Roughly $4.1 million in grants were awarded to health care centers across the Central Coast.
The grants were announced on Sept. 29 by Rep. Jimmy Panetta. The money will support healthcare for underserved communities, and funds will be funneled primarily toward efforts to expand Covid-19 testing, treatment and vaccination.
The funding was made possible by President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the Covid-19 emergency relief package that passed through Congress in March 2021.
The organizations and amounts awarded are as follows:
- Salud Para La Gente: $808,429
- Santa Cruz County: $672,865
- San Benito Health Foundation: $546,244
- Clinica De Salud Del Valle De Salinas: $1,076,510
- Monterey County: $1,017,066
PV Shelter Services switches to solar
Pajaro Valley Shelter Services (PVSS) will soon have solar panels lining its roof.
The shelter, which provides housing to children and their parents experiencing homelessness, received $25,000 in grants from the Solar Moonshot Program to make the switch to solar. Solar Moonshot Program is run by Hammond Climate Solutions, whose co-founder Tara Hammond grew up in Santa Cruz.
Now, PVSS will have 24 solar panels installed, which will cover around 85% of its electrical needs across the property.
Interested community members can see the solar panels in person at the shelter’s Open House on Oct. 8 from 10am to 6pm at 115 Brennan St. in Watsonville.
METRO plans free rides
The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) will participate in the California Clean Air Day by offering free fares across the county on Oct. 6. Clean Air Day serves as a reminder to consider ways we can reduce air pollution and improve the health of our communities.
In 2019, 650,000 people participated in Clean Air Day. Choose from a list of activities to clear the air, from opting to take public transportation to switch out harmful cleaning products. For information, visit cleanairday.org/pledge/individual/santacruzmetro.
Watsonville school awarded for programs
Watsonville New School Community Day School recently received awards for its programs. The awards recognized the Day School’s Outdoor and Character Development program, and its Distance Learning program for the 2020 and 2021 school years.
The school’s Outdoor and Character Development program takes students on outdoor field trips, teaching students through experiences outside of the classroom. The program connects students with their environment through hikes, water testing, nature restoration and more.
The other program that was recognized, the school’s Distance Learning program, used a ‘Tech Challenge’ model to get students out of the virtual world and back into the physical world. The school delivered tool kits to students. The program focused on physical results during a period of virtual learning.
For information about the school, visit new-pajaro-ca.schoolloop.com/.
