March 20, 2008

COUNTY BRIEFS

Santa Clara County supervisors pass emergency operations plan

Tuesday was a busy day for the Santa Clara County board of supervisors, which approved a number of items including the Santa Clara County Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), participation for a new veterinary clinic in South County in the county’s spay/neuter program to provide low-cost spay/neuter services for cats and dogs, an HIV grant to fund expansion of HIV testing at Valley Medical Center and county clinics as well as implementation of a surplus drug collection and distribution project.

Emergency operations plan
The all-hazards emergency response plan outlines the county’s role in emergency preparedness, coordinating and directing response and recovery operations in unincorporated areas of the county and providing support to the county’s 15 cities during disasters such as earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks and wildfires.

During Earthquake Preparedness Month in April, residents are encouraged to implement emergency preparedness measures at home and work, which may play a key role in both government and resident readiness for emergencies.

“The unanimous approval today of the Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan clearly reflects the high priority the board has placed on preparing this organization for emergency response and recovery during a disaster,” said Supervisor Pete McHugh, chair of the Board of Supervisors and the County of Santa Clara Disaster Council.

While the Operations Plan covers a wide range of disasters including wild fires, floods and terrorism, it also addresses earthquakes, which may be of significant concern for most residents. “Despite the region’s history of earthquakes, and the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, it may be surprising how many residents are not prepared and don’t know what to do when an earthquake strikes,” said Kirstin Hofmann, director of the Office of Emergency Services.

According to the Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Services, the best way to prepare for an earthquake is to develop a family emergency plan, assemble home and car emergency kits for food, water and other necessities, and be ready to be self sufficient for at least 72 hours.

“A key factor in how residents respond to and survive a disaster such as an earthquake is based on how well they prepare,” Hofmann said. “Preparing yourself and your family before a disaster happens can make all the difference and save lives.”

Resident preparedness is one aspect of the county’s operational plan. During the first 72 hours of a disaster, there may be a disruption in phones, water and electricity, as well as local businesses and roadways. Being prepared and self-sufficient can make all the difference on how well the community responds and recovers from a disaster.

While disaster preparedness is essential, when a disaster strikes, the county is responsible for coordinating resources; supporting local jurisdictions; identifying the need for mutual aid and coordinating with state and federal authorities. During large-scale disasters affecting more than one city, the county effectively becomes the coordinator of emergency response.

The primary goals of the county’s emergency management and response in a disaster are to provide effective life safety measures such as evacuations, coordination of shelter locations, and public health advisories; reduce property loss and damage to the community; and work to get affected business, community, and government services back online and functioning.

“We take our responsibility very seriously,” said County Executive Pete Kutras, who serves as the Director of Emergency Services in a disaster. “Our Board of Supervisors has invested in resources, and the entire organization has dedicated a considerable amount of time over the past year planning and preparing. We will do our best and we’re asking residents to take the necessary action to prepare now.”

For more information on preparing for a disaster, go to www.sccgov.org.

Low-cost spay, neuter services
A new veterinary clinic in South County will participate in the county’s Spay/Neuter Program to provide low-cost spay/neuter services for cats and dogs. On March 18, the supervisors voted unanimously to allocate $8,500 to the VCA San Martin Veterinary Hospital for providing spay/neuter services.

“The Spay/Neuter Program helps improve the health and quality of life for our residents' pets,” said District 1Supervisor Don Gage. “This new location in South County makes it easier for the residents in this area to take advantage of the Program.”

The County’s Division of Animal Care and Control Spay/Neuter Program provides low-cost spay/neuter services to cats and dogs in the county. In 2007, total funding for the program was $135,140.

Currently, two cities contribute to funding for the program. Residents of Mountain View and Gilroy and the unincorporated area of the county pay a lower co-payment to receive the services. For example, when a resident of a participating city or the unincorporated area uses the program to spay or neuter a feral/stray cat, the cost to the resident is $10. The same service will cost $25 for a non-participating resident.

Greg Van Wassenhove, County Agriculture and Environmental Manage-ment director said “the number of animals receiving the spay/neuter services in our county is growing each year. We encourage more cities to share this responsibility and contribute to the prevention of unwanted offspring.”

Currently, 10 clinics in the county participate. Residents need to provide proof of home residency in the county before services are provided. The clinics include: Akal Animal Clinic, 940 Berryessa Road; The Animal Clinic, 45 Cronin Drive; Animal Medical Center, 1820 Hillsdale Ave.; Bascom Animal Hospital, 2175 S. Bascom Ave.; San Jose Spay/Neuter Clinic, 1780 Old Bayshore Hwy, Unit F; and the Humane Society Silicon Valley, 2530 Lafayette St.

HIV grant funds HIV testing expansion
An estimated 1,500 people in Santa Clara County are living with HIV who do not know they are infected. The Ira Greene PACE (Partners in AIDS Care and Education) Clinic has received a $125,000 grant from Gilead Sciences, Inc. for its HIV Screening Initiative to expand HIV testing in the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System.

“Expanding access to HIV testing is essential to the health of our community,” said Supervisor Liz Kniss, chair of the Board of Supervisors Health and Hospital Committee. “We will continue to offer testing as part of health screenings so that any infected person is made aware.”

The PACE Clinic will develop and implement a plan to increase HIV testing, with the initial focus on people seeking diagnosis and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and later as a routine part of health screening, particularly for individuals identified as at risk for infection. In September 2006, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued recommendations that HIV testing should be performed routinely for all patients aged 13-64 years of age.

Early diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection can dramatically improve the health of the person and potentially delay or prevent progression of the disease,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, health officer, Santa Clara County. By the end of December 2007 there were 3,882 cases of AIDS were reported to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. Cumulatively, of the AIDS cases reported since 1983, there were 55.3 percent white, 27.8 percent Hispanic, 11 percent African-American and 5.3 percent Asian/Pacific Islander.

The grant will assist in providing early diagnosis and treatment of HIV to Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System patients through increased staffing for testing, education, and counseling of patients that test HIV positive, as well as linking HIV positive patient to care at the PACE Clinic.

“HIV testing is a valuable component of the County’s HIV/AIDS services that goes hand in hand with treatment,” said Robin Roche, executive director, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Ambulatory and Managed Care. “We are very thankful to receive this grant from Gilead Sciences which will help us expand HIV testing.”

Free or low-cost HIV testing is available at the Santa Clara County Public Health Depart-ment’s Crane Center, 976 Lenzen Ave., Room 1500B, in San Jose; call (408) 792-3720. HIV counselors provide anonymous or confidential HIV testing and counseling using both the standard HIV test and the rapid HIV test. No appointment is needed.

Additional locations for HIV testing include Billy deFrank LGBT Community Center, 938 The Alameda, San Jose, and Asian American for Community Involvement, 2400 Moorpark Avenue, San Jose.

Prescription program
Rapidly increasing costs for prescription medications can make it difficult for many people to purchase the medications they need for treatment. In California, an estimated $10 million worth of unused medications are discarded each year. The board has approved implementation of a Surplus Drug Collection and Distribution Pro-gram that will collect unused medications and make them available free-of-charge to those who can’t afford them. The program, expected to launch this summer, will be established as a two-year pilot to evaluate the program’s success and potential savings.

At Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System, the average cost of brand name prescriptions is approximately $100 per prescription. “For many seniors and families struggling to pay for rent, food and necessities, the high cost of prescription drugs can be out of reach,” said Kniss. “This program will increase access to medication and make good use of a vital health care resource.”

In many cases, these medications were prescribed but never used because the individual no longer needed or no longer wanted to take the medications. Senate Bill (SB) 798’s passage in 2005 permits counties to collect unused prescription medications that would ordinarily be discarded and donate them to those in need.

All residents enrolled in the county’s Ability to Pay Determination (APD) or Valley Care Programs are eligible to receive free pharmaceuticals. The “Ability to Pay” Program requires that individuals be residents of Santa Clara County and have an income of less than 351 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Eligibility for Valley Care requires that individuals have status as either a US citizen or Legal Permanent Resident, have income of less than 201 percent of the FPL, and be between the ages of 19-64.

Pharmacies eligible to receive and distribute medication are limited to those within the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System. The county will work with nursing homes primarily, and will ensure that donated medication meets pharmacy standards.

These standards require that medications must be unopened in a tamper-evident packaging and have not been in the possession of a patient or any individual member of the public. Additionally, the medication donated must be on the SCVHHS formulary and have an expiration date of no less than six months. SB 798 medications are reviewed by a pharmacist and require a pharmacist signature. Once medication is approved for dispensing to eligible patients, these medications will be tracked in a central inventory database. Qualified donated medication will be stocked separately from regular inventory.

Proper disposal
Recent news about trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in U.S. drinking water raises the question of how individuals can properly dispose of medications. In Santa Clara County, residents may dispose of medications safely through Voluntary Take Back Programs at the Santa Clara County Household Hazardous Waste Program (HHW) and Leiter’s Pharmacy in San Jose.

Appointments must be made online at www.hhw.org or by calling (408) 299-7300. The Voluntary Take Back Programs will not accept any controlled substances such as morphine or vicodin.