A través de la campaña “Compartamos esperanza juntos”, el condado de San Mateo busca que todos los residentes conozcan y reconozcan las señales de advertencia para prevenir el suicidio.

La campaña incluye una serie de eventos que tienen como objetivo generar conversaciones sobre la importancia de la salud mental, al tiempo que anima a las personas a compartir historias personales, así como información sobre dónde acudir en busca de apoyo.

Se espera que la Junta de Supervisores proclame el martes 12 de septiembre como el Mes de la Prevención del Suicidio.

“Cuando yo tenía 16 años, mi hermano de 22 perdió la vida por depresión y suicidio”, dijo la supervisora ​​Noelia Corzo, quien patrocina la proclamación. “Espero que al compartir mi experiencia y proclamar septiembre el Mes de la Prevención del Suicidio, le recuerde a nuestra comunidad que no estamos solos, que hay ayuda disponible y que aprender sobre la prevención del suicidio puede literalmente salvar vidas”.

Cabe destacar que, para ayudar a crear conciencia, se están llevando a cabo en todo el condado de San Mateo una serie de capacitaciones “Sea sensible, sea valiente para la prevención del suicidio”. Este entrenamiento, de carácter gratuito y con duración de dos horas, enseña a “los miembros de la comunidad a actuar como ojos y oídos ante la angustia suicida y a conectar a las personas para que puedan ayudar”. 

“Todos podemos ayudar a prevenir el suicidio”, señaló Jei Africa, director de Servicios de Recuperación y Salud Conductual. 

En ese sentido, agregó que “las investigaciones muestran que reconocer y preguntar sobre el suicidio de manera solidaria y afectuosa puede reducir el riesgo de suicidio. Esta es la razón por la que nos centramos en los esfuerzos para educar a la comunidad sobre las señales de advertencia del suicidio, pero más importante aún, en cómo conectar a las personas con los recursos adecuados”.

County Health has provided a list of events and trainings adicionales que se llevarán a cabo durante todo el mes.

Si usted o alguien que conoce está luchando o en crisis, las autoridades lo invitan a comunicarse con estas líneas directas de CRISIS las 24 horas, los 7 días de la semana:

Llame al 650-579-0350 o al 988; envíe un mensaje de texto con la palabra “Bay” al 741-741 o al 988; Visita SanMateoCrisis.org, 988 es ahora el código de marcación de tres dígitos que dirige a las personas que llaman a 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. En caso de emergencia, llame al 9-1-1 o vaya a la sala de emergencias más cercana.

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By Ben Irwin. San Jose Spotlight.

Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies approve Tasers from controversial supplier after decades-long hiatus.

Sheriff Robert Jonsen plans to present options for arming deputies on the street and in county jails with Tasers to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Jail guards have been stripped of Tasers for decades following the 1989 death of Jeffery Leonti, who died after being restrained and Tasered while in custody, the Mercury News reported.

Maelin Aquino, a community organizer with the Asian Law Alliance, and other advocates for justice and public safety accountability oppose arming officers with Tasers. She said the use of Tasers does not take into account pre-existing health conditions or comorbidities.

“Maybe an inmate has a pacemaker in place… that could cause the pacemaker to short out, which could lead to death or serious injury,” Aquino told San José Spotlight.

Jonsen said the sheriff’s office plans to adopt the recommendation of an August report commissioned by the county’s Bureau of Corrections and Law Enforcement that looked at jail guards using tear gas to remove inmates from their cells. The report suggested banning the use of chemical agents on people with documented medical conditions involving respiratory problems. Jonsen said he would like to implement a similar policy for the use of Tasers against inmates.

“We will make sure that that is part of the equation,” Jonsen said.

The presentation, originally scheduled for the board of supervisors' Sept. 12 meeting, has been tentatively postponed until Oct. 17, Jonsen said, to finalize policies for the use of Tasers on people in custody, including in county jails. 

Jonsen told San José Spotlight he did not have a cost estimate to share, but will provide county supervisors with several options, including equipping sheriff's deputies both in the field and in jails with Tasers.

He also said he previously felt the value of Tasers was “questionable” because of their limited effectiveness. But he said the new model he plans to deploy is more accurate and can be used up to 45 feet away, compared with older models limited to a range of 15 to 25 feet.

Most importantly, Jonsen said, pulling out the Taser would automatically activate the officer's body camera.

“It has built-in accountability,” Jonsen explained to San José Spotlight. “I think it’s a very important piece because we’ll now be able to track its effectiveness through video. Even the reduction when it’s not being used, it will still be captured on video.”

That’s because the county’s Taser supplier would be Axon, which already supplies body cameras to the sheriff’s office, Jonsen said. Reuters reported that the $15 billion corporation whose goal is to “save lives” fostered a toxic culture in which employees are shocked and tattooed with Tasers or company branding to show their loyalty.

“We’re looking at the device, not hiring for the culture,” Jonsen said. “We’ve built very strong accountability into our organization.”

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County Executive Mike Callagy has named Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar as the new director of the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management, which is responsible for coordinating emergency planning, response and recovery for the entire county.

While the appointment is subject to confirmation by the Board of Supervisors in a vote at its Sept. 12 meeting, Dhapodkar will play a key role in addressing challenges arising from earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis, pandemics, climate change and other threats and crises, both natural and man-made.

Shruti Dhapodkar, who was born in India and moved with her family to Illinois, will become the first woman to lead the county's emergency management agency.

“We have faced many different types of crises in a short period of time in San Mateo County and I know Shruti is extremely prepared to take the department to new heights,” Callagy said. “With her leadership, I am confident we will be prepared to respond to the needs of our residents before, during and after any crisis.”

Dhapodkar (pronounced “Dha POD Car”), served as emergency manager for the San Mateo County Health Department since 2017, and was brought into the fold at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As COVID-19 case numbers grew in the spring of 2020, Dhapodkar provided information and insight to policymakers and served as a liaison to the Bay Area Association of Health Officials, then helped launch and coordinate mass vaccination and testing sites with a focus on reaching the most at-risk communities.

“During those early days of the pandemic and throughout that crisis, I was impressed with Shruti’s work ethic, her decision-making, and her ability to accomplish what seemed impossible,” Callagy said. 

In that regard, he added that Dhapodkar played a key role in establishing a drive-thru model vaccination center and used his creative emergency response skills to help keep the San Mateo County community safe and vaccinated.

Shruti Dhapodkar trained as a surgeon, however she was drawn to the complex challenges of disaster planning and emergency management.

“These past few years have been unprecedented in the number, variety and complexity of challenges we have faced as a county,” Dhapodkar said. “What these challenges have shown us is that it is more important than ever that we collaborate and coordinate with a wide variety of community groups and partners to prepare for whatever comes next.”

With an annual budget of $5.3 million and 10 employees, the Department of Emergency Management supports the 20 cities within San Mateo County during large-scale disasters and emergencies. 

The department also serves as a lever through which local agencies can request assistance from the state and federal governments.

“I am always the one who finds calm in the chaos,” Dhapodkar said.

Dhapodkar is expected to assume his new role on Monday, October 2. He will succeed Don Mattei, who is retiring after a career of more than 40 years in public safety.

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