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    Every Wednesday is Covid 19 Vaccine Day for Kids

    cover shots

    April Reya a medical assistant, gives the COVID-19 vaccination shot to Vicki Creighton, of Riverside, Recently, at the LaSalle Medical Associates medical office located in Rialto, Calif. .

     

    “If it weren’t for the vaccine, I’m sure I would have ended up in the hospital,” said LaSalle Medical’s Compliance Officer, Barbara Graber.

     

    (REDLANDS, Calif.) “We started the second week of July, now every Wednesday is “Covid Vaccine Day for Kids,” says Dr. Albert Arteaga, pediatrician, and the CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates.

    “Now that Moderna has released its three variations on a Covid vaccine for younger people we are full speed ahead,” says Dr. Arteaga, “… we have been tracking the Covid 19 pandemic very closely and believe that the Moderna vaccine is the most effective option currently available.”

    LaSalle Medical’s Compliance Officer, Barbara Graber, notes that five of LaSalle’s six clinics are providing Wednesday shots for youngsters. “We started slowly,” says Graber, “… now we are increasing the number of Covid-19 vaccines given weekly. We’ve given 170 shots in the first two weeks of August and parents are responding to our targeted internal outreach program that urges them to bring in their children for their vaccine.”

    Graber says being proactive with outreach to clinic patients leads to more people getting the vaccine. “Our team is calling to ask parents to bring in their youngsters to get vaccinated. This makes prevention likely to be a lot more effective.”

    The three vaccines are for children aged 6 months to 5 years, 6 to 11 years, and 12 years and older. There is a four-week wait between first and second shots.

    Graber contracted Covid-19 herself and says, “If it weren’t for the vaccine, I’m sure I would have ended up in thehospital.” She had the two-shot regimen as well as two booster shots. “This vaccine has proven itself and is now an important addition to our tool kit to help people stay healthy, safe and out of the hospital.”

    Barbara Graber, manager of compliance and special projects at LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc.

    LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., clinics accept Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan coverage, as well as Medicare Medi-Cal and cash.

    For more information about LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. call the office closest to you: Fontana (909) 823-4454; San Bernardino 17th Street (909) 887-6494; San Bernardino Mt. Vernon Ave. (909) 884-9091; Rialto (855) 349-6019; Hesperia (760) 947-2161; and Victorville (855) 349-6019.

    About LaSalle Medical Associates

    LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. is one of the largest, independent, and Latino-owned healthcare companies in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The corporate office is in Redlands.

    LaSalle operates six clinics employing more than 100 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults and seniors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. LaSalle also accepts Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) coverage.

    LaSalle is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals and clinics, delivering high quality patient care to approximately 365,000 patients in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin and Tulare counties.

    American Girl Doll Tea Party this Saturday August 6th at Noon

    American Girl Doll Tea Party this Saturday August 6th at noon

    After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, youngsters will again indulge in Afternoon Tea and snacks with the American Girl Doll collection thanks to the San Bernardino City Library Foundation.

    The tea starts at 12:00 noon on the sixth of August at Dr. Mildred Dalton Henry Elementary School, 1250 W. 14th Street, San Bernardino. Refreshments and an educational program will be delivered by the University of California’s local Master Gardner/Master Preserver program.

    This Saturday, youngsters will indulge in tea and snacks being served by dutiful adults who stand ready to ensure that the children have a delightful time. The annual event attracts children and their parents from the Greater San Bernardino Area.

    Cheryl R. Brown Dameron Communications Government Relations Director

    Cheryl R. Brown, Board Member, American Girl Doll Tea Chairperson 

    “American Girl dolls represent the cultures of San Bernardino. Each one is unique, and the variety always finds favor with attendees—both kids and adults,” said Cheryl Brown, San Bernardino City Library Foundation Board member.

    Brown adds, “The library’s American Girl Doll collection reflects the ethnic diversity of our community and youngsters can check out dolls that look like them. They can even customize them using the accessories that come with each doll.”

    All year round, children can check out an American Girl Doll kit, at San Bernardino City Library’s that includes one of several ethnically diverse dolls, a carrying case, accessories, a book about the doll, and a journal.

    The program provides an engaging learning experience that provides a glimpse into different time periods in American history through each doll’s story and a chance for children to write about their own adventures.

    The doll collection and the annual tea are both made possible thanks to the generous support of the people and organizations of San Bernardino that take delight in giving children entertaining educational experiences.

    San Bernardino City Library Foundation partners include Edison International, the Irvine Foundation, the Inland Empire Community Foundation, and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

    San Bernardino City Foundation Board President Arlington Rodgers

    San Bernardino City Foundation Board President Arlington Rodgers

    “We had to suspend our in-person tea event during the Covid pandemic, but now that things have calmed down, we are eager to again welcome the public to our version of ‘afternoon tea’,” says Foundation President Arlington Rodgers.

    A reservation is required to attend. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, August 3rd, BUT people who want to register up to the 5th are encouraged to try and sign up anyway, as if there are spaces still available, they will be accommodated.

    To make your reservation call  (909) 381-8211, by August 1, 2022, leave contact information and how many reservations. Participants are requested to call early.

    About the San Bernardino City Library Foundation

    The mission of the San Bernardino City Library Foundation is to make sure that our public libraries continue to be places where everyone in the community can gather, learn, grow, and interact.

    Since 1995, the San Bernardino City Library Foundation has provided the San Bernardino Public Library system with the financial support it needs to provide new books for patrons, offer free tutoring for all academic levels, provide patrons with access to e-books and audio books, and provide innovative programs like a Makerspace and the American Girl Doll program.

     

    Board members include Arlington C. Rodgers, Jr. President, Cheryl R. Brown, Vice President— Community Relations, Mary Kay De Crescenzo, Vice President-Operations, Debra A. Fields, Secretary, Timothy Prince, Director.

    Inland Empire Men’s Mental Health Program Ads Instructor

    Yamileth Monarrez, joins The Making Hope Happen Foundation's Inland Empire Men's Mental program

    Yamileth Monarrez, joins The Making Hope Happen Foundation’s Inland Empire Men’s Mental program

    The addition of Ms. Monarrez to our training staff allows us to accommodate more students for our suicide prevention and mental health first aid classes,” says Ceseña.

     

    (San Bernardino, Calif.)  I’m very happy to have been promoted to being an instructor by the Inland Empire Men’s Mental Health program, says Yamileth Monarrez, “because the courses address issues that I’ve personally experienced and now I feel I can do something to make things better.

    The Making Hope Happen Foundation‘s Inland Empire Men’s Mental program offers free classes that educate people on how to recognize signs of mental distress in people they know and love and teaches them how to get friends and family members to be willing to talk about what’s going on.

    Program manager Gerzon Ceseña says, “Men—especially minority men—tend to be very reluctant to talk about problems they’re having. Instead, they often shut themselves off, which can make things worse. Our program is all about getting rid of the idea that real men don’t need help and instead, that real friends can help friends when things are tough.”

    Promoting Ms. Monarrez to our training staff allows us to accommodate more students for our suicide prevention and mental health first aid classes,” says Ceseña.

    Yamileth Monarrez is a senior at UC Riverside and will be graduating in December. She spent a semester abroad at London South Bank University, taking a variety of courses, andpsychology is an area she has been interested in for some time.

    The exposure to a different culture broadenedMonarrez‘s horizons while at the same time, showed how people everywhere often need to deal with the same problems.

    Monarrez says, “At UCR I‘ve served as a mentor to freshmen. I really enjoy helping people and I wanted to work for IE Men’s Mental Health because the program emphasizes the need to de-stigmatize mental health issues so that people can get the help they need.”

     

    For more information or to sign up for a course, visithttps://www.mhhfmentalhealth.org/dult.htm or call (909) 347-7234. Class schedules are updated monthly.

    About Making Hope Happen Foundation

    Making Hope Happen is a nonprofit foundation linked with the San Bernardino City Unified School District. The nonprofit is based on the philosophy of Gallop Senior Scientist Dr. Shane J. Lopez. Hope allows people to envision a better future, design a path toward that future, and take purposeful steps toward it.  As a result of a deep commitment to this quest, the San Bernardino Community and School Alliance (CASA was reorganized and renamed the Making Hope Happen Foundation).

     

    The Foundation’s Inland Empire Men’s Mental Health programoffers free mental health training for people who would like to be able to help friends or family members that would like to learn effective ways to approach friends or family members who seem to he has emotional or mental health problems but aren’t sure about what to say or do.

    For more information on The IE Men’s Mental Health Program,go to the group’s web page at IEMensMentalHealth.org or call (909) 347-7234.

    Helping Single Women in Need, and Men Or Women With Children, Get Back in Control Of Their Lives

    The Salvation Army Hospitality House Program Manager Naomi Goforth

    “All of us who are part of the Hospitality House team love being able to help single women in need, and men or women with children, get back in control of their lives.”

    (San Bernardino, Calif.) The San Bernardino Salvation Army Hospitality House stands ready to house homeless families and single women who need temporary, stable shelter. Their target population also includes multi-generational families, and single men with children as well.

    “The Salvation Army Hospitality House serves as a safe refuge that provides residents with a supportive, caring environment and all the resources they need to deal with a wide variety of personal and/or family problems. It all starts with emergency shelter that can keep participants safely housed for 30, 60, or 90 days, depending on their circumstances,” says Program Manager Naomi Goforth.

    At intake, each new arrival is assessed by trained Salvation Army intake staff.  Once the scope of a client’s needs has been determined, each family is given a detailed individualized case plan and assigned to a case manager who will maintain close contact during their entire stay.

    Each family’s case plan includes a comprehensive goals and objectives that cover their intake, transition to permanent housing, help finding a steady job, legal advocacy, child welfare aid, and education. Every resident is treated as an individual with individual needs and every case is different and gets a customized case plan.

    “People who come to Hospitality House may have been sleeping in their cars or were recently released from a hospital. At intake, each new resident gets clothing, bed linens, hygiene products, and a chance to take a breath after whatever ordeal they have just gone through,” says Goforth.

    “I didn’t know what I was going to do,” says one recent Hospitality House graduate.

    “I’m a single mom and I lost my job during the pandemic. Thank goodness, at least my 15-year-old car was paid off and when we were no longer able to pay rent, that’s where we slept. I heard about Hospitality House from a friend and the people there have helped me find a new job, secure a place to live, and even got me enrolled in a course that’s going to add to my skill set so I can advance in my new-found career.”

    Goforth says, “Our residents don’t just sit around and spin their wheels. They actively work their case plan. Our case managers are good at finding each individual’s motivation to resolve their homelessness and get back on their feet.”

    “Sometimes, that may include a referral to one of our partner agencies for things like mental health services, substance use, and legal aid. Whatever they need, we can either provide help in-house or get them connected to the right providers,” says Goforth.

    As current resident K.L. notes, “I had a pretty bad rent history and I knew not many landlords would want to take a chance on me, even though I now have a decent job. But the Salvation Army has helped me reestablish a better tenant history and now I have a place lined up to move to when my stay here ends next week.”

    To talk with a Hospitality House representative, call (909) 888-4880 or visit the website athttps://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/equip-families/.

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    About the Salvation Army

    The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. To donate, call 1-800 SATRUCK.

     

    Salvation Army-PR-1214.2  Hospitality House #1

    Your Spring Cleaning Can Turn Men into Productive Citizens

     

    “From clothes that don’t fit anymore to books you don’t read anymore, to kitchen and household items you don’t want or use, the Salvation Army can use them to recycle lives.”

     (San Bernardino, Calif.)  Spring is here and spring cleaning is on a lot of people’s minds right now. But rather than throw things away, donate them to the Salvation Army.

    “The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center of San Bernardino will be happy to accept your donations of whatever you are cleaning out—clothes, furniture, even unwanted small appliances—and distribute them to our six Family Stores in the San Bernardino area,” said Administrator of Business at the San Bernardino Adult Rehabilitation Center, Major Donald Sheppard.

    Shoppers get great bargains and the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs get funds to continue serving those in need, said Major Sheppard.

    “Our Family Stores raise almost all of the program’s revenue, which is used to help the rehabilitation centers’ men new job skills, helping them become more productive members of society after they complete the program,” said Major Sheppard.

    Major Martha Sheppard, Administrator of Program (L), and Major Donald Sheppard (R), Administrator of Business, at the San Bernardino Adult Rehabilitation Center. Their 122-bed facility posted a 39 percentsustained recovery rate this past April.

    Major Martha Sheppard, Administrator of Program (L), and Major Donald Sheppard (R), Administrator of Business, at the San Bernardino Adult Rehabilitation Center. Their 122-bed facility posted a 39 percentsustained recovery rate this past April.

     “From clothes that don’t fit anymore to books you don’t read anymore, to kitchen and household items you don’t want or use, the Salvation Army can use them to recycle lives and 100 percentof the monies raised at the stores stays within the operations of the rehabilitation program” adds Major Sheppard.

    “We need donations of every kind,” said Carl M. Dameron, Chair of San Bernardino’s Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center Advisory Board.

    “We receive no other funds, and with the Covid pandemic, donations have been at an all-time low. You can donate cars, trucks, boats, clothing, furniture, small appliances and even property,” said Dameron .

    You can drop-off donations at all locations located at all of The Salvation Army Stores.  You can also call 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825) or visit the website at www.SATruck.org for the location near you.

    -30-

     

    About the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center

    The Adult Rehabilitation Center is a six-month social model program, which combines a comprehensive rehabilitation program and work therapy for men who wish to overcome drug or alcohol addiction. These men attend individual and group counseling, substance abuse education, 12-Step meetings, and learn about stress management, anger management, parenting and overcoming addiction, as well as spiritual counseling. Re-entry and alumni support services are also provided. Many recreational activities are also provided, which alumni can continue after their treatment as part of a sober lifestyle.

    The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. To donate, call 1-800 SATRUCK.

    Free Education & Career Resource Fair

    (San Bernardino, Calif).  The Akoma Unity Center and Northwest Project Area Committee of san Bernardino are hosting an Education & Career Resource Fair.  The event takes place on Saturday, April 2 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  The Education & Career Resource Fair is at 1357 California Street, San Bernardino.

    The objective of this event is to connect individuals with employment and, or post-secondary opportunities – colleges, trade schools and Universities.

    “There are several education institutions providing information on their services including Cal State San Bernardino, San Bernardino Valley College, Pasadena City College and Concord Career College,” said Dolores Armstead coordinator for the Education & Career Resource Fair.

    Businesses are also attending to recruit employees, including City of San Bernardino, building trades, Stater Bros, and local water departments.

    The Education & Career Resource Fair is for high school scholars, parents, recent college grads and those interested in furthering their jobs training, education and furthering their careers.

    There are still vendor spaces available.  For more information call (909) 217-7956.

     -30-

    Skip and Cathy Chappell Donate New Kitchen and Bedrooms to Hospitality House  

    long time Salvation Army supporters Skip and Cathy Chappell

    Long time Salvation Army supporters Skip and Cathy Chappell, Hospitality House Director Naomi Goforth and Major Martha Trimmer inspect the Hospitality House freezer.

     

    (Redlands, Calif.)  The Salvation Army’s Hospitably House had a big problem.  The kitchen and bedrooms were just worn out.  The problem was The San Bernardino Corps didn’t have the money to replace the 30-year-old kitchen.  What to do?

    Scott Carlson, The Salvation Army’s donor relations director thought of long time Salvation Army supporters Skip and Cathy Chappell. The couple have helped other Corps in Sothern California, so Carlson asked for help.

    “The Chappell’s were eager to provide funding for a new kitchen when I described the need,” said Carlson.  “But when they toured the Hospitably House, met some residents they saw the need for new beds and bedroom furniture as well as new kitchen equipment”.

    “All together, they decided to provide funding for all new kitchen equipment, new beds and new bedroom furnishings for all 21 units at the Hospitality house”, said Carlson.

    “We are so very happy and honored to receive this wonderful gift.  This changes the lives for the better for our families who come to stay in the shelter,” said Hospitably House Director Naomi Goforth.

    “We are so happy to help,” said Cathy Chappell. “We saw the need and knew we had to help these families through a very tough time,” she added.

    The Hospitality House is The Salvation Army’s homeless shelter for families and single women.

    The Hospitality House provided 31,534 nights of shelter to families and children experiencing homelessness. 1,612 children participated in educational and recreational programs last year. Many supportive services are provided with each night of shelter including meals, laundry, hot showers, tutoring and case management.

    The people served at The Salvation Army shelter come from all walks of life. The challenges of homelessness touch all ethnic groups, family types and ages. Many people believe the Salvation Army shelter only accepts women and children.  But that’s not true.  Men are welcome if they are a part of a family unit with children.  When it comes to families, children are the piece that is necessary to provide services.

    The issue of homelessness continues to disrupt many families in the Inland Empire region. These displaced individuals are thrust into living situations that make them vulnerable to many problems.

    Long time Salvation Army supporters Skip and Cathy Chappell do Nate new bedroom furniture to The Salvation Army Hospitality House.

    Long time Salvation Army supporters Skip and Cathy Chappell donate new bedroom furniture to The Salvation Army Hospitality House.  Salvations Army staff and volunteers put the all of the furniture together. 

    “Without proper and safe daily rest and food, health begins to decline. Anxiety caused by the uncertainty of finding needed resources causes fatigue, stress, and the breakdown of vital family relationships,” said Goforth.

    The Salvation Army works with each homeless or transitional housing client to set up a Self-Improvement Plan that will move his or her family toward future independence, resolution of homelessness , and retention of stable housing long term.

    For more information on The Salvation Army Hospitably House or to schedule a tour call (909) 888-1336.  Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.

    -30-

    About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps

    The Salvation Army may provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available.

    The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church, and offers evangelical programs for boys, girls, and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world. The Salvation Army has been in existence, since 1865, more than 150 years, and in San Bernardino since 1887, and Redlands since 1885, supporting those in need without discrimination.  SAL-ARMY. Our local number is (909) 888-1336.

     

    SVA-PR-1211 New Kitchen

    For More Information Call

    Carl M. Dameron @ (909) 534-9500

    Or email Carl@DameronCommunications.com

     

    For Immediate Release  – 461 words

    Carl M. Dameron of Dameron Communications Shares How He Overcomes Adversity

    Carl Dameron, creative director of Dameron Communications. “Sharing your stories is fun. Let me share the secrets behind successful public relations and advertising.

    To the people who know and work with him, Carl M. Dameron is a dynamic, hard-driving, award-winning advertising and public relations expert with more than 30 years of success helping organizations and people throughout California meet their goals.

    He is also a cancer survivor. In this edition of SoCal Voices, Carl shares the story of starting and growing his company, how he dealt with his cancer diagnosis and offers sage advice for anyone facing a challenge.

    Watch here: https://www.socalvoices.com/episodes/carl-cameron

    Website: dameroncommunications.com

    Instagram: @carldameron

    Twitter: @carldameron

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DameronCommunications

    Dameron Communications services include: advertising for television, social media, radio, newspaper, magazine, and billboards, web sites, direct mail, mobile web applications, and email.  They also deliver award winning public relations press releases, press conferences, media relations, television programs, web sites, opinion editorials, promotions, event creation and management, government relations and community relations.

    For more information on Dameron Communications call Carl M. Dameron @ (909) 534-9500.

    One Small Christmas Gift Gives Hope To A Child at the Salvation Army Angel Tree

    Help the Salvation Army obtain more toys for children in need by going to the Giving Tree by Dec. 24.

    Help the Salvation Army obtain more toys for children in need by going to the Giving Tree by Dec. 24.

     

    (Redlands, Calif.)  Giving a toy to a needy child. It is a small gesture but participating in The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree will make this Christmas memorable for you as well as the children in need.  Without your help, some children won’t get anything for Christmas.

    “Just pick up an Angel Tree tag and buy a needy child the gift listed on the tag! The Angel Tree matches donors with hundreds of children who are relying on The Salvation Army this year to bring them a Merry Christmas,” said Major Martha Trimmer, Corps Officer of The Salvation Army of San Bernardino.

    The San Bernardino Corps Angel Tree is at Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino, 500 Inland Center Drive in San Bernardino, 92408.  Donations received here provide toys to children from 400 disadvantaged families in Big Bear, Blue Jay, Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, the mountain communities, Bloomington, Colton, Grand Terrace, Highland, Rialto, Loma Linda, Yucaipa, Mentone, Redlands, and San Bernardino.

    “Please support disadvantaged children with a Christmas gift at the Angel Tree by visiting our table in the Inland Center Mall and fulfilling the wishes of a child till December 22nd,” said Major Trimmer.

    Shoppers find cards attached to the Angel Tree. These cards include the names and wish lists of needy children whose families cannot afford to buy gifts. Shoppers simply pluck a tag off the Angel Tree and head for the appropriate store to purchase their gift donations, then return it to the Angel Tree volunteers.

    Shoppers get to keep the card as an ornament to hang on their own Christmas tree, reminding them of their good deed.

    “This is a great way to start a tradition with your family, by selecting a gift for a needy child together. The gifts are based on their individual wishes and for some children, it may be the only gift they receive all year,” said Major Trimmer.

    “Lego’s, board games and clothes are just a few items on each child’s wish list,” said Major Trimmer. “Shoppers who participate in the program are encouraged to shop for more than what is needed on the list. I can’t think of a better way for local people including business owners and managers to help the community and spread the spirit of Christmas.”

    For more information on the Angel Tree call Steven Pinckney at (909) 792-6868 or visit the tree in the Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino.   To donate money by phone call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (800-725-2769).  Donate online at: https://sanbernardino.salvationarmy.org

     

    -end-

     

    About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps

    The Salvation Army may provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.

     

    The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church, and offers evangelical programs for boys, girls, and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1885, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY. Our local number is (909) 888-1336.

    Safety First for Students and Teachers


    by Sean Flynn
    Inland Empire residents know from painful experience that America faces an unacceptable level of gun violence. Whether at a workplace in San Bernardino a high school in Palmdale, or in Santa Fe, Texas, far more needs to be done to prevent these tragedies.

    As we discuss our options, I would like to point out that there are at least five common-sense solutions that can be enacted immediately to help safeguard students and schools from a repeat of the tragedy in Palmdale.  You have probably never heard of them because the political parties have gone to polar extremes and are more interested in finger pointing than proven solutions.

    Our fundamental problem is that students and schools have been left defenseless.  It wasn’t always like that. When I was growing up in the 1980s and attending junior high and high school in the gang-plagued Los Angeles Unified School District, we had metal detectors to stop students from bringing weapons (both knives and guns) onto campus.  It worked and metal detectors are something that we now as a society embrace at airports, concerts, and government buildings.

    We need to place metal detectors in schools once again. Nobody should be able to walk casually onto campus with a firearm and shoot children.

    Let’s also embrace more recent prevention technologies.  Consider the Salto electronic door locks that the Loma Linda Unified School District just installed at every one of its schools.

    Each principal in the district now has a mobile app that allows them to lock down their entire campus in just eight seconds if there’s an emergency.  Some might object to the $1.4 million cost, but this proven technology comes out to just 8 cents per student per day. That’s a bargain by any measure, especially so when considering how infinitely precious our children are.

    Another proven lifesaver is the ShotSpotter acoustical gunshot detection and location system, which uses ordinary microphones to detect and locate gunfire.  Within seconds, it can detect that firearms have been discharged, tell authorities the location to within 10 feet, and even tell them if there was more than one shooter.

    ShotSpotter is used by more than 90 cities around the world and is credited by the San Francisco Chief of Police with helping to reduce both gun crime and homicides by fifty percent over the past 10 years. We need ShotSpotter at every school in America and in the neighborhoods that surround them.

    Fences and metal detectors are the first line of defense.  ShotSpotter lets authorities know when something has gone wrong.  And Salto allows for instant lockdown.  But we must also have trained professionals on site at every school ready to engage and disable if a shooter manages to get past the fences and metal detectors.

    So I once again recommend proven solutions. The schools I attended back in the 1980s had armed police officers patrolling the halls and walking the perimeter. They were some of the nicest adults I ever met, but their purpose was simple and meaningful: If anyone tried to harm me, they would stop them…dead if necessary.

    Society, of course, also needs to seriously reconsider how it deals with the violently mentally ill and to have a serious talk about the best ways of restricting potential predators from gaining access to firearms.  Both of those debates will be heated, but both sides should consider a new type of restraining order that can deny firearms to potential shooters.

    It’s called a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) and it allows family members and others who are close to a disturbed individual to present real evidence—such as screen shots of social media posts or copies of diary entries—to a local judge who can then issue a 21-day restraining order that allows the police to temporarily deny weapons to the disturbed individual.

    California’s GVRO law went into effect in 2018, but California is one of just five states to allow for GVROs.  Other states should consider adopting GVROs and citizens should be made aware that GVROs are an important option for those living with potential predators.

    The best fence is the one that’s never breached, the best metal detector is the one that’s never set off, and the best Salto system is the one that’s never activated.  But until we can 100% deny weapons to the violently mentally ill, we need all of them, as well as ShotSpotters, school police, and GVROs.  They are proven, practical, cost effective and would make another Palmdale much less likely.  I hope we implement each of them as soon as possible.  Our children must be protected.

    I live in Redlands.  I am a recognized economist, business owner, educator,and Board member on the San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association.   I am also the author of the best-selling book  Economics for Dummiesand the coauthor of the world’s best-selling college textbook, Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies.

    For more information on my campaign, Sean Flynn for Congress, go to www.SeanFlynnForCongress.com