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Fall is in full swing and one of the most anticipated dates for kids and adults is approaching, where costumes, pumpkins and candy will be the stars of an unparalleled Halloween in San Mateo County. In the meantime, here is the local news from October 8 to 14 that you should know to stay up to date.
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A report from San Francisco Department of Public Health shows that overdose deaths in San Francisco decreased in 2021 for the first time in three years.
The document released last week, titled “Substance Use Trends in San Francisco Through 2021,” showed that 625 people died from overdoses involving opioids, cocaine or methamphetamine in the city.
That figure marked an 11 percent decrease from 2020 numbers. However, overdose deaths in 2021 were still 41 percent higher than reported in 2019. The health department said in a news release that last year’s numbers continue to reflect the city’s substance abuse crisis.
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Santa Clara County's health care system could face a mass exodus of doctors due to poor working conditions and lack of respect from management.
More than 200 of the county’s 288 employed physicians do not plan to stay at Santa Clara Valley Medical Care — VMC — nearly 69 percent of whom plan to leave the system in the next three years, according to a survey by Valley Physician Group. The group is a union representing more than 450 county-employed physicians.
Among those planning to leave, three in five physicians cited disrespect from county administration as the reason. More than 70 percent of physicians said they feel worse about their jobs compared to last year.
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The East Palo Alto City Council has placed Measure L on the November 8, 2022 ballot for voter consideration, which is intended to help fund general government uses and community priorities such as housing.
Measure L provides for programs that help pay rent for needy tenants; affordable and accessible housing programs; protect local tenants and landlords from displacement and homelessness.
Residential rents in the East Palo Alto area have increased substantially, transferring income from tenants to landlords, most of whom live outside of East Palo Alto.
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The City of East Palo Alto has approved the 2022 Water System Master Plan (WSMP) and allocated nearly $8.4 million to design and construct several key City water infrastructure projects over the next two years.
The WSMP aims to provide the city with a comprehensive plan for improving drinking water infrastructure over the next twenty years to maintain the reliability of the water system and support planned development in the city.
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Stanford Medicine, in conjunction with Santa Clara Family Health Plan, has made workshops available for community health workers focused on mental health, which seek to provide the necessary tools to cope and help others.
The series will consist of 3 workshops in total and will focus on mental health with workshops dedicated to children and young people, adults and community health workers or promoters.
Those interested can choose which workshops to attend, and must register to receive additional information, as well as a link to join the workshops via Zoom and an invitation to the calendar.
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Public health officials plan to go door-to-door in East Palo Alto neighborhoods next week to hear details about residents' climate challenges and how they are coping.
Survey teams are prepared to ask residents how they are threatened by extreme heat, rising sea levels, wildfires, air quality and mosquitoes.
The survey results will be used to inform officials about what resources East Palo Alto residents need and will also shape an emergency preparedness plan for the community.
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Over the past two years, San Mateo County residents, like others across the country, have had to deal with loss, whether in health, employment, economic or even loved ones, situations that have worsened in communities such as the Latino community, so mental health care has become a critical point to address in order to move forward in daily life through the Power of Healing.
About one in eight people worldwide live with at least one mental disorder, with depression and anxiety accounting for 25 percent of these cases. In the United States, approximately 40 percent of Hispanic adults say they are experiencing symptoms of depression, said Diana A. Otero, senior director of Special Projects at the Latino Community Foundation.
To bring the topic to the table, the foundation held an information session called “The Power Of Healing: Latinos & Mental Health,” where, together with community leaders and non-profit organizations that support the Latino community in the Bay Area, it sought to provide mental health assistance to those who are going through a crisis due to the losses generated during the pandemic.
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Redwood City Police Department officers arrested a juvenile suspect after he was detained with a firearm that was allegedly fired on the night of August 2.
And it was during the night of August 2 that around 8:43 p.m., officers responded to a call to the 700 block of Cedar Street due to a report that shots had been fired with a firearm.
When officers arrived, one subject attempted to flee the scene, but officers quickly caught him. Following an investigation, on October 5, Redwood City detectives served an arrest warrant and search warrant at the residence of 19-year-old Jesus Jahir Sosa Ortega, located in the 700 block of Cedar, where he was arrested on charges of negligent discharge of a firearm, among others.
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You may be interested in: The struggles for the visibility of minority communities continue before the midterm elections in the US.