UPPER LAKE, Calif. – In October 2016, the Upper Lake branch of Lake County Library, formally known as the Harriet Lee Hammond Library, will celebrate one hundred years of operation. Even now, plans for the celebration have begun.
To document the library’s story, the Lake County Library is looking for old photos of the historic building and people important to its history, in particular, photos of the construction of the building, the dedication, Lottie Mendenhall, Amy Murdock, any members of the Upper Lake Women’s Protective Club, or ULWPC, from about 1915 to 1920 and any ULWPC events connected with the library.
If you have any photos to lend, contact Linda Bushta at the Upper Lake Library, 707-275-2049, or Jan Cook at Lakeport Library, 707-263-8817, Extension 17106. The library can scan photos and return your originals.
The ULWPC started Upper Lake’s first library in J.N. League’s general store in 1914, but always hoped for a permanent library building.
With a donation of land from Lottie Mendenhall and Amy Murdock and $7,000 from Harriet Lee Hammond, Upper Lake’s library took shape over the summer of 1916 and opened that October.
Although the building might appear to have started out as a house, it has always been a library. Its 100-year history as a library makes it one of Upper Lake’s oldest businesses.
Bright, frosty polar caps, and clouds above a vivid, rust-colored landscape reveal Mars as a dynamic seasonal planet in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope view taken on May 12, 2016, when Mars was 50 million miles from Earth. The Hubble image reveals details as small as 20 to 30 miles across.
The large, dark region at far right is Syrtis Major Planitia, one of the first features identified on the surface of the planet by seventeenth-century observers.
Christiaan Huygens used this feature to measure the rotation rate of Mars. (A Martian day is about 24 hours and 37 minutes.)
Today we know that Syrtis Major is an ancient, inactive shield volcano. Late-afternoon clouds surround its summit in this view.
A large oval feature to the south of Syrtis Major is the bright Hellas Planitia basin. About 1,100 miles across and nearly five miles deep, it was formed about 3.5 billion years ago by an asteroid impact.
The orange area in the center of the image is Arabia Terra, a vast upland region in northern Mars that covers about 2,800 miles.
The landscape is densely cratered and heavily eroded, indicating that it could be among the oldest terrains on the planet. Dried river canyons (too small to be seen here) wind through the region and empty into the large northern lowlands.
South of Arabia Terra, running east to west along the equator, are the long dark features known as Sinus Sabaeus (to the east) and Sinus Meridiani (to the west).
These darker regions are covered by dark bedrock and fine-grained sand deposits ground down from ancient lava flows and other volcanic features.
These sand grains are coarser and less reflective than the fine dust that gives the brighter regions of Mars their ruddy appearance. Early Mars watchers first mapped these regions.
An extended blanket of clouds can be seen over the southern polar cap. The icy northern polar cap has receded to a comparatively small size because it is now late summer in the northern hemisphere.
Hubble photographed a wispy afternoon lateral cloud extending for at least 1,000 miles at mid-northern latitudes. Early morning clouds and haze extend along the western limb.
This hemisphere of Mars contains landing sites for several NASA Mars surface robotic missions, including Viking 1 (1976), Mars Pathfinder (1997), and the still-operating Opportunity Mars rover. The landing sites of the Spirit and Curiosity Mars rovers are on the other side of the planet.
This observation was made just a few days before Mars opposition on May 22, when the sun and Mars will be on exact opposite sides of Earth, and when Mars will be at a distance of 47.4 million miles from Earth.
On May 30, Mars will be the closest it has been to Earth in 11 years, at a distance of 46.8 million miles. Mars is especially photogenic during opposition because it can be seen fully illuminated by the sun as viewed from Earth.
The biennial close approaches between Mars and Earth are not all the same. Mars' orbit around the sun is markedly elliptical; the close approaches to Earth can range from 35 million to 63 million miles.
They occur because about every two years Earth's orbit catches up to Mars' orbit, aligning the sun, Earth, and Mars in a straight line, so that Mars and the sun are on "opposing" sides of Earth.
This phenomenon is a result of the difference in orbital periods between Earth's orbit and Mars' orbit. While Earth takes the familiar 365 days to travel once around the sun, Mars takes 687 Earth days to make its trip around our star.
As a result, Earth makes almost two full orbits in the time it takes Mars to make just one, resulting in the occurrence of Martian oppositions about every 26 months.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C.
The electoral map in presidential campaigns has changed quite significantly since the extremely close 1960 election, in which a young charismatic senator managed to squeak by an almost equally young incumbent vice president.
Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy enhanced his electoral chances by picking Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate, for the widely-held view that Texas’ 24 electoral votes were crucial to victory.
Keep in mind that combining the 24 votes from Texas, which the Democrats carried by a narrow margin, with the 27 electoral votes from Illinois, which Kennedy carried by an even slimmer edge, and you have an interesting scenario if the 51 votes had gone to Vice President Richard Nixon.
But then Nixon only carried his home state of California by less than one percent. However, if he had carried Texas and Illinois, his electoral votes would have put him in the White House as the 35th president.
The changing electoral map apparently consumed Lyndon Johnson’s keen political interest four years later.
As we sadly know all too well, tragedy struck on Nov. 22, 1963, and Johnson was sworn in as the 36th president.
The HBO film “All the Way,” based upon an award-winning Broadway play, is a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the larger-than-life President Johnson’s tumultuous first year in office in the wake of President Kennedy’s assassination.
Much of the film focuses on the political battle for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which pitted Johnson against some of his old Senate allies, notably Georgia Senator Richard Russell (Frank Langella), while he sought election year compromises to thread the political needle.
Probably the best thing about “All the Way,” which by the way is a play on the “All the Way with LBJ” campaign slogan, is that Bryan Cranston, the Tony Award-winner for playing LBJ on the Broadway stage, transforms himself again, complete with Texas twang, for the same role.
Cranston’s Lyndon Johnson is brash, profane and a Machiavellian political manipulator. Oddly enough, he frets about the upcoming 1964 election, which never should have been in doubt regardless of whether his opponent would be Barry Goldwater or Nelson Rockefeller.
Though he could be tough and merciless, Johnson is also portrayed as consumed with self-doubt and a fear of political humiliation.
But mostly, Johnson demonstrates keen deftness for maintaining a high-wire act as one who followed a beloved predecessor, a status he seemed unlikely to match.
There are great scenes with a determined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Anthony Mackie), who is seen working feverishly to bridge the differences with factions in the civil rights movement who don’t quite trust LBJ, son of the South, to deliver on the big promises.
But then, Johnson is also seen as being tough on his mentor, Senator Russell, when he professes to love him more than his own father, but threatens to crush him if he gets in his way of passing civil rights legislation.
The one person on Johnson’s staff who seems to be the key to holding the President together is long-time aide Walter Jenkins (Todd Weeks), but the interesting thing is that only weeks before the 1964 election, Jenkins was arrested in a sex scandal in a YMCA men’s bathroom.
Little attention is paid to this scandal, which in the end had little if any impact on the election, but then “All the Way” has nothing to say at all about more damaging material involving former aide Bobby Baker and insider Billie Sol Estes.
The Lyndon Johnson political style seemed to assume the mantle of the take-no-prisoners posture, even when negotiating with allies. He’s quoted in the film as saying that “there’s no place for nice in a knife fight.”
An interesting part of the political equation for the looming election campaign against Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater was the fear of losing the South. Indeed, in 1960, the Kennedy-Johnson ticket carried most of the South with the exception of Florida.
“All the Way” revives memories of the serious political and moral skirmishes in the South, most notably in Mississippi where three young Freedom Summer workers were killed by segregationists.
As a result, there are potent reminders of the bitter fight when the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party challenged the establishment at the Atlantic City convention by seeking to have their own delegates seated as part of the state’s delegation.
All in all, “All the Way,” while allowing Melissa Leo a chance to shine as the supportive Lady Bird Johnson, is nonetheless the Bryan Cranston show. Almost forgot to mention Hubert Humphrey (Bradley Whitford), who comes across as disposable to LBJ’s political ends.
Speaking of things barely mentioned, the Vietnam War is glossed over until the end credits, which serve to note that by the Spring of 1968 the war had caused many American deaths for a cause that generated widespread protests.
I was slightly more interested in the end credit note that in “facing a divided electorate and poor health” Johnson announced in March 1968 he would not seek re-election.
Senator Eugene McCarthy might take exception to that. His significant showing in the New Hampshire primary demonstrated Johnson’s vulnerability such that New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy entered the race, with Johnson shortly thereafter announcing he would not run.
“All the Way,” airing several times in late May and early June, is tailor-made for political junkies and historians for a polarized election year in which the controversial Johnson commercial about the perils of nuclear war would come off as relatively benign.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Authorities in neighboring Glenn County are seeking information on a man reported missing earlier this week.
John Thomas Maiers was last seen on Monday at the Sacramento Airport, according to the Glenn County Sheriff's Office.
The following day, Maiers' friend, Brett McLucas, reported Maiers missing, authorities said.
The sheriff's office said Maiers was traveling to the Kettenpom Store in Zenia in a white 2006 Subaru Wagon, with a Minnesota Plate 005HYY.
Maiers was supposed to meet McLucas at the Kettenpom Store at 7:30 p.m. Monday but never arrived, according to the report.
On Wednesday, Lt. Sean Arlin of the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office conducted an extensive search of the Mendocino National Forest, the agency said.
The following day, authorities reported that Arlin requested assistance from the California Highway Patrol in conducting an air search of the Mendocino National Forest, but Maiers was not found.
The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Maiers.
Maiers is described as being 6 feet tall, 170 pounds, with blue eyes, shoulder length brown hair and a long beard. He is known to carry a camouflage backpack with him.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office at 530-934-6431.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Sponsors, supporters, volunteers and approximately 30 hikers recently helped Worldwide Healing Hands (WHH) raise more than $10,000 during this year’s Hike 4 Healing.
The event, an annual fundraiser to help the organization continue its delivery of much-needed health services in underserved areas of the world and free health screenings for homeless and impoverished in Lake County, took place April 30.
Event participants traversed the Wright Summit Trail on Mount Konocti, a trail with an elevation gain of 1,600 feet and a distance of a little more than 6 miles round-trip, on a breezy yet sunny Saturday.
A team of docents led by Val Nixon guided the group to the top of the trail, where the hikers were greeted by Dr. Paula Dhanda, WHH’s medical director, and Carol Stahr who had water and snacks provided for the participants by Foods Etc.
“We were thrilled to have such a wonderful group join us for our hike this year,” said Dhanda. “Even our youngest walkers, Mateo and Mark Pacheco, ages 6 and 8, completed the trek. We were also fortunate to have so many supporters help us with financial and in-kind donations. We are extremely grateful because the funds raised by this event go directly toward our work. Our volunteers pay for their own expenses to help us with our missions.”
Dhanda expressed thanks to several agencies and individuals who helped make the Hike 4 Healing possible this year, citing the county of Lake, Kelseyville Fire Department (especially crew members Tyler Nolan, EMT, and Matt Copenhaver, paramedic), Foods Etc. (owners Dennis and Ruth Darling) who donated snacks and water for participants, Tom and Val Nixon and their crew of docents, People Services and van drivers Ilene Dumont and Margaurite Alves, Mountain Vista Middle School and photographer Nathan DeHart.
Major sponsors for this year’s Hike 4 Healing included Diamond (donations of $1,000 each) sponsors St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, Dr. Marlene Quilala, and John Clarke; plus Gold ($500 each) sponsors Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Derrick and Alisa Barnes, Don and Anthy O’Brien, Top Speed Data Communication, Drs. Elyse and Keith Donald, and Dr. Ming-teh Chen; and Silver ($250 each) sponsors Dr. Diane Pege, Dr. Corey and Amber Warner, Nicole Hill (X2nSat), Lake County Lumber (Dan Nelson) and Dina Hutton.
WHH provides health care services to women and children in underserved areas of the world. WHH teams have traveled to Uganda, Nepal, Chad and Haiti to deliver health services. WHH volunteer medical teams have also provided free health screenings to homeless individuals in Lake County, as well as to fire evacuees following last year’s devastating fires in south Lake County.
Earlier this year, WHH sent a team of volunteers to Haiti for a week-long mission in conjunction with Project MedShare. While in Cap-Haitien, the WHH doctors and nurses conducted cervical cancer screenings and treatment for dozens of Haitian women and provided training to Haitian physicians and midwives.
The WHH Board of Directors is planning a second mission to Uganda for the organization later this year, following WHH’s successful 2015 trip to the Muko Health Center.
“Funds raised by the hike will help us acquire equipment and supplies for the clinic in Uganda,” says Dhanda. Doctors, nurses and staff who accompany Dhanda on the WHH missions are not paid for their time; they donate their services to WHH. However, there are other costs incurred, mainly for much-needed supplies and medicine, according to Dhanda.
For more information about Worldwide Healing Hands, call 707-279-8733. Visit WHH’s Web site, www.worldwidehealinghands.org , or its Facebook page to read more about the organization.
Question: I just took my first Hunter Education Class last week at the age of almost 60. I am interested to put my training into practice and bring my kids and grandkids into it as well.
What is a good plan to begin hunting that can include all of us, since I have never had anyone to teach me how to start? (Ken B., Palo Alto)
Answer: First of all, welcome to the exciting camaraderie of California hunters.
We can recommend several options. First, put your new Hunter Education Certificate to use right away by purchasing your hunting license and tags/tag applications. The Big Game Drawing online application deadline for elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, and premium deer tags is midnight June 2, 2016.
We encourage you to go through the application process together. It will introduce all of you to navigating the online system and may also prompt an interest in other big game hunting opportunities, such as apprentice hunts. If your grandkids are junior hunters, ages 12-17 years old on July 1 of the license year, these apprentice hunts are an excellent option for most big game.
Every hunter who annually applies for draw hunts anxiously awaits the results from the draw. Then, if successful, they can enjoy the experience of spending scout time leading up to the hunt planning for their adventure. The planning stage is an important part of the hunt you can all do together.
Don’t forget, an integral part of the hunt is sighting in your firearm or bow at the range, another activity you can do together.
Draw hunts are not your only options – wild pig tags and some deer tags are simply available for purchase. Wild pig hunting is a good introduction to big game hunting and require a tag to hunt them. However, the season is open year-round and there is no daily bag limit.
Consider hiring a licensed hunting guide. It may cost you some extra money, but guided hunts frequently give you access to private properties with higher density game populations. Guides should have expertise for the species and the area you are hunting.
Soak up everything the guide is willing to teach you. If you or your kids are successful, most guides will offer to field dress the animal for you. We strongly recommend having your guide teach you how to field dress the animal and do it yourself.
What info must be on a sports crab pot buoy?
Question: What information is required to be displayed on sports crab pot buoys? I have placed my CF numbers from my boat on mine but have read that I must also place my GO ID numbers on the buoys.
Can you please let me know what’s required for my buoys? Also, what are all of the necessary requirements for my crab pots to make them legal? (Ken H.)
Answer: No identification is currently required to be placed on the buoys of sport crab traps. However, beginning Aug. 1, 2016, a crab trap buoy must be legally marked with the operator’s GO ID number as stated on his/her sport fishing license.
Keep in mind that crab traps are only allowed in waters north of Point Arguello (Santa Barbara County), and are required to have at least two rigid circular openings of not less than four and one-quarter inches inside diameter, constructed so that the lowest portion of each opening is no lower than five inches from the top of the trap.
Starting Aug. 1, 2016, crab traps must contain at least one destruct device of a single strand of untreated cotton twine size No. 120 or less that creates an unobstructed escape opening in the top or upper half of the trap of at least five inches in diameter when the destruct attachment material corrodes or fails (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.80(C)(1-3)).
Compound bow for protection?
Question: This question goes back to the special junior turkey archery hunts available prior to the start of the regular spring turkey season. I accompanied my son on one of those hunts. I was concerned about our safety because there are bears and mountain lions where we would be hunting, as well as mountain lions basically everywhere in California.
If I had had my hunting license, could I have had my compound bow on me for safety? I ask because I know you cannot have a firearm on you during archery-only seasons (I don’t have a firearm anyway), so could I have had my bow on me during the junior-only hunt? (David R., Sunnyvale)
Answer: You could have possessed a crossbow in this circumstance as long as you had a valid hunting license and tag for game that could be lawfully taken with a crossbow (such as wild pigs if they are present in the area) and you do not hunt turkey.
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
What do we look for in a candidate who will govern us in a trusted position of authority?
Most of us could agree that we look for someone who supports our communities and is fair-minded as well as trustworthy.
There is a candidate chosen by the Republicans who stated that he is “trying to pay as little as possible” in taxes. His delegates should have good reasons to not support him at their convention and the rules committee should be looking into the transgressions that he has made.
He refuses to reveal his tax returns, which is the sort of financial disclosure that could reveal associations with foreign entities, criminal organization and conflicts of interest.
Our country has been in this position before, of conflict and unrest, with nothing certain on the national front.
With voting restricted so that people have unequal access to casting their ballot in 20 states, anything is possible for an outcome.
In 1968 George Wallace also promised destruction of all enemies and scapegoated minorities during a time of insecurity.
During that election, we lost Martin Luther King as well as Robert Kennedy. We ended up with Richard Nixon.
During such unstable times as these, simply stating “Trust me, it will be great,” is far from reassuring.
That statement has been frequently repeated by this candidate and is nauseating. People who have worked with him have been left with a lasting impression of being mistreated and preyed upon for any insecurity they may have.
Far from being a leader, he is often seen as crushing the human spirit. Promising the destruction of all of our enemies is not a unifying theme and is not practical. We do not need a repeat of the disasters of 1968 that were visited on us then.
I am not advocating any one candidate, but voters need to be informed. We don’t live in times exactly the same as 1968, but we need an honest leader no matter what times we live in.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – East Lake Resource Conservation District’s efforts to assist post-fire recovery by providing 100,000 native conifer seedlings to fire-ravaged private landowners recently received significant additional support from Damon and Jaime Matthews, owners of Walnut Creek Firewood.
As has been previously reported, the reforestation project got going with funding from the Lake County Rotary Club Association, or LARCA, and #LakeCountyRising, a collaborative effort of the Lake County Wine Grape Commission, Winery Association and Wine Alliance, which have allocated nearly $60,000 to get seedlings planted and ready for distribution in the 2016-17 winter planting season.
It has also benefitted from an in-kind donation of more than 650 oaks and buckeyes from Mike Steen of Coyote Ridge Farms in Guerneville. These hardwood container trees, which received interim care from students at Lower Lake and Middletown High Schools and Kecia Stickney, owner of Frontier Farms on Highway 29 north of Middletown, have already been distributed to their forever homes.
Jaime Matthews relates how they got involved. “When we opened last September, it was our mission to be a give-back company. When we watched the Lake County fires ravage our neighboring land, we knew we wanted to help. So, as we help educate our customers about utilizing a cleaner fire system for their home, we want to help East Lake RCD with the reforestation efforts from last year’s fire.”
The Matthews have pledged to send a monthly check based on the number of fireplaces they sell, and accompanied their letter with an initial donation of $500.
This additional funding will allow East Lake RCD to expand the conifer seedlng program to include special-purpose projects with additional student involvement, and possibly to organize a repeat of last winter’s hardwood distributions.
“Lake County lost an estimated seven million trees in last summer’s fires and it will take years to get them back,” said East Lake RCD President Charlotte Griswold, “but with the help of generous supporters like Damon and Jaime Matthews we’re taking a giant step down the road to recovery.”
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – St. Helena Family Health Center-Clearlake has opened an expanded dental care suite designed with the patient experience in mind.
The bright, spacious and beautiful suite is located in Clearlake at 15230 Lakeshore Drive, Suite 105.
The new suite, located just down the hall from the previous space, has 10 operatories (up from four), a state-of-the-art Panoramic x-ray machine, welcoming lobby and entirely new equipment.
“Our goal is bright and healthy smiles,” said Mark Cooper, DDS, director of the dental service. “With the new office, we can greet patients more quickly, provide them with the care they need and send them home motivated to maintain their dental health for a lifetime.”
Five dentists, a team of registered dental assistants and dozens of patients a day could attest – the previous dental care space was simply too small.
“Over the past year we have been actively expanding the dental care service to meet growing demand, including hiring a new full-time dentist,” explained Garin Fuhriman, administrative director for St. Helena’s Rural Health Clinics. “This bigger and brighter space allows us to do what we do best: serve our patients.”
The dental care team focuses on restorative and preventative dentistry with an emphasis on patient education. Services include exams, cleanings, fillings, sealants, dentures and partials.
Intraoral cameras allow dentists to show patients exactly what is happening inside their mouths, while screens at every chair can display educational videos about oral hygiene or what is involved with a particular procedure.
The St. Helena Family Health Center Dental Care serves the whole family, including children and adults, and is open Monday through Friday.
Dental services for children and teens are also available at the Konocti Wellness Center in Lower Lake. Dental care services accepts patients with Medi-Cal/Denti-Cal insurance.
On May 24, the community members is invited to celebrate the grand opening of the new dental care suite.
From 5 to 7 p.m., individuals can tour the space, meet the dental team and enjoy food and entertainment for the whole family.
The new dental care suite is located at the St. Helena Family Health Center-Clearlake at 15230 Lakeshore Drive, Suite 105, in Clearlake. Schedule an appointment by calling 707-995-4540.
The California Association of Clerks and Election Officials is reminding California citizens that the deadline to register to vote, or re-register with a different party, in the June 7 Presidential Primary Election is Monday, May 23, at 11:59 p.m.
Online voter registration is available, which allows new voters to complete the entire process online at www.registertovote.ca.gov .
Paper registration forms can be obtained at your local Registrar of Voters, post offices, libraries and city halls.
"California has seen record numbers of new registrations since January," said Neal Kelley, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, or CACEO, and Registrar of Voters of Orange County. "CACEO is urging everyone that wishes to participate to be aware of the upcoming deadline.”
LAKEPORT, Calif. – MCHC Health Centers (MCHC) recently received a $325,000 grant to treat hundreds of additional patients struggling with substance abuse.
The Substance Abuse/Medication-Assisted Therapy grant will benefit Lake County residents because MCHC operates Lakeview Health Center in Lakeport.
The funding gives Lake County residents greater access to substance abuse services through increased staffing, including new behavioral health providers and case managers.
The enhanced program expands substance abuse and depression screening, enhances comprehensive case management, and strengthens Lakeview Health Center’s ability work with community partners to assure a safe detoxification process is available.
According to MCHC Associate Medical Director Justin Ebert, “When responding to stress, trauma or pain, it is natural for people to do their best to cope. Unfortunately, some coping mechanisms are unhealthy, causing people to harm themselves, their families and their communities. Opioid dependency crosses all social and economic barriers and therefore needs a community-based partnership to offer avenues for recovery. This grant will help Lake and Mendocino counties move forward in screening for dependency and developing systems for support and recovery.”
The grant will also benefit patients who reside in other communities with MCHC health centers.
Lake County ranks among the worst California counties for health indicators related to opioid use. It has the highest rate in the state for opioid prescriptions, the second highest rate for opioid deaths, and the eleventh highest rate for non-fatal opioid medical visits.
According to MCHC Behavioral Health Director Sam Fernandez, “Sometimes trauma is a gateway (trigger) to substance use as people struggle to deal with painful thoughts, feelings and life circumstances. Unfortunately, what is intended to provide a temporary comfort can lead to an ongoing, even many-years-long, problem. If you find yourself in such a situation, maybe we can help.”
In addition to the HRSA grant to combat drug addiction, Lakeview Health Center is part of a community coalition called Safe Rx Lake County.
The Safe Rx program is a network of medical professionals, educators, law enforcement, community-based organizations and community members united to accomplish the following goals:
· Educating the community about the risks and benefits these medications and safer alternative treatments;
· Encouraging health care providers to adopt safe and consistent prescribing guidelines;
· Helping those who misuse or are dependent on prescription painkillers to get the help they need;
· Informing the community regarding safe storage and disposal of medications.
“If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse, reach out. Treatment is available,” encouraged Lakeview Health Center Director Kim Tangermann. “This is such a great opportunity. Very few other organizations received this grant, and we are so pleased we’ll be able to care for people in our community who want to change their lives for the better.”
Fernandez added, “Often, a lack of resources is a major impediment to recovery from substance use disorders. It is no secret that opioid and other substance misuse is seriously impacting the health and welfare of not only Lake and Mendocino county residents, but our society at large. This generous grant allows MCHC to expand our screening, counseling and treatment options for patients struggling with substance use. We are grateful to be able to use these grant funds to address dependency and reduce suffering in our patients and communities.”
Located at 5335 Lakeshore Blvd. in Lakeport, Lakeview Health Center provides comprehensive health services including primary medical care, pediatrics, dentistry, women’s health, obstetrical care, counseling, psychiatry, chiropractic and specialty care. MCHC looks forward to growing to meet the ever-expanding needs of the communities it serves. Learn more at www.mchcinc.org .