Category Archives: Health

Articles, Community News, Health

Breathing New Life Into the Local Fight Against Sexual Assault; Del Norte SART Team Wins Grant For Nurses, Training, Interviewing Equipment

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Thumbnail: Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin awards A’Lissa Scott and Amanda LeBlanc a certificate of commendation on Dec. 2 for their part in resurrecting the Del Norte Sexual Assault Response Team.

Scrawled on a whiteboard inside A’Lissa Scott’s office at the Del Norte County Courthouse is the following quote: “Children of all ages can tell us what they know if we ask them the right questions in the right way.”

Taken from a manual on the best practices of child forensic interviewing, the 30-year-old quote reminds Scott and her colleague Amanda LeBlanc that much of their job is about allowing, and trusting, sexual assault survivors to make the decision that’s right for them.

“One big thing about mentoring is there is no victim-blaming. That went out in the ‘70s or ‘80s, or it should have,” said Scott, a field investigator in the county’s Victim Witness Center. “We bring kids in that are going to have to testify and if they say, ‘I don’t want to do this’ We are never going to force them to testify.”

Continue reading Breathing New Life Into the Local Fight Against Sexual Assault; Del Norte SART Team Wins Grant For Nurses, Training, Interviewing Equipment →
Articles, Community News, Curry, Health, Local Government

Curry BOC Moves Forward On One Proposed Use For Opioid Funds; Jail Telehealth Proposal Delayed

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Curry County commissioners last week proceeded with a proposed partnership with Gold Beach to create a school resource and community resource officer (SRO/CRO) position using opioid settlement dollars.

But state procurement laws and the lack of a proposed contract is keeping the Board from moving forward on a request from jail commander Lt. Jeremy Krohn to provide addiction treatment services to inmates using those same settlement dollars.

The county would have to send out a request for proposals to service providers before it moves forward with telehealth opioid abuse disorder treatment at the jail, Finance Director Keina Wolf told commissioners at a special meeting Friday.

“More than likely there is more than one place that can provide us with telehealth capabilities and we need to give equal opportunity for people to apply for those contracts,” she said. “I know [Krohn] did say he reached out and had spoken with different individuals, but there’s not a contract attached so we don’t know what the not-to-exceed number would be and we don’t know what services exactly are going to be provided.”

Continue reading Curry BOC Moves Forward On One Proposed Use For Opioid Funds; Jail Telehealth Proposal Delayed →
Agriculture, Articles, Community News, Environment, Health, Smith River

Smith River Residents Air Concerns About Illnesses They Say Are Linked to Pesticide Use In Lily Industry

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Marilyn Gray Wintersteen admitted she didn’t think much about what growers were spraying on the lily fields in her neighborhood until last year when it hit her in the face.

Wintersteen was planting flowers in her backyard on Ocean View Drive when she got a face full of spray from the adjacent lily field.

“My skin burned, my eyes burned, my tongue swelled up, I had blisters on it [and] I ended up in the ER,” she said. “I got from the back of my house where they were spraying around to the front of my house and bent over to catch my breath. I could not breathe.”

Wintersteen, a 35 year resident, told her story to the North Coast Water Quality Control Board at a town hall meeting at the Smith River United Methodist Church on Monday and to the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

Both meetings, and a third at the United Methodist Church in Crescent City, focused on the Water Quality Control Board’s efforts to develop water quality regulations for Easter lily bulb production in the Smith River plain. Those regulations will be in an order monitoring and mitigating the impacts of copper diuron and other pesticides and fertilizers on the watershed aquatic ecosystem. 

Continue reading Smith River Residents Air Concerns About Illnesses They Say Are Linked to Pesticide Use In Lily Industry →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Health, Just For Fun

Pump Track Ribbon Cutting Set For Saturday, And Other City Council News

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Crescent City councilors approved bike pump track rules ahead of its Saturday grand opening.

The new rules require users to wear a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads and states that kids under age 12 must be under adult supervision, City Attorney Martha Rice said Monday. The regulations set the facility’s hours from dawn to dusk and limit its use to “non-motorized wheeled devices.”

Anyone flouting those rules will either be suspended from the facility or receive an administrative citation, Rice said. Though the ordinance won’t take effect for another 30 days, the rules will be posted at the pump track’s entrance.

The pump track grand opening will start at 11 a.m. Saturday at Beachfront Park and will include giveaways and riding demonstrations. Kids are also urged to bring their helmets and bicycles. The city and the Del Norte Trail Alliance are sponsoring the event.

Continue reading Pump Track Ribbon Cutting Set For Saturday, And Other City Council News →
Articles, Crescent City, Health, Humboldt, Opinion

OPINION: Limited Choice in Rural Reproductive Care Sheds Light on Systemic Moral Hazards

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Signage outside the Trillium Birth Center at Mad River Community Hospital in Arcata, California, taken in November of 2019.

Photo and Editorial by Amanda Dockter

In 2019, I experienced a miracle of sorts. After more than a decade of coping with irregular menstrual cycles and infertility caused by Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), I learned that I was pregnant. At the age of 33, I found myself navigating a major life milestone that I didn’t think I would ever get to experience. When I saw the faint lines indicating a positive on my home pregnancy test, I was hesitant to believe it could be true. A visit to Open Door’s wellness center confirmed the pregnancy, so I went ahead and scheduled my first trimester appointments for prenatal care at the Sutter Clinic — the only obstetrics practice in Del Norte County.

I was nervous about receiving prenatal care through Sutter. I had heard numerous horror stories from friends and relatives who had experienced labor and delivery at Crescent City’s Sutter Coast Hospital. Locals living in a rural county know that finding quality medical care is a huge challenge. Sutter was the only game in town, so we decided to give them a chance. 

Continue reading OPINION: Limited Choice in Rural Reproductive Care Sheds Light on Systemic Moral Hazards →
Health, Humboldt, Videos

Planned Parenthood Northern California Unionizes: An Interview with Syd Long

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On January 21st, 2024, the workers of Planned Parenthood Northern California announced the formation of their union, PPNorCal United, in partnership with SEIU 1021. Redwood Voice Director Persephone Rose talks with Organizing Committee Member Syd Long about the entire ordeal—what led to unionizing, demands, upper management reception, where things stand with negotiations, and the story so far. A special thanks to Syd Long for making this video possible!

For more information and the latest news on the Union, please check them out on their Instagram page at @ppnorcalunited.

Health

Interview with Supervisor Valerie Starkey on the Reaching Rural Initiative

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Bryce Evans of Redwood Voice has an interview with Valerie Starkey, the District 2 Supervisor of Del Norte County and a member of the Reaching Rural Del Norte representatives, about the Reaching Rural Initiative. With little information available online, the interview helps explain just what this initiative will hopefully do for rural communities. The full interview is below, with a shorter cut available here.

By Bryce Evans

Education, Health

Improving Outcomes for Youth Through the Klamath River Promise Neighborhood – An Interview with Initiative Lead Josh Norris

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In September of 2021, The U.S Department of Education accepted the Yurok Tribe’s Promise Neighborhood grant application for $30 million, which created the Klamath River Promise Neighborhood, one of only seven in the nation. 

Through a five year initiative, the tribe and their 16 partners will administer the $30 million throughout Del Norte County and its school district, and bring together tribes, schools, community-based organizations, local government, and parent & resident groups with the plan to improve outcomes for children and students.

Redwood Voice spoke with Josh Norris from the Yurok Tribe Education Department. He is also the initiative lead for the Klamath River Promise Neighborhood.

The Yurok Tribe has many goals to aim toward during these five years, and as the only indigenous tribe with a Promised Neighborhood Grant, they are trailblazing a better future.