LAKE COUNTY
July is Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Awareness Month
BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month was formally recognized in 2008, to bring awareness to the struggles underrepresented groups face surrounding mental illness. BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities face unique challenges and stressors that increase vulnerability to mental health conditions. Increasing awareness of issues people of color and those in marginalized communities manage helps reduce stigma, so those experiencing mental health concerns can get the help they need to thrive.
Each year, nearly one in five Americans experience some form of mental illness:
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm
Anyone can experience challenges related to mental illness. Unfortunately, people in BIPOC communities are typically less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to seek help, and more likely to end services early if receiving treatment. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, these barriers are attributed to many factors, such as systemic racism and discrimination, cultural stigma around mental illness, and lack of health insurance.
“The effect of racial trauma on mental health is a reality, and we must not ignore it,” states Todd Metcalf, Director of Lake County Behavioral Health Services. He continues, “Racism is a public and behavioral health crisis. Our Department stands culturally competent and ready to assist BIPOC individuals in need of our programs and services.”
Lake County Behavioral Health Services suggests the following to help reduce the stigma of mental illness:
- Encourage equality between mental and physical illness
- Show compassion for those experiencing mental illness
- Talk openly about mental health and discuss it no differently than physical health
- Educate yourself and others by responding to negative comments or misperceptions by sharing experiences and facts
For more information, please contact Lake County Behavioral Health Services at 707-994-7090 or 707-274-9101 or visit Mental Health America’s website at https://www.mhanational.org/
—submitted
SACRAMENTO
Grower Assessment Rate for 2022 harvest
Last week the Pierce’s Disease / Glassy Winged Sharpshooter Board (PD/GWSS Board) voted to set the grower assessment rate in support of the Pierce’s Disease Control Program (Program) at $1.25 per $1,000 of crop value for the 2022 harvest. This assessment provides vital funding for research on GWSS and other designated vineyard pests and for research on developing crop resistance to PD.
In considering the 2022 rate adjustment, the PD/GWSS Board sought sufficient funds to support testing of clean plant material at UC Davis and an audit by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). NAS will create an interdisciplinary committee to assess the current struggles facing the California wine grape industry in controlling grapevine viruses, with a specific focus on Grapevine red blotch virus and Grapevine leafroll associated virus type 3.
The committee will review the current and recent research activities of the PD/GWSS Board, and help direct a future funding approach to address the knowledge and management gaps required to minimize the spread of, and economic losses due to these viruses. The committee will also identify ways in which the PD/GWSS Board can draw from a wider breadth of researchers and utilize cutting edge genetic tools and platforms to combat these virus problems.
—Submitted
