February Board of Supervisors meeting highlights

EL CENTRO — On Tuesday, February 7, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors held its regular meeting.

The following are highlights of the meeting included in a press release from the Imperial County Executive Office, according to a County of Imperial press release:

The Board, alongside representatives from the Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program (IVROP), unanimously proclaimed the month of February as “National Career Technical Education Month” and the week of February 7-14 as “National Marriage Week” in Imperial County.

The Board unanimously approved the County of Imperial Lithium Incentives Program. A press conference was held and can be viewed at the following link, youtu.be/ c6jZLUxMxKM.

Captain Brandon Shipwash of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) El Centro Area, introduced himself to the board and public.

Per the press release, the Board unanimously approved the 2023 Board meeting calendar which can be viewed online at board.imperialcounty. org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Revised-BOS-Calendar-1. pdf.

The Board unanimously approved to convene all regular Board of Supervisors’ meetings at 8:30 a.m., with open session continuing to start at 10:00 a.m.

The Board unanimously approved the agreement between the Imperial County Department of Social Services (ICDSS) and Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) for the Home Visiting Program (HVP) for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The HVP is an evidence-based, voluntary program that pairs new parents with trained professionals who make regular visits to the participant’s residence to provide guidance, coaching, and access to health and social services. These include, but are not limited to: prenatal, infant, and toddler care; infant and child nutrition; child development screening and assessments; parent education, parent and child interaction, child development, and childcare; job readiness and barrier removal; and domestic violence and sexual assault, mental health, and substance abuse treatment, the release reads.

This agreement will see ICDSS and ICOE collaboratively promote the positive health development and well-being outcomes for pregnant and parenting people, families, and infants born into poverty, per the release. This includes expanding their future in education, economic and financial capability opportunities, and improve the likelihood they will exit poverty.

The board unanimously approved a Professional Services Agreement with Reps4Vets and Imperial County Behavioral Health Services (ICBHS) for the period of January 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.

ICBHS acknowledges that Reps4Vets has established a trusting relations with local military veterans who reach out to this organization for support and when struggling with behavioral and emotional problems, the release reads. Contracting with Reps4Vets will allow ICBHS to reach this underserved population, which is considered to be at high-risk for mental illness and suicide without adequate access to necessary care.

Reps4Vets will conduct outreach and engagement activities specifically designed to connect with veterans and provide information on available resources, including local mental health and substance use disorder services. The organization will also link individuals who require a higher level of care to ICBHS to ensure timely access to treatment and care.

As an emergency item, the board took action and unanimously approved to fund half the cost, up to $200,000, of a feasibility study to determine the specifics of a countywide healthcare district. The remaining costs are expected be divided between the three local healthcare districts [El Centro Regional, Pioneers Memorial, Heffernan] for reimbursement to the County at a later date.

In the consent calendar, the board approved a donation of $2,000 to the Calipatria Chamber of Commerce 2023 Fireworks Show, and $1,000 to San Diego State University Imperial Valley’s inaugural annual 5K Run as One Color Run event.

All Consent Calendar items can be found at imperial.granicus.com/ GeneratedAgendaViewer. php?view_id=2&clip_ id=2313.

The meeting in its entirety can be accessed at www.Board.ImperialCounty.org, the release reads.