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Don's Projects and Issues

H1N1 Flu

As of October 28th, 435 people in Santa Clara County have been hospitalized with serious complications related to the H1N1 influenza virus and 13 have died since May. In California, there have been 4,047 hospitalizations and 249 deaths.

Hospitalizations and death are expected during a flu pandemic since people have no or little immunity to this new flu virus. The number of hospitalizations and deaths in our community will continue to increase throughout the fall and winter months. While the virus continues to spread, it is important to remember that most people who have been sick with the H1N1 virus have recovered without needing medical treatment. For those at high risk for serious complications from the H1N1 flu and who are still waiting to be vaccinated, early treatment with antiviral medications is the best way to avoid severe illness from the flu.

The H1N1 vaccine will provide the best protection from the H1N1 flu. Four public vaccination clinics for those at high risk and those who care for high risk individuals are now scheduled on November 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Those at high risk for complications can attend these clinics, and those groups are:

• Pregnant women;
• People who live with or provide care for infants under six months;
• Children and young adults between the ages of 6 months and 24 years;
• Adults between the ages of 25 and 64 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for flu-related complications; and,
• Healthcare and emergency medical services workers

Because the vaccine supply is so limited at this time, it is important that persons not belonging to one of the five groups above wait to be vaccinated so that those at highest risk of severe illness can get the vaccine.

The Saturday locations are:

Santa Clara County Fairground
Expo Hall
334 Tully Road
San Jose, CA 95111

Valley Health Center Gilroy
7475 Camino Arroyo
Gilroy, CA 95128

Valley Health Center Moorpark
2400 Moorpark Avenue
San Jose, CA 95128

Valley Health Center Sunnyvale
660 S. Fair Oaks Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

If a person who is at high risk and hasn’t yet been able to get the vaccine gets sick with the H1N1 flu, antiviral medications can help stop the virus before severe illness occurs. Flu symptoms usually come on suddenly, so at the first sign of illness, those at high risk should contact their healthcare provider.

H1N1 flu symptoms typically include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and extreme tiredness. Many people who have been infected with the H1N1 virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

Flu antiviral medications are prescription drugs (pills, liquid, or inhaler) that decrease the ability of flu viruses to reproduce. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antiviral medications should be started within two days after becoming sick. When used this way, these medications can reduce the severity of flu symptoms and prevent serious flu complications.

While the vaccine is the best way to avoid getting sick with the flu, you can also reduce your chances of getting sick by washing your hands frequently and using hand sanitizers; keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth; staying away from sick people; and regularly cleaning surfaces around your home and work area.

The H1N1 virus is spread when droplets are coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person and someone nearby breathes them in. The virus can also spread when a person touches a surface like a door handle or table top where these droplets have landed and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth.

For more information about the H1N1 flu and vaccination clinics offered by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, visit www.sccphd.org.

2010 Census: Counting Everyone Once — and Only Once

The foundation of our American democracy is dependent on fair and equitable representation in Congress. In order to achieve an accurate assessment of the number and location of the people living within the nation’s borders, the U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years.

The census population totals determine which states gain or lose representation in Congress. It also determines the amount of state and federal funding communities receive over the course of the decade. 2010 Census data will directly affect how more than $3 trillion is allocated to local, state and tribal governments over the next 10 years. In order for this funding allocation to be accomplished fairly and accurately, the goal of the decennial census is to count everybody, count them only once, and count them in the right place. The facts gathered in the census also help shape decisions for the rest of the decade about public health, neighborhood improvements, transportation, education, senior services and much more.

Reaching an Increasingly Diverse Population

The goal of the 2010 Census is to count all residents living in the United States on April 1, 2010. The U.S. Census Bureau does not ask about the legal status of respondents in any of its surveys and census programs. To help ensure the nation’s increasingly diverse population can answer the questionnaire accurately and completely, about 13 million bilingual Spanish/English forms will be mailed to housing units in neighborhoods identified as requiring high levels of Spanish assistance. Additionally, questionnaires in Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Vietnamese and Russian as well as language guides in 59 languages will be available on request.

10 Questions, 10 Minutes to Complete

With one of the shortest questionnaires in history, the 2010 Census asks for name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, relationship, and whether you own or rent your home. It takes only about 10 minutes for the average household to complete. Questions about how we live as a nation our diversity, education, housing, jobs and more are now covered in the American Community Survey, which is conducted every year throughout the decade and replaces the Census 2000 long-form questionnaire. Responses to the 2010 Census questionnaire are required by law. All responses are used for statistical purposes only, and all are strictly confidential.

Santa Clara County has partnered with the City of San Jose and VTA to form the Partnership Network. We are working in partnership with the US Census Bureau to outreach and educate the community on the importance of participating in the Census.

We would like to urge you to become involved as a Census Ambassador. Your community organizations, churches, PTA’s and clubs are all organizations that can help with Census outreach. It is important that the Census message come from the trusted voices of the community. On a personal level, you can educate your family and friends and encourage them to participate.

For more information, visit the national 2010 Census website at www.census.gov/2010 or for information on local activities and updates, please visit Santa Clara County’s website www.sccgov.org/census2010.

Binational Health Week

Binational Health Week (BHW) is one of the largest mobilization efforts of federal and state government agencies, community-based organizations, and volunteers in the Americas to improve the health and well-being of the underserved Latino population living in the United States and Canada. It encompasses an annual weeklong series of health promotion and health education activities that include workshops, insurance referrals, and medical screenings. For details, click here.

AlertSCC, New Countywide Emergency Notification System

Where will you be when a disaster strikes? Whether Santa Clara County residents are at home, at work, their children's softball game or sitting in traffic on Highway 101, the new regional emergency notification system AlertSCC will enable residents to receive timely and lifesaving information no matter their location. Today, the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, joined by local city officials, announced the launch of AlertSCC , and encouraged residents to go to www.AlertSCC.com to register their cell phone and e-mail addresses.

"This is a monumental day for the 1.8 million residents of Santa Clara County as we launch our first regional emergency notification system," said Supervisor Liz Kniss, President of the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors and Chair of the Board's Disaster Council. "This is a call to action. Beginning today, residents should go to the AlertSCC web site to sign up to receive emergency information related to disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or wildfires."

The County of Santa Clara spearheaded the purchase, implementation and roll out of AlertSCC to local jurisdictions including the cities of San Jose, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, Gilroy, Campbell, Los Altos, and the Town of Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Los Altos Hills.

"The County has led a unified and collaborative effort to ensure that everyone in Santa Clara County will benefit from AlertSCC ," said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who brought the alert system initiative to the Board of Supervisors in 2007. "The range and flexibility of communication options to be offered will keep our residents safe and well-informed."

AlertSCC is an automated system with the capacity to send thousands of text and voice messages within minutes to home and business land line phones using 411 and 911 data bases. While the system uses land lines from the databases, to reach cell phones, PDAs, laptops, desktop computers, and devices for the hearing impaired, anyone who lives or works in the county must register their cell phone numbers or e-mail address at www.AlertSCC.com.

The system can be used for a variety of emergency and community service notifications such as fires, crime incidents, haz mat incidents, infectious disease information, contaminated food warnings, road/school closures, and contacting disaster service workers.

"An emergency alert system may make all the difference in whether or not residents survive a disaster," said Supervisor Dave Cortese, Vice Chair of the Boar's Disaster Council. "In a natural disasters or haz mat incidents, time is of the essence, and this tool will allow us to give our residents urgent warnings."

While no one knows exactly when or where a disaster such as an earthquake or flood will strike, it's more than likely to cross city boundaries and encompass several cities in a wide geographic area. For example, if residents need to be notified of an evacuation, the public notification system enables the county or local city to contact its residents in a targeted or countywide geographic area through multiple means of communication. The system provides the ability to notify residents anytime or pre-scheduled in targeted or regional areas and can be activated by web, phone or satellite phone. Once a notification is sent, the system tracks results and reports on message delivery including which messages had a live delivery, answering machine, bad phone number, busy signal, hang up, fax/modem or undeliverable. The system has the means to resend the undelivered messages.

"Alerting residents of a disaster and informing them of appropriate actions is an important, and constantly evolving, government task," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. "I encourage all residents to register. Stay informed. Stay alive."

"AlertSCC is the fastest and easiest way to become better prepared in the event of an emergency, from natural disasters, to a terrorist attacks, to violent crimes," said Jeffrey V. Smith, County Executive. "Registering for AlertSCC may be as crucial to surviving a disaster as making a family emergency plan and assembling a home disaster supplies kit, and it only takes a few minutes."

The City of Morgan Hill was the first city to send a public safety message using the regional AlertSCC system. In late March, there were several attacks on women in Morgan Hill. The city and County issued a public safety alert to residents of Morgan Hill and the unincorporated areas of South Santa Clara County through the notification system, alerting residents to the incidents and advising them to take extra precautions in shopping center parking lots.

" AlertSCC proved to be an essential communications tool that enabled us to notify residents about a local public safety issue, quickly and effectively," said Ed Tewes, Morgan Hill City Manager.

Through the AlertSCC web site , all residents in Santa Clara County can sign up to receive the alerts. To register, go to the web site, select the city you live and/or work in, and provide cell phone and e-mail address information to receive alerts.

"The City of Mountain View is delighted to be a partner in this regional effort," said Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga, City of Mountain View. "It is critical that we strengthen our efforts to improve public preparedness and response and to do so in a collaborative manner."

AlertSCC will be used to supplement the region's existing emergency communication methods, augmenting public safety and first responder services. It will not take the place of the 911 and other communication and notification systems (such as radio systems) that first responders currently use.

For more information or to register to receive AlertSCC messages, go to the AlertSCC Homepage.

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