Center Drive, Auburn 

The immunization clinics are open to school-aged children. Parents or guardians must attend the clinic with their child and provide their child’s immunization records and a Medi-Cal card if applicable. READ MORE

Human Services

Meet new Human Services director Mandy Sharp

Amanda Sharp recently stepped into the role of Human Services Director, after leaving a similar position in Tehama County. She took the time to answer a few questions about her background and interests.

Tell me about your background - what drew you to this field?

My father worked for a nonprofit organization whose goal was to serve. From the minute I was aware, we were involved in things that we could do together as a family involving giving. That service approach has been a part of my whole being and who I am as a person.

In regards to social services specifically, I came up through the business side. I had a business for many years. I worked in the emerging field of IT with workforce development, bringing training and technical assistance and database design to companies and employees.

I've lived in California for about fourteen years. We lived near Redding and I worked for both the employment department and the community college for a number of years, doing work that helped people on the client side with barriers to employment and barriers to self-sufficiency.

I still had this volunteerism mode in my brain, and it just turned out to be fortunate that when I was getting my master's degree at CSU Chico, a job came open in social services in Tehama County. I started my work in social services in employment services and community action, which was a really good fit. About three and a half years ago I was promoted to the director position in social services. But really, my beginnings in social services were employment, CalWORKs eligibility and community action programs such as housing, VITA and social security advocacy — so very similar to programs here in Placer County. READ MORE

Black, gold and glamorous: Human Services staff honored at fourth annual People’s Choice awards

Human Services held its fourth annual People’s Choice Awards on June 20, celebrating employees for outstanding work in more than a dozen categories, from customer service to innovation. More than 200 staff members crowded into the Seavey Center in Rocklin and enjoyed snacks provided by the Placer Public Employees Organization before cheering on their colleagues who received certificates. This year’s dress code was black and gold, and many attendees went all-in with sequined shirts and feathered hats.  

Those who received awards were nominated by their peers. A committee of staff volunteers selected the winners, this year from a pool of 97 nominations.

The categories and winners are:

Congeniality/Makes it Fun

1st- Denise Hatter

2nd – Martha Hyers

3rd – Suni Mac Kellar

Customer Service

1st – Jennifer Pettenger

2nd – Karolin Miller

3rd – Melinda Martin

Unsung Hero

1st – Justin Lyman

2nd – Helene Nakamura

3rd – Jennifer Pettenger

Leadership

1st – Jakki Cuffe

2nd – BAN: Katie Kenoyer, Robert Hyland, Ellen Walker, Janis Aydelott, Francisco Castro, Leticia Rios

3rd – Rosey Rivera

Calm in the Eye of the Storm

1st – Greg Geisler

2nd – Jennie Wise Petrenko

3rd – Holly Masters

Above and Beyond

1st – Carla Zuloaga

2nd – Toby Bailey

3rd – Judi Moore

Rock Star Rookie

1st – Alison Poroshin

2nd – Robyn Nelson

3rd – Raymond Kiernan

Marvelous Mentor

1st – Jennifer Balistreri

2nd – Tameca Dodd

3rd – Patty Cortez

Outstanding Innovator

1st – Ellen Walker

2nd – Tami Gallagher

3rd – Brad Bartholomew

Team

1st – CalWorks/Employment Services which includes (Greg, Donna, Melinda’s Team, Marcy’s team, Luz’s team, Marna’s team, Colleen’s team, Krista’s team)

2nd – Barker- (Marilyn Todd, Sean Delong, Jeri Bliss, Christy Simikins, Martha Hyers, Candy Hernandez, Christina Sanchez.

3rd – Get Hired Team- Judi Moore, Karolin Miller, Vanessa Piper, Katie Kenoyer, Francisco Castro, Janis Aydelott, Alison Poroshin, Jennie Wise Petrenko, Brooke Williams, Vanessa Piper

Click here to learn more about them and read some nominations, and view a full album of photos here.

Adult System of Care

Grads of Collaborative Courts share stories at event

“If you want to help yourself, you can. You can rewrite your story.”

Megan Bliss stood in front of a crowd of more than 100 people, clutching a certificate proclaiming her graduation. Not from high school or college, but from Collaborative Courts — in which eligible offenders participate in a treatment program as an alternative to jail time.

Participants in the programs – including Drug Court, Prop 36 Court, Veterans Court and Mental Health Court – receive rehabilitation services paired with judicial supervision and monitoring. Collaborative Courts operate through cooperation among treatment providers, probation, judges, district attorneys, defense attorneys and other community partners – all with the goal of reducing recidivism, enhancing public safety, and improving the lives of Placer County residents.

“We believe recovery takes a village, and it also takes the strength of an individual to accept help and to do the work to stay on the path of recovery,”  said Adult System of Care director Amy Ellis at May’s graduation event.

Bliss, who thanked those in the room for giving her a second chance, was one of a handful of graduates who spoke. One even performed a rap about recovery.

For Herman Van Bragt, the event was an opportunity to celebrate the transformation he’d undergone over the past decade, and particularly in Mental Health Court.

“My life is getting better every day.”

Placer’s Collaborative Court mentor program has also received recent national recognition, as the program was highlighted in a newsletter published by the National Drug Court Resource Center.

Garden blooms at Roseville mental health facility with help of community support

Kristine Monks has always loved to garden. Outside her small apartment, though, she is only allowed a few small pots.

It’s that same small apartment where Monks has tended to isolate herself as she’s wrestled with mental health challenges. But when she walked through the doors of the Cirby Clubhouse, an outpatient facility in Roseville, she not only found a community that welcomed her with open arms but also the opportunity to hone her green thumb.

Gaea Pope-Daum coordinates the county’s Health 360 program, which integrates physical health activities with mental health treatment. That includes nutrition, and so Pope-Daum has been growing herbs and vegetables in wine barrels for the last two years, teaching clients to prepare healthy dishes and sending them home with packets of produce.

“It’s a rarity for many of them to have this kind of activity in their lives, because they don’t have a yard or they don’t have money to put into it,” said Pope-Daum. “But everybody loves plants.”

Pope-Daum’s dream has long been to expand from the wine barrels to a larger garden, run by and for clients.

That dream became a reality this spring thanks to a few helpers. Once Pope-Daum secured money for materials, a supervisor’s contractor husband volunteered his time to construct six large planter beds. Click here to read more and watch a video about the garden's creation. 

Crisis resource tools created through collaboration with veterans’ groups

Alain Behrens spent eight years in the Marine Corps. Last year, he lost his best friend to suicide.

“Too many veterans either hurt themselves or their families because of a perceived lack of support and resources,” he said. “I have seen first hand the destruction that is caused by this perception.”

His mother, Sharon, is a member of the county’s Mental Health Alcohol and Drug Advisory Board. She approached the Adult System of Care requesting support to develop a resource tool specifically tailored to veterans in our community.

“I don't want one more veteran to lose hope because they can't find resources,” Sharon Behrens said. “This collaborative project is vitally important.”

ASOC began by coordinating meetings with staff, the VOA (Volunteers of America), local Veterans Administration, MHADAB members, Veterans Court mentors, and the Veterans Services Office to develop a tool that could not only reach our military families but be available at every turn.

Over a few brainstorming sessions, the team developed a resource card containing links, phone numbers and resources that could support veterans and their families. These consolidated resources included services around housing, suicide prevention, mental health, substance use, financial and employment options.

The card information was then sent over to Placer County’s print shop where the team there mocked up the card and gave it a military-style theme. Some of the team members, including ASOC and VOA, offered up financing for printing and distribution of the cards. The initial 10,000 cards are funded by VOA.

The cards also feature a unique, scannable QR code so that veterans can access the resources with smart phones, wherever they need it.  When scanned with a phone, the code would direct their internet browser to a dedicated resource page on the Placer County website.  Posters were also created to promote the resources.

Going forward, the team will distribute cards throughout the community to spread the word.

“These little cards will save lives,” Alain Behrens said.

“Thank you to ASOC for stepping forward to spearhead and coordinate this project with other veteran outreach organizations and community representatives. You all listened to a concern and need and made this happen,” his mother added.

PROTECT event at Galleria Mall offers resources for senior citizens

More than 200 people turned out for the “Preparing is Caring” event hosted last month by Placer PROTECT, a multi-disciplinary task force dedicated to elder abuse investigations, victim support and community awareness.

The event at Westfield Galleria at Roseville featured community resources on topics including transportation, meals, victimization, identity theft, caregiving, memory issues, fall prevention, medication assistance, finances, legal documents and more  — all designed to help seniors age gracefully.

Community partners involved included Seniors First, the Alzheimer’s Association, BrightStar Care, Legal Services of Northern California, the Older Adult Advisory Commission, Adult Protective Services and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.

Posters and resource brochures from the event will now tour the county as a traveling exhibit, starting at the Maidu Senior Center in Roseville.

Visit PROTECT’s Facebook page for more photos.

Save the Date: Annual ‘Recovery Happens’ event planned for Sept. 8

Recovery happens every day for people here in Placer County. Their stories are proof that prevention works, treatment is effective, and recovery and wellness is possible. In celebrating and sharing the stories of those who have achieved recovery, we encourage others to seek recovery and wellness as well. With commitment and support, people who experience substance use disorders and/or mental health concerns can find help and embark on a new path toward improved health and wellness.

Numerous county and community partners — such as substance use treatment and recovery providers, mental health providers, individuals in recovery, culturally-focused and faith-based organizations — will join System of Care staff and Mental Health Alcohol and Drug Advisory Board members in sponsoring Placer County's annual event this year on Saturday, September 8. Join us and show your support of the recovery community, including those who provide prevention, treatment and recovery support services. Click here for more details.

Environmental Health

Food truck roundup draws trucks — and a bus or two — from around the region

Environmental Health held its second annual food truck roundup in June, offering inspections and health reports to dozens of trucks from the parking lots of Sierra College in Rocklin and the Community Development Resource Center in Auburn.

The event makes it easier for trucks, especially those from the South Placer region, to get certified and back on the road quickly.

Jess Ryan is the proud owner of So Frick'n Good, a full-size bus that peddles everything from burgers to pizza to ribs. The bus is new and had only been on the road two months when he stopped by the roundup, after Ryan had worked to renovate it himself for nearly six months (he also has a background in mechanical engineering). He answered a few questions about entering the food truck business.

Did you have a background with food trucks?

I had done a mobile hotdog cart in Sonora, California, twenty years ago that was very successful. But I got back into it because I was tired of working for other people. And people have been bugging us to open a restaurant; that’s why it’s called So Frick'n Good — it’s what people say when they taste our food.

What’s the hottest thing on your menu?

Right it’s the Spicy Hawaiian Kicker pizza. It’s got housemade bacon jam and is topped with ham, mozzarella, pineapple, jalapeño rings and a drizzle of our special sweet and sour sauce.

Tell me about the roundup today.

I’m based in Placer, in Roseville. I only do this area; I have no interest in going elsewhere. There’s plenty of business here!

I’ve been dealing with Lauren (Booth, a registered environmental health specialist) since when I first got the idea and called her up. She’s been great; every time I called with questions she had answers or got back to me quickly. There are so many little things that you don’t think of.

I did drive the bus up to Auburn three months ago for the initial inspection. This [event] was great; I didn’t have to drive up there.

Who does the cooking?

My wife and I both do. She’s more of the baker and the quality control test fanatic. She’ll throw it out if it doesn’t look right. It has to be perfect.

Any advice for others interested in starting a food truck?

You better love dealing with the public, and better love cooking for the public. It is a lot of hours. I wake up at three in the morning with ideas in my head about sauces. I get up at 6:30 and do prep for the day and go out. Some days it’s from nine in the morning to ten at night.

But since I started I haven't worked a day.

Animal Services

Grant funds new, tricked-out trailer for emergency animal evacuations

For more than a decade Animal Services had been using a small two-horse straight load trailer to evacuate pets during emergencies.

“It has never really been adequate,” said Daniela Hall, the animal care supervisor.

That all changed this month when the division received a new, 7x14 custom trailer as the result of a $11,250 federal disaster preparedness grant. The trailer came loaded with shelving and Animal Services also purchased additional crates to increase the space available for dogs, cats and other small animals.

The new equipment will reduce the need for multiple trips in emergencies.

“This makes us better prepared to help the community in times of need, and assist other agencies as well since we are mobile,” said Hall.

The old unit will be converted to assist with larger livestock.

Digital ID tags debut with a bang...

… of fireworks, that is! July marked the introduction of new digital license tags for Placer County pets, embedded with digital technology designed to help keep them safe and sound 24/7. July is Lost Pet Prevention Month nationwide, in part because many dogs go missing in July because of the celebratory noise and crowds.

More than 250 people have purchased or upgraded to the tags so far. The tags, produced by the company PetHub, are linked to a free online profile of the animal, where owners can update existing contact information and enter additional phone numbers, email addresses, family and veterinary contacts and more. The service also comes with a 24/7 call center.

Animal Services also held two events to promote the tags in July, where pet owners could also get a free rabies vaccination when they purchased a new license.

New or renewed one-year licenses cost $21 for a spayed or neutered dog and $42 for unaltered dogs -- and can also be purchased in person or by mail. Those with an existing license can upgrade to a digital tag for just $7. Rather than going through the renewal process each year, owners can also save time and money by purchasing a three-year license at a substantially discounted rate of $50 for altered dogs and $112 for unaltered dogs.

Check out the story that aired on Fox40 about the new tags, and learn more at placer.ca.gov/petlicense!

Administrative Services

Introducing CMAA! (County-Based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities)

County-Based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (CMAA) is a program in which the county and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) can receive federal funding to be reimbursed for the cost of identifying and enrolling people into Medi-Cal.  

CMAA has been around since 1995, and there are many counties throughout the state now participating — but it was only fairly recently that Placer County determined that CMAA was feasible to participate in on a large scale.

“We have seen a need to identify additional funding opportunities for our CBOs and we are open-minded to seeing what this program will do,” said Brian Rupprecht.

While Public Health has taken the lead in piloting this program for Health and Human Services, Rupprecht and Eric Perez in Administrative Services are our CMAA administrators responsible for providing training and processing claims.  The claim is essentially the invoice that we submit listing our time spent on CMAA. The county is using special software to do time surveys, which track employee activities in fifteen minute increments throughout their workday.

There are several CBOs working with the county to participate in this effort, including:  First 5, KidsFirst, North Tahoe Family Resource Center and Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center.  They will do their own time surveys, which will be included on the county’s claim. Then the county will reimburse them with federal funding, a great help to support the meaningful work these non-profits do in our community.

Since time surveys are somewhat labor-intensive, it is still left to be determined whether or not the rewards will outweigh the effort and what level of support will be required to accommodate the additional workload. A consultant is working with HHS to help make this determination and guide us along the way. While we have submitted some small claims in the past, we’ve only just started to ramp up this program. (Stay tuned for an update as we really get things going!)

Children's System of Care

Koinonia celebrates expanded mental health services

Koinonia Family Services has been a valuable partner with Children’s System of Care for many years.  Historically, they have provided foster care for children who are unable to remain in the care of their parents. CSOC expanded upon the relationship in 2016 in response to the state’s requirement that children removed from their parents be placed as soon as possible in home-based family care, rather than emergency shelter care. In response, CSOC closed its Children’s Emergency Shelter and entered into contract with Koinonia to have homes available to take children 24/7.  

Koinonia recently broadened its services to provide mental health care to the children it serves. In celebration of the agency and the expansion of their services for children and families of Placer County, Koinonia hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 21.  Several CSOC employees, members and leaders of the community and Supervisor Jim Holmes participated.