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Information and articles from these newsletters is housed on the San Luis Obispo County Health Access website. The website is updated frequently and is intended as a resource for professionals working with children ages 0 - 5 and their families. Please visit:
www.slohealthaccess.org
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Vaccinations Plummet - Children's Health at Risk
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Due to shelter-at-home orders, child vaccinations in California dropped by 40% in April 2020, compared to April 2019. This puts children at risk of dangerous but preventable diseases. The CDC encourages parents to stay current on vaccinations to keep children safe and healthy, especially children under two years old.
How Can You Help Keep Children Healthy?
You can help by encouraging parents to schedule their regular well-child visits, which include vaccinations. Parents should know that our local pediatricians are using CDC-recommended strategies to keep children safe, including:
- Scheduling sick visits and well-child sits during different times of the day
- Closing waiting rooms and asking patients to remain outside until they are called into the facility for their appointment
- Using separate locations to provide well-child visits for children
- Sanitizing rooms between each appointment.
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The coronavirus hasn't changed the importance of the Census, especially for our hard-to-count populations: young children, low-income residents, and immigrant residents. Please remind your families of the following:
- You haven't missed your chance to participate in the 2020 Census! Send back your paper form or respond online or by phone in English, Spanish, and many other languages. All responses are kept safe and confidential.
- The 2020 Census is your opportunity to bring education, health care, housing, and political power to your community. Each person who is counted brings about $20,000 to our local community and builds a political voice for low-income and immigrant communities.
- Door-to-door visits will begin once it is safe. To avoid a visit, complete your Census application today! https://my2020census.gov (a Spanish version can be selected in the upper right corner.) To fill out the survey by telephone: call (844) 330-2020 for English or (844) 468-2020 for Spanish.
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Building Family Resilience
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A 5-part virtual series from
Parent Connection of San Luis Obispo County
is available to assist families in building resilience and expanding their stress toolbox.
Parent Coach and Educator Ron Huxley, L.M.F.T., answers questions, provides guidance, and shares practical tips to help parents, caregivers, teachers and community members.
- Video 1: What is anxiety and how to manage it?
- Video 2: The path to an anxiety-proof family
- Video 3: Powerful resilient families
- Video 4: Build your family's stress toolbox
- Video 5: Q & A with Ron Huxley, LMFT
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CDC Tips for Talking with Children about COVID-19:
Children may worry about themselves, their family, and friends getting ill with COVID-19. Parents, family members, school staff, and other trusted adults can play an important role in helping children make sense of what they hear in a way that is honest, accurate, and minimizes anxiety or fear. Tips and facts can be found at,
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Maternal & Family Mental Health
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Maternal anxiety and depression are the most common complications of childbirth, impacting up to 1 in 5 women, yet they are not commonly screened for or treated.The current restrictions implemented to minimize the spread of COVID has created and augmented many risk factors for maternal mental health. Moms giving birth now will most likely be at a higher risk for maternal mental health orders. Stress for all parents has increased with homeschooling, unplanned care-taking and isolation from friends, family, and support networks.
Mothers who are struggling can call the
Postpartum Depression Support Line
at 805-541-3367 for free, confidential information and referrals. Pregnancy & Parenting Support of San Luis Obispo County responds to Support Line calls and provides provide emotional support, resources and referrals for qualified treatment services as needed.
https://ppsslo.org/maternalwellness/
- North County & Coast, Bill Spencer: 805-904-1411
- South County & San Luis Obispo, Ron Huxley: 805-709-2323
- Countywide Spanish Coaching, Bessy Hoffman: 805-712-5038
- Information & Questions, Gwen Garcia: 805-543-3700
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Health Access Information at SLOHealthAccess.org
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A First 5 SLO County Funded Program
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SLOHealthAccess.org
has a wealth of information to help you help families, with local resources related to:
* Coronavirus Resources
* Special Needs
* Behavioral Health
* Immigration: safety and service access
* Dental
* Prescriptions
* Medi-Cal & Covered CA
* Transportation
* Parental Substance Use, and
* R
esources to help parents advocate for services
General needs and system navigation:
Can't find an answer?
Let us know and we will find you
the
informati
on
you are looking for.
For general questions about health ac
cess and health care refo
rm,
contact:
Becca Carsel,
Health Access Project Director,
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