By Ruth Dusseault. Bay City News.
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The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved more than $1 million in funding packages from the county's Measure K fund.
Measure K is a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 that provides local funding for local needs.
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte will receive nearly $400,000 to ensure access to local reproductive health care. The PP initiative, approved 5-0, will purchase a new inventory system and pay for staff training.
The organization, which serves about 13,000 residents annually, operates three clinics in San Mateo County that provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, gender-affirming care, behavioral health and family medicine services.
Supervisors also allocated $190,000 to Smiles Dental Health, a nonprofit dental center serving low-income residents.
The funds will go toward the purchase of a van with supplies, equipment and a dental chair that will allow Sonrisas to bring dental care directly to patients.
Sonrisas also operates a weekly pop-up clinic for farmworkers in La Honda in partnership with Puente de la Costa Sur, an organization that promotes equitable access to education, health, and economic security for residents of San Mateo County’s south coast communities.
Supervisors also approved a $350,000 contribution to the Baby Bonus program, administered through First 5 San Mateo County. The guaranteed income pilot program will make unconditional payments of $300 a month for three years to 400 eligible parents currently receiving Medi-Cal benefits. The project aims to measure the impact of increased financial security on the health and well-being of newborns and mothers.
Ombudsman Services will receive a $100,000 grant that provides on-site monitoring, complaint investigation and resolution services for seniors in the county’s long-term care and skilled nursing facilities. The funds will go toward training and placement of ombudsmen, staff and volunteers in the field.
Finally, in response to San Mateo’s coastal risk from wildfires, storms and sea level rise, supervisors allocated $150,000 to support the Coastal Resilient Infrastructure Strategic Plan.
The goal of the plan is to analyze and assess coastal infrastructure (roads, evacuation routes, power supplies, water services and more) and identify areas that need to be improved. They will also hire a grant writer to look for ways to make changes to the infrastructure through federal, state and other sources.
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