The Denair Unified School District continues to
distribute hundreds of free breakfasts and lunches daily to students, but has
made some key changes that parents should be aware of.
Beginning April 20 and lasting through May 21,
distribution will occur on two days a week – Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30
a.m. to noon in the Denair Middle School parking lot.
On Mondays, two breakfasts and two lunches will
be provided. On Wednesdays, three breakfasts and three lunches will be
distributed.
In addition, there are three remote distribution
locations, also on Mondays and Wednesdays:
4033 N. Gratton Road from 10:35 to 10:45 a.m.
The apartment complex at 4424 Main St. from 10:50 to 11:10 a.m.
The apartment complex at 3515 Merced Ave. from 11:25 to 11:45 a..m
In all cases, each child 18 or younger who wants a meal must be present to receive one. District officials said they made the change to reduce the burden on food service employees and enhance their safety during the coronavirus pandemic. Rather than working five days a week, they now can prepare the same number of meals in just two days.
TURLOCK, California – Legacy Health Endowment, First Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center y A
Step Forward, A Path to Wellness han lanzado el Programa de Consejería Familiar COVID-19 para proporcionar
servicios virtuales de salud mental a los residentes del condado de Merced y
Stanislaus hasta 25 años de edad durante la pandemia de coronavirus.
En marzo, el gobernador Gavin Newsom instituyó una orden estatal de
“quedarse en casa”, seguida de una declaración del Departamento de
Educación de California de que las escuelas permanecerían cerradas durante el
resto del año escolar, y la educación continuaría a través del aprendizaje a
distancia.
Se espera que algunos estudiantes experimenten traumas infantiles durante este
tiempo de refugio. Además, el aumento de la ansiedad y la depresión de los
estudiantes para los cuales la escuela era un “lugar seguro” es una
preocupación. Este momento de cambio e impactos desconocidos puede ser un momento
desafiante para los estudiantes y puede comenzar a afectar su salud mental.
Algunos estudiantes pueden verse obligados a suspender el asesoramiento o los
servicios grupales proporcionados a través de los recursos del distrito
escolar. Otros no tendrán forma de establecer nuevos servicios mientras se
mantengan seguros en casa.
El
Programa de Consejería Familiar COVID-19 se estableció para
proporcionar recursos de salud mental a los estudiantes y sus familias durante
esta pandemia, al tiempo que elimina todas las barreras que puedan existir.
El programa
sirve a niños y adultos jóvenes de hasta 25 años que viven en los condados de
Merced y Stanislaus. Todos los servicios se brindan utilizando una plataforma
de telesalud compatible con HIPAA y se aceptan todos los planes de seguro
privado, Medi-Cal y Medicare.
Jeffrey Lewis, presidente de Legacy Health Endowment, compartió: “Este programa
fue creado para ayudar a aumentar el acceso y eliminar las barreras a los
servicios de salud mental para la comunidad local. Para aquellos sin seguro,
los pagos completos se eximirán con dólares caritativos. Estas exenciones
estarán disponibles hasta junio de 2020 o hasta que se levante el Refugio en el
lugar. Además, todos los copagos se eximirán con dólares caritativos. En
momentos como este, es fundamental que las personas, y especialmente los niños,
tengan acceso a los servicios de salud del comportamiento “.
“Nuestro objetivo es ayudar a los miembros de la comunidad que lo necesitan. En
momentos como este, el objetivo de todos debería ser ayudar de cualquier manera
que puedan “, dijo Manuel Jiménez, Director de A Step Forward, A Path to Wellness.
Los solicitantes deben vivir en una de las siguientes áreas (se requiere prueba
de residencia en un código postal elegible) en los condados de Merced o
Stanislaus. Los códigos postales elegibles incluyen 95301, 95303, 95307, 95313,
95315, 95316, 95322, 95324, 95326, 95328, 95334, 95360, 95363, 95374, 95380,
95381, 95382, 95358, and 95388.
Cualquier persona interesada en acceder a estos servicios puede comunicarse con
A Step Forward, A Path to Wellness por correo electrónico a astepforwardapathtowellness@outlook.com
o por teléfono al (209) 548-2356.
Acerca de Legacy Health Endowment
Legacy Health
Endowment es una fundación sin fines de lucro que otorga subsidios de atención
médica que funciona únicamente dentro de los condados de Merced y Stanislaus en
el Valle Central de California. LHE no es un proveedor de servicios
hospitalarios o de atención médica.
Acerca de A Step Forward, A Path to Wellness
A Step Forward, A Path to Wellness se estableció en enero de 2020 para
satisfacer las necesidades urgentes de salud mental en las escuelas públicas
del condado de Merced y Stanislaus. El equipo altamente calificado de
terapeutas matrimoniales y familiares dirigido por Manuel J. Jiménez, LMFT
actualmente brinda servicios de orientación escolar de alta calidad,
culturalmente competentes, en el lugar a los estudiantes y sus familias en el
Distrito Escolar de Denair, el Distrito Escolar de Patterson y en el Valle de
Atwater Escuela comunitária. El equipo de liderazgo tiene más de treinta años
de experiencia brindando servicios de asesoramiento culturalmente competentes.
Un paso adelante, continúa brindando nuevos enfoques innovadores a los
servicios de salud mental para jóvenes en el condado de Merced y Stanislaus.
TURLOCK,
Calif. – Legacy Health
Endowment, First Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center, and A Step Forward, A
Path to Wellness have launched the COVID-19 Family Counseling Program to
provide virtual mental health services to Merced and Stanislaus County residents
up to 25 years old during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
In March, Governor
Gavin Newsom instituted a statewide “Stay At Home” order followed by a declaration
by the California Department of Education that schools would remain closed
through the remainder of the school year, with education continuing through
distance learning.
It is expected
that some students will experience childhood trauma during this time of
sheltering. In addition, the increased anxiety and depression of students for
which school was a “safe place” is a concern. This time of change and unknown
impacts may be a challenging time for students and can begin to take a toll on
their mental health. Some students may be forced to discontinue counseling or
group services provided through school district resources. Others will have no
way to establish new services while remaining safe at home.
The COVID-19
Family Counseling Program was established to provide mental health
resources to students and their families during this pandemic while eliminating
all barriers that may exist.
The program serves children and young
adults up to 25 years old who live in Merced and Stanislaus counties. All
services are provided using a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform and all
private insurance, Medi-Cal, and Medicare plans are accepted.
Jeffrey Lewis, President of Legacy
Health Endowment, shared: “This program was created to help increase access and
remove barriers to mental health services for the local community. For
those without insurance, full payments will be waived using charitable dollars.
These waivers will be available until June 2020 or until the Shelter in Place
is lifted. Additionally, all copays will be waived
using charitable dollars. At times like this, it is critical that people, and
particularly children, have access to behavioral health services.”
“Our goal is to help community members in need. At times
like this, everyone’s goal should be to help in whatever way they can,” said
Manuel Jimenez, Director of A Step Forward, A
Path to Wellness.
Applicants must live in one of the following areas (proof
of residency in an eligible zip code is required) in Merced or Stanislaus
Counties. Eligible zip codes include 95301, 95303, 95307, 95313, 95315, 95316,
95322, 95324, 95326, 95328, 95334, 95360, 95363, 95374, 95380, 95381, 95382,
95358, and 95388.
Anyone interested in accessing these
services can contact A Step Forward, A Path to Wellness by email at astepforwardapathtowellness@outlook.com
or by phone at (209)548-2356.
About Legacy
Health Endowment
Legacy Health Endowment is a nonprofit healthcare
grantmaking foundation that works solely
within Merced and Stanislaus Counties in the California
Central Valley. LHE is not a hospital or healthcare services provider.
About A
Step Forward, A Path to Wellness
A Step Forward, A Path
to Wellness was established in January 2020 to meet the urgent behavioral
health needs in Merced and Stanislaus County public schools. The highly
qualified team of Marriage and Family Therapists led by Manuel J. Jimenez, LMFT
currently provide high quality, culturally competent, on-site school counseling
services to students and their families in the Denair School District,
Patterson School District and at the Atwater Valley Community School. The
leadership team has over thirty years’ experience providing culturally
competent counseling services. A Step Forward, continues to provide innovative
new approaches to mental health services for youth in Merced and Stanislaus
County.
The
COVID-19 pandemic may have closed down campuses for the rest of this school
year, but learning still will occur in the Denair Unified School District. It
will just take a much different form, district trustees were told Thursday
night at a board meeting that itself reflected the social distancing required
to confront the threat from the virus.
Only
Superintendent Terry Metzger and Trustees Crystal Sousa, Ray Prock Jr., Carmen
Wilson and Regina Gomes gathered in the board meeting room at the district
office. They all were separated by at least 6 feet. Trustee Kathi Dunham-Filson
and student board member Logan Pierce participated via Zoom video conference as
did other administrators, teachers, staff and community members.
Predictably,
much of the focus of the meeting was on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak
on Denair’s 1,300 preschool through 12th-grade students as well as
the staff. Metzger spoke at length about what has happened in the three weeks
since Stanislaus County health officials shut down all public schools March 19
as well as what Denair students and parents should expect when distance
learning begins April 20 after spring break.
The
key takeaways: There still will be grades, computers will be made available to
those students who need them, meals will be provided to those who need them and
emphasis will be placed on students “completing the concepts” of the courses
they’re studying.
This
month’s meeting of the Denair Unified Board of Trustees
will take a very different form, thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
With
social distancing recommendations and the safety of staff and the public firmly
in mind, the board will rely on technology to satisfy its regular meeting requirement.
Only
Superintendent Terry Metzger and the five board members will physically meet at
the district office Thursday night. Principals, other staff members, the
student board member and the public will be able to participate via a Zoom connection that will go live at
7 p.m.
Zoom
allows those who sign up to see and hear everything the trustees do as well as
offer comment. It also provides a way for the management team who typically
would present information in person to interact remotely.
“All of
our board meetings are open to the public,” said Metzger. “We’re happy that we
are able to use technology as a tool to allow us to follow the Stanislaus
County public health officer’s guidelines and still engage the community in our
meetings.”
Denair
Unified – like the other 24 public school districts in the county – has
cancelled classes the rest of this school year over coronavirus concerns.
Among
the highlights on Thursday’s agenda will be Metzger’s report on the district’s plans to
begin distance learning via computer on April 20, when spring break is over.
Other items to be discussed include proposed new math and ag courses at Denair High School, a charter extension for Denair Elementary Charter Academy, and a tentative contract agreement between the
district and the California School Employees Association, which represents all
non-teachers.
