Rialto Record 11/02/22

R I A L T O R E C O R D

WWe e eekkllyy

D i s t r i c t ’ s B o o k M a n i a p u s h e s L i t e r a c y t h r o u g h c r e a t i v i t y i n a c a d e m i c s

Inland Empire

City of Colton Frank Navarro

City Council District 2 Kelly J Chastain

District 3 Luis S Gonzalez

District 4 John Echevarria

CJUSD Governing Board Area 1 Israel Fuentes Jr

City of Rialto At Large Ed Scott

Karla Perez

City of San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran

San Bernardino Community College District Governing Board Area 4 Nathan D Gonzales

SBCUSD Governing Board Mary Ellen Abilez Grande Barbara Flores

SBCUSD Governing Board (Short term) Travon R Martin

Vote NO on San Bernardino County’s Charter

Community News

All 19 elementary s c h o o l s a c r o s s t h e R i a l t o

Unified School District enthusiastically became a part of the story during t h e D i s t r i c t ’s S e c o n d A n n u a l B o o k M a n i a event

Book Mania is a cele

bration of literacy for elementary school stu dents in the RUSD The event, held annually at the end of October, took place during the school morning/day and includ ed guest readers in class rooms, costumes, activi ties, awards for reading, and other events tied to l i t e r a c y E a c h s t u d e n t a l s o r e c e i v e d a b o o k

mark to commemorate the day, which students can use to mark their place as they take their next reading adventure

Under the leadership of t h e R U S D B o a r d o f E d u c a t i o n a n d R U S D S u p e r i n t e n d e n t D r C u a u h t é m o c Av i l a , R U S D E d u c a t i o n

Services has put a focus o n l i t e r a c y w i t h t h e “ F o u n d a t i o n s : L i t e r a c y & Numeracy Initiative ” Introduced in 2021, the initiative offers support f o r s t u d e n t s , t e a c h e r s , and families as students grow and succeed in the area of literacy

Book Mania was a joy ous celebration of litera

cy and student achieve ment Students and staff took part in the fun of b e c o m i n g p a r t o f t h e s t o r y C h a r a c t e r s l i k e Harry Potter, Pete the Cat, Wilbur the pig from “Charlotte’s Web,” the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter from “Alice

RUSD, cont on next pg

N e w C l i n i c f o r U n d e r s e r v e d B l a c k W o m e n H o s t s G r a n d O p e n i n g i n R i a l t o

Elected

PHOTO RUSD

Nothing beats sharing a good book and a laugh! Kelley Elementary School students excitedly listened as Stephanie Mendez, a project clerk at Kelley Elementary School, shared a book with students during the Rialto Unified School District s Book Mania event The annual event cele brates literacy at all of the District’s 19 elementary schools

RUSD

in Wonderland,” the Cat in the Hat, and Ms Frizzle from the “Magic School Bus,” just to name a few, were popular among students, teachers, prin cipals and staff

“It was a sensational and fes tive literacy focused celebra tion where students were engaged and happy,” stated Syeda Jafri, RUSD Communi cation/Media Services agent “Superintendent Dr Avila vis ited dozens of classrooms that morning and greeted students, teachers, support staff, princi pals and assistant principals, as they were dressed as familiar storybook characters This reading celebration is just an other example of the unique ways that our dedicated Cen

tral Office and school staff work together to provide inno vative and engaging reading programs ”

The District’s K 5 students were delighted as guest readers visited classrooms to read sto ries from a wide variety of au thors Leaders in the RUSD from across service areas also got into the spirit of the event

Dr Avila read to several classrooms around the District (including three kindergarten classes, outdoors at Morris El ementary School) Elizabeth Curtiss, RUSD Lead Academic Agent: Elementary Innovation, dressed as “Charlotte” (the spi der from E B White’s scholas tically and internationally recognized book, “Charlotte’s Web”) Curtiss coordinated

Book Mania, working with a committee that successfully launched the annual literacy event

Students listened intently as readers shared some of their favorite books After the guest readers finished, many stu dents asked questions and shared insights about the books, as a part of a critical thinking exercise

Later in the evening, families were invited to the District’s “Trunk or Treat Celebration” at 17 schools across the District Schools offered candy, activi ties, and plenty of fun in cele bration of Halloween

Clinic

ered Neighborly Adaptable Eq uitable care for Black Obstetric patients with Respect (NAE BOR) Clinic seeks to reverse systemic issues that have left Black and African American families suffering worse health outcomes during pregnancy and infancy than any other group

Historically, African American and Black women experience higher rates of infant mortality and are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth when compared to women of other races Reasons for these devas tating outcomes often include structural racism and bias in the current health care system, and a lack of access to reproductive health care

“In San Bernardino County, Black women have among the lowest rates of early prenatal care, when compared to mothers of other races These statistics are simply unacceptable,” said Dr Valenzuela “By increasing access to culturally appropriate prenatal care for pregnant Black

women in San Bernardino County, we can improve perina tal outcomes and improve the health of Black women and their families in our communities Our goal is to make this clinic the model for tackling these is sues ”

Studies have shown that women of color also reported feelings of discrimination, neg lect, or disrespect within the healthcare system Such experi ences affect their inclination to seek care during pregnancy or after By incorporating training of health care team members in cultural awareness and implicit bias, the clinic will help improve reproductive health care out comes

“In San Bernardino County and my own City of Rialto, we are experiencing a public health cri sis when it comes to pregnant Black women and their chil dren,” said Rialto Mayor Debo rah Robertson “By helping to address these issues, the clinic will help change the trajectory of pregnant Black women who have felt discrimination, disre spect and barriers to their care ”

R h M s

By Manny Sandoval

TheWomen's Club of San Bernardino is in the mid dle of a busy season rais ing money for Mary’s Mercy Center, Guide Dogs of the Desert, and Shoes that Fit

On October 29th, the organiza tion held a successful Halloween Fundraiser and Chili Cookoff at its Women’s Clubhouse, where eight participants crafted home made Chili, which was perfect in the 60 degree afternoon tempera ture

“The Women’s Club of San Bernardino has been around for over 130 years and we continue to coordinate at least one event per month All of the raised funds go towards our nonprofit partners to benefit communities across the In land Empire,” said Women’s Club Member Marie Fentress

The Inland community is actu

ally in for another treat as the or ganization is gearing up to host a Flea Market on November 4th and 5th, at 503 W 31st St, San Bernardino, between 8:30 AM and 3 PM

“There is all kinds of essential household items for sale at our Flea Markets Basically people that sell their houses, they have es tate sales and donate items to us, then we resell it for our fundrais ers We typically have everything from crockpots to luggage household items, lots of clothing, even clothing with the tags still on them,” concluded Fentress

Many antique household furni ture and items that cannot be pur chased in stores are typically available

There is no registration required, just show up to the Flea Market ready to shop

For more information, call (909) 883 0710

Women’s Club of San Ber nardino hosts chili cookof f to benefit nonpr ofits acr oss the Inland Empir e

Acrowd of more than 300 on Friday helped usher in a new age of commuter transit in Southern California with a ribbon cutting for the new Arrow Line at the historic Redlands Downtown station

Local, state and national of ficials joined community mem bers and leaders from the San Bernardino County Transporta tion Authority (SBCTA) and Metrolink in welcoming the highly anticipated new service and the state of the art clean air passenger trains that will transform how commuter rail is operated in the Inland Em pire and across the state

Arrow, which officially be gins service on Monday, has been more than a decade in the making, featuring new tracks, enhanced street crossings, quiet zones, and five stations along the 9 mile route between downtown San Bernardino and

downtown Redlands Arrow will connect the East Valley of San Bernardino County to a multi modal transit hub that can provide access to all points west Five new sta tions will connect residents, businesses, and visitors to a va riety of leisure, education, healthcare, and other destina tions The stations include San Bernardino Downtown (Rialto Avenue and E Street), San Bernardino Tippecanoe Station (between Victoria Avenue and Hardt Street), Redlands Esri (across from the Esri campus), Redlands Downtown (just north of the historic Redlands Santa Fe Depot), and Red lands University (the south end of the University of Redlands campus)

“The launch of the Arrow Line signals the next genera tion of commuter rail service across our region This clean air service will help to improve air quality while providing di rect access to the Metrolink system for tens of thousands of

additional commuters in one of the fastest growing population and economic centers in the nation,” said Art Bishop, Pres ident of the SBCTA Board and Mayor pro Tem of the Town of Apple Valley

Among others who spoke at Friday’s ribbon cutting were U S Rep Pete Aguilar (CA 31) and San Bernardino County 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Rowe The event also featured a video welcome from U S Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Metrolink is the owner and operator of Arrow Metrolink will share Arrow schedule and fares on its communication platforms For more informa tion riders can text or call Metrolink at (800) 371 5465 or submit an email through its Customer Service webpage

For more on the Arrow Line, visit SBCTA’s project page

O p - E d

One r eason behind fr ustrating delays in healthcar e is prior authorizations

By Dr Adegbemisola Daniyan , Kimberly De Guzman, Christina Trinh, and Kelly Chang

Prior Authorization and Healthcare

Whether you’re stuck waiting at the doc tor ’s office or in line at the pharmacy, it’s frustrating as a patient to be told that the procedure you need or the prescription you’re waiting for hasn’t been approved You might be left wondering “Why is it al ways so difficult to get anything done at my doctor ’s office?” After this happens a second or even third time, you might start wondering if going to your doctor at all is worth the hassle As a patient, you’re not alone in your frustration since your physi cian is likely wondering the same thing In fact, one reason behind these frustrating delays in healthcare is prior authorizations

What is a prior authorization and why do I need it?

Prior authorization, also known as pre certification or prior approval, is a deci sion made by health insurance companies that determine whether or not a patient’s medical equipment, procedures, or pre scription drugs are medically necessary 1

If deemed medically necessary, these healthcare essentials would be fully or par tially covered by insurance companies If not, then the patient would need to cover the entire cost out of pocket This process is incredibly important for patients be cause healthcare costs are on the rise In California, personal health care spending increased 4 04% from 2013 to 2014 2

Why is it so difficult to get prior author izations approved?

This approval process is full of adminis trative work that physicians simply can’t complete on their own Like with all as pects of healthcare, obtaining prior author izations is a team effort: the physician puts in an order, the insurance company re quires a prior authorization, the medical assistants provide appropriate documenta tion, and so on As a result, getting this ap proval can take time and lead to delays in treatment, harming patients with compli cated chronic diseases that require contin uous care In San Bernardino County, over 50% of people have been diagnosed with at least one chronic disease condition (car diovascular disease, hypertension, or dia betes) 3 Nearly 1 in 6 individuals in San Bernardino county3 will be forced to delay or go without the healthcare they need

How do I know if I need a prior authori zation?

While physicians won’t know for sure which procedures or prescriptions require a prior authorization, recent studies have shown that preventive services are far less likely to require a prior authorization

Only 6% of preventive services needed a prior authorization compared to the more than 92% of hospitalization stays, pre scription drugs, and medical equipment such as prosthetics that did 4

How do I speed up the prior authorization process?

Although your doctor ’s office is respon sible for submitting your information and medical records, there are still a few things you can do during this process 5

• Keep your doctor ’s office up to date on your contact information Report changes in your legal name, insurance plan, phone number, and home address

• Request a generic brand in place of brand name drugs Brand name drugs tend to be more expensive and require a prior authorization

• Ask your physician if you can re ceive a 90 day supply of your medication in place of a 30 day supply If your prior

authorization is denied, a 90 day supply may be less expen sive 5

We understand that doctor ’s appointments and delays in healthcare are frustrating, but we still encourage patients to see their physicians for annual physicals and wellness check ups Regularly visiting your doctor for preventative services will also help lower your risk of developing chronic diseases that may require treatments needing prior authorization Don’t let the tedious process of prior authorizations stop you from seeing your doctor

Authors: Dr Adegbemisola Daniyan is a board certified Internal Medi cine Physician and Assistant Professor of Medical Educa tion at California University of Science and Medicine She is a graduate of Loma Linda Uni versity School of Medicine and completed her Internal Medi cine Residency at Kaiser Per manente

Kimberly De Guzman is a medical student at California University of Science and Medicine and a graduate of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the Uni versity of California, San Diego

Christina Trinh is a medical student at California University of Science and Medicine and a graduate of the University of California, Davis

Kelly Chang is a medical stu dent at California University of Science and Medicine

DISCLAIMER: THIS OP ED DOES NOT PROVIDE MED ICAL ADVICE

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material con tained on this op ed are for in formational purposes only No material on this article is in tended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have re garding a medical condition or treatment and before undertak ing a new health care regimen, and never disregard profes sional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of some thing you have read

The authors do not speak on behalf of California University of Science and Medicine

*This Op Ed is not reflective of IECN’s views

By Manny Sandoval

October is National Cy bersecurity Awareness Month, and in a Sep tember 30 proclamation, Presi dent Joe Biden noted the growing threat of malicious cyber activities, encouraged Americans to increase cyberse curity at home, at work and in schools, and emphasized that everyone must do their part to keep the nation safe and secure

Since 2008, Cal State San Bernardino has been doing its part, and much more, through its pioneering Cybersecurity Cen ter A national model for excel lence in cybersecurity education, the center ’s mission “is to pro vide not only an excellent educa tion, but unparalleled opportunities and training for the next generation of cybersecurity leaders,” according to Vincent Nestler, director of the center

Nestler, an associate professor in the Department of Informa tion and Decision Sciences,

joined CSUSB in 2012, and with him, brought a healthy dose of ganas, a Spanish word meaning “a desire to succeed ” (It’s also a term made popular by teacher Jaime Escalante in the movie “Stand and Deliver,” Nestler points out )

And while he’s been with the university for 10 years, his con nection to the Cal State San Bernardino family goes back more than 35 years, to his under graduate education at the State University of New York, New Paltz in 1987 Nestler partici pated in the Educational Oppor tunity Program (EOP), which gives academic support and fi nancial assistance for underrep resented students who have the potential to succeed “At the time, I didn’t know what college was all about I walked into the EOP office and met my EOP ad visor, the person who would guide me through college His name was Tomás Morales,” he recalls

president of CSUSB

“I like sharing that because you can’t make this up Of all the colleges for me to land as a fac ulty member, I wind up at the one where I’m now able to serve the person who is respon sible for starting my academic career just as he is at the peak of his academic career,” he says

Nestler was recruited to CSUSB by Tony Coulson, executive di rector of the Cybersecurity Cen ter and professor of information and decision sciences Nestler had completed his Ph D at Idaho State University and was training students there in the National Science Foundation’s CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program, as well as in computer network virtualiza tion, both of which were on Coulson’s radar as growth areas for CSUSB’s Cybersecurity Center

While excited about the oppor tunity, Nestler hesitated the position was as a non tenure track adjunct professor “But I knew this is where I wanted to be I could just feel it The logi cal, financial side of me was saying, ‘Are you out of your mind?’” he recalled “But when the universe puts certain things in front of you, even though it doesn't really make logical sense, you can just feel that’s the way you’re supposed to go,” he said

Today, 10 years later, Nestler has no doubt that he’s where he belongs He’s integrally in volved with students, teaching upper level courses in the Infor mation Systems and Technology Cybersecurity academic pro gram, including the Capstone class, Digital Forensics, Cyber Investigation and Ethical Hack ing, which Nestler describes as a highly technical, very chal lenging class “I get to teach people how to hack,” he says, laughing “It’s fun ” The cyber security program offers both bachelor ’s and master ’s de grees, with more than 500 stu dents enrolled

And the Cybersecurity Center has grown remarkably in na tional stature and reputation Between 2010 and 2022 alone, it has received more than $75 million in grant funding Since 2009, the center has provided more than $15 million in schol arships through various pro grams to more than 130 students who have completed the program, and 100% of the students have been placed in ca reer positions One of the cen ter ’s flagship programs and just one of the many opportunities available to CSUSB students is the previously mentioned Cy berCorps Scholarship for Serv ice program, funded by the National Science Foundation

“Desir e to Succeed” drives CSUSB’s Cyber security Center Dir ector