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By Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media

Physicians and public health officials are raising alarms about a “tripledemic” happening as the holiday travel season approaches. Communities around California are susceptible to infection by new COVID-19 variants, the seasonal flu, and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

People who are vulnerable to serious infection, especially those over age 50, are encouraged to get the updated bivalent COVID vaccine and this year’s flu vaccine.

“Young babies, our older patients, and of course people who have complications from things like diabetes or heart disease, or people who have obesity, people who have immuno-compromised symptoms, these people are very vulnerable,” said Dr. Sharon Okonkwo-Holmes a Kaiser Permanente family practice physician during an informational event at the Yvonne B. Burke Senior & Community Center in Los Angeles. “The CDC is really recommending that you get your flu vaccine at the same time as your COVID vaccine.”

The flu vaccine, which changes every year to protect against the flu strains most likely to circulate in the coming season, appears to be “a very good match” according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

However, data shows fewer people are getting vaccinated, including fewer pregnant women, seniors, and children.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild cold-like symptoms. Although it is not dangerous for most people, it can cause serious problems, especially in infants and seniors. No vaccine is currently available for RSV.

COVID-19, flu and RSV share many of the same symptoms, leading to confusion about which course of treatment to take.

The first action people should take if they are not feeling well is to isolate, and do a home test for COVID. An infected person may test negative on the first day of symptoms.

“In early infections, the home test may not pick it up right away, but it will pick it up on day two or day three,” said Okonkwo-Holmes. “Keep your mask on, try and stay in your room… On days one to five, you really do want to avoid exposure with everyone else because you are shedding virus… By day five, you’re considered to be okay. If you’re not having fever for two days, go ahead and put your mask on and you can go out into the community, but we’re still asking you to keep your mask on until day ten.

People over 50 should strongly consider getting vaccinated for Shingles, a viral skin condition causing blisters and a burning or tingling sensation that can last for weeks.

Shingles and associated inflammation can cause complications, including long term nerve pain, vision loss, and has also been linked to increased risk for stroke and dementia. The two-dose shingles vaccine, Shingrix, is recommended for all people over the age of 50 and people who are 19 and older with a weakened immune system due to disease or medication.

“If you’ve ever had chickenpox as a kid, when you’re 50 you should ask your doctor for your shingles shot,” said Okonkwo-Holmes.

Doctors know that three shots at the same time can be too much for some patients. But due to the urgency of the situation, doctors are recommending getting the flu and COVID vaccine together.

“Right now, we’re seeing more COVID, number one, flu, number two, then shingles. So, if you want to put off that third one, then go ahead and put off the shingles one… Get your COVID and flu shots at the same time,” Okonkwo-Holmes said.

Communities of color have been hit especially hard by the pandemic because of “social determinants of health,” like where we live, the types of jobs we have, and our level of the stress hormone cortisol.

“The stress that we endure in America, it has an impact on our cells,” said Okonkwo-Holmes. When society treats you differently, when you are profiled, when the police are following you, when you hear bad news in the media about another person who has been killed who looks like us… It raises our blood pressure; it also raises a [stress] hormone in our bodies called cortisol… It makes us more susceptible to things like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, [and] stroke… So, I would argue that a lot of the systemic racism and microaggressions in our society are directly impacting our DNA and impacting our health… The racism is making us sick.”

For our communities to stay healthy, we must take action. “For me, action means trying to sleep well, avoiding alcohol, avoiding smoke [including] marijuana, trying my hardest to eat well.”

As for stress, Dr. Okonkwo-Holmes recommends laughter. “Go ahead and laugh out loud and have some enjoyment, go on long walks 30 minutes a day and spend time with people who make you feel good.”

As Black communities continue to navigate the pandemic, it is important to use the tools available to keep us as healthy as we can.

Okonkwo-Holmes believes people should wear masks indoors, even though it is not currently a requirement in many places, we should stay up to date with vaccinations to prevent serious illness and hospitalization, and if a COVID infection is acquired, get one of the available treatments, which most seniors will qualify for and usually tolerate well.

“None of my patients have had severe complications at all from treatments,” said Okonkwo-Holmes. “You don’t want to stay really sick. If you don’t feel well and you’re having difficulty breathing. You want to get to the hospital right away or call 911.”

LOS ANGELES – For the first time since January 2020, Metrolink is offering early-morning train service for people attending the Rose Parade being held in Pasadena on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. The agency is offering early-morning service on five Metrolink lines connecting people to the Metro L Line (Gold), which provides direct service from L.A. Union Station to the parade route.

“I’m thrilled that Metrolink is able to once again support this beloved annual tradition by providing early-morning service for people attending the parade,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said. “By taking Metrolink to L.A. Union Station and using our $10 Holiday Pass, riders can connect for free to Metro, avoid traffic gridlock and enjoy a safe and affordable trip to the event.”

In keeping with the Tournament of Roses “Never on Sunday” custom, the parade and viewing events will occur the day after New Year’s Day on Monday, Jan. 2. On that day, Metrolink will operate a special schedule and offer a $10 Holiday Pass. The first train on each of the following lines has been rescheduled so riders can connect with a free transfer to the Metro L Line (Gold) to reach Pasadena before the start of the parade.

• Ventura County Line train 162 will depart Ventura-East at 5:20 a.m. making all stops. The train will arrive at L.A. Union Station at 7:10 a.m.
• Antelope Valley Line train 260 will depart Lancaster at 5:40 a.m. making all stops. The train will arrive at L.A. Union Station at 7 a.m.
• San Bernardino Line train 351 will depart San Bernardino-Downtown at 5:40 a.m. making all station stops. The train will arrive at L.A. Union Station at 7:15 a.m.
• Orange County Line train 659 has been added to the schedule and will depart San Clemente Pier at 5:05 a.m. making all stops. The train will arrive at L.A. Union Station at 7 a.m.
• 91/Perris Valley Line train 751 will depart Perris-South at 5:08 a.m. making all stops. The train will arrive at L.A. Union Station at 7:15 a.m.

The $10 Holiday Pass is available in the Metrolink app and at station ticket machines found under the “Special Event Tickets” option.” Metrolink riders can use their ticket for a free round-trip transfer onto the Metro L Line (Gold) to reach Pasadena.

For details about our modified schedule and $10 Holiday Pass available on Jan. 2, please visit metrolinktrains.com/rose-parade.

For Metro bus and rail schedule information, visit metro.net.

By Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media

Relief is available for homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage due to financial hardships caused by the Pandemic.

The California Mortgage Relief Program is providing a lifeline for qualifying California property owners, especially in underserved communities. Proponents of the program regard it as a safeguard to protecting generational wealth and assets.

“If you are deemed eligible and approved, we send the payment directly to your servicer or the county in which the home resides for the property tax payment, and then they’re caught up,” said CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corporation President Rebecca Franklin, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The California Mortgage Relief Program is giving grants that are funded by $1 billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plans Homeowner Assistance Fund. Grants up to $80,000 for past due mortgages, and up to $20,000 for missed property taxes, will be distributed to households facing pandemic-related financial hardship. There are NO FEES to apply, and the GRANTS NEVER HAVE TO BE PAID BACK.

The relief payments are distributed on a first come, first served basis.

“This is an awesome program that reminds me of Keep Your Home, California,” said HUD certified housing counselor Linda Jackson. “Keep Your Home, California did have restrictions, you had to stay in the house for a period of time, so that that loan could be forgiven. I say to everyone, this is free money ya’ll. So, we got to get the free money because you don’t have to pay this back. If anyone charges you for this program, run, because it’s at no cost.”

The application is at www.CAMortgageRelief.org and it includes a calculator to help you see if you qualify. The website also provides resources to help fill out the application. To complete the process, you will need some basic documentation like a mortgage statement, property tax bill, or utility bill.

The application typically takes less than 20 minutes to fill out online. For help completing it, contact the program center at 1(888)840-2594. Additional help with this program and others is available from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development certified counselors at 1-800-569-4287.

“One of the biggest issues is a lot of our community members are older community members that don’t know how to use computers,” said Community Action League CEO Pharaoh Mitchell. “They come in and they’re frustrated, and we literally have to be counselors to them, to [tell them] ‘calm down, we’re here to help you. This is a friendly process. Let’s get you through it.”

“I’m proud that they’re making a conscious effort to really reach into the Black community and make sure our underserved community is served,” Mitchell added.

The program is designed to help low and moderate-income households. It has a cap for people earning more than 150% of the median income in their county, adjusted for the number of people in the household. Officials say it was created to assist people who are behind on payments, specifically those who have missed at least two payments and currently have a past due balance as of Dec. 1, 2022.

Aside from the income requirement and the delinquent payment criteria, there are almost no additional qualifiers (properties must be owner occupied, though, but some multi-unit properties may be eligible).

Homeowners with fully paid mortgages may be eligible for relief as well. Those having trouble paying their property taxes because of the pandemic may be eligible for Property Tax Relief. To qualify for the property tax relief, individuals must have missed a previous property tax payment last spring and fallen into delinquency.

Thanks to the program, to date 8,302 households have received relief. Officials anticipate the funding will reach 20,000-40,000 more homeowners. A total of $246,538,132 has already been disbursed, leaving more than 75% of the allocated funds still available. The average amount granted across the state was $29,696.

For more information or general questions email info@CAMortgageRelief.org or call 1(888)840-2594.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The Board of Education of the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) decided unanimously at its December 13 meeting to fill a vacancy on the governing body through a temporary appointment, avoiding a costly special election.

Interested applicants who live within the SBCUSD attendance boundaries can apply for consideration starting Wednesday, December 14 by downloading an application at www.sbcusd.com/sbcusdboard. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. At its regularly scheduled meeting on January 17, 2023, Board members will discuss the interview process and finalize interview questions. On January 24, 2023, trustees will interview candidates and then appoint someone to serve the remaining two years of Dr. Gwendolyn Dowdy-Rodgers’ term. The appointee would be sworn in on February 7, 2023.

A vacancy on the seven-member Board opened with the resignation of Dr. Dowdy-Rodgers, who voters elected last month to represent Area D on the San Bernardino County Board of Education. Two years remain in Dowdy-Rodgers’ term on the SBCUSD Board of Education.

School board members are locally elected public officials entrusted with governing a community’s public schools. The role of a school board is to ensure that the district is responsive to the values, beliefs, and priorities of the communities it serves. Boards fulfill this role by setting direction and policy, ensuring accountability, and providing community leadership as advocates for children and families, the school district, and public schools. Authority is granted to the Board as a whole, not each member individually. Board members work together as a governance team with the superintendent to make decisions that best serve all the students in the community.

BLOOMINGTON, CA— On December 14th, San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. will be hosting a food truck and toy giveaway for all the students and staff at Crestmore Elementary School in Bloomington, California. Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.  has partnered with California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Probation, Sheriff’s, Code Enforcement and Fire Department for this event and will be serving The Habit Burger Grill to the students and hosting the toy giveaway. The young students will be able to choose a toy of their liking right in time for the holidays.

“As Fifth District Supervisor, I believe that no student and school should ever be left behind. Every student deserves the same privileges and services to assist in shaping their futures, as these children are our future. Crestmore Elementary School is home to some of our most underserved population and I believe small things such as hosting a food and toy giveaway can really brighten the holidays for our youth. The time is now to help our local educators and children, and events like this can and will set them on the right track to stay optimistic to their goals. We are looking forward to this event!”  -Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Four trustees, two of them newly elected, were sworn into the San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education on December 13.

Former trustees Dr. Gwendolyn Dowdy-Rodgers and Dr. Barbara Flores were thanked for their service and leadership and were presented special framed resolutions, photo collages, and a commemorative trophy.

In November Dowdy-Rodgers was elected to represent Area D on the San Bernardino County Board of Education.

The Board welcomed newly elected trustees Mikki Cichocki and Mary Ellen Abilez Grande. Bursts of applause followed as returning Board members Danny Tillman and Abigail Rosales-Medina were sworn in and took their seats on the dais. The two newcomers, as well as Tillman and Rosales-Medina, were elected in November.

An hour-long reception attended by more than 100 people preceded the swearing in.

The Board also held its annual organizational meeting Tuesday, re-electing Dr. Scott Wyatt to his second year as Board president and Tillman as vice president.

Although new to the Board, the new trustees are very familiar with SBCUSD, having dedicated their educational careers to teaching the children of San Bernardino and Highland for decades.

Cichocki recently retired from SBCUSD after a long and successful career in and out of the classroom. A former elementary school teacher and graduate of the District, Cichocki most recently worked for the Positive Youth Development Department as a member of the District’s student Attendance Review Board and was part of pioneering work to reduce bullying and expand restorative justice practices.

Grande, a graduate of San Bernardino Valley College and Cal State San Bernardino, also taught in the District, working with older special education students at Anderson School. Her three daughters graduated from District schools.

Proud to be “someone with actual on-the-ground, in-the-classroom experience with students and parents day in and day out,” Grande is a proponent of community-centered schools and increased parent engagement, believing that “parents in San Bernardino would benefit from exposure to opportunities in training, internships, and even apprenticeships in the skilled trades, just like our high school students do.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On Saturday, December 17, Miss Black Awareness Liyah Blevins was crowned by Mrs. California USA Tee Lee. Members of the 2022-23 court are Teen Princess Si’Yae Pernell, Jr., Teen Miss Princess Chardonna Dixon, Jr. Teen Miss Duchess Serenity Tim’s, Young Miss Princess Sencerity Tim’s, and Young Miss Duchess Kylee Brown.  The Royal party was started. Their first engagement is January 16, 2023, in the San Bernardino Martin Luther King Parade.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Winter Break began Friday, December 16, 2022, for the vast majority of San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) students. Students return to class on Monday, January 9, 2023.

The district’s non-school-based offices are open with limited hours December 19–22, 2022. Visitors may be required to make an appointment before in-person visits to District offices the week of December 19.

All SBCUSD schools and offices will be closed Friday, December 23, 2022, through Monday, January 2, 2023. The district is asking the public to help keep schools safe during the winter break. If you See Something, Say Something by calling our hotline at (909) 388-6043 to report suspicious activity, crimes, or safety concerns at our schools. All tips are anonymous.

District offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. Inland Career Education Center (ICEC) reopens Wednesday, January 4, 2023. TK–12 students return to school Monday, January 9. SBCUSD is encouraging students and staff to take an over the counter COVID test the weekend before returning to school or work. Anyone who tests positive is asked to stay home.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The Garcia Center for the Arts in San Bernardino will be hosting an exhibit of local artist Phil Yeh’s work this month. The show will include watercolors, giclee prints, and oil paintings, many of which are from pages featured in his graphic novels and books. Several pieces are from his newest book, Places, a book of 126 watercolors of places he has been during his 37-year world tour.

One of the images in the book is “San Bernardino”, depicting the mural that Yeh has been working on since 2012, on the museum at the site of the original McDonald’s on 14th & E Streets. The mural on the south side of the building features some of the people who have made San Bernardino unique.

Phil Yeh has written and illustrated more than 90 books, comics, and graphic novels. He published one of the first American graphic novels in 1977 and is known as the ‘Godfather of the Modern American Graphic Novel’.

In addition, Yeh founded “Cartoonists across America & The World” in 1985 to promote literacy, creativity, and the arts through mural painting events, school and library workshops on comics and his series of non-violent and humorous books. Yeh and his band of fellow artists have painted more than 1,800 colorful murals promoting literacy in more than 15 countries.

Yeh’s work has had solo shows in galleries in San Francisco, Carmel, and New York City and has been a part of group shows in Hawaii, Arizona, and California.  His reading dinosaurs were featured in a five-month art exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 2006 and in many campaigns promoting reading and recycling all over the world, including a national postage stamp in Hungary in 1990.

Yeh was honored in the White House by former First Lady Barbara Bush, who also painted a mural with him in The Library of Congress. He has received numerous awards around the country, including an Alphie Award from the Los Angeles County Library Foundation at Sony Pictures Studios along with actor Edward James Olmos and Imperial Toy Company CEO Dr. Fred Kort.

The opening day of the exhibit is December 10, during the Garcia Center’s 2^nd annual Cosmic Comic Fest. Phil will present a “Meet the Artist” talk at 4:00 PM that day.  The show will run through December 31, 2022. He will have books available for purchase in addition to his art.

For more about Phil Yeh and his work visit https://www.wingedtiger.com/fine-art

The Garcia Center for the Arts is located at 536 W. 11^th Street in San Bernardino. https://www.facebook.com/sanbernardinoart

By Sunita Sohrabji

“Test and treat, and you can beat COVID!”

As Californians brace for a winter surge of COVID infections, that’s the message of Dr. Rita Nguyen, speaking at an online news conference on behalf of the California Department of Public Health’s COVID 19 Treatments Task Force.

Her message was echoed by four frontline medical practitioners serving some of the most vulnerable populations in the state.

“We are in the winter surge,” said Dr. Nguyen, who directs the Population Health Division of CDPH. “We are already seeing increases in hospitalization rates for COVID. Rates are increasing and we expect to see even more as we head through December.”

But there is a unique opportunity to address the crisis head-on, Nguyen emphasized. “This is the first winter surge of a three-year pandemic where we actually have treatments that are highly effective, readily available, and free to anyone over the age of 12.”

The challenge, Nguyen noted, is that most people aren’t accessing the treatments.

Paxlovid, or its alternative Molnupiravir, are antivirals and they are free to everyone, even those who lack health insurance or are undocumented. Remdesivir, which is given via infusions, is not free: costs vary with the level of insurance coverage. All three treatments are time sensitive. Paxlovid or Molnupiravir, must be started within the first five days after symptoms start; remdesivir must be started within seven days

Timely treatment can prevent the severity of the infection by 50% to 88%. Even among those who are vaccinated, it decreases risk of long-term COVID, by 45% to 50%. Paxlovid treatment in 2022 alone averted an estimated 16,000 – 48,000 severe hospitalizations in California, and an estimated 10,000 deaths, according to Nguyen.

But while treatment supplies are plentiful, access challenges remain huge.

The digital divide Dr. Daniel Turner-Lloveras, executive director of the Latino Coalition for Health Equity, believes lack of internet access and digital skills may be the biggest obstacle.
He cited the case of his mother who recently tested positive for COVID-19. She had phoned her clinic to try to get a doctor but had been waiting all day for a return phone call. Turner Lloveras also called his mother’s clinic, but was forced to leave a voice mail which was not returned.

“As a physician, I am very aware of the benefits of getting early treatment with Paxlovid,” he said. When he sent a message to the clinic’s online patient portal, he got a call back within an hour. “It made me realize that almost every social determinant of health now is enveloped by the need to have internet access and the ability to navigate the World Wide Web.”

More than 35% of Latino workers have no digital skills, and 20% have just limited digital skills, Turner-Lloveras added, noting that digital inclusion now impacts most factors in modern society, including the ability to get a job and support a family.

“Without digital literacy and digital skills, you’re offering gas to a family that has no car. Telehealth is a valuable resource but cannot be used without those skills.”

Dr. Oliver Brooks, chief medical officer of the Watts Healthcare Corporation in Los Angeles, concurred with Turner-Lloveras. He noted that 1 out of 5 Black households have no internet access, limiting their ability to access healthcare in a timely manner. He stressed the importance of testing as soon as any symptom appears: runny nose, cough, gastric distress, fever, and other conditions.

The Black community has much lower rates of treatment, not because it wasn’t accessible, but because it isn’t offered to them, said Brooks. “Treatment doesn’t work if you don’t take it or get offered it. So as a person you need to advocate, you need to know about treatments and then say, ‘I tested positive. Do I take this pill? Do I take something?’”

According to new data from the CDPH shared by Dr. Nguyen, 37% of White patients who presented with COVID symptoms received treatment, while only 20% of Black people got access to care.

Treatment for older adults, rural communities One of the most vulnerable populations are adults who are 65 years and older and account for nearly 90% of COVID deaths.

Dr. Wynnelena Canio, who specializes in geriatric medicine at Kaiser Permanente in Petaluma, Ca., and is an advisor with the California Department of Aging, noted that “as people age, we accumulate chronic conditions that cause us to have decreased reserves with which to compensate or recover from stressors such as infection.

“A lot of older adults become more frail, losing more muscle mass and becoming more dependent on others after hospitalization. That in turn leads to more disability and possible institutionalization.”

Early treatment of any conditions in older adults has proven to have better outcomes, Canio emphasized. That includes especially getting the new updated boosters, which only 12% of Americans overall have received.

Dr. Jasmeet Kaur Bains, a family physician from Kern County in California’s Central Valley, who was just elected to the California State Assembly, spoke about the challenges in accessing health care for rural residents.

Bains, who grew up in the county, said when she was a child, a pediatrician could usually be seen within a day. Today, it can take two to three months.

The pandemic brought accelerated rates of retirement for doctors and skyrocketing unemployment rates. As people lost their jobs, they also lost health insurance coverage, Bains noted. Language barriers added to the access challenges. Many resources were not available in Spanish or Punjabi, two commonly spoken languages in Kern County. Added to this, issues like poor air quality and resulting lung disease led to high levels of hospitalization and deaths in her region.

“The lens needs to be focused here. The surge is real, it’s happening and it’s at the detriment of areas like rural California.”

Access issues notwithstanding, all five physicians agreed that getting tested and treated early is the message underserved communities need to hear.

“Don’t wait till the illness gets worse,” said Nguyen. “If you start feeling a runny nose, cough, or generally not like yourself, act fast and take a COVID test. If you test positive, seek treatment right away.”