COVID-19 Community Report

This unparalleled time we're living through affects not only our physical health, but our mental health as well. Today I speak with Sara Gavin, LMFT/LPCC. She serves as Chief Behavioral Health Officer at CommuniCare Health Centers, overseeing a 100-person team of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder services in Yolo County,  and also sits on the Board of Directors of National Alliance for NAMI-Yolo. We'll speak about current mental health challenges, and what kinds of local resources are available.  In our second interview, I chat with Melanie Carr, a Davis resident who's been offering a "Tuesday Table" through the pandemic, a "take what you need" offering in one Davis neighborhood.

This week we speak with Leonie Pickett, who teaches History, English, Geography and Leadership to 7th, 8th and 9th graders at Da Vinci Junior High in Davis. A parent of teens as well, she walks us through what the start of this most unusual school year looks like for her.  We hear about how teachers spent their summers preparing for teaching on Zoom again, how to best engage students, concerns about social development, and other pros and cons with this current mode of reaching students and parents.

Last week, I did an informal poll on Facebook, asking listeners who they'd like me to interview. I received an incredible number of responses, and one thing that emerged was the desire to hear more from everyday people: teachers, kids, parents, business owners. I will continue interviewing  leaders from our local institiutions and organizations, because I believe that's still important, but I've committed to bringing forth some of these other voices, as well.

We’re doing a deep dive into local theatre arts today, and we’ll hear how one longtime community venue is working to survive and remain vital during the pandemic, and ready for whatever comes next.  My guest today is Joseph Fletcher, who is nearing his one year anniversary as the Theatre Manager for the City of Davis at the Veterans Memorial Theatre.  Joseph talks about a variety of projects that can be done during the pandemic including physical updates to the space and its equipment and increasing its capacity to provide tech support.  He also shares some of his visions for increasing the use of the space by community organizations and new creative partnerships, and recreating an original vision for the theatre as a "community hub".