Permit Center changing hours
WATSONVILLE — The Community Development Department’s One Stop Permit Center will be changing its hours beginning May 1.
The counter will be open Monday-Friday, from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and will close from 12-1:30 p.m. daily for lunch.
Over-the-Counter plan checks will continue to be provided on Wednesday mornings between 7:30-11 a.m. for small residential projects.
•••
Watsonville Band kicks off concert series
WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville Community Band’s 2017 Spring Concert Series kicks off Sunday at the Henry J. Mello Center, 250 East Beach St. in Watsonville, at 2 p.m.
“Around the World” is the theme for the series. The band will perform selections such as “Les Miserables,” “Irish Washerwoman” and “Italian Holiday.”
The WCB Youth Band will also perform.
The concert series continues on April 30 at the Hollister Veterans Hall, 649 San Benito St.
•••
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes returns
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz community is joining Monarch Services to raise awareness about sexual assault/violence in the community.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a nationwide event that invites the community to participate in a one-mile walk, literally in his/her shoes by wearing red shoes, to raise awareness around issues of rape, sexual assault, and gender violence.
The group will meet in red shoes at 5:30 p.m. on April 26 at Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz.
Although encouraged, it is not mandatory for walkers to wear women’s shoes. Between 500 and 800 participants are expected, which will include local business, political and public service leaders.
This year marks the sixth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event in Santa Cruz County. In addition to raising community awareness, walkers will raise funds in support of Monarch Services, the only 24-hour rape crisis center serving Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley. Monarch Services serves more than 1,500 victims of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault each year through the county’s only emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis line, counseling, legal assistance and advocacy.
For information, visit wam2017.monarchscc.org.
•••
Nurse-Family Partnership underway
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — The County of Santa Cruz’s Nurse-Family Partnership has begun accepting up to 100 first-time expectant mothers into this inaugural program.
Approved by the Board of Supervisors and supported by the County of Santa Cruz and a coalition of local health care providers, the Nurse-Family Partnership is a program where nurses work side-by-side with first-time, low-income mothers in their homes during pregnancy and up to the first two years of an infant’s life. Santa Cruz County is the 23rd county in California to implement the program.
Started as a demonstration project in Elmira, N.Y. in 1977, Nurse-Family Partnership programs are in place in eight countries and 43 U.S. states.
“I sought to establish the Nurse-Family Partnership because it provides tremendous benefits to moms, babies and the entire community,” said Supervisor Ryan Coonerty, whose leadership led to the creation of the program. “The results are clear — investing in these children now will pay dividends to them and to the rest of us down the road.”
“We are very excited to be implementing the Nurse-Family Partnership in Santa Cruz County. This program is aligned with serving our community, and has years of data behind it clearly demonstrating the positive life changes for first-time moms and their families,” said Anita Alvarez, director of nursing for Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency.
According to a RAND Corporation study, for every dollar invested in Nurse-Family Partnership, a community can see as much as $5 returned on investment.
To be eligible for the Santa Cruz County Nurse-Family Partnership, expectant mothers need to reside in Santa Cruz County, meet low-income eligibility requirements, be a first-time mom, and be in their second trimester or earlier (no more than 28 weeks pregnant). Referrals to the program are currently being made through a network of community organizations, but interested parties may also call the Public Health Nurse Information Line at 454-4339 for information or to make a referral.
While eligibility for the Nurse-Family Partnership is limited, soon-to-be mothers who are not eligible may have access to a range of county services and are encouraged to call the Information Line to learn more.
The Nurse-Family Partnership program received donations from the local medical community, including the Central California Alliance for Health, Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health Dominican Hospital, Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, Watsonville Hospital and the Santa Cruz Community Foundation.
