The Pima County Board of Supervisors proclaimed Friday, April 26, through Sunday, April 28, “Global Youth Service Days” in the County.

“Pima County youth are critical assets in our community,” said District 5 Supervisor Richard Elías. “This weekend, and throughout the year, youth volunteer to address issues like illiteracy, childhood obesity, hunger, poverty, environmental degradation, and disaster preparedness.”

On Friday, April 26, City High School will host the Pennington Street Block Party in downtown Tucson, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The party will showcase the many creative and productive ways young people improve in their community. The event features live music, street art, street theater, food trucks, and activities for all ages. “We’ll celebrate the great community service work that young people have been doing all year long,” said Maryann Phininzy, Pima Community College Program Coordinator, AmeriCorps Program.

Friday through Sunday, community service will continue with youth volunteering on a range of projects including: Healthy Eating, Active Lifestyle Festival at Tucson Village Farm, Clean Up and Serve in vacant lots around Mansfield Middle School, Book Give-away at the Reading Seed Center, and Cyclovia.

Global Youth Service Days is a program of Youth Service America, an organization dedicated to engaging youth age 5 to 25.

The Service Days are coordinated by the Tucson Service Learning Group with support from a State Farm grant. “It’s about creating our future leaders, and they need support and mentorship from our current leaders,” Phininzy explained. “Youth need to see that the community values their efforts. It’s about creating a reciprocal partnership between the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow.”

For more information about the Pennington Street Block Party, go to: http://cityhighschool.org/community/blockparty.

Join Pima County and FC Tucson on Thursday, April 25, to celebrate the start of construction of the North Stadium at Kino Sports Complex.

The North Stadium, which is expected to be completed in October 2013, will include a grandstand that will seat 1,600-1,800, additional bleachers for up to 400, a new scoreboard, and restroom and concession facilities. It is part of the County’s $2.8 million investment in improvements at Kino Sports Complex, which will also include adding a sixth soccer field and a new main entrance to the soccer fields.

Pima County Supervisors Chairman Ramón Valadez, District 2, and Supervisor Richard Elías, District 5, will join the owners of FC Tucson for a news conference at 4:45 p.m. followed by a groundbreaking ceremony.

Members of the public are invited to have their photographs taken with a ceremonial hard hat and shovel.

Tickets for FC Tucson’s 2013 season will be for sale. The first home match is May 18 against the Southern California Seahorses at the North Grandstand field. Season tickets for seven Premier Development League and three non-PDL matches are $100 for adults and $80 for youth ages 3-12 (not including a $10 surcharge/ticket and tax).

The first 1,600 fans to purchase 2013 season tickets will reserve a chance to order 2014 season tickets at the new stadium.

FC Tucson, established in 2010, owns FC Tucson Soccer, Tucson’s top-level soccer team, and the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. In 2012, FC Tucson was named the PDL Rookie Franchise of the Year. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.fctucson.com.

Kino Sports Complex is the largest sports and entertainment venue in Pima County. The home of the Triple-A Tucson Padres baseball team and the FC Tucson soccer club includes the 11,000-seat Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, a 1,000-seat North Grandstand soccer field and a 2,000-seat North Stadium under construction. Along with seven more baseball fields (four with lights), lighted softball fields, and four more soccer fields, it is a great fit for youth, amateur and professional sports, concerts, and community events. Visit www.kinosportscomplex.com or call (520) 546-5466.

With reduced health-care coverage for indigent Arizonans triggering increased costs for Pima County, the Pima County Board of Supervisors today voted to support Gov. Jan Brewer’s recommendation to expand the state’s Medicaid program.

Under the plan, people making up to 133 percent of the poverty level would be eligible for enrollment in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, commonly referred to as AHCCCS. That would raise the cap from roughly $11,500 for a single person to about $15,000 and would add another 57,000 people to the rolls statewide.

More significantly, the plan would restore or continue coverage for nearly 300,000 childless adults. An assessment on hospitals would help fund the state’s share of the $154 million first-year implementation cost, but would rely most heavily on a draw-down of $1.6 billion federal matching funds.

The plan includes a provision that allows the state to repeal the initiative if the federal funding doesn’t come through.

Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry noted that the reduction in AHCCCS availability has already increased costs to the County. A review of jail bookings indicate that the percentages of people enrolled in AHCCCS dropped from 43 percent in July 2011 to 23 percent in July of the next year when the state started ratcheting back enrollment. As more individuals experience barriers in medical and behavioral care, he explained, they are more likely to destabilize. Ultimately, that leaves them more likely to end up in emergency rooms or in County-run detention facilities or being committed for involuntary psychiatric hospitalization, which is the County’s financial responsibility.

Plus, he noted, with the University of Arizona Medical Center – South Campus seeing a 13 percent increase in uncompensated care since 2009, the resources the County is providing to that campus are being consumed by that growing cost instead of allowing for the expansion or enhancement of services.

Supervisor Sharon Bronson said she has been in touch with a number of hospital administrators across the community that are forced to absorb the high cost of stabilizing and treating individuals who are presenting to the emergency rooms but aren’t insured and have no ability to pay. “I’m very concerned that the impact on hospitals is not sustainable,” she said.

To read the resolution in its entirety, please visit: http://www.pima.gov/cob/e-agenda/04092013/ADD1A_ResoMedicaidSupport.pdf

The Town of Marana will run its own sewer plant under a final settlement approved by the Pima County Board of Supervisors that will end a years-long conflict over wastewater.

The dispute has lingered since 2007, featuring an unsuccessful annexation attempt of the plant by Marana, as well as the passage of a state law allowing the transfer of the facility to the Town for just the cost of the outstanding debt,

The County extended settlement offers in December 2012, which hinged on Town voters agreeing that they wanted to be in the wastewater business. Voters provided that OK in March.

The settlement, which sets a purchase price of $18.2 million for the plant, also required the repeal of the state laws allowing Marana to take possession of the plant without paying full price. The laws were successfully repealed earlier this legislative session.

Under the agreement, Marana will operate the plant to serve areas in north Marana, while Pima County retains control and operation of the sewer system for the remainder of the town and surrounding unincorporated areas. The County will support the Town’s efforts to get beneficial use for as much effluent as possible that is discharged from the plant, minus certain requirements such as for tribal water rights settlements and conservation purposes.

Although Supervisor Richard Elías expressed concern that the agreement is a step away from regionalism, Supervisors Sharon Bronson and Ally Miller said they welcomed a stronger relationship in the future with Marana. Supervisor Ray Carroll agreed. “It brings local control to Marana. That’s what they wanted and they’re willing to pay for it. I do believe they should be careful what they wish for, but they have it now and I wish them all the success in the world,” Carroll said.

Marana Town Council member Roxanne Ziegler told Board members she will be thrilled not to have to go into more executive sessions to talk about wastewater. “It’s been a long haul. We’re five years into it…and we’ve had a lot of ups and downs and peaks and valleys,” she said, thanking the Board for its patience over the years.

Her Council colleague Dave Bowen echoed her sentiments. “We look forward to a great and amicable relationship in the years ahead,” he said, adding that he anticipates working together to complete projects that will be good for the citizens of Marana andPimaCounty.

Supervisor Bronson thanked the Town for entering into constructive dialogue with the County in recent months. “We’re looking forward to moving on to better things,” she said.

The Marana Town Council is expected to take up the issue at its study session this evening.

To read the settlement agreement in its entirety, please visit http://www.pima.gov/cob/e-agenda/04092013/ADDExecSessC_TownofMaranaSettlement.pdf

Job hunting can be challenging in the best of circumstances, but for those who have fled to America to escape war or persecution, there may also be barriers of language, culture and education to confront.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors agreed to allocate $34,000 to help refugees with job training and transportation, through a program run by Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona. The donation matches a similar grant from the Click Family Foundation. While the City of Tucson will not provide direct monetary support, it will provide in-kind services in the areas of transit, housing and parks and recreation.

The donation emerged from a community response group that was organized in September 2012 with the participation of Supervisor Richard Elías and other community leaders, including educators, business interests and church representatives.

Applauding the good will of the Click family and recognizing the leadership of Catholic Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, Supervisor Elías said he was heartened that the County could do its part to help the growing refugee community. “Our refugees come from all over the world, but most typically from war-torn circumstances where their families have suffered great personal loss,” he said.

To find out more about how you can help Catholic Social Services in its goals to improve the lives of refugees, please visit http://www.ccs-soaz.org/Catholic-Social-Service-Migration-and-Refugee-Services.html.

The Honorable Richard Elías, Pima County Supervisor, District 5, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Pima County Department of Transportation will host a Dedication Ceremony for the Camino de Oeste: Los Reales Road to Valencia Road Improvement Project. The Dedication Ceremony will be held on Friday, April 5, 2013, at 1:00 pm, 7285 S. Camino de Oeste (northwest corner of Los Reales and Camino de Oeste).

Speakers at this event will include the Honorable Richard Elías, Pima County Supervisor, District 5, Master of Ceremonies; Peter Yucupicio, Chairman, Pascua Yaqui Tribe; Francisco Muñoz, Councilman/Treasurer; Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and Priscilla Cornelio, Director, Pima County Department of Transportation.

Camino de Oeste from Los Reales Road to Valencia Road was widened from a two-lane roadway to a three-lane section with a two-way left turn lane and six-foot-wide paved shoulders.  In addition, contractors installed a sidewalk along the west side of roadway, lighting, landscaping and minor drainage improvements.

This project was funded by Pascua Yaqui Tribe Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF) in the amount of $2.95 million.  Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) is a partner in this project contributing approximately $55,000 for the construction of an access point to a planned TUSD facility.

The construction for this project started May 2012 and was completed March 2013.

For more information, contact Annabelle Valenzuela, Pima County Department of Transportation at (520) 740-6445.

Executives and experts in the fields of aerospace, manufacturing and machining will talk about workforce issues at the April 12 Pima County Workforce Investment Board meeting.

Alex Rodriguez, Director of the Southern Arizona office of the Arizona Technology Council, will give an overview of the aerospace/defense industry and workforce issues. Pam Summers, Human Resources Director at Abrams Airborne Manufacturing, and Jeremy Schalk, Vice President of Operations and Sales at Hi-Tech Machining and Engineering, will talk about a local machinists’ focus group and its efforts.

One-Stop Career Center staff will provide information about current workforce issues and needs, grants, and training opportunities, including Workforce Investment Act Reauthorization.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Pima Community College Aviation Technology Center, 7211 S. Park Ave. It usually concludes by 9 a.m. and is open to the public.

The Pima County Workforce Investment Board is authorized by the Department of Labor and appointed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors to provide recommendations on local workforce policy and oversight of the Pima County One-Stop Career Center that connects eligible job-ready youth, adult and dislocated workers in local growth, high-demand industry occupations. It includes representatives of local businesses, nonprofits and educational institutions.

For more information, please visit http://www.pima.gov/ced/agencies-workforce-investment-board.shtml.

Emerging technology that can help detect diseases and help doctors pinpoint therapeutic interventions to keep patients healthier longer will be key to capitalizing on the region’s expanding biosciences market, according to a new study.

With the region already home to leaders in the biotech arena, such as Ventana Medical Systems, Sanofi and others,PimaCountyapplauds the new strategy unveiled by Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities that identifies a new recruitment and retention focus on medical diagnostics.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said developing a critical mass in the biosciences will be important not only for the synergy created when companies can share talent, facilities and infrastructure, but for four primary reasons:

• Diagnostics has significant potential for economic benefit, which is why Pima County has already made substantial investments to support this emerging niche. Pima County supported the recent expansion of Roche by forgiving roughly $8.3 million in property taxes. More recently, Pima County invested in wet lab space to secure the relocation of the new corporate headquarters of the bioscience company Accelerate Diagnostics. Such investments are paying off. Accelerate, which held its grand opening mere weeks ago, has already hired 30 employees and is recruiting for more than a dozen other positions. The average annual wage for its research and development team: $102,040.
• Fast, accurate diagnostics strengthen public health and wellness in a multitude of ways. Depending on the application, they can be used not only to diagnose and monitor disease, but can have predictive capabilities that can help evaluate future risk of illness. With one of Pima County’s core priorities ensuring the health and wellness of our community, the Pima County Health Department provides services that support the health, safety and well-being of our residents
• Earlier diagnoses can help reduce the costs of care associated with hospitalization by making sure patients have more information about managing and preventing chronic illness. As a partner with University Medical Center– South Campus, Pima County is supportive of such efforts to lower costs and improve patient outcomes.
• The more timely and accurate the diagnoses, and the more that treatment plans can be tailored to individual patients, the stronger the likelihood that fewer unnecessary tests and ineffective services will be ordered. As a consumer of health care for employees, Pima County supports all of the puzzle pieces that work together to rein in the ever-increasing cost of health care.

“Not only are these new technologies breaking ground in providing effective patient care, but they represent a new frontier in economic development that really meshes with our regional strength in biosciences,” said Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, who sits on the TREO board. “We look forward to working with our other partners in the region to help target the growth of this industry.”

To read the full report, please visit http://www.treoaz.org/media/docs/Reports/Diagnostics-Strategy-FINAL-3-25-2013.pdf

Pima County Supervisors Sharon Bronson and Richard Elías Tuesday introduced a new program that can help Pima County residents save money on the high cost of prescription drugs.

Pima County recently joined the cities of Phoenix, Glendale, Chandler and the Town of Gilbert in sponsoring the Coast2Coast Rx Card, which is free, easy to use and available at almost every local pharmacy, as well as at libraries, health clinics and government offices.

“Because Pima County is invested in the health of this community – whether it’s ensuring there’s no wrong door in behavioral health treatment or building an urban loop system to help residents stay active – we’re pleased to be able to offer residents a tool that may help them save on rising medical costs,” Supervisor Bronson said.

Savings vary by drug store and drug, but can amount to up to 75 percent on brand name and generic drugs.

The program comes at no cost to the County.

And while the card is particularly helpful for the uninsured population, Supervisor Elías noted the card may also provide savings for those with high-deductible insurance plans, or in cases in which insurance does not cover a particular prescription. “This is a great example of the private sector working together with the government to make things better for people,” Supervisor Elías said.

Martin Dettelbach, the chief marketing officer for Coast2Coast, noted consumers may also use the card to see if discounts are available on a host of other services, from dental care to vision, hearing and even veterinary services. “The card is like a coupon that keeps on giving,” he said.

The card is free. There are no health, age or income restrictions. And cardholder information is kept confidential and not used for any other purposes.

For more information on the card, or to print your free card, please visit http://www.coast2coastrx.com/.

With a reading, tutoring and mentoring program for elementary school age students starting to nudge test scores upward at Mission Manor Elementary School, the Pima County Board of Supervisors agreed to fund an expansion of a pilot program to better improve literacy for children in kindergarten through third grade.

Literacy Connects, a group of literacy providers, in 2010 began working to improve kindergarten readiness and third grade reading achievement for a moderate number of Mission Manor students, as well as improving parental engagement in their children’s education.

Volunteers work with students weekly and volunteer two nights each week to work on reading skills with students. Volunteers also work with parents in English as a Second Language and GED preparation. Students also participated in the Stories that Soar component of Literacy Connects that combines literacy and the arts.

Since that time, standardized reading scores have increased 7 percent. Two nearby elementary schools that did not receive the additional services saw their reading scores drop by 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

With $75,000 in funding approved by the Pima County Board of Supervisors, the program will be offered in the 2013-2014 school year. The Board investment came with a requirement for a very detailed evaluation of the outcomes associated with literacy improvements.

“We are very grateful to the Supervisors for this start-up funding for the Literacy Infusion model that we will be piloting at Mission Manor in 2013-2014, said Betty Stauffer, Executive Director of Literacy Connects.  “This systems approach to literacy is the key to increased impact.  We look forward to the day that we can take this model to many, many schools in the Tucson area.”

Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías, who represents the Mission Manor area, noted that literacy infusion zones are successful in providing a focused attack on low achievement. “This coalition will bring remarkable assets to bear in helping improve reading comprehension and writing ability, as well as bolstering students’ ability to express themselves clearly and think creatively.”

Pima County Supervisors Chairman Ramón Valadez concurred. “If we as a community are concerned about how to make the education system better, we have to understand that we’re not going to see those gains by just doing the same thing. A different approach that builds upon what already exists in the curriculum should help us see a significant increase in students’ skills.”

Sunnyside Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Manuel L. Isquierdo said he is excited about the ongoing literacy efforts across the district, and especially about the program focused on literacy at Mission Manor. “We thank the Board of Supervisors for their affirmation of our efforts to improve our literacy efforts in our community.”