Hello, District 4 Residents!
Have you gotten your vaccine or made your appointment? That is the first question out of my mouth to everyone I encounter these days – on a Zoom or the phone, walking in the neighborhood or on the trail, or picking up groceries or pet food. Fortunately, the answer is yes more and more often and I hope you can say the same. All County residents 16 years and older are currently eligible and appointments can be made at sccfreevax.org. Please share information with anyone who may still be hesitant to receive the vaccine and feel free to reach out to my office if we can help with resources or any clarifications.
To everyone who is helping our community get to the other side of this pandemic, thank you.
Here is a quick summary of actions taken at the April Board of Supervisors meetings.
We need to elevate this issue, confront the systemic racism that drives this disparity, and engage with our partners to close these gaps. We are very fortunate to have local programs such as Santa Clara County’s Black Infant Health Program and the Roots Families First Program to support our pregnant and parenting residents, but they and others have the capacity to do much more if we choose to prioritize this work. I was proud to recognize their work through this proclamation at the April 6 Board meeting. The proclamation was formally received by Alma Burrell, Associate Director of the Roots Community Clinic, Rhonda McClinton-Brown, Director of the Public Health Department Healthy Communities Branch, and Kamilah Davis, Coordinator of the Perinatal Equity Initiative.
I am grateful for the leadership of these women in raising awareness of this injustice, providing culturally congruent care, and advocating on behalf of all parents and babies in our community. It is with gratitude for the work already done, and also with urgency to undertake the work necessary to end this disparity that I proclaimed April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week. You can read that proclamation here.
At the same meeting, my referral to send a letter of support from the Board of Supervisors for the passage of the Federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act was approved. The federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 is a comprehensive package of 12 bills that aims to end preventable maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the United States and close disparities in maternal health outcomes. Passage of the Momnibus Act would provide critical funding, data, and mechanisms to improve birth outcomes nationally, including for residents of Santa Clara County, and can inform our own local work to close maternal and infant health disparities.
While the support of this federal legislation is important, I also intend to return to the Board in the next month with a referral on local action we can take to build on existing local resources and partnerships. You can read more here.
Last February Supervisor Joe Simitian and I introduced a referral to develop a pilot program to help high needs school districts in Santa Clara County shift to Universal Meal models that promote greater access to nutritious meals for kids. Since that time, the pandemic has caused local levels of food insecurity to soar and we are more aware than ever of the crucial role schools play in addressing food insecurity for families. California State Senate Bill (SB) 364 – The Free School Meals for All Act, would take the same approach as our proposed County pilot to leverage federal funding to assure that all students can access breakfast and lunch at school. Additionally, the inclusion of the BOOST program would extend the pandemic EBT model to cover families during summer and school breaks, which has been an ongoing challenge in Santa Clara County where only 13% of eligible kids are estimated to be reached by summer meal programs. This proposed legislation aligns precisely with the leadership this board has already undertaken to address child hunger in our County and I am glad to have the Board of Supervisors support this bill to extend and expand upon our work. You can read more here.
Small Business Supports
I have been a strong advocate for our small, local business community since the onset of the pandemic. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. My shared referrals with Supervisor Cindy Chavez to help small businesses reach the other side of this pandemic were approved, respectively, at the April 6 and 20 Board meetings.
The Board unanimously approved waiving weights and measure device registration fees for small businesses at the April 6 meeting. This referral was a companion piece to one Supervisor Chavez and I brought last month to waive health inspection fees for small restaurants, gyms and some personal service providers. By waiving the device registration fees for small businesses - primarily small, locally owned grocery stores - we can support those experiencing the greatest need without unfairly advantaging those that do not face the same degree of financial vulnerability.
Status of Unhoused Families
At the April 20 meeting, Supervisor Chavez joined me in my request to Administration to provide a report on the current status of unhoused pregnant residents and parents of infants.
It is currently unclear what housing supports are available to vulnerable pregnant individuals and families with infants, and it is urgent that we get that clarity so we can meet the needs of both generations with non-congregate housing options.
We know that homelessness jeopardizes the health, early development, and educational well-being of infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children. Children who experience homelessness as infants are more likely to experience health problems, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits as they grow up and their likelihood of thriving as adults diminishes considerably.
It's critical that we begin to identify the need for services in our county and to invest in early interventions that will provide greater support to families. You can read the referral here.
More than a year into this pandemic we continue to move toward a safe reopening of the County. We cannot move forward without each of us taking all necessary precautions and steps to protect our community -- wearing a mask, social distancing, washing/sanitizing your hands, and getting vaccinated. We are moving in the right direction and I view my responsibility as helping in every way I can to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on our residents and small businesses. As I do so, please reach out to my office to let us know how we can continue to be an advocate for you.
As always, if you have questions, comments, and/or concerns, email me at [email protected].
I and my team are here for you.
Be well,
Susan
