February 10, 2021 — A covid-19 outbreak at a Ukiah nursing home has infected eighteen people, according to Bekkie Emery, of the county’s Department Operations Center. The outbreak was identified at Mountain View Assisted Living and Memory Care on Saturday. Twelve residents and six staff have tested positive, and another staff member is considered a close contact and is in quarantine.
Alyson Bailey, the program manager for the Measure B Citizens Oversight Committee, is no longer working in that position. Dr Jenine Miller, who heads the county’s Behavioral Health department, said in a statement that her department will be taking over Measure B clerical tasks, monitoring fiscal activities related to Measure B, and continuing the development of the training center and the crisis residential treatment facility.
Supervisor John Haschak, who is on the Measure B ad hoc committee, said he does not believe it was a rash decision, and that, “With the variety of tasks that were being done by people in either behavioral health or facilities, it seems that streamlining and cost efficiencies were appropriate.”
The three year anniversary of Khadijah Britton’s disappearance was Sunday. Witnesses say Britton was abducted at gunpoint by Negie Fallis on February 7, 2018. On Friday, Scott Shelby, the special agent in charge of the San Francisco division of the FBI, said the bureau is still working with the county to find Khadijah Britton. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for her disappearance. “Somebody knows,” he declared.
Anyone with that information is urged to call the sheriff’s office or WeTip, the anonymous crime reporting hotline, at (800) 782-7463. You can also email the fbi at tips.fbi.gov.
At yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Dr. Coren reported that the county only has enough vaccines for second doses this week. He said the county had to give out extra doses on January 13, 14, and 15 to meet the governor’s call to vaccinate a million people in a week. Those people are now due for their second shots. The county health department and the rural health centers are vaccinating people who are now eligible due to their occupational risk of exposure, while the hospital and its clinics are focusing on those 75 and older. Things could change, if the state decides to prioritize people with co-morbidities and disabilities.
Meanwhile, testing and vaccines are hard to come by for people who live outside of Ukiah or Fort Bragg. Supervisor John Haschak asked if the traveling OptumServ testing team would be coming to Willits anytime soon. Deputy CEO Darcie Antle, who is now overseeing the vaccine program, said it had to do with the now-familiar urban rural divide at the state level.
But Anna Stockel, who called in during public comment, said she thought the county and the state have something in common. “The Board of Supervisors complained endlessly about the state not disclosing data,” she said; “but, quite frankly, Mendocino County isn’t doing much better.”
Supervisor Ted Williams asked if more data could be made available to the public, saying the item at the top of his wish list for more information is vaccine numbers.
Emery said that is a goal, but her focus has been on satisfying state reporting requirements, which involve nine different systems.
The board supported giving direction to staff to publish how many vaccines are distributed daily, by which provider. Four of the local skilled nursing facilities have received vaccines from a contract with CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, which are not required to report to the county. Williams offered to collect the data himself, rather than wait a week or two.
And Supervisor Maureen Mulheren revisited the issue of what kind of paperwork is necessary for essential workers who are eligible for the vaccine but don’t have pay stubs.
“I think it’s important that the county public health gets out to all the vaccine clinic locations that we will accept a letter as proof of employment, instead of a pay stub for some essential workers,” she said. “That has been a question that has been coming up, and I think clear direction to the vaccine clinics would be helpful.”