Class 37 met at the Watsonville Community Hospital for its Health & Human Services Day. As the Day Sponsor, Janet Windt started the day with a brief description on what the Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center is all about. This was followed by a presentation from the new CAO, Steve Gray, on some of the complexities facing the Watsonville Community Hospital. Even though this was only his third day on the job, he was able to share some of the issues facing the hospital and the community support that is helping with this. Next the class heard from a panel about some of the complex behavioral health issues facing the county. The class took a break from these discussions by taking a tour of the hospital.
After lunch, sponsored by Sutter Health, the class received a broad overview of the homeless issues facing the county. The first of two panels discussed this from the perspective of the organizations set up to deal with homelessness. The second panel followed this up by sharing some homeless issues from the perspective of those working in the field. These discussions were very powerful as they dealt with the human side of the issue. The class appreciated the care and attention that is being given by those working the streets trying to provide valuable assistance to people without places to stay.
The day ended with field trips to locations that tied into the day’s theme. The class was broken into four groups; each visiting one of four sites including the Parajo
Valley Shelter, the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance, and Si Se Puede.
Thank you to our sponsors!
