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Grand Jury issues report County detention centers seen as ‘safe,’ but issues remain By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
DAVE MASON / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Thomas Tighe, president and CEO of Goleta-based Direct Relief, noted the nonprofit’s work around the world includes helping people in its own backyard.
Providing relief in its backyard
The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury recently published a report on 20 detention facilities in Santa Barbara County, finding them to be “generally safe and serviceable.” But the findings also noted issues of overcrowding, equipment shortages to address drug contraband, “inhumane” holding facilities and staff shortages impacting public safety. The report, published April 27, included onsite inspections of the conditions of each facility, examination of how detainees are handled. Included were the Santa Barbara County Main Jail, new Northern Branch Jail, five sheriff’s substations, two probation facilities, three court holding facilities, the Lompoc City Jail, three police holding facilities and the Santa Barbara Sobering Center. When the Grand Jury visited the Main Jail in February, the jail was found to be 13 custody officers short of the 228 that are “considered adequate” for the overlapping schedules. This understaffing “results in higher safety risks to custodial deputies, costs associated with mandatory overtime and heightened custody staff stress levels,” the
report found. The Grand Jury also reported the building was aging and noted several infrastructure deficiencies, which represents a safety risk to both custody deputies and inmates. “The Sheriff will determine the priority of repairs and the implementation of reconfiguration and repurposing plans. This will be a challenge for the Sheriff, as construction cannot begin until the Northern Branch Jail opens, and Main Jail inmates can be moved,” the report read. The Grand Jury reported that surveillance camera positions need to be improved to provide more complete coverage, while also reporting the complete absence of body scanner systems to inspect and detect drug contraband that is smuggled into the jail. In addition, the Grand Jury found the jail’s transportation vehicle fleet to be well maintained, though noted it was old and needed to be replaced for safety and efficiency. The Northern Brand Jail in Santa Maria is being built to alleviate the overcrowding at the Main Jail, adding 376 extra beds. Construction of the facility was approved by the Board of Supervisors in June Please see JaiLs on A2
Direct Relief donates $1 million to support local health clinics By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
While most people haven’t experienced a previous pandemic like COVID-19 in their lifetimes, Goleta nonprofit Direct Relief has been accustomed to helping people during times of crisis since 1948. Direct Relief’s mission has always been to improve the lives of those who experience poverty or have been hit by a natural disaster. The nonprofit provides essential medical resources needed for people’s care. With the current coronavirus situation affecting everybody, Direct Relief provided support to its own backyard just last week, when it donated $1 million to support Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and Sansum Clinic. Each of the two nonprofits is receiving $500,000 from Direct Relief. “We live here, and it has always been such an important thing for Direct Relief to do whatever we can where we live. We do a lot of things around the country and around the world but this is our home,” Thomas Tighe, president and CEO of Direct Relief, told the News-Press. “This community really has carried Direct Relief on its shoulders since we started so no matter where we work, what we do, everything started here in Santa Barbara, and it’s important for us to remember that and do whatever we can to help during this crisis.” The money for the clinics will go toward maintaining essential services, keeping staff safe and bolstering the clinics’ financial position. Usually, Direct Relief is more of an operational charity, donating personal protective equipment and things of that nature instead of giving grants. However, given that the clinics have experienced significant revenue losses caused by the pandemic, the board of directors at Direct Relief and Mr. Tighe knew that helping primary care with money was crucial. “Nonprofit clinics are playing a less visible role than the hospitals with intensive care, but we know that they are still playing an essential role everywhere in the country,” Mr. Tighe said. “If you don’t support the primary care and the things that can keep the people out of the hospital, what happens is you put pressure on those hospitals, and it’s really important not to do that, especially now as hospitals are trying
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RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
The Santa Barbara County Main Jail and other detention centers were deemed “safe and serviceable” by a Grand Jury report, but issues remain.
Visitor restrictions remain in place at Cottage Health hospitals By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Direct Relief has supplied protective gear around the nation and world, as well as donated money to help the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and Sansum Clinic.
to preserve their capacity for those who really need it.” In fact, one of the reasons he knew the importance of helping the primary care workers is seeing how ebola hit West Africa. “They threw everything they had at ebola, but it came at the expense of women not being able to give birth in hospitals or people not being able to manage their chronic conditions, so the aftermath analysis done by well-trained people at Harvard found that more people died because of these unaddressed issues than ebola itself,” Mr. Tighe said. “The exclusive attention on one crisis at the expense of everything else could have really negative effects on the whole health system and the community.” Santa Barbara is a wealthy community compared to most, but that does not mean everyone in the county is free from poverty. Especially now when people are losing their jobs, or are simply struggling to make ends
meet, nonprofits such as Direct Relief realize the importance of keeping clinics open. Mr. Tighe said the clinics have provided a ton of support since the pandemic began, whether it be by helping with drive-through testing or anything else that they can do. “But because of the economic consequences of not being able to do as they normally do, it was causing a financial hardship that no one would have intended,” Mr. Tighe said. From there, Mr. Tighe said it was a “no brainer” to lend a hand to the local clinics. “We were seeing the same situation in other places and so we needed to just make sure we did everything we could in our own community,” Mr. Tighe said. “These are exceptionally good examples of nonprofit community based clinics that serve their communities well, and we are lucky to have them.” Direct Relief has traditionally supported Please see ReLief on A8
As Cottage Health continues to provide ongoing medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, foot traffic in and around local hospitals has declined significantly due to the discontinuation of nearly all hospital visits. Gifts shops and coffee shops inside the hospitals have been closed since mid-March. The parking structures typically filled by cars of friends and loved ones have ample spaces available, while street parking surrounding Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is more accessible than ever. The temporary restriction of visitors comes as a result from a health order by the Santa Barbara Public Health Department. For most patients, this will mean no visitors are permitted. There are exceptions,
such as end of life or childbirth scenarios, but those are authorized based on clinical area and urgent need, according to Cottage Health, which operates hospitals in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Solvang. The restrictions are aimed at protecting patients, healthcare staff and the community from the spread of the novel coronavirus. Acknowledging the hardships of the restrictions and expressing condolences, Cottage Health officials are encouraging virtual visits to those who want to keep in touch with their loved ones. The use of Zoom, FaceTime or other video conference formats are recommended, though only inside the patient rooms. No recording of other patients, visitors or staff is permitted. Visitors are asked to turn off their mobile devices as staff enter the patient’s room. Please see hOsPiTaLs on A8
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Comics................. A6 Local ................ A 2-8 Obituaries ............ A8
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