Category: Health

Gold Coast Health Plan Announces Resignation of CEO

Interim CEO Appointed While Search for Permanent Replacement Begins CAMARILLO — Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP) on Nov. 1 announced that it has accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Dale Villani. The Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission, which…

State of California Presents 2019 Innovation Award to CenCal Health

State of California Presents 2019 Innovation Award to CenCal Health Interactive Technology in Health Clinics Educates Families about HPV Vaccination SANTA BARBARA — California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) this week presented its fifth annual Innovation Award to CenCal Health. The award…

CSUCI Science Carnival postponed until 2020

CAMARILLO  — The annual CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Science Carnival scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2 has been postponed until 2020 due to the fires and air quality.   “With the safety of our local community, students and volunteers in mind and those…

Coastline Equipment was at PVHS to speak to our Ag Mechanics classes about the opportunity to attend school and become a John Deere Technician

SANTA MARIA — John Deere “Green” recently offered Pioneer Valley High School Ag Mechanics students a chance to become an equipment repair technician and join the team. More than 120 Panthers heard a presentation from Coastline Equipment Branch Manager Carl Stolworthy…

California mulls new rules for cancer-causing pesticide 1,3 D or Telone

On heels of chlorpyrifos ban, public health and farmworker advocates call for restrictions on widely-used drift-prone fumigant Sacramento — Dozens of residents from across the state converged on the capital today to weigh in on new restrictions under discussion for the…

Guest commentary: Happy Birthday Xochitl; Mi Sagrada hija, a Community Guerillera, Activist and Role Model

Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Armando Vazquez / Guest contributor My…

Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association Announces Holiday Hours

VENTURA — The Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association announces its holiday hours for 2019. The Midtown Ventura Certified Farmers’ Market held on Wednesdays at the Pacific View Mall in Ventura will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.  …

Bilingual report: Ventura County Family Medicine Residency Program named first in the nation

VENTURA —The Family Medicine Residency Program at Ventura County Medical Center has been named the first in the nation in the latest study by Doximity, the professional medical network, and U.S. News & World Report. The family medicine residency-training program…

Clinicas del Camino Real Receives Four Quality Improvement Awards by the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration

CAMARILLO — “It is my hope that the health care community in Ventura County and elected officials will recognize that Clinicas del Camino Real (CDCR) is firmly committed to providing the highest quality medical care to every single patient we serve”…

Friendship Center — This Fall, find out how to take a LEAP! and WISE UP Hollywood style

Click here for the entire e-newsletter   About Us Programs For Caregivers Calendar of Activities Events Donate Contact Us Train Your Brain! CONNECTIONS NOW Mondays & Wednesdays in Montecito as well as Mondays & Thursdays in Goleta: GOLETA 805-845-7442 Persons…

Bilingual report: Ventura County WIC Program wins USDA breastfeeding award

OXNARD — The Ventura County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program on Sept. 30 was presented with the nationally recognized, “Gold Level, Loving Support Award of Excellence” by the United States Department of Agriculture. Ventura County WIC received this award…

Governor Signs Jackson Bill To Ensure Emergency Plans Address Diverse Population Needs

SB 160 directs emergency planners to consider cultural and linguistic differences of residents SACRAMENTO – As California continues to face the threat of devastating wildfires, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara) to ensure counties address…

Jackson statement on Study Showing Handgun Purchasers with a Prior DUI Have a Greater Risk for Serious Violence

B 55 (Jackson) Would Restrict Gun Ownership Among Californians with Repeat DUI Convictions SACRAMENTO — State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara) released the following statement today on a study published in the Sept. 30 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine showing that legal purchasers of handguns…

United by a common ingredient for a common cause, chefs, bars, bakers and makers team up for Food Forward’s ‘Harvest Change’ campaign in Ventura, Los Angeles counties

Harvest Change Kick-Off Party to be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6 at Topa Topa Brewing Co. in Ojai. 20 notable SoCal food leaders will feature pomegranates in a month of dishes, drinks, desserts supporting Food Forward’s mission to rescue…

United Way of Ventura County’s 30th Annual Day of Caring to be held on Sept. 28

VENTURA COUNTY – Each year for the past 29 years, United Way of Ventura County’s (UWVC) Day of Caring (DOC) has connected hundreds of volunteers to community organizations throughout Ventura County. By engaging people in volunteerism, UWVC works to create…

United Way of Ventura County — A Day of Caring (Sept. 28) & a Lifetime of Inspiration

Click here for the entire e-newsletter President’s Message  Dear Friends, Next week, on Saturday, September 28, we celebrate our 30th Annual Day of Caring. Volunteers from across the community  will spend a selfless Saturday morning helping others. It’s one of my…

Bilingual commentary: Jackson Bills To Address the Needs of Aging Californians Pass off Assembly Floor

SACRAMENTO –Two bills authored by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara)  to address the needs of California’s growing senior population have passed off the Assembly floor. Senate Bill 280, which passed with a bipartisan, 66-0 vote, addresses home building standards to help aging…

Bilingual report: CenCal Health Launches Multiple Campaigns to Help Increase Vaccination Rates in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties

Unique Concepts Employed to Deliver Facts on Disease Prevention to the Public SANTA BARBARA — Vaccination is a hot topic in the national news, on social media platforms and at dinner tables across America. More recently it has become a…

7th Annual Gold Ribbon Campaign Shines in September to Help Families of Children Battling Cancer

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation Holds September Campaign Across Tri-Counties CENTRAL COAST —  Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) proudly announces its 7th Annual Gold Ribbon Campaign, held in recognition of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. The Campaign aims to increase…

Bilingual report: Public Health reports vaping-associated pulmonary injuries in Ventura County

OXNARD — Ventura County public health officials are reporting two Ventura County residents as suspected of having vaping-associated pulmonary injuries.  The cases were reported to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).  CDPH is currently investigating whether these two cases…

2019 RISE Up Award Winners Announced

To be presented at 5th Annual Wine Women & Shoes Event SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The RISE Up Awards recognize excellence in community service supporting RISE’s sexual abuse, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence programs; the 2019RISE Up Award…

Bilingual report: Ventura County to launch mass shooting awareness and education initiative

VENTURA — Ventura County is one of the safest places in the United States, but the recent tragedy at the Borderline Bar, and incidents in Gilroy, El Paso, Dayton and other communities across the country, serve as a stark reminder…

Farmworker communities applaud California chlorpyrifos cancelation proceedings, alternatives work group

Community members relieved, urge speedy process VENTURA — The Newsom administration on Aug. 14 sent notices to Dow and other manufacturers of its intention to cancel all registrations of the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos, the formal start of proceedings to cancel…

Bilingual report: County provides options for parents to safely surrender newborns

VENTURA — Occasionally parents face difficult and desperate circumstances and find they are not ready or able to raise a newborn. These parents have the option under the Safely Surrendered Baby Law to legally and safely surrender their newborn baby within…

Ventura County Health Care Agency achieves a net income of $6 million for the year, closes budget gap

VENTURA — In an unaudited, year-end projected financial report set to be released on August 7, 2019, the Ventura County Health Care Agency is reporting a $6 million net income for Fiscal Year 2019. The Health Care Agency initially projected that…

Giving Wings to Children with Disabilities at Camp Mariposas

Speech and Occupational Therapy Program Funded by CenCal Health SANTA BARBARA — Every week day this Summer, in a small nondescript office building on Santa Barbara’s Westside, young lives are transformed. Camp Mariposas provides speech, language and occupational therapies to…

Bilingual report: Clinicas del Camino Real Inc. Celebrates National Health Center Week 2019 throughout Ventura County Aug. 4-10

VENTURA COUNTY — August 4th-10th, Clinicas del Camino Real, Inc. will host events in honor of National Health Center Week (NHCW)! Clinicas invites community members to join them for a Health Fair at Del Sol Park, in Oxnard, on Sunday August…

Guest commentary: Reduce toxic pesticides in VC2040 General Plan

Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Ron Whitehurst / Guest contributor In the…

CSUCI Boating Center gets grant to support ongoing water recreation and safety classes for underserved youth

CAMARILLO — Anybody can learn to sail, paddleboard, kayak or simply learn more about our ocean through the Channel Islands Boating Center (CIBC), which is part of CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI). The year-round programs, which are particularly popular in the summertime, just…

Bilingual report: Help available for survivors of California 2018 fire disasters

SACRAMENTO – A newly launched assistance program offers help for people who need resources to recover from the wildfire disasters that struck late in 2018 in Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) is working…

Ventura Senior Affordable Housing Project receives Largest National Housing Trust Fund award

VENTURA — The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura applied for and secured $8,370,651, the largest California award from the National Housing Trust Fund, for construction of the Willett Ranch senior affordable housing development. The Willett Ranch community…

Ventura County READY TO STOP Campaign issues WARNING: Summertime Means Child Predators Are On the Hunt

FBI warns: school’s out for the summer and children have more free time, leaving them at greater risk for commercial sexual exploitation VENTURA —  What do malls, arcades and airports all have in common? A significant increase in youth population…

Bilingual report: Community support leads to agreement to maintain OB services at Santa Paula Hospital

VENTURA — At a meeting initiated by the Santa Clara River Valley Community on Friday, Ventura County Executive Officer Mike Powers, Health Care Agency Director Bill Foley, and CEO for VCMC/SPH, John Fankhauser, MD agreed to resume OB services at…

Bilingual report: Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Receives 2019 Supporting the Safety Net Award in Washington D.C.

CenCal Health Initiates Award Nomination of Local Provider SANTA BARBARA — On June 20, the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) presented its fourteenth annual Supporting the Safety Net Award to Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (SBNC). The organization was nominated for the award by ACAP member plan CenCal…

Kim Milstien, VCMC and Santa Paula Hospital CEO Resigns, Dr. John Fankhauser Named New CEO

VENTURA — Kim Milstien, VCMC and Santa Paula Hospital CEO, has resigned her position effective July 12, 2019. Milstien has been with the Ventura County Health Care Agency (HCA) hospitals since 2015. Under her leadership Ventura County Medical Center completed…

More than 600 Final Inspection Reports for Properties Affected by Woolsey Fire Submitted to Counties

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — State officials at the Debris Removal Operations Center (DROC) in Calabasas have submitted final inspection reports to local officials in Los Angeles and Ventura counties for more than 600 of the 932 properties affected by the Woolsey and…

Jackson to Honor 805HELP as Nonprofit of the Year

Local Disaster Relief Effort Began in Response to 2017 Thomas Fire SACRAMENTO– Recognizing the organization’s work to connect survivors of local disasters with the tools they need to recover, State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara) will honor 805HELP as Senate…

More than 94 Percent of Properties Eligible for State Debris Removal Program Cleared of Woolsey, Hill Fire Debris

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — State contractors have cleared eligible debris from more than 94 percent of the properties affected by the Woolsey and Hill fires in the state’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program, officials with the Debris Removal Operations Center (DROC) in Calabasas…

Bilingual report: Ventura County Health Care Agency Poised to Close its Budget Shortfall

VENTURA — Bill Foley, the Director of the Ventura County Health Care Agency, announced several initiatives designed to improve its financial performance in the new fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2019. “The performance improvement initiatives include several strategies designed…

Senate Approves Jackson Bill to Reduce Wildfire Risk

SACRAMENTO — As California prepares for the next catastrophic wildfire season, legislation by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to strengthen local planning requirements in high fire hazard areas and encourage local governments to pursue more fire-resistant and home hardening strategies in…

Community Action Commission Presents Annual Champions Honor to Santa Ynez Chumash

Event Raised Close to $350,000 for Senior Meal Program. Art of Giving Back Fundraising Dinner and Presentation Featured Notable Fine Artist at Work SANTA BARBARA — At its annual awards dinner and presentation, Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County (CAC)…

State Debris Removal Officials Urge Cyclists to Use Caution When Using Canyons Roads in Recent Burn Areas

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — As the rainy season in Southern California tapers off and more cyclists are using the roads, officials with the Debris Removal Operations Center (DROC) in Calabasas are urging cyclists in areas affected by last November’s Woolsey and Hill…