Today, Supervisor Andrew Do led the effort for the Board of Supervisors to commit $16.6 million for the creation of the County’s first Be Well Orange County (OC) Regional Mental Health and Wellness Campus. Be Well OC is a transformative initiative bringing together public, private, academic and faith-based organizations, as well as others, to create a coordinated system of mental health care and support for all Orange County residents.

The Wellness Campus at 265 Anita Drive exemplifies the spirit of the Be Well OC public-private partnership. CalOptima, Kaiser and St. Joseph Hoag Health are joining the Board of Supervisors in the creation of the new 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that will replace an existing 45,000-square-foot, two-story office building. This is a significant sign of systems change for mental health and wellness in Orange County. The projected cost for the campus is $40 million and construction is expected to commence in late Spring 2019.

This past week we conducted the 2019 Everyone Counts OC Point in Time Count. The Point in Time Count is a biennial unsheltered count and an annual sheltered count of all individuals experiencing homelessness in the community on a single point in time during the last ten days of January. This data is incredibly important to adequately address the homeless crisis in Orange County. Supervisor Do and the entire office joined the over 1200 incredible volunteers who makes this biennial count possible. The final numbers from the Count will be released in March 2019.

Another incredible group of parents armed with the knowledge to support their children’s education were honored last week at Hijos Altamente Capaces Parent Leadership Graduation at Lincoln Elementary School! 

Aurelia Hernandez took the class so that she could better help her grandchildren succeed in school. One grandchild might be too young to understand yet, but they have a very supportive grandma!

Special thanks to facilitators Araceli Cazales and Maria Ocegueda along with Principal Edna Velado for making this possible!

Supervisor Andrew Do adjourned today’s Board of Supervisors meeting in memory of Garden Grove Fire Chief Tom Schultz, who passed away this weekend from stage 4 pancreatic and liver cancer.

Tom became the City of Garden Grove’s fire chief in 2015, following a 30-year career with the Fullerton Fire Department, where he led their management consolidation with the Brea Fire Department as deputy chief.

He mentored future firefighters and fire service leaders as an instructor at the Santa Ana College fire technology program and held leadership positions in organizations such as the Orange County Fire Chiefs’ Association, and many county and state committees.

Last September, Tom retired from the City, but at the request of City Manager Scott Stiles, continued to serve as annuitant fire chief.

Tom will be missed dearly, but his legacy in serving the people of Orange County will live on.