Clinics and Hospitals Discuss Challenges and Successes
Last week in Redding I had a great set of meetings with local health care providers to discuss their challenges and successes in keeping North State patients healthy.
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At Shasta Regional Medical Center‚ as for so many‚ one continuing struggle is managing mental‑health patients who arrive in the emergency room and can then sometimes spend weeks waiting for an in‑patient placement at a psychiatric hospital that can meet their needs. The stressful environment and lack of the specialty care these patients need does them little good‚ but beds in other facilities remain scarce.
It’s a tough situation the state is working to remedy in part through new investments‚ funded by Proposition 1‚ in new mental‑health facilities. It is encouraging that some of those are starting to take shape in different North State communities.
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I also met with members of the Health Alliance of Northern California including Hill Country Community Clinic‚ Mountain Valleys Health Centers‚ and Shasta Community Health Center.
These clinics‚ which serve all comers but especially focus on meeting the medical needs of patients who are covered by Medi Cal or are uninsured‚ play a critical role as the foundation of many rural health systems.
I appreciate these leaders’ time and the ongoing conversations about the future of rural health.
Simpson University Dedicates Engineering Building
Congratulations to Simpson University in Redding on the completion of the Hugh and Hazel Darling Center for Business‚ Technology and Engineering‚ a beautiful new building on the campus whose ribbon‑cutting was celebrated last Friday as part of Simpson’s homecoming weekend.
The $10 million space includes engineering labs and a 286‑seat auditorium for classes and community events‚ as well as the university’s veterans success center.
Under the leadership of its president‚ Dr. Norm Hall (pictured at left)‚ Simpson has renewed its ambitions for meeting the higher‑education needs of the North State. It has developed new undergraduate and graduate programs and is planning more‚ has invested in beautiful new space to serve those students‚ and has even set the goal of developing a medical school. The pride and the vision for the future at Simpson are encouraging.
Habitat for Humanity Hands Keys to New Homeowner
Team Dahle was blessed this week to help celebrate Adrian Boggess and her family as they begin an exciting new chapter in Nevada County Habitat for Humanity’s 47th home.
A home is so much more than four walls and a roof. It’s a place where memories are made‚ children grow‚ and dreams take root.
A heartfelt thank you to Lorraine Larson‚ executive director of Nevada County Habitat for Humanity‚ and her incredible team‚ along with Habitat’s dedicated volunteers‚ county staff‚ community partners‚ and the many individuals and organizations who helped make this day possible.
Adrian’s hard work and determination‚ combined with this extraordinary community effort‚ helped turn the dream of homeownership into a reality.
For more than 30 years‚ Nevada County Habitat for Humanity has been helping local families achieve the dream of homeownership.
Congratulations‚ Adrian and family! Welcome home!
Chatbot Offers Guidance for State Government
Artificial intelligence is a polarizing subject. Its fans marvel at the new tools. Its detractors fear we are outsourcing our brains to the bots.
Either way‚ the technology is here‚ including in state government.
California recently launched a test project – AskCA – to serve as an AI assistant to understanding state government. Looking for a state job? Pursuing a license for a new career? Need information about a grant application? AskCA is one way to get help steering in the right direction.
First–time users of this pilot will need to sign up for an account with an email address‚ and the state welcomes feedback from users about what is not working and how it could be better.
And if you have questions about state government but just want to pick up a phone and talk to a human? My team still remains happy to do that. Contact details for my various offices are here.