March Meeting: Back in Action!

Back in Action! Date: Thursday, March 2nd Time: 6:00 pm Location: PB Recreation Center (1405 Diamond St, San Diego, CA 92109) Agenda: Link to Review February 2nd Mtg Minutes: Link to Review Meeting Highlights: PANEL DISCUSSION: A distinguished panel of speakers will help us understand the real challenges and practical solutions to providing effective and sustainable housing and mental health services to the unhoused.

• Elisa Silvestro, NP, AAHIVS - Nurse Practitioner with the Community Harm Reduction Program will highlight the "community medical system" that delivers medical care, treatment for substance use disorders, and mental health care services to homeless populations in San Diego.

• Melinda Foresty - Chief Operating Officer of Serving Seniors will focus on efforts to provide medical, nutritional, and health care related needs of unhoused seniors, and how PBDC members can help.

• Edie Saville - Nurse Practitioner with Family Health Centers of San Diego will discuss efforts to provide targeted mental health services to patients with substance abuse issues, living with HIV, and the transgender community.

Melinda Foresty is the Chief Operating Officer for Serving Seniors. In this role, she oversees the agency's housing operations, food service management, facilities, and health and social services. Ms. Forstey series on the Board of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP), a leading organization advocating for a wide range of essential services and policies for senior health and well-being. She has over fifteen years of nonprofit management experience and received her MBA from San Diego State University. Elisa Silvestro has spent the last 17 years working to assist some of the most medically fragile and complicated populations of patients who are homeless. With Family Health Centers of San Diego, she worked to obtain funding for "Whole Person Wellness", a partnership between SD County, FHCSD, and PATH (People Assisting The Homeless). The goal was to drive down the cost of the high ER utilizers, those that cost Medi-Cal the most money. She joined an "enhanced care team" and worked with patients to get connected to medical care, treatment for substance use disorders, and mental health care connection. Hitting the pavement on a regular basis, and being out in the community, among the encampments, and winding through the neighborhoods tucked within San Diego in order to find and offer help to these patients, she learned about the intricacies of the community medical system that makes up the fabric of San Diego. Elisa works on the Community Harm Reduction Team, a collaboration between San Diego County and City, in partnership with FHCSD, Alpha Shelter, and other community service organizations. The project is a low-barrier team consisting of a nurse practitioner (Elisa), a registered nurse, substance use counselors, LCSWs, and case managers, offering services and low barrier shelter to patients that are homeless and have substance use disorders. They think out of the "traditional" box of how we normally deliver medical services. NOTICE OF UPCOMING ENDORSEMENT VOTES The Pacific Beach Democratic Club will hold two “friendly endorsement” votes for the reelection of SD Mayor Todd Gloria and City Councilmember Joe LaCava of District 1 at our regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 6-8pm. These “early” endorsement votes are necessary because this may be our only chance as a club to voice our preferences before the Central Committee and the Metro West Regional Caucus of the San Diego County Democratic Party vote on these two offices by the end of March. Reminder: California will hold its Presidential Primary “early” next year, on March 5, 2024. PBDC will give notice to our membership as we continue to hold additional endorsement votes in upcoming months for other races, so that we a a club can continue to voice our preferences to the SDCDP in preparation for the “early” primary. In accordance with PBDC bylaws, members in good standing (dues for 2023 must be paid by 3/31) may cast a vote on these endorsements in person or by absentee ballot on 3/2/2023. Absentee ballots will be due by 8pm on that date, sent to pbdc92109@gmail.com . Pursuant to our bylaws, proxy votes are not allowed. If you would like to verify whether you have paid your 2023 dues and are in good standing for voting, please e-mail the club at: pbdc92109@gmail.com See you next week! Your 2023 E-Board P.S. If you haven't already done so, don't forget to pay your membership dues for 2023!

Reminder to Pay Your 2023 Dues!

Your membership with the club makes sure that you are directly linked to all of the exciting, important, and critical work your fellow members and sister organizations are doing at the local, county, state, and national level to promote Democratic values and principles. Join or renew your membership today. Email us if you have any questions. *Please note - if you want to be eligible to vote on endorsements and Club actions, you need to be a member in good standing. This means paying your dues and having attended 2 meetings in the past 16 months!* Dues are collected at the beginning of each calendar year.