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San Mateo County Disaster Preparedness Day is Aug. 5
The 19th Annual San Mateo County Disaster Preparedness Day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The free annual event at the San Mateo County Event Center at 1346 Saratoga Drive in San Mateo will include CPR and first aid classes, interactive preparedness demonstrations, giveaways and free hot dogs.
Learn more at smcdisasterprep.org.
Help Atherton become an age-friendly community
Atherton town officials are recruiting residents 55 and older to help shape age-friendly initiatives for the town.
Residents can join a five-member task force to discuss improvements that the town can make to help older adults or attend a focus group to discuss initiatives that benefit older adults.
Contact Deputy City Manager Anthony Suber at asuber@ci.atherton.ca.us or 650-752-0529 for more information.
— Angela Swartz
Caltrain suspends service between Hillsdale and Palo Alto
Caltrain is suspending service between the Hillsdale and Palo Alto stations on the weekends of July 15-16 and 22-23 for electrification construction and testing, according to a press release. Caltrain is offering bus bridge service, but encourages riders to seek alternate modes of transportation during the affected weekends.
— Cameron Rebosio
Ravenswood City School District seeking board candidates
Bronwyn Alexander has decided to resign from the Ravenswood City School District Board of Trustees after three years of service, creating a vacancy.
If community members are interested in becoming a RCSD trustee, the provisional appointment qualification form and application must be completed by noon on Thursday, Aug. 17.
Eligible candidates will then be interviewed at a board meeting at 6:30 p.m. on either Aug. 24 or Aug. 29. Trustees will be appointed at the end of the interviewing process at the board meeting.
Free concert at the Belle Haven library
The city of Menlo Park is hosting a free concert with live music by the traditional Cuban music group Carlitos Medrano Trio at the Belle Haven library on Saturday, July 15, at 1 p.m. The library is located at 413 Ivy Drive. For more information, go to menlopark.gov and click on the events calendar.
-Michaela Seah
New 988 crisis line gets high use in its first year
New data shows high statewide usage of the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline after the first year with its three-digit phone number.
California crisis centers responded to about 280,000 contacts via calls, online chats and text messages since 988 replaced a 10-digit phone number last July, according to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, which is the hotline crisis center for several Southern California counties and also serves as a statewide backup center for 988 calls.
The state had the highest volume of contacts in the U.S., followed by New York. Call volume increased 28% from May 2022, when the hotline had a longer phone number, to May 2023.
Online chats and text message were a major contributor to the increase, said Matt Taylor, program director for the 988 network at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, at a briefing July 11. The majority of people using those methods are aged 24 or younger.
“It shows that people are hungry and ready to use this service, particularly young people,” Taylor said.
California is served by a network of 12 crisis centers. When someone contacts 988, they are routed to their local center, which can connect them to local and community resources. If the local center cannot respond, it goes to the state backup center at Didi Hirsch, or if that fails then it goes to the national network.
Those who are thinking about suicide or are experiencing a mental health crisis can call 988 across the U.S., 24 hours a day.
-Bay City News Service
By Michaela Seah, Angela Swartz, Cameron Rebosio and Bay City News Service
By Michaela Seah, Angela Swartz, Cameron Rebosio and Bay City News Service
By Michaela Seah, Angela Swartz, Cameron Rebosio and Bay City News Service
