Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
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Family HealthCare Network (FHCN) opened a new food pantry inside of its Hanford health center at 250 W. 5th St. In partnership with Kings Community Action Organization (KCAO), the food pantry represents a first-of-its-kind for both companies, aimed at serving patients who struggle with food insecurity and are often unable to access healthy foods. Because chronic health conditions and long-term health outcomes are significantly impacted by nutrition, this partnership serves as...
Sierra View Medical Center has applied to California's Distressed Hospital Loan Program for $17.35 million. The Department of Health Care Access and Information, and the California Health Facilities Financing Authority jointly administer this program. Currently, $300 million in funding is available for hospitals — $150 million was originally allocated to the program in Assembly Bill 112; an additional $150 million was added to the 2023-24 state budget from the managed care organization tax. If SVMC is approved for this int...
Candidates who support the issues most important to Americans ages 50+ can improve their margin significantly in close 2024 races, according to a new AARP poll. The poll, which surveyed likely voters from the 40 most competitive congressional districts, found caregiving to be a pivotal top issue for voters 50+. Americans 50+ are the largest – and perhaps the most crucial – voting bloc. While the poll shows that voters 50+ say candidates' stances on Social Security and Med...
The first-ever statewide needs assessment for Californians aged 55 years and older is now underway. The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (CASOA) is not just another survey; it is your chance to shape the future. CASOA empowers you to voice your needs and preferences. According to a press release, California is "committed to designing programs, supports and services that are centered around the evolving needs of older Californians." "Let the state know what you...
In July, Tulare County Public Health received a report of a human case of West Nile virus (WNV) in a Tulare County resident. On July 11, the Kings Mosquito Abatement District, which serves Kings County, reported that 13 mosquito samples collected in Kings County tested positive for WNV. The district also announced that Aedes aegypti, a mosquito introduced to the area in 2017, has spread throughout the county and is currently prevalent in the cities of Hanford, Lemoore and...
More than 3,600 applications were received from nonprofits and government entities across the country for the seventh annual AARP Community Challenge, resulting in a highly competitive selection process. About $3.6 million is being distributed to fund 310 quick-action projects across the country, helping urban, rural and suburban communities make immediate improvements and jumpstart long-term progress to support residents of all ages. One of the grant winners is the Rural...
The Kings County Commission on Aging will present a Senior Carnival Park Event on Friday, September 15, at Burris Park, 6500 Clinton Ave., Kingsburg. The event, which will feature a cake walk, games, raffles, food, informational tables, a crazy hat contest and entertainment, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free. For more information, call (559) 852-2828....
Visalia Senior Center is getting ready to celebrate fall with its annual Senior Center Fall Open House. The event, scheduled for Friday, October 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Visalia Senior Center, 310 N. Locust St., Visalia, will feature information tables, programs and a lunch ($6). Attendance is free for guests of all ages. The Fall Open House is expected to include more than 40 local vendors, each hand-selected as an agency, program or business that offers vital...
The May/June issue of The Good Life included an article about senior playgrounds that suggested readers consider whether it would be a good idea to have one in the South Valley. We followed up the article by contacting various local officials to ask for their opinions – supportive or not. We received the following responses: "I think it is a great idea. Location is the key," wrote Tulare County Supervisor Larry Micari. "I am forwarding this to our general services manager w...
Visalia Medical Clinic (VMC), a group of 62 physicians and other healthcare providers, became part of Adventist Health Physicians Network on May 1. "In partnering with Adventist Health, along with their four hospitals and more than 60 medical offices in the Valley, it expands our patients' access to comprehensive care in Hanford, Tulare and other locations, in addition to Visalia," said Angela Pap, M.D., VMC board chair and president. "Adventist Health is also a multi-state...
Community Services Employment Training (CSET) received a $73,992 grant from Alta Healthcare District to support its Senior Services and Meals on Wheels programs. Funds will be used for the purchase of meals provided to eligible seniors aged 60 and older residing in the Alta Healthcare District, which includes the communities of London, Monson, Sultana, Orosi, Cutler, Yettem and Dinuba. "We are extremely grateful for the generous support and continued partnership of the Alta...
Two Nigerian nationals who were extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom pleaded guilty to operating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme. According to court documents, Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43, and Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, 44, were part of a group of fraudsters that sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States, falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a...
Mosquito season has officially begun in the South Valley. The first bird to have died from West Nile Virus (WNV) was discovered in Visalia in the middle of June. The Delta Mosquito & Vector Control District reported that the dead bird was found near West Ferguson Avenue and North Sallee Street. The district also reported that three mosquito samples testing positive for WNV were collected in east Visalia between East St. Johns Parkway and East Goshen Avenue. (As of June 19, no...
A new 15,000-square-foot Family HealthCare Network (FHCN) clinic is currently under construction in Hanford. The Hanford Planning Commission approved the conditional use permit at its April meeting, and construction began this spring. "Our anticipated opening day is currently slated near the tail end of 2023," said Kerry Hydash, FHCN president and CEO, who was asked if the new facility will replace or expand on the services offered at the health network's current Hanford...
The virtual kidnapping ransom scam typically begins with a phone call saying your family member is being held captive. The caller may allege your granddaughter has been kidnapped and you hear a female screaming in the background. Another variant of the fraud has a family member being held because he or she caused an auto accident, is injured and won't be allowed to go to the hospital until damages are paid. The Federal Bureau of Investigation advises that if you receive a phone call from someone who demands payment of a ranso...
Tulare County Public Health celebrated the grand opening of its new Tulare County Public Health Clinic in Visalia on May 2nd. The 4,750-square-foot facility is designed to offer specialty services, including various immunizations, tuberculosis treatment and prevention programs, and services for other communicable diseases. The County of Tulare invested $3 million to construct the new clinic, which has three exam rooms, an x-ray room, waiting rooms, and office space. The...
June was World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and the Tulare County Board of Supervisors and Health & Human Services Agency participated by planting flags in front of Government Plaza in Visalia on May 30. County leaders encouraged community members to wear purple on June 15, which is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), to promote a better understanding of the abuse and neglect of older persons. On June 15, the Kings County Commission on Aging held a World Elder Abuse...
Six down, two more to go. Community Services Employment Training, which manages eight senior centers in Tulare County, has reopened the Lindsay Senior Center as of June 5. That leaves CSET just the Exeter and Goshen Senior Centers as its last two senior centers remaining to be reopened. "We are changing the number of activities at the site," said Jerel Dutton, assistant director of senior services for CSET. "We will also have other organizations available to make...
Tulare and Kings County residents are encouraged to participate in the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's on Sunday, August 20, at Valley Strong Ballpark, home of the Visalia Rawhide, before the team's game with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. "The Rawhide are ecstatic to host the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's at Valley Strong Ballpark this year," said Markus Hagglund, the team's assistant general manager. "Great strides have been made in Alzheimer's research in...
The City of Visalia Parks and Recreation Department has announced that the 2023 Visalia Senior Games will be held at various venues throughout the city on the weekend of November 4-5. The games will be the first since the pandemic. "We're really excited," said City of Visalia Recreation Manager Laurissa Roggenkamp. "It's a signature event of ours and we're happy to have it back. "It's definitely something we've been wanting to do for a while," she said, explaining that her dep...
Construction has started on Family HealthCare Network's 25,000-square-foot adult daycare facility in downtown Visalia. "We anticipate that it will open in the summer of 2024," said Kerry Hydash, president and CEO of FHCN. The project will use all of the 1.75 acres on the block surrounded by Murray Avenue, Tipton Street, School Avenue and Santa Fe Street, with the two-story building facing Murray Avenue. The property will have enough parking for 101 vehicles. The large day...
The Alzheimer's Association's 2023 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report finds that the burden on California Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers remains significant. The report shows there were an estimated 1,374,000 dementia family caregivers across the state in 2022, providing 1,864,000,000 hours of unpaid care valued at $44,277,000,000. The new report also reveals that California caregivers and those across the country face significant emotional, physical and health-...
Tulare County's Health Officer, Dr. Karen Haught, retired as the county's top health official on March 17, following a career in public service spanning over 20 years. Dr. Haught joined the Health & Human Services Agency in 2002 as the medical director for Tulare County's health clinics and California Children's Services Program. She was appointed health officer in 2006, where she most recently provided oversight and guidance in the local public health response to the...
Grace Villarreal looked around the new Woodlake Senior Center and smiled. "I kept asking when it was going to reopen," she said. "I like the dancing for exercise, and the art." On March 27, Villarreal and a couple of dozen other Woodlake seniors came to the new Woodlake Senior Center at 145 N. Magnolia St. for a grand reopening by Community Services Employment Training (CSET), which manages the center and seven others in Tulare County. Many in attendance had been regulars at t...
June is World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) is participating by encouraging community members to Wear Purple on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), June 15, to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was launched on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for...