Learn Basic Life-Saving Skills in Just 2 Hours

Even basic life-saving skills can be critical in a medical emergency. County employees are invited to take a new course to learn how to respond during the first crucial moments.

The two-hour, non-certified Basic Life-Saving Techniques is meant to provide you with basic skills to be used until professional responders arrive.

The Aug. 18 course was developed for those with no previous training and those interested in refreshing their life-saving skills. It consists of lecture, demonstrations and practice exercises. Scenarios to be reviewed include choking, CPR and control of serious bleeding. The cost is $15.

If you can’t make the August class, don’t fret. The course will be offered again on Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Nov. 10 and Dec. 22—depending on enrollment needs.

If you’re interested, sign up for the Basic Life-Savings Techniques course on Learning Management System (LMS). All trainings will be held at the County Operations Center, 5530 Overland Ave., Second Floor, Room 241 (training room), San Diego, CA 92123.

If you want to go beyond basic, you can also sign up for a full-day Heartsaver, CPR, AED and First Aid course through Learning Management System and earn certification. The seven-hour course covers adult, child and infant CPR, AED use, choking and first aid. Cost is $25. A recertification course is also available for $25. Dates for all can be found in LMS.

AND IF YOU KNOW CPR...  Register for PulsePoint, a new smartphone app that lets citizens trained in CPR know when their help is needed by someone nearby. It is now available in the San Diego region, thanks to the County and its partners. Learn more

Move Your Way (Virtually) Across America

Lace up those shoes, do a good stretch and get going (figuratively) across the country – Thrive Across America is back for San Diego County employees!

What does this mean for you? More motivation to move, whether it’s jogging, swimming, surfing, rollerblading, or even yoga.

Employees who want to participate in the annual program can sign up individually or in teams. Participants exercise at least 30 minutes a day and then log the activity online. Each bit of exercise will push you farther along the virtual route from Maine to Hawaii.

“The program is great for health and camaraderie,” said William Erese, wellness program coordinator. “Plus, it’s fun, friendly competition.”

Registration for Thrive Across America is now open, and closes Aug. 8, but teams and individuals can start logging their 30-minute daily activity on Aug. 5. The competition ends Sept. 29.

Erese reminded employees that this is one of the activities they must participate in to qualify for the end-of-the-year opportunity drawing for the beach cruiser bikes. All participants will receive prizes. Last year, more than 1,600 employees competed in the program.

For more information, visit Thrive Across America or visit 3^rd Quarter Wellness Program site.

Re-building a Tradition

IB Posse's winning sand sculpture "Back on Track." Photo credit: Sha-Ron Cobb

Leonard Gonzales has spent years knee-deep in the sand – sculpting, priming, perfecting. And recently, the Imperial Beach native dug up tradition for his hometown to keep a sense of community alive.

The Sun & Sea Festival, an annual celebration in IB, has been in place since 1960. It notably was the site for the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition for 32 years, until it ended in 2011. Gonzales, a Sheriff’s Department project manager, remembers the event as a child, where he got his first taste of sculpting.

“In ‘84, my parents took me and my sister and cousins to the beach to see the sandcastles and my dad ran into a friend, Mike, who was competing alone. At the time, it was a free event and anyone could jump in. So my dad just started helping him,” Gonzales said. “The next year, when I was 10 or 11, they decided to put a team together and I helped as much as I could. Every year I got more responsibility and helped a little bit more.”

Gonzales took over the team once he graduated high school and has been digging in every summer with friends and family, including his dad and Mike.IB Posse digs in at the Sun & Sea Festival sandcastle competition. Photo credit: Sha-Ron Cobb

Once the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition ended in IB, Gonzales joined the Sun & Sea Festival planning committee to help bring back the beloved building tradition.

“We were called together by community members and city folks to try to resurrect something, and we had a small sun and sea festival that turned out to be more of a children’s event,” he said. “It really wasn’t a sandcastle competition that drew crowds; it was more of an activity event.”

So Gonzales, who worked nine years for the Environmental Health Department, and the committee decided to bring back a competition more like the U.S. Open, borrowing from its rules and regulations to create a fun, competitive event that coincided with street vendors and live music – to promote family, community and local businesses.

“I looked at what I liked from previous years and put it together with new tweaks,” Gonzales said. “For the most part, it was based off what I’ve seen over the past years.”

IB Posse's winning sand sculpture "Back on Track." Photo credit: Sha-Ron CobbWhile he took a role as an organizer, he’s still a competitor. Gonzales and his team – IB Posse - won first place in the “Masters-A” class for their creation “Back on Track,” a train coming up out of a tunnel with steam. Gonzales said it represents bringing the community of IB back on track with the rebirth of the sandcastle competition.

“All the comments that we’re getting from the community are that ‘it’s back!’ and everyone’s happy for that,” Gonzales said.” I’m so proud of the whole community and the Sun and Sea Festival community for persevering through all the different obstacles in the past couple of years. I’m so proud of the way things turned out – it did feel like a very successful event.”

Four from County Appointed as Judges

Two public defenders and two prosecutors have been chosen by California Gov. Jerry Brown as judges in the San Diego County Superior Court.

The four newly appointed judges all come from the County: Matthew C. Braner, Enrique E. Camarena, Selena D. Epley and Daniel F. Link.

---

Braner most recently served as supervisor at the San Diego County Primary Public Defender’s Office, Writs and Appeals Unit, where he was also deputy public defender. The judge-to-be also served as a felony trial deputy and misdemeanor and felony trial deputy at the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office.

---

Camarena has served as deputy district attorney at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office since 1999. He’s seen here speaking at the peace officers' memorial ceremony about his father, a DEA agent slain while working undercover.

---

Epley most recently served as assistant supervising attorney for a central felony team at the San Diego County Primary Public Defender’s Office. Before that, she was a law clerk at the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office in 1995, where she served in various positions, including deputy public defender and training director at the South Bay Branch Office.

---

Link, a deputy district attorney, was a law clerk from 2000-01 at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and was former president of the San Diego County Bar Association.

Heroes Recognized for Health, Wellness

They climbed up stairs, shared healthy meals with co-workers and learned new things about health conditions during lunch. And now, seven of your colleagues are being recognized for their efforts toward a healthier lifestyle.

The newest Quarterly Wellness Heroes were announced this week and they are:

• Nelia DeGuzman – HHSA
• Jennifer R. Nelson – Public Works
• Arnel Encabo – HHSA Behavioral Health
• Dana Hua – Public Works
• Azucena Martinez – HHSA Edgemoor
• Sylvia I. Brown – HHSA East Children Services
• Claudia J. Castro – HHSA Fiscal Services

Wellness Coordinator William Erese, said that Quarterly Wellness Heroes are selected from County employees who have “actively participated in most of the Wellness Programs for the quarter” – things like Lunch and Learns, the Amazing Race, Stairwell Challenge and most recently, the 5 on 5 Online Nutrition Challenge.

Sylvia Brown, who is an office assistant for the East Region Neighborhood for Kids and active participant in most Wellness programs, said one of her favorite events at East Region involved healthy food.

“We aren’t always able to have cooking demonstrations, but when we did, I learned a new recipe for quinoa and loved it!” she said. “I hope we are able to have more at East Region.”

Brown said she doesn’t consider herself a hero, but if learning to be healthier helps her colleagues to be healthy, she’s OK with the title.

“I think it really encourages me to be a good example and continue to try to excel in this wonderful new way of living,” she said. “I think it is a fun and challenging new way of living. Sometimes when we see others having fun becoming healthy we want to do it, too!”

Erese encourages employees to constantly be active in the various activities offered to help expand hero recognition across the County.

Winners and participants of each challenge receive prizes like cookbooks, gym bags, juicers and more. But for employees like Brown, the programs give much more than tangible rewards.

“It’s about loving yourself enough to give yourself the gift of a healthier life so your families can have you around longer. “

Find out more about the Quarterly Wellness Challenges at the Employee Wellness Program website.

County Fleet by the Numbers

General Services' Fleet Management was recently ranked fourth among the nation's government fleets. So what all does the County deal with on wheels?

Zumba Helps Employee Get Joy of Life Back

Cordelia Neill has lost 40 pounds doing Zumba.Cordelia Neill has had a devastating year. Two major losses left her grieving and heartbroken.

Luckily for Neill, she found an outlet that would help her heal and mend her heart: Zumba.

See, in November, Neill’s mother died.

Neill, a receptionist at the Child Welfare Services office in Escondido, had been taking a Zumba class offered at her worksite every Tuesday through the County’s Wellness Program.

“I needed some outlet,” said Neill, 61. “I needed something to lift me up.”

Neill began taking the Zumba class months before her mother’s passing. She wanted to improve her health.

Inspired by the County’s Wellness Program, and encouraged by her three sons, Neill tried boot camp and yoga classes. She did not like them.

She then tried Zumba, a fitness program that involves dance and aerobic elements. She loved it.

“I needed a change. I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” Neill said. “The scale kept going up. I had reached 235 pounds. I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to stop.’”

She liked Zumba so much, Neill tried not to miss a single class.

“Zumba is addicting. But it’s a healthy addiction,” she said.

When her mother passed away, Neill continued to go and found the classes had another important benefit. The combination of music and activity improved her mood. Her co-workers’ support also helped.

Neill was getting over the loss of her mother when death struck again. Her father died in April.

Again, Neill stuck with Zumba classes, but she added three more private lessons each week and also started to attend a bereavement support group.

“I went numb. I had so much grief,” Neill said. “But I kept going to Zumba. The music lifts my spirits. It really soothes me.”

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, regular aerobic exercise can help with depression and to relieve stress because it stimulates the production of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators.

Nearly a year later, Neill has lost 40 pounds. Zumba and healthier eating habits have returned her cholesterol and blood pressure to normal levels.

“Zumba helped me with my grief. It took my mind off things and helped me improve my self-image,” Neill said, adding she will continue doing Zumba because she wants to lose 60 more pounds. “Zumba really helped me. It’s a relief. It helped to get my joy of life and my smile back.”

RELATED: Employee Assistance Program

Your Colleagues Take Home Ribbons at the Fair

Holly Simonette's large loom has overtaken one of her bedrooms and was used to make her fair creations.

Sure, the San Diego County Fair is a chance to feast on fried fare, take a spin on the tilt-a-whirl and win that over-sized stuffed animal. But for some County employees, the fair is also a chance to show off their hidden talents and hobbies.

Take Holly Simonette, for example. The Community Services Group Program Manager has been weaving for only three years, but three of her pieces took ribbons this year at the Fair in the Weaving/Spinning category – two second-place ribbons and an honorable mention.

“I was competing with myself in one of the categories!” said Simonette, who spent hours upon hours weaving each item: two shawls and a vest.Holly Simonette's woven shawl earned a second-place ribbon.

Simonette inherited a loom three years ago and took up a weaving apprenticeship with a weaver in Santa Ysabel. Since then, the large loom has taken over one of her bedrooms and weekends are dedicated to the intricate craft that dates back centuries.

“The longest part is dressing the loom,” Simonette said. “I consider myself still a beginner, so it takes about five to seven hours to fully dress it. But I can finish a shawl in two hours. It’s very meditative.”

Before working the loom, Simonette spent her extra time knitting – a craft she passed on to Kelly Duffek, assistant director of Housing and Community Development. Duffek also submitted her own labors of love into the fair this year – nabbing a coveted blue ribbon and a second place win.

“Holly Simonette actually taught me to knit in 2009, when I was expecting my first grandchild, Chloe,” Duffek said. “This year, I entered two baby cardigans, hand-knit for my 1-year-old grandson, Jonah.  They were both entered in the infant sweater category, where they essentially competed against themselves.”

The first place winner was a traditional, natural-colored cabled Irish cardigan knit in a silk blend yarn; the second place winner was a baseball jacket-styled cardigan knit in a cashmere blend yarn, made to be a replica of a full sized official St. Louis Cardinals jacket.  

Kelly Duffek's infant Cardinals jacket won a second-place ribbon at the 2014 San Diego County Fair.“My son-in-law and his father are huge Cardinals fans, so Jonah is the third generation to catch Cardinals fever,” Duffek said. “They don't sell official baby jackets so I made him one instead!”

Another County employee, known for breaking rules and being creative, entered numerous threaded items in the fair and used a type of fabric that’s sure to create conversation.

Shirley Chin, who’s been entering her needlepoint items into the fair for the past 10 years, didn’t win any blue ribbons this year, but she did take home two second place prizes and five honorable mentions.

“A lot of my friends thought I was robbed of the first place ribbon!” said Chin, who works in Agriculture, Weights and Measures. “But it’s just meant to be fun.”

Chin, who’s experimented with fun threads in the past – like 18-karat gold thread – used glow-in-the-dark thread for some of her creations in this year’s competition. She said she’ll continue entering her items into the fair, even if she doesn’t win.

“It’s really cool going and seeing your ribbon. It’s fun to see people like your stuff!” she said. “I would encourage people to submit entries, because the County fair determines what categories to have based on entries.”

Find a full list of winners at the fair’s website.

Did you submit entries into any competition at this year’s County Fair? Tell us in the comments or submit photos of your ribbon-winning piece to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov.