The HSRC Senior Nutrition Program thanks the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Dept. SWAP program for the donation of a pig.  We also thank Eureka First Baptist Church for covering the processing fees for this meat donation.   The donated meat will be used for meals enjoyed by seniors who receive weekly to-go meals from our dining sites in Arcata, Eureka and Fortuna as well as our Home Delivered Meals participants.   We appreciate the generosity of our community.

Redwood Coast PACE is celebrating its 7^th Anniversary and National PACE Month.  PACE programs help keep qualified seniors in their homes by providing comprehensive medical care and support services focused on each participant’s unique health needs.  Redwood Coast PACE is enrolling now. For more information click here or call 707-443-9747.

HSRC thanks all the members of the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka  for their $10,000 donation to help support the Humboldt Senior Resource Center’s Home Delivered Meals Program.  The club’s March drive-by bratwurst dinner – The Best of the Wurst – provided this contribution to the program that delivers meals to frail seniors who are unable to shop for or prepare meals for themselves.  Participating in the check presentation on July 8 were, left to right:  President Liz Ennis, Rotarians Rick Roberts, Lorna Peterson, Marie Liscom, Scott Pesch, Ken Singleton and Roland Johnson, HSRC Home-delivered Meals Coordinator Vanessa Kuersten, Rotarians Kristin Blair and Eddie Morgan, Past-President John Vandermolen, and Rotarian Davin Bowerman.

Thanks to a generous grant from the William G. Irwin Charity Foundation, the Humboldt Senior Resource Center has a new boiler in the administrative building, the historic Washington Schoolhouse at 1910 California Street in Eureka.  The old boiler was extremely temperamental, and often refused to work at all.  The new boiler – pictured above, with Facilities Supervisor Dave Gaddis – provides increased efficiency not only by evenly warming the building, but also by saving money on the agency’s gas bill.

The new boiler is part of the Humboldt Senior Resource Center’s ongoing effort to make the campus more comfortable and welcoming for seniors.  We look forward to the day when we can open our doors and invite our friends back inside for nutritious meals, healthful activities, and companionship.

Every winter, Humboldt Bay Fire collects donations for the Humboldt Senior Resource Center’s Nutrition Program with its Santa for Seniors drive.  In an ordinary year, the program’s White Boxes, packed with something fun and nutritious, may be the only gift some isolated seniors receive.  Social isolation, already a problem before the pandemic, is now even more severe.

This past winter, the Firefighters donated $1,125 to help fill the White Boxes given to the seniors who come pick up meals at HSRC’s Senior Dining Centers, and were also delivered to homebound seniors receiving Home Delivered Meals.

Santa for Seniors demonstrates that our heroes care.  The same heroes who fight fires, rescue cats and babies, respond to medical emergencies, deal with hazardous materials, prevent fires through education and inspection, and check on the health and safety of seniors enrolled in the Are You Okay? program are the heroes who raise money to fill that holiday box.

And that is just the firefighters.  Every person who contributes money to the drive demonstrates that this is a caring community which recognizes the wisdom and experience of our elders.  All of them are contributing toward a community that helps keep seniors healthy and independent enough to age with dignity at home.

All of that is packed into each White Box.  Thank you, Humboldt Bay Fire, for your part in making this project possible.

HSRC thanks the Humboldt-Del Norte Cattlemen’s Association for their gift of $750 worth of beef to our Nutrition Program. “That’s a lot of beef,” said Food Services Manager Tony DeLaurentis, “and it will make a lot of seniors very happy.” The beef will be used to create several scrumptious meals for the older adults who come for weekly pick-up meals while the Senior Dining Centers are closed, and also for the homebound elders who enjoy Home Delivered Meals. “Boeuf Stroganoff, and stew, and shepherd’s pie, are a few dishes that will be created with donated beef,” said Tony. “We and the participants we serve are grateful for the donation.”

Humboldt County’s first COVID-19 vaccinations have begun to be administered, and more vaccine is coming. Vaccinations will be distributed based on risk stratification, starting with front-line healthcare providers and elders living in congregate settings. Then the vaccine will be more widely distributed to the population at large.

Although the process to develop this vaccine was unusual in its speed, the appropriate scientific steps were taken to ensure safety and efficacy. Scientists from all over the world have worked together to help us move past this global pandemic.

The vaccine works by allowing the body to recognize COVID-19 and develop antibodies to it. Thus, if you are exposed to the virus, your body acts to fight it right away. This reduces the risk of significant infection and, if you still get the virus, it would be expected to be much less severe than without having received the vaccine.

The vaccines that have been developed cannot cause COVID-19. They can cause side-effects, such as a low-grade fever and a sore arm, in the 24 to 48 hours after it is administered. This is a sign of the immune system doing its work. About 10% to 20% of people in vaccine studies had these side-effects.

Once vaccinated, a second booster shot is required in the following 21 to 28 days (depending on the brand of vaccine). After this, you still need to wear a mask, physically distance yourself from those not within your “COVID pod” (i.e., those you live with), and wash your hands regularly.

Once a large enough proportion of people are vaccinated, we expect to see the COVID positivity rate decrease dramatically, at which time we can discuss loosening stay-at-home requirements.

Without the vaccine, there is no end to this pandemic in sight. If people get the vaccine, we will be able to move on with our lives.

Getting this vaccine serves your own health, protects your family and your neighbors, and speeds up our chances of getting to socialize and eat out and see live music concerts again.

Stay tuned to find out when you are eligible for the shot. And thank a scientist if you get a chance for their amazing efforts on behalf of all of us!

 Dr. Jennifer Heidmann is medical director of Redwood Coast PACE at Humboldt Senior Resource Center.