February 28, 2008

County to fund Youth Science Institute, receives
$1.85 million donation, opposes blood ban

In its regular Tuesday meeting, Santa Clara supervisors agreed to fund the Youth Science Institute at two parks, noted receipt of a $1.85-million donation for the Valley Medical Center and voted to oppose an FDA ban of blood donations from gay men.

The supervisors voted unanimously to grant $50,000 annually from 2009-2013 to Youth Science Institute (YSI) to continue to provide program services at Vasona Lake and Sanborn County Parks.

“Science education is crucial if our youngsters are to be competitive in a rapidly changing global economy,” said Supervisor Don Gage, chair of the Board’s Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee. “This early introduction to science will influence the direction and future choices for many Santa Clara County kids.”

YSI was founded in 1953 to provide youth science educational programs designed to inspire enthusiasm for science and a love of learning while developing an understanding of the natural environment in Santa Clara Valley. YSI develops science knowledge and critical thinking skills in 30,000 children each year through its school programs, summer day camps, after school science club, and events for the general public.

The Youth Science Institute was initially invited to provide natural science interpretation at Vasona Lake County Park in 1979 following its successful partnership over 25 years with the city of San Jose at Alum Rock Park. YSI has occupied facilities at Vasona Lake County Park since 1980 and Sanborn County Park since 1982 without fees in exchange for providing natural resources education to the public.

In 2006, YSI completed a 2,803-square-foot expansion to the Vasona facility to provide additional classroom, staff and storage space to accommodate its science and environmental education program for youth. The County has allocated funding for YSI since 1986. The current five-year agreement will expire at the end of fiscal year 2008.

“We are grateful for our outstanding partnership with the county, which is critical to our success in teaching nature-based science to Silicon Valley’s students,” said Susanne Mulcahy, YSI’s executive director. “Our park locations sustain the heart and soul of our work. The facilities and resources the county provides help us greatly to extend our resources to reach as many children as possible. Together, we are investing in the future of Santa Clara County and creating a solid foundation for the future workforce.”

Every year, thousands of students are brought to YSI’s Science and Nature Centers to experience a hands-on nature-based science program. YSI also provides after-school science classes for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students weekly at the Vasona Science and Nature Center.

Registration is now open for its weekly Summer Science Camps that run from June 16-Aug.15 for children ages 3 1?2 to those entering sixth grade. For more information about YSI or to register for the Summer Science Camp, go to: www.youthscience.org.

At the Feb. 26 meeting, the supervisors also acknowledged contributions to the VMC Foundation from donors providing $1.85 million in funds to the Sobrato Cancer Center. The Center is expected to treat about 1,000 cancer patients in its first year.

The Sobrato Cancer Center will be housed at Valley Specialty Center, a 244,000-square-foot facility currently under construction. The $1.85-million donation will offset the $4.2 million advanced by the county to fund the linear accelerator project.

“We would like to express our appreciation to VMC Foundation and the many donors that contributed. The generosity of community donors is vital to the county,” said Supervisor Pete McHugh, chair of the Board of Supervisors.

The funding was provided for a linear accelerator that delivers radiation treatment for a growing number of cancers. The accelerator will enable more specific targeting of the beam on malignant tissue without affecting normal tissue. The accelerator beam is more intense on the center of the tumor.

“Opening a state of the art cancer treatment center at Valley Specialty Center could greatly improve outcomes for cancer patients for whom radiation therapy is an option,” said Supervisor Liz Kniss, chair of the Board’s Health and Hospital Committee.

The VMC Foundation’s campaign to raise $1.85 million generated donations from nearly a dozen donors, including $1 million from John Sobrato of the Sobrato Family Foundation, $250,000 from the Avon Foundation, $50,000 from Bill Marr and Carol Bartz, $238,000 from TJ Rodgers/Cypress Semiconductor and $150,000 from Dr. Richard and Mrs. Susan Levy.

“This shows the power of a public/private partnership, and brings us closer to providing world-class cancer treatment to anyone in our community who needs it,” said E. Chris Wilder, executive director, VMC Foundation. “We are so grateful to our supporters who understand that Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is the most crucial of resources."

“Our family believes that everyone, regardless of race or financial capacity, should have access to the best health care available,” said John A. Sobrato, chairman, Sobrato Family Foundation. “With this linear accelerator, Valley Medical Center will be able to offer care that is comparable to the finest care offered by private hospitals in Northern California.”

The supervisors also unanimously voted to oppose the Food and Drug Administration policy that places a lifetime ban on blood donations from any man who has had sexual contact with another man since 1977. Supervisor Ken Yeager, District 4, advanced the recommendation. The board’s action is consistent with its position to oppose discrimination in any form.

“There is absolutely no medical reason to continue this ban,” said Supervisor Yeager. “Current methods of testing of the blood supply make it possible to appropriately screen donations.”

The FDA policy was established in 1983, when much less was known about HIV/AIDS and blood testing was much less reliable. A similar lifetime ban is also in place for anyone who has injected IV drugs or anyone who has had sex for money or drugs, but for most other risk behaviors and conditions, there is normally a 12-month deferral from the time of said activity or conditional state. According to research, the guideline creating a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay men lacks scientific basis and has a discriminatory effect on the group.

“Maintaining an adequate volume of blood supply is extremely important,” said Kniss. “Nothing substitutes for blood when it is needed, and there shouldn’t be artificial barriers for people who can donate and be screened like everyone else.”

The board decided not to ban blood drives at county facilities because it would have detrimental affect on the county’s ability to provide medical care for county residents.

“The region does not donate enough blood,” said County Executive Pete Kutras. “The majority of the blood we use is imported from other areas of the country. We don’t want to further impact this by banning donation activities at county facilities.”

All donated blood is screened to ensure safety to recipients.

The first time this policy was seriously revisited by FDA was in September 2000. The international blood association AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) and America’s Blood Centers led an effort to ease the lifetime restriction for males who have sex with males (MSMs). They claimed that new and improved tests can detect HIV-positive donors within 10 to 21 days of infection, and that a lifetime ban is unnecessary.

Unconvinced that new testing did enough to safeguard the blood supply and buoyed by a report claiming the unique lifestyle of MSMs as a group put them at higher risk for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted disease, the American Red Cross led the charge against changing the rule. As a result, the Blood Products Advisory Committee of the FDA voted 8-7 to retain the ban. The Blood Products Advisory Committee is composed of experts that craft relevant guidances to FDA regulations. Guidances outline how regulations should be carried out and can be changed with fewer processes than regulations.

Since that time, testing has improved, and the American Red Cross has changed its opinion. At an FDA-convened conference on March 8, 2006, the American Red Cross along with AABB and America’s Blood Centers called again for a change in the policy. The groups recommended changing the deferral for MSMs to a period of 12 months from the time a man has had sex with another man instead of the current lifetime ban. The Blood Products Advisory Committee took no action, and the FDA posted a document on its website on May 23, 2007 affirming the 1983 guidance.