 You're tuned into the COVID-19 community report right here on KDRT-LP 95.7 FM in Davis, California. I'm Autumn Labirno, it's Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021, and this is Episode 50. We share local news and resources focusing on what's impacting Davis and nearby cities in Yolo County during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have two interviews today. Davis Mayor Gloria Partita talks about the evolving Healthy Davis Together effort, the pandemic partnership between UC Davis and the City of Davis that has captured national attention and was featured in the January 30th issue of the New York Times. Also joining me is Kristin Skye, a mental health therapist who specializes in teens via her business mental health house call. Between today's global pandemic, social isolation, political and social uprising, and adults arguing about when and how to reopen the schools, as a demographic, our teens are in an especially precarious place. We'll hear more about what she's seeing these days, and we'll get to those interviews in just a few minutes. This week brought conflicting news reports about the efficacy of double masking, with one study indicating that a cloth mask covered by a disposable mask would be more effective at shielding against the new variants of the COVID virus that are emerging. And other studies noting that it's not how many masks we wear, it's the quality and fit of them. Mask should fit snugly, cover both nose and mouth, and be at least two layers. Some studies suggest that while the new variants don't necessarily make one sicker than the original virus, they are far more transmissible, underscoring the need to wear face coverings in all instances that might bring us into contact with those outside our homes. In fact, not wearing one on most forms of public transportation and private ride sharing services is now a violation of federal law. The order issued by the Centers for Disease Control takes effect today, February 2, and requires that a mask be worn by all travelers on planes, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft. Face coverings are also required at transportation hubs, such as airports, bus terminals, train stations, and subway stations. The mandate offers a few exceptions, allowing individuals to lower masks while eating, drinking, or taking medication for brief periods, or for communicating with a person who is hearing impaired. The order will be enforced by the Transportation Security Administration, as well as federal, state, and local agencies. The CDC notes that while it reserves the right to enforce through criminal penalties, civil penalties such as fines are far more likely. It's worth noting that the CDC tried to implement this order last September, but was blocked from doing so by the Trump administration. In early January, the state of California prioritized residents 65 and older in phase 1B of its vaccination plan. In Yolo County, there are more than 28,000 residents over the age of 65 and more than 11,000 residents over the age of 75. Due to limited weekly vaccine doses, County Public Health Officer Dr. Amy Sisson announced last week the county has decided to prioritize senior 75 and older who are at greatest risk for serious complications or death from COVID-19. Dr. Sisson notes that a vaccine given to someone 75 years or older in Yolo County is three times more likely to save a life than a vaccine given to someone between the ages of 65 and 74. The county will first focus on those 75 and older in the most underserved communities based on the state's Healthy Places Index, which tracks socioeconomic vulnerability. Multi-county entities such as Sutter Health, UC Davis Health, Dignity Health, and Kaiser Permanente are also administering the COVID-19 vaccine. If residents receive health care through one of these entities, the county recommends contacting them first for vaccine options. However, their supplies are also limited. So again, it will take time to offer everyone eligible an appointment and to get everyone vaccinated. The county says that if residents do not have health insurance or receive care through a community clinic, they recommend that we fill out a local vaccine interest form. Residents will be notified through the interest form of any changes that may occur in the vaccine process, including the state's recently launched My Turn app. If residents cannot access or need assistance filling out the form or are homebound and need an in-home vaccine, they can call 2-1-1 or this toll-free number 855-866-1783 for assistance. And for access to that interest form and more information about Yolo County's COVID-19 vaccine and distribution process, as I say every week, visit yolocounty.org and look at the COVID-19 spotlight, all the information on the front page. You have to scroll down just a little bit. Joining me now is the mayor of Davis, Gloria Partida, and she's here today to talk with me about the Healthy Davis Together program. How it's working in Davis, why we're doing it, and what the hoped for outcomes are. Thanks so much for joining me, Gloria. Thank you for having me. I always love these interviews with you, Autumn. And so thank you for inviting me back. Well, I appreciate that. All right, let's start by describing the partnership in a nutshell. What is Healthy Davis Together? Healthy Davis Together is a partnership between UC Davis and the city of Davis. It is a committee of a number of stakeholders in the community and at UC Davis Epidemiologists. And we have some people from who represent congregations in town, for instance. So anyone that has some back to the community or to the student body is involved. And the goal, of course, is to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Right, and the centerpiece of that effort, that prevention effort, is around regular testing. Why is that? Why is weekly testing so important? So the weekly testing and particularly the testing of asymptomatic people is extremely important because asymptomatic people have been found to be one of the biggest reasons that COVID is spread. Because if you have someone who has no symptoms, they're moved through the community and amongst their family members, thinking that they are healthy. And the whole time they are shedding virus and infecting the community. And so the weekly testing is important because you can catch people who are asymptomatic. And also you can catch people maybe a few days before they begin to show symptoms. And if you go in one week and you are COVID free, it doesn't mean that, you know, three days later, you are still COVID free. And so it's really important, especially if you are someone who is spending time in the community to go in at least twice a week. If you are really someone who is, you know, maybe just going to the grocery store once a week. Right, like me, I want to say I've been tested several times at the senior center site and it really is quick. It really is painless. It's very easy to set up and the results come very quickly, which is very nice to not have to wait a week to find out, you know. Exactly. That's a great. Yeah, that's a real game changer. And I think that what people don't know and might be helpful is that as long as you're registered and you make an appointment, you don't even have to go at a particular time. Right. So sometimes people feel like, you know, well, now I've got to get down there for this one appointment when, you know, I'm going to run an errand and, you know, it might be a window of time that you're out and about, then you can go in and get tested at that time as well. Right. And I want to say that the volunteers who staffed the line at the various facilities are great about telling people that. And also I learned something the last time that they do do testing for symptomatic individuals on Mondays only, at least at the senior center site. And the rest of the times are for asymptomatic folks. So I've mentioned the senior center. There's also a testing facility at the Mondavi. And then the city of Davis just opened up the Vets Memorial Center. So that's a third location. And let's say at this point that Healthy Davis Together.org is the place to go to register if you need an account. The place to make an appointment. The place to get more information. I did want to ask you that an interesting recent development was that our wastewater is now being tested. Can you speak to that? Yes. Yes. Yes. And so this is a way to track, you know, what areas in town may, you know, may be giving rise to a hotspot, to a COVID hotspot. So there's no way to test. There's like certain nodules, I guess, places where they can, where they have access to the wastewater. And so they can go to those places. They can test the water out of those areas. And then they can they can tell, you know, which area that water came from. And so and then maybe they can address that area with more robust messaging and and and and, you know, let people know in that particular area that they should get tested because there is an increase of the virus in that area. Right. Some kind of targeted outreach. You have to love the science behind that, the fact that they can drill down and be that specific about it. Anything else you would like us to know about this very important and very wonderful program going on where we're fortunate here in Davis. We really are. Yes, yes, we are. We're very fortunate. I would like for people to know that it it really, really benefits not just our community, but it benefits the communities around us. And so it really is kind of like that pebble that dropped and then the ripples go out because it's not just for people that live here. It's also for people that work here and that work at the Mets. So we have people who are working in Davis that live in in the surrounding cities and the surrounding counties and in Sacramento. It's the same as well. And so there are a lot of people that are that are really benefiting from this. I know there's been some concern about the fact that it's only for us. Right. But the other thing is that you mentioned that this is the centerpiece of testing as a centerpiece, but there are other ways that this partnership is helping there. It provides quarantine space. So if people do find that they are, you know, positive, they will be given a place where they can quarantine if they can't separate from their family. There's also incentives now. My niece went to get tested the other day and got a gift card for coming. And so they're really trying to get people to go in. The the capacity that we have is is really big. And the number of people that are coming in are are not, you know, meeting the capacity. And so we're really trying to get more people to come in. If you come in once, please come back a second time. The point is to get people to come back as often as they can. Great. Thank you so much. And once again, the website is Healthy Davis Together.org. And I will I will make a pledge to you, Madam Mayor, that I'll go in and get regular testing from from this point forward. Wonderful. That's good. Thanks so much for joining. All right. All right. Thank you. My guest today is Kristen Sky. She's a mental health therapist and life coach who specializes in teens. Her business is mental health, house call, and it's based in Davis. Kristen, thanks for joining us. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your practice. Thanks for having me. Well, I'm a licensed clinical social worker and I provide individual and some group therapy for kids, teens, adults and even elderly, as well as some life coaching. So I'm really glad to be here today to talk about teens and what they're experiencing through this pandemic. Great. I'm so glad to connect with you. So mental health, house call, you normally go to clients' houses, and that is, at least in my experience, a very unusual model. Why did you decide to set your business up that way? Well, I was working as a medical social worker and I frequently was hearing from patients. Isn't there a therapist who can come to my house? And when I developed my private practice, specializing in teens, I started to notice that if we could meet in their home environment, it would protect them against some factors, such as feeling like they're a burden to their families, which is, of course, not always true, but even the act of being driven to a therapist's office can be a little bit traumatizing when we're struggling. I also noticed that starting to meet with them in their home environments helped them sort of let their guard down so that they were more open to receiving treatment. That's interesting. So, obviously, during the pandemic, the way we do business of any kind, the way we interact with each other has changed radically. Where you're normally going to clients' houses, are you using Zoom more or how is it working for you? Yes. So obviously, the way I run my business has been disrupted. I am still going to people's homes and meeting outdoors or sometimes indoors with masks, but unfortunately doing a lot of Zoom sessions. And I know that many families and teens are very tired of Zoom calls and it's difficult to convey that sense of compassion and validation that is during therapy, but we're making do. So I'm the mom of three young adults, ages 20, 20 and 23. And I know in their teen years, the stories of anxiety and depression and even suicidal ideation were really legion among their cohort. And there was almost always every single one of my kids had a friend who needed to come and stay with us for some amount of time simply because things were tough at home. So we know that those years can be really fraught for many. They're hard enough as it is, all that change. You did mention to me that you're seeing more teens these days. So let's start with in general terms, what are you seeing among teens during this pandemic time? What are their core concerns and issues? I think that right now our teens are in a grief process. They're grieving what they thought their high school years would be, grieving relationships and the way of life that they were accustomed to, in some cases, grieving actual deaths from COVID-19. Our teens are experiencing isolation, fatigue right now, not being able to pursue what's important to them. And I think adding that to the unprecedented racial and political stress of our times, we do see an unusually high number of teens seeking services. Are you are they expressing? I guess my question is about hopefulness versus hopelessness. How are they expressing their their hopes and fears for not only what is now, but their their future? Many teens, for example, we know how important the junior and senior years in high school are. They provide them with a launching pad and a lot of opportunities to make their mark to get into college. What are you what are you hearing from them these days about those sorts of issues? Definitely really important things to examine. And I think that I'm seeing kind of a balance between teens who are just so stressed that they're not sure how they're going to make it out of this. And others who are learning that they're more resilient and adaptable than they had ever thought. And I think that the most important piece here is making sure that our teens are feeling supported and validated as we're all trying to survive this pandemic. Right. What are you most concerned about right now when you meet with teen clients? I'm concerned about teens developing clinical mental health issues for long term depression, anxiety, chemical imbalances that may be happening due to being pushed over the edge of what they could normally handle. I define anxiety and depression as often arising from factors in our lives that don't match up with who we truly are inside. So in normal conditions, this could be a job, a school, the way that we're being treated by others. And then in a pandemic, we have teens trying to establish who they really are, who their true self is, or exploring social relationships and interests in a scenario where none of that's allowed. So I'm hoping we're providing as much support as possible. Yeah. And as you touched on earlier, Kristen, it's not just the pandemic. It is it is the social and political uprising. It's this kind of unknown of where will we be as as a country? You know, as we move through political change, where will we be at the end of the pandemic? What will things look like? And the truth is, none of us know that. And I think it's even harder. I think teens have this this extra burden right now, too, where the adults around them are beginning to fight about how and when to reopen the schools. And that has to be an incredible stressor for so many of them. So I would like to know for parents and caregivers, how do you think we can best help our our teens right now? And I'm particularly interested in how can we talk to them? You know, how do we ask the right questions or more specifically, how do we not ask the wrong questions? What can we do for them? Well, as you mentioned, we're all extremely stressed right now. And so I do think that one component here is parents doing their best to seek support and manage their own stress. And in terms of how we can really support our teens at home, I think that the number one thing is listening and validating their experience, maybe just offering, Hey, do you want to talk? The other thing is opening up opportunities for discussion about our experience by as parents narrating what we're going through. So rather than trying to hide our own stress and pretending like everything is OK and feeling like as parents that we're supposed to be able to manage difficult situations, it's OK to sort of humanize ourselves with teens and develop appropriate language to narrate, oh, I had a really difficult day or oh, my goodness, I didn't mean to sound irritable this morning. I'm just so stressed with everything that's going on. Right. And also modeling self care, you know, modeling, getting enough sleep. This is something I'm working on myself, which is why I bring it up. Getting enough sleep so that I can be, you know, reasonable and competent and move through through my day and not take someone's head off and things like that. So I think we do have to model that as we always do with our kids. So what else would you like people to know about your practice and the teens you're seeing? And I do I do want to point out that you use some what what some might call alternative therapies in combination with the therapy you do. I saw on your website, you you do some Reiki and some other some other forms of therapy. Can you talk a little bit about that and how they might be beneficial for for teens? Sure. So in my psychotherapy practice, I of course only use interventions that that families and clients feel comfortable with. For nearly all of my clients, I encourage mindfulness meditation as a way to get in touch with who we really are inside against all sorts of competing factors. Shame, the pandemic. And then I also use energy healing techniques that are in many cases evidence based. One is called emotional freedom technique, which is meridian tapping to help relax the body and get us to a state where we're able to come up with our own realizations about our goals and how to best manage our stress. Great. And so there's compliments between the psychotherapy and some of these other healing techniques. That's wonderful. All right. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us about your work? I I feel incredibly honored to be able to do the work that I do during this time. And what I'd like to share is that I know that we're all doing the best we can right now. And I hope that we're all practicing extra compassion for ourselves and recognizing that. Great. Well, thanks again for joining me. And I've been talking with Kristen Sky of Mental Health House Call. And you can learn more about Kristen's work at MentalHealthHouseCall.com or by calling area code 9164079722. All right, you have been listening to the COVID-19 community report here on KDRT 95.7 FM in Davis, California. Thanks for tuning in.