10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 12-18, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com On Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 16, the city of Marina is hosting a celebration of the civil rights leader and what he achieved—and also holding a groundbreaking for the installation of an MLK bust. Leonard Page, a Marina businessman, donated the bust to the city in 2002 and it was the main piece at the Sculpture Habitat, a six-acre sculpture park at the Marina Airport. It was surrounded by black marble panels with MLK quotations inside a pool where people would throw coins and make wishes. Paige commissioned artist Barrington McClean, the first African American faculty member at Cabrillo College, to create the bust. In the late 2000s, Marina Coastal Water District officials were removing a large water tower and the sculpture garden was in the way. The garden was removed and the MLK bust was forgotten, placed in a hangar for storage. The sculpture came back to light after George Floyd’s murder in May 2020 and the worldwide movement it sparked against systemic racism and police brutality. The move to get the piece back on display was also a response to the widespread removal of statues that do the opposite and glorify racial injustice including slaveholders and imperialists, such as Cristopher Columbus and Confederate leaders. After Mayor Bruce Delgado became aware of the bust, he began a push to display it again. In June 2020, Marina City Council approved the city budget, but without funding for relocating the statue. After that, Delgado shared his frustration on social media, and people began to contribute, leading to nearly $20,000 in donations. In total, the project will cost $500,000 (including private funding). That will cover restoration as well as broader landscaping. During the pandemic, the late Terry Siegrist, Marina’s recreation services director, searched for potential places to display it. The design includes a pathway with lighting under cypress trees outside the Marina library. “The library actually is a perfect place as far as the vibe, because people go to the library to learn and expand their horizons,” Delgado says. The bust deteriorated after being in the hangar for 13 years. It was restored over the past year by McClean, the same artist who created it in Santa Cruz. A groundbreaking ceremony for the installation happens on Monday, Jan. 16 at 2pm along with an MLK Day celebration. (For more information about the event, see Hot Picks, p. 26.) As the Covid-19 pandemic enters the start of its fourth year, there are nagging problems for both patients and hospitals. For patients, finding an available doctor in Monterey County quickly can be challenging. Time is of the essence for receiving the antiviral medication Paxlovid, which needs to be administered within five to seven days of testing positive. With nowhere to go, patients wind up at local emergency rooms. “We’ve had people come in and say, ‘Nobody will take care of me,’” says Sameer Bakhda, an emergency room physician at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. The staff treats everyone who walks in the door, but it creates a potential for spreading the virus as well as longer wait times. The challenge prompted Bakhda and other doctors and staff at Montage Health, CHOMP’s nonprofit parent company, to craft a solution. Within the month, a telehealth service is scheduled to launch specifically to treat Covid, including prescribing Paxlovid. Anyone who tests positive for Covid, even with a home test, will be able to request help online and be seen virtually by a physician the same day or early the next day. “The real benefit is being able to have an appointment with a board certified emergency physician,” says Meg Dingae, Montage’s director of digital health. Added to the challenge for patients—especially uninsured or under-insured patients—is that free treatment for Covid, as currently required by the state of California, could disappear as early as this spring if the Biden Administration allows a March 2020 federal public health emergency declaration to finally sunset. The price of Montage’s program is still being worked out, but Dingae says there will likely be a low-cost, self-pay option. Currently, California offers information on how to find free treatment at covid19.ca.gov/treatment, or by calling 833-422-4255. The California Department of Public Health contracted with a New York-based tech company called Sesame to provide free Covid telehealth care at sesamecare.com/covid. New Home After 14 years in storage, Marina’s Martin Luther King bust will be back on display. By Celia Jiménez news Creek Side Help clean up Gabilan Creek with volunteers organized by Return of the Natives. Snacks and water are provided. The event will be postponed only if it is raining hard on the day of the event. Volunteer groups of 10 or more are asked to RSVP. 10am-1pm Saturday, Jan. 14. Gabilan Creek, E. Laurel Drive and Constitution Boulevard, Salinas. Free. Visit the website or call day for a voicemail recording to find out if the event is postponed due to rain. 582-3686, bcarrazco@ csumb.edu, csumb.edu/ron. Helpful Hiking It’s volunteer day at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. This month, the Monterey Bay Area Hiking Group is returning to Cypress Grove to remove sprouting panic veldtgrass before it can get re-established. Afterwards, take a moment to hike the reserve as a reward for yourself. Bring water, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen and a hat; work gloves and snacks provided. Inform the ranger at the kiosk you are attending the volunteer work day for complimentary admission. 9am-noon Wednesday, Jan. 18. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Highway 1, Carmel. Free. volunteer. monterey@parks.ca.gov, bit.ly/ MontereyHikingGroup. Mental Wellness AIM Youth Mental Health is offering training and certification to help parents, teachers and counselors become confident in helping children and teens with mental health challenges. The goal is to create a county-wide safe space for Monterey County’s youth. The online course consists of two hours of self-paced content and five hours of instructor-led training via Zoom. Upon completion, adults are certified as youth mental health first aiders. 5:30pm-8pm Wednesday-Thursday, Jan. 18-19. $170 tuition; financial aid available, offering a discounted rate of $85. Contact Margaret D’Arrigo for financial aid at margaret@aimymh.org. Sign up at aimymh.org/mental-health-first-aid. 372-1600. Situational Awareness Stay up to date on storm-related alerts, including evacuation warnings and orders and shelter locations, by signing up to receive emergency alerts from Monterey County. You can also find more information about disasters and county response by visiting the website. Visit tinyurl.com/WinterStormMC for storm information. To register to receive alerts, visit tinyurl.com/ AlertMontereyCountysignup. Community Solution Montage Health is on the cusp of using telehealth to solve a Covid-19 treatment conundrum. By Pam Marino A rendering shows the placement for the MLK bust outside of the Marina branch library. The design includes a pathway with lighting in a place that is frequented by the public. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX The sculpture came back to light after George Floyd’s murder. City of Marina
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