SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The Center for Employment Training (CET) will host an Open House on Tuesday, July 16 to inform our community about CET’s vocational courses and training programs to offer individuals in order to help them get back into the job market and obtain employment. CET programs are open to all.  CET is located at 1430 Cooley Court, San Bernardino, CA 92408. Information: 909-478-3818, www.cetweb.org.

MURRIETTA, CA— In a global-knowledge based economy, the success of each citizen and the productivity of our nation depend on reinforcing and expanding our role as a world leader in discovery and innovation. That role is determined by how we educate each student, in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM].  InSoCal Connect (www.insocalconnect.org) will present the topic “Why STEM Education Matters” as part of its Thought Leadership Series, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Pamela S. Clute, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Educational and Community Engagement, the Executive Director for the ALPHA Center at the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Clute established the ALPHA Center in 1998 and her work at the Center allows her to champion her passion: motivating young people toward success in STEM careers. She is also working to create an intellectual climate that promotes and improves education opportunities for ALL students and a well trained workforce.

The event is Free and lunch will is provided. The event, presented by will be held at the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, 41870 Mcalby Courtt, Murrieta, CA 92562. Reserve your seat: RSVP ccaldwell@insocalconnect.org.

Seeker_Nanotechnology

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The no-cost Nanotechnology Technician’s Training begins on Monday July 8 and ends August 22, 2013, and the classes have space for more trainees.  The training is now open to both Unemployed persons as well as under-employed workers as long as they have either work experience or a science related degree.  The classes have always been available to currently employed or self-employed persons.

The training includes classroom lectures as well as on-the job-training in the fundamentals of nano-materials, nano-energy and nano-medicine. The training will be held at the Center for the Advancement of Nanotechnology (NanoCenter), Applied Technology Training Center, 114 S. Del Rosa Drive in San Bernardino; plus some of the hands-on and on-the-job training will be conducted at the University of California, Riverside and at industry partners’ locations. For specific minimum qualifications, a registration packet, or further information: www.attctraining.org, 909-382-4001 or 909-382-4076 .

SACRAMENTO – In response to forecasts for excessive heat through Monday throughout much of California, state emergency and public health officials are urging Californians to drink plenty of water, wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing and take other actions that will reduce their risk of death or heat-related illness.

This warming trend has prompted the issue of Excessive Heat Warnings by the National Weather Service (NWS) through Monday for parts of Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and Special Weather Statements for most of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley and foothills, as well as the east Bay Area.

“Prolonged exposure to excessive temperatures can be extremely dangerous, if not deadly, particularly for infants, small children seniors and those with health problems,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health.  “Last year was the hottest year on record in the United States.  Heat waves in California are projected to occur earlier in the season, be more intense and last longer.”

He noted that at on average heat-related emergencies cause 56 deaths in Californians each year and prompt 3,800 people to seek treatment at hospital emergency rooms for heat-related symptoms, with approximately 500 cases per year requiring hospitalization.   At least 136 Californians died due to illnesses prompted by the 13-day heat wave that struck the state in July 2006.

“Cal EMA and its partner agencies have been preparing for excessive heat in many areas of the state this summer and fall by reviewing internal procedures, updating cooling center data bases, identifying state fairgrounds and facilities that serve as cooling centers and taking other actions to help cities and counties throughout the state ensure the safety of their residents, but it’s important that every Californian who is able do the simple, but important things that can make the difference between life and death,” said California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA Secretary Mark Ghilarducci.

Key actions residents and visitors of California can take to reduce their risk of heat-related death and injury include:

• Monitoring local media for the latest weather forecasts and information from local officials
• Learning the signs of heat-related illness
• Staying out of the sun
• Drink plenty of liquids and reducing physical activity
• Using air conditioning and fans or getting to a location that is air conditioned such as the mall, the theater or a designated cooling center
• Using cool compresses, misting and baths to lower body temperatures
• Wearing lightweight, loose fitting clothing.
• Taking shelter and breaks periodically, as well as staying hydrated, if you must work outside.

The recommendations from state emergency and health officials come as state agencies implement the “Heat Alert” phase of the state’s Contingency Plan for Excessive Heat Emergencies. 

Actions taken by Cal EMA and other state agencies as part of the implementation of “Heat Alert” phase activities include:

• Coordination calls among Cal EMA, key state agencies and the potentially affected operational areas and regions with weather and power updates.
• Coordination by Cal EMA with the California Independent System Operator and the California Utilities Emergency Association for power updates.
• Dissemination of information related to the warming trend to key partners
• Coordination by Cal EMA of information requirements and needs with the Access and Functional Needs Community, the Department of Developmental Services, the Department of Aging and Department of Rehabilitation
• Dissemination of safety tips and resource information to the public via the Heat Portal of the Cal EMA website
• Coordination with state and regional public information officers by Cal EMA and outreach by Cal EMA to media partners
• Coordination by CDPH regarding the excessive heat event with local public health and other officials.

Additional information on preparing for heat-related emergencies is available at:

• http://www.calema.ca.gov/PlanningandPreparedness/Pages/Heat.aspx

• http://www.bepreparedcalifornia.ca.gov/beinformed/naturaldisasters/extremeheat/Pages/ExtremeHeat.aspx,
• http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/HeatIllnessInfo.html

By Mickey MacIntyre and Sean Crowley

Imagine your 90-year-old mother has Alzheimer’s disease and is near death. But before she became mentally incompetent, she gave you power of attorney to sign a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order so medical personnel would honor her wishes to die peacefully, without aggressive medical interventions in her final days.

Then your worst nightmare unfolds: your mother goes into cardiac arrest, and is subjected to the very treatment she had been determined to avoid: aggressive, traumatic Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, and other extreme measures, including having a hole cut in her throat, being injected with paralyzing drugs, having tubes forced down her throat and into her stomach, and having air forced into her lungs.

Two days after this aggressive, traumatic resuscitation, you are in the indescribably horrifying situation of having to direct that your mother’s ventilator be removed so she can finally die and her suffering end. But she lingers on in a slow decline for another five days while you maintain a heartbreaking, bedside vigil each day and night until she finally passes away. Then to add insult to injury, the hospital hands you a bill for this unwanted medical treatment totaling thousands of dollars.

Sound preposterous? Unfortunately, it’s not. It is Sharon Hallada’s real life, front page news nightmare.  It prompted the leading national organization dedicated to ensuring that medical professionals honor patients’ end-of-life choices, Compassion & Choices, to help Sharon file a lawsuit against a hospital and a nursing home in Lakeland, Florida, for failing to honor her mother’s wishes, despite the fact that they had been clearly and legally specified in the DNR. Sharon sued on behalf of her deceased mother, Marjorie Mangiaruca, to ensure no else’s parent has to endure this kind of traumatic experience.

In fact, medical professionals override or ignore many patients’ decisions in the weeks and months before their deaths. It happens for a variety of reasons and can lead to invasive and fruitless testing, needless suffering, unrelenting pain and a prolonging of the period before death. Patients are tethered to monitors and machines despite their determination to reject treatment and desire to die at home in the embrace of loved ones.

A recent study published in Journal of the American Medical Association found that between 2000 and 2009 treatment in intensive care units in the last month of life increased from 24 percent to 29 percent. The accompanying editorial concluded, “The focus appears to be on providing curative care in the acute hospital regardless of likelihood of benefit or preferences of patients. If programs aimed at reducing unnecessary care are to be successful, patients’ goals of care must be elicited and treatment options such as palliative and hospice care offered earlier in the process than is the current norm.”

To stop this disturbing trend, policy makers can and should provide both the carrot and the stick to ensure that patients’ wishes are honored: financial incentives for honoring advance directives and financial disincentives for disregarding patients’ expressed wishes.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should deny payment to providers when there is clear evidence that patients were subjected to  treatments they didn’t want — just as current policies deny payment when patients receive unnecessary treatment.

The Justice Department is investigating hospitals and doctors’ groups for unnecessary treatment and taking legal action against the perpetrators when they find evidence of such treatment. The same diligence should be trained on unwanted medical treatment. It is always unnecessary and should never be considered acceptable.

Compassion & Choices recently recommended CMS initiate several steps to improve the quality of conversations among health care professionals, patients and families about end-of-life decisions, including:

1.      Reimbursing medical providers for participation in advanced care planning with patients and their families well in advance of illness or before facing end of life;

2.      Providing financial incentives and training to encourage medical providers to offer all the information and counseling necessary for a patient’s decision making when they secure informed consent;

3.      Ensuring that the full range of medical care and treatment decisions, including curative care, palliative care and medical assistance in dying, are freely available to patients without institutional or reimbursement barriers.

Mickey MacIntyre is the Chief Program Officer for the nation’s leading end-of-life choice advocacy group, Compassion & Choices. He recently testified before the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Transforming End-of-Life Care.

Residents are advised to stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay informed

San Bernardino: County Health Officer, Maxwell Ohikhuare, M.D. has issued an extreme heat alert for San Bernardino County, due to high temperature forecasts for the inland and desert regions. Residents are urged to take precautions that will prevent heat-related illness.

Extremely high or unusually hot temperatures can affect your health. Most vulnerable are the elderly, those who work or exercise outdoors, infants and children, the homeless or poor, and people with a chronic medical condition.

Take the necessary precautions to prevent serious health effects such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Stay cool

• Stay in air-conditioned buildings.
• Find an air-conditioned Cooling Center open to the public by dialing the United Way’s toll-free resource telephone line at 2-1-1, or online at www.coolingsb.org.
• Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device.
• Limit outdoor activity, especially midday when it is the hottest part of the day, and avoid direct sunlight.
• Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
• Take cool showers or baths to lower your body temperature.
• Check on at-risk friends, family and neighbors at least twice a day.

Stay hydrated

• Drink more than usual and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Drink from two to four cups of water every hour while working or exercising outside
• Avoid alcohol or liquids containing high amounts of sugar.
• Make sure your family, friends and neighbors are drinking enough water.

Stay informed

• Check your local news for extreme heat warnings and safety tips.
• Visit http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat to find information and tips for preventing heat sickness.
• Sign up for free weather alerts to your phone or e-mail from websites such as www.weather.com/mobile. .
• Keep your friends, family and neighbors aware of weather and heat safety information.

  Additionally, the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health encourages all residents to learn the signs and first aid response for heat-related illness. Warning signs and symptoms vary but may include:

   

  
  

  Heat Exhaustion

  Symptoms

  • Heavy sweating
  • Weakness
  • Skin cold, pale, and clammy
  • Weak pulse
  • Fainting and vomiting

   

   

   

• Heat Stroke

  Symptoms

  • High body temperature (above103°F)
  • Hot, red, dry or moist skin
  • Rapid and strong pulse
  • Possible unconsciousness

Today, the U.S. Department of Education updated its College Affordability and Transparency Lists as part of the Administration’s ongoing effort to increase transparency around the cost of college. The updated lists highlight institutions with the highest tuition prices, highest net prices, and institutions whose costs are rising at the fastest rates.

“With so much information out there, it’s important that students and their families are equipped with the tools they need to make informed decisions about where to go to college,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Everyone has a role to play in keeping college affordable, and these lists help consumers compare the costs of higher education institutions.”

The lists, available at the College Affordability and Transparency Center, are required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 and released by the Department to make the costs of college more transparent for students and their families.

In 2011, the Department published the first set of College Affordability and Transparency Lists. Last year, the Department updated the lists to include newer information. Similar to previous releases, three of this year’s lists focus on tuition and fees, and three others look at the institution’s average net price, which is the average price of attendance that is paid by full-time, first-time students after grants and scholarships are taken into account. Those colleges and universities where prices are rising the fastest will report why costs have gone up and how the institution will address rising prices, and the Department will summarize these reports into a document that it will post online.

Of the approximately 7,500 Title IV participating institutions of higher education, there are 1,498 institutions included on these lists, and schools are allowed to appear on more than one of the lists.

In addition to the College Affordability and Transparency Lists, the Administration has also released other tools to help families as they pursue higher education. The College Scorecard and Financial Aid Shopping Sheet are two of the Administration’s latest resources that provide consumers with easy-to-understand information about institutions and affordability. These tools are all part of the Administration’s continued efforts to hold colleges accountable for cost, value, and quality so that students choose a students choose a schools that is well-suited to meet their needs, priced affordable, and is consistent with their education and career goals.

In response to several requests from consumers last year for more comparison data, the Department provided tuition and net price information for all institutions, broken out by sector in order to allow students to compare costs at similar types of schools. The comprehensive lists are provided this year as well.

Lists
Highest tuition and fees (top 5 percent)
Highest average net price (top 5 percent)
Lowest tuition and fees (bottom 10 percent)
Lowest average net price (bottom 10 percent)
Highest percentage increases in tuition and fees (top 5 percent)
Highest percentage increases in average net price (top 5 percent)
 

Sectors
4-year public
4-year private nonprofit
4-year private for-profit
2-year public
2-year private nonprofit
2-year private for-profit
Less-than-2-year public
Less-than-2-year private nonprofit
Less than-2-year private for-profit

Institutions report data on their tuition and fees and net price annually through the Department’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Additional updated data on individual schools is available on the Department’s College Navigator site. To view the lists, visit: http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Department of Boating and Waterways (DBW) reminds boaters to use caution on the water this Fourth of July. DBW’s boating accident data shows that more boating accidents occur during this holiday than any other. Waterways are crowded and people boat in groups or with many people aboard their vessels. Distractions are numerous.

“Operator inattention is the number one cause of boating accidents,” said DBW’s Acting Director Sylvia Ortega Hunter. “Designating another person on board to act as an additional lookout for other boats, obstacles, or people in the water, can give the operator more reaction time to avoid an accident.”

The following are other tips that can greatly decrease the chances of a boater being involved in a boating accident:

• Avoid alcohol. Everyone who drinks alcohol on board–not just the operator–is at risk.  Intoxicated passengers can easily fall overboard, swim near the propeller, or cause the vessel to capsize.
• Wear a life jacket. There must be a properly-fitted life jacket on the vessel for each person. Children under the age of 13, all personal watercraft riders, paddle-boarders, and anyone being towed behind a boat are required by law to wear a lifejacket.
• Know some basic rules of the road.  Steer to the right when approaching another vessel head on, and remember that in a crossing situation involving two power-driven boats, the boater on the right has the right-of-way.
• Operate your boat at a reasonable speed. Boats do not have brakes. Operators need to allow for adequate stopping distances to avoid accidents.
• Properly use water ski flags when skiers, wakeboarders or tubers are down. Improper use of flags can be dangerous not only to the person in the water, but to passing boats as well. A ski line entangled in the propeller of a passing boat can result in a deadly accident.

For more safety tips or to view California’s boating laws, please visit www.BoatResponsibly.com. Remember, “If it’s your boat, it’s your responsibility”.

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Reporting a Boating Accident in California
State law requires boaters involved in accidents to file a written report with DBW when a person dies, disappears or requires medical attention beyond first aid. A report is also required when an accident results in damage to a vessel or other property exceeding $500 or there is a complete loss of a vessel. Boating Accident Report Form.

About DBW
DBW promotes on-the-water safety and helps develop convenient public access to the waterways through programs funded by vessel registration fees, boating fuel tax dollars and boating facility construction loan payments.

Effective July 1, 2013, the Department of Boating and Waterways will become a Division under the Department of Parks and Recreation. The merger is part of Governor Brown’s Reorganization Plan to consolidate and simplify the State’s organizational structure.

Click here for more information.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA June 28, 2013 – Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board (IFHMB), Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS), and Fair Housing Council of Riverside County (FHCRC) are pleased to announce the Consumer Affairs Project of the Inland Counties (CAPIC) a collaboration of the three Inland Empire non-profits serving the regions of San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial Counties.  CAPIC is the recipient of a $850,000 grant award from the Attorney General, Kamala D. Harris, through California’s National Mortgage Settlement Grant Program. The CAPIC partners will be joining their resources along with the County of San Bernardino and other collaborative agencies to help consumers with housing needs.

The Attorney General’s office has awarded $9.4 million to 21 organizations in order to assist Californians affected by the state’s foreclosure crisis as renters, homeownership seekers and/or current and past homeowners. “The foreclosure crisis has inflicted wide-ranging and deep harm to California homeowners and communities,” said Attorney General Harris. “These grants will give homeowners and families the financial and legal tools they need to recover.”

The grants will benefit many of the state’s disadvantaged home seekers and homeowners and families by providing or expanding access to free legal assistance, foreclosure intervention aid, homeowner education and financial literacy clinics, blight remediation services, fraud prevention education and employment support services.

Through the CAPIC Partnership of IFHMB, ICLS, and FHCRC and in collaboration with the County of San Bernardino, resources and have been gathered to launch the new comprehensive Personalized Approach to Housing Stability (PATHS) Program. PATHS, is a program to help achieve personalized housing stability by helping consumers identify impediments and work toward removing these barriers to obtain financial success.

For more information please call 1-800-321-0911 ext. 189 or visit www.ifhmb.com to learn more.

Consumer Affairs Project of the Inland Counties was made possible by a grant from the Office of the Attorney General of California, from the National Mortgage Fraud Settlement, to assist California consumers.

About Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board

Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board (IFHMB) is a private, non-profit, HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency that has served the Inland Empire for more than 30 years. IFHMB provides counseling, receives and responds to consumer complaints, educates consumers in the areas of fair housing, mobile home, senior-related needs, first-time home purchase, and default and foreclosure, as well as provides landlord and tenant, alternative dispute resolution, and pre-litigation mediation services. The organization’s main office is located in Rancho Cucamonga, with satellite offices in San Bernardino, Barstow, Victorville, Indio, and El Centro. Services are available in both English and Spanish. For more information on IFHMB call 1-800-321-0911, email info@ifhmb.com, or visit www.ifhmb.com.

About Inland Counties Legal Services

Inland Counties Legal Services(ICLS) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1958, serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, providing a full range of legal services in civil cases including Housing, Landlord/Tenant, Foreclosure Prevention, Consumer Legal Issues, Public Benefits, Family Law, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking.  ICLS, pursues justice and equality for low income people through counsel, advice, advocacy and community education, treating all with dignity and respect.  ICLS has branch offices in Riverside, Indio, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino and Victorville and operates the Housing Law Services Center which serves both counties. Funds from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), are sub-granted to Riverside Legal Aid, Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino and Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association who in-turn provide pro-bono civil legal services using a network of local volunteer attorneys in their respective portions of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.  For more information call (951) 368-2583 or visit www.inlandlegal.org.

About Fair Housing Council of Riverside County, Inc.

Fair Housing Council of Riverside County, Inc. (FHCRC) formed in 1986 and incorporated in 1993 is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that fights to protect the fair housing rights & needs of all individuals throughout Riverside County.  This HUD approved counseling Agency, works alongside federal, state, and local offices to ensure Fair Housing laws are upheld. For more than 26 years, under the strategic direction of a Board of Directors and Staff, FHCRC provides fair housing (anti-discrimination) education, outreach, identification, counseling and referrals, landlord/tenant mediation, foreclosure prevention/loss mitigation workshops, first time homebuyer education and shelter diversion counseling/services.

The Agency’s main office is located in Riverside, California with satellite offices in the cities of Moreno Valley, Palm Springs, and Corona (Thursdays only). Services are available in both English and Spanish. For more information on FHCRC call 1-800-655-1812, email: fhcrc@fairhousing.net, or visit www.fairhousing.net.

Programs save employer almost $7,000 in hiring and training expenses

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (June 28, 2013)—Recently, Desert Cities Dialysis needed to hire new employees; however all of its applicants were recent graduates who required extensive training. Manager Zabelle Cosson recognized that the County of San Bernardino’s recruitment services and On-The-Job Training program could offset costs of finding and training the right people.

The County of San Bernardino Workforce Investment Board (WIB) screened all applicants and referred the most qualified to Desert City Dialysis. The WIB’s On-The-Job Training program provided partial wage reimbursement for the first 90 days of employment, the designated training period. Through these no-cost programs, Desert City Dialysis hired and trained two employees saving almost $7,000.

Assistance from the County of San Bernardino WIB made it possible for Desert City to grow quickly and hire locally. “The Workforce Investment Board helped us find and train the right employees,” shares Cosson. “Both employees are still with our company and are excelling in their positions.”

Desert City Dialysis is one of many high desert businesses served by the County of San Bernardino Workforce Investment Board.

“On-the-Job Training helps relieve a business’ growing pains by providing the resources to grow without the financial burden of recruitment and training,” said Sandy Harmsen, Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board.  “The Workforce Investment Board’s goal is to help create permanent jobs through these no-cost programs.”

The Workforce Investment Board offers free services and programs to local businesses through its Business Resource Team.  The Business Resource team assists local companies with services such as layoff aversion programs and process improvement assistance that save and create jobs. Additionally the Business Resource Team provides business workshops, access to the On-the-Job Training programs and recruitment services.

“In one year, the Workforce Investment Board trained more than 3,300 job seekers for high-demand industries and built relationships with 2,800 businesses,” stated Chair and Second District Supervisor, Janice Rutherford. “This work is critical to the continued growth of our local economy.”

Businesses interested in learning more about or enrolling in the no-cost services provided by the County of San Bernardino Workforce Investment Board can visit www.csb-win.org or call 1—800-451-JOBS.

About Desert Cities Dialysis, High Desert Nephrology

Desert Cities Dialysis, with offices in both Victorville and Barstow, specialize in the evaluation and treatment of patients with kidney disease and kidney disorders. Their staff is composed of licensed physicians, social workers, registered dieticians, registered nurses, and certified dialysis technicians who provide care and support for our patients and their families.

About the Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County

The Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County (WIB) is comprised of private business representatives and public partners appointed by the County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors.  The Workforce Investment Board strives to strengthen the skills of the County’s workforce through partnerships with business, education and community-based organizations. The County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors is committed to providing county resources, which generate jobs and investment.

The Workforce Investment Board, through the County of San Bernardino’s Economic Development Agency and Workforce Development Department, operates the County of San Bernardino’s Employment Resource Centers (ERCs) and Business Resource Centers (BRCs). The ERCs provide individuals with job training, placement and the tools to strengthen their skills to achieve a higher quality of life. The BRCs support and provide services to the County’s businesses including employee recruitment.

Employers and job seekers who are interested in the Workforce Investment Board programs may call: (800) 451-JOBS or visit www.csb-win.org . Also follow us on: Facebook www. facebook.com/SBWIB Twitter @InlandEmpireJob; and YouTube http://www.youtube.com/SBCountyWIB