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Kaiser Permanente commits $1 million to promote racial equity in Southern California

Grant funding to 10 nonprofit organizations will help dismantle racist structures and practices that prevent communities of color from achieving good health.

Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated, nonprofit health system, today announced it has awarded $8.15 million to support 40 nonprofit and community-based organizations across the nation, whose programs address systemic racism and its accompanying trauma on individuals and communities of color.

This incorporates $1 million for 10 organizations in Southern California, including Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CA– USE) in Ventura, and is part of a $25 million commitment Kaiser Permanente announced in June to promote health equity and break the cycle of racism-driven stresses that lead to poor health outcomes for its communities. Kaiser Permanente serves 4.7 million members in Southern California.

This announcement comes as our nation honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy on Monday, January 18, for his commitment to civil rights and racial equality.

“As we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I hope Kaiser Permanente is one of many voices plainly saying that there is much, much work still to be done to realize Dr. King’s ideal of an equitable society that guarantees every individual the opportunity to thrive,” said Greg A. Adams, Kaiser Permanente’s chairman and CEO. “I am encouraged as I see what progress is possible through organization, activism and advocacy – and I want our support to enable future generations to follow that path to create change.”

Julie Miller-Phipps, president, Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii, Health Plan and Hospitals, echoed similar sentiments.

“It’s important for us to take strong action to stop the economic, physical, psychological, and social impacts of inequity and systemic racism – including discriminatory policies and practices – so that we can create healthier communities where everybody, regardless of their race, ethnic background or skin color can feel safe and thrive,” she said. “This is why Kaiser Permanente is pledging significant funding to help achieve an end to systemic racism and break the cycles of stress and trauma that can lead to poor health outcomes.”

With input from a panel of national racial justice and trauma experts, Kaiser Permanente will develop a formal evaluation plan for the grants it has awarded to track and measure the initiative’s overall progress.

Once Ventura had an opera house

by Richard Senate

It opened its doors in December of 1904. It once stood in two-story magnificence at 461 E. Santa Clara Street, built by Banker John Lagomarsino. The wooden theater served the cultural needs of the community for well over thirty years. It opened with the musical comedy “Showgirl” performed by a company brought in by train from The Grand Theater in San Francisco.

When built it was called one of the best playhouses in the state. It was owned and operated by Lagamarsino (who lived next door) but in truth the whole community felt it owned the opera house. Two local amateur company’s used the theater between traveling shows. Over the years many well known groups and actors perform on her stage. Once the Famous Georgia Minstrels played here. It was a unique show that featured an all-black cast. In 1908 and 1909 William S. Hart appeared here in the play “The Virginian” before he became a world famous cowboy star in the movies. Actress Gertrude Lawrence played here in the popular Christmas play “Babes in Toyland.” According to Emilio Lagomarsino, the son of the builder, on the night of November 12th, 1908 the first motion picture ever projected in Ventura was shown on a large sheet, with a hand cranked projector.

The next day the Free Press Newspaper wrote; “Charles Walkers moving pictures were a big hit. The pictures were good and the singing first class.” In the days of silent film, the movies were accompanied by musical groups and singing. In truth, silent films were never really silent. In 1918 the classic film “Hearts of the World” was projected at the Opera House but new theaters were being built and by 1913 three silent movie houses were offering films.

The old drafty Opera House was seen as a relic of another time. Traveling companies came few and fewer as they were replaced by films. The old Opera was closed and, for a time, became a Baptist Church. Lastly, Mr. Lagomarino used it as a warehouse for his illegal  liquor business. By the late 1930s it was demolished. Perhaps, it should be re-built in the downtown of Ventura, a place where local amateur theatrical companies could offer plays to the public, foreign and art films shown as well as classics of the silent screen (with organ accompaniment—or an orchestra perhaps?) Maybe travelogues or lectures or surf films could be offered. Maybe an Opera house might once again provide an ideal focal point for the cultural life of Ventura, as it was in the early years of the Twentieth Century?

The Bookmark About Libraries and Friends

by Jill Forman

Cool things going on at your virtual library!

Brainfuse HelpNow eLearning for all ages and levels

Homework Help – Interact with live tutors in math, science, reading/writing, social studies, PSAT/SAT, ACT, AP and state standardized tests.

Personalized eLearning Tools – My File Sharing, My Session Replay, My Tutoring Archive, My Tests Archive, and more!
24-Hour Writing Lab – Submit essays and other forms of writing for constructive feedback.
Adult Learning Center – Access a library of rich adult learning content (GED) and live, professional assistance in resume/cover letter writing, U.S. citizenship prep, MS Office Essential Skills Series, and more!
Foreign Language Lab /Spanish-Speaking Support

Begin now at https://landing.brainfuse.com/

authenticate.asp?u=main.venturacounty.ca.brainfuse.com

Brainfuse also has a program for veterans called JobNow /Vet Now.  Both are available on our website https://www.vencolibrary.org/elibrary under JobNow/VetNow

Virtual Discover Science – This monthly exploration of science and physics topics is now virtual on Zoom. For Grades K-5. Materials will be available for pick up at Avenue, Foster, Hill Road, and Saticoy Libraries. Registration available online. Library website, “Events” tab. The link event will be provided through registration

New at the Online Store – The Online Bookstore has updated the Cookbooks section with dozens of new cookbooks for everyone’s palate. There is a new Great Gift Idea category with things moved over from Holiday Items, a new music category and a new Travel and Trivia category to be expanded soon. Under fiction, a subcategory of historical fiction has been added, so look for more there soon. We continue to offer $5 bags of books as well as an ever-changing inventory of fiction and non-fiction for adults and youth.

Book Donations – We appreciate all the books donated to us.  However, at Hill Road on Tuesdays and Saturdays, please bring no more than  2 small boxes at a time. Our volunteers have to lift boxes into and out of cars and this may be very difficult for some.  Please bring donations of more than 2 boxes to the warehouse at 11251 Riverbank Drive on Monday or Friday from 9 to 11 am or by appointment — email [email protected]

Friends of the Library Funding

Per Nancy Schram, Library Services Director, “The $17,000 provided to the Ventura County Library for the Ventura Libraries in October was allocated to library collections as follows: 40% Foster Library, 30% Hill Road, 15% Avenue, 15% Saticoy.
The 40% allocated to the E.P. Foster Library was additionally evenly divided between adult and children’s materials, as we have done in the past years.
These funds enabled the library to purchase an estimated 700 books for the library collections.
…The first and foremost priority for Friends funding remains the library collections at the Ventura libraries. We are working hard to bring the per capita expenditure on materials in the Ventura libraries up to the state average. …Additional needs include technology (such as Computer and Internet Kits for loan or Laptop Lending Kiosks), supplies, and Summer Reading Programs.
…We very much appreciate the Friends’ ongoing support which has tremendous positive impact on library services in Ventura.”

Ventura College’s Advanced Manufacturing Program is preparing for the future

Ventura College’s new degree program in advanced manufacturing is training the future manufacturing workers of Ventura County. Prompted by student interest, employer demand and Ventura County’s strength as a manufacturing sector, Ventura College’s new manufacturing training program will offer the latest information and technology in both lecture and laboratory settings.

Ventura College’s advanced manufacturing degree program offers an associate degree, certificates of achievement, pre-apprenticeships and a Journeyman Machinist program.

It’s a good time for students to get jobs in manufacturing, as the country looks to bring jobs back to the U.S. While learning on the job may have been sufficient in the past, local employers value the streamlined hiring and training process of having entry-level employees who can jump right in. This is particularly important in Ventura County, where manufacturing has been identified by the Economic Development Collaborative as one of six key industries.

“One of the reasons this program is so advantageous is because it trains our local residents to work in an industry where there are high paying jobs in Ventura County,” said John Clark, instructor in the manufacturing technology program. “Our graduates will be able to live here, work here and support their families.”

The advanced manufacturing program aims to prepare students to be career-ready by training them on full-size, industry-worthy CNC machines, which mirror the machines used in the workplace. Students already in the industry can take classes to expand or update their skills for career advancement. Students may also choose to pursue the AS in Advanced Manufacturing to launch their career in industry or transfer to a university to obtain a bachelor’s degree in management, engineering, industrial technology, agricultural engineering or mechanical engineering.

The advanced manufacturing program offers a pre-apprenticeship option to give students real-world experience while providing employers an opportunity to find skilled workers. The goal of the pre-apprenticeship program is to take a student with no knowledge of manufacturing and train them to be capable CNC machine operators in just one semester.

After taking two classes, MT V02 and MT V05, students are eligible to participate in VC’s apprenticeship program and earn approximately $18 an hour. In contrast, the state’s minimum wage is $13-$14 per hour, depending on company size.

For two and a half years, the student will work full-time in local industry to receive on-the-job training while taking at least one class per semester at Ventura College. In just three years, a student will earn a Journeyman Machinist Card from the U.S. Department of Labor, which can transfer anywhere in the U.S. Following program completion, the student may earn $25-$30 per hour.

Ventura College plans to offer two certificates of achievement in manufacturing technology, including CNC Machine Operation and CNC Machinist. The two stackable certificates are pending state approval. The first can be completed in one semester.

World War II veteran celebrated 99th birthday with a drive-by celebration

Not every World War II hero carried a gun. In the case of Ventura World War II veteran Jack. D. Schulz, his battlefront was IBM’s newfangled “tabulation machine” that was then considered cutting-edge warfare technology.

The veteran who helped win the war with his prowess on the keyboard celebrated his 99th birthday on Saturday, January 16 , with a drive-by parade that included the Ventura City Police and Fire Departments.

The drive-by celebration was held at the Turning Point Foundation’s Veterans Transitional Housing Program at 43 East Vince Street in Ventura.

Schulz was born in Michigan in 1922, when Prohibition was sweeping across the nation and President Warren G. Harding gave his first radio address. Schulz lived through the Great Depression and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, at the age of 22.

When Army officials learned Schulz could type an accurate 40 words per minute on an Underwood manual typewriter, they put him to work on a machine IBM had invented that was a lot like today’s laptop computer when compared to the unwieldy wall-to-wall computers of 1944.

Schulz was stationed in California where he learned to input data with this new technology, which was designed to support the troops overseas. At the end of the war, Schulz was honorably discharged as a Tech-5 specialist and was awarded an Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal.

Schulz remained in sunny Southern California and convinced his mother and grandmother to relocate with him from Michigan and its frigid winters to the seaside city of Port Hueneme. He enrolled in the University of Southern California (USC) on the GI Bill and earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Work was hard to come by after the war, but Schulz landed a position doing deliveries while also caring for his grandmother and later, his mother.

Still, Schulz found time to be a community volunteer for 14 years. He married, but his wife passed away in 2017. They had no children, and Schulz said a lawyer who handled his estate took all of his assets, leaving him with nothing but a van, forcing him to start all over.

Schulz lived homeless in his van for two years until 2019, when he was referred to Ventura County Veteran’s Services and then to the Turning Point Foundation. Schulz’s full story has been archived in Washington, D.C. through the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

Keep your mind active

Senior man reading book

Being intellectually engaged may benefit the brain. People who engage in personally meaningful activities, such as volunteering or hobbies, say they feel happier and healthier. Learning new skills may improve your thinking ability, too. For example, one study found that older adults who learned quilting or digital photography had more memory improvement than those who only socialized or did less cognitively demanding activities. Some of the research on engagement in activities such as music, theater, dance, and creative writing has shown promise for improving quality of life and well-being in older adults, from better memory and self-esteem to reduced stress and increased social interaction.

However, a recent, comprehensive report reviewing the design and findings of these and other studies did not find strong evidence that these types of activities have a lasting, beneficial effect on cognition. Additional research is needed, and in large numbers of diverse older adults, to be able to say definitively whether these activities may help reduce decline or maintain healthy cognition.

Lots of activities can keep your mind active. For example, read books and magazines. Play games. Take or teach a class. Learn a new skill or hobby. Work or volunteer. These types of mentally stimulating activities have not been proven to prevent serious cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease, but they can be fun! Plus, findings from observational studies suggest that some informal mentally stimulating activities, such as reading or playing games, may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment and dementia.

Some scientists have argued that such activities may protect the brain by establishing “cognitive reserve.” They may help the brain become more adaptable in some mental functions so it can compensate for age-related brain changes and health conditions that affect the brain.

Some types of cognitive training conducted in a research setting also seem to have benefits. For the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) trial, healthy adults 65 and older participated in 10 sessions of memory training, reasoning training, or processing-speed training. The sessions improved participants’ mental skills in the area in which they were trained with evidence suggesting these benefits persisted for two years.

Be wary of claims that playing certain computer and online games can improve your memory and other types of thinking as evidence to back up such claims is evolving. There is currently not enough evidence available to suggest that computer-based brain training applications offered commercially have the same impact on cognitive abilities as the ACTIVE study training. NIA and other organizations are supporting research to determine whether different types of cognitive training have lasting effects.

Comparing health care providers

Looking for a way to find and compare health care providers? Check out Medicare.gov to get helpful information about doctors, hospitals, and other health care services in your area, based on your individual needs.

See contact information, directions, and quality ratings for:

Doctors & other providers
Hospitals
Local nursing homes
Hospice & home health agencies
Dialysis facilities
Inpatient rehabilitation centers & long-term care hospitals
Visit Medicare.gov today to find health care providers and services that are the best fit for you!

Sincerely,

The Medicare Team

Seniors Craft Shoppe seeks new members

Do You have an artistic flare? Are you skilled in a craft?

The Seniors Craft Shoppe in downtown Ventura is just the place you need to associate with other artists and crafts persons and put your pieces on display for sale in a retail store. We are seeking new members. If you are a Ventura County resident aged 50 years or older, and interested, please call or visit our Shoppe at 429 E. Main St. Our phone number is (805) 643-3059. Our current hours are Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5:00 PM

Talking to your doctor

“Continue Mrs. Johnson I’m taking notes.”

Asking questions is key to good communication with your doctor. If you don’t ask questions, he or she may assume you already know the answer or that you don’t want more information. Don’t wait for the doctor to raise a specific question or subject; he or she may not know it’s important to you. Be proactive. Ask questions when you don’t know the meaning of a word (like aneurysm, hypertension, or infarct) or when instructions aren’t clear (for example, does taking medicine with food mean before, during, or after a meal?).

Sometimes, doctors need to do blood tests, x-rays, or other procedures to find out what is wrong or to learn more about your medical condition. Some tests, such as Pap tests, mammograms, glaucoma tests, and screenings for prostate and colorectal cancer, are done regularly to check for hidden medical problems.

Before having a medical test, ask your doctor to explain why it is important, what it will show, and what it will cost. Ask what kind of things you need to do to prepare for the test. For example, you may need to have an empty stomach, or you may have to provide a urine sample. Ask how you will be notified of the test results and how long they will take to come in.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before a Medical Test

Why is the test being done?

What steps does the test involve? How should I get ready?

Are there any dangers or side effects?

How will I find out the results? How long will it take to get the results?

What will we know after the test?

When the results are ready, make sure the doctor tells you what they are and explains what they mean. You may want to ask your doctor for a written copy of the test results. If the test is done by a specialist, ask to have the results sent to your primary doctor.

There is a lot of information online about medical tests. The National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus website provides links to many trustworthy resources. You can get information on preparing for lab tests, explanations of different tests, and tips on interpreting lab test results.

Discuss Your Diagnosis and What to Expect

A diagnosis identifies your disease or physical problem. The doctor makes a diagnosis based on the symptoms you are experiencing and the results of the physical exam, laboratory work, and other tests.

If you understand your medical condition, you can help make better decisions about treatment. If you know what to expect, it may be easier for you to deal with the condition.

Ask the doctor to tell you the name of the condition and why he or she thinks you have it. Ask how it may affect you and how long it might last. Some medical problems never go away completely. They can’t be cured, but they can be treated or managed.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Diagnosis

What may have caused this condition? Will it be permanent?

How is this condition treated or managed? What will be the long-term effects on my life?

How can I learn more about my condition?

Understand Your Medications

Ventura’s Water security requires investment now

by Susan Rungren Ventura Water General Manager

Did you know Ventura is one of the largest cities in Southern California to rely solely on local water supplies? Rainfall feeds the Ventura River, Lake Casitas, and local groundwater basins to meet all the water needs of our community.

Water is at the core of our identity and the future of its security is in jeopardy. Although our community’s conservation efforts have reduced water use by 20 percent, Ventura’s rain-dependent water supplies remain vulnerable to future droughts.

Additionally, results of ongoing litigation will likely limit or reduce the amount of water the City can withdraw from the Ventura River, which currently accounts for roughly 20 percent of Ventura’s water supply.

Groundwater—which supplies more than half of Ventura’s water— is expected to continue to decline due to recent regulations.

To maintain essential services and protect our water resources, Ventura must continually invest in our water and wastewater systems. Investments will allow us to improve water quality, replace old pipelines and aging infrastructure, meet regulatory requirements, and secure water supply for the future.

The City has a two-pronged approach to address our critical water supply challenges: recycle the water we already have, and access additional water supplies through the State Water Project.

The VenturaWaterPure Project will help us keep the water we already have. Currently, 8 to 9 million gallons of treated wastewater from the Ventura’s Water Reclamation Facility is discharged into the Santa Clara River Estuary each day. This is water that could be better used for our community.

This initiative will divert treated wastewater to an advanced purification facility where it will be purified to drinking water standards and injected into local groundwater basins. This approach will provide a new, drought-resistant water supply, offering up to an additional 3,600 acre-feet of water per year, representing approximately 23 percent of the City’s existing supply.

VenturaWaterPure will use an advanced water purification process to produce safe, high-quality drinking water. This purification technology is currently used throughout California, in other states, and internationally. VenturaWaterPure will address Ventura’s water needs by provide a reliable, sustainable water supply.

The City currently holds an entitlement from the State Water Project but cannot currently take direct delivery due to a lack of infrastructure to deliver that water. The State Water Interconnection Project will enable Ventura to access the water we have had rights to since the 1970s. A new 7-mile pipeline will allow Ventura to tap into its State Water entitlement, addressing anticipated cutbacks in existing local supply sources. Additionally, the pipeline will enable deliveries between regional agencies during emergencies.

These critical investments, while costly, will offer lasting water security for our community. Currently, the City is undergoing a Water and Wastewater Rate Study to ensure sufficient revenue is available to operate and maintain our existing systems and to invest in these forward-looking projects. Rates must be continually reviewed and adjusted to repair and replace aging infrastructure, meet regulatory needs, improve water quality, and secure water supply.

In Ventura, water and wastewater rates have remained low compared to neighboring communities. It has been nearly three years since Ventura Water has increased rates. Results of the recent rate study has shown that an annual rate increase of 7 percent for water service and 6 percent for wastewater service is needed over the next five years. For the average homeowner, this will amount to about a $7.41 increase to a monthly bill, each year for the next five years.

Rate increases are rarely convenient, but now is the time for us to invest in our water and wastewater systems. Deferring project costs, improvements, and upgrades comes at a high price. Safe, clean, and affordable water is vital to life, the local economy, and our community. We hope that our ratepayers, businesses, and policymakers will continue to partner with us to ensure a sustainable and resilient future for our community.

More information on the Water and Wastewater Study is available online at www.VenturaWaterRates.net.