CARESTAR Connections: April 2021 Newsletter

Thoughts from the CEO

Dear CARESTAR community:

Happy spring everyone! Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and the sun is (mostly) shining for more of the day. All of this has seeded in me renewed energy to reach out to people, build and renew relationships, and hopefully soon, see others in person!

One group that I have been particularly excited to connect with is the Community Paramedicine & Triage to Alternate Destination Oversight Advisory Committee . This is a committee that in short, is shaping the hopes and dreams for the future of community paramedicine (CP) in California (more details below).

I was honored to be invited to join, alongside one of our board members, Jane Smith. I see it not only as a rich learning environment for me personally, but a great forum for the best thinkers in the field to shape improvements in pre-hospital care. Paramedics have such an important position in the health delivery field. As trusted resources available 24/7, they are uniquely qualified to do interventions in homes, in communities, and outside of traditional four-wall settings.

To that end, we at CARESTAR are excited to be leading the effort to revamp the curriculum to train community paramedics in the Golden State. We know the right training is a key component to a successful future statewide CP program and as we shepherd this through, we are grateful for our partners who are working alongside us to get it right.

If you know of a community that is interested in launching or expanding the use of CP locally, or have another innovative idea around how to serve our communities with empathy, respect, and compassion, please reach out. We’d love to hear your ideas and expand our pool of grantees doing this work.

In community and partnership,

Tanir

Community Paramedicine & Triage to Alternate Destination Oversight Advisory Committee

Earlier this year, as part of AB 1544 (the Community Paramedicine or Triage to Alternate Destination Act), the Director of the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) established a committee to advise the Authority on the development and oversight of a Community Paramedicine (CP) program. The Committee is responsible for CP oversight, CP curriculum, and CP protocols. Later this year, the draft regulations created with input from the Advisory Committee will be presented for approval from the California Health and Human Services Agency and Department of Finance.

Grantee Highlight: Adventist Community Services

In response to the growing migrant crisis at the southern border of the US, the California Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) put out an urgent call for assistance. The CARESTAR Foundation responded with $10,000 crisis response grant to support the purchase of 4,000 blankets, PPE, and other emergency supplies needed. The delivery was coordinated by the San Diego Department of Public Health in partnership with the Mexican Consulate and Adventist Community Services (ACS) who received the funds on behalf of the VOAD.

Jeff Leighton Memorial Grant

Award Advisory Committee

We are pleased to announce the formation of an advisory committee to help build and guide our annual grant award recognizing a rural hospital or healthcare facility that has demonstrated exemplary care or service.

Committee members include: Doreen Bradshaw, Executive Director at Health Alliance of Northern California; Tamera Leighton, Executive Director of the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission and wife of the late Jeff Leighton; Ken Meehan, board member of the CARESTAR Foundation; Terry Supahan, Executive Director of the True North Organizing Network; and Geneva Wiki, Senior Program Manager at the California Endowment. We are extremely grateful for their involvement.

Nominations for the 2021 Leighton Memorial Grant Award will open in late April with more information available soon.

#StopAsianHate

Since the start of COVID-19, physical and verbal attacks against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community have been on the rise. The past few weeks, we have been consumed with sadness about the recent mass shooting in Georgia, with frustration at what appears to be a muted response by law enforcement, and at the ongoing attacks on individuals from New York to San Francisco. We have also been reflecting on what this shows about the relevance and urgency of CARESTAR’s commitment to applying a racial equity lens to our work. This tragedy is yet another reminder that harm does not affect everyone equally, and it is imperative that we do everything we can to understand how these events reflect upon us as a country as well as how they impact our particular field of work –emergency response.

What We're Seeing & Reading

$5 Billion for violence prevention is tucked into Biden infrastructure plan

On March 31, 2021, President Biden announced his American Jobs Plan which includes $5 billion over eight years in support of evidence-based community violence prevention programs. This is a historic win for gun violence advocates who have been working tirelessly to support funding directives that will directly help address gun violence in communities of color. NPR

Oakland plan to replace police with mental health workers moves forward

The Oakland City Council voted unanimously last month to direct staff to design a pilot program to dispatch counselors and paramedics from the city’s Fire Department to mental health crises instead of police officers. The council also ordered the administration to explore options including contracting with Alameda County staff and health specialists or temporary staff within the Fire Department to run the program — called Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland, known as MACRO. San Francisco Chronicle

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks announces Bill to address racial healthcare disparities

Through the Race & Healthcare Transparency Act (AB 1204), Buffy Wicks is working to establish the collection of data on patient health outcomes by race, ethnicity, and other vulnerable demographic groups to ensure providers are delivering equal care for all. Press Release

NPHW 2021 is April 5-11

Making communities safe and healthy is public health’s top priority. In the midst of one of the most challenging public health crises we've seen, it's more important than ever to celebrate public health. This week, during NPHW, we recognize the extraordinary contributions of public health workers for all they are doing to keep our communities safe. Learn more

Earth Day is April 22

We all need a healthy Earth to support our livelihoods, our happiness, and most certainly our health. "A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity."

We invite you to be a part of Earth Day, joining more than 1 billion people around the globe, and to help further climate action worldwide. Learn more

Our Mission: To improve health outcomes for all Californians, we use a racial equity lens to fund and advocate for improvements to our emergency response system.

Our Vision: All Californians experience an emergency response system that is equitable, unified, and compassionate. The lives of people touched by trauma or injury dramatically improve because they receive the appropriate care, services and supports they need to heal and prevent re-injury.