Contra Costa Herald

Get your own copy, here: Good News Press Spring 2020 web

Orinda home and car burn early Sunday morning. The burning car rolled down the driveway and into the firetruck. By MOFD.

By Moraga-Orinda Fire Department

Moraga-Orinda Fire District crews responded to a fully involved structure fire off Arroyo Drive in Orinda early this morning. The fire grew to a second alarm before being contained. The fire attack was complicated by a burning car that rolled down the driveway and into the MOFD fire engine.

No residents or responders were injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Photo by CHP Contra Costa.

By CHP – Contra Costa

On Saturday evening at approximately 5:30 pm, this happened. You know the saying, “a picture paints a thousand words?” that would apply here. (We’ll stick with this, but you can caption it any way you’d like)

A 68-year-old male driver from Walnut Creek crashed his Dodge Ram pickup truck into this house at 956 Hawthorne Drive in an unincorporated area of Walnut Creek. He also struck the parked vehicle in the driveway before driving into the house. Upon emergency personnel and CHP arrival, thankfully no one was inside the house and nobody else was injured other than the driver, who sustained only minor injuries. And would you believe he was arrested on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence/DUI.

We are thankful this did not turn out worse and produce severe injuries. Impaired driving is 100% preventable, 100% of the time, there are no excuses. Plan ahead, designate a sober driver, and make smart choices.

Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation’s first round of grants will go to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, the Contra Costa Crisis Center, Shelter, Inc., Catholic Charities East Bay and White Pony Express

By Kim McCarl, Assistant to the Director, Communications, Contra Costa Health Services

MARTINEZ — Beyond its devastating health implications, COVID-19 is undermining basic living conditions for tens of thousands of people living in the Bay Area, especially those that are most vulnerable. The Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation (CCRHF) has established a COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund and has been selected as a lead partner organization in the newly formed COVID-19 Regional Response Fund supported by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.  The COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund is also supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative as well as individual donors.

The CCRHF Rapid Response Fund is moving quickly to help those individuals in desperate need. Locally, the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation will play an important role in identifying highest risk populations and funding organizations to provide needed assistance.

“The economic impact of COVID-19 in the Bay Area is immense, with the biggest impact on people who have been living on the margins. These are families that can’t wait for government assistance in a few weeks, they are suffering and in jeopardy now,” explains CCRHF Chair Bette Felton. “Thanks to the amazing generosity of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, as well as individual donors, we can now move rapidly, locate the organizations best suited to safeguard those people at high risk and make sure they have the funds and resources to help protect our communities.”

We understand this is a dynamic and changing situation.  Based on our understanding of the greatest needs at this time, the Fund is supporting four key areas: food distribution, financial assistance, shelter and emergency housing, and support for essential workers.

“Grants will be made on a timely basis to organizations best equipped to address these needs among the county’s most vulnerable populations. Given the urgency of the crisis, our priority is to find organizations with the proven capacity that can move quickly,” says Felton.

In light of that urgency, in its first round of funding, the CCRHF is extending grants to five organizations: the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, the Contra Costa Crisis Center, Shelter, Inc., Catholic Charities East Bay and White Pony Express.  These initial grants will quickly amplify the impact these organizations are positioned to make.

Additional organizations will be considered in future funding cycles, based on:

• the organization’s ability to reach populations most vulnerable to the economic or health risks posed by this public health crisis,
• its capacity to move expeditiously and
• the ability of the organization to deploy the funds expediently.

For additional information about the COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund and the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation visit www.ccrhfcovid-19.org/

About the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation

Established in 2003, the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that supports Contra Costa Health Services in its work to care for and improve the health of all the people in Contra Costa County with special attention to those who are the most vulnerable.

By Timothy Leong, Public Information Officer, CCCCD

The Contra Costa Community College District (District) has extended the remote delivery of instruction and student services at its colleges – Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College-Pleasant Hill and San Ramon Campus, Los Medanos College and Brentwood Center – for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester.

On March 31, 2020, Contra Costa Public Health (CCPH) updated its shelter-in-place order through at least May 3, 2020. The District’s decision to continue remote operations through the end of the spring semester is necessary to be in alignment with the shelter-in-place extension, and provides greater clarity in meeting the higher education goals of its students.

“We are trying to do our part to minimize the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) by suspending face-to-face interactions with our students,” said interim chancellor Gene Huff. “This has been a challenging time for both our students and staff as we transitioned to remote operations. We want to thank our students for their perseverance and flexibility, and our staff for their tremendous effort to transition to a fully remote operation. We believe this decision balances the need to stay safe and healthy during this time and informs students and staff on what to expect for the rest of this semester.”

The CCPH shelter-in-place extension acknowledges social distancing as the most powerful weapon in slowing the spread of COVID-19. CCPH continues to encourage the following practices to stay safe and healthy during this time:

• Stay home and limit essential activities where possible.
• Wash hands often with soap and water.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Wear face coverings when out in public (not medical-grade masks).
• Adhere closely to social distancing guidelines.
• Contact your doctor or healthcare provider if you experience any symptoms such as fever, cough, or difficulty breathing.

The District will be offering a summer session of instruction and student services remotely, with a plan to offer face-to-face classes should the shelter-in-place order is lifted and deemed safe to do so. Summer course registration will begin on Monday, April 20, 2020. To view what classes may be offered, or to understand operational changes made as a result of COVID-19, visit the college website of your choice or the District website at www.4cd.edu for more information.

Mount Diablo’s Beacon lights the nighttime sky on December 7. Copyright Stephen Joseph; used with permission.

By Laura Kindsvater, Communications Intern, Save Mount Diablo

WALNUT CREEK, CA—Mount Diablo State Park’s Beacon will be lit after sunset in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on Easter Sunday, April 12. Thereafter, until the pandemic crisis is over, the Beacon will be lit every Sunday after sunset and shine brightly until sunrise the next day.

Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, stated, “Lighting the Beacon every Sunday is a way to honor our heroes in this global pandemic struggle, to pay our respects to the dead and those suffering, to lift our eyes to higher ground and the light and be reminded of the healing power of nature and our Mount Diablo, and to bring our communities together during this difficult time.”

Mt Diablo lit Beacon. Herald file photo by Clayton Worsdell.

Save Mount Diablo staff and volunteers will be working on lighting the Beacon every Sunday, and turning it off every Monday after sunrise, in close coordination with their good partners at California State Parks. Physical distancing will be followed throughout. This effort has also been coordinated with the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, Chapter 5.

Save Mount Diablo; California State Parks; the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, Chapter 5; California State University – East Bay (Concord); and others organize the annual lighting ceremony of the Beacon every December 7 in honor of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

Eduardo Guaracha, Diablo Range Superintendent of California State Parks, said, “As we look up in the sky, let this beacon remind us we are not alone. Our thoughts and support are with the heroes, healthcare and emergency workers, and all those affected by this worldwide pandemic. Let the light give us hope for a better future and remind us to keep our heads and spirits up.”

The Beacon on Mount Diablo was originally installed and illuminated in 1928 to aid in transcontinental aviation. It is one of the five guiding beacons installed along the West Coast by Standard Oil of California and is the only one known to still be operational.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Beacon’s light was extinguished during the West Coast blackout, for fear it might enable an attack on California. It stayed dark until Pearl Harbor Day, 1964, when Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces during World War II, relit the Beacon in a commemorative ceremony and suggested it be illuminated every December 7 to honor those who served and sacrificed.

Since that day, Pearl Harbor veterans and their families have gathered every December 7 to see the Beacon light shine once again.

The Beacon now shines brighter than ever since it underwent an extensive restoration process in 2013 thanks to a campaign led by Save Mount Diablo to ensure it continues to shine for many more years.

From CCHealth.org.

More cases in people ages 41-60 than any other age range

By Allen Payton

As of Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) is reporting a total of 530 cases of COVID-19/coronavirus, and two more deaths for a total of 11 in the county. There are 37 people diagnosed with the virus currently hospitalized.

A total of 6,938 people have been tested for the virus.

The majority of those who have been diagnosed are ages 41-60 with 195 cases, 165 cases for those ages 21-40, 126 cases among those ages 61-80, another 26 cases of those ages 81-100 and 17 cases of those age 20 and under.

To see the all the statistics provided by CCHS, click here.

By CHP – Contra Costa

Last night, April 10, 2020, at approximately 9:32 pm, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a solo vehicle collision on SR-242 northbound at SR-4. Upon emergency personnel and CHP arrival, a 63-year-old female passenger of the vehicle was unconscious and unresponsive. Life-saving procedures were attempted but unsuccessful and tragically the female passenger was declared deceased at the scene. The 20-year-old driver and two children in the backseat, 11- and 13-year-old girls, all family from Antioch, were not injured.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office will be handling the release of identity of the deceased female.

Upon further investigation at the scene, it was determined that this was not a collision. While the 20-year-old male driver was proceeding northbound on SR-242 and approaching SR-4 in a grey 2004 Volkswagen Jetta, it was determined that a heavy object (“brick”) came crashing through a window of the vehicle and struck the 63-year-old female passenger seated in the right front seat. The male driver realized the woman was injured and pulled off the freeway and called 911. Tragically the female passenger died at the scene. At this point, it is unknown where the “brick” came from and/or how it ended up in the Volkswagen.

The cause of this incident is still under investigation. If anyone witnessed this incident, the events leading up to it, or saw anyone within the immediate area, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez at (925) 646-4980.

By Kim McCarl, Assistant to the Director, Communications, Contra Costa Health Services

Contra Costa County is preparing to use the Contra Costa Event Park in Antioch as a site to care for COVID-19 patients, should the need arise.

As part of local emergency preparations, the county has been exploring and preparing “alternate care sites” in preparation for the likely surge of patients in local hospitals who test positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19). The building, which is normally used as an exhibit hall during the annual county fair, is located in the Contra Costa Event Park at 1201 W. 10th Street and has capacity for 43 people who test positive for COVID-19 and need medical care, but do not need to be hospitalized.

“The fairgrounds alternate care site is a great example of state, county, city and non-profit agencies coming together to create increased capacity to care for patients needing fewer resources, which frees up critical hospital beds in our healthcare system to fight COVID-19,” said Federal Glover, District V Supervisor.

Contra Costa and other Bay Area counties recently extended a regional stay-at-home order through May 3 hoping that continued physical-distancing measures will reduce the impact of COVID-19 on area hospitals.

“The Contra Costa Event Center, City of Antioch and the Red Cross really stepped up to help make this site happen,” said Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor. “This site would not be possible without their assistance.”

The Red Cross has shared expertise in standing up critical care sites for individuals displaced by emergency situations with County officials working on the Fairgrounds site.

“The Red Cross is proud to be working closely with our government and public health officials to support their efforts to keep our community safe with the planning and opening of the alternate care site in Antioch,” said Briana Taylor, Regional Disaster Chair for the American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region. “It is impressive to see the whole community work together during this stressful time.”

The Craneway Pavilion in Richmond is equipped with 250 beds for COVID-positive patients who do not require hospitalization. Should a surge require the facility to open, COVID-positive patients are likely to be housed at the Craneway Pavilion first. (See related article) The Concord Shelter and Philip Doran Respite Center will house individuals who may not need hospitalization but require closer observation than provided at Craneway Pavilion. The county anticipates that Contra Costa Event Center will be the last facility to open.

“Although the City of Antioch did not request for the county to select a site within our city, we understand the gravity of the moment,” said Antioch Mayor Sean Wright. “In the fight to save lives, the world has been asked to step up and do more, Antioch is no exception to this reality. By working together, we will hopefully be able to minimize the number of lives lost to this horrible pandemic.”

The 23rd District Agricultural Association is home to the Contra Costa County Fair that has hosted hundreds of thousands of guests for over seventy-five years. The Event Park celebrates all that is best in Contra Costa County while preserving the agricultural heritage of the community.

“The Contra Costa Event Park is here to help the community during this time of need, and happy to work with the County of Contra Costa as we all work together to end this pandemic,” said Joe Brengle, chief executive officer of the Contra Costa Event Park.

“The county has been working in two of our buildings to prepare them should the need arise,” he told the Herald on Wednesday.

The Fair Board cancelled this year’s fair during their meeting on March 18. (See related article)

Contra Costa County and the Board of Supervisors continue to work in real time to respond to community needs while preparing to meet the challenges ahead.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

From CCHS Coronavirus Dashboard.

Friday, April 10, 2020

Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) reminds the public that county residents should observe their faiths at home while the health officer’s stay-at-home order remains in place, though this month is a time of significant religious activity for many people.

The health officer order, a measure to protect our community from the spread of COVID-19, requires Contra Costa residents to stay home except for essential trips, such as to find food, healthcare or to provide care for someone who cannot leave their home, or to go to and from an essential job.

The order lasts through May 3, a period that may affect important observances for many faiths, such as Good Friday, Holy Week, Orthodox Easter, Passover, Ramadan, and others.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives, and we empathize with anyone who is unable to practice their religious traditions and celebrations as usual during this challenging time,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County Health Officer. “However, to protect everyone in the community, we must avoid gatherings outside of one’s immediate household to reduce the spread of the virus.”

CCHS thanks the county’s faith community for helping to keep their members safe from COVID-19 and urges faith leaders to continue to suspend in-person gatherings and not bring large groups of people together while the health order remains in place.

Suspending in-person gatherings does not mean suspending worship. Many organizations continue to observe together, through livestreaming or by watching recorded services online.

Learn more about COVID-19 in Contra Costa County, including how to protect yourself, at cchealth.org/coronavirus, or call the Contra Costa Coronavirus Call Center with questions at 1-844-729-8410. The call center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.