San Bernardino Press MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2014 - DECEMBER 21, 2014
sanbernardinopress.com
Elementary School Opens a Free Store for Families in Need by Vickie Vértiz
By Terry Miller
Teacher Dorothy Daft with donated goods
The staff at Mildred Dalton Henry Elementary know the strengths of their bright students, and they also know some of the difficulties their families face this, and every season. “We were talking to the school board president (Mike Gallo) and he said another dis-
Publicly, the union claims its concerns center on patient care and working conditions for its members. However, at the bargaining table, the only thing the union talks about and really wants is more of the public's tax dollars. Please see page 4
Please see page 3
– Courtesy Photo
program, according to the California Department of Education,” said the Sun. The school believes one of its missions is to serve that community as well as the students, according to a statement Principal Marcus Funchess made to the Sun. Please see page 4
Nurses Union Sinks to Deceit in Ploy for More Taxpayer Money The California Nurses Association, the union that represents County nurses, is attempting to deceive the public in its effort to justify a planned twoday abandonment of patients and its demands for tens of millions of additional taxpayer dollars. Negotiations between tax-
payer representatives and the union have dragged on for more than a year because of the union's insistence on receiving millions more in salaries and benefits than any of their peers and the union's refusal to agree to the same reasonable terms already accepted by thousands of other County employees.
Free Flu Vaccine Could Save Lives of Local Students Each year, about 200,000 Americans are hospitalized because of flu complications. In 2013, 105 children died from the flu, and 90 percent of those children never received the flu vaccine. Since December 8, students at 10 San Bernardino City Unified School District campuses are receiving free flu vaccines. The free flu vaccines are available to District students thanks to a partnership with Kaiser Permanente and San Bernardino Public Health. Kaiser launched a flu vaccine clinic program last year in the Los Angeles Unified School District and Orange County schools. Based on the success of that program, Kaiser expanded the free flu vaccine clinics to schools in the San Bernardino City Unified School District. Those 10 elementary schools are Holcomb, Davidson, Jones, Hunt, Manuel Salinas, Kimbark, Palm Avenue, Muscoy, Monterey, and E. Neal Roberts. The goals of the flu vaccine clinics are to improve student attendance rates and the health of students and their families. According to the CDC, a student misses three or more days of school from catching the flu. That translates to about 38 million school days missed nationwide each year due to the flu. The flu can also cause
trict did a district-wide closet,” fifth-grade teacher Dorothy Daft told the San Bernardino County Sun. The elementary school has been open for two years and is located in a region of San Bernardino where “99.1 percent of Henry students qualify for the federal free and reduced meals
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HUD and VA Team Up To Help Additional 579 Homeless Veterans Find Permanent Homes HUD-VASH Vouchers to Build on National Effort to End Veteran Homelessness The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced $4.9 million in rental vouchers to local public housing agencies in California to help an additional 579 homeless Veterans find permanent supportive housing. These vouchers are provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA. Last October, the two agencies awarded $62 million in HUD-VASH vouchers to assist more than 9,000 homeless veterans nationwide. Since HUD-VASH funding began in 2008, the two agen-
cies have supported vouchers for 12,369 homeless veterans in California, plus the 579 announced today. See the local impact of the housing assistance announced today. With HUD approaching its 50th anniversary next year, Secretary Julián Castro is focused on advancing policies that create opportunities for all Americans, including the broader Administration goal of ending homelessness among veterans. “It is unacceptable that after their service and sacrifice, too many of our veterans find themselves living on our streets and in our shelters,” said Secretary Castro. “We’ve made significant progress reducing homelessness among veterans by a third in just four years, and
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these vouchers will continue to help communities build on these gains, providing targeted assistance to those in need to ensure that every veteran has a home.” “Welcoming the progress made with HUD and local partners under the leadership of President Obama, VA Secretary Robert McDonald added, “As long as there remains a single veteran living on our streets, there is more work to be done. HUD-VASH vouchers are a vital tool in our efforts to reduce veteran homelessness.” “Through the HUDVASH program, communities are making historic progress toward ending homelessness by connecting Veterans who have the most intensive service needs to the foundation of a home with supportive services,” said Laura Green Zeilinger, USICH Executive Director. “The grant awards announced today add crucial resources to this effort, helping to deliver on the promise that every Veteran who has served America has a home in America.” Since 2008, more than 68,000 vouchers have been awarded and over 74,000 homeless Veterans have been served through the HUDVASH program. Rental assistance and support services provided through HUD-VASH are a critical resource for local communities in ending homelessness among our nation’s Veterans. Additionally, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness serves as a roadmap for how the federal government will work with state and local communities to confront the root causes of homelessness, especially among former servicemen and women. As evidence of that commitment,
President Obama has asked for an additional $75 million for HUD-VASH vouchers to serve veterans experiencing homelessness in his fiscal year 2015 budget request to Congress. In the HUD-VASH program, VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) assess veterans experiencing homelessness before referring them to local housing agencies for these vouchers. Decisions are based on a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of homelessness and the need for longer term, more intensive support in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing. The HUDVASH program includes both the rental assistance the voucher provides and the comprehensive case management that VAMC staff offers. Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico. HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available at www. hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or sign up for news alerts on HUD’s email list.
DECEMBER 15, 2014 - DECEMBER 21, 2014 | 3
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San Bernardino Library Hosts Writer’s Group Writers: Looking for inspiration, feedback, and support? Join us Saturday Dec. 20, for the last writer’s meeting of the year. This meeting will take place in Kellogg Room A at the Feldheym Central Library at 555 W. 6th Street in San Bernardino from 3-5 PM. The group is open to amateur and published authors of all genres. For more information call 909-663-4271 or 909381-8235 or visit www.sbpl.org.
Free Flu Vaccine Continued from page 1
many medical complications. Minor complications include ear infections, sinus infections, and dehydration. More severe medical conditions resulting from the flu include pneumonia, heart attacks, inflammation of the heart, central nervous system disease, and worsening of existing conditions such as asthma or diabetes. The flu vaccine can help prevent an individual from catching the flu or can reduce the severity of flu symptoms. Jeanette Tupper-Shearer, BS, PHN, RN, is a strong supporter of the flu vaccine clinic. As a credentialed school nurse and past state board member
of the California School Nurses Organization (CSNO), she understands the importance of keeping children healthy so they can be happy, successful students. “School nurses in San Bernardino City Unified are Making Hope Happen by always working to improve the health of our students,” TupperShearer said. “Bringing flu clinics into our schools is just one way we are doing that.” For more information about the flu vaccine clinics, contact the San Bernardino City Unified School District’s Health Services Department at (909) 880-6839.
Police Traffic Safety Programs Awarded Special Recognition The California Highway Patrol (CHP) presented San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan with a Special Recognition Award for their work in the California Law Enforcement Challenge (CLEC) in front of San Bernardino City Council on Dec. 1, 2014. “The CLEC is a method for the SBPD to showcase our traffic safety programs and see where we can improve the service we provide to the people of San Bernardino,” said Sgt. Vicki Cervantes. “The results of this competition show the hard work and dedication our officers have demonstrated while providing the highest levels of Safety, Service, and Security.”
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4 | DECEMBER 15, 2014 - DECEMBER 21, 2014
Nurses Union Attempts to Deceive Taxpayers Continued from page 1
Despite the union's claim that its primary mission is patient safety, the California Nurses Association is urging its members to walk off the job and leave patients in the lurch for two days on December 9 and 10 as a way to pressure taxpayers into giving the union millions in additional public dollars. The walkout could cost taxpayers millions of dollars if the County is forced to hire temporary nurses to ensure patients receive the care they need. That's why the County will seek injunctive relief to protect County patients and taxpayers from the union's planned job action. In making its case for relief, the County stated that trauma center nurses are necessary and should be exempted from the planned walkout. The County's Arrowhead Regional
Medical Center operates the state's second-busiest trauma center and is the hospital of last resort for thousands of needy families. The California Nurses Association stated specifically that trauma center nurses are unnecessary. Regardless of the outcome, the County is committed to ensuring that patient care would not be affected by a union walkout. The County has multiple strategies to ensure its healthcare mission would not be affected. In its attempt to justify its unreasonable demands and its walkout plans, the California Nurses Association is making outrageous and false claims: • County nurses are inexperienced - False. The average RN II at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center has more than 9 years of service. Corrections and Public Health
nurses have even more experience, an average of about 12 years of service. • County nurses are underpaid - False. Based on data provided by the Hospital Association of Southern California, RN's at ARMC are slightly above the median salary of 21 Inland Empire hospitals surveyed, but the County provides far greater benefits than most of these other hospitals. In fact, the County's pension contribution for each nurse is approximately $12 per hour for a benefit that most other area hospitals do not even provide. The County's proposal would result in the salaries of the average nurses at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Department of Public Health, and in corrections being even higher than their peers in other Southern California counties. A nurse who works 30 years
with the County, retires at age 55, and lives to age 80 can expect to receive $1.86 million in retirement income from the County. •The County is having trouble recruiting nurses False. Since July 1, the County has received 983 applications for nursing positions at ARMC. •There is a high turnover rate among County nurses False. According to the Hospital Association of Southern California, for 2013, the average turnover rate for nurses statewide has been 8.9 percent. The Southern California rate has been 9.5 percent. The turnover rate at ARMC has been only approximately 5.75 percent. Ask the California Nurses Association for the data to back up its claims and to cite its sources.
Free Store for Families in Need Continued from page 1
“We’re here to serve, we’re here to help, we’re here to support,” he told the paper. At the beginning of December, school staff began collecting “clothes, books and toys to distribute through the new
Henry Exchange Closet,” the paper reported. “We have books, I have a whole bag of Playstation 2 games,” Daft told the Sun. The closet will open its doors to families the first time
on December 17th, but the store is more than a holiday event. Due to the high financial need of the neighborhood, Funchess believes that the closet will be opened up several times a year. “That [is] an initial start,” the Sun quotes him. “We’ll look and see how we can ramp up.” The current goal for the closet is to have sufficient toys, either new or barely used, to make a difference for the families and students during the approaching holidays. “I hope at least two to five kids from each class get something,” Daft said. According to the Sun, that would mean 26 to 65 students would receive gifts in total. The school is making it a habit to support the neighbor-
hood where it resides. The school also offers English as a Second Language and Zumba classes for adults, since the community requested it. “We said we [were] going to treat parents as partners and get them involved in a number of ways,” Funchess told the Sun. “When we say ‘parent involvement,’ we want it to be things they need, not what we say they need.” The Henry Exchange Closet will give out clothes, toys, books, and other goods to members of their neighborhood on Tuesday, December 17, beginning at 1:30 p.m., after the school day ends. To help make sure all of the students of Henry Elementary get a holiday gift, donate goods to the closet by calling 909-888-2353.