“Addressing substance use and overdoses is not just an individual health issue; it’s a community health issue,” Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington said in a statement. “We stand together to raise awareness, provide support, and remember those we’ve lost to this epidemic.”

The first walk will get underway at 7 a.m. Wednesday at Palm Desert Civic Center Park, 43900 San Pablo Ave., according to county officials. The walks will continue April 13 at Riverside’s Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd. and April 27 at Murrieta Town Square Park, 1 Town Square.

During the upcoming events, attendees will hear from guest speakers who will offer perspectives on recovery, prevention and importance of community support, county officials said. Fentanyl overdose fatalities in Riverside County reached 428 in 2023 — 38 of which were among individuals between the ages of 15 and 24.

“Recognizing the signs of poisoning and overdose is crucial in our fight against this growing crisis,” RUHS Behavioral Health Director Dr. Matthew Chang said in a statement. “At RUHS, we are deeply committed to providing comprehensive services and resources to address and prevent these tragic occurrences in Riverside County. Together, we can make a difference.”

Residents interested in participating in the event were encouraged to register at bit.ly/1LifeWalkRegister.

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The Be Wiser Youth Traffic Safety Project funding ($170,000) will be used at 12 middle and high schools throughout Riverside County for education and training, according to Rebecca Antillon, program coordinator who oversees the grants with Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Public Health. Public Health officials will also encourage youngsters to promote safety among their peers and educate parents on the dangers of unsafe driving practices.

The College Community Against Drugged, Drunk, and Distracted Driving funding ($107,500) will be used at four college campuses in Riverside County.

“Young people are the future and it is important they are protected through education and training when they get behind the wheel,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of RUHS-PH.

Funding is administered by RUHS-PH and provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety. Administration.

To learn more about the Injury Prevention Services Program, visit www.rivcoips.org

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November 10, 2020 — Riverside University Health System (RUHS) received a $625,000 grant from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) to expand access to primary care, making it the only hospital in the Inland Empire to win the full award. The grant will allow RUHS to train an increased amount of residents on campus and provide the resources they need to succeed.

The grant allows the continued funding of essential resources for the program, such as, funds to cover resident’s attendance to the AGME national conference, board review materials and high school pipeline resources. These are crucial assets that allow the program to excel. This level of excellence supports continued attraction to some of the nation’s top family medicine resident candidates, who may then be converted into full-time employees.

“We are so honored to receive this grant from OSHPD,” said Parastou Farhadian, RUHS Family Medicine Resident Program Director. “It is important now, more than ever, that we continue to expand access to our most vulnerable community members through enhanced primary care training for students, who will then be leaders in our community that help shape and grow overall well-being of our community families.”

RUHS’s 49-year-old Family Medicine Residency Program qualified for the grant award based on its ability to attract and admit underrepresented and underserved community members. To win the grant, another requirement is the development of residency programs that train students in underserved areas and place their graduates in those regions. This is the 49th year that the program has received this grant. During the life of the program, RUHS has been able to host over 300 residents.

The $625,000 awarded to RUHS was part of OSHPD’s pledge of $35 million in grants to 86 primary care residency programs to expand primary care access to underserved Californians. The California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission, which recommends funding awards for multiple medical disciplines under the Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Act, approved award recommendations for the Primary Care Residency Program earlier this year.

Medical disciplines under the Primary Care Residency Program include family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics. The Song-Brown funds now support nearly 730 primary care residency positions annually and has funded 185 new positions since 2017.

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