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.

Submitted by Denair Unified School District:

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 12^th-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.

Continue reading “Denair School Leaders Discuss Distance Learning Plans” »

Submitted by Denair Unified School District:

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.

Submitted by Denair Unified School District:

There are options for families in the Denair Unified School District who need Internet access so their children can participate in distance learning.

The California Department of Education has created a link to information about free or low-cost Internet options for families. Those interested also can click on the following links to learn more about specific Internet providers.

• AT&T
• Comcast/Xfinity
• Cox
• Spectrum/Charter
• Sprint/T-mobile (Hotspots)
• T-Mobile (Hotspots)

Denair joined 24 other Stanislaus County school districts in closing its campuses March 19 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, it was hoped that classes could resume April 20 after spring break. Health officials pushed that date back to May 4 and then last week announced schools would not re-open during this school year.

Teachers on Denair’s four campuses sent enough printed and online enrichment work for students to last through this week. In a letter Friday to all Denair families, Superintendent Terry Metzger said the district now is transitioning to distance learning for more than 1,300 students after spring break.

To do that requires Internet access at home, something not all families have.

“Now that we know schools will be closed until the end of the school year, teachers and staff are preparing distance learning for the remainder of the school year,” Metzger wrote in her letter. “This work will be delivered electronically or through pick-up/delivery. Each school will communicate the specific details for their students, but parents should expect work beginning April 20.”

Continue reading “Help Available for Families Who Need Internet Access so Children Can Participate in Distance Learning” »

Submitted by: Jeffrey Lewis, Email: jeffrey@emchf.org

TURLOCK, Calif. – EMC Health Foundation and United Samaritans Foundation have launched Prescription Plus, a program dedicated to helping the working families pay for needed prescription medication.

Today, middle-class families are feeling the combined impact of health insurance companies and the Coronavirus as they try to survive and purchase needed life-sustaining medications.

Many people already unable to afford their medications because of health insurers requiring them to pay higher and higher copays, and an alarming number of people suddenly finding themselves unemployed or working limited hours because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The numbers of people with chronic conditions that cannot afford to fill or refill their medications continue to grow. Also, families facing sickness during the shelter at home period may not have the funds available to pick up medication for themselves or their children.

Prescription Plus was created to help cover some of the costs of these needed medications.  The program is designed to help the uninsured and people with health insurance who find it difficult to afford their medication during April 2020.

“Our valley is facing a health and economic crisis. We are living in a time when people are creative in how they will get through the next few hours, days, weeks, and months, and it’s critical that people can afford their regular medications. When relief is essential to the wellbeing of families, waiting for the bureaucracy to catch up will be too long. Our goal is to keep people healthy, out of the hospital and free from fear of not being able to afford their medications.  This is a wonderful way to reinvest charitable dollars into our community as we strive to demonstrate a servant’s heart.” Jeffrey Lewis, President and CEO of EMC Health Foundation, says.

“This is an epic time in our lives.  There is help for those in need, so do not let your health costs override your health needs. This partnership of care is meant to make a difference, so let us help you if we can.” Linda Murphy-Julien, Executive Director United Samaritans Foundation.

The program serves residents who live in the surrounding 19 zip codes and do not qualify for Medi-Cal or Medicare and have an income of less than 300% of the federal poverty level.

Continue reading “EMC Health Foundation and United Samaritans Foundation Launch Prescription Plus, a Program to Aid Local Residents with the Cost of Prescription Medication” »