As San Diegans know all too well, fires can be unpredictable, and new breakthrough technologies can be a gamechanger when every second count to save homes and lives. In April 2022, I voted alongside my colleagues to approve the purchase of a $16 million twin engine Subaru Bell 412EPX helicopter to help battle wildfires in San Diego. Not only does this helicopter carry more water than the current fleet, but for the first time County emergency responders will be capable of nighttime flight in rugged terrains. Fire fighters will now have 24/7 aerial support, giving them a better chance to contain and extinguish the fires that have the potential to ravage our communities.
Sadly, adults 55 or older are the fastest growing population becoming homeless. One-in-four San Diego County residents experiencing homelessness are seniors. This stark statistic calls for proactive action in order to help our parents and grandparents. In September 2021, I brought forward a board letter to create a Shallow Rent Subsidy Pilot Program to help keep seniors in their homes. The pilot program will provide a flat rental subsidy of $500 a month for 18 months to 222 low-income seniors who are at risk of homelessness. Estimates provided by County Staff for emergency shelter operating costs, including services, range between $2,500 and $6,000 per individual per month.
Court decisions place limitations on enforcing laws against sleeping on public property unless individuals can be first offered a free local emergency shelter space. In October 2021, I successfully passed a board letter requiring the County to explore opening emergency shelters in East County so that law enforcement and homeless outreach workers can offer shelter to the homeless in East County and enforce the law. To qualify for services, individuals sign an agreement committing to no drugs or alcohol onsite, no violent or abusive behavior, no illegal activity, no guests, no loitering around the shelter site, and participants must work with their case managers and follow their agreed upon plan. No referrals will be accepted from the City of San Diego. No services will be offered to anyone who walks up to the shelter site. Only individuals referred to the shelter through an East County case manager, who agree to the program rules, will be accepted into the shelter. In August 2022, as a result of my board action, the County opened its first emergency shelter in the Unincorporated area, the Magnolia Safe Parking site. Formerly a haven for drug use, human trafficking, and crime, the site has been transformed into a place of hope and second chances. Approximately 30% of Magnolia Safe Parking clients transition into permanent housing. Magnolia Ave. El Cajon, Before
On March 14, 2023, I authored two important measures to reduce healthcare costs, prevent hospitalizations, and improve health for vulnerable populations in the rural parts of San Diego County:
$500,000 in State funding for the purchase of a rural mobile medical clinic. The rural mobile medical clinic will make it easier for people living in remote rural portions of San Diego County, including low-income families, seniors, and tribal communities, to get access to health care. It will be equipped with two private medical rooms, a bathroom for specimen collection, an intake area, a workspace for laboratory procedures, and other essential equipment. Pilot Program to keep people healthy and reduce hospital readmission rates. Data shows that rural residents are more likely to be re-hospitalized after discharge due to lack of follow up care. This puts patients at greater risk of serious complications and drives up health care costs. Grossmont Healthcare District and the County of San Diego formed a partnership to reduce hospital readmissions for rural residents. This pilot program will focus on proactively providing at-home check-ins with discharged patients living in rural zip codes, with a special focus on communities with the highest level of readmission rates. A County public health nurse will provide patient support while a firefighter/paramedic reviews living conditions and safety hazards in the residence and surrounding property and connects them to existing fire safety programs.