spotlight marin.

The California Artisan Cheese Festival is back — mark your calendars: March 24 to 26

News by Caitlin Hamer

Need for Cheese

The California Artisan Cheese Festival (www.artisancheese festival.com) returns March 24 to 26. The weekend kicks off on Friday with several different Northern California producer and farm tours to choose from. On Saturday, make your way through seminars and pairing demos at various wineries in Santa Rosa and Windsor, then head to The Barlow in Sebastopol for a cheese crawl later in the day. Finally, check out the Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Sunday afternoon.

Flip the Switch

Marin County residents in single-family homes have a good opportunity to replace their gas-powered cooking appliances with electric induction options. Bay Area Regional Energy Network Home+ (www. bayren.org) is offering a rebate to PG&E natural gas customers making the switch while Electrify Marin’s rebate program is open to both natural gas and propane customers.

A Woman’s World

Celebrate two of our favorite things — women and wine — at National Women in Wine Day (www.womeninwineday. com) on March 25. Founded by Renae Perry and Yolanda Papapietro, co-owners and founders of Papapietro Perry Winery, this annual online celebration is inspired by International Women’s History Month. The social initiative launched in 2021 to highlight the stories of women in the wine industry and provide resources for those hoping to enter the industry themselves. The website features more than 100 women from all aspects of the wine industry, as well as scholarships to apply for, organizations to support and a place to submit honoree nominees.

Are You Suffering Unnecessarily From Treatable Chronic Pain?

Howard Kornfeld, M.D., is the founder of Recovery Without Walls and a board-certified pain specialist with long-standing experience in the use of the unique analgesic buprenorphine, a medication that has been consistently underutilized and misunderstood by many clinicians and patients.

Dr. Kornfeld, an experienced emergency physician prior to becoming board certified in both pain and addiction medicine, has taught as a clinical faculty member in the pain fellowship program at UCSF over the last 20 years. He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Kornfeld was an early adopter of buprenorphine for the management of severe pain in the United States and his published innovations have received wide recognition and support. Most often used to replace other types of, often ineffective, opioid medications that carry higher risks, in low dose forms, and with proper consultation, buprenorphine can be appropriately provided to a wide range of patients suffering from chronic pain, including the elderly, and become a quality-of-life-restoring treatment strategy.

Transportation Funding for Marin

Communities in Marin County are set to receive millions in state funding for transportation projects, which include new bike and pedestrian paths, bike lanes, traffic congestion relief, transit improvements and housing planning near transit hubs.

Taking Action Against Fentanyl

8 Number of projects in San Rafael, Corte Madera and other areas of the county

$10.2 million

State grant approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission

$9.5 million

Additional dollars recommended that the California Transportation Commission approve for further projects

$4.6 million

Grant funding received for San Rafael

$8 million

Recommended funding for the San Rafael Canal area

$1.6 million

Set to be used to start a study on potential housing development in San Rafael

$1 million

Awarded to SMART for a bicycle and pedestrian path in Novato

$505,000

Grant awarded to Sausalito to add a bicycle lane on Bridgeway

$1.5 million

Recommended for Corte Madera to complete a separated bicycle lane on Nellen Avenue

$2 million

Grant funding for Corte Madera to build a multimodal path on Paradise Drive

$1.6 million

Allocated to Marin Transit to upgrade bus stops on high-use corridors

$400,000

Grant funding for the Transportation Authority of Marin

Fatal overdoses and drug poisonings have doubled in the past three years in Marin County, a trend driven by the increased distribution of fentanyl, but health authorities are particularly concerned about the deaths occurring among teens. Using proven tactics from the RxSafe Marin coalition, organizers of OD Free Marin (www.odfreemarin.org) have formed action teams to approach the crisis with a goal of reducing drug overdoses, focusing especially on fentanyl, in 2023. OD Free Marin is working to educate Marin communities, distributing the overdose treatment drug Narcan and helping individuals suffering from substance abuse disorders access treatment options. “New very potent opioids are flooding the illicit market, and we’re seeing more overdoses in every community in Marin,” says Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer. “It’s time to take action together.”

Are you concerned about your relationship with alcohol or other substances?

Since the covid era, problem drinking has continued to increase. As this year takes shape, you could end your reliance on alcohol with advanced techniques and evidenced-informed, cutting-edge medications that our team has introduced years ahead of other practices.

The phrase “recovery without walls” describes a treatment philosophy unencumbered by the limits of reductionist thinking and the less frequent need for the walls of a residential center. We treat patients privately in our office with empathy and meticulous confidentiality, while placing a focus on psychotherapy, mindfulness, sleep restoration, and exercise, including noninflammatory dietary and supplement choices. You can regain control and reduce the physical and emotional distress associated with withdrawal. We can seamlessly transition patients to residential care when needed.

Dr. Kornfeld has over 30 years of experience in the addiction, emergency, and pain fields, and is board certified in pain and addiction medicine. The practice includes a physician, psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychotherapists, as well as eating disorder and recovery specialists. Our team is unrivaled in the field.

International Eats

Get ready for some adventurous culinary happenings this month. Take a drive to Eataly Silicon Valley in San Jose (www.eataly.com) on March 22 for an evening with the Eataly La Scuola chef, who will lead a class on how to make tonnarelli cacio e pepe. Get your tickets online ahead of time and note that seating is first come, first serve. In San Francisco, Argentinian chef Eduardo González is taking over the kitchen at Turntable at Lord Stanley (www.lordstanleysf.com) for the month. Inspired by the bistros he helms in Paris, the cuisine will have a French bistro wine bar theme.

Flood Risk in Marin

A new study has indicated that homes in local areas could be threatened by shallowly sited groundwater that could rise in the future. The groundwater could damage underground electrical and sewage lines and the foundations of houses, can expose contaminants and can worsen flooding during storms. Marin City, Corte Madera, San Rafael and Novato are among the communities most at risk.

Are

Integrative Psychiatry at Recovery Without Walls has introduced a new model of mental health care that’s based on a holistic, personalized and collaborative treatment approach. Our treatment methods will help you achieve an optimal state of recovery that is sustainable long-term.

Among a number of other medication approaches, we currently offer Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy to facilitate a deeper level of healing of unresolved trauma, treatment resistant depression and substance use.

We are committed to improving your quality of life by optimizing neuropharmacology that may be unaddressed by your current medications. Our treatment approach emphasizes nutritional strategies, dietary supplements and lifestyle interventions. We use psychotherapy and mindfulness to address emotional distress and underlying trauma.

Integrative Psychiatry is directed by Inna Zelikman, a nationally certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She has over 20 years of experience in the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. She is trained in functional medicine, somatic psychotherapy and has also received Certificates of Completion from both the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) – MDMA Therapy Training Program and the Internal Family Systems (IFS) Institute.

Decades of Dance

Marin Ballet (www.marinballet.org) is commemorating its 60th anniversary this month. A fundraising dinner with dance-themed activities and auctions takes place March 24, and the anniversary performance is being held at Novato’s Marin School of the Arts on March 26. Marin Ballet is also honoring Laurie Klein, who has been teaching at the nonprofit for over 50 years, by establishing a new scholarship fund.

Launching New Careers

A new platform is available for local job seekers and those looking to hire. This year Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures (www.msivfund.com) launched MSIV’s Talent Hub, which is helping to connect local talent to North Bay startup companies that are hiring for full-time, part-time and project-based work. “We’re excited to facilitate these connections to provide meaningful career advancement for our community members and help accelerate the journey of these startups to build the next great North Bay company,” says Zachary Kushel, founder and managing partner of MSIV, the first regional venture capital fund for Marin and Sonoma County startups.

Mushrooms and Mustard

Montage Healdsburg (www.montagehotels.com) is offering a one-of-a-kind Mushroom Foray excursion through Adventure IO this month. Guests will embark upon a guided two-hour journey through Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, learning about the fundamentals of mushroom foraging and the fungus’ role in the ecosystem. Meanwhile, the Napa Valley Mustard Celebration is in full swing, honoring the crowddrawing blooms of the mustard plant as well as its essential role in the health of the area’s numerous vineyards. Silverado Resort and Spa (www.silverado resort.com) is participating in the festivities with a Mustard Season Package and seasonal mustardinspired bar bites and spa treatment.

local splurges.