NEWSBRIEFS-October 2

Correctional Health Care worker gets professional recognition
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office announced that Jail Medical Manager Bonnie Martin, a registered nurse, earned professional recognition as a Certified Correctional Health Professional.
Lieutenant Kelly Kent said that, “Bonnie is one of 3,000 health care professionals nationwide to earn this highly regarded distinction.” The National Commission on Correctional Health Care established the certification in 1989 to recognize professionalism and excellence among people employed in correctional health care. “The Sheriff’s Office is committed to the care and safety of people incarcerated at the Santa Cruz County Jail,” said Kent. Bonnie is an employee of the California Forensic Medical Group.
In Custody Death
On September 29, Krista Deluca, age 23, passed away early in the morning while in custody at the Santa Cruz County Jail, located at 259 Water St., Santa Cruz. Krista was housed in the jail infirmary where she was being closely monitored by medical and corrections staff due to drug detoxification.
On the morning of September 29 at 06:51 a.m., a correctional officer noticed Krista was in medical distress and alerted jail medical staff to begin life-saving efforts. Fire and ambulance personnel responded and continued efforts until 7:28 a.m. when she was pronounced dead.
There was no evidence of criminal activity or suspicious circumstances. Coroner’s investigators responded to the scene to investigate the circumstances of death, which is standard protocol whenever an individual dies in a correctional facility. A forensic pathologist conducted an autopsy to determine cause of death but the results will not be available until toxicology and other laboratory tests have been processed and the results have been reviewed by the pathologist.
Krista was arrested on September 24 at 11:45 p.m. during a traffic stop by the Capitola Police Department for being under the influence of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and five outstanding bench warrants which required a mandatory court appearance. She was booked into the county jail during the early morning hours of September 25^th. She was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning.
The Sheriff’s first priority in Corrections is the safety of incarcerated individuals. “We take our responsibilities seriously and will closely review the incident to ensure all procedures and protocols were followed,” said Lieutenant Kelly Kent, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
Journal Making and writing workshops offered by the Santa Cruz Public Library System.
The Santa Cruz Public Library System announced it will host several journal making and writing workshops led by local poet, author and artist Patrice Vecchione.
Called “Step into Nature,” the journaling workshops will teach participants how to discover and tell their stories by recording thoughts, feelings and observations. Vecchione will discuss her new book, “Step into Nature: Nurturing Imagination and Spirit in Everyday Life,” which explains how time in nature can restore imagination and how a personal relationship with a natural place not only deepens our own lives but our ability to care for the earth.
The workshops will be presented in several formats including an intensive workshop on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 2:00 to 4:45 p.m. at the ScottsValley Library, 251 Kings Village Road. This intensive workshop includes a one-hour book talk as well as time for journal making and writing.
Each participant will make a personal journal to take home. These events are sponsored by Friends of the Scotts Valley Library.
Learn more at www.santacruzpl.org.
Recalled Chicken
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that Creative Foods, a Santa Clara establishment, is recalling approximately 216 pounds of chicken product due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen. The product contains yogurt derived from milk, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label. While yogurt is declared on the front label, the product is missing an ingredient list identifying milk as a sub-ingredient.
The marinated skinless chicken item was produced on September 16, 2015. The following product is subject to recall:
–          2-lb. sealed trays of “Green Meadows” PREMIUM MEAT CUTS Marinated Skinless Chicken “Bone-In Cubed Chicken in 23% Yogurt-Curry Marinade” with a use-by date/Case code date of September 30, 2015.
The product subject to recall bears the establishment number “P-6052” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The item was shipped to retailers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.
Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.
Consumers and media with questions about the recall can contact Saswata Bhattacharya, Director, at (925) 506-8286.
Help in time of disasters (339 words)
Preparing for an El Nińo winter has many families concerned about severe storm consequences to their property. Following severe drought conditions, the Santa CruzMountains could suffer flooding. The U.S. Small Business Administration has a history of helping communities that suffer such disasters.
In the aftermath of floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, oil spills, droughts and other calamities that have occurred since 1953, the SBA has approved more than two million disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters for a total of $53.8 billion.
“During the past 62 years the SBA has expanded, updated and improved its disaster assistance operation, making it easier for disaster survivors to rebuild their lives and communities,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet. “These two million loans demonstrate the tremendous impact SBA’s disaster assistance program has made in terms of saving local jobs and supporting the long-term economic recovery.”
SBA disaster loans are the only form of SBA assistance not limited to small businesses. The two million loans approved represent the agency’s recovery efforts in the aftermath of the costliest disasters in U.S. history. Those events included:
–         Hurricane Andrew in 1992 (25,992 loans for $696 million)
–         The Northridge, California, earthquake in 1994 (124,262 loans for $4 billion)
–         Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005 (160,809 loans for $10.9 billion)
–         Hurricane Sandy in 2012 (36,913 loans for $2.5 billion).
The SBA makes low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and non-farm businesses of all sizes. Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged real estate. Individuals may borrow up to $40,000 to cover losses to personal property.
Non-farm businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may apply for up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged business assets and real estate. Small businesses and non-profits that suffered economic losses as a result of the declared disaster may apply for a working capital loan of up to $2 million.
More information about SBA’s disaster assistance program is available at www.sba.gov/disasterassistance