County breaks ground on three affordable housing developments on excess county land in Clairemont

THE County of San Diego’s Housing and Community Development Services (HCDS) joined Chelsea Development Corp. and other partners to break ground on the first three of four developments that will be situated on a property in Clairemont. The three developments will provide more than 300 affordable homes for low-income families, seniors and those with developmentally disabled relatives. The total number of new affordable apartment homes will on the site will total more than 400 with the completion of the fourth development.

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The Mt. Etna development is located on the property where the county’s former Crime Lab once sat. It is the second county property this year to host an affordable housing groundbreaking.

“Although the title of the agency doesn’t have housing in it, housing is fundamental to what we do. We strongly believe housing is health and it is an essential human service,” said Dr. Eric McDonald, interim director of the County Health and Human Services Agency. “It is also important to note that the new homes will remain affordable for 99 years.”

The size of the investment was also significant.

“The county invested more than $39 million in land and capital funding in this project,” said David Estrella, director of Housing and Community Development Services. “It is our largest affordable housing investment to date, and we are excited for the people and future generations who will call this home.”

More information about the development and availability of homes at the Mt. Etna site is online at the Chelsea Development Corp. website.

Since the integration of HCDS Services in 2017 into the Health and Human Services Agency, the department has supported the construction of more than 1,300 new units using county Innovative Housing Trust Fund dollars, excess county property, and other funds leveraged through partnerships. An additional 2,900 units are on the way over the next five years, which collectively will be home to nearly 17,000 San Diegans each night when complete.

(Cassie Saunders/County of San Diego Communications Office) n

County of San Diego hires Chief Dental Officer

THE County of San Diego has a new Chief Dental Officer, Fadra M. Whyte, DMD, M.P.H., who has joined to help develop policies and expand programs that promote oral health to all San Diegans.

“Dr. Whyte will be a valuable addition to our team,” said Dr. Eric McDonald, interim director of the Health and Human Services Agency. “She brings a wealth of experience working with children and youth and will really help us expand our oral health outreach.”

Whyte has worked as a boardcertified pediatric dentist at San Ysidro Health for the past 10 years. She is faculty for the NYU Langone Pediatric Dental Residency Program co-located on Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego campus, mainly treating children with special health care needs.

“I’m very excited and grateful for this opportunity,” said Whyte, who is joining the HHSA’s Medical Care Services department. “I am looking forward to expanding oral health initiatives to all San Diegan’s including youth, adults with special health care needs, seniors, and those in the county’s most rural areas.”

Whyte earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh, and her doctorate of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She went on then complete a two-year residency in Pediatric Dentistry in Brooklyn, NY and a master’s degree in Public Health from A.T. Still University. She worked as a pediatric dentist in New York City prior to moving to San Diego.

Whyte will also work closely with the Local Oral Health Program, which is managed under Public Health Services.

The programs include the

Fadra M. Whyte, DMD, M.P.H., the new Chief Dental Office of the County of San Diego. File photo/www.countynewscenter.com

Dental Health Initiative/Share the Care program and the Child Health and Disability Prevention program. Those programs work with other public agencies, private groups and a network of pro-bono dentists to conduct nocost or reduced-cost emergency dental care for children. They also organize dental health screenings and promote preventive dental care for children. And they teach people about the important link between oral health and people’s overall health.

Some of the other actions Whyte will lead include:

• Studying and making recommendations about proposed legislation that would affect people’s access to dental services.

• Talking with professional organizations across the state, engaging with San Diegans, community groups, public officials and County staff to further develop the County’s oral health strategic plan.

• Identifying grant opportunities and training