Health Matters is hosted by Lynn Szabo and Paul Critz. This episode also featured Mike Thornton. Produced by Persephone Rose.
On this Health Matters, we sit down to talk about something that’s not such a big deal for the rational person yet a politically hot topic: Vaccine Mandates. PA Lynn Szabo sits with Paul & Mike to talk about what they actually mean, how they’re being done here, and to just… get vaccinated. If you want to do all the things you want to do, you gotta get vaccinated.
What’s a vaccine mandate? Although it’s a requirement that says you must be vaccinated to do certain things, an individual cannot be forced to receive a vaccine. (Think of it as “Vaccination Mandatory to attain entry.”) Of course, this means there are still consequences as you can be prevented from doing something you may want to do, which is well within the rights of those putting up restrictions. Vaccine mandates have been a common part of our lives long, long before COVID-19, such as school vaccination requirements or travel vaccination requirements.
The Federal Mandate for COVID-19 Vaccinations… The current federal mandate declares that all employers with more than 100 employees must be either COVID Vaccinated or the employee must get weekly COVID-19 testing. This is enforced on the federal level by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
States and cities can require vaccine mandates, which is legally supported by a rather strong Supreme Court decision in 1905—a 7-2 decision based on the idea that an individual’s right to liberty cannot deprive others of their right to liberty. What this boils down to is everyone has some restraints that exist for the common good.
Exemptions exist to maintain compliance with the ADA. Religious exemptions follow complicated rules, including:
Beliefs must be sincere
People must be informed that they have this option
Religious exemptions are judged on an individual basis
Health exemptions need verification from a health care provider and cannot legally include details.
What’s a law abiding Del Norter to do?
Get vaccinated -or- submit to weekly testing.
Have your documentation in order if you believe you qualify for an exemption.
Remember that yelling, drama, and anger isn’t a solution.
Health Matters is live every Tuesday at 11am on KFUG Community Radio 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!
On this week’s Health Matters, KFUG Community Radio’s show about all things health with local PA Lynn Szabo, we sit down to talk about the thing you’ve already heard about: COVID-19’s Omicron variant.
Very little medical information is present as this remains an unfolding story. The first cases reported came from South Africa, November 24th, 2021 (with those particular cases initially being reported November 9th, 2021.) The Omicron variant itself has approximately 50 of its own mutations at the time of reporting, 30 of which are on the spike protein.
In short: we don’t a know whole lot just yet. The effectiveness of current vaccines against Omicron is yet to be determined, but the response from scientist has been a matter of weeks instead of months like previously, with Moderna and Pfizer looking at the vaccine response to this variant.
All this being said—what’s a concerned Del Norter to do? It’s back to the basics, or continuing for those who have listened:
Get your third dose. (Talk to your provider or pharmacist about what’s available)
Wear your mask, correctly. (The nose is part of the respiratory system too.)
Isolate and distance. (While you don’t need to confine yourself to a dungeon, don’t start rushing into groups of strangers.)
Wash your hands. (Come on. Don’t be gross.)
Don’t touch your face. (Might be tempting but if you skipped that last step, you’re really gonna want to listen.)
For the full talk with PA Lynn Szabo, you can listen to the full episode of Health Matters below!
Health Matters is hosted by Lynn Szabo and Paul Critz. This episode also featured Oliver Corcovelos and Mike Thornton. Produced by Persephone Rose.
Health Matters is on live every Tuesday at 11am on KFUG Community Radio 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!
2021 is already almost over and so many bad things have happened that it’s hard to keep up. And, as exhausting as it can be to keep up with current news, it’s very important to remain vigilant. For example, this year saw the rise of legislation targeting transgender rights. A record number of bills have been introduced in states across the US this year that seek to interfere with trans people’s safety and even prevent trans youth from accessing gender-affirming care. Two anti-trans bills from Tennessee and Arkansas that restricted trans rights in their states managed to become law. The bill in Tennessee required businesses to post signs on bathroom doors “warning” people if their bathrooms are trans friendly. The bill in Arkansas would make it illegal for doctors to prescribe any gender affirming care to a patient under the age of 18. However, these laws were thankfully shot down by a federal court in July. While this is a great victory for the trans community, attacks on the rights of the trans community are far too common. Considering this, I would like to focus on the bill that was introduced in Arkansas back in April and unpack some of its contents, and refute some of the anti-trans rhetoric.
The S.A.F.E. Act
In April of 2021, Arkansas became the first state in the country to ban medical treatments for transgender minors. This bill, HB1570, is also titled THE ARKANSAS SAVE ADOLESCENTS FROM EXPERIMENTATION (SAFE) ACT. While being opposed by many, and even vetoed by the governor who had passed a different transphobic bill earlier this year, his veto was overturned by the Senate. Having read this bill in its entirety, I and many other trans activists find it to be deeply harmful and anything but safe.
The bill restricts any medical professional from providing or referring youth under the age of 18 to any gender affirming care. This includes puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and surgeries. The stated reasoning behind this decision is that transgender people only make up a small portion of the population and there haven’t been enough scientific studies into the longterm effects of these gender affirming procedures.
It is important to mention that the most common form of gender affirming care that children and youth receive is puberty blockers, NOT hormones or surgeries. For many providers, a social transition is needed before they will even prescribe the blockers, to make sure that the child is comfortable living as their gender.
Puberty blockers, as the name suggests, are prescribed to youth to postpone their puberty. These blockers are not only prescribed to transgender youth, but also to cisgender youth who are developing much earlier than their peers. These blockers have been studied for their effect in youth for decades and have been found to be harmless and reversible. So, when adults begin to bemoan the use of puberty blockers in trans youth to prevent a possibly traumatic puberty, one has to question their intentions. There wasn’t this much of a pushback for cisgender children accessing these blockers. However, thanks to the recent bill in Arkansas, children of any gender identity will have a harder time accessing these blockers.
Harmful Outcomes
If this bill had not been blocked by a federal court, it would have caused tremendous harm to the trans youth in Arkansas. Not only are trans and gendernonconforming youth more at risk to be bullied by their peers, they also have a higher rate of self harm and suicide. According to the Trevor Project, “40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25”. Restricting access to gender-affirming care will only increase the mental duress that trans youth feel from gender dysphoria.
In addition, the process to accessing gender-affirming care like puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy isn’t quick. In fact, most doctors who are capable of prescribing said medications require a letter from a psychiatrist who specializes in gender identity. Speaking from personal experience, I had to travel around 2 and a half hours to the nearest licensed psychiatrist who would be willing to discuss hormone replacement therapy. From there, it took months to get an appointment with a doctor who would prescribe testosterone to me. After that, it takes years of waiting to get a referral for top surgery and even longer to schedule the actual appointment. And this was while I was a legal adult advocating for myself, and I didn’t have to deal with potentially unsupportive parents, like many trans youth have to.
This process isn’t easy, and it’s often exhausting to young trans people who have already had to justify their identity to everyone around them. Now, they have to push through miles of red tape to plead their case to a medical professional, some of whom aren’t even willing to give care to transgender patients. Many trans people have reported discrimination or harrasment from medical professionals because of their gender identity. Restricting trans peoples’ access to healthcare would also reduce the amount of trans patients that doctors would communicate with, isolating them from the community as well.
Next Steps: Becoming an Effective Advocate
First things first, educating yourself about transgender issues and terminology is crucial to becoming an effective ally. There are plenty of online resources like GLAAD or the ACLU website that can teach you more about transgender identity. It’s alwasy incredibly important to keep in mind that trans people of color experience higher rates of violence, harassment, and medical discrimination.
Secondly, if you live in one of the states that currently has anti-trans bills introduced, please call your representative and ask them to fight it. You can find out if your state has bills either enacter or proposed at theguardian.com, where there is a map detailing each state and their fight against anti-trans bills.
Finally, be an advocate for transgender people in your own social circles. If you hear the kind of anti-trans rhetoric that these bills are promoting, call it out. Take the time to educate those around you about trans issues and encourage them to become advocates as well. The trans community needs allies who care about our wellbeing and our right to exist as ourselves.
Wondering how to get your COVID Vaccine? Del Norte County Public Health is offering free vaccinations to all comers Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 10am to Noon, at the fairgrounds in Crescent City. No appointment necessary.
It’s as simple as following the giant color coded signs.
Step 1. Fill out a form. Step 2. Show the friendly and helpful volunteers your form. Step 3. Get vaccinated. Step 4. Hang out for 15 minutes. It’s as simple as that.
Now that you know how to get vaccinated, why should you get vaccinated?
We asked Head Volunteer-Volunteer (one who volunteers to be the Head Volunteer) Debra Wakefield.
From Debra Wakefield:
If you’ve already got your vaccine, you’re already part of the solution here in Del Norte County. So the only way we’re going to stop this virus is by getting as many people vaccinated as we can. So the reason you should come down is for yourself, to be safe. It’s for your family, to keep all your family members safe—grandma, grandpa, kids, everybody. And in my book it’s for your community, we want to open up our businesses, we want to have as normal a life as you possibly can here in Crescent City. Only way we’re going to do that is to get a ton of people vaccinated. So do it for yourself, do it for your family, and please, please do it for our community.
Debra Wakefield, Head Volunteer at the Fairgrounds Vaccine Clinic
Can’t make the weekly event at the fairgrounds? Call your local pharmacy for an appointment—at the time of this report, Walmart, Walgreens, and Rite Aid have vaccines and are taking appointments or walk-ins, depending, with most other pharmacies soon to have them.
Tribal members can call United Indian Health Services at (707) 465-2975 to make an appointment.
Let’s get back to normal—get vaccinated. For Redwood Voice,
We know your news feed is already filled with posts about COVID-19, but this one’s different! We have a project underway, and we think you’ll like it.
Along with providing news and highlighting moments in our community, Redwood Voice has always been about narrative. We want to know your stories, and we want to be able to share them! College of the Redwoods Professor of English Ruth Rhodes reached out to us with a brilliant idea and in our deliberations through a few Zoom meetings (of course), we’ve partnered up to make it a reality: “My Corona Comic Book!”
You can find the children-specific version of this project here, which was designed by Ruth Rhodes. It works especially well as a fun assignment for students in distanced learning programs, or even if you just have a child around with a lot of creative energy they need to let out!
More updates and developments will be coming out between now and the time of submission, June 19th. We have a lot in store, and a lot of excitement. We’re looking forward to not only all of the creative opportunities to come from this project, but also all of your wonderful submissions!
This summer, I had the opportunity to work on the media team for the week-long Sons and Brothers Leadership Camp at a mountain retreat in Portola, California, sponsored by the California Endowment. Young men came from inner cities all over the state to help them heal from their personal traumas and prepare them to confront the challenges they face at home in a better way. As the media team, our responsibility was to capture the events of the camp and tell the stories of the campers. We all worked on projects utilizing various forms of media to produce videos, memes on social media, a yearbook-style compilation that every participant could take home, and an audio diary. I was primarily involved in producing the audio diary. We did a series of interviews with one young man throughout the week and followed his development and growth during camp. After the camp was over, I continued to work on this project, writing a script and polishing the story as our team coordinated with KQED–an NPR affiliate in San Francisco. In August, the story aired on the California Report. The story is posted here: https://www.kqed.org/news/11689332/california-camp-challenges-young-men-to-rethink-masculinity
Photo by nevadateach (flickr)
When I first met the media team I was excited to get to know them over the next week. We all slept and worked in the same small cabin, and even thought it was a tight fit, the atmosphere was fun and exciting. Once we began our projects, however, my feelings changed. I quickly saw that I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. Honestly, I didn’t even realize how much I didn’t know. Some of the guys on the media team were far more experienced than I was, and at first I was intimidated–even discouraged. I thought, “What am I doing here? They don’t need me.” But then I decided to draw from their pool of knowledge and experiences. I starting asking questions and having them show me things. Once I did this, my experience became a lot more enjoyable. Not only was I participating in documenting the camp, but now I was also learning new skills.
As the week progressed I got to know some of the camp participants better, and I was stunned at their stories. These young men are amazing, and some of the hardships they have to face I can’t even comprehend. Many of them deal with gang influences, domestic violence, and even homelessness at a young age. I was grateful for the privilege of hearing and sharing their stories.
During the week I also got to participate in some of the events of the camp, like archery, which was a good release for me and helped me focus and relax as I worked on improving my aim. Another activity I was able to participate in was called the leap of faith. After being strapped to a safety harness that was connected to a rope pulley system, with my teammates as anchors, I climbed up a pole and stood on a small platform forty feet in the air. The entire way up my heart was pounding and my mind was racing with fear. But I knew that if I gave place for those fearful thoughts, then I would not make it. So, ignoring my fears, I continued upward, one step at a time. When I got to the platform, I let out a yell and I jumped, relying completely on my teammates. Sure enough, they caught me. The moment my feet left the platform, the height was no longer scary and intimidating, but beautiful and majestic. I learned a lot from this experience. It helped me overcome some of the other fears that I face in my life and trust that everything is going to work out as long as I keep putting one foot in front of the other and don’t let my fears paralyze me.
All of the young men came from very different backgrounds than myself, and it was a good opportunity for me to learn about other people’s culture. It opened my eyes, and it opened my mind. I could see that we really are all brothers regardless of what we look like or where we come from. I left camp with a stronger character and a deeper sense of my humanity, as well as a commitment to brotherhood.
Photo taken from http://find.acacamps.org/images/camp/image/main/phpopT7Sw.jpg
CRESCENT CITY, CA—More than a year has passed since 13-year-old Dante Hat-Anew Wayne Romannose-Jones was shot and killed at point blank range near his home on the Yurok reservation in rural Northern California.
For his family members and tribal community, closure has not yet come.
Last January, when District Attorney Dale Trigg dismissed the case against Dante’s suspected killer (a 16-year-old Native boy from the same community) citing insufficient evidence, Dante’s mother, Martha Romannose-Jones, expressed her anguish on Facebook:
Since then, the family’s outcry for justice has grown louder. Family members publicly expressed outrage over what they believe was a mishandling of the case by law enforcement, and have organized marches and rallies under the banner “Justice for Dante.” The most recent march took place on May 14 to mark the anniversary of the tragedy and was attended by roughly 100 tribal community members, family and friends who took to the streets of nearby Crescent City.
“This is part of growing up Native. We were raised to be this way, to fight,” said Dante’s cousin Jessica Banuelos, who organized the march. “He can’t speak from the other side of the grave, so it’s up to us to fight for him and make sure he gets justice.”
Sixteen-year-old Jed Hawkins is your average junior at Del Norte High School. He plays tennis, enjoys being with friends, loves music, and is a creative storyteller. Jed has dreams of becoming a famous actor, helping people struggling with mental disorders, and changing the world. However, Jed’s daily life is also made more complicated by Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s is a developmental disorder that makes socializing and focusing in school difficult for him. He often finds himself feeling depressed, isolated, and misunderstood. Despite these challenges, Jed continues to reach out, trying to make a difference in the lives of others. So, when he heard about the Directing Change Statewide Film Contest, he was immediately up for the challenge.
The Directing Change Program and Film Contest is part of Each Mind Matters: California’s Mental Health Movement. The program offers youth opportunity to participate in the movement by creating 60-second films about suicide prevention and mental health that are used to support awareness, education and advocacy efforts on these topics. Program participants – whether they are making a film, acting as an adult adviser, or judging the films – are exposed to appropriate messaging about these topics, warning signs, how to appropriately respond to someone in distress, where to seek help, as well as how to stand up for others who are experiencing a mental health challenge.
Redwood Voice, a local youth media program funded through the Building Healthy Communities Initiative, provided equipment, training, and support for youth interested in submitting to the contest. Jed worked with Makenzy Williams and Jacob Patterson, leaders of Redwood Voice, as well as community partners including Meng Lo with Harrington House and Michelle Carrillo with Building Healthy Communities. The message Jed wants to share was clear: he doesn’t want anyone to feel alone, and wants the world to know that we need to support, love, and care for each other regardless of any mental health challenge that may be complicating our lives. Fifty percent of us will experience a mental health challenge in our lifetime, according to CDC: U.S. Adult Mental Illness Surveillance Report, and Jed wants to end the negative stigma existing around these mental health challenges that affect such a significant portion of our population. Jed created a 60-second film called “Real-Life Superhero.” On April 14th, it was announced that “Real-Life Superhero” won 1st place in the state in the Youth and Young Adult, Mental Health Matters category. This was the first winning submission from Del Norte County since the beginning of the contest in 2014, and Redwood Voice took first place over submissions from UC Davis, Mount San Jacinto College, California Baptist University, Pasadena City College, and University of California Riverside. Jed, Makenzy, and Jacob will attend a red carpet award ceremony in Glendale, Calif. on May 20th. They also attended a local showing in Eureka, Calif. on May 7, and presented at the local Economic Summit in Crescent City on April 29. Jed won $500 and Redwood Voice received $1000 to support suicide prevention and mental health awareness projects.
Do you know where you can access women’s health resources? Do you know where to direct a friend in need? Are you interested in learning more about local resources and women’s health issues? Gender Talk has a solution, and it comes in the form of a celebration. Gender Talk’s Pink Party is a fun, free event open to all ages and genders organized with the purpose of broadening interest in women’s health and youth development through performances, art, music, and presentations from your local health agencies.
Gender Talk is a community group housed at Coastal Connections that advocates for promoting gender and LGBTQ+ equality in addition to providing a safe space for discussion and creative outlets for local youth. Jacob Patterson, facilitator of Gender Talk states “Our goal is that with the Pink Party, we will bridge gaps between local services and maximize this opportunity not only to educate the community, but to allow agencies to network and learn about each other. We want to make it a fun event that makes health more approachable and that also makes talking about health issues less scary for people.”
The event will include live performances by Spare Change, a youth group with Planned Parenthood NorCal, in the form of educational skits on healthy relationships, gender equality, domestic violence, and bullying. Other presenters, booths, and guests include Building Healthy Communities, CASA, Del Norte Child Care Council, Del Norte High School’s new GSA, Expanding Youth Horizons, Harrington House, the Inter-Tribal Council of California, North Coast Rape Crisis Team, Open Door Community Health Center, Planned Parenthood, Redwood Voice, Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation, True North Organizing Network, Universal Heart Shamanic Drummers, Wild Rivers Community Foundation, Yurok Tribe, and more.
“Agencies don’t always have a venue to mingle and learn what each other is doing” Patterson says, “We want to break down health silos and perpetuate community discussion around health issues.” If you are an agency looking to educate the public about what you do, you are welcome to bring along any promotional materials (pamphlets, flyers, business cards, etc) to make available to attendees during the event at a local resources booth.
“Women’s health issues have impact on the community as a whole,” says Patterson, “At the Pink Party, you will have the opportunity to educate yourself, meet with groups whose services you may not have been aware of, and learn how to be an advocate by familiarizing yourself with services available. If someone in your life is in need, you will have names and face that you can refer them to.”
The Pink Party will take place Friday, February 19th from 5:00pm-8:00pm at the Veteran’s Hall 810 H St, Crescent City. There will be door prizes, catering by Bar-O Boys Ranch, music, and art. All are encouraged to attend! For any questions, visit Gender Talk on Facebook at facebook.com/GenderTalkCC
The statewide push for accountability with law enforcement in their relations with communities of color has come to Del Norte County and Tribal Lands. Local organizing network, True North, have been collecting prayer cards signed by citizens urging Governor Brown to pass Assembly Bill 953, the Racial and Identity Profiling Act, a data collecting bill making it mandatory for law enforcement to track and report the race of persons they make contact with.
Redwood Voice reporters followed some of the leaders and organizers of True North as they made their trek through our region on their way to the State Capitol.
Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.
