How to Prepare Expired Drugs for Careful Disposal

It is very important to remove personal information from containers of liquid and cream medications.  Pills and tablets should be  combined in a small sealable baggy –Their containers use up volumes of space in the disposal bins limiting capacity of the bins.

1. Remove pills and solid medications from their prescription containers and place them in a clear, sealable bag. Keep liquid and cream medications sealed in their original containers.
2. Take medications to an authorized collection location or place them in a mail-back envelope or package for delivery to an authorized destruction location.
3. Remove, black out, or scratch off your name and other personal information from prescription drug containers.
4. Place empty pill bottles and other containers for solid medications in your household recycling bin.

Unfortunately, Piedmonters are finding a number of local pharmacy bins too full for additional drop offs. The Well Spring Pharmcy on Piedmont Avenue and the CVS on 41st St have been full for at least a week in August.

Other Safe Expired Drug Disposal Bin Locations near Piedmont include:

The City and Researchers Will Hold a Community Meeting Regarding Police Call Data Analysis: August 26th at 6:00 p.m.

The City of Piedmont will hold a virtual community meeting with researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio who will be analyzing police call for service data to examine how police services are utilized within Piedmont.

This work is a part of the effort to understand bias and the historical role racism has played in Piedmont and the community at large, in order to better lead a city which is a safe, welcoming, and equitable place for all people committed to by the City Council in Resolution 60-2020.

The analysis also is part of the efforts to “…review and revise its policies, procedures, ordinances, values, goals, and missions through an anti-racism lens to foster an unbiased and inclusive environment that is free of discrimination, harassment, and negative stereotyping toward any person or group.” required by that same City Council action.

The City is interested in an analysis of this data to inform future discussions relative to call responses as well as public utilization of emergency and non-emergency requests for police services. Community members interested in participating can join the webinar by clicking on https://piedmont-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/86728495072

The meeting will also be televised on KCOMTV, Piedmont’s government Access TV Station (Comcast Channel 27, AT&T Channel 99). The researchers will be taking a broad look at all police call data, but will focus on two areas of particular interest:

• The types of calls for service which police officers respond to and the question of if there are alternative responses based on the call types.

• The frequency of biased-based calls for police intervention from the public which lack specific criminal related behavior.

At the community meeting, the researchers will present their procedure and methodology and take questions from community members along with the City Administrator Sara Lillevand and Police Chief Jeremy Bowers.

Read the full announcement 2021-08-16 Police Call Data Research Community Meeting (1)

August 11, 2021  School Board Meeting:

Received Overview of School Reopening and COVID FAQ Development – Superintendent Booker recapped the first days of the school year and provided an update of recent developments regarding COVID including:

– Last week, families and staff were notified that masks would be required outdoors while on campus. This decision was not mandated by the state but is highly recommended. Supt. Booker explained the District wants to do everything in its power to protect the community and ensure in-person instruction can continue. COVID remains a presence in the Piedmont community and the wearing of masks is the best defense other than vaccinations.
– The District’s Health & Safety Committee will be reinstated as an advisory group to the
Superintendent. The Committee will be charged with examining and discussing all issues
regarding the safety of students and staff, and will develop recommendations for the
Superintendent to bring to the Board. The re-establishment of the Committee is a
proactive way to prepare for scenarios without relying solely on state guidelines. The
Committee will consist of two Board members, District Administration and local
medical/health professionals. First meeting will hopefully take place in early September.
– Daily screening continues for all students and staff. Each site is conducting its own screening to assist with contact tracing. Background information was provided to explain quarantine guidelines for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
– Cleaning/disinfecting, increased ventilation and CO2 monitoring continues in all
classrooms and facilities.
– Visitors to campuses will be limited. Volunteers will be allowed on campuses at the discretion of the site principal. Meetings with families will be conducted virtually whenever possible.
– The District’s COVID FAQ will continue to expand and adjust as conditions change.

Received Overview of Testing/Vaccination Protocols – Supt. Booker addressed Governor
Newsom’s announcement that all public education workers in California will be required to be vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID testing.

– Before this decision, Supt. Booker met with Board members, APT, CSEA, and District
Administration to partner on a plan for all District staff to be vaccinated or undergo
testing twice a week. The plan was announced to staff and families last week.
– The District’s plan – now affirmed by the state – provides an extra layer of protection for
younger students and anyone else not yet vaccinated.
– The District has applied with the County to bring a mobile vaccination clinic to Piedmont in the near future. Will announce any details as soon as possible.
– Information regarding the percentage of District staff currently vaccinated will be
provided at the August 25th Board meeting.

At its August 11th meeting, the Piedmont Unified Board of Education:
Observed a moment of silence in memory of the Piedmont community members killed and injured in a tragic automobile accident July 25th in Minnesota.

School Board Meeting Summary – August 11, 2021

Read the full summary with links > Board Meeting Summary 8-11-21

Next Regular Board Meeting – Wednesday, August 25th, 7:00pm

Pool construction is anticipated to begin in December 2022 with the facility opening the summer of 2024.

Budget Advisory & Financial Planning Committee Tuesday, August 17, 2021 2:30 p.m.

Bond structure recommendation to be considered at the meeting,

Those seeking information on the bond consideration need to contact the City Clerk at 510/420-3040, as no information has been distributed with the Agenda.  For details on participating  in the meeting, click the link below.

2021-08-17 Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee Agenda

Rates of Covid-19 infection and severe illness have been relatively low among children. However, it’s worth noting that small numbers of children have been hospitalized from the virus, and it can cause long-term side effects like MIS-C and “long Covid-19.” CDC has not yet released data showing delta variant symptoms among children, but some children’s hospitals have reported increases in hospitalizations related to the delta variant.

medRxiv Advisory Board Daily Briefing 8/9/21

Read the complete article here

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS – C) has features in common with toxic shock syndrome and an illness called Kawasaki disease, both of which cause inflammation throughout the body.

“The syndrome is an inflammatory reaction in the body about four weeks after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The initial symptoms often include fever, rashes, red eyes, diarrhea and vomiting, and may get worse over a few days. The inflammation can affect the heart, blood vessels and other organs, which can make some children very ill and in need of urgent care.”  Johns Hopkins Medicine

Read the complete article here

Delta Variant Surge Challenges Vaccines

A study published in medRxiv indicates mRNA vaccines’ efficacy against infection—particularly the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine—has dropped significantly since the delta variant became widespread in July.  The hospitalized patients reported in the study were in the Mayo system and affiliated hospitals in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Specifically, the researchers found that during July, the Moderna vaccine appeared to have an estimated efficacy of 76% against infection, while the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had an estimated efficacy of 42% against infection.

Both vaccines had similar 21-day hospitalization rates, 21-day ICU admission rates, and 28-day mortality rates.

Venky Soundararajan, a lead author on the study, said based on the data compiled so far, the vaccines’ reduced efficacy likely stems from “a combination” of both reduced efficacy over time and reduced efficacy against the delta variant. “The Moderna vaccine is likely—very likely—more effective than the Pfizer vaccine in areas where delta is the dominant strain, and the Pfizer vaccine appears to have a lower durability of effectiveness.”

medRxiv Advisory Board Daily Briefing 8/11/21

Read the complete announcement here.

See July 29 PCA vaccine article here

Alameda County Information and August 3, 2021 Order:

Strong recommendations for everyone – 

Everyone is strongly encouraged to wear a mask in outdoor crowded settings and in non-public indoor settings, like a private residence, when you are with people you do not live with.

While fully vaccinated people are less likely to require hospitalization and less likely to die from variants, they may be asymptomatic or get infections.  

While COVID-19 cases are increasing and the Delta variant is spreading, everyone is asked to wear masks to help slow the spread of the virus. 

Eligible, unvaccinated persons are encouraged to get vaccinated to help prevent a future, even more virulent mutant.

We appreciate, applaud and encourage the School Board’s and District Administration’s consideration of a requirement that all PUSD teachers and staff to be vaccinated, subject to valid medical and religious exemptions. This will further reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections in our schools, particularly for students under 12 years old, for whom vaccination is not yet available, and staff who cannot be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons.

The University of California, the California State University, and some community colleges already have adopted such a policy for faculty, staff and students.That’s common sense as more children are getting sick with COVID-19, and more of them are being hospitalized or suffering from “long COVID” symptoms.

Although California law currently requires K-12 students to be immunized against a variety of diseases, it currently does not require public school teachers and staff to be immunized against the same diseases. A possible explanation is that the Legislature has not addressed this issue because (a) students must be immunized absent a medical or religious exemption, and so are less likely to get sick if exposed to an infected staff member; and (b) most staff members themselves were immunized when they were children. Neither rationale applies to COVID-19, for which vaccines have just become available and which are not yet available to children under 12 years old.

We suspect and hope that many, if not all, PUSD teachers and staff already are immunized against COVID-19. A PUSD vaccination requirement will encourage any who have not yet gotten the shots to do so. Just as no one wants to be infected with COVID-19, no one wants to be responsible for infecting anyone else with COVID-19. Those who cannot be vaccinated, and even the vaccinated at risk of “breakthrough” infections, will appreciate a vaccination requirement for all PUSD teachers and staff.

Rick Raushenbush, Former Member of the Piedmont School Board

Barbara Giuffre