Citizens of Mesquite,
Thank you for signing up for my newsletter.
I am your representative for the Southern Nevada Health District and I will always update you on the latest news in that area.
How does our city grow to the best it can be? We invest.
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Invest in your career.
The Health District’s monkeypox vaccine eligibility criteria are in alignment with the national monkeypox vaccine strategy and prioritizes the highest risk individuals at this time to prevent spread in the community. This strategy is meant to prevent infection or help reduce the severity of disease in those who become infected.
Currently, eligibility to receive the vaccine includes:
- People who had close or direct physical contact within the past 14 days with someone confirmed or suspected of having monkeypox. This includes:
- People who know or suspect their sexual partner(s) of having monkeypox.
- People who live in the same household as someone they know or suspect of having monkeypox.
- People who have been informed by the Southern Nevada Health District that they are in close contact with someone with monkeypox.
- Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, and/or transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender non-binary who had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days, especially at a venue, event, or within a social group where a person with a known or suspected case of monkeypox was present.
People who are seeking the monkeypox vaccine will be evaluated by staff at the clinic regarding their eligibility to receive the vaccine. The Health District anticipates that eligibility will be expanded to provide vaccines to people at an increased risk as vaccine supply increases.
The Health District advised that people with unknown rashes and lesions should contact their health care provider for an assessment and to get tested.
The Health District urges people to take precautions to prevent infections. Anyone can get monkeypox, and people need to take precautions to protect themselves and others from infection. Monkeypox is spread through:
- Direct contact with an infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids.
- Respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex.
- Touching objects, fabrics (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the rash or body fluids of someone with monkeypox.
The Southern Nevada Health District will update its monkeypox case reports weekly starting Wednesday, August 17. The update will include probable and confirmed case counts, cases by onset date, and basic demographic information as well as vaccine doses administered. As of Tuesday, August 16, the Health District is reporting 100 confirmed or probable cases and has administered 2,848 vaccine doses.
Invest in your health.
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What will Mesquite have in common with Pismo Beach in California? |
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According to TripAdvisor, the number one attraction in Pismo is not the beach, but the Monarch Butterfly Grove.
Several partners in our fine community are acting on their vision of a special place in our town - the Mesquite Pollinator Garden - to attract plants and give gorgeous blooms that help pollinators like butterflies, moths, solitary bees, bumble bees, flower flies, beetles, hummingbirds, and more. Without pollinators, we would have one-third less food to eat such as blueberries, avocados, and tomatoes (see a list of these foods at https://pollinator.org/pollinated-food).
Here's a conceptual plan of the garden to be located at 600 Great Divide Trail.
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Partners include:
- Star Nursery
- Virgin Valley High School FFA Program
- Hughes Middle School Biology/Agriculture Program
- UNR Cooperative Extension Program
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- Deep Roots Harvest
- Mesquite Community Garden
- Master Gardeners of Mesquite
- Nevada Division of Forestry
- Partners in Conversation
- Sun City Residents
- City of Mesquite
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As part of the design, the partners are offering memorial benches, tables, and trees to be located throughout the garden. To enroll, check out the fact sheet available at Mesquite Recreation Center, 100 W. Old Mill Road, or click here.
The garden will be developed in stages as funding becomes available.
To donate to this garden, call the Rec Center at 702-346-8732.
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Invest in your community (and the planet).
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Public Education Foundation Distributes School Supplies to Mesquite |
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On August 5, teachers from our schools were invited to stop by our very own STEAM Center to browse the free school supplies offered by the Public Education Foundation (PEF) of Las Vegas for their Back-To-School Teacher and Student School Supply Distribution. Jeff Wells, Chief Financial Officer, arranged to have the STEAM Center host the event to benefit our schools. |
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From July 28th through August 5th, PEF distributed supplies in rural Clark County schools as well as all Lincoln County schools. The rural Clark County distribution benefited approximately 500 teachers and 7,000 students, while the Lincoln County distribution benefited approximately 90 teachers and 900 students. This donation was made possible solely through the generosity of Charles and Phyllis Frias via the Charles and Phyllis M. Frias Charitable Trust. Because of this donation, teachers and students in Boulder City, Searchlight, Laughlin, Indian Springs, Mount Charleston, Blue Diamond, Primm, Jean, Goodsprings, Bunkerville, Mesquite, Logandale, Overton, Moapa, Alamo, Panaca, Pioche, and Caliente received a wide variety of school supplies and will do so again for the second semester in January. Thank you so very much, PEF, and your generous donors!
Invest in education.
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Need Help Paying for Child Care?
Councilman George Gault asked that I include the latest information about applying for childcare subsidies. The Division of Welfare and Support Services (DWSS), in partnership with the Children's Cabinet and the Las Vegas Urban League, provides child care assistance to low-income families so parents can work.
In July, Governor Steve Sisolak officially launched the Nevada Child Care Fund to expand access and affordability of quality child care across the state. Urban League Child Care Resource and Referral Manager Mary Regan reports their wait list has been lifted and income eligibility has changed to allow serving more families.
Pretty much everything families need to know about applying for child care subsidy in southern Nevada can be found at: https://childcarelv.org/apply-for-a-child-care-subsid. Since there is currently not enough licensed child care in our area, Family, Friend & Neighbor (FFN) Providers may be the best option for many families.
If you know of anyone needing assistance, please pass this information along.
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Also, check out the no-cost child care provider training being offered at our College of Southern Nevada on September 17 in Mesquite. |
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Lions Clubs of Nevada Meet in Mesquite |
On August 6 District 46 Governor Kimo Harward of the Lions Clubs of Nevada, along with members Kelvin Moniz, Marie Stamatolates and others hosted a gathering at our library to talk about what Lions do to meet the needs of local communities and the world. Lions Clubs have been serving for over 100 years with nearly a million and a half members in 48,000 clubs, in over 200 countries. Their global causes are diabetes, vision, hunger, environment, and childhood cancer. |
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At a second gathering on August 20 at the Mesquite Veterans Center, they met with residents to identify interest in the formation of a club and those who may be willing to provide leadership. If you want to make a difference in people's lives here and everywhere and have a great time meeting interesting, fun people, then take a look at their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LionsClubsofNevadaDistrict46/.
Lions Clubs of Nevada are 42 clubs strong.
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Invest in others. Volunteer.
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Lastly, look at what's coming to our STEAM Center. |
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If you know anyone who wants to sign up for my newsletter, please refer them to my website, scroll to the bottom and sign up. It is that easy!
Be safe, everyone.
Karen
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