Carmel Valley Grapevine April 2020 Edition - Local Umbrella Media

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APRIL 2020

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Stay Safe San Diego

APRIL 2020

Photo Credit To Nikki Incandela Photography 6 6-872-0020 • Nikkiincandela.Com

THE FOUNDATION Brew Luv was founded by Joel and Larry Kantor, two brothers who have owned a marketing company called Synergy World, Inc. since 1995.

Synergy’s expertise is processing Gift & Loyalty Cards.

Since San Diego is the Craft Beer Capital in the nation, creating a Gift & Loyalty Card for beer lovers made perfect sense.

Brew Luv has developed a Gift & Loyalty Card that is accepted at participating breweries in San Diego. If a customer loads a $50.00 on the Brew Luv Gift Card and they spend $30 at one brewery, they still have $20 to spend at another brewery.

FRIENDS OF BREW LUV In addition to using the Gift & Reward Card at Breweries, we also have “Friends of Brew Luv” program. These are businesses who support the craft beer industry. They are restaurants, bars, nightclubs, retailers, and services providers.

When cardholders use their Brew Luv Rewards Card at these businesses, they immediately receive a 15% discount.

Brew Luv is launching Summer 2020.

Please visit BrewLuv.com and join our Brew Club email list.

WIN A GIFTCARD! Use Promo Code: Umbrella for a chance to win a $100.00 Gift Card for Helia Brewing Company.

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Join our Brew Club at BrewLuv.com Now Consumers Can Experience The Best Of Craft Breweries, All With One Card!

Cardholders can also enjoy earn points and redeem rewards. If a customer spends $50.00 at Helia Brewing Company, they will earn 50 Points. When they reach certain point thresholds, they will earn rewards.

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LIVING ALONE WITHOUT YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER A 2019 STUDY FOUND THAT 36.48 MILLION PEOPLE LIVED ALONE IN THE UNITED STATES. Dana McNeil, MA, LMFT

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his statistic means that there are a whole lot of people sorting out how to weather our current shelter-in-place circumstances without a partner physically in their home to help navigate the day-to-day tasks and stressors that go along with living alone right now.

Living alone during normal times can feel like a calm from the storm of the all the demands, noise, and busyness of your work and social life. However, when your home also becomes your office and your friends AND your partner are all on the outside, knowing how to survive lack of human contact becomes confusing.

Some of us might be living alone but in a relationship that was just getting started, or we are geographically distanced so co-habitation doesn’t make sense or is not possible.

The world feels different right now being alone. It’s like a light has been turned off, and learning how to go from being a “we” to a “me” can be an excruciatingly lonely time. It’s a crazy act of trying to figuring out what your new normal looks like when the world doesn’t feel normal at all.

The thing to remind yourself is that even though you are social distancing physically, you are NOT required to social distance yourself emotionally. This time apart doesn’t mean you as a couple have to stop growing or progressing the connection in your relationship.

I think some couples might argue that they have chosen to view this time apart to work on parts of their relationship that will be enhanced because they might to get to know their partner at a deeper level.

I keep thinking of the show “Love is Blind.” We are living a life outside of TV where we are all in our virtual pods, and the challenge is to get to work learning more about a person we can’t touch but can certainly build a better friendship

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with.

This friendship can be a support as we both go through this crazy time, and that person has the potential to be a best friend. This situation will come to an end, but will we have taken the opportunity to build something real and solid that will last beyond this virus and lay the groundwork for a solid future together?

Here are some of the best ways to survive this potentially challenging time for those of us who live alone: Individual: Continue with your routines. If you wake up every morning to yoga, have a bowl of oatmeal, and take a walk with your dog, then keep doing it. Reminding yourself that some things in your life haven’t changed keeps your brain organized and soothed by the rituals of the day that you used in the past to anchor you.

With your partner: Build routines as a couple. Find a show that you can binge watch together, cook or eat dinner together virtually, and/or have a nightly ritual where you tell each other the five biggest blessings in your life from the day. What can you do to stay connected and create milestones as a couple that you can incorporate into your life that will last beyond the end of this quarantine?

Schedule regular events with friends . Thursday nights at 5:00 have become a standing virtual happy hour for our friends. We get to look forward to seeing each other’s faces, sharing in our collective worries and collective hopes, and being reminded how funny our partners are. This is a real source of support and connection during these uncertain times.

Date nights with friends don’t have to end because you are physically separated. One of the ways that couples get to appreciate each other is by seeing how they connect with the people in their lives. Hearing someone tell a story about your partner or seeing the way they make people laugh can be a way to feel more attracted and connected with the person who you get to be in a relationship with.

Have a stress reducing conversation for 20 minutes each day. Spend time checking in with your partner about some of the hardest parts of their day, or ask them what is most challenging for them being isolated from the world.

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Your job as the person who is checking in with your partner is to just deeply listen. If you are the listener, then find things you can validate for your partner even if you don’t feel the same way.

Your job is not to correct them, tell them they should feel differently, or solve their problems for them.

Couples often feel uncomfortable talking about hard or heavy emotions because they feel like they have to fix their partners. The point of a stressreducing conversation is to let the other person know they are not alone.

You can give your partner a huge gift right now by letting them know you hear them, they are making sense, and it’s reasonable for them to feel the way they do. Let your partner have that space to feel scared, worried, or anxious without trying to get them to clean it up or take it away.

We all need to have someone hold that space for us right now.

If it starts to feel like your partner might keep going in circles or repeating the same worries over and over and you are feeling drained, then it is perfectly ok to ask them to help you understand what the biggest fear or catastrophe scenario is for them and then ask them to tell you what they see as their options.

You can also tell them that you don’t know what to say, that you are there for them, and that they are not going through this alone. At the end of the day, that is all true, and you and your partner are both looking for support.

Share what you have learned in life about handling uncertainty. You are in a relationship, and unfortunately this may not be the only time in your life that you experience difficult situations or need to manage stress or worry.

Learning how your partner processes stress and what they learned about how to manage it growing up in their family of origin can lead to deep conversations about how your partner manages life.

Here are some sample fillin-the-blank questions you can ask your partner to talk with you about: • My parents taught me stress was...

• I saw my family deal with stress by...

• My earliest memories of uncertainty or chaos were...

• When I am stressed, worried, or anxious, the thing that I need to hear or the thing helps soothe me is...

Taking the time to acknowledge your partner’s responses to stress and worry helps your partner take responsibility for those triggers, and it helps you know how to best support your partner when they are in a heightened state of distress.

Have Fun! Can you as a couple virtually eat ice cream for breakfast, dance around the living room to your favorite 80’s dance tunes, or make funny videos of yourself to send to each other in Marco Polo?

Now is the time to dig out comedies, memes, and gifs that make you laugh and to share them during the day.

The more you laugh, the more of the feel-good chemicals such as oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine will be released that will give you daily doses of the kinds of coping skills you both need to get through this time in your life.

Most IMPORTANTLY: Remember that this is temporary.

This time will come to an end. Yes, it’s nerve-racking not knowing exactly when that will be. However, you have both previously gone through hard times in life. Remind yourselves of those times and how much stronger you each are than you probably give yourself credit for. What did you do during those times that you can call on now to get you through today?

Just take this one day at a time.

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APRIL 2020

ARE WE CLOSER TO THE END OF CORONAVIRUS? THE DALAI LAMA INSTITUTE’S PROFESSOR OF ASTRO SCIENCE PREDICTS A BRIGHTER OUTCOME FOR COVID-19

By Lily C h ai

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oronavirus disease (COVID-19) has taken the lives of many and instilled fear into those who remain alive. Fast, deadly, and unforgiving, COVID-19 has rocked the world into fearful anticipation of wondering what is coming next. With news sources’ constant tally of the rising numbers of the infected and the dead, many are finding it hard to remain hopeful. For most of us, the question remains: When is this going to end?

The answer may lie in the prediction of the Dalai Lama Institute’s Dr. Jhampa Kalsang, former professor of Astro Science and Medicine.

So, who is this Tibetan doctor and San Diego resident?

After finishing training in 1989 at the Tibetan Medical Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India, Dr. Kalsang became one of the first practitioners to bring Tibetan Astrology to the West. The year 1989 holds great significance in all things Tibetan, for that was the year in which the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize. That honor came in recognition of his efforts in the struggle for the liberation of Tibet from China via peaceful resolution instead of violence.

The Nobel Peace Prize drew international attention to the Chinese suppression of the Tibetan people and their religion. The media became intrigued, and Dr. Kalsang took it upon himself to educate the world on Tibetan Astro Science and Medicine. Television interviews with CNN, the BBC, Italy, and France helped Dr. Kalsang become one of the world’s primary interpreters of Tibetan culture. After attending an international conference on Astro Science and Medicine in the United States in 1998, the professor went on to serve as a guest speaker at prestigious schools such as Yale, Princeton, and Northwestern University.

In 2000, Kalsang wrote “Tibetan Astro Science,” one of the few publications endorsed by the Dalai Lama.

It is considered one of the leading publications that explains the principles of Tibetan astronomy and how to apply these principles to daily life. The foreword in Kalsang’s book is written by Columbia University academic and American Buddhist author Robert A.F.

Thurman. If the surname rings a bell, that is because his daughter is actress Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill).

at the corner of the room. Feeling slightly timid and curious, I expressed to the professor the main reason behind my visit.

What does Tibetan astrology have to say about COVID-19?

“I heard that you had a prediction about the coronavirus. What is it? How did you make this prediction?

When did--”

I was honored with an invitation to dinner by Dr. Jhampa Kalsang, himself. He said that he had an important prediction regarding the dreaded COVID-19, and I felt lucky to be one of the first to hear what he had to say.

“Dr. Jhampa is one of those rare medical providers who has that perfect blend of intellect and competence.”

I walked into the bright yellow Tibet Gift house, bearing an open mind and a carton of organic brown eggs (that I fortunately did not have to fight for at the grocery store). The smell of incense and spices wafted gently through the air, awakening my senses.

Large bookcases and shelves of antique jewelry lined the walls. Pictures of Buddha and the Dalai Lama neatly hung around the room, staring at me as if they were quietly analyzing my purpose for being there. I stepped through the doorway and called out the name of the man whose guidance has been sought out by students and other doctors from all over the world.

“Jhampa?”

A loud, powerful voice boomed through the hallway.

Kalsang smiled at me and held up his hand, motioning me to pause.

“Let us eat. Are you hungry? I cooked some food.”

Never being one to turn down a home-cooked meal, I nodded eagerly. For the moment, the desires of my stomach quieted the multitude of questions I had in my mind.

The food was simple yet held a complex flavor profile.

Paired with aromatic Basmati rice, the Tibetan-style cooked beef was laden with tomatoes, onions, and several spices I could not identify. Relaxed and content, the professor carefully delved into the process behind his prediction, citing the World Health Organization (WHO) as his main source of facts in combination with the results of his annual Tibetan doctoral conference.

“Just to be clear, this is nobody else’s prediction but my own. If there are any mistakes with my prediction later, I hold full responsibility for it.”

According to the World Health Organization’s main website, The WHO’s Country Office in China first received reports of pneumonia from an undetected cause on December 31st, 2019. With over thirty years of experience in Astro Physics tucked under his belt, Kalsang explained the significance of this date.

“Ah, Lily! So pleasant to see you. Come on in.”

Kalsang’s voice was deep and rang with warm authority. Dressed neatly in a black and green polo, tan pants, and genuine leather shoes, it was obvious that his style had some European influence. His presence called for immediate respect, with eyes that twinkled with wisdom. I joined him at the antique wooden desk

“It’s like a horoscope. I need the time, date of birth, and month in which the disease first arrived. Using Tibetan numerology, I calculated the numbers of that date and evaluated the elements associated with it.

From the very beginning, I knew that the antidote for this disease would be heat.”

Call to Schedule Traditional Tibetan Astrological Readings at (619)281-7888 • 2889 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA 92116 • Tibetanastroscience.com Local News

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Stay Safe San Diego I looked at Kalsang, starting to feel confused as I tried to wrap my head around this form of calculation that was very foreign to my math-challenged brain.

“Wait. So, what exactly does this mean?”

Dr. Kalsang continued, “When the summer comes, the disease will go away, because the virus will become inactive in heat. That is the key. Indian astrologers predicted that the disease will start to eradicate on April 15th, and be completely gone by the end of May. However, in America, summer does not start in April, but in June. That means that the coronavirus disease should be better by September.”

“What makes you so sure that this is going to happen?” I asked. I looked at him, inquisitive but hopeful.

Ever so honest and humble, Kalsang calmly replied, “The numbers do not lie.

I am not clairvoyant. I am not psychic.

But I am trained on how to interpret the numbers.”

Despite the gloom and stress brought on by the dreaded COVID-19, we must not lose hope. Now is the time to be kind to yourself and find avenues for comfort and stress relief. One of the ways you can do this is by getting a

APRIL 2020 5

traditional Tibetan Astrological Reading with Dr. Jhampa Kalsang himself.

He has helped hundreds of his clients make better decisions and gain more confidence in health, relationships, careers, and future events. Inclusive with the readings, Kalsang offers counsel and recommendations for appropriate courses of action, as well as antidotes to alleviate or remove specific obstacles where appropriate.

Kalsang reports several anecdotes in which people who had their charts constructed were able to make lifechanging decisions for the better.

Melinda Silva, M.D., is one of the many doctors who’ve sought his counsel. She says, “Dr. Jhampa is one of those rare medical providers who has that perfect blend of intellect and competence. His authentic compassion for you as a human being gives you a sense of hope for mankind. As a physician, I am exposed to continual stress which can be detrimental to your health. In my quest for better health, I was grateful to find Dr. Jhampa. His guidance will help lead you through life’s greatest challenges and exceed your expectations.”

Call now and book your private reading and get the special introductory rate!

Dr. Jhampa Kalsang (619) 281-7888

DR. JHAMPA KALSANG GREETING THE DALAI LAMA Call to Schedule Traditional Tibetan Astrological Readings at (619)281-7888 • 2889 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA 92116 • Tibetanastroscience.com Local News

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COMPANY FOUNDED BY UC SAN DIEGO ENGINEERING ALUMNI ADVANCES 1-HOUR COVID-19 TEST As businesses are forced to close their doors and communities hunker down to ride out the coronavirus pandemic, many people in the tech and engineering industries are looking for ways to help.

APRIL 2020 7

CUE HEALTH GETS $13 MILLION CONTRACT TO DEVELOP COVID-19 TEST Cue Health, a San Diego-based health care technology company, has been awarded a $13 million federal contract to fund the development of its COVID-19 diagnostic test, which would provide results in under 25 minutes. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to accelerate the test’s development, validation, and FDA clearance.

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One such group been able to provide COVID-19 test results in under an hour at the point of care. includes the (Photo courtesy of UC San Diego) engineers behind Fluxergy, a medical diagnostic company based in Irvine, that designs and builds rapid point-ofcare diagnostic testing devices. Over the last several weeks and in collaboration with UC San Diego Health faculty, they’ve been testing a system to diagnose COVID-19 in under an hour.

GENERAL ATOMICS ACCELERATES DEVELOPMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM FOR CORONAVIRUS TESTING

On March 30, 2020, they submitted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the hopes that their device can be deployed in medical settings within the next few weeks, making it possible for healthcare systems to test for the virus in under an hour, at the point-of-care.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS) announced that it is accelerating the development schedule of its MATCHBOX Point-of-Care molecular diagnostic platform to respond to the growing need for testing for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

The Fluxergy diagnostic testing system has

Currently, most COVID-19 tests are sent from the hospital or testing location to an outside lab to be analyzed, often taking hours or days for patients to get a result. During Fluxergy’s validation testing on patient samples with UC San Diego Health, they were able to provide results in an hour or less.

Most of the team behind Fluxergy met as engineering students at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, where Tej Patel, Fluxergy co-founder and president, and others were members of the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) team as undergraduates.

MATCHBOX is a stand-alone platform based on polymerase chain reaction technology for positive identification of molecular targets. MATCHBOX works with blood, urine and swab samples and does not require any manual sample preparation, special training, additional equipment, or facility set-up.

General Atomics’ MATCHBOX platform.

(Photo courtesy of General Atomics)

MATCHBOX is expected to have the capability to test and provide a diagnosis in the field at the point of care within 30-60 minutes for a wide range of known respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza A and B, using a single patient sample

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENABLES RAPID LUNG ANALYSIS AT UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH For most patients who have died of COVID-19, the pandemic disease caused by a novel coronavirus, the ultimate cause of death was pneumonia, a condition in which inflammation and fluid buildup make it difficult to breathe.

Severe pneumonia often requires lengthy hospital stays in intensive care units and assistance breathing with ventilators - medical devices now in high demand in some cities grappling with a surge of COVID-19 cases.

To quickly detect pneumonia -- and therefore better distinguish between COVID-19 patients likely to need more supportive care in the hospital and those who could be followed closely at home -- UC San Diego Health radiologists and other physicians are now using artificial intelligence (AI) to augment lung imaging analysis in a clinical research study enabled by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The new AI capability has so far provided UC San Diego Health physicians with unique insights into more than 2,000 images. In one case, a patient in Local News

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Albert Hsiao, MD, associate professor of radiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and radiologist at UC San Diego Health, and team developed a machine learning algorithm that allows radiologists to use AI to enhance their own abilities to spot pneumonia on chest X-rays. the Emergency Department who did not have any symptoms of COVID-19 underwent a chest X-ray for other reasons. Yet the AI readout of the X-ray indicated signs of early pneumonia, which was later confirmed by a radiologist. As a result, the patient was tested for COVID-19 and found to be positive for the illness.

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WITH FUD I don’t know who wrote this, but it’s beautiful...

We fell asleep in one world, and woke up in another.

Suddenly Disney is out of magic, Paris is no longer romantic, New York doesn’t stand up anymore, the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty.

Hugs & kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents & friends becomes an act of love.

Suddenly you realize that power, beauty & money are worthless, and can’t get you the oxygen you’re fighting for.

The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it’s sending us a message: “You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters.”

CREATIVE@LUMBRANDING.COM Operating a local independent business is seldom easy, and the events we are living through right now greatly amplify that fact.

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CONTRIBUTORS

C. CHRISTIE CRAIG TOM SHESS

BART MENDOZA JEN COBURN MANNY CRUZ JENNY WERTH VERONICA TALIA LILLY CHAI MERILEE KERN KINSEE MORLAN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR DAVID MUÑOZ CREATIVE@LUMBRANDING.COM

SOCIAL MEDIA MGMT NATALIE CARMICHAEL

FARIMA TABRIZI MARLISE KAST-MYERS RON DONOHO

PHOTOGRAPHY JIM CHILDERS FARIMA TABRIZI DAWN SEBAUGH NICKY INCANDELA

In addition to their personal challenges of living in isolation, unable to see family and friends; protecting, teaching and entertaining their children; and simply learning a new way of getting through each day - our neighborhood small business owners are, now vastly more than ever before, are “Living with FUD”.

What is FUD? Fear, Uncertainly and Doubt.

The FUD we face in 2020 in the form of a global pandemic and financial crisis has me, and all our neighborhood businesses concerned in many ways.

Still, I am confident in our ability to persevere as a nation, and as a community.

Our advertisers have found when a resident reaches into their mailbox and discovers a large size, full color publication with the name of their community prominently displayed and local information on the cover, they take it into their home, open it, and actually read it - taking notice of and supporting the participating local businesses inside. If you are looking to build your brand, grow your business and become a household name, Local Umbrella Media has you covered.

We have seen so much GOOD through all of this, neighbors helping neighbors in need, local citizen heroes stepping up - in addition to our Police, Firefighters, Doctors, nurses and so many more - going above and beyond to do what they can in the very special time of great need.

Although our income in our free publications, advertising from neighborhood businesses, has been reduced considerably, we will continue doing what we do in our “good news newspapers” - focusing on what makes our neighborhoods unique: our people, families, schools and businesses.

Our goal is to inform you and celebrate our neighbors and neighborhood businesses (with this issue’s special focus on our local healthcare heroes) to give you a break from the daily news, the chaos, and the FUD.

© 2020 CO PY R I G H T BY LO C A L U M B R E L L A M E D I A . A L L R I G H TS R E S E R V E D Local Umbrella Media Newspaper Publications are printed monthly and distributed freely throughout San Diego County. Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. Local Umbrella Media is not responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented the newspaper. Local Umbrella Media Newspaper Publications are produced and published by Local Umbrella Media, and no part of

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Disclaimer: Paid advertisements contained herein are not endorsed or recommended by publisher; therefore, publisher shall not be held liable for business practices of advertisers. Publisher not liable for images accepted in good faith.

It’s gotten us this far at Local Umbrella Media, reaching tens of thousands of households in over 30 San Diego area communities each month, and I’m confident it will carry us forward.

From our families to yours, thank you readers, thank you advertisers, for supporting your local newspaper.

Brad Weber Group Publisher

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APRIL 2020 9

SAN DIEGO COUNTY NEWS REBECCA VAN LOON JOINS SOLOMON WARD LAW FIRM AS A PARTNER

QUALCOMM NAMES HEATHER ACE AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

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With a nine-year practice focusing in the areas of estate planning, trust and probate administration and taxation law, Van Loon assists families and individuals with all aspects of estate planning, including wills, trusts, advance health care directives and financial powers of attorney. She also assists clients with estate, gift and property tax planning, including charitable gift planning.

Michelle Sterling, executive vice president of human resources who has worked at Qualcomm for 25 years, is retiring.

ebecca Van Loon has joined Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith LLPas a partner.

ualcomm Incorporated announced the appointment of Heather Ace as executive vice president of human resources.

She will join Qualcomm’s executive committee and report to Qualcomm CEO, Steven Mollenkopf.

A Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, Van Loon’s Rebecca Van Loon practice also incorporates international estate planning, as well as the representation of individuals, private professional fiduciaries and corporate trustees as fiduciaries through trust and estate administrations.

Prior to joining Solomon Ward, Van Loon was a shareholder at Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek.

Van Loon is a member of the State Bar of California and San Diego County Bar Association’s Trusts & Estates Taxation Sections, as well as the Lawyers Club of San Diego. She also serves on the San Diego Blood Bank Financial Resource Development Committee and is president of Gonzaga University’s Alumni Association.

Van Loon received her J.D., cum laude, from Willamette University College of Law, her LL.M in Taxation, magna cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law and her B.A., cum laude, from Gonzaga University.

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Ace brings nearly 20 years of human resources experience to Qualcomm, having served most recently as the chief human resources officer at Dexcom, a San Diegobased medical device company.

Heather Ace At Dexcom, she was a member of the executive leadership team and led all aspects of HR. She also worked closely with the board of directors and compensation committee, and played a key role in aligning the executive leadership team on companywide strategic priorities and operational planning and execution.

Throughout her career, Ace has held a variety of leadership positions overseeing HR, communications, mergers and acquisitions and transformational change initiatives. Prior to Dexcom, Ace served as the EVP of global HR at Orexigen Therapeutics, the business integration leader for Royal Philips’ HealthTech acquisition of Volcano Corporation, the EVP of global HR at Volcano Corporation, and held various HR executive roles at Life Technologies.

POLITICAL WATCHDOG AGENCY INVESTIGATING USE OF CHARITIES

BY STATE LEGISLATORS

by E m

ily Hoev en | C alMatters

Illustration by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters. Elements via iStock

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ollowing a CalMatters investigation, California’s political watchdog agency is rethinking the laws permitting elected officials to solicit donations to nonprofits controlled by them, their relatives or their staff, CalMatters’ Laurel Rosenhall reports.

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One Fair Political Practices Commissioner said she’s concerned about the potential for “self dealing” and politicians using charitable contributions to subsidize their lifestyles.

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CalMatters previously found that an Alameda County assemblyman helped raise $588,000 for organizations that employed his wife by soliciting donations to nonprofits she worked for and to his own foundation that in turn loaned $25,000 to his wife’s employer. Experts say it was legal.

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10 APRIL 2020

WEBPAGE CREATED TO SUPPORT AND INFORM TENANTS IN NEED OF EVICTION PROTECTION

City of San Diego COVID-19 Temporary Ban on Evictions To help San Diego residents who are experiencing financial hardships due to COVID-19 pandemic, the San Diego City Council on March 25, 2020, adopted a temporary ban on evictions in the City of San Diego related to COVID-19.

This means that landlords cannot take action to evict a tenant for not paying rent that was due on or after March 12, 2020, if the tenant is not able to pay because of the financial effects of COVID-19.

The temporary ban on evictions lasts until May 31, 2020, unless the City Council takes action to extend it.

Two days after the City Council action, California Governor Gavin Newsom on March 27, 2020, also ordered a statewide temporary ban on evictions:

Requirement for Tenants A tenant must notify their landlord in writing that they are not able to pay their rent in a timely manner because of COVID-19. (Email and text communication are valid forms of written notice.)

This written notice must be provided to the landlord on or before the date the rent is due.

GEORGETTE GÓMEZ

W

orking closely with City Council President Georgette Gómez, the San Diego Housing Commission has created a page on its website that provides information to residents and small businesses on how to avoid eviction through the City’s temporary eviction moratorium.

The City Council enacted the moratorium during a special meeting on March 25, providing relief to residential renters and commercial lease holders who are unable to make rent or lease payments due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The moratorium will be in place until May 31. Tenants have six months from March 25 to make any unpaid payments. Landlords may seek payment of rent but may not evict tenants who qualify for relief.

“Step one was putting the moratorium in place,” Gómez said. “Step two is making sure residents and small businesses know what they need to do to be protected by it. I’m grateful to the Housing Commission for working with me to launch a webpage that provides answers to all of the questions. I also want to recognize 2-1-1 San Diego’s efforts to support our community with critical information and resources (211sandiego.org).”

The moratorium passed the City Council with the support of Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

“San Diegans shouldn’t have to worry about losing their home of storefront during this public health emergency, and now relief is here,” Faulconer said.

“The City has put this temporary eviction moratorium in place and directed millions of dollars to help small businesses stay afloat and keep San Diegans employed. These are two ways San Diego is stepping up to help those most affected. I applaud the City Council, City Attorney and City staff for taking quick action to help our community.”

The webpage details tenants’ responsibilities, such as the burden to notify landlords, in writing, by the day the rent is due, that they are unable to make the payment, as well as the burden to provide documentation of income loss due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It also provides links to a FAQ sheet, which includes information for landlords, and sample tenant letters to landlords in English and Spanish, with Vietnamese, and Somali translations coming soon.

“Communication of accurate information is essential as San Diegans cope with the challenges COVID-19 has created,” San Diego Housing Commission president and CEO Richard C. Gentry said. “The Housing Commission is pleased to partner with the City of San Diego to raise awareness of the temporary ban on evictions by making this page available on our website, along with additional information about COVID-19. I thank Council President Georgette Gómez for her leadership on this issue, as well as Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the entire City Council for their support of initiatives like this to help San Diego families in this difficult time.”

The website can be found at sdhc.org/evictionban

Within one week of providing this notice to the landlord, the tenant must provide the landlord with documents or objectively verifiable information that the tenant is unable to pay rent because of the financial effects of COVID-19. (Examples of documentation: note or letter from employer regarding tenant’s loss or substantial reduction in employment; payroll records showing substantial loss of income due to COVID-19; bank statements that illustrate a drop in income; or other documentation that proves that tenant has not been generating the same level of income due to COVID-19. A tenant may also show substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses related to COVID-19.)

If a tenant does not provide the required documents/information within one week, a landlord may pursue an enforcement action that is allowed by state or local laws.

If a tenant moves while the City of San Diego’s temporary ban on evictions is in effect, all rent owed is due when the tenant moves out, unless the lease says this will be handled differently.

Tenants who are protected from evictions by the City of San Diego’s Ordinance have up to six months from the date the ordinance is effective (March 25, 2020 – September 25, 2020) or the date Governor Newsom’s executive order is withdrawn, whichever occurs soonest, to pay their landlords all unpaid rent.

Financial effects may result because of COVID-19 or any governmental response to COVID-19, including public health orders. These effects may include: Substantial decrease in household income (residential tenant) or business income (commercial tenant) due to a business closing Loss of work or hours of work Substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses Tenants’ Rights Tenants who have questions about their legal rights or pending eviction actions may call: • Legal Aid Society of San Diego (877) 534-2524 – www.lassd.org • Legal Aid Society Fact Sheet Tenants Legal Center (858) 571-7100 The ordinance adopted by the City Council states that the protections the ordinance provides may be used as an affirmative defense in any unlawful detainer action through which a landlord may try to evict a tenant.

Timeline

March 12, 2020: Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer declares a local state of emergency due to COVID-19.

March 16, 2020: California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that authorized local governments to halt evictions in their jurisdictions for residents affected by COVID-19.

March 16, 2020: City Council President Georgette Gómez calls for emergency action to temporarily ban evictions related to the financial effects of COVID-19.

March 17, 2020: Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and City Council President Georgette Gómez announce plans to take action to temporarily ban evictions.

March 17, 2020: The City Council passes resolutions ratifying the Mayor’s March 12, 2020, declaration of a local emergency and directing the Mayor to present to the City Council a temporary ban on residential and commercial evictions during the local emergency due to COVID-19.

March 18, 2020: Effective on this date, SDHC will not evict any residents at the affordable rental housing properties it owns or manages due to nonpayment of rent because of financial effects of COVID-19. SDHC’s action will remain in effect until the end of the City of San Diego’s temporary ban on evictions related to COVID-19.

March 25, 2020: The City Council unanimously adopts an ordinance temporarily banning evictions due to nonpayment of rent because of financial affects of COVID-19.

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APRIL 2020 11

COVID ARTISTS PANDEMIC ART GRAMMY MUSICIANS GREETING CARDS POSTERS POSTCARDS

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson The network of artists has grown to include artists who have done work for The Beatles, Pharrell Williams, Chris Stapleton, Metallica, Marvel, Disney, Pixar, Adidas and many more outlets.

ART BY HE CREATIVE / SKU: PO19V1-048

l Cerrito artist Michael Buchmiller, creative director at El Cajon-based Graphic Business Solutions, Inc., created an artist-led effort to provide economic relief for artists and musicians during the world-wide coronavirus pandemic.

The project is titled EraseCOVID, featuring works by local and well-known creative talents.

La Mesa’s McHank is known to some for his printmaking classes held near Mission Trails, The Trails Eatery, to name just one of his many projects.

When asked how EraseCOVID pandemic artwork compared to the pandemic art produced during the time of the Spanish influenza (roughly 100-years-ago) Buchmiller drew this point of observation: “It (paintings such as Norwegian Edvard Munch’s self-portrait) depicts the reality of the tragedy of the pandemic,” he said. “What we do is try to inform and minimize its potential.”

But EraseCOVID is not only about raising money for artists and musicians, who have also become charity partners with the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. The creators also supply artworks that reflect messages, such as washing your hands or staying home, that are informational and aim toward minimizing the spread of covid19.

Buchmiller’s own path to becoming a well-known graphic artist who has done numerous album covers and posters for bands such as Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, The Replacements and Social Distortion changed. An English major who wanted to

ART BY ERIC HINKLEY / SKU:PO19V1-016

Artwork by Michael Buchmiller

ART BY ©HOWELL EDWARDS CREATIVE

Their website bills it in part as “Public Safety Art You’ll Want To Own.” Art patrons get pandemic artwork for their money, including some by prominent artists.

Postcards, posters, and greeting cards with specific pandemic-related instructions such as washing your hands or staying at home or wearing masks emphasize elements of preventing the further spread of COVID and helping to “flatten the curve.”

Michael Buchmiller

Buchmiller noted the messages will evolve as the pandemic unfolds in different ways.

“As of this moment there are 56 artists from 7 countries,” said Buchmiller via a phone interview on how many are active in the campaign. “Every day I wake up to a full inbox.” More and more artists are expressing interest in the project.

Buchmiller, a graduate of SDSU, lives with wife Rachel Bradley, a tv producer for UC-TV located on UCSD’s campus, and both are working out of their home during this time of a mandatory lockdown.

Who are some of the artists currently signed up?

Artists such as Scott Sugiuchi who was doing pandemic based art in his own right, has teamed up with Buchmiller. Others range from La Mesa resident mixed-media artist McHank, TV show Yo! Gabba Gabba’s art director Parker Jacobs, Ace of Cakes’ Elena Fox, Grammy® nominated designer Jesse LeDoux,v tattoo artist/designer Evie Yapelli (aka Show Pigeon) and PBS/PBS Kids art director Chris Bishop to name a few.

ART BY ©E. HINKLEY

write, he switched to graphic design. The music publication he started had artists in need of graphic designs for ads. That led into a whole new direction doing graphic design.

His pandemic art combines the safety information from the CDC and World Health Organization with world-class design sensibilities.

How do the nuts and bolts of placing and receiving your order go?

“Prints are going to be done in 1 -3 days,“ explained Buchmiller. “Transit time is 1 -5 days.”

Profits will be split evenly between the artists, the printer, and the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

They offer free shipping on all orders.

To buy art that supports other artists and may become collectible art pieces in their own right, visit: www.erasecovid.com

ART BY ©ELENA FOX

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E

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12 APRIL 2020

On The Front Lines Of The Coronavirus Crisis San Diego Medical Professionals Talk About Fear, Commitment And What It’s Like To Battle Covid-19

By Ron Donoh o These days it might take 10 minutes to suit up in Personal Protective Equipment before a hospital shift.

Then comes a 12-hour day of administering to contagious patients suffering from a deadly sickness for which there is currently no known cure.

After working a strenuous half day—while also striving to maintain morale—a doctor or nurse may need up to half an hour to get out of that PPE gear and wash up before heading home. Such is the reality brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Medical professionals at local hospitals are at the front lines of this battle. They bravely do their jobs while readily admitting to the fear of catching the virus.

What’s it like in the trenches?

Here are firsthand accounts from three San Diego professionals: Dr. Paul Dohrenwend from Kaiser Permanente San Diego; Andrei Urcikan, RN, from Sharp Grossmont Hospital; and Dr. Shawn Evans from Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

All graciously donated precious time off from their posts to talk about the new medical reality.

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fter a nighttime shift near the beginning of the medical response to the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Paul Dohrenwend was reflective. The assistant chief of emergency medicine at Kaiser Permanente San Diego glanced at the clock. It was 1 p.m. and he was wide awake. He pondered whether to watch some TV or try to fall asleep.

A nurse he has known for some time was also ending her shift. She looked tired. “In 18 years,” she said to Dohrenwend, “I never felt the need to take a shower in the staff locker room so I could feel safe to go home.”

Welcome to the COVID-19 Era.

Instead of watching Ozark or seeking slumber, Dohrenwend decided to write down some of his thoughts. Those words became an editorial that ran in The Wall Street Journal. It was published on National Doctors Day. “Earlier, [that nurse] was at the bedside in a negative pressure room, wearing a powered air-purifying respirator as she helped intubate a possible coronavirus patient who’d crashed,” he wrote. The precaution and gear make the work feel more dangerous.”

The nurse asked, “Will that equipment be enough to keep the virus out of my body?”

Dohrenwend believes nurses are the underappreciated heroes of the coronavirus crisis. As another nurse checked in for a shift, she said to him, “I’m anxious for the first time in my life. I’m usually the face of calm. I tell family members of patients, ‘Look at my face, when this face gets worried, then you worry.”

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As a member of the local Kaiser team, Dohrenwend works at both the San Diego Medical Center in Kearney Mesa and the hospital in Mission Gorge, which most refer to as the Zion (Street) facility.

Married, with DR. PAUL DOHRENWEND five kids aged 9 to 16, Dohrenwend is also balancing the needs of patients with those of his family. His reports that the kids are pretty happy to be released from the structure of being in school.

His wife, Donica, is a psychologist and is curious about how he’s coping. “She asks me if I feel at risk, and how stressful the workplace is,” Dohrenwend says.

Sure, there is stress. “But we are working with a general sense of precaution and awareness,” he says. “This situation puts you in more of a fight-or-flight mode—more than usual. It’s a real thing. It’s palpable. Everyone has a different tolerance level.”

Above all else, however, he is inspired by the people he works with. “Some people are less excited about this than others—but I see many people rushing in to do the job,” he says. “By and large, the attitude I see is one of ‘This is what we signed up to do.’”

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A

native of Czechoslovakia, Andrei Urcikan has been a medical professional for 17 years in Canada and at several locations in Southern California.

Now he’s a registered nurse in the Sharp Grossmont Hospital Emergency Department, where he was the January 2020 Employee of the Month.

the problem while trying to be compassionate, but we also limit the time of each visit.”

He says over the course of a 12-hour shift each nurse might go back to check on four or five patents a hundred times—while

“This has brought a lot of anxiety,” Urcikan says. “We don’t know who among us is going to get sick. I speak for most of my co-workers—it’s in the back of our minds. We worry more than usual about this.”

Urcikan watches the news on television and sees how bad the situation was in places like Italy and in New York City.

Those spots were hit hard with sickness and death. “We know we’re not in condition like they were in Italy—but we worry that could happen here.”

T

he coronavirus crisis is a lifeshaping event on the same level as the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and ’90s, and the 1998 H1N1 endemic, says Dr. Shawn Evans.

The long-tenured director of resuscitation at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla recalls that all three carried the fear of a virus spreading to healthcare workers.

He notes that the whole region— including San Diegans who selfquarantine and practice social distancing—are also part of the fight. Rosie the Riveter, if you will.

Everybody has a part to play, says Evans, and all who pitch in by

Evans believes defense against pandemics requires a concerted, military-style response. “With AIDS, that was more like a long, spread out situation—like the war in Afghanistan,” he says.

“Coronavirus is more like the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The United States had to make a radical shift right away.”

ANDREI URCIKAN, RN also covering for other nurses’ patients.

He says the stress that goes with being at the forefront of a medical defense team derives from the unknowns he faces every day. “You never know how the day will go,” Urcikan says.

Urcikan calls upon a mindover-matter philosophy to get through each shift. “I tell myself: You won’t get sick. You won’t get sick.”

He appreciates the sentiment expressed by Dr. Dohrenwend in his Wall Street Journal piece about nurses being frontlines heroes.

He takes 2,000 milligrams of Vitamin C. And he stays hydrated. Nonetheless, it’s the mantra that gives him the most confidence. “I’m not gonna get it,” he says. “I say this to myself and I say it to my co-workers.”

“Yes, nurses—and respiratory therapists—are the one who spend the most time with patients,” Urcikan says. “We’re wearing masks and gowns, yes, but the thing is all that beeping all day—from monitors and ventilators and patients pushing their buttons for help. We fix

He’s resolute and determined.

“If one of us gets sick, we’ll take care of each other,” Urcikan says. “We’ll provide the best care we can for everybody— and we’ll work until this thing is over.”

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The Scripps presence in San Diego includes five hospitals and 28 outpatient centers. Like a wartime effort, the COVID-19 response (supplies, staffing, etc.) is run from a central command in University City near the La Jolla Hospital.

“Luckily, San Diego is not at a surge capacity with the virus,” Evans says. “But if that were to happen, we’d be ready. We have the processes and the choreography ready to go.

When needed, we will be a wellmechanized fighting force.”

Evans says now more than ever, medical professionals have become a civilian Band Of Brothers. “There’s anxiety, sure, but we come to work as a team and we protect each other as a team,” he says.

DR. SHAWN EVANS following the rules are helping the front-lines medical staff.

He somberly recalls a recent day when a patient on the brink of death couldn’t have relatives come to the ward, due to quarantine restrictions.

“As sad as it was, the family respected the rule that they had to stay away,” he says. “And so, we were there with the patient. We held her hand as she passed. She wasn’t alone.…It’s a moment that will always stick with me.”

Evans pauses. “These are dire times,” he says. “But we’re committed to fighting. We will ride this out.”

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14 APRIL 2020

CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC

BY NASSIR AZIMI, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FASNC

These are indeed trying times.

The corona virus or COVID-19 pandemic did seem to come from nowhere and hit our society and my colleagues in healthcare by surprise.

No one can say for sure about the exact etiology of this strain of the corona virus but it is a fact that the Wuhan Province of China is where the first case was reported. As we work through the dust cloud of the pandemic and as we heal as a society, we will definitely gain more understanding of this specific virus.

In the meanwhile, I will share some facts that go with the COVID-19 story.

What Is a Virus? A virus is a submicroscopic genetic material contained within an organic particle. There is constant debate on whether these are living organisms or not. They are deemed to be in between chemistry and biology. They invade living cells and uses their host’s metabolic processes to produce a new generation of viral particles. There are different ways that viruses can achieve this. Some insert their genetic material into the host’s DNA, where it can sit in wait until it’s translated at a later date. As the host cell replicates itself, it can make new viruses. They can also replicate within cells and then burst the host cell as they increase in numbers—a so called lytic cycle.

When we deal with the winter season and get symptoms of a cold, there are actually numerous viruses that can give us similar symptoms. The common cold can be realted to rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, and others.

are examples of DNA viruses, which force the host to transcribe its genome into RNA on entry.

There are lots of known virus and likely infinitely more unknown viruses. Many of the viruses e.g. the Corona 19 virus were mainly amongst other species e.g. bats. Normally humans would not be infected or exposed.

But it is thought that it was ingestion of an infected creature, in this case an infected bat that led to the infection of a human and then it was passed human to human across the globe by now.

It is also important to understand that because there is often replication of DNA or RNA, there can be often mutations or changes that lead to the same virus but change in structure such that treatments and vaccines may not be as effective.

What do we know about the COVID-19 virus itself? The COVID-19 virus is from the corona viral family. Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses with a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome and “shell” with helical symmetry. Their genome size is the largest among known RNA viruses. Because of its appearance with a “halo” or crown it is called corona meaning crown. They cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, coronaviruses tend to cause respiratory tract infections that can be mild, such as some cases of the common cold. But other strains can be lethal, such as SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. The actual effect of the virus on different species can vary. In chickens, they cause an upper respiratory tract disease, while in cows and pigs they cause diarrhea.

How Big Are Viruses? Virus comes from a Latin word meaning poison. This was mainly because they could not capture or image them with the technologies available at the time. We have since learned that the particles can range in size from a few nanometers to a couple of micrometers.

What can we do? We can remain calm and follow instructions. Viruses are submicroscopic and thus invisible. We know it is transmitted from person to person via microscopic droplets that can travel across the air. We know that by touching objects contaminated by the virus, we can then transmit the particles to our own face and body and end up ingesting it.

One has to have some basic biochemistry knowledge in order to understand viral molecules and their replications. They can encode in a variety of ways. Some are RNA and some are DNA. Some are single stranded and others are double stranded. Rotaviruses are based on a double strand of RNA, for example. Coronaviruses have a single strand of RNA, which is ‘positive sense’ meaning it can be translated directly into new proteins.

Influenza has negative sense RNA, meaning it needs an extra transcribing step before it can make proteins. Smallpox and herpes viruses

Once it enters us it uses our own cellular machinery to replicates itself and then mainly infects our lungs and airways. However, there are concerns that it can cause clotting in the smallest of the blood vessels (capillaries) and also can cause inflammation in organs such as the heart. It can affect the brain, etc.

However, the majority that gets serious severe illness, it is through the respiratory tract and progressive pneumonia and respiratory failure.

Young and old are susceptible with the elderly and those with known condition such as lung disease, heart disease, autoimmune disease,

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NASSIR AZIMI, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FASNC CHIEF OF CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE-SHARP GROSSMONT HOSPITAL Board Certified in Internal Medicine Board Certified Cardiology, Board Certified Nuclear cardiology Board Certified interventional cardiology etc. having higher risk of complication and death. Males have twice the risk of females for death.

Many are walking around in denial and saying look this is like the common cold or the flu. It is true that the flu has killed more people thus far than the corona virus. However, this does not mean do not protect yourself from either entity neither! It means Be Careful.

People are looking to point fingers at someone to blame. Unfortunately, nature is to blame. Crowdedness is to blame. However, the greatest blame is the lack of self-restraint that many have demonstrated. Even after the stay order by the governor, people were out and about.

Bars in Tennessee refused to close after the order was in place. Numerous “social influencers” disobeyed orders or photographed themselves doing idiotic acts such as licking toilet seats, etc. Some of them got the infection and are now “sorry.” Teenagers went to the beaches of Fla for Spring Break after their schools were cancelled to avoid crowdedness and transmission. This very nature of the irresponsible behavior by many amongst us led to widespread transmission.

So when doctors, nurses, teaches, governors and others tell you stay home, “flatten the curve!”, please listen. This may not be a matter of life and death for you but it could be for the person (possibly a loved one—and not necessarily an elderly one) to whom you

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Content provided by the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation

MISSION TRAILS

THE ORIGINS OF MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK:1960-1985

By Liz Doroski, MTRP Volunteer

MTRP Task Force and Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) members with community representatives at the May 17, 1980 ceremony officially designating the park Mission Trails Regional Park. L-R: Art Kohrmann, Francis Leatherman, Jo Reilly Cummings, Dorothy Leonard, Supervisor Roger Hedgecock, Sharon Murphy, Mike Pent (CAC Chair), Councilmember Larry Sterling (Task Force Chair), Dick Murphy, Richard Teague, unknown, Hank Wilson, Woody Miller.

Signs were placed at the park entrance at Mission Gorge Road and Father Junipero Serra Trail in January 1985.

H

ow fortunate we are to have an urban oasis like Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) to call our “backyard.” Park users—including those who experience our Visitor and Interpretive Center—often marvel at how lucky we are that the park exists at all, in its beautiful natural state, and wonder how the park came to be. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of MTRP’s iconic Visitor and Interpretive Center, and we are celebrating the milestone by providing an overview of the history of the park to readers over this year. In this way, we can share the timeline of events that made the park a reality, and salute those dedicated individuals in our local community who were integral to ensuring Mission Trails’ existence.

It was 60 years ago that what is now Mission Trails Regional Park began as a glimmer of an idea. In 1960, the San Diego City Planning Department outlined a plan for an approximately 1,765- acre park to include the most dramatic areas of Mission Gorge, Old Mission Dam, and the entire Fortuna Mountain ridge. Sparking this proposal was the federal government’s decision to release 1,220 acres of the proposed park land as surplus real property. This land had been added to the City as part of the Camp Elliott annexation and was purchased by the City at a nominal cost. In addition to this land that had served as a military training area,

375 City-owned acres and 140 acres controlled by the Cuyamaca Water Company would be included in the park. However, it would be more than a decade before the County of San Diego would release its first definitive plan of the proposed regional park’s land use and design.

In 1974, park promoters successfully formalized the acquisition of Cowles Mountain, which was under imminent threat of private development. The County provided $2.2 million to purchase Cowles Mountain and the City purchased a one- half undivided interest. This acquisition led to a jointly sponsored area consisting of Fortuna Mountain, Cowles Mountain, and Lake Murray, aligning with the “one diverse park” concept in the City’s 1960 proposal. The next step was to enter into a master planning process that began in 1975 and culminated in the presentation of the final Master Plan in March 1977. Once the Master Plan was accepted, there was still one more bureaucratic hoop to jump through: an Environmental Impact Report, which was completed and certified by the City Council in March 1979. It truly reflected a process where both the land and the public were heard.

In 1979, what was originally called the “Lake Murray, Cowles and Fortuna Mountain Regional Park” was renamed “Mission Trails Regional Park” to better

reflect the area’s historic connection to the San Diego Mission, the historic Old Mission Dam, and the flume.

A ceremony to dedicate the park was held at the base of Cowles Mountain in May 1980, and a small Mission Trails Regional Park sign was placed on the site. An endowment fund with The San Diego Foundation was established in 1985 for the benefit of Mission Trails Regional Park, which still exists to generate education and outreach opportunities.

On January 17, 1985, the MTRP Task Force, comprised of elected officials, unanimously approved the Master Development Plan 1985, and forwarded it to the City Council and Board of Supervisors for consideration and adoption. On April 29, 1985, the San Diego City Council adopted the Mission Trails Regional Park Master Development Plan by Resolution No. R-263065.

On June 11, 1985, the Plan was approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

With the leadership, vision, and determination of so many individuals over the last 60 years, Mission Trails Regional Park has flourished, becoming a sanctuary for native plants and wildlife, as well as a much needed place for people to escape urban living for a moment and reconnect to the nature that surrounds us. Thank you to all who have made Mission Trails Regional Park a reality.

Mission Trails Regional Park Closed Until Further Notice In line with County of San Diego guidelines to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, all City of San Diego Parks and Recreation facilities, trails, and amenities are CLOSED until further notice. This includes the entirety of Mission Trails Regional Park, including Cowles Mountain, all trails, parking lots, and restrooms; Lake Murray; Kumeyaay Lake Campground; and the Visitor and Interpretive Center. All regularly scheduled volunteer work crews, programs, and events at Mission Trails Regional Park are also cancelled until further notice. For updates, please visit www.mtrp.org.

Support Mission Trails

Don’t forget Mission Trails when you make your donations!

Support the park by making a gift at www.mtrp.org

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20 APRIL 2020

WHY WE MUST SUPPORT

SMALL BUSINESS

By Debra Rosen, President/ C eo North S an Dieg o Business C h am ber

T

hey say, the backbone of our country is made up of small business and many don’t understand what that means.

It takes strong commerce to build vibrant communities and neighborhoods rely on local tax dollars for those vibrant communities. Neighborhoods also rely on local business to provide funding support for their sports teams, charities, nonprofits and many school programs. What no one ever thought about is, what if we are hit with a pandemic that impacted these local businesses and the effect it would have on our neighborhoods.

No one ever predicted, expected or prepared for the crisis that hit us hard and fast and has forced businesses to close, employees to lose jobs and our worlds being turned upside down. COVID-19, is here and is having a major and unprecedented economic impact both globally and locally.

While the COVID-19 has a direct impact on the physical health of the people in our region it has also taken its toll on the economic health and vibrancy of San Diego. We are seeing businesses and organizations forced to shut their doors to limit the spread of the virus on a level never seen before.

Legislators in Sacramento continue to add to the long list of restrictions to communities in an effort to better protect all of us. Mandates have been implemented in San Diego County with stay at home orders for almost everyone. Restaurants have been forced to close their doors to everything except for takeout. Bars,

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breweries, coffee shops, wineries and all other businesses that are not classified essential, have all been closed until the end of April.

With everyone being mandated to stay home, the engagement of customers with local business has almost all been cut off with the exception of dining take out and essential shopping. Additionally, almost all travel has come to a halt which is particularly damaging to San Diego considering how important tourism is to our economy. At the end of the day, all of the lost revenue impacts everyone in the region.

As a regional Chamber of Commerce, we are hearing directly from members how damaging COVID-19 has been to their business. Events have been cancelled entirely, putting businesses that rely on the contracts from events in danger. Employees are being laid off and furloughed because of the shutdowns and this has economically taxed their wages and their ability to care for families and responsibilities.

The Chamber recently had to reschedule a large event of our own, San Diego Women’s Week. While it was scheduled for March 16-20, it has been rescheduled to August 24-28th. While the Chamber is not the only one having to cancel, reschedule or postpone events, this is being done globally and having a huge loss of revenue which is tied to lost jobs and wages. As a result of rescheduling Women’s Week, we had to postpone the work for ten separate small businesses, AV crews, florists, caterers, movers, and

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many others. Events provide a critical revenue stream for many small businesses and that is often their main source of revenue to carry the company or organization.

Employers aren’t the only ones who are feeling pressured as a result of COVID-19, employees also have their own unique challenges as well. Families with children are now tasked with finding childcare while they are working. If they are now working remote or usually work from home, they will have to balance caring for their children and remain a productive employee or, again, turn to outside help.

Business closures and lack of revenues lead to staff hours being cut, or worse yet, staff being laid off. This will impact all business as there are no dollars to spend and the community will be holding back to provide for their families during this unprecedented situation.

in public places. While this is great to avoid spreading COVID-19, it has a major impact to the overall health of the region.

When we purchase goods online only a fraction of the sales tax stays local, whereas shopping with small businesses means a marginally larger percent of that sales tax stays within our community to be reinvested on local projects.

For small businesses, now more than ever, it is critical that they become innovative and find different ways to connect with consumers. Utilizing technology will be paramount to the success of businesses going forward. Following this crisis, we will see a permanent shift and a new normal in the way that business is done.

Below is an quote that was taken from an excerpt and appropriate to end this message on.

When the Corona Virus finally exhausts itself and the danger is finally over, lets While we know how this virus can directly do something good for our country. Lets spend our vacation in the U.S.A, eat in impact us in the short-term, what we local restaurants, buy American made don’t know is the long-term effect that products, buy local meats and veggies will be felt within our communities. and support local business. These businesses are going to find it very difficult to When businesses, organizations, and get back on their feet and survive without citizens stop spending money, all comour help. They are suffering badly now, munities and businesses will suffer. A our products are some of the best in the community’s tax base is grown through world and our country is one of the most the revenue generated by the sales tax. beautiful.

When you spend money locally the tax base grows and is then reinvested to fund projects like road repairs and school improvements.

We have seen a dramatic spike in online purchasing to avoid contact with people

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APRIL 2020 21

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22 APRIL 2020

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BITES

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APRIL 2020 23

P K UP UIC PICKP

Many restaurants remain open with reduced staff and increased health protocols to service the community and to weather these very challenging times. To aid in the communication of dynamic changes in the industry, Local Umbrella Media is a resource for san diegans to find restaurants that are currently still open and offering food for pick-up and/or delivery.

Landini’s Pizza, Little Italy pick-up and third-party delivery only at little italy location. in-house orders for local deliveries within little italy are available; call 619.238.3502. liberty station location is closed. (liberty public market is closed until further notice.) landinispizzeria.com Las Olas Mexican Restaurant, Carlsbad And Cardiff pick-up only. call in order ahead. hours may vary. 10% off all food items. margaritas, beer and wine in sealed containers are available with food purchases. catering services via curbside pick-up also available. lasolasmex.com/index.html Little Cakes Cupcake Kitchen, Vista take-out and curbside pick-up. free next day delivery within 10 mile radius; call for details. email info@ littlecakeskitchen.com or call in for orders. vista location closed during the weekdays starting march 30; open on weekends. bakeries inside of gelson’s markets in la costa and del mar will stay open. littlecakeskitchen.com Lobster West, All Locations online ordering available at encinitas location only. carlsbad and coronado locations closed as of march 23. lobsterwest.com Lotus Café & Juice Bar, Encinitas take-out and delivery only. lotuscafeandjuicebar.com Love Boat Sushi, Oceanside And San Marcos take-out and delivery only. phone, online or in-person take-out orders (not delivery) receive 10% off with coupon (see facebook page). loveboatsushi.com Mama’s ‘N Papa’s Pizza Grotto, Vista pick-up and delivery only. order by phone or online. mamanpapaspizza.com Meadiocrity Mead, San Marcos to-go only. growlers available (new grower fee waived) as well as bottles and local honey. modified wednesday-sunday hours; closed monday and tuesday. check

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facebook page for menu. meadiocritymead.com Mendocino Farms, La Jolla And Del Mar pick-up for online and phone orders, as well as catering and third-party delivery. la jolla and del mar locations open; carlsbad and downtown san diego locations closed. check website for updated location hours and closures. mendocinofarms.com Mikko Sushi, All Locations take-out and delivery only. beer and sake available to buy with any food order. locations in carlsbad, vista and escondido. check website for adjusted hours and updates. mikkosushi.com Mustangs & Burros, La Jolla to-go menu, drinks and produce bags available for curbside pick-up. see the full menu online. meritagecollection.com/estancia-lajolla/dining/mustangs-and-burros

Helia Brewing Co., Vista pick-up and delivery only. open for pick-ups and delivery monday through friday, 3 to 6 p.m. all orders need to be pre-ordered (and prepaid online with credit card) through direct message (@heliabeer), text message 760.274.4968 heliabeer.com Hooked On Sushi, Encinitas And Carlsbad take-out only. closed sunday. see website for each location’s adjusted business hours. beer and cold sake are now available to-go. hookedonsushi.co Iron Fist Brewing, Vista And Barrio Logan to-go only. kegs, cans, bottles and growlers are available from vista location only. both tasting rooms in vista and barrio logan are temporarily closed. ironfistbrewing.com

kisrestaurant.com/ Lamppost Pizza, Vista to-go only. see website for menu. diy pizza kits offered (while supplies last), as well as four-pack beers and new growlers (growler fee waived). hours may change daily; call 760.407.7600 to confirm. lamppostpizzavista.gimmegrub.com Baps Restaurant, Escondido open for curbside, pickup and delivery. bapsrestaurant.com Battlemage Brewing, Vista online crowler sales available with curbside pickup. battlemagebrewing.com Birdseye Kitchen, Encinitas take-out and phone orders only. call ahead at 760.479.0488. birdseyekitchen.com

Isabelle Briens French Pastry Cafe, Encinitas take-out only. pre-order by phone at 760.942.7891. ibcafe.com

Bump Coffee, Cardiff By The Sea grab-and-go only. limited menu: hot and cold coffee, bags of coffee, and empanadas. drinkbumpcoffee.com

Napizza, Encinitas And Little Italy pick-up, delivery or catering only. call in or order online. na-pizza.com

Jacked Up Brewery, Escondido to-go only. kegs (multiple sizes) and $5 cans of beer available. call 760.300.0633 for questions. jackedupbrewery.com

Burger Bench, Escondido take-out and curbside pick-up only. limited hours; no breakfast available at this time. burgerbench.com

Cesarina, Ocean Beach take-out and delivery only. order online. 100 percent of proceeds will be given to employees. cesarinarestaurant.com

Jojo’s Creamery, Encinitas pick-up and delivery only during modified shop hours. closed mondays. order online or by phone. jojoscreamery.com

California Homemades, Escondido to-go menu only. order online or by phone. preparation time is 25 minutes. prepacked soups and salads are also available. californiahomemades.com

H Brothers, Escondido open for take-out during temporary hours, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. call ahead at 442.999.5542. closed sunday and monday. hbrothers.net

Jorge’s Mexicatessen, Encinitas (Two Locations) take-out only at both encinitas locations. phone orders accepted; call at new number 760.452.2535. facebook.com/jorgesmexicatessen

Cava, All Locations online ordering and pick-up only. locations in del mar, encinitas and la jolla. cava.com

Hacienda De Vega, Rancho Santa Fe And Carlsbad pick-up and delivery only. family meals are available; $29 for twoperson dinner and $49 for fourperson dinner. haciendadevega.com

Kai Ola Sushi, Encinitas 15% off to-go and curbside pick-up orders. call ahead at 760.452.2493. see website for full menu. kai-ola.com

nado republic, coronado take-out only. 15% off all orders. menu available online. nadorep.com

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Chiko, Encinitas take-out and delivery only. family dinner specials available. chikoca.com

Visit Us Online To Browse More Open Local Dining Spots!

Ki’s Restaurant, Leucadia to-go only. order online or call ahead Churchill’s Pub & Grille, San Marat 760.436.5236. cos More At LocalUmbrellaNews.com/TakeOutLocal

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24 APRIL 2020

AS CALIFORNIANS STAY HOME, AIR QUALITY IMPROVES FOR NOW

By J ulie C art | C alm atters

The global coronavirus pandemic has inadvertently achieved what state officials have sought to do for decades: Californians have parked their cars.

Freeways and highways are clear. And the constant burn of fossil fuels has been markedly diminished.

MORE THAN 86 PERCENT OF BUSINESSES IN SAN DIEGO EXPECT TO SEE REVENUE LOSSES. San Diego small businesses, and those in food, beverage, and tourism, hardest hit by coronavirus San Diego County small businesses, and businesses in the food and beverage and tourism industries, are suffering the greatest impact of the COVID-19 crisis, with the highest losses, expected layoffs, and closures, according to an economic impact survey on the San Diego economy. More than 86 percent of businesses in San Diego, the survey said, expect to see revenue losses.

In 642 responses to a survey of regional businesses launched March 19 by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center, it is clear that the forced closure of several non-essential businesses is affecting whole industries and hundreds of thousands of workers, according to the organizations.

“While the exact impact remains to be seen, we know that social distancing - while essential for public health - is disrupting economic activity across the San Diego region.”

Three Trends Stood Out Based On What Employers Reported During The First Two Weeks Of Surveying: • Impacts are concentrated by industry. Of the 360 employers planning to reduce staff, 80 percent are in the food and beverage or tourism industries.

• Impacts are immediate. Nearly 94 percent of employers anticipating staffing reductions and two-thirds of those expecting revenue declines expect those hits within 30 days.

• Impacts disproportionately affect small businesses. Employers with annual revenues below $1 million anticipate average losses in income of nearly 70 percent, compared with an average loss of 51 percent for businesses earning more than $1 million annually.

“While the impacts of COVID-19 are rippling through the entire region, the survey shows that small businesses -- which are responsible for a majority of our economic growth -- are disproportionately impacted,” said Mark Cafferty, president and CEO of the EDC. A majority of employers -- 61 percent -- are in need of capital support. More than half of those with capital needs are the smallest of employers with fewer than five employees.

The Survey Revealed Other Vulnerabilities: • There are 95,000+ workers over the age 65, which are considered to be high-risk to COVID-19. These workers are concentrated in some essential industries, such as government and food service.

• Industries that are facing closures and interruptions represent 378,000+ jobs and a $33 billion contribution to economy. These are retail trade (excluding groceries and gas stations), wholesale trade, arts and entertainment, accommodation and food services.

The statewide stay-at-home order has brought about drastic reductions in air pollution and planet-warming emissions, experts say. The Los Angeles basin, where the term smog was invented, has enjoyed the longest period of good air quality days since 1995, according to a UCLA researcher.

Highway traffic is down by more than half since the start of the pandemic, according to official tallies, and emissions that form smog and soot have been reduced by about the same amount in parts of the state.

For Californians with chronic health conditions, such as asthma and heart disease, the unexpected breath of fresh air is welcome.

But to be clear, no one is celebrating. The boon to public health, coming in the midst of a public health crisis, is difficult to measure against the widespread illness and loss of life wrought by the coronavirus.

Significant drops in air pollution have been measured across the globe since the start of the pandemic last month, particularly in China, which toggles massive production facilities off and on, impacting worldwide emissions.

But officials caution that any environmental benefit is likely to be temporary. They expect pollution levels to ratchet back up to normal levels once isolation orders are lifted and customary economic activity resumes.

Translation: Once this is over, Californians will get back into their cars.

SANDAG FORECASTS POTENTIAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON REGIONAL ECONOMY To help plan for the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the San Diego regional economy, the SANDAG Data Science and Analytics team has developed a new report, COVID-19 Impact on the San Diego Regional Economy: Retail Sales and TransNet Revenue Forecasts, that will be updated regularly as new information becomes available.

The SANDAG forecast is a dynamic model that produces 40 potential scenarios based on an array of assumptions, estimates, and factors, such as the length of the pandemic and the severity on the economy. Assumptions are based on the most recent statements and information provided by Federal, State, and local authorities. The forecast also considers changes in legislation to support people and the economy, business decisions, and behavior changes in response to the pandemic.

“Hundreds of millions of Americans will be adversely affected by this pandemic,” said SANDAG Chief Economist Ray Major. “For the San Diego region, we modeled three scenarios: mild, moderate, and severe. Obviously, a mild scenario is the most desirable outcome, with no recession; a moderate outcome would compare to the early 1990s recession and recovery; and a severe scenario could mimic the 2008 Great Recession.”

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APRIL 2020 25

NEEDS OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS MUST BE MET BEFORE COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS ARE RELAXED

Scripps Health releases the following open letter from its President and CEO Chris Van Gorder advocating the need for a health-care-based trigger for reopening society.

I

have been in health care now for more than 40 years and have always been proud of my profession and community service but I have to admit, I have never been prouder to be both in health care and law enforcement than I am today.

For health care providers – the physicians, nurses, technicians and support teams, the COVID-19 pandemic is their 9-11. It’s their Pearl Harbor. For the first responders, this is a new kind of 9-11. But whatever the cause, the first responders are still running in while others run out. This time, though, they are joined by our committed health care providers.

I’m also proud of how our hospitals and health care systems have come together – as they always do in times of disaster – to work together for the good of community. Today in San Diego County, patients are being cared for by a health care community – not a group of independent hospitals and health systems. And that health care community is working hand-in-glove with our elected officials and County Public Health.

I want to extend thanks to these officials for listening to health care leaders several weeks ago when we asked to shut down much of San Diego County to flatten the curve. We asked for that so as not to overwhelm the health care system as we have seen elsewhere in Asia, Europe and even parts of the United States. And – cautiously speaking – it appears we have been successful so far. Those difficult decisions and the support of our community – businesses and citizens alike – have saved lives and countless heartbreak.

But now, I hear talk of easing those restrictions and I’m concerned once again for several reasons.

There are troubling stories coming out of Baja, Mexico that indicate that our neighbors to the south have not been as successful as we have been in flattening the COVID curve, and we know that many people still cross the border every day for economic and personal reasons. Scripps has many employees who live in Mexico and we are concerned for them. This could be an issue for a border community like San Diego.

We know human behavior. Once we start to ease restrictions, people will start to interface more in public and we could very likely see another spike in patients – thus making the success to date a moot point and a wasted effort.

And we still do not have the medical supplies necessary to treat patients in a surge, nor do we have a reliable source of resupply for hospital protective equipment for our staff and physicians.

ABOUT SCRIPPS HEALTH Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a nonprofit integrated health care delivery system based in San Diego, Calif.

Scripps treats more than 600,000 patients annually through the dedication of 3,000 affiliated physicians and more than 15,000 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, home health care

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So, I propose a trigger to start easing restrictions and reopening businesses. These will be tough decisions, I realize, and ones I don’t have to make.

I learned a long time ago that to win a battle – and this is indeed a health care battle – your frontline soldiers must have the supplies and equipment needed to protect themselves and win. Battles are often won by logistics – not just by the soldiers.

So, I propose that the trigger to relax regulations and reopen society be when we are sure that our health care providers have all of the personal protective gear they need, along with the ventilators, pharmaceuticals and other supplies required to care for our COVID-19 patients and the other emergency patients we see on a daily basis.

This means we should make sure that hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care facilities and home health agencies, as well as all of our first responders, have what they need to do the job.

COVID-19 is now community spread. It’s not going away anytime soon. If the powers that be reopen society before we are ready, we will see a rebounding of cases and the health care providers will be on the front-line of that battle – as they are today. So let’s make sure if we see that spike, that we are ready this time.

Shame on us as a society if we reopen before we can give these heroes that assurance. We can do this and we should do this.

services, 28 outpatient centers and clinics, and hundreds of affiliated physician offices throughout the region.

Recognized as a leader in disease and injury prevention, diagnosis and treatment, Scripps is also at the forefront of clinical research. With three highly respected graduate medical education programs, Scripps is a longstanding member of the Association

of American Medical Colleges. Scripps has been ranked five times as one of the nation’s best health care systems by Truven Health Analytics. Its hospitals are ranked No. 1 in San Diego County and among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Scripps also is recognized by Advisory Board, Fortune and Working Mother magazine as one of the best places in the nation to work. More information can be found at www.scripps.org.

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26 APRIL 2020

SCRIPPS HEALTH LAUNCHES RAPID COVID-19 TESTING AT HOSPITALS

MAMA’S KITCHEN RECORDS SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WEEK OF RECORD MEAL DELIVERIES Mama’s Kitchen, the nonprofit meal delivery service, said last week that it hit its sixth consecutive week of record meal deliveries, working around the clock to maintain operations during the “shelter-in-place” mandate.

NEW DIAGNOSTIC TEST DELIVERS POSITIVE RESULTS IN AS LITTLE AS 5 MINUTES

On April 10, Mama’s Kitchen delivered 7,284 meals to 607 clients. This is already a 40 percent increase from just a few weeks ago before the mandate was issued, the agency said.

Scripps Health today announced the launch of the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for detecting the novel coronavirus at its five hospital campuses in San Diego County.

The test, which will be used to screen for COVID-19 in hospitalized patients requiring quick diagnostic turnaround, can deliver a positive result in as little as five minutes and a negative result in 13 minutes.

The diagnostic tool received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on March 27.

“Testing is a critical part of the overall response to the coronavirus pandemic,” said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health. “Today, Scripps moves that important tool to the front line of our fight against this devastating disease. The ability to deliver results in minutes at our hospitals for patients exhibiting possible symptoms of COVID-19 will allow our physicians to make faster and better decisions about delivering the best care needed.”

The assay runs on Abbott’s ID NOW infectious disease testing platform, a 6.6-pound, small toaster-sized portable device that uses molecular technology to deliver reliable and accurate results.

For COVID-19, the platform looks for the novel coronavirus RdRp gene in throat, nasal, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs taken from patients who might be infected.

The ID NOW system joins several other platforms already in use at Scripps laboratories for in-house testing for COVID-19, as well as outside testing capacity provided through Quest Diagnostics.

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As the coronavirus pandemic progresses in the San Diego region, the organization has seen an increase in demand for its services to provide homedelivered nutrition to critically ill individuals and families who are most at risk to the devastating complications from COVID-19 given their compromised immune systems and chronic illnesses.

The agency is still accepting referrals for new clients, and does not have a waiting list. As always, the organization’s goal is to never turn away a qualified individual.

The nonprofit is still accepting backup volunteer applications. Those interested in supporting Mama’s Kitchen’s efforts can visit mamaskitchen.org/volunteer to learn more.

Mama’s Kitchen has also established an Emergency Response Fund to support increased expenses due to the response efforts.

GAFCON WORKERS PUT DOWN HARD HATS AND HAMMERS TO REFURBISH DISTRICT COMPUTERS SO THEY CAN BE USED IN DISTANCE LEARNING San Diego Unified School District students receiving laptops for distance learning have Gafcon Inc. construction project managers to thank for playing a role in making these critical virtual learning tools.

The San Diego-based international Software upgrades are just one of the many tasks program, project and construction being performed by Gafcon, Inc. workers. management firm has several ongoing construction projects at SDUSD campuses. Deemed essential workers in California, they were on site when they learned of the need to help refurbish laptops for students and staff to use remotely when “distance learning” begins on April 27. They put down their hard hats and hammers and jumped in.

Working with the District’s IT staff, the Gafcon team visited multiple closed campuses to update older computers with new software. Although they are not IT workers by trade, the construction team was nonetheless enthusiastic to help the gistrict and the students and teachers who would otherwise not have computers to continue the school year.

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Sixteen of Gafcon’s employees are helping, with four leading the seven teams that are working on the project. The teams perform a multi-step process that includes locating the computers on the school campus. They test, scan, disinfect and package each computer before loading them into the trucks to be distributed to students and teachers.

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In one day alone, one of the Gafcon-led teams processed 2,100 computers.

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APRIL 2020 27

Voted Best San Diego Chiropractor!

ASK THE

EXPERT

By Dr. Stacey Merlo, DC

Schedule Appointment Today! 619-281-1234 4060 Adams Avenue.San Diego, CA 92116 Dr Stacey Merlo, Family Chiropractor, Co-Owner of Good Vibrations Family Chiropractic

WAY TO GO CALIFORNIA!!! ourselves and our families safe and healthy?

In this article, I would like to shift the conversation for a moment from the strength of the virus to the strength of the host. The constant is the virus, the variable is the host.

It is the quality of your health, or the host tissue that impacts why two people can be exposed to the virus and one gets seriously ill and another person gets mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

I

am so proud of our community here in San Diego and in California for respecting the request of our officials to quarantine and socially isolate. Our COVID numbers here are proportionately low and have stabilized.

Our Governor is even beginning to talk about moving out of quarantine in the next few weeks! I am optimistic that each day is bringing us closer to the end of this chapter of our lives. As we all prepare to reenter society, to go back out and resume our normal routines and regain our quality of life, I want to empower you in your mindset and give you impactful actions that you can do to feel more confident in returning to your life.

So what do we know? Yes, there is a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus circulating in our environment right now.

Yes, the best way to avoid getting sick from the virus is to avoid coming in contact with it; socially isolating, wearing masks, not touching your face, hand washing etc. But as we must eventually all go back out into the world how can we continue to keep

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It is well known that people with significant underlying health conditions (cancer, lung disease, diabetes, auto-immune diseases) are at a much higher risk of severe negative reaction from COVID-19. The problem is that chronic diseases affect approximately 133 million Americans, representing more than 40% of the total population of this country. By 2030, that number is projected to grow to an estimated 157 million, with 81 million having multiple conditions. About half of all adults have a chronic condition and approximately 8 percent of children ages 5 to 17 were reported by their parents to have limited activities due to at least one chronic disease or disability. More and more people are living with not just one chronic illness, such as diabetes, heart disease or depression, but with two or more conditions. Almost a third of the population is now living with multiple chronic conditions.

It is also well known that many of these underlying health conditions, for example heart disease, lung disease and type 2 diabetes, are hugely impacted by lifestyle.

Diet, rest, exercise, mental attitude, stress levels, and nervous system health make a huge difference in many of these associated underlying health conditions. What this means is that you have control! You have a choice in your lifestyle. You get to choose how you spend your time, what food you put in your body, what you allow your mind to focus on, and how much rest you give your body. This is in your control. You can empower your body and strengthen your health so no matter what virus is in

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the environment, you can be prepared the best way possible to fight it off. So the key question is what are you doing to improve your health and well-being?

If you don’t know where to start, or if changing your lifestyle seems overwhelming to you, I will share what our family does to live a healthy lifestyle.

1. Getting good quality rest 2. Limiting sugar intake 3. Exercising everyday 4. Getting outside daily 5. Getting Chiropractic Adjustments 6. Eating a rainbow of colors in our diet daily 7. Meditating, breathing and stretching Limiting our consumption of news and media 8. Be kind and do something for someone else Being a mom, a wife, a health professional and a small business owner I understand some of the stressors you all have been placed under. I also know that I cannot even begin to understand some of the extreme levels of stress that others of you have experienced. I have talked to Mental Health Professionals that have experienced unprecedented levels of suicide rates in their communities. I have been in communication with AA leaders who say that many of their community have relapsed into addictions. I have spoken to police officers who are responding to increasing numbers of calls of domestic violence. The fight against the virus may be being won, but we are still in the trenches in our battle for our mental, physical and emotional health. Be kind to yourself, remain hopeful, take care of your health!

If you need support, please reach out to us at Good Vibrations Family Chiropractic on Facebook, Instagram or at 619-281-1234

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28 APRIL 2020

SHIFTING STRESS FOR GOOD: TIPS TO BECOME POSITIVELY CONTAGIOUS

Brain health expert Dr. Heidi Hanna shares her experience and the insights she gained while healing her body and mind from COVID-19.

It turns out that excitement and anxiety feel quite similar. And when we slow down enough to be responsive instead of reactive, we can choose to acknowledge our automatic fear-based thoughts and shift them into a more positive direction. This doesn’t mean we should ignore our feelings – quite the contrary.

A

s a scientist researching the impact of stress on the brain, these unprecedented times provide a living laboratory to quickly expand upon my life’s work. Perhaps the most extraordinary element is the fact that I am navigating this deep learning experience as I try to heal my own body – and mind – from COVID-19.

Each day provides me with dozens of “ah-ha” moments based on the foundation of information I’ve collected over time. From the beginning of this crisis, I’ve felt strangely excited – even as I have struggled to regain my own health – because I felt like an athlete who has been training for this my whole life.

When we ignore, minimize or try to manage away our emotions, we usually end up making things worse.

The energy gets trapped in our nervous system, where it hijacks our logical mind and creates negative feedback loops. Pushing down our uncomfortable feelings so we can push through our struggles quickly doesn’t make us superwoman (or superman); it weakens our immune system and can make us physically ill.

carry the stressful energy with us and spread it to others through our dysfunctional biological rhythms. These stressrelated patterns are the most contagious disease of all, because we can share them without physical contact, through a voicemail, an email or a text.

This may be one of the best lessons I’ve learned through all this chaos: that we don’t need to be diagnosed with anything to be contagious.

The great news is that, just as we can spread stress, negativity, panic and fear, we can just as easily spread gratitude, optimism, hope, love and kindness.

With that in mind, think about what you might be spreading, intentionally or accidentally, then consider the following ways you can shift your stress for good.

In addition to breaking down our own bodies, we

Three Tips To Become Positively Contagious 1. Practice Self-Compassion.

2. Prioritize Self-Care.

3. Put Yourself In Their Shoes

Stress and struggle are part of our collective human experience. Instead of listening to the inner critic pointing out all the things you should be doing differently, try offering yourself the type of support you would extend to a friend or loved one. The more you learn to treat yourself with patience, kindness and grace, the better equipped you will be to extend compassion to others.

When we don’t get what we need physically (what I call my “Fab 5”: nutrition, physical movement, adequate sleep, consistent mental breaks and social connection), the brain perceives it as a threat and triggers our survivalbased reaction patterns (irritability, aggression, anger, fear, etc.). Keep your mind adaptable by keeping your energy tank full.

When you find it hard to be kind to others, take a moment to imagine what may be happening in their world. We don’t have to justify people who are unkind but staying open to the possibility that others are struggling may ease the frustration of trying to calm them down or changing their mind to see your point of view.

By recognizing that our energy is contagious prioritizing self-compassion and self-care, and practicing empathy, we can build a more flexible brain and shape a new lens through which to see the world. Although it won’t take away our pain, it can certainly make our experiences in life more curious and hopeful, so we can grow better as a result.

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@HeidiHannaPhd

@HeidiHanna www.heidihanna.com

As an experienced speaker, Dr. Heidi Hanna has been featured at many national and global conferences, including the Fortune Magazine Most Powerful Women in Business Summit, ESPN Women’s Leadership Summit, and the Million Dollar Round Table.

Dr. Hanna is the Chief Energy Officer of Synergy Brain Fitness, a company providing brain-based health and performance programs to individuals and organizations,

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a Found ing Partner of the Academy for Brain Health and Performance and a Fellow and Advisory Board Member for the American Institute of Stress. She is a NY Times bestselling author of several books, including The Sharp Solution, Stressaholic, and Recharge.

Her clients have included Google, Starbucks, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, and WD40 as well as the PGA Tour and the National Football League. Dr. Hanna serves as an Everyday Health Expert Wellness Advisory Board member, a National Board Member and Certified Humor Professional with the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, although she won’t admit she’s funny.

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APRIL 2020 29

THE DOC IS IN

Dr. Melinda Silva, MD of Silva M.D Anti Aging And Wellness

S

ocial distancing and shelter in place is working in California to “flatten the curve” and has helped to reduce new cases of Coronavirus which decreases hospitalizations and doctor visits. Fortunately, we have the resources to take care of patients, we just can’t take care of everyone at the same time. If we can slow down the number of cases, we can help to contain the disease. Below are some important information regarding Covid-19. The COVID-19 situation is rapidly changing and this information is accurate as of April 12, 2020.

At Silva MD, we are very blessed that we can continue to take care of our patient’s health care needs and keep

people healthier during this difficult time.

It is important to remember what keeps your immune system stronger: good nutrition with whole foods, regular exercise and sound sleep which helps your body to rejuvenate and make more hormones.

We focus on optimizing natural hormones because it helps to keep your immune system stronger so that you can fight all infections better, including the Coronavirus. We also have affordable pharmaceutical grade supplements that will boost your immune system. We are offering the 45 day immune pack with 4 high grade supplements for $99 - please email staff@ drmelindasilva.com and we will ship to you.

Dr. Melinda Silva, MD

WHAT IS CORONAVIRUS? A coronavirus is a type of common virus that can infect your nose, sinuses, or upper throat and for most patients, the symptoms are mild similar to the common cold. Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface. Coronaviruses are common in many different animal species but most coronavirus do not infect people. On rare occasions, coronaviruses can evolve and infect humans and then spread between humans.

There was a novel (new) coronavirus identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness that was first detected in Wuhan, China in December of 2019.

Early on, many of the patients of the Wuhan outbreak reported some link to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. The virus is now spreading from person-to-person. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced COVID-19 as the official name of the disease responsible for causing the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. On March 11, 2020, the WHO designated the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic—A global outbreak of disease.

Person-to-Person Spread via droplets (sneeze, cough, talking) is believed to be the main way the COVID-19 virus is spreading and it is recommended to wear face coverings when leaving your house. The highest exposure is between people who are in close contact with one another that is why it is important to stay 6 feet apart from others. The virus is spreading easily and people are thought to be the most contagious when they are the sickest. However, studies suggest that people can spread the virus up to two days before they show symptoms. It may be possible to get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching one’s mouth, nose, or eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. The coronavirus has a phospholipid bilayer and can bet disrupted with soap and water. It is important to clean widely used surfaces like countertops and door handles with disinfectant or soap and water. You can make your own disinfectant using 1 cup of water with 1⁄2 tablespoon of bleach or use 70% alcohol.

HOW IS COVID-19 TREATED? There is no specific antiviral treatment recommended for COVID-19 infection. Anecdotal evidence shows some people are improving with combination antibiotic and antimalarial treatments but not yet proven scientifically. For severe cases, patients should be hospitalized and treatment should include care to support vital organ function. People who are not sick enough to be hospitalized and who are only mildly ill may be advised by their healthcare provider to isolate and care for themselves at home. People at higher risk for serious illness, especially if elderly, should contact their healthcare provider early to seek treatment, since illness can worsen quickly.

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Also visit Drmelindasilva.com for more info or call 619-761.1574. Every immune pack purchase includes FREE 15 minute Immune Consult. We will have limited test kits available to check your antibody levels for Covid-19. This test is designed for those who think they may have been exposed in the past and currently do not have symptoms. If the Covid IgG antibody test is positive it demonstrates your body has mounted a response to Covid-19. More research is needed to verify if you have full immunity or if you will pass infection to others. Widespread testing will be crucial to gather necessary data to help contain Covid-19.

WHO IS AT HIGHER RISK? Based on information from those affected by COVID-19 early on in China, these higher risk groups include: Older adults—the older a person is, the higher the risk; People who have serious chronic medical conditions, such as: Heart Disease, Diabetes, Lung Disease; Individuals with a compromised immune system.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REDUCE RISK OF CORONAVIRUS INFECTION? Because there are currently no medications available to treat or protect against COVID-19, the best way to prevent getting sick is to avoid being exposed to the virus. It is important to follow the San Diego Public Health Officer Order to stay home as much as possible, especially if you are at high risk for health complications. If you do go out, practice social distancing (6 feet apart)—Face cloth coverings are recommended for EVERYONE when out in public settings. If you have the virus, the face cloth coverings will help prevent others from getting sick (best if someone goes out for you and you stay home!). Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds—If soap and water are not available, use an alcoholbased hand sanitizer that contains at least 70% alcohol. Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces often. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Have someone else take care of your pets if you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, or your elbow, then throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE COVID-19?

If you are feeling sick and think you have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus stay home and call your healthcare provider for medical advice. Stay home except to get medical care—Restrict activities outside your home. Separate yourself from other people in your home. Call ahead before visiting your doctor to get medical advice—Not everyone with symptoms needs to be tested for COVID-19. Wear a facemask, cover your coughs, sneeze with a tissue, wash your hands often and avoid sharing personal household items—Dishes, cups, utensils, towels, etc. Clean all “high-touch” surfaces everyday. If possible, use designated bathroom, not shared by others. Monitor your symptoms—Seek prompt attention if your illness worsens.

WHY ARE AFRICAN AMERICANS MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM CORONAVIRUS IF THEY ARE INFECTED WITH IT? Recent trends show that African Americans who end up sick with Covid-19, die at a higher rate. People with certain underlying health conditions are more affected

by Covid-19. In the US, African Americans are more likely to have underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and lung disease which increase risk of death from Covid-19. Other factors that increase African Americans’ risk is lower levels of health insurance coverage which can lead to inadequate access to

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health care and less preventive care which increases the likelihood of being hospitalized. Also, Coronavirus spreads faster in locations more densely populated, such as cities. African Americans who live in urban areas where there are more crowded living situations have increase risk of Coronavirus infection. Data in Chicago show that 72% of the city’s deaths due to Coronavirus have been among blacks, who make up only 30% of the population.

WHO SHOULD BE TESTED FOR COVID-19?

CDC recommends testing for priority populations: any person who has signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19—fever, cough, or difficulty breathing AND belong to any of the following groups: Any person who is hospitalized and showing evidence of lower respiratory disease without an alternative diagnosis or any resident of a long-term care or senior living facility—This includes skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, as well as persons who care for the elderly.

Persons at higher risk for complications—Adults over the age of 65 and people with underlying health conditions. Persons who live in congregate settings, such as homeless shelters. Healthcare workers, first responders, and other emergency workers. Individuals without symptoms are not a priority for testing.

AT-A-GLANCE

Website:

www.DrMelindaSilva.com

Phone: 619-761-1574

Address:

890 Eastlake Pkwy. Suite 103 Chula Vista, CA 91914

Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 8am-5pm Friday: 8am-3pm Saturday: Appointments Available Sunday: Closed

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Stay Safe San Diego

30 APRIL 2020

“LEARNING IN THE TIME OF CORONA” Global Community of Families Unexpectedly Tackling Remote Education & Distance Learning

By Gabriela Dow

A

s millions of parents and children throughout the world suddenly find themselves providing and participating in education at home, Learning in the Time of Corona – a grassroots Facebook group – has emerged as a platform to connect parents and exchange resources, tips and inspiration. The group was created by San Diego parent Allison Harris-Turk on March 13 with the goal of simply connecting with other parents in her situation. Within just a few weeks, the group grew to over 15,000 in more than fifty countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, India, Germany and Italy.

The group (www.facebook.com/ groups/LearninginCorona) is grounded around the goal of creating a community that empowers and engages parents, grandparents, childcare providers, colleagues, friends, and others with ways to connect and create an engaging environment for learning at home during the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Whether it’s through hosting custom watch parties, sharing editable templates, creating dedicated threads to centralize discussions or connecting each other to topics of interest,” said Allison Harris-Turk, “the ultimate goal is to just support each other as some of us become what we have termed ‘suddenly teachers’ in an uncertain time.”

The group shares content freely with a central theme of building community amidst the isolation of this dramatic and sudden change.

Harris-Turk anticipated the school closures and felt the need to collect and centralize the many disparate educational resources and tools floating around various digital platforms. As a working mom of three with a middle school teacher for a spouse, she knew there would be challenges to create any sort of “distance learning environment” in the weeks ahead. But, she also realized many Americans (and people around the world for that matter) were going to be in a much more difficult spot.

Among the questions Allison had upon hearing of school closures were: “How do we keep our kids learning, safe, engaged, entertained, connected when schools are closed, after-care is shut down, playdates/ birthday celebrations are postponed, and enrichment activities are suspended? How do we take care

of the underserved youth in our communities that need our help now more than ever? How do we continue to make the best decisions for our families when the data is everevolving? How do we stay centered and calm, yet vigilant and informed?

I knew we needed to consolidate, come together, and create a platform where people could share lesson plans, humor, support, inspiration, tips, etc.”

It was then that she launched the virtual group, just one hour after San Diego Unified School District announced the school closures to help contain Coronavirus / COVID-19.

The group gained momentum quickly, instantly shared by family, friends, and colleagues. Within hours Learning in the Time of Corona had 1,000 members and after three days grew to 5,000.

As of April 14, there are more than 15,000 members with over 150,000 interactions. Its San Diego roots have spread deep and wide, encompassing people from across the globe reaching over 50 different countries.

Harris-Turk attributes the rapid growth to the group’s structure.

As she describes, “Learning in the Time of Corona functions as a hub, an exchange, a connector. It is not a content generator, but a people-topeople platform that has attracted experts in many fields, including those in education and mental health who generously and eagerly lend their tools, expertise, and wisdom to those who need it.”

“This is not a place for imparting COVID-19 scientific knowledge or medical advice,” she continues, “but strictly serves as a space to share educational resources and tools, humor and inspiration, as well as ways to support each other and the underserved youth impacted by the school closures. “ The growth trajectory and lively interaction has illuminated the fact people are craving information, further, and perhaps more importantly, community. Many members have expressed this is a valuable resource as they no longer travel to places of work, are concerned about even having employment and are juggling working, staying healthy, obtaining food and essentials for the home, as well as managing distance learning for their children.

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The activity on the site has inspired the formation of an incredibly dedicated/talented global committee. As Allison describes, “It wasn’t hard to find amazing people to join the committee, though, because so many are willing to help and recognize we are all in this together!”

“Being a part of Learning in the Time of Corona was a lifeline for me as a mother of three young children,” shares Chelsey Tobiason. “When I became a moderator it also gave me purpose; somewhere to put my energy into something positive and intentional. We saw a lot of our members seeking inspiration and soon realized many children have/know someone they love working on the frontlines. So, we recently launched a #KidsOfCorona campaign with a dedicated @KidsOfCorona Instagram feed designed for our members, their families, and communities worldwide to express gratitude to essential workers. I am so proud to be a part of something that lifts the spirits of those working on the frontlines, as well as those of us at home.”

Group committee member Cortney Golub also adds, “We are restricted from seeing friends and family, from visiting public parks and playgrounds. We have been thrown into a topsy-turvy world that none of us saw coming. But this new, uncharted darkness has room for light. And that is what Learning in the Time of Corona brings forth. A passionate,

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supportive community where hundreds of people contribute content daily with a recognition that there is no right way to do any of this.”

Anyone is welcome to join the Learning in the Time of Corona community. This is a place for inspiration, different perspectives, humor, and fresh ideas to support parents, families, and people worldwide.

About Learning in the Time of Corona : Created in March 2020 within an hour of the founder’s school district closure being announced, this Facebook group is a resource to connect parents with learning tips and inspiration. The group was created by San Diego parent Allison Harris-Turk and has grown as a community that empowers and engages parents, grandparents, childcare providers, colleagues, friends and others with ways to connect and create an engaging environment for learning at home during the Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic.

The group is at www.facebook.com/groups/ LearninginCorona and includes more than 15,000 member in over fifty countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, India, Germany, and Italy.

FACEBOOK GROUP PAGE

FaceBook.com/groups/LearninginCorona

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