
Two schools within the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District are moving forward with drive-thru cap and gown distributions.
Pioneer Valley High School on April 28 passed out caps, gowns and a lawn sign to celebrate senior accomplishments.
Good Evening Ventura County, Here’s your daily update on COVID-19 in the County of Ventura:
5 new cases
135 current cases
508 total cases
356 recovered cases
26 hospitalized (5 patients are long term care facility patients not in need of hospital care but being cared for at the hospital to protect others at long term care facilities)
11 in the ICU
17 deaths: age range 37-99 years; 9 males and 8 females.
The Emergency Child Care Initiative (ECCI) was established to provide members of the essential workforce with affordable child care options to allow them to continue working in roles that are critical to our local COVID-19 response. Since ECCI was launched in early April, child care programs have been established serving most major health care providers throughout the county, including Cottage Health, Sansum Clinic, Lompoc Valley Medical, and the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast. With those programs firmly established, the Initiative is now shifting attention to other members of the essential workforce. This includes employees in food service, grocery industry, farm workers and agricultural production, nursing homes, sanitation, and other essential workforce professions. Children ages 6 months to 12 years will be prioritized.
We’re feeling so inspired after our Earth Day virtual art class with Dr. Meg Handler from The Human Nature Center! Dr. Handler uses the arts as a way to teach ecology. That got us wondering how else we can explore science through art. Marbled milk art provides a fun lesson on chemistry and polarity while you create a colorful artwork on paper.
Good Afternoon, Here’s your daily update from the County of Ventura.
1 new case
209 current cases
497 total cases
271 recovered cases
29 currently at the hospital (7 are long term care facility patients that are not acute for hospital care but staying at the hospitals throughout the county to protect others)
7 ICU patients
17 deaths (9 males and 8 females ages 37-99, 11 passed in the hospital and 6 at home, all had comorbidities)
9,161 tested
Special thanks to our community members for following the soft closure guidelines at local beaches. Coastal law enforcement reported that beach visitors followed the rules and kept moving.
Stay informed at www.vcemergency.com.
As you may know, Court Appointed Special Advocates—CASA of San Luis Obispo County had to cancel a major fundraiser, Hope for the Future. CASA relies on this event for a significant amount of their budget. They have moved all their auction items to an online format. The funds raised during this auction are vital to help them continue serving the children under the jurisdiction of the child protection court in San Luis Obispo County.
14 new cases
465 total cases
245 recovered cases
26 in the hospital *5 of which are not in need of hospitalization but are long-term care facility patients being cared for at hospitals to protect the other long-term care facility members.
7 in the ICU
8, 256 people tested
16 deaths
Age range of deaths 37-99: 8 males and 8 females. All individuals had comorbidities.
Unfortunately, a 37-year-old male died as the result of a drug overdose with COVID-19 infection as a significant comorbidity and contributing condition. Questions can be directed to the Medical Examiner’s Office at MeoAdmin@ventura.org.
United Way of Santa Barbara County, The Santa Barbara Foundation and the Hutton Parker Foundation are leading a countywide funders’ collaborative, the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort for Santa Barbara County. The Effort will provide assistance to individuals and families as well as organizations actively assisting members of the community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over $2 million has been secured and fundraising continues to help those most in need.
The County of Ventura has been taking steps to prepare for reopening. “We are positioned to focus on the road to reopening because our residents and businesses have sacrificed so much to comply with the Public Health Orders and slow the spread of the virus in our community,” said Mike Powers, Ventura County CEO. “Our current situation is further strengthened by the work of our local hospitals to expand their capacity.”
In light of the COVID-19 Outbreak and to face the challenge head on, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) is launching Part I of a $3 million fundraising campaign, “Rising Stronger Together” to ensure that the community and families have the resources and support they need during these trying times.
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Education would like to thank you for your cooperation, patience, and flexibility during this time of the COVID-19 crisis.
As you are aware, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay at home order for California that extended our school closures through the end of the school year. Everyone is required to stay home except to get food, care for a relative or friend, get necessary health care, or go to an essential job. We encourage everyone to follow health guidelines to stay safe.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 the County of Ventura has been actively working with community partners to obtain antibody tests. There is a race throughout the nation to acquire point-of-care COVID-19 antibody tests. Antibody testing, which is also often called serologic testing or immunity testing, can reveal whether a person’s immune system has mounted a response to the virus.
The County of Ventura has announced it is reopening County Parks at 5 p.m. April 17. The parks have been closed to support the health of community members during the COVID-19 response efforts. Playgrounds, tennis courts, community centers, campgrounds and golf courses will remain closed at this time.
Hi there! We thought maybe you’d like to hear from some other members of the MVC team, so this week we bring you Denise Sindelar, the Museum’s Deputy Director. Denise has been at the Museum since December of 2017 but has been a fixture in the regional cultural scene for decades. She ran her own independent gallery in Downtown Ventura in the 1990s and 2000s, served on the city’s Public Art Commission, and last year was elected Arts Leader of the Year by Ventura’s Mayor Matt LaVere. Without further ado, here is Denise…
CenCal Health, the publicly-sponsored health plan for Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, is offering alternatives for healthcare access in order to support its members during the COVID-19 pandemic. The community-based health care organization is one of 55 Safety Net Health Plans across the country that have pledged to provide necessary treatment at no cost to its members and to reduce other impediments to care.
The Southeast Ventura County YMCA through its disaster-relief program, California Strong, has completed distributing the first round of the $120,000 allocated for direct financial assistance grants to Ventura County residents whose financial situation has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The grants are from the Rapid Response Fund set up by the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF). The VCCF partnered with the YMCA to provide immediate financial assistance, reviewing grant applications, vetting applicants and distributing checks.
The Ventura County Public Health Officer announced that the Stay Well At Home Order will be extended until May 15, 2020. The current Order is set to expire April 19, 2020 at midnight. The Public Health Officer will be modifying the current Order and making an announcement about the details before the current Order expires.
The Emergency Child Care Initiative for Santa Barbara County (ECCI) will offer emergency no-cost child care services for critical health care providers, first-responders and essential food distribution employees during the COVID-19 outbreak. Employers of these workers including hospitals and essential service providers whose staff need child care are encouraged to contact Eileen Monahan, Project Manager for the initiative, at (805) 451-8720 or essentialchildcaresb@gmail.com
The good news is that physical distancing is working. Our County Public Health Department and the hospitals have worked to increase hospital bed capacity to about 590 countywide, yet our hospitalizations are at 40 (confirmed patients). Lives have been saved by our combined efforts, so please keep it up as the State wrestles with how long the “Shelter in Place” order will last and we wrestle with what we will do if the order is lifted or modified.
Today the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth provided an update about COVID-19 Response. School meal service is continuing while schools remain closed. Pick up locations can be found at https://www.vcoe.org/meals. All Ventura County K-12 public school campuses remain closed through the end of the current school year. Colleges and Universities will continue remote instruction through the summer.
Ventura County Public Health Officer Doctor Robert Levin has enhanced the Stay Well At Home Order to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19 in the County of Ventura. The Order supplements the Health Officer’s Orders dated March 17, 20 and 31, 2020. All prior Orders issued by the Health Officer remain in effect except where modified by the provisions of the latest Order.
As we enter the weekend, many are feeling the disappointment of not being able to celebrate religiously significant holidays in close physical proximity to friends and loved ones. However, virtual hugs, decorated homes, recipe swaps, special meals and your best holiday attire can make Passover, Easter, and Ramadan feel special while practicing physical distancing. Here are some ways you can practice physical distancing during the Holidays:
The City of Oxnard updated the local public access stations (Spectrum channel 10 and Frontier channel 35) with coronavirus content from the City, County, State and the CDC. Please see the broadcast schedule below.
Additionally, Ventura County hosts live press conferences everyday at 1 p.m. on News Channel 3 and ABC 7. Please be sure to tune in! These broadcasts from the County will also be shared online at https://vimeo.com/capsmediacenter.
Tune in for live update at 1 p.m. Friday, April 10, live streamed on www.vcemergency.com. Speakers will include Supervisor Kelly Long, Rigoberto Vargas, Public Health Director, Patrick Maynard, Director Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, Steve Carroll, Administrator, Ventura County Emergency Medical Services Agency, Vanessa Bechtel, Executive Director, Ventura County Community Foundation, Monica White, President and CEO, Food Share Ventura County, Mike Powers, County of Ventura CEO.
Greetings from 16 MVC team members, from 16 different home offices!
Last week, after 10 days of working from home, we on the Museum staff team realized that we actually like each other quite a bit, so we got together for an hour of idea sharing and recharging. Here we all are, in our “working from home” best.
CSU Channel Islands may be operating in a virtual environment right now, but CSUCI faculty, staff and students from several different academic programs have mobilized and fired up 3-D printers to print badly-needed protective face shields.
So far, 51 printers are humming away in University members’ garages, kitchens, bedrooms and dens across the region in an effort to help medical personnel protect themselves as they treat patients diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus.