Lake Tahoe Community College Facilities Master Plan
Executive Summary
Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has a rich history and a compelling vision for the future. With its unique program offerings and beautiful environment, LTCC is currently emerging as California’s premier destination community college. Along with charting LTCC’s vision for the future, the purpose of this Facilities Master Plan (FMP) 2021-2027 is to reengage with the past, documenting the historical beginnings and original vision that brought LTCC to where it stands today. This FMP is intended as a living resource that can be updated, referenced, and linked to other resources as an aid to those working to realize LTCC’s vision for the future.
Significant progress has been made toward planned facilities since the publication of the 2014-2020 Facilities Master Plan. New buildings have taken form, and ongoing construction projects dot the campus. The Lisa Maloff University Center building, completed in 2018, is a flagship project critical to the bachelor’s degrees that partners of LTCC offer on campus. A multimodal transit center, the Mobility Hub, was completed in 2019 and provides transportation to and from the main campus entry point while reducing personal vehicle trips. The Early Learning Center building, completed in September 2021, is home to the Tahoe Parents Nursery School and other college programs. Ongoing construction projects include a new equipment storage facility, upgrades to existing facilities’ indoor air quality, quiet study spaces, and campus security. The current “Remodel for Efficiency” project is resolving long-standing issues with ventilation, allowing for ADA compliance, updating antiquated equipment, improving technology and connectivity in the classroom, and providing updates to student service areas, offices, labs, and classrooms. Measure F bonds, state funds, and the generosity of benefactors have made all of this possible.
Developing the 2027 FMP involved a robust, weekly collaboration with the facilities management team and a series of coordinated interviews with educators, department deans, administrative staff, past presidents, and longtime supporters of LTCC. Capturing the history of and stories surrounding the development of LTCC was a major goal of this FMP, as was rigorously documenting existing facilities’ conditions and assessing the ongoing needs of these assets. Not budgeting for deferred maintenance costs has a demonstrated history of leading to higher downstream costs.
This FMP presents priorities and budget projections for investing in updated infrastructure, repairs, maintenance, and upgrades that will lead to long-term savings in operational costs...
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Renewable Energy
LTCC is currently researching and pursuing a diverse set of technologies in an effort to achieve lower energy costs, energy resilience, and net-zero carbon energy consumption. According to LTCC’s Measure F bond project list, LTCC aims to modernize deteriorated energy management systems and build new energy systems. Some of the projects include upgrading interior and exterior lighting controls, geothermal systems, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and replacing irrigation systems with more energy-efficient ones.
A primary focus for meeting these goals is to create energy-efficient building systems that reduce energy demands. For energy demands that remain, the possibility of using renewable energy technologies, such as microgrid battery storage, solar photovoltaic panel arrays, geothermal heat pump systems, and biomass fuel conversion, are options. The purpose is to diversify the acquisition, generation, and storage strategies and allow LTCC to maximize benefits from the energy required to operate the campus.
Micro-Grid Battery Storage
The energy storage industry has grown dramatically in recent years. This, combined with renewable energy generation, becomes a critical part of a resilient carbon-free energy strategy. According to research performed by Wood Mackenzie on power and renewables, nearly 12,000MWh of energy storage could be installed in the U.S. during 2021, and the market will continue growing significantly over the next few years. There is currently a Federal Investment Tax Credit for the storage of energy harnessed from solar photovoltaics.
Solar Photovoltaics
Solar power must be part of any discussion of renewable energy generation. Solar panel installation in the Lake Tahoe Region has always prompted debate regarding the financial efficacy of panel performance in snow, forest, and mountain territory. Much of this depends on individual site conditions but, with proper rooftop orientation, panel tilt angle, and open solar exposure, a solar PV installation would be a viable contributor to the campus’ energy mix. The proposed Tahoe Basin Public Safety Training Center site offers many of these advantages, and the project is designed to include a 96 kW system on the south-facing roof.
Ground Source Heat Pump System
Ground source heat pumps employ geothermal technologies for heating and
cooling applications using the earth’s relatively consistent temperature. The Earth stays cooler than the air above it in the summer and warmer than the air above it in the winter. A pump circulates liquid in tubes to specified depths and warms the liquid in the winter or cools it in the summer. This helps regulate the temperature of a building.
While it would require a significant amount of land area to be effective for the entire LTCC campus, ground source heat pumps are an excellent way for individual projects to capture geothermal energy. The new prop yard and paving area that is planned for the Tahoe Basin Public Safety Training Center presents a unique opportunity to install this technology on campus. Earthwork will be required in a wide area, and embedding ground source heat exchanger loops could be a less disruptive operation than it would be elsewhere.
Biomass Conversion
Biomass is renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. Biomass conversion is the transfer of organic waste material to useful energy, and direct combustion is the most common method for converting biomass to useful energy. All biomass material can be burned and the heat is used directly for heating buildings and in steam turbines to generate electricity.
Biomass conversion is another energy technology available to LTCC. Due to the ongoing tree thinning and site clearing projects, there is a continuous source of available wood waste on campus. The wood trimmings need to be processed into cordwood, wood pellets, or wood chips, which can then be used to feed the mechanical boilers.
While the specifics of this energy technology are still being refined, LTCC is currently examining locations for a biomass conversion facility. The intent is to build a test case at either the Tahoe Basin Public Safety Training Center or the Equipment Storage Facility and integrate it into the building’s hot water supply, returning space heating systems or building a system that will convert the heat to electricity and help charge a battery microgrid
Resilience and Emergency Power
Currently, the LTCC campus is powered by natural gas, the backup emergency power generator is propane, and there will be a move to a new natural gas generator for backup. Battery packs can be easily added to the new natural gas system as part of a reserve power supply. The batteries from the electric buses utilized throughout campus are a potential source for use in a reserve power system and could create a reuse opportunity—when car or bus batteries age out of being useful for transportation, they can still hold enough power to be used in a battery farm. Repurposing electric vehicle (EV) batteries extends the life of a battery, delaying when it reaches its end of effectiveness and needs to be recycled. EV battery recycling costs may exceed the value of the recoverable materials. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “When an EV battery pack reaches the end of its useful life in a vehicle, it is still likely to retain more than two-thirds of its initial energy storage capacity.” By reusing EV bus batteries, LTCC could potentially help mitigate wasteful pollution from the manufacturing of new batteries and save money by reusing the batteries.
Reliance on emergency generators alone does not provide a broad and resilient enough infrastructure to assure the energy self- reliance desired by LTCC leadership. Adding a combination of solar energy and biomass conversion, and maintaining a fully powered microgrid of batteries, will provide the type of system that may meet that desire. Renewable resources will be the main source for charging the grid and, at times when there is a lack of renewable resources, the microgrid could rely on the larger commercial grid to recharge. Charging could take place during the night for use during the day, taking advantage of off- peak energy rates. This type of structure may create a more cost-effective system.
The entire plan can be found on the LTCC website
Sierra Business Council CPUC Broadband Grant RFI
North Tahoe Connected
Background:
Complimenting the stunning cobalt blue of Lake Tahoe are majestic mountains and four national forests. It’s no wonder the spot where Lake Tahoe sits at just above 6200 feet is in one of the most beautiful regions in the world and people are drawn to live and play here. Still, those things which draw people to this region afford inherent challenges. The rural high mountain communities were settled at high elevations and were separated from the rest of California by steep mountain passes. The region is confronted by natural disasters such as fires, floods, and earthquakes. Extreme weather that boasts the most snowfall and some of the coldest temperatures in the country has made it difficult to establish reliable infrastructure and resources that are elsewhere taken for granted.
Our Story:
The California Legislature established the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) to support broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas of California. Broadband, as defined by the CPUC, is maintained Internet speeds of 6Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream. The Broadband Regional Consortia is funded by CASF and was created as a way to address the unique broadband deployment issues in specific regions and “to fund the cost of broadband deployment activities, other than the capital cost of facilities, as specified by the Commission (California Public Utilities Commission).” Gold County Broadband Consortium (GCBC) was created to do a needs assessment, develop a strategic plan and construct a work plan to address the unique needs of the Gold Country Region. Sierra Business Council obtained management of the GCBC in April 2017.
The Sierra Business Council (SBC) was established in 1994 during a time when the Sierra Nevada region faced rapid growth and development. In response to this development, SBC was determined to demonstrate that environmental and economic interests are not always competing, but instead complement each other. Our Mission is to pioneer and demonstrate innovative approaches and solutions to increase community vitality, economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social fairness in the Sierra Nevada. Our Vision: In the Sierra Nevada, change and challenge create opportunities. Through innovation, integrity, and respect, Sierra Business Council harnesses these opportunities by implementing projects that model proactive change. Our goal is a diverse, inventive, and sustainable region where the economy is vibrant, the land is thriving, and the communities offer opportunity for all.
We act as steward leaders of the region, taking responsibility for the care and responsible management of our place, guided by the triple bottom line that considers the economy, environment, and community simultaneously.
Executive Summary:
Broadband allows the transmission of multiple communications over fiber-optic cable, copper cable, coax cable, Wi-Fi, and satellite. Globally nations are becoming more and more reliant on this technology to communicate, become more economically competitive and manage basic services. In 2015 the White House and the Broadband Opportunity Council authored a report that states broadband Internet has become an “essential infrastructure for communities”, that it is no longer just a convenience, but should be recognized as a “core utility” considered as essential as electricity and water. Regulations put in place between 2010 and 2015 helped remove the threats to Internet openness, protecting the consumer and preventing providers from deceiving customers, degrading content, or promoting content they favor and disfavoring content they don’t like. Under the current administration and the appointment of Ajit Pai as the new chair of the FCC, the regulations put in place to protect consumers are being threatened. Pai, a former lawyer for Verizon, is opposed to regulation and is looking to restore the “Internet Freedom” that benefits the providers, in part determining whether regulatory intervention is necessary for this market and giving more freedom to the ISPs. The Commission’s theory is that by reducing the red tape these proposals will spur broadband deployment throughout the country, bringing better, faster Internet service to more Americans and boosting competition and choice in the broadband marketplace.
For many years large telecom companies have promised broadband to communities and haven’t delivered. For over a decade, big telecom: AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner Cable Inc., and CenturyLink Inc., have spent billions of dollars to lobby state legislatures, influence state elections and buy research creating interference in the spread of public Internet services that often offer faster speeds at cheaper rates. The result; many communities that don’t have the populations for telecoms to justify the expense of putting broadband infrastructure in place are left with poor service, deteriorating service, or no service. The digital divide in these communities is widening as existing Internet infrastructures are failing and ISPs don’t find it feasible to fix or expand in rural areas. These communities are the ones that are losing essential services such as medical facilities, higher education facilities, and key local businesses, the ones where essential services can benefit most from access to broadband Internet services, the ones without the populations that enable big telecom to make a profit. Broadband Internet enables communities to access distance learning. Because of the high expenses associated with upkeep, The Internet of Things, emergency support services, telemedicine, and other crucial assistance programs are losing services that epitomize citizens’ unalienable rights. It’s this digital divide that is a large contributor to the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.
It is the objective of GCBC to provide guidance that assists in narrowing the digital divide within its communities by facilitating whatever's necessary, and within its power, to bring broadband to every wanting person, or discrete entity, in the GCBC region. The GCBC Broadband Strategic Plan will provide the groundwork necessary to manage the deployment of broadband infrastructure. Details of this plan will be used to advise the California Broadband Consortium (CBC), Federal Economic Development Agency (EDA), specifically the Sierra Economic Development District (EDD), as well as state and local officials, broadband providers, and persons interested in receiving broadband services.
GCBC’s Strategic Goals:
1. Understand unserved and underserved opportunities; promote and encourage the adoption of broadband local services.
2. Promote the importance of broadband as it relates to economic development; communicate the need for public support strategy, policy, public/private/non-profit partnerships, and collaborative program development efforts.
3. Increase awareness of current broadband service definitions, technology, benefits, existing services, deployment challenges, Internet Service Provider (ISP) partnership opportunities, new services, benefits, pricing, and means to acquire.
4. Discern the needs and opportunities to broaden awareness of various statewide public school broadband initiatives and public safety initiatives.
5. Cooperate with other consortia to share resources, opportunities, best practices, and challenges.
Findings:
There is a direct correlation between having broadband Internet and these key factors in creating community vitality: access to healthcare and emergency services, quality education, economic development, productivity, both physical and mental health, and environmental health.
Healthcare and Emergency Services
After several years of declining emergency services in rural communities, a recent NRHA-sponsored study shows 673 more rural hospitals are “vulnerable or at risk for closure,” and 48% to 79% of those are in California. Access to basic health care is also declining.
California was part of a five state study conducted by the Rural Health Research Center to look at how to regulate healthcare network access for rural populations. Out of the five states California is unique in that it had the highest percentage of Narrow Networks, 75%, and is required to take into consideration typical patterns of winter road closures, to comply with access and timeliness standards throughout the calendar year.
Narrow Network as defined by McKinsey & Company is “one that provides an enrollee access to less than 70 percent of hospitals in a rating area,” which means the networks include 25% or less of the physicians in that area. In addition to a high percentage of Narrow Networks in California, there’s also a limited supply of providers in rural areas. The study discussion proposed telemedicine as a potential tool to help insurers meet network adequacy standards in rural areas lacking a sufficient supply of providers. For telemedicine to be implemented it’s necessary to have reliable broadband capabilities beyond what the CPUC defines as Broadband. For two symmetrical high-definition video streams, what’s needed for doctors and patients to utilize telehealth, there needs to be dedicated 6Mbps symmetrical (up and down) speeds. This speed requirement doesn’t include the bandwidth needed for the diagnostic equipment necessary for many telemedicine applications. The issue “Affordable broadband is needed to support telehealth and health information exchange, in order to increase access to quality care. Many rural communities do not currently have access to Internet connection speeds which support the effective and efficient transmission of data to provide telehealth services” as stated by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Rural Areas Losing Wireline Access
Rural America in California has been losing healthcare services, closing schools, and lacking new technology for emergency services and agriculture increasing the gap between the haves and have-nots. The gap can be reduced by providing affordable broadband services. AT&T and Verizon are also slowly turning off their old copper lines and migrating to a fiber and wireless network. Their goal is to implement fiber to the door in more populated areas forcing others to rely on wireless for all of their telecommunication services, including basic Internet and broadband. During this migration process, they are canceling Internet service in areas where it doesn’t pencil for them to maintain it prior to providing other forms of Internet service and not performing maintenance on existing infrastructure. The greatest impacts of the migration and lack of support for existing networks are in rural communities. The GCBC has several communities that have been affected by this migration and some of those areas don’t qualify for the CASF grants because the CPUC Broadband Map shows them as still served by AT&T. The communities in the back of Olympic Valley, upper parts of Kings Beach and Tahoe Vista, Sierra City, and parts of Nevada County and Placer County have been calling the GCBC complaining of not being able to get AT&T DSL, in many cases the only Internet service available. If residents can get DSL, AT&T will tell them their speeds may never reach the 6Mbps up and 1Mbps down that is advertised and necessary to meet the CPUC broadband standards. Since many of these areas are shown as served by AT&T on the CPUC map they don’t qualify for grants and it’s a difficult process to get them re-designated as unserved.
First Responders Network
In 2012 Congress authorized an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce to develop, build and operate the nationwide, broadband network that equips first responders to save lives and protect U.S. communities. This network will help secure fast reliable communications during emergencies such as an accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack and allow First Responders to act quickly. The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will be the first dedicated nationwide high-speed network dedicated to First Responders.
FirstNet only has one vendor, AT&T, and AT&T has been unresponsive when approached to find out when they will be building out the network in rural communities like Sierra County. In counties like Sierra County, there are several dark communities, communities that don’t have an emergency response system, Internet access, or cellular phone service. One of the most beautiful sections of the Pacific Crest Trail extends north and south just outside of Sierra City, a small community in Sierra County. This community has limited and unreliable AT&T DSL connections and a volunteer fire department that borrows a neighbor's Wi-Fi for clerical work. Neither the fire department nor the Sherriff has Internet based emergency response. The Sherriff has an unreliable Wi-Fi service based on AT&T’s backbone that can’t be considered broadband because of its inconsistent connection and speeds that often don’t reach the CPUC standard. In rural areas like these first responders are relying more heavily on Internet services to manage emergency response. Risks are inherently elevated when communities lack an Internet connection.
Rural areas in Ohio have experienced this first hand and the problem exists throughout rural America. “It can be an issue for us because of the rural area that we’re in. We get into a lot of dead spots, which affects our mapping off satellites,” Belmont Fire Chief Bob Mills said, adding that poor Internet connectivity also limits the first responders’ ability to transmit a patient’s heart rhythms to the hospital. “We can hook a patient up in the back of a squad and send it to the hospital we’re going to,” Mills said this information can be valuable in enabling hospitals to prepare the necessary equipment while the patient is en route. He said hospital personnel can determine if the patient will require a heart catheter or to have arteries unclogged. “(Heart attack is) one of the leading causes of death,” These types of services would also be beneficial with fires, flooding, earthquakes, and snowstorms, all of which are prevalent within the boundaries of the GCBC.
Education
Education inequality between rural and urban areas is growing. A big factor contributing to that growth is the lack of connectivity affecting the use of technology in rural areas. Everything from learning basic 21st century Internet related skills to Advanced Placement is being affected by rural community’s lack of connectivity. Technology can also increase educational productivity by accelerating the rate of learning; reducing costs associated with instructional materials or program delivery; and better utilization of teacher time. There are key educational resources that have been stripped from rural communities and can be subsidized by online learning.
Online learning enables students, teachers, and parents to engage in multiple ways and allows students who can’t get to class because of winter road conditions, illness, or lack of transportation. The rural communities will be able to take advantage of emerging trends available to urban schools, maintain a state-of-the-art library, and allow for more cloud applications. High-speed Internet in the classroom and the community will:
· Allow parents to gain insight into the classroom by showing them what their children are working on and increasing engagement and support for the learning process.
· Enable teachers to provide more personal online learning where students can pick and choose their preferred method to learn concepts at their own pace.
· Utilize online courses that will help struggling students, which has been known to increase graduation rates.
· Allow online video libraries of classes for review, missed classes, or distance learning with video conferencing.
· Enable parental engagement through online digital folders, where parents can access important information and cloud-based applications to deliver progress reports, report cards, and permission slips.
· Facilitate collaborative learning with other schools from around the world.
Economic development and productivity
Business growth and productivity have a direct correlation to the availability of broadband connections and almost all business applications are hosted online and only available with a reliable Internet connection. Increased Productivity can be directly related to high-speed Internet connections.
Open Access Networks
Many communities have decided to create their own broadband networks. These communities have used several different models from creating an open access network through municipalities to coops that have fewer restrictions than a municipality and can expand beyond their utility’s boundaries to connect rural America. Both of these models tend to charge significantly less for faster, more reliable, open access Internet connections than the large ISPs.
Coops providing Internet services have been in California for nearly 20 years and new ones are being created. A co-operative (Coop) is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. Some ISPs form out of existing Utility coops while others are created where there’s a demand for better services and a community that wants to get involved.
Municipal broadband deployments are services provided either fully or partially by local governments. Although many cities previously deployed Wi-Fi based solutions, municipal fiber-to-the-home networks are becoming more prominent because of the increased demand for faster more reliable connections.
The city of Ammon, Idaho launched the first of its kind fiber utility service. This service provides and receives multiple services simultaneously. It’s an open access network and there are no restrictions on what the network can be used for. In Ammon, residential and business customers may choose from different providers, and services and create private networks within Ammon’s city network. They can obtain city services and emergency alerts over the network even if they don’t subscribe to a service. The project creates a versatile technological and operational model for other public fiber networks to learn from.
Broadband Objectives
Every GCBC community has unique needs and disparate obstacles to obtaining Internet access with appropriate broadband speeds. The GCBC will facilitate the deployment of broadband services in unserved and underserved communities by working with members of the community and local governments to remove obstacles. The GCBC will use everything within its power to close the digital divide that prevents rural communities from increasing community vitality, economic prosperity, and social fairness.
Gateway Mountain Center
Upswing Grant, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Surge Grant Program: Provide immediate resources to direct-service organizations that provide mental healthcare to adolescents who are of color and/or LGBTQ+.
Organization description and mission
Word Limit 400
Gateway Mountain Center transforms the lives of youth from all socioeconomic backgrounds through nature-based learning, leadership development, and therapeutic wellness adventures. Over 20,000 youth, including under-resourced, adolescents of color and those impacted by adverse childhood experiences have reconnected to themselves, nature, and their communities through our programs. Gateway inspires youth’s desire to learn and support their healing enabling them to thrive. We achieve this through holistic and healthy nature-based experiences and wellness programming, a nature-based therapeutic mentoring program serving the highest need youth in a community, and proven transformational experiences provided by outdoor education resulting in greater student engagement and academic achievement.
Whole Hearts Minds & Bodies (WHMB) is a nature-based therapeutic mentoring program for youth suffering from serious emotional disturbance, behavioral issues, and substance use disorder. With a current caseload of 51 youth from the Tahoe/Truckee region, mentors provide a 3 to 4-hour-long one-on-one outdoor session each week. This consistent caring relationship allows the youth to build skills and learn emotional regulation while living at home, staying in school, and remaining in their community. Documented positive outcomes have awarded Gateway Wraparound partner contracts with Placer County, Nevada County, and the local Tahoe Forest Hospital. Gateway is the first nature-based therapeutic program certified by Medi-Cal as a behavioral health provider. Our goal is to scale this effective treatment and cost-efficient delivery method across the nation.
4Roots Wellness supports local youth with nature-based experiences and wellness programming. Contracted by the local school district, Gateway provides Wellness Services for high-need youth in Alternative Education Schools and supports youth in our recently completed Youth Wellness Center (YWC). Programs offered through the YWC are the evidence based Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Program (MBSAT), Youth Voice Media Arts Lab, and Basecamp for Adventure: weekly nature-based outings. The YWC is a space where
Sierra Experience provides Enviro-Literacy, Outdoor Adventure, and Social and Emotional Learning for visiting schools, youth organizations, and families through multi-day field trips and summer camps on Donner Summit. Each year, hundreds of youth are introduced to transformational outdoor adventures such as rock climbing, hiking, and snowshoeing. For many, this is their first opportunity to walk in a forest, swim in a lake, or experience snow.
2. Please describe how your organization is inclusive of and supports gender and sexual minority adolescents. Word Limit 200
Over the 8 years of our therapeutic work, we engaged with adolescent clients struggling relative to acceptance of their sexual orientation. Through our WHMB program, we have been very effective in supporting gender and sexual minority adolescents enabling them with the skills necessary to be true to themselves and improve their relationship with their families. Our YWC is available to host youth groups and will be hosting two Pride Clubs from our local high schools. Our founder, Peter Mayfield, was raised by a gay psychiatrist father and was active in the gay rights movement of the 1970s and 80s. Education, understanding, perspective taking, acceptance, and empathy have been core values woven into the DNA of our organization from its inception.
We are involved with advocacy organizations such as Teachers for Social Justice, and Youth Outside, we also regularly access study materials and conduct training to continually improve our effective engagement. Our staff is required to participate in annual training for implicit bias and cultural competency. Through these efforts, we have been successful in bridging a cultural divide between our predominantly white and hetero enviro-education and therapeutic staff, and the many Title One schools with diverse students we serve.
$100,000 Funding will:
1. Increase Budget for Unfunded Adolescents. We currently hold behavioral health contracts with two County Children's Systems of Care, however, due to the fiscal impacts of Covid, Placer County reduced our contract funding by 35% as referrals surged. Often county mental health services are co-located with the Sheriff, Probation, and Child Protective Services offices creating barriers for the Latinx community members who don’t feel secure in their immigration status or have had issues with law enforcement. We offer non-stigmatizing and safe entry into our programs, providing services for families who would not otherwise receive them. In a typical year, we provide approximately $160,000 in no-fee services, for 2021 we are anticipating the need to increase our budget for unfunded and underfunded services. In addition, our community is being impacted by a fentanyl overdose crisis. As a result, there is a surge in referrals for our MBSAT program. With grant funding, we can add a new MBSAT group in our Kings Beach where, according to the 2010 census, Latinx make up 55.7% of the population.
Impact: 25 additional high need Latinx youth receive therapeutic services.
Impact: 5-10 high-need youth will receive weekly services as the first pilot cohort. 500 words
Please describe what kind of mental health services your organization provides to the target population.
Whole Hearts Minds & Bodies - Nature Based Therapeutic Mentoring is a non-clinical treatment approach that increases the relational connectedness many youths are lacking. Evidence shows that time in nature, well supported physical challenge, and engagement with a non-parental caring adult benefits adolescents. Our innovative treatment method is supported by current neuroscience research and treatment of complex trauma. It is deeply informed and validated by best practices and research provided by the Trauma Research Foundation of Boston and the Child Trauma Academy in Houston. Our method is, “Four Roots for Growing a Human,” 1. Authentic Relationships 2. Connection with Nature 3. Embodied Peak Experiences 4. Helping Others.
Our cost-effective delivery method provides one licensed therapist to clinically supervise six well-trained therapeutic mentors, who collectively deliver 60-80 hours a week of skilled, connected therapeutic time outside of a clinical setting.
Validated assessment results show this method supports lasting healing and is more effective than the “standard of care” with the overuse of numbing medications and 50-minute sessions on a couch. 40% of our caseload are Latinx youth and these families appreciate the convenience and non-stigmatizing context of care inherent in our method.
In a typical session, the therapeutic mentor picks up the adolescent at school and provides the equipment necessary to support the exploration of an interesting location in nature as well as healthy food options for the engagement. Many of our clients are in poor physical shape due in part to long term use of antipsychotic medications. We are skilled in supporting progressive outdoor physical challenges, building confidence, self awareness, and self efficacy for youth who are obese and/or have been traumatized to the extent that moving beyond their comfort zone is challenging.
In 2015 we became certified in Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment, an evidence based method that we brought into our alternative education schools. We are currently running groups at our Youth Wellness Center, and with growing needs due to our opioid crisis, we plan to start groups in Kings Beach to improve access. This method is empowering, building skills and strengths, in contrast to the “shame and punishment” framing of more traditional SUD treatment programs in our region.
For the past eight years, our 4Roots Wellness Programs have been surveying and interviewing youth at the beginning of each semester. We use this information to inform our curriculum development, evaluate class content and modify all-school retreat activities. Through this input, we have been able to address and provide support for emerging and top-of-mind issues of concern for our students. To build authentic relationships and deepen rapport and trust, we periodically host listening circles for students while ensuring their needs and desires are being addressed. Gateway Mountain Center has been a catalyst for centering youth voices to inform the wider network of care in our region. We co-founded the annual Youth Voice event that includes leaders and front line staff from all of the agencies in our region who support youth development.
Client transitional age youth, who have been involved in our programs, have shared their experiences with the Campaign for Community Wellness. This campaign informs the leadership of the county system of care. For some, this has been part of Root #4 of our Whole Hearts Mind & Bodies therapy program, Connecting to Community through Service, and they see this as an effort to reduce stigma and improve awareness.
With the recent opening of the 4Roots Wellness Center, we have more opportunity to provide Youth Voice that consistently informs the design of our programs, and gives feedback to improve program effectiveness. Our programs work full circle, youth who come up through our system and want to help others have the place and the structure to advance as paid peer supporters.
Our County Behavioral Health contracts require periodic formal evaluation from our client youth. They fill out the perception of care surveys.
Please elaborate on the in-kind support you receive on an annual basis, including if possible the estimated total dollar amount (optional).
Gateway benefits from vital in-kind support for under-resourced youth embarking on therapeutic outdoor activities. Our local ski resorts provide free tickets, our local mountain shops loan our mentees quality mountain bikes, snowshoes, and rental skis/snowboards, and our community members donate outdoor clothing. We partner with UC Davis Medical School, UCSF School of Psychology, and Juan Miguel Arias PhD who support our programs with staff, materials, and research. Fourth-year psychiatry residents at UC Davis Medical School can choose WHMB as an elective rotation. Each year we receive a staff psychiatrist, who learns our method and provides nature-based therapy, as well as psychiatric access for families who lack access. Kathleen Tebb PhD., Developmental Psychologist at UCSF, has been instrumental in helping us design a custom assessment survey, and supporting our research projects. Dr. Tebb provided input on an academic poster about our method that was accepted and well received at the International Trauma Conference in Boston (see website). Juan Miguel Arias PhD. helped us formulate our Nature Health Ambassador - Youth Leadership Pipeline program, advising us on staff training for improved perspective-taking, empathy skills, and engagement with Latinx and other youth of color. Total in kind value: $65,000
Keep The Sierra Green
A green business certification programExcerpts from Rose Foundation Grassroots Environmental Grant
Project Description
Keep Sierra Green (KSG) is a voluntary green business program providing a legitimate forum in which local businesses and events can promote their sustainable practices and products. Businesses can be certified through KSG and become a member of the California Green Business Network.
Organization Mission and Objectives
KSG's mission is environmental education, stewardship, and leadership with a determination to make Lake Tahoe and the Sierra a global leader in environmental sustainability and to influence businesses and individuals from all over the world to make policy changes and alter purchasing practices with the intent of reducing negative effects on the environment while creating more sustainable lifestyles. The enhancements to the KSG program will make it compliant with California law as defined in Assembly Bill AB 913. This law requires local government agencies to operate voluntary green business programs or designate an organization to operate these programs on their behalf. AB 913 has specific requirements that the current KSG program does not uphold such as validation and timely re-validation confirming the reduction of waste and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Other objectives include a way to measure waste reduction and GHG reduction for specific companies and regions as required by the state of California in Assembly Bill AB 32 and AB 341, respectfully, and track Best Management Practices (BMPs) for stormwater runoff. None of this is achieved through the current KSG program.
Why Important?
The KSG program has not reached its potential because there is no dedicated support, little funding, and decentralized leadership. This program currently does not adhere to the California law defined in Assembly Bill AB 913, which went into effect in January 2012. This law requires local government agencies to operate green business programs or designate an organization to operate these programs on their behalf. AB 913 has specific requirements that the current KSG program does not uphold. These include providing application verification to confirm that businesses and events comply with the certification process. It is required to have timely re-certification of green business partners.
The KSG program does not currently have the resources to efficiently perform the outreach necessary to (a) bring new businesses into the program; (b) track the green business partners as required by California law; and (c) effectively measure waste reduction, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and Best Management Practices (BMP’s) as required by law.
Vision Support Group
https://bonepwa.weebly.com/about-us.html
Excerpts from the HIV/AIDS and TB Health Convention Proposal
A REQUEST FOR SUPPORT
The purpose of this letter is to ask for your support and
partnership in working with the Vision Support Group (VSG) to produce a convention that addresses the serious issues surrounding tuberculosis (TB)
infection rates, poor access to care and education, and how HIV/AIDS contribute
to the vast number of TB infections.
INTRODUCTION
VSG is a Community Based Organization (CBO) located in
Mahalapye, Botswana that operates under the umbrella of the Botswana Network of
People Living with HIV/AIDS (BONEPWA). We were established in 2003 and
registered with Botswana Registration of Societies – Certificate No. CR 8133 on
October 31, 2008. Through work with government programs and organizations
within and around the Mahalapye area, we provide access to health programs and
work with health organizations to provide outreach to the people of Mahalapye
and the outlying areas. We are assisting various health sectors and
organizations in accessing the community and empowering the people to utilize
health programs. The membership is comprised of people both infected and
affected by HIV/AIDS and individuals interested in the fight against the
HIV/AIDS epidemic.
BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Botswana has the second highest HIV prevalence rate in the
world and one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) prevalence rates[i].
TB is also the main cause of death for people living with HIV[ii].
One of the serious problems associated with TB infections is that people
infected with HIV default on their antiretroviral treatment (ART) leaving them
vulnerable to TB infection. The antiretroviral (ARV) medication that is given
to people living with HIV helps them fight infections that can occur when HIV
compromises their immune system. Defaulting on ART creates
a high-risk environment where, because of the weakened immune system, the
bacteria that causes TB can lead to infection. HIV is the strongest risk factor
for a person to develop TB[iii].
In Botswana, an estimated 65% of people with TB were HIV-positive, in 2010[iv]. Being engaged in various health outreach programs VSG has been working with TB and HIV co-infected patients and through this work has become aware of the lack of knowledge that exists regarding the high risk of becoming infected with TB when HIV is present.
JUSTIFICATION OF THE CONVENTION
According to the Republic of Botswana Ministry of Health
(MOH) 2009 report only 25% of TB and HIV co-infected patients had access to
treatment. In a trial performed for 3 years, 2006 – 2009, patients that started
on ART and Isoniazid[v]
Preventive Therapy (IPT) had less than 60% full adherence to the program, 19.5%
of patients who started ART and IPT discontinued treatment completely, while
9.7% were lost to follow-up[vi].
Due to the major effect, TB has on the quality and length of life, human rights, social stability, and economic growth TB prevention and therapy continue to be a high national priority. We must do what we can to educate the people and search for solutions to the problem. In Botswana, there is an annual TB infection rate of 414 per 100,000 people (The World Bank, 2013). The importance of having a clear and comprehensive HIV and TB blended program built on existing Directly Observed Treatment[vii] (DOT) programs is imperative. Botswana has several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and CBOs that are actively involved in HIV testing, prevention, and care, but there is minimal testing, active prevention, and care for people infected with TB.
The intention of this convention is for VSG to deliver a report
on its 11-year engagement with issues of HIV/AIDS and TB and to present
recommendations for high quality, effective and sustainable treatment of TB; adherence
counseling, prevention, and contact tracing.
[i] Center for Disease Control and Prevention HIV report 2009.
[ii] WHO TB Report 2013 Factsheet No 104
[iii] Global tuberculosis control: epidemiology, strategy, financing. World Health Organization report 2009. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
[iv] Global tuberculosis control: WHO report 2011
[v] The first-line medication to treat TB
[vi] Risk Factors for Non-Adherence and Loss to Follow-Up in a Three-Year Clinical Trial in Botswana: Deborah A. Gust, Barudi Mosimaneotsile, Unami Mathebula, Balladiah Chingapane, Zaneta Gaul, Sherri L. Pals, Taraz Samandari
Published: April 25, 2011 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018435
[vii] DOT is a treatment program where a trained healthcare worker or other designated individual (excluding a family member) provides the prescribed TB drugs and watches the patient swallow every dose.
(The full proposal is available upon request.)
